Good Karma (16 page)

“I was working at this little luggage store
between my sophomore and junior years at Purdue, and this guy came
in. He was nothing special and was kind of annoying, because I was
trying to close out the register for the night. He kept asking me
for my number.” She rolled her eyes. “I gave it to him just to get
him out of the store so I could close up, hoping he wouldn’t
call.”

“But he did,” Mark said.

She nodded. “Wouldn’t you know?” She
chuckled. “He asked me to come here and see Dave Matthews with
him.”

“He had good taste.”

Karma bowed her head and cringed as she
glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. “I never liked Dave
Matthews.”

“What?” Mark slumped his shoulders and
dropped his head back. “How could you not like Dave Matthews?
That’s like saying you hate…oh, I don’t know…homemade chocolate
chip cookies. And who in their right mind hates homemade
cookies?”

She held up her hand. “Hey, I was young and
ignorant, okay? But…” she pointed her index finger. “By the end of
the night, I was a convert.”

His face softened again, and he scooted a
little closer. “Why? What happened?”

She sighed wistfully. “I don’t know. I can’t
explain it. I came here, not liking the guy—his name was Louis. I
didn’t like Dave Matthews. But by the end of the concert,
everything changed. I saw Louis differently…attractive, you know?
And maybe seeing Dave Matthews live was what I needed to like his
music. Now, whenever I hear him on the radio or wherever, it makes
my heart warm.”

She melted a little from the way Mark smiled
just then, as if he knew how special he was to have heard her
story. Not many knew about that night.

“What happened to Louis?”

Her gaze dropped to the blanket, and she
picked at imaginary lint. “He was only in town for a couple of
weeks, doing some kind of training for his job. We went out a
couple more times, but that was it. We stayed in touch for a few
months and tried to get together again but never did.” She had
forgotten all about Louis until just now. Funny how certain places
or images can bring back fond, long-forgotten memories.

But what had happened with Louis was the
story of her life. The guys she met from around here only wanted to
be her friend. But the one guy she had liked—who had liked her back
and who she might have had a decent chance with—had ended up living
five states away.

Mark wrapped his arms around his knees.
“Damn. That would have been the perfect story if you two had ended
up getting married.”

Considering that for a moment, she nodded.
“True, but then I wouldn’t…” She drifted off and swallowed hard.
She still wasn’t entirely sure what was going on here. Between
them.

“Yes?” He looked at her, his grey-green eyes
glinting in the sunlight.

She held his gaze. “If he and I had gotten
married, I wouldn’t…” She looked away, the heat rising in her face
as it always did when she was around him, and she shivered. Not
from a chill in the air, but from nerves. “I wouldn’t be here.
Now.” She cleared her throat. “With you.” It was as far as she had
gone to put herself out there since the night they had met.

He scooted closer, and his arm rubbed her
back as he propped himself up and leaned in. Her fingers twisted
together around her knees, and she kept her gaze averted as another
shiver tensed her arms and made her teeth chatter.

“Are you cold?” His voice came from beside
her ear, only inches away.

She shook her head and turned toward the
sunlight. “No.”

“And yet you’re shivering.”

“I’m not cold.” Her mind raced and her
thoughts ricocheted inside her brain like balls in a Ping-Pong
tournament.

The muscles in her arms clenched. She was so
nervous, but so excited. Goose bumps tickled up and down the skin
on her back, legs, and arms. Her heart felt like it would beat out
of her chest. When she spoke, her voice trembled. “Do you want my
answer? Is that why you brought me—”

“Sshh.” He placed his fingers lightly against
her lips. “Later. You can tell me later.” Mark nudged her ear with
his nose, and his lips pressed gently against her neck.

That simple kiss sent a shockwave through her
body, and it felt like the bottom fell out of her stomach.

“Thank you for telling me your story,” he
whispered. Then he slowly pulled away and settled beside her
again.

Karma swallowed and glanced toward the stage
where the opening act was finishing their set. But she couldn’t
focus. Her mind was scrambled, her body on high alert.

