Just Between Friends (Prequel to the Forbidden Series)

10

The morning sun poured through the cracks of the pale peach blinds that covered the bedroom window, warming Chase’s exposed skin. Blinking awake she took a moment to focus and enjoy the feel of the sun on her body. Stretching her stiff arms, she reached out and felt nothing. Easing herself up onto her elbows, Chase looked around. The bed was empty beside her. She was alone in the room. Her heart sunk, Mike had disappeared… again. Why was she surprised? She had not seen him for years, and yet he still had the ability to get what he wanted from her. Discarded and reprimanding herself, Chase rose from the bed and walked over to her closet. Removing a red silk robe, she covered her body and wrapped the belt about her waist tying it in the front.

She opened the door and entered the hall. Deciding she needed a shower Chase proceeded to the bathroom across the hall from her room. The bathroom door opened suddenly, and Chase screamed. Reaching out to catch her as she stumbled backwards, Mike swung an arm around her and drew her close to calm her. “Chase it’s just me, it’s ok.” He spoke not sure she was fully awake and aware of what was going on.

Her heart was beating so hard Chase was sure it would burst through her chest. Mike held her fast until the shock wore off. He was still there… in her home… holding her? Her breathing slowed returning to normal as she looked up at him still not able to believe he was real.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. You were sleeping so soundly, I thought I would shower before breakfast.”

“Breakfast?” She was still trying to grasp the moment.

“Yeah, I make a wicked omelet. Do you still like eggs?” Mike asked releasing his hold on her walking toward the bedroom; a towel draped around his hips and his dark hair wet and glistering against his tan neck. The corners of her mouth turned up in a devilish smile at the delectable sight. Mike had said he would stay and he had. This fact alone acted on her like an aphrodisiac. She watched him dry off and dress, a pulsing warmth rushing to her core and she found herself wanting to touch him. Mike was a perfect specimen of masculine beauty, and she wondered if the incredible man before her was the same boy she had been so close with so many years ago.

Dressed in his leather pants and nothing more, Mike strolled over to Chase and kissed her lightly on the noise. “Where are your pans?” His voice was low and husky, he slipped his hand over her bottom and gave her a playful pinch. A devilish grin crossed his handsome face when she jumped. Chase watched Mike stride down the hall and disappear around the corner into the kitchen.

“Second cupboard from the fridge on the bottom.” She called after him. “I’ll be there soon.” I need a shower; she thought, a very cold shower.

***

Mike herd the door close behind her, and he peered around the corner, a smile on his face. He watched the closed door for a moment then returned to the meal preparation he had begun. Chase looked delectable in that silken robe he had fought to refrain from tearing it off and having his way with her, but he was determined to prove to her he was not there to use her. He opened the fridge and removed a carton of eggs, cheese, and sliced ham. Singing to himself, he rushed around her tiny kitchen gathering the necessary tools to make breakfast. He had not been this content in a long time, and he certainly had never stuck around this long the morning after with anyone.

He cracked a few eggs into a mixing bowl and stirred in spices. Once he was done, Mike turned on the stove top and poured the mixture into the pan. As he sliced up the cheese and ham, there was a knock on the door. Wiping his hands on a dish towel that hung on the cupboard door, Mike walked to the door. A bounce in his step, his long dark hair falling into his face, nothing could ruin his good mood. Brushing his damp hair behind his ears, Mike opened the door wide. With one hand on the brass handle and the other against the door frame, Mike leaned lazily in the threshold eyeing up the surprised man residing on the other side of the door.

The man looking back at him was short, about Chase’s height and possibly around Mike’s age. He was a construction worker Mike decided, recognizing the clothing and boots he wore. His dark blond hair was cropped short, and his face was cleanly shaven. His frame was weaker than Mike’s even under the man’s heavy coveralls he could tell he lacked in physical stature. His gaze was hard and irritated immediately putting Mike on the defence. His eyes trailed down to the luggage in the man’s hands. “Who the f**k are you?” The young visitor asked, his every word clipped with disdain, as he pushed past Mike and tossed the luggage on the floor.

“Who the f**k are you?” Mike snapped ready to throw the intruder out.

“I asked you first.”

“I’m sorry, do you live here?” Mike asked holding back his hostile urges.

“No.” He turned his gaze to the kitchen. “Your breakfast is burning.”

Suddenly remembering the meal, he left on the stove, Mike swore and ran over to the stove grabbing the smoking pan. Burning his hand, he tossed the pan into the nearby sink. That momentary problem dealt with Mike returned his attention to the man by the door his head leaning into the hall yelling at someone to hurry up.

