by Susan Stoker
Max held out his hand. “It’s good to meet you.”
Sidney smiled. “Same.”
“You as good as Decker claims?” Max asked.
Sidney looked surprised as she turned her attention to him. “You told him about me?”
Gumby nodded. “Yup.”
She looked back to Max. “Probably not. He tends to exaggerate.”
Max threw back his head and laughed. “I like her already,” he told Gumby.
“Knew you would,” Gumby replied.
Hannah whined, and Gumby looked down at her. “Okay, girl. If you’re ready to behave yourself, you can come greet our visitor now.”
He watched as Hannah lay down on her belly and crawled toward Max.
Sidney squatted down once more to reassure Hannah that Max wasn’t going to hurt either of them. “See? He’s nice. He’s not going to hurt you or me.”
Gumby was glad to see Max reach out and pet Hannah. If a dog as big and scary looking as Hannah greet him as she had, he wouldn’t be too keen on petting her.
“What happened to her back?” he asked.
Before Gumby could answer, Sidney did. “Some asswipe decided to torture her by throwing acid on her back.”
“Why?” Max asked incredulously.
Sidney shrugged. “Why does anyone do what they do? Because he’s an ass. And probably because he was trying to toughen her up so she’d fight harder when he got her in a ring.”
“Dogfighting?” Max asked. “God, anyone who condones that shit should be shot.”
“Agreed,” Sidney replied.
“Poor baby,” Max told Hannah. “Well, you hit the jackpot here, didn’t you?”
Gumby would’ve laughed at the way the big man baby-talked to his pit bull, but both Hannah and Sidney were eating it up, so he kept his mouth shut.
“If you’re done spoiling my dog, you want to take another look at the upstairs?”
Max stood. “Sure thing.”
“Go on up, we’ll be there in a second,” Gumby told him.
Max nodded and headed for the stairs.
When he was out of earshot, Gumby pulled Sidney into him once again. “We gotta be careful with Hannah.”
She nodded.
“She’s obviously very protective of you. If you’re ever here alone and someone knocks on the door, you’re gonna have to put her in the bathroom or something before you answer the door. Until we can get her into more training, we can’t trust her.”
“Okay. But I’m still not sure where this is coming from. I haven’t even seen her all that much.”
“Sidney, you’ve been over here almost every night for the last week or so. You’ve been around her almost as much as I have, since I’m gone during the day at work.”
She looked a little surprised, but nodded. “You think she’d actually bite someone?”
“I doubt it,” Gumby said immediately. “I think she’s more bark than bite, but I’m not willing to take a chance.”
“Me either.”
“But I have to say, I’m kinda thrilled she’s that protective over you. Eases my mind a bit.”
Sidney just stared at him.
He smiled. “Not gonna ask why?”
She shook her head.
“Right. Well, I’ll tell you anyway. I think it’s because she somehow knows I feel protective over you. And it makes me feel better if I have to leave you two alone here, that she’s willing to do whatever it takes to make sure you’re safe.”
He wasn’t sure how Sidney would react to his statement—but he didn’t expect impending tears.
“What? Sidney?”
She leaned forward and put her forehead on his chest and held on to his arms tighter. Gumby gave her a minute, enjoying having her close, even if he didn’t like that she was upset for some reason.
“All my life I’ve been on my own. I never really felt safe. Ever. It feels good to know you worry about me.”
Gumby kissed the top of her head. “I worry about you, Sid. Never doubt it.”
“Thanks.”
“Ready to go upstairs and see what Max has to say?”
She looked up then, and Gumby was glad to see that she hadn’t actually shed any tears. “I can stay down here while you guys do your thing.”
Gumby knew he had to tread carefully. He wanted her to tell Max exactly how she wanted the master bathroom to look, and the closet too. But he didn’t want to freak her out. “I could use your suggestions,” he said carefully.
She tilted her head at him. “Really?”
“Yeah. You know more about this stuff than me. I mean, if it was up to me, I’d probably just tell him to throw in the cheapest toilet and sink he can find and leave the tub and shower the way they are.”
She looked horrified, and he inwardly grinned. He had her.
“I’ll go up with you,” she declared. “You obviously can’t be trusted. Come on.” And with that, she grabbed his hand and towed him toward the stairs, Hannah at their heels.
Thirty minutes later, Gumby was still listening as Sidney and Max talked shop. They’d toured the top floor and she’d immediately given Max her suggestions for the bathroom. By the time they were done, they’d decided to take down one of the walls, expand the master bedroom to make room for a larger closet, granite countertops for the bathroom, heated floors, a separate shower and tub, and two sinks. They’d even figured out that they could move the toilet to the other side of the room and, by using the space the current linen closet was taking up, enclose it behind a door.
They’d then finished designing the other bedroom, the linen closet in the hallway, as well as adding an additional bathroom and sink in the guest room.
Gumby just followed behind them, grinning.
By the time they’d made it back downstairs, he knew Sidney had sold herself to Max.
He held out his hand to her at the door. “You want a job, it’s yours,” he told her.
Sidney looked surprised. “What?”
