Hers By Request
Page 20
“But—”
“I saw it in the store when I bought the caulk and remembered you saying how your hot water supply was kind of limited, so I figured, what the heck . . .?”
“Dev.” She shook her head. “Listen, I appreciate the gesture, but I can’t afford this right now. You shouldn’t have bought it without asking me first.”
“It’s not that big a deal, Amanda. The thing didn’t cost all that much.”
“However much it cost was more than I have.”
She got another saucer out and put some water down next to the tuna. When she didn’t straighten up right away, he knew the other shoe had dropped. She finally straightened up and without a word, walked slowly around the main room, then went down the hall and checked both bedrooms and the bath. By the time she came back, her cheeks were pink and her eyes snapped with anger.
“Are there any more little surprises for me to find, Dev?”
He grimaced. “Nope. I think you’ve seen everything.”
“What could possibly have led you to believe that I would be okay with all this?”
She strode up to him and poked him repeatedly in the chest, emphasizing her points.
“One, I don’t have the money to pay for it. Two, I don’t know you well enough to accept it as a gift. And three, you didn’t even ask me if I wanted a, a tank-less water . . . thingy.”
She was so mad she was sputtering. Well, he knew it was going to be bad. It was time to apologize. To grovel, and beg forgiveness. But she was so damn cute all fired up like this, he made the mistake of smiling.
Her eyes went wide. “You think this is funny?” she exploded. “You think you can just waltz into my life and do whatever you damn well please to it? Or is it that since I slept with you once you thought you needed to pay me somehow?”
“Oh for Christ’s sake, of course it’s not payment of any kind for anything,” he shot back, angry himself now. “I simply hated the thought of you here, cold and uncomfortable, when I could so easily fix things.”
She spun around and stalked to the sink. He watched her shoulders rise and fall as she took deep breaths. When she turned back to him, her gray eyes held more than a hint of frost. “This stunt of yours was completely unacceptable, Dev. The only reason I haven’t beaned you with my frying pan and thrown you out in the rain is because I’m giving you points for your kindness and generosity.”
He opened his mouth to speak and she threw up her hand, an imperious queen addressing her miscreant vassal. “I’m not finished. I will pay you back for this.”
He tried to get a word in, and again he got cut off.
“Don’t. Argue. I will repay you. That’s non-negotiable. You—” Her pointed finger shot invisible bullets. “—will promise never to do anything like this ever again, or we will call our friendship off.”
Her back was a ramrod, and her chin angled up in challenge as she delivered her ultimatum. Again he was tempted to smile, but had the good sense to restrain himself. They regarded each other in silence as seconds ticked away.
“Well?” she demanded.
“Am I permitted to speak now?” he asked politely.
Her eyes flared briefly, then narrowed. “Yes.”
“I apologize. You are absolutely right. I should not have done this without asking you first. It was rude and overbearing and I am very, very sorry.”
Her eyes softened minutely. Good. Groveling was working. And he should grovel. She was right after all, and would be even more outraged if she ever found out the starter the mechanic was putting in her car wasn’t from a junker, but a new one purchased by him. He’d sworn Mr. Evers to secrecy and he wasn’t about to divulge any more of his devious deeds to Amanda.
Even when he finally told her about his friendship with Danny, he wouldn’t mention his promise. There’d be more than a flying frying pan in his future if she knew he had done any of this to fulfill a promise to her dead fiancé.
He sighed, doing his best to appear as pitiful as a homeless kitty. “I don’t want you to pay me back, but if that is the price of keeping our friendship, I’ll accept your terms.”
“It is.” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth. “It . . . may take me a while.”
He shrugged. “I’m not going anywhere. In fact, why don’t we do this? Let’s put off your repayment for six months. That will give you time to get your new business off to a good start and pick up a few more accounting clients. Then we’ll talk about a plan to pay me back that you can handle.” Assuming you’ll even speak to me by then.
“Fine. I’ll need the receipts for everything that you bought. I’ll figure a reasonable cost for your labor on top of that.” She went over to her briefcase and got out her Day-Timer. “Six months from today will be September twentieth. I intend to repay you the total amount on that day.”
Dev threw his hands up in defeat. “As you wish.”
She came over and sat next to him at the counter. “I don’t mean to sound so ungrateful. It was awfully kind of you to go to so much trouble for me. I can’t imagine how you managed to get so much accomplished in a few short hours. You did an awesome amount of work. But that’s nothing compared to this,” she said, picking up his left hand and lacing her fingers through his. “It makes me feel I’m getting to know the real you. The one behind the smooth-talking radio host who takes me on a sentimental journey every Friday night.”
