Josh considered that, then nodded, too. “Okay, I’ll give you that one. Bellies are hot. But not belly button rings.”
“No,” Zack agreed. “A good belly doesn’t need decoration.”
“What about you, Mick?” Josh prodded. “Long legs? Great ass? What?”
Mick took another bite of his BLT, almost by rote, not because he was hungry. He considered his reaction when he’d seen her for the first time. What had he noticed? What had caught his eye and kept him so interested, to the point he almost felt obsessed?
He glanced out the dim window again. It was a miserable, dank July day, breezy, with fat purple clouds hanging low in the sky.
She should be coming along any minute now.
He’d first noticed her at his old neighborhood. He’d been there to rent out the upstairs apartment of the building he still owned, the same building he’d once lived in as a child. There were a lot of…unpleasant memories for him there, along with a few special ones. He kept the building as a reminder to himself that his life had changed, he had changed, but he was still a product of his upbringing.
Evidently, she rented from the building next door, because she had come down the walkway to the street and headed toward the post office, letters in her hand. It worried Mick, because no one traipsed around unprotected in that area. To call it rough would be a gross understatement.
But there she’d been, strolling along without a care. He hadn’t hesitated to follow her, making certain she remained safe, enjoying the back view of her as she strutted along, her stride long and sure and almost cocky.
The sun was blistering hot that day, shining down on her blue-black, shoulder-length hair, hair so silky it appeared fluid when she moved. Soft, light blue eyes looked beyond everything and everyone, including Mick, as if a great distraction held her. He’d been nearly spellbound by her tall, willowy body with its incredibly long, slim legs and broad, fragile shoulders. Strangely enough, even when she came back out of the post office and went past him, again oblivious to her surroundings, he hadn’t noticed her breasts. All his attention had been on her face, with its strong jaw, straight nose, pale eyes.
Mick wondered for an instant what Josh would think of his oversight.
Because he wanted to meet her, wanted to get to know her and have sex with her until he passed out from sheer exhaustion, he wasn’t about to discuss her with Josh or Zack. So he merely shrugged. “It’s a combination of things, and it’s different with every woman.”
Before either Josh or Zack could respond to that obscure reply, Mick saw her. Blindly, he laid his sandwich aside and twisted in the booth to better see out the window. Regardless of the drizzling rain, the gray sky, he’d expected her. A little rain wouldn’t chase her inside. No, not this lady. She jogged every day around the same time, the same place. Or at least she had for two weeks now. It felt like fate, seeing her first in an area where he owned property, and then here again, where he routinely visited.
Zack, being a reasonable sort, hadn’t complained much when Mick had made him move so he’d have the window seat. Josh, though, was unreasonable, always. Outrageous bordering on obnoxious. He’d demanded, all with laughter and taunting grins, for Mick to admit who he was watching for. Mick had refused, but now it didn’t matter.
The second he shifted his attention, going on alert, Josh noticed.
“Aha! There you go, Zack. I think we’ll get to see this mystery lady any second now.”
Mick told him, rather succinctly, what he could do with his speculations. But that didn’t deter Josh; if anything, it made him more curious.
Both Josh and Zack twisted around, and they, too, watched through the window. The streets were crowded during the lunch hour. Open umbrellas jumped with the breeze as people milled up and down the sidewalk.
And there she was, weaving in and out of human traffic as she jogged, her head uncovered, her clothes better suited to a bright spring day than drizzling rain. Funny thing was, she went right past them, inky-black ponytail bouncing, rainwater dripping off her nose and darkening her sweatshirt, and still Josh and Zack looked, searching the crowds.
They hadn’t realized she was the one.
Mick’s body knew that she was. Just seeing her now, bedraggled and wet and distracted, he wanted her. His muscles felt tight, his blood hot, his flesh prickly. Damn, if just watching her jog did this to him, how would it feel to kiss her, touch her, to slide deep inside her and hear her moan out a climax?
He felt the stirrings of an erection and muttered a curse. Insanity, he decided, but it couldn’t be helped.
To hide his reaction, he grinned and leaned into the corner of the booth. Now that she’d gone by, he could face Zack and Josh and still keep an eye on her for about half a mile on the long, straight street. He glanced, and saw there was almost no jiggle to her firm little butt in the skintight biker shorts. His large hands would cover that bottom completely, and he’d hold her still, keep her steady for his thrusts….
Josh interrupted his very interesting imagery. “So? What are we looking for?”
“Nothing now.” Mick deliberately sipped his coffee, knowing he had to get control of himself. And he had to get her; maybe after he’d made love to her for no less than ten days, he’d be able to get her out of his system.
A comical look on his face, Josh stretched past Zack, nearly knocking his plate off the table, and pressed his nose to the window. He looked and looked and finally said, “Damn it, there’s nothing, no one, out there worth staring at!”
Mick and Zack shared a look. Zack shrugged. “If you’re only looking for breasts, that could be. Maybe Mick was looking for something else.”
Josh frowned at Zack. “No way. You know he’s straight. We’ve both seen him with women.”
Mick spewed his coffee. Zack burst out laughing, and several women in the restaurant looked their way. They kept looking, smiling, flirting, and Mick shook his head. “You’re drawing attention to yourself again, Josh.”
“Me? I’m not the one laughing like an idiot.”
“You don’t need to laugh,” Zack told him, “to be an idiot.” Then slowly, as if speaking to a half-wit, he said, “I meant Mick was maybe looking at a woman who wasn’t top-heavy. Just because it’s your ultimate definition of what makes a woman, that doesn’t mean the rest of us agree.”
Josh studied Mick. “That right?”
“That you have strange ideas about women?” He took another sip of coffee and shrugged. “Yeah.”
“I meant,” Josh said, exasperated, “is she…lacking in the upper works?”
“As far as I can tell,” Mick told him, a little annoyed and not sure why, “she’s not lacking anywhere.”
That only perplexed Josh more.
Mick again peeked out the window, and to his surprise, he saw her turn at the corner, cross the street and start back toward him. There was no more jiggle from her front than there’d been from her back. When she was just opposite the restaurant, she slowed and finally stopped. She rested her hands on her knees while she breathed deeply, heedless of the light rain and his avid attention.
When she straightened again, she stretched her arms high. Her shirt rose, showing a very sweet belly that Zack no doubt would have adored. Captivated, Mick continued to stare at her while a slow heat stirred deep inside him. She walked into the jewelry store located directly across from the restaurant, and Mick made up his mind.
Pushing aside his plate, he stood. So many times over the past few weeks he’d considered following her, initiating a conversation, introducing himself. He didn’t want to rush