“A job. I could use a foreman…er…woman…who knows what she’s doing. You’ve got a good eye for design and you obviously know your shit.”
“Oh, but…” She looked at Gumby, then back to Max. “I’m not looking for a job. And I don’t have any licenses.”
Max didn’t seem fazed. He named a starting salary that made Sidney’s eyes nearly bug out of her head.
“I’m sorry it’s not more, but it’s what I can do right now.”
“No…it’s…that’s great.” Sidney stumbled over her words.
“And don’t worry about the licenses. We can work on you getting those after you’re hired. I’d pay for them too. And if you need to take any classes to brush up on stuff before you took the tests, we’d cover those as well.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything right now. But get this guy to give me the green light to start sooner rather than later, would ya?” he teased.
“Give me a month or two,” Gumby told him. “I gotta pay off the work you did down here first.”
Max laughed and nodded. “It looks good.”
“It does. Thank you.”
“I’m gonna go.” He pulled out a business card and handed it to Sidney. “Here’s my card. Call me if you want that job. The offer’s an open-ended one. I’ve been looking for months for the right person and haven’t found anyone I think can do it.”
“And you think I can after knowing me for what, half an hour?” Sidney asked.
Max got serious. “Yeah, Sidney, I do. I’ve been in this business for a long time. I’ve had lots of men and women try to convince me they know what they’re doing, but half the time it’s all bullshit. You weren’t even trying to sell yourself, and yet you still did. The job’s yours if you want it.”
“I…uh…thank you,” she managed.
“You’re welcome. Later, Decker.”
“Later, Max. Thanks for coming over.”
The older man nodded and headed for his tru
ck parked behind Sidney’s Accord.
She turned to him after he’d shut the door and jumped on him.
Surprised, Gumby caught her and laughed as his back hit the wall. Sidney wrapped her legs around him and tightened her arms around his neck. Hannah thought they were playing a game and barked as she jumped around the two of them.
Locking his hands under her ass, Gumby smiled at Sidney. “You happy?” he asked her.
“Happy? God, Decker, I’d make double working for him as I make working for Jude! I could probably even afford to move into a nice apartment or something. Happy doesn’t even begin to describe what I’m feeling.”
Gumby wanted to protest her moving anywhere but into his place, but kept his mouth shut.
“And he said he’d pay for me to take classes and get my licenses! It’s almost too good to be true.”
“Good things come to good people,” Gumby said.
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
He couldn’t help himself, his fingers flexed on her ass and he felt her tense briefly, then melt against him.
“Decker?”
“Yeah?”
“I think I want you.”
He loved hearing the words, but needed more. “I’ll wait until you’re sure of it.”
“I could be convinced,” she said shyly.
“I don’t want to have to convince you,” he told her honestly. “I want you to need to make love to me down to the marrow of your bones. To feel like if you don’t get me inside you in the next instant, you’ll die.”
She stared at him.
“Because that’s how I feel about you. Every time I hear your voice, I want you more. When I see you, I want to throw you over my shoulder and take you up to my bed. When I touch you, I actually ache to make you mine.”
“Decker…” Her voice trailed off.
“I’m not saying that to pressure you, Sid. I’m willing to wait as long as it takes. This is not a fling for me. Not a one-night stand or whatever you want to call it. I want to wake up with you in my arms every morning and fall asleep with you at my side as well. When you get there, let me know, and I’ll do everything in my power to make you happier than you’ve ever been before. I’ll bend over backward to give you everything you need and want.”
“I’m already happier than I’ve ever been. But, Decker, there’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me too, Sid. But there’s nothing you can tell me that will change my mind. I know what I want, and that’s you.”
She stared at him, and Gumby instantly knew he’d freaked her out a little. Wanting to lighten the mood, he said, “You ready for me to kick your ass in a swim race?”
The furrow in her brow smoothed out as she smiled. “You think you can?”
“I know I can, baby. Question is, can you take it? I know how competitive you are.”
“How about a wager?” she asked.
Gumby smiled. He was relieved she hadn’t indicated she wanted down from his arms. He could hold her forever and die a happy man. He still had to tell her that he was leaving the next day for an unknown amount of time, but he wanted to live in the moment for now. He didn’t want to do anything to ruin the good mood she was in. “What kind of wager?”
“If I win, you have to give me a thirty-minute back massage.”
Gumby chuckled. As if that was really a punishment for losing. He’d kill to get his hands on her any way he could. “And if I win?”
“I’ll give you one.”
“Deal.” Fuck yeah. He was a winner either way. Gumby had a feeling she felt the same, if the grin on her face was any indication. He slowly lowered her to the floor, her body caressing his the entire way. He knew he was hard—again—but did nothing to hide that fact from her.
“Go get changed. You can use the guest room or the bathroom down here. I’ll meet you back here when you’re ready.”
She stayed in his arms, looking up at him for a long moment before saying, “I still think you’re way too good for me, Decker, but I’m getting to the point where I don’t really care.”
“Good.”
“Although I’m afraid that once you get to know me better, you’re going to wonder why you wasted so much time with me.”
