Smittened by Jamie Farrell

there he was, her strong, handsome, perfectly imperfect savior-wannabe.
    He peered at her cautiously, then opened the door wider. “Hey, sweet pea. Come on in.” A guitar echoed inside, and Dahlia realized she’d stumbled upon the house where Will had been hiding out since the fire.
    She wanted to launch herself at Mikey. To properly thank him for his help. For his friendship.
    For just being him .
    But she wrapped her arms around herself instead of hugging him. “Your, ah, friend brought Ted and my, erm, profits by this morning. Thank you.”
    He scuffed a toe on the light-colored rug covering the oak floors and nodded. “Yeah. Anytime.”
    “The Bliss animal shelter was very grateful.”
    His grin popped out. “You’re one of a kind, Miss Dahlia.”
    The tune coming from the guitar in back changed, and Dahlia recognized the melody.
    Her face warmed, and she put her hands to her cheeks.
    Billy Brenton was playing the song she’d helped Mikey write. The one he’d named after her.
    “I tried to kiss Mari Belle,” Mikey said.
    Three sour notes rang out from the back room. Dahlia went back to hugging herself, tighter this time.
    “I couldn’t do it,” he rushed on. “Because she’s not you.”
    Dahlia’s breath caught in her throat. “You—”
    “You were right Saturday night. I thought if she saw me serious with someone, she might realize I could be more than a family friend.” He tilted his head and offered a self-deprecating smile. “And more than just a man-whore.”
    Dahlia wanted to shake him. “You were always more than just a man-whore.”
    His grin was coming back, more real. “She left Sunday, but I don’t miss her. I miss you. I miss your cats and your big, open living room floor and your jokes and your ice cream freezer and the way you can fry an egg with your eyes when you’re mad and your big heart.” A real Mikey grin made an appearance. “And your Sexual Favors,” he added softly.
    Dahlia giggled despite herself. He angled closer.
    “I was wrong too,” she said. “I was looking for a reason to push you away. Because you scare me.”
    He stopped.
    “You scare me because you make me feel good about being me. Even the sucker parts. And I’m so afraid that if I let myself love you, that you’ll take something more than my money or my good intentions. That you might honestly take my heart. And that can’t be replaced.”
    “If it helps,” he said, “I can give you a backup. Thought I was missing mine, but it just walked in the door with you.”
    She shuffled closer to him, inhaled his fresh, clean, male scent. “And you’re leaving next month,” she said.
    He looked back toward the sound of the guitar. “Always loved life on the road,” he said quietly. “Felt more like home than home did. But home—been a long time since I’ve been this kind of home. Been where I belong.”
    Her heart was stuttering out a hopeful rhythm. “Where do you belong?”
    “Right here, sweet pea.” He brushed a hand over her hair, slid her glasses back up her nose. “With the only woman in the world better than all the rest put together.”
    “I’m not—”
    “Was talking about Parrot,” he said.
    Dahlia’s head jerked all the way up, and Mikey lowered his smiling mouth to hers. “Thinking I’d be getting the better end of the deal here,” he said against her lips.
    “You definitely would,” she agreed.
    But she had her arms around him, and he was doing things to her lips that were probably illegal back in Pickleberry Springs. And what he was doing with his hands definitely was—she’d looked up a few laws last week—and she couldn’t ever remember laughing while she kissed a man before, but she couldn’t ever imagine kissing anyone else, ever again.
    She pulled back from his kiss. “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you.”
    “I earned that one,” he said. He kissed the tip of her nose and smudged her glasses. “And I’m gonna spend the rest of my life making sure you know