“You’re tougher than I thought, Ms. Adams,” he said, studying her smooth, graceful fingers intertwined with his scarred, twisted ones. “Not even a flinch when you first noticed the glove was off.” He leaned over and kissed her. “Thanks for that. But, in the interest of full disclosure, I have to tell you that Jeff helped me do all this. In fact, without his expertise, I never would have been able to do anything more than the caulking.”
“Oh my. So now I owe Jeff, too? The luxury of all this warmth is really going to cost me.”
“I’ve already compensated him financially, but I’m sure he’d appreciate your thanks. No way would I cut him out of the massive amount of credit he deserves for helping me with this little project.” Dev paused, thinking back over the day’s work. “He’s a pretty complex character, you know?”
“Yes, he is, and I’m so glad you can see that in him too. He puts up such an annoying façade to most people that they don’t take the time to get to know him. Underneath all that attitude, he’s smart and actually quite sweet.”
“So I’m finding out.”
He pointed down at the kitten. “Better find a place for her to sleep. Now that she’s warm and dry, with a full belly, she’ll want to take a nap.” Amanda picked up the sleepy kitten and set it in the towel she’d formed into a bed. It blinked slowly and yawned, then collapsed into a small furry heap and was instantly asleep.
“I hope no one claims her. I haven’t had a cat since I was a kid in school. It would be nice to have her here for company.” Amanda stroked the soft fur for a minute. “I couldn’t have a cat . . . before.”
“Yeah, Danny’s allergies would have gone ballistic,” Dev said, then wanted to kick himself.
“How did you know Danny was allergic to cats?” she asked in surprise.
He scrambled for some plausible explanation, then spied Danny’s picture on the bookshelf. He nodded in that direction. “Are you kidding? With that red hair and fair skin? I’ve never met anyone with that kind of coloring who wasn’t allergic to damn near everything. I . . . guess I just . . . assumed he would be, too.”
“Well, you assumed correctly. Put him in the same room with a cat and in five minutes his eyes would water and the sneezing would start. It was such a shame, too, because he really loved animals.”
Nice going, Dev. You keep sticking your foot in your mouth like that and this little charade you’ve got going will be over before you’re ready.
“Listen, you’ve had a very busy day and I have to get to work.” He tipped her chin up and kissed her lightly. “Call me at the station tomorrow when you’re ready to get your car and I’ll come by and pick you up.”
“Okay. Thank you again for all that you’ve done. I’ll be even more grateful tomorrow morning when I can get out of bed without getting frostbite,” she said. “Drive carefully, now.”
“No worries. All the crazy drivers around here are home in bed by now,” he teased.
She gave him a punch on his shoulder and walked him to the door. He leaned down and captured her mouth one last time in a kiss that was way more than friendly. This one was hot enough to remind her that she had wanted those ‘benefits’ back—and so did he.
CHAPTER 18
Amanda brought the makeshift bed and the sleeping kitten back to her bedroom. Tomorrow she’d print some fliers to put up around town when she went to pick up her car. The little stray didn’t have a collar on, so she hoped that meant she wasn’t already someone’s pet. It would be nice to have company, and a cat would be perfect.
Funny how Dev had figured out Danny’s allergy, just from seeing his picture. That was one smart man.
Her lips still tingled from his kiss and her body ached for his mouth to work its magic elsewhere too. The next time they made love she intended to touch, taste, and savor every inch of Dev MacMurphy, including those parts he’d been so reluctant to show her.
This ‘friends with benefits’ arrangement could become a problem, though. It seemed she got more benefits than a super hot man in her bed. She didn’t want anything else. Certainly not home improvements. All the work he did just made her nervous. Did he think he owed her something in exchange for sex? He’d better not or she would be seriously pissed off. But if not, whatever had prompted him to go out and buy all that stuff? It couldn’t be solely because he wanted to sleep with her. He already knew that was going to happen after they made up this morning.
They were good together, that first time. Before her stubbornness had ruined things.
Good? Okay, the sex was great, Amanda, stop kidding yourself.
But with looks like his and a voice that could melt ice at twenty paces, he surely could find other willing partners who didn’t come with so much emotional baggage. Women for whom home remodeling wasn’t necessary.
But you don’t want him to, do you?
Her conscience sat on her shoulder, smug and superior, forcing her to face the truth. That cute hostess at Donatelli’s got under your skin a little, didn’t she? Tried to poach on your preserve right in front of you, and if Dev had shown the least little bit of interest you would have had to . . . what? Tell her to back off, he was already taken?
No, no, that is not the way their arrangement was supposed to work, she argued back. Mutual physical attraction, yes. Lots of sexual satisfaction, hell, yes. Emotional involvement, definitely not. She silenced the annoying voice in her head, temporarily at least.