“Never, Sid. I know you aren’t perfect, just as I’m not. I know exactly who you are here,” he touched her temple with his finger, “and here,” he placed his palm flat on her chest over her heart. “And I’m falling in love with you because of it.”
She stared at him wide-eyed, but didn’t say anything.
“Go put your suit on. And I hope to God you brought some sort of granny bathing suit, because if you have a bikini, I don’t think my heart will be able to take it.”
She smiled. “It’s not a bikini.”
He sighed in relief.
“But it’s not a granny suit either.”
“Shit.”
She giggled. “Please tell me you wear a tight speedo.”
He looked down at her in horror. “No way.”
She pouted. “But I wanted to check out your ass.”
Gumby shook his head and reached down and grabbed her bag. She took it when he handed it to her. “You’re gonna be the death of me.”
“As if you aren’t going to be checking out my ass,” she countered as she walked toward the stairs, Hannah at her side.
Gumby watched until he couldn’t see her anymore, then reached down and adjusted his hard-as-nails cock. She wasn’t wrong. He was totally planning on checking out her ass. And tits. And everything in between.
Chapter Eleven
Sidney treaded water in the ocean and stared at Decker. She hadn’t laughed so hard in ages. The more time she spent with Decker, the more time she wanted to spend with him. He was like a drug…she needed more and more of him in order to be satisfied.
“Okay,” Decker said. “We’re gonna swim from here until we’re even with that bright blue house down there.” He pointed to a gaudy-colored house about five down from his own.
Sidney knew she wouldn’t be able to beat him. He was a Navy SEAL, for God’s sake, and it had been way too long since she’d gotten in the water. But the thought of being able to get her hands on him when he claimed his prize for having won would be worth trying. Not to mention the sight of him in his skin-tight bathing suit was well worth losing for.
He had extremely well-defined abs, and Sidney wanted to lick her way up them to make sure they were real. His thighs were muscular as hell and the knee-length, tight Lycra clung to every curve, highlighting rather than hiding anything.
And the bulge between his legs was definitely drool worthy. Sidney hadn’t thought she was a sex-starved maniac—not like Nora—but seeing Decker practically naked had nearly brought her to her knees. When he’d walked toward her in the house, she’d wanted to beg him to take her right then and there.
And the look in his eye when he saw her in her plain ol’ black one-piece suit didn’t do much to help her keep control of herself. His eyes had gone from her feet up her body to her boobs, then back down. The amount of heat emanating from him was enough to make her sweat. She’d never felt particularly sexy, and she was a little too fond of sugar to ever be called thin, but when Decker looked at her as if he was two seconds from ravishing her, she couldn’t help but rethink her lifelong beliefs about her body.
“Hey, are you listening or still thinking about me in my suit?” Decker asked.
Sidney smiled. “You in your suit, of course.”
He grinned back at her. “Fair enough, since I can’t stop thinking about you either.”
Just the sound of his deep voice turned her on. But she knew she had to do something, otherwise Decker would seriously kick her ass in this race.
She looked to her left and saw a small group of kids playing near the shore. Knowing what she was about to do was cheating, Sidney did it anyway.
“Oh my gosh,” she said as she tried to look concerned. “Did one of
those kids just yell for help?”
As she expected, Decker’s smile died, and he looked over to where she was pointing. He immediately started heading that way—and Sidney called out, “One-two-three-GO!” and took off swimming.
She didn’t hear his response as she swam as fast as she could, but she couldn’t stop smiling.
It wasn’t too long before she saw Decker at her side when she turned her head to breathe. He’d caught up to her in seconds. She was a good swimmer, but he was obviously leagues better.
He swam right past her, and since she was completely wiped, she simply stopped where she was and tried to catch her breath while still laughing.
Decker realized she’d stopped not long after he passed her, and he swam back to where she was treading water. He snaked a hand around her waist and pulled her into him. Their legs kept bumping against each other, and eventually she stopped using her legs to keep her afloat. There was no need. Decker wouldn’t let her sink. No way.
“You little cheater,” he accused with a smile.
Unabashed, Sidney shrugged. “Hey, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.”
“You do know that there’s a penalty for cheaters, right?” he asked.
Trusting herself to him completely, Sidney hiked her legs up around his waist and put her arms around his shoulders. He was now completely holding her above the water, and she felt absolutely no concern whatsoever about his ability to do so. One of his hands felt huge against her back, and the other he used to tread water. “Yeah? What’s that?”
“The wager is doubled. So now I get an hour-long massage instead of only thirty minutes.”
Sidney rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
They stared at each other for a long moment. Even though they could hear others on the beach, it was as if they were the only two people in the world.
“I have no idea how I survived without you in my life,” Decker said quietly.
“Ditto,” Sidney returned immediately. “You make me happy, Decker. And I didn’t even realize I wasn’t all that happy until you came along.”
He lowered his head and kissed her. It was a gentle kiss because her lip was still healing, but more intimate than anything they’d done before. They were plastered together from groin to chest, and since they were only wearing bathing suits, Sidney could feel every inch of Decker against her. Her nipples tightened and she knew she was soaking wet…and not because she was submerged in the ocean.
