A Major Seduction by Marie Harte Page A

talk. By this point, what was the harm in trying to at
least up their relationship to more than “friends who fuck”?
    Sunday night dinner provided the perfect opportunity,
especially since Mike seemed all over her. He took the spot at the table next
to her, bumping Brad next to Olivia. He talked to his parents about her,
mentioning the time they’d spent together in between quizzing them about their
trip abroad, and he held her hand—under the table, but still—throughout the
meal.
    “Anyone for dessert?” Elizabeth asked as she stood to clear
the table.
    “What do you have?” Maria asked as she grabbed her plate and
stood.
    Mike surprised her by taking it from her. Then he shocked
the hell out of her by kissing her on the lips and saying, “I got it, baby.”
    A kiss and a baby in front of his parents .
    Olivia and Brad looked smug. Mike acted as if he’d done
nothing out of the ordinary. His parents said nothing, but she could see the
colonel and Elizabeth trying not to smile.
    “Ah, okay.” Maria sat back down and tried to clear her
thoughts. Those were positive signals. Now she had to have the boyfriend talk. But not in front of everyone.
    She finished the meal, not sure of what anyone said, though
she thought she’d managed to nod and smile when appropriate. Before she knew
it, Mike had whisked her back to her home. On the way, she texted Olivia to
find another place to stay tonight.
    Fine, Olivia
texted back. I’ll hang with Brad, but you
owe me.
    Relieved to have time to handle Mike, Maria let him lead her
inside.
    “We need to talk,” they both said at the same time.
    Maria thought that sounded ominous. He must have thought the
same because his expression seemed grim. “You first,” he offered.
    She nodded, praying she was making the right decision. Sure
she’d tricked him a little and been a bit sneaky, but not to hurt him in any
way. She felt that coming clean, admitting her feelings, was the right move.
She prayed. Hoped. Crossed her fingers.
    Maria took a deep breath then ran her hands through her long
hair.
    “What’s wrong?” Mike asked.
    “I want us to be a couple,” she blurted.
    “Ah, okay.”
    “You know. Boyfriend and girlfriend. Exclusive. Just us
together.”
    “Right.”
    She hurried on. “I mean, I know I wanted us to be casual.
But being with you, it makes me always want
to be with you. Not anyone else, just you.”
    “I agree.”
    “And it’s so easy to be with you. I don’t have to try. I can
just be myself, and I’m happy. I mean, I’m happy working at my mom’s store. I
don’t need my own coffee shop like Olivia, or some big-letter degree studying
some subject I couldn’t care less about. I’m happy with my life.”
    “I am too.”
    “So I think it’s time I moved on to something a bit more
permanent. Not trying to freak you out or anything, but I don’t see why we
can’t be boyfriend and girlfriend.” She ran out of breath.
    Mike laughed and pulled her into his arms. “Maria, I feel
the same way.”
    She gaped at him. “You do?”
    “Baby, I missed you like crazy this weekend. I didn’t want
you anywhere near that loser you were eating lunch with.”
    “Bobby’s not a loser,” she said absently, wanting to pinch
herself to see if this was real.
    “And if Brad looks at you like he wants to do you just one
more time, brother or no brother, he’s going to be eating out of a straw when I
knock out all his teeth.”
    She stared at him. “I didn’t freak you out?”
    “Not at all.”
    She felt so happy she wanted to burst. So she hugged him
until he gasped, begging for air.
    “Oh, Mike. I love you so much.”
    He pulled away from her, his eyes wide, but before he could
say it back, she kissed him. The kiss turned hot in a heartbeat, and then she
was ripping off his shirt and taking dirty, nasty advantage of him. She worked
her way down his body, not letting him do more than moan her name. She had his
pants open and her mouth on his