Free Love Resisted (The Real Love Series) by Melanie Codina Page A

his shoulder and then kissed him on the cheek softly as she repeated the words, “Thank you, Mike.”
    When she pulled back, he gave her a one-sided smile and said, “You’re very welcome, Allie.” She gave him an answering smile, before turning and walking away, completely ignoring the fact that every cell in her body felt the connection she had with him.
    A few hours and a couple glasses of wine later, Allie was relaxed and content. It was time for everyone to say goodnight, and they were making the rounds. That’s when Allie remembered how she was kidnapped from her condo earlier that day, and now she needed a ride home. Shaking her head at what Mike did, she looked around and assessed her options. Seeing Morgan and Sean heading for the door first, she went to ask but realized that there was only room for five in their car, which meant they were at capacity. Her parents had already taken off, and Jake was probably busy planning how to secure Gillian in bubble wrap. She needed to find Jason or Logan. Making her way into the house, she asked where either of them were, but came up empty. The two men had either left or were playing pool in the garage.
    As she got closer to the garage, she heard them and sighed in relief at finding them. Always one to make an entrance, she said as she walked into the room, “All right, which one of you lucky men gets to give me a ride home?”  Logan and Jason both put their fingers to their noses and smiled big. Irritated that they would both leave her hanging like that, she geared up to give them trouble when she noticed Mike sitting off to the side. No finger to his nose. Somehow she felt like she’d been set up. “Oh, come on guys, it’s not that far,” she whined to Jason and Logan.
    “Sorry Al, no can do. Jason and I have had a few beers, and well, since I live next door, I really didn’t have to worry about driving home,” her stupid brother confessed. So she looked to Jason, who shrugged and said, “I don’t even have a car here. I rode over with my parents and planned on crashing at Logan’s. Sorry half-pint.”
    “Don’t call me that,” she grumbled as she looked over at Mike, who sat silently and waited for her to realize he was her only option. Walking was also an option, but actually less appealing than riding with Mike. “Well, since you’re the reason I need a ride in the first place, let’s go, Lawson,” she said with exasperation.
    He let out a laugh and said, “Surely the thought of riding with me can’t be that bad.”
    “It’s not, so long as you keep your hands to yourself.”
    “He better,” Logan said with authority as she went to leave the room, but not before she caught Mike’s cocky grin at her being forced to ride back with him. Especially since he knew she was trying to find alternate modes of transportation. So she decided to mess with him a little, by messing with her brother.
    When she made it to the door, she looked back at her brother and said, “I sure hope he does, especially since I caught him looking up my skirt earlier today.”
    Logan yelled, “Excuse me!” in Mike’s direction as she went to say goodnight to Gillian and Jake, smiling the entire time. She was still smiling when Mike made his way to the front door after also saying goodnight to Jake and Gillian.
    When he walked up, shaking his head, he asked her, “Do you always like to walk into a room, rile everyone up, and then strut out like that? That was messed up, throwing me under the bus like that … while your brother was driving, no less.”
    She shrugged as he opened the door and said, “I’ll admit that it’s fun to do, and I apparently have a natural talent for it.” This time when Mike put his hands on her waist and hoisted her into the truck, she was prepared for it and didn’t let out any girlie squeals. She thanked him as he closed the door and made his way toward the driver’s side. Once they were settled and on their way, silence descended, and