Her Sexiest Mistake Read online

  “Mmm. But what a way to go.” She looked hot and damp and extremely proud of herself. Propping a hand on his still-heaving chest, she leaned in and kissed him. “Thanks.”

  He blinked when she got up. “Thanks?”

  “Yeah. I needed that.” She slipped back into her jeans, then her heels. And then, while he was still trying to gather his wits, flat on his back on the floor, his pants still at his thighs, she pulled open the front door.

  “No. You are not—”

  But he was talking to himself because she was already gone. “—leaving.”

  He stared up at his ceiling, wondering if she’d thanked him for dinner, the orgasm, or for just plain being an idiot.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Monday morning, Hope came downstairs, groggy and sleepy and wishing mornings didn’t come so early. Mia liked to get up at the crack of dawn, which proved it—they couldn’t really be related.

  Over the weekend, Mia had taken her shopping in Beverly Hills, where the prices had given her sticker shock.

  And then Hope had taken Mia shopping in return—to Target, where Mia was coaxed into buying a pair of sweats that actually looked quite comfortable. They’d had fun, a fact that surprised both of them.

  All weekend, Hope’s cell phone had been vibrating with messages from Adam. She’d saved them and read every single one over and over. All she had to do was call him or text him back, but she knew what he wanted, what he expected, and though she’d thought she was ready, she wasn’t.

  It’s just that Friday night, at Tess’s, they’d watched a movie with subtitles for Mike, who Hope kept forgetting was deaf because he was so…normal. She’d sat in Tess’s small but comfortable living room, watching Mike make Tess smile. An odd envy had twisted through her, which made no sense. She could have called Adam…

  And maybe if he’d looked at her like Mike looked at Tess, she would have. All warm and safe.

  But nothing about it seemed safe. Truthfully, being with him reminded her of being back home. Sugar’s guys always made her feel a little uncomfortable, too, and a little weird. It felt disloyal to think it, and just a little mean, but she couldn’t help it.

  And as Sugar hadn’t shown up, the feeling must be mutual. Mia had made excuses for Sugar, but Hope knew the truth. Her momma didn’t want her back. With a sigh, she moved toward the kitchen, hoping there were still donuts, but she couldn’t count on it since her aunt had developed a fondness for them, too.

  From the kitchen came Mia’s voice. “You win, Sugar,” Mia said clearly on the phone. “Take your damn thirty days.”

  Thirty days? Hope’s heart jerked with hopeful excitement. Had she heard right? She opened the kitchen door in time to hear Mia say, “But at the end, you’d better—Hey!” Her aunt pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it. “She hung up on me. Bitch—” She broke off when she caught sight of Hope standing in the doorway. She let out a little smile, though it seemed a little strained.

  Hope couldn’t blame her, seeing as she’d just been shit on by Sugar. Hope knew the feeling well. “Hi.”

  “Hi back atcha. Want some breakfast? I’ve actually managed to boil water for oatmeal.”

  “No, thanks.” Hope’s happy little bubble had burst, leaving her feeling just a little sick. How she’d forgotten, even for a second, that Mia didn’t want her, either, was beyond her. “I can walk to the teen center this morning.”

  “Driving you is no problem. Kevin told me he ordered the parts for your car.”

  This was thrown in so casually Hope blinked. “He…did? But I don’t have the money.”

  “I can always give you a list of chores to do to earn it. You know, like…Cinderella.”

  Hope blushed. So Mia had heard the stories she’d been telling.

  Mia looked at her watch. “Yikes. We have to leave, if I’m going to sign you up for Kevin’s class.”

  Hope’s heart clutched. “What? Really?

  “Really.”

  “I know you don’t want me here.”

  Mia let out a sigh, then stood and came close. “You understand that it’s your mother who drives me insane, not you, right?”

  “I drive you insane, too. I make steam come out your ears. I’ve seen it.”

  Mia smiled at that. “And you enjoy that—don’t pretend you don’t.”

  “You’re not who I expected.” Hope hadn’t meant for that to come out, but there it was.

  “What’d you expect?”

  “I don’t know. I mean, you’re beautiful and you have an amazing place, though you have flying ants in my bathroom coming out of the ceiling.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, and by the way, ewwww. But anyway, you have a kick-ass job, and your car—” She sighed. “Heaven. But it seems…I don’t know. Not cold exactly. But emptier than I thought it would be.”

  Mia looked staggered. “You think my life is empty?”

  “More like lonely. You don’t even have a plant.”

  “I’m not lonely,” Mia said, looking affronted. “And just so you know, I have a plant in my office. Sure, it’s not looking so good right now, but I really don’t get what the big deal is.”

  “I’m just saying I came here looking for a different life…”

  Mia closed her eyes. “I know. I lived your life. I remember.”

  “And this is great. But when I’m older, I want…more,” Hope whispered, an odd lump in her throat. “I don’t know what exactly, just more.”

  “I’m sorry, Hope.” She really looked it. “But for now, you’re stuck. Your mom—”

  “I know.”

  Mia nodded. “Then let’s at least get you in Kevin’s class, if he’ll still have you.”

  “I’m still going to drive you crazy.” She held her breath, waiting for Mia to deny it.

  “Uh huh. And I’m going to drive you crazy, too. We’ll call it even.”

  No pat, easy answer. Just the honest truth. Hope looked at her and suddenly felt like smiling, because, after all, she was getting pretty much what she’d wanted.

  “Now for the rules,” Mia said.

  “We already did this.”

  “We’re doing it again. Rule number one—”

  “There’s more than one?”

  “Listen up, smart-ass, and you can tell me yours, too. First, no rattling my windows with your music.”

  “Fine. No making fun of my makeup.”

  “Ouch. I’ll try. No more smoking.”

  “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 ki