Taking a deep breath, the balance tipped
inside her mind. She wanted this. She wanted what Mark offered. She
wanted more kisses on her cheek, her neck…her lips. She wanted more
dates like this one. More secretive James Bond notes passed
covertly in the office. But more than anything, she wanted Mark to
seduce her. She had never been seduced, and Mark seemed eager to do
just that. And if being seduced was anything like what she had
endured for the past week—especially the last twelve hours—Mark
proved to be an exhilarating ride.

Karma was ready to leave the past where it
belonged. In the past. She was sick and tired of being a
“friend”…and of allowing her anguished childhood to dictate her
present and her future. For the first time, with Mark, she felt she
might have a chance to reset her course in life. One free of
insecurity and inexperience. One where she could be who she truly
wanted.

She turned toward the sunset, feeling
something she hadn’t felt in a long time.

Hope.

Chapter 16

Everything
you want is on the other side of fear.

-Jack Garfield

Pleasant tension settled between them for the
duration of the evening. Mark’s magnetism lit Karma’s awareness all
night, and her body remained in a state of perpetual arousal just
from his proximity.

After the last encore, the lights came up
and, at close to ten thirty, it was time to go home. But to Karma,
the night still felt young and full of magic.

She helped Mark fold the blanket, then they
gathered their things, and without a word—only that delightful
strain of expectancy—they ventured back to his car.

The drive home was quiet. Occasionally, one
of them mentioned one of the songs from the concert, and a brief
discussion ensued. Then they fell back into pregnant silence
again.

Finally, Mark pulled into her apartment
complex and drove around to her building. After parking, helping
her out of the car, and walking her up to her apartment, he stood
aside and waited for her to unlock the door.

“Do you want to come in?” They had yet to
address the real reason for their date tonight, so it was now or
never.

He smiled. “I was just about to ask if I
could.”

She pushed the door open. He slipped into her
apartment…into her world. Everything was different between them
now. With just that one small step of crossing from the outside
into her personal space, everything changed. He was no longer Mr.
Strong, a consultant working for her company. And he was no longer
the prince in a fantasy world where she was Cinderella.

But what exactly were they?

Karma kept her gaze on him as she shut the
door, took off her jacket, and placed it over the arm of the couch
as he inspected her living room.

What did he think? And did he plan on kissing
her? They were here. Inside her apartment. Surely, he intended to
kiss her. Maybe she should eat a mint. She wanted to taste good if
he kissed her.

“You seem apprehensive.” He kept his back to
her as he ran one hand over the spines of books in her
bookcase.

Flustered, she uncrossed her arms, not even
realizing she had crossed them. “No. I’m…it’s just, I haven’t had a
man in my apartment in a long time.” Come to think of it, she’d
never had a man in her apartment. This was a first.

He flashed a disarming smile. “I know.”

That’s right. He had read her like an open
book last Friday. She shook her head and looked at the floor.
“Um…well…” She chuckled awkwardly. “I’m not so good with men.”

“You’re good with me.”

“You’re different.”

“How so?”

She didn’t know how to answer that. Her brain
wasn’t functioning properly with him perusing her things. “I don’t
know.”

He pulled a book from the shelf and flipped
open the cover so he could read the description inside the jacket.
“Romance. Is that what you prefer to read?”

Her fingers twisted over one another. “Yes.
And a little suspense.”

“Mmm.” He slid the book back onto the shelf.
“And elephants?” He picked up a small elephant figurine, which sat
among a dozen others.

“Yes.” She gestured to another shelf where a
larger collection of cat figurines sat on display. “And cats.”

“Why elephants?”

“I started collecting them in junior high and
it just sort of stuck.”

“I see.” He set the elephant down. “Do you
have anything to drink?”

Where were her manners? “I’m sorry. Yes. I
mean, no. I mean...” Her neck and chest blazed, and she was sure
she had broken out in hives. With him in her apartment,
investigating her private sanctuary, she could hardly think, let
alone form coherent sentences. He probably thought she was a total
dingbat.

Welcome back, inner dork.

Making like a scared mouse, she scurried off
to the kitchen and pulled two glasses from the cabinet, filled them
with ice, and poured them some tea.