Slipping into a set of satin boy shorts and tank top, Amanda delighted in the sensuous slide of the fabric over her skin. A definite improvement compared to the flannel PJs she’d worn last night.
She turned on the radio. Since she’d first tuned in, listening to his request hour had become a habit. She slid beneath the sheets and snuggled against the pillow, still faintly scented with Dev’s woodsy cologne. Should she call in and request something? What would he be expecting?
She dialed.
“What would the most gorgeous woman in Somerset County like to hear tonight?”
The deep rumble of his sexy voice caused an automatic clenching between her legs.
“How’d you know it was me?”
“Had to be. The hair on the back of my neck stands up when you call.”
“That’s a lie.”
“No, it does,” he insisted. “I also have caller ID, so that helps, too.”
She smirked to herself. “I have a request.”
“Shoot.”
“‘Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off’.”
“What?”
“You heard me.” She waited a few seconds while silence reigned on the other end. “The song, you fool,” she finally said and chuckled. “Fred Astaire? Ginger Rogers? ‘Shall We Dance’? You have heard of it, haven’t you?”
“Yes. Yes, of course I’ve heard of it,” he replied, sounding a bit put out. “I just thought, for a minute there . . .”
She heard him exhale, and felt a stab of guilt.
“Okay, I guess I deserved that,” he said.
“Um, yeah, but I’m not one to hold a grudge. Want to try breakfast again? We might actually eat it this time.”
“Better make something we can eat cold. We won’t be getting to it right away,” he said, his voice dropping down into the heart-pounding, thigh-dampening register.
“Right,” she agreed. “See you in the morning.” She set the phone back in the cradle.
The next song after her request was “You’re the Top”.
She was really getting to like this guy.
Eight a.m. on Saturday had Amanda cooking an old-fashioned Southern breakfast for Dev and herself. Ever since their first aborted breakfast together, she’d wanted to make the meal he had reminisced so fondly about. Sausages, bacon, and waffles were being kept warm in the oven while she made home fried potatoes, a substitution for grits, which she hated and couldn’t bring herself to cook. As soon as Dev arrived she would slip the eggs into the waiting pan and put the toast in the toaster. She was no gourmet cook but this hearty meal was one even she could handle.
She hoped it might put him in a good enough mood to take her to the daffodil festival in Princess Ann. The April sky was robin’s egg blue without a cloud in sight. The temperature was predicted to climb into the mid-sixties, warm for this early in the spring, and Amanda saw that as a sign that she should take one whole day to ignore Mrs. Wyndham’s party and the two remaining tax returns she had to finish for her clients. It would be nice to get out into the sunshine and fresh air. She might have to use some other incentives besides breakfast to get Dev to go to a flower show. She smiled to herself at the thought.
There was just one thing related to the party she had to do. She needed Dev’s measurements for the tux she would rent. Once that was taken care of they’d have the rest of the day for themselves.
The sound of tires on gravel alerted her. She glanced at the clock. Eight-thirty-one. The man was amazingly punctual. She met him at the door and he swept her into his arms for a lingering kiss.
“Good morning, gorgeous,” he said as he tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
“Good morning to you too. Could I have another one of those, please?”
“Anything my lady wishes.”
He kissed her again, long and deep. She slid her arms around his neck and felt the hair curling over his collar still damp from his shower. A warm hand slid under her tee shirt and inched its way upward. She danced back out of his embrace, and slapped his hand.
“Nope. We’re having breakfast this morning, not brunch after you’ve had your way with me. Come sit down and have some juice.”
She took his hand and tugged him toward the table.
“Are you sure, honey? I could be quick. We could be quick.”
He hauled her in the opposite direction—toward the bedroom. She dug in her heels.
“You lie. Once we get in that bedroom we won’t come out for hours and you know it. I’ve made you a special breakfast this morning and I’m not letting it get dried up and cold. Now sit,” she commanded.
Dev sighed deeply. “You’re getting awfully bossy, you know that?” H
e sat but didn’t release her hand.
“I am not,” she declared.
“Am I?” She bit her lip.
He tugged her down for another quick kiss. “No, darling. You’re perfect.”
“Well, now, I know that’s a fib.” She tried to remove her hand from his grip but he held her fast. “Let me get the food on the table, mister, or we’ll never get to . . . anything else.”
He released her instantly and she rolled her eyes skyward. By the time all the food was set out, he could only stare at the platters, plates, and bowls. “Good Lord, woman, how long did it take you to cook all this? And when are the other ten people coming to help us eat it all?”