“Where the hell is my wife?” He questioned turning back to Mike. The question stopping Mike dead in his tracks like a slap across the face. His breath trapped in his chest, the horrific word echoing in his ears… wife. It couldn’t be true. “Kat, hurry up and get in here, Daddy’s got to catch his ride.” He yelled as a small six-year-old girl with brilliant red hair came through the door, carrying a doll in her arms.

“I dropped my doll.” She whined running to the couch and climbing up. Her sea green eyes fell on Mike, looking him over. “Who are you?” She asked in an innocent, childlike manner.

Suddenly he was drawing a blank, unable to remember his name under the shock of the moment. Chase was by his side as if she materialized out of thin air. Her hair wet and hanging heavy down her back, her robe clinging to her still wet body. She had not dried off before putting it on, coming to see what was going on. “Harry, I wasn’t expecting you until next week.”

“Obviously,” Harry snarled glaring at Mike who suddenly became aware he was half-naked and surrounded by strangers. “Do you think you can tell your… whatever he is, to put on a shirt in the presence of our daughter.”

Daughter, another slap in the face. Mike turned and walked down the hall to her bedroom. He picked up his shirt and boots. Quickly dressing, Mike stalked back to the living room. He was out of there; he didn’t need this sort of drama in his life. Sure, he messed around, but married women had always been off-limits, despite his fondness for Chase he wasn’t going to make an exception.

“Mike, please don’t go.” Chase lunged in front of him cutting off his escape.

“Wife? Mother? When were you going to tell me you were married, Chase, you don’t think that may have been important info to give me last night.” Mike barked at her.

“Let me explain.”

“Explain a husband? You’re married for God’s sake.”

“Ex-husband… or would be if he would just sign the damn papers.” She shot a hostile glare at Harry. “We have been separated for two years, and the divorce is almost final. Please don’t leave because of him.” Her tiny palm pressed firmly against his chest willing him to stay. Mike searched her eyes for an indication to the truth. They were a rich, deep green, honest and easy to get lost in, and he found himself melting under her hands.

Pleased by the change in his eyes, Chase crossed the small room to her daughter and knelt in front of her. “Kat dear, why don’t you take your bag into your room and unpack while Mommy talks to Daddy.”

Sighing, Kat jumped up from the couch and dragged the bag Harry had been carrying down the hall. Once the child was out of sight, Chase’s tone became hateful. “Do you not know how the phone works? What if I had been working would you have just left Kat in the hall? You were supposed to take her for a week, not a day or two. She’s been looking forward to seeing you for three months.”

“I got a job call for Fort. Mac for the next four months. The money is good. I can’t pass it up. She’ll get over it when I send her Christmas gifts.” He justified himself while he walked toward the door to leave.

“That right, silly me to think that your daughter might want to see you on Christmas, she should just be happy with your money like normal kids,” Chase yelled slamming the door behind Harry as he left. Chase pulled her robe tight and marched into her bedroom. Once she was dressed and presentable, she returned to the kitchen where Mike was trying his hand at making breakfast again.

There was an awkward silence as she struggled with what she should say. The unexpected arrival of her daughter had complicated the already complicated situation between them. “I would have told you.” Her voice was meek and apologetic.

“Does Kat like eggs?” Mike asked calmly, avoiding the uncomfortable change in the atmosphere. He had never dealt with a kid; in fact, he had gone out of his way to avoid women with children. The extra baggage had been unexpected, and the basic instincts inside him were telling him to run for the hills. He was going against his better judgment by staying.

“Yes. I’m sorry you found out this way, it must have come as a surprise.” Chase persisted. Approaching him slowly, she ran her hand over his back.

Mike turned abruptly, bumping into her and causing her to stumble. “You think so?” He said harshly trying to contain his annoyance. “How would you have handled it if my wife showed up with kids in tow?”

“Do you have a wife and kids?” She asked playfully, already cretin of his answer. Mike was not the type to settle down, the idea of monogamy a foreign concept to men of his nature.

Mike’s reaction to Kat was a clear indication of his panic at the thought of children. Their lives were very different now, he realized, so different they may as well have been from different worlds. He could no longer live in hers any more than he could expect Chase to give up hers for his. It would never work, and that truth was painfully clear, but he could not find it in himself to leave.

“No, but that wasn’t my point,” Mike growled. Her gaze cast to the floor like a child who had just been scolded. She was enchanting; Mike found it hard to be angry with her. Had she been any other women he would have run out that door so fast there would have been nothing left but a trail of smoke. However, he had thought of Chase for years, and he was not about to let the fact that she had a child frighten him off. Feeling guilty for his reaction to Chase’s circumstances, Mike drew her into his arms and lifted her chin with his fingers until she met his gaze. “I’m sorry, I’m just a little shocked. I’ll get over it; a child will be a… novel experience. I’ll adjust.” He said in his most accepting tone and hoped it was convincing.

