M ia
Mia decided to wait until Monday to make contact with King by going to his work site and waiting for him to finish up for the day. She’d managed to avoid the two calls he’d made to the house by being in the shower the first time and on a walk with Precious the second. Sammy conveyed his messages and Mia pretended to phone him back by heading upstairs for privacy.
She’d hated lying to Sammy, but she hadn’t been in the mood to answer questions, at least not until she’d confronted King. In the meantime, she’d stewed over the confrontation she’d had with Sheila.
She walked the short distance to where they were cutting trees, spied his truck, and then leaned against it to wait for him. Eventually the sound of chainsaws halted and grew quiet. A few minutes later, King’s crew began drifting out of the woods toward their vehicles. Mia got a few smiles and a nod or two thrown her way when they saw her.
She crossed her arms and assessed the men with interest. She couldn’t help noticing their similarities, something she hadn’t taken the time to scrutinize on that first day. They all looked around the same age, late forties to early fifties. They were buff for older men. Weathered and chiseled. Though she couldn’t see their muscles through their flannel shirts, the arms that were exposed where they’d rolled up their sleeves revealed strength and definition.
They looked like lumberjacks—rugged, hard-working, and sexy as sin. One in particular was making his way in her direction, and she realized that his truck must be the one parked next to King’s. His head was shaved clean on the sides, leaving a thick strip of hair at the top that was peppered with gray like his full beard. Dark brown eyes met hers, and a friendly smile spread across his handsome face.
It was amazing what a friendly smile could do to a rugged, otherwise moody-looking, man.
“Ma’am,” he acknowledged Mia in a voice that sounded like gritty sandpaper. “You waiting for King?”
Mia nodded, returning his smile.
“He’s coming.”
“Thank you.”
“Cody!”
Both he and Mia turned in the direction the voice had come from as King emerged from the trees. King’s eyes briefly touched on her before landing on the man she’d been talking to. “Don’t forget to pick up the chain and bumper spikes for tomorrow.”
Cody raised his arm before turning back to his truck. “Got it!” He gave Mia a wink before climbing into his truck and settling behind the wheel.
Mia’s gaze returned to King. God, even dirty and sweaty, she couldn’t deny how handsome he was. And then anger over his deceit set in, and she steeled herself for what she was about to do. Her smile disappeared as she hardened her heart.
He approached her with a smile on his face, oblivious to her inner turmoil. “Hey, beautiful,” he said as he got closer to Mia. “I tried to get ahold of you. Why didn’t you return my calls?”
Mia glared at him and took a step in his direction. “Don’t you ‘hey, beautiful’ me, you lying piece of shit!” she spat at him, wiping the smile right off his face.
King’s face hardened instantly with confusion and anger. “What the hell?”
“You’re a liar and a cheat,” Mia shouted, ignoring his men that were still around them. Her voice was trembling with her emotions. “Sheila came by the house—”
“What the fuck?” he began with a deep frown between his brows. “When?”
“She said you guys are getting back together. That you’ve always fucked around on her and liked the challenge of being with other women, and that they all meant nothing to you. I’m here to tell you to stay the hell away from me.” When tears threatened, Mia swung around to leave.
King closed the distance between them and grabbed her upper arm. “Let me explain—”
She swung back to him, fisting her hands. “No! I don’t want to hear it,” Mia exploded in disbelief. “I thought you were someone I could trust, but it was all just a game to you. I should have suspected something was wrong, the way you swooped in so fast. And like a damned fool I gave in! Thanks for the lesson!”
Mia whirled around to flee again, only to find a few of King’s crew suddenly blocking her way. She froze, humiliated that they’d witnessed the scene between her and King. Although she was angry and hurt, it was no place for such a private discussion.
The three men in front of her were older, like King, and just as attractive. They had salt and pepper hair; two sported stubble, while the third had a full beard. Their expressions were impassive and hard to read.
Were they afraid she was going to attack King? They were giants compared to her. At another time Mia might have found it funny that his men thought King needed protection.
She did not have time to admire their looks, and quickly stepped around them before she made even more of a fool of herself.
“Mia, wait!” King called. “Hear me out.”
