Her Sexiest Mistake

'Only if you give up the God complex,' Hope said.

'What?'

'Come on, you're always right and your opinion is the only one that matters.'

Mia rolled her lips together and considered. 'Overruled. I am God here in this house. Next rule-no sex.'

'You've already mentioned this a time or two.'

'You can never repeat it enough. No sex.'

'You can't make a rule like that.'

'I can and I am,' Mia said firmly.

'I'm sixteen. Old enough.'

'Not in my house, it isn't.'

'How about you?'

Mia lifted her chin. 'I, thankfully, am old enough.'

'That sucks.'

'Take it or leave it,' Mia said.

Hope had no intention of leaving it. To give herself a second, she kicked her toe over the tile and left a mark. To her credit, Mia hardly grimaced. 'I'll take it,' Hope said.

***

On the drive to the high school, Mia pulled out her cell phone and called Tess. 'I've made a bunch of calls. I have five clients who'd love to interview you.'

'That's incredibly sweet,' Tess said. 'But I told you, I'm making a go at this cookie dough thing full-time. I mean, honestly, can you think of a better job than making cookie dough?'

Um, yes, but she'd keep that to herself.

'Oh, and remember when you said you wanted to help? Well, know any good ad execs?'

Mia grinned. 'Are you kidding? I'll make you an ad campaign that makes you rich.'

'Hey, if I just make a living, I'll be thrilled.'

Mia would make sure of it.

'How's it going there with Hope?'

Mia looked over at her niece. The jet-black hair dye was slowly fading. She still wore black pants and black boots, but her tank was gray today. More interesting, she didn't have all the metal and steel armor on. 'Hope's good. But my house has flying ants.'

'Termites? Oh, no! You have to get rid of them before they eat your house. I'll call someone for you.'

'Honey, that's the beauty of no longer being my assistant-you don't have to do this stuff anymore.'

'You're like a lifelong habit. Let me call Buddy.'

Buddy was one of Tess's ex-boyfriends. He'd been a great guy, except for his inability to date only one woman at a time. 'Tell me you're not still in contact with him.'

'How about we focus on your house not being destroyed,' Tess said diplomatically, because of course she was still in touch with Buddy. She was still in touch with everyone she'd ever met. It was that big-heart thing again. 'I'm calling him.'

Imagining the termites sitting on their butts gnawing on her wood walls, Mia sighed. 'Fine, thanks.' She clicked off and walked Hope into the high school, feeling an unaccustomed set of nerves. She had no idea why until she stopped in the doorway to Kevin's classroom.

And then she knew exactly why.

Kevin himself. Friday night, and the wild, wonderful, amazing sex.

She'd avoided him all weekend, needing to think. Obsess. When they'd made love, right before she'd climaxed something had happened. Time had stopped, worlds had collided, and stars had fallen.

She still had no idea what that little beat had been about, but for that one second something had happened, something deep and connected and… terrifying.

And when they'd finished, she realized she lay there breathing crazily and hugging up to him like a lost little monkey, so she forced herself to get up and get out.

He was pissed, and she knew it.

But she'd had to go or lose it, and for the rest of the weekend, whenever her brain wandered from where she'd ordered it, it always took her back to that moment at the end when he'd been buried inside her, when she looked into his eyes and exploded. And then the next, which was her leaving him flat on the floor, looking hot and sated. Sexy.

Exhausted.

Hurt.

God, her heart hurt, too. She was actually having pains over this. Now the person responsible for those pains stood at the front of the room, his back to them, writing something across the board.

He turned around. He wore loose cargo jeans, those perpetually unlaced boots, and an unbuttoned long-sleeved shirt over a plain white T-shirt that read: i am authorized to think youre stupid, both shirts having apparently never met an iron they liked. His hair was adorably rumpled, and when he smiled at Hope, it turned Mia upside down.

Again Friday night flashed in her mind, how he looked after they'd both come so explosively all over each other. His eyes had been dark and soft, and the way he'd touched her- God. Something fathomless and yawning had opened up inside her, and she couldn't seem to close it again.

It was so big she couldn't face it, but she needn't have worried. He wasn't looking at her like that anymore. In fact, he wasn't even looking at her at all.

'Hey,' he said to Hope, sounding extremely pleased. 'Tell me you're here to add my class.'

Hope nodded.

'Great! We don't start for another fifteen minutes, so let me show you what we're working on.' He gestured Hope toward his desk and they put their heads together over a book.

Mia, still at the door, cleared her throat.

They both looked up.

And for the first time in her life, Mia didn't know what to say, how to charm, how to get her way. Hell, she didn't even know what her way even was. 'Kevin.'

'Thanks for letting her take the class,' he said, smile cool, eyes equally cool. 'Was there anything else?'

Ouch. And for no known reason, a ball of panic began to swirl deep in her gut. 'Uh… no.'

How to fix this? How?

But before she could decide, he went back to showing Hope something in the book.

And Mia, well used to alienating people and moving on, lifted her chin and walked right out of the room.

Kevin turned to watch her go, then tossed aside his dry-erase pen and shoved his fingers through his hair, swearing softly. He caught Hope's curious eye and muttered an apology.

'That's okay,' Hope said, wise beyond her years as he knew her to be. 'She brings out the worst in people. All us Applebys do.'

Kevin stared at her. 'Is that what you think?'

She lifted a shoulder. 'Fact is fact.'

The girl's bravado attitude matched her aunt's, and damn if he wasn't incredibly attached to both of them-