When she returned to the living room, he was
kneeling in front of her shelf of DVDs.

“Here you go.” She held out his glass.

He stood and turned. “Thank you.”

“Did you want to watch a movie?”

He sipped his tea and gently shook his head.
“Maybe another time. It’s late.”

She drummed her fingernails on the side of
her glass and shifted her weight. He sure was taking his time
getting to the point of the evening. “Would you like to see the
rest of the apartment?”

Mark’s penetrating stare weakened her knees.
“Sure.”

The place wasn’t big, but she walked him
through the dining room and kitchen, then back through the living
room toward the hall. “Bathroom…” She flipped on the light to the
hall bath. “Second bedroom…” She waved into the room she used as an
office and storage space.

“No bed,” Mark said.

“No. I use this room mostly for storage.” She
shut off the light and turned toward the partially opened door
across the hall, where she paused, took a deep breath, and pushed
it open. “This is my bedroom.”

Mark stepped past her and looked around,
immersing himself more fully into her personal domain. The
full-sized bed was dressed with a yellow quilt her mom had made,
and a pair of burnished orange throw pillows rested against the
headboard. The scarf she had worn to work sat on the oak dresser
beside her fishing hat. A large sunset seascape hung on the wall
opposite the bed, between the doors for the closet and master
bathroom.

“Nice picture,” Mark said, admiring it.

“Sometimes I like lying in bed imagining I’m
off on some tropical beach somewhere.” Escapism had always fueled
her fantasies. Maybe that had something to do with growing up
without a lot of friends and wanting to be anywhere but where she
was.

“You’ve got a nice apartment,” he said,
taking another drink of tea. “Cozy and quaint, but bigger than I
expected.”

For a long moment, they just stared at each
other.

Karma’s pulse quickened. Something about the
way he looked at her suggested he was ready to talk about the topic
they’d danced around all night, but why did she get the feeling it
wouldn’t be that simple?

“Did you have a good time tonight?” he
finally said.

“Yes.” She practically held her breath. “I
had a wonderful time.”
No sense lying.

“So did I, and I’d like to have more
wonderful times in the weeks ahead.” He paused and strolled toward
her dresser. “But it’s up to you.”

“I know.” Her heart was racing. “Do you want
my answer? Is that what tonight is about?” It had to be, but he
kept dodging the subject.

He scanned the items on the top of her
dresser then met her gaze. “I’d like you to give me your answer
tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” She hadn’t expected that, but she
was quickly learning that Mark liked the unexpected. “Why not
tonight?”

“Where would be the fun in that?” Flirtatious
amusement coated his expression as he flipped open her jewelry box
and began sifting through the few trinkets she wore for special
occasions. He pulled out a simple, circular gold brooch. It had
been a Christmas gift from her dad years ago, but she hardly wore
it anymore. Mark turned, holding up the brooch. “If your answer is
yes, and you want to throw caution to the wind, then wear this to
work tomorrow.”

Karma took the gold brooch and folded it into
her palm. “Okay?” The word lilted like a question.

“But there’s a catch,” Mark said.

“A catch?” An expectant buzz vibrated under
her skin.

“Yes.” Mark plucked her glass from her hand
and set it on the dresser with his own. “A catch.” He pulled her
into his arms so that his face was only inches from hers.

She stiffened and held her breath as she
looked into his eyes.

“If you wear that brooch tomorrow, then
you’ll be telling me you want more of this…” He barely brushed his
lips against hers, making her suck in her breath as that
bottom-falling-out-from-her-stomach sensation flip-flopped inside
her belly again.

“And…?” she said breathlessly. If there was a
catch, there surely had to be more to it than that. Kissing him
wasn’t going to be a problem.

“And it means you’ve agreed to see me outside
the office.” His lips skimmed hers again, barely making contact.
“But what it doesn’t mean is that I want a commitment. I’m not into
long-term relationships.” Their noses bumped as he teased her
mouth, and she caught a glimmer of apology in his gaze. “I want to
be up-front about that. I don’t want to lead you on or make you
think this is more than just two adults having a good time with
each other.”