Since it appeared that she had no choice, she paused for a moment. She was tempted to listen to what he had to say, but her pride wouldn’t let her. She’d been played for a fool by a man who knew how to get what he wanted. He’d played the nice guy, the strong man, and the sensitive lover, but she knew that underneath it all, he was just like any other player. Deep down she knew she wasn’t being reasonable—after all, they’d only spent one night together—but the hurt cut too deep.
Fighting back tears, she said, “I don’t want to hear your excuses.” She darted between two of his men and walked away before he could say anything more.
“Mia!” King called again, his tone sounding more like a snarl.
She pretended not to hear him and kept walking. She knew he was following her, but she continued to ignore him.
“I said wait, woman!” he growled, close behind her now.
“Go to hell!”
King caught up to her and grabbed her arm.
“Leave me alone!”
“We’re not done,” he snarled between his teeth. “You’re going to let me explain,” he said gruffly, his fingers gripping her arm almost painfully this time.
Mia cried out, her anger bursting back to the surface. “Let me go!” She surprised them both by pulling out of his grasp. “Don’t touch me or follow me again. I don’t want to see you. And you’re right, we’re not done. We never started!”
“Goddammit, woman...”
“No,” she growled, slightly alarmed when she took in his harsh expression. He looked as angry as she felt. “You lied to me.”
“Why the fuck would I lie?”
He sounded indignant, but Mia wasn’t going to be fooled again. Sheila’s explanation of their relationship was still too fresh on her mind. She narrowed her eyes. “Maybe because you saw an easy conquest and wanted another fucking notch on your bedpost?”
“No,” he scowled with strong conviction, his jaw taut. “Sheila had no business going to you. She likes to stir up trouble, and it appears she didn’t waste any time spreading her shit.”
Mia faced King’s anger with her own question, heavy with skepticism. “So she’s the liar now?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, her heart fell, and she realized she may have made a grave mistake.
King’s head snapped back, and his scowl grew. She couldn’t blame him when he snarled, “Why the fuck am I justifying myself to you? We hooked up for one night, that doesn’t mean shit.”
King’s words stung her like a slap to the face, and were a contradiction to what he’d said to her earlier. He was no longer trying to explain himself. And he was right—their hookup didn’t mean they were dating.
He was wrong, though, about it not meaning anything. It meant something to Mia.
Feeling that it was too late to undo the damage, she said, “I was stupid to let myself get involved with you so fast. I’m out of here.” She spun away from him and walked off.
Mia almost made it to the road when she heard a vehicle slowly driving up beside her. She expected to see King but was surprised to see Cody instead. Their eyes met, and Mia halted. Her instinct told her that he had something to say to her that she might want to hear, and she sucked it up even though she was embarrassed that he—along with some of the other men—had witnessed what had just happened.
In the seconds she’d walked away from King, she’d concluded that she could be wrong about the whole situation. She’d been so quick to believe Sheila and realized that she had likely been triggered after the way her relationship with Jerry had ended. She’d caught him in a lie that had been the catalyst of their divorce, the icing on the cake, so to speak, after years of infractions that had finally added up to too much.
Swallowing hard, she admitted, “I messed up, didn’t I?” She didn’t expect Cody to understand.
He surprised her with a nod. “King’s the best man I know, honey, and I’m not just saying that because we’re friends. He hasn’t stopped talking about you since he dragged your ass out of the woods the other day. I don’t know exactly what Sheila told you, but I know her, too. Trust me when I say, she’s a manipulative bitch who does whatever it takes to get her own way. He put up with her for far longer than any sane man should.”
As Mia listened quietly to Cody, her heart fell even more. “Thank you.” It was the only thing she could think of saying.
“Give it time. Right now, you both need it.” He hesitated for a minute. “You want a ride home?
Mia shook her head and began walking again when Cody drove off. When she got to the road and turned right in the direction of the house, she was aware of another vehicle right behind her. She glanced back to see King pull onto the road and take a left.
Cody was right. She’d give it a few days, and if King didn’t reach out to her, she’d call him. At least to apologize, and to let him explain, if he still wanted to. She knew it might not make a difference.
And if it didn’t, it would all be her fault.