“Mama I’m hungry.” Kat’s tiny shy voice interrupted their moment. Releasing Chase, Mike turned to the girl that stood beside him. Her height hardly matched the length of his long legs. She looked so much like her mother he couldn’t help but find her charming.

“Would you like the first omelet?” He asked lowering himself to one knee so he could look her in the face.

“A what?” She twisted her face in confusion.

Mike laughed. “It’s eggs.” He whispered as if it were a secret for just the two of them. Kat giggled and glanced up at her mother. Mike pressed his finger to his lips, and she copied him. Standing up, Mike took the eggs from the pan and placed them on a plate Chase gave him. He placed it on the table and pulled out the chair for the excited child. Once she climbed up, he pushed the chair in and returned to the stove to prepare the next serving.

Chase sat down at the table with Kat who was stuffing forkfuls of egg into her little mouth. “Kat swallow before you take another bite.”

“Who are you?” The child blurted out with her mouth full. Mike laughed at her innocent ignorance.

“Kat that was rude.” Chase scolded her.

“My name is Mike; I’m your Mommy’s… friend.” He was unsure of what he was to her after the events of last night. Were they friends? Were they more? He felt those same old teenage uncertainties come over him. The last time he felt that way was the last time he had been with Chase. What was it about her that caused this effect on him?

“You look funny?” Kat informed him stuffing another forkful in her mouth.

“Kat!” Chase’s eyes went wide with embarrassment.

“I mean you don’t look like Harry and his friends. Your clothes are strange, and your skin is darker.” The child explained her question.

“I’m Spanish, that’s why I’m darker. I have a friend even darker than me.” He explained nodding away Chase’s embarrassment at the child’s curiosity.

“I go to grade one. We have a Chinese boy in my class; he sits behind Scott; he’s different too.” She said excitedly. “He is really smart too,” Kat said, happy to have an adult male pay attention to her. “He knows all the answers.” Kat paused momentarily to take another bite. “You don’t dress like Harry.”

Mike placed the finished omelet on a plate and placed it in front of Chase whose face was hidden in her hands trying to will her daughter’s curiosity to be less blunt. Mike stroked her hair and returned to the stove to make his breakfast. “My clothes are like this, so I get people to look at me.”

“Why do you want people to look at you?”

“Well I’m in a band, and if people don’t look at me, they won’t want to listen to me. It’s an image thing.”

“What’s an image?”

“What people see when they look at you.”

“What’s a band?”

“A group of people who make music together.”

“Why?”

“To entertain people.”

“What is entertain?”

“Making people have fun.” Kat’s mouth opened to ask her next question in a string of never-ending questions. When Chase’s gaze warned her to stop and eat her meal in that motherly expression, Mike had seen his grandmother wear so often when he was a child. “Would you like to hear me play the guitar?” He smiled at the younger version of Chase.

Kat’s face lit up, and she started bouncing in her seat. “Can I Mama?”

Chase’s eyes lowered, and Mike could sense her regret. She didn’t look at him. “I don’t have a guitar anymore. I sold them both years ago. I needed diapers and formula.”

Mike was taken back; she had loved her guitar even more than he had loved his. The thought that she would part with it was unbelievable. Things must have been very bad for her to have resorted to selling her most prized possession. Mike took a deep breath; she was full of surprises this morning. “That’s ok, I have a rehearsal this afternoon, you can come with me and sit in, but you have to promise to be very quiet while we play.”

“I promise, can we Mama?” Kat pleaded, her tiny hands clasped in front of her.

Chase seemed less sure. “Won’t the guys mind having a six-year-old present?”

“They shouldn’t, both David and Eric have four little brothers and sisters they are used to the antics of children.”

“Ok, Kat I want you to go wash your hands and face.” Chase smiled when her daughter hopped down with food still in her mouth. She ran off to the washroom, and Mike barely missed her on his way to the table.

Once they were alone, he had to ask. “Why does she call him Harry?”

Chase frowned and poked her food with her fork. “Because he is never around and never pays her any attention. He treats her like a burden, and she resents him for it, but she still loves him.”

“Why did you two break up?” Mike asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

“He was having more s*x than I was.” She said forcing a smile, but it was clear to see she was still bitter. “Now instead of just letting Kat and I go he just gets off on making my life as difficult as possible.” Chase looked away lost to her thoughts. “I should have never married him.” She mumbled half to herself. Kat came running back around the corner and into the living room. She had turned on the television and planted herself in front of the Care Bears. “That’s all she ever gets to do at home because I can’t afford a place with a yard.”

Mike took another bite of his eggs and watched the bored looking child. “How about we go to the park after breakfast?”