Fall for You

by Behon, Susan

  Holy hell! Who knew Reed Sutton liked to talk dirty?

  Sophie didn't know if she'd ever recover. This all felt surreal. He was better than any of her fantasies and they still had their clothes on! She lifted her head and gazed into his beautiful brown eyes. They held a mixture of satisfaction and strain. “Reed, did you, um, you know?”

  He shook his head. He was still breathing hard. “No, this was for you.”

  Sophie started to protest. “But…”

  Max took that moment to bump his head into her thigh. She glanced at him and swore he almost had a look of, “Okay, that'll be enough of that.” Her dog looked like a pissed off chaperone.

  Reality started setting in and she was appalled at her wanton behavior.

  Reed saw her expression change. Her eyes lost the glaze of satisfaction and took on a subtle look of shame.

  “Sophie, don't. Whatever you're thinking, stop now. There is absolutely nothing wrong with what we did.”

  “But, won't this…I don't know? Complicate things?”

  “We're consenting adults. So, we got a little carried away…”

  She interrupted. “A little carried away? You tell me you want to get to know me and I ride you like a…a shameless hussy!”

  “Shameless hussy?”

  “Yes!”

  "Sophie?"

  “What?”

  “If I'm good, will you promise to be a shameless hussy again?”

  Reed lifted her up and set her next to him on the couch. “We'll be seeing each other on the job but I promise to behave myself. Unless you want me to misbehave, because I'm all for that too.”

  He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and gave her a swift kiss on the lips. Reed gathered his clipboard and left her copy of the estimate on the table. He stood and scratched Max behind the ear.

  After subtly adjusting himself, Reed walked to the door and said, “I'm going to go for now while I still can. Call me if Tracy has a problem with the estimate.” He flashed a devilish grin. “Then again, call me if she doesn't. See you soon, Sophie.”

  When Reed's truck pulled out of the driveway, Max watched from the living room window until his tail lights were out of sight. He came back to Sophie, who was still sitting on the couch trying to regroup from what just happened. Her dog put his head on her lap and looked up at her.

  “You really like him don't you?”

  Max raised his head and wagged his tail energetically.

  Sophie sighed. “Me too, buddy.” She gave Max a few strokes through the fluffy fur on his head. “So what are we going to do about it?”

  Max silently stared up at her. His tail slowed to a gentle swish against the carpet. Sophie exhaled a long breath and fell back against the cushions.

  “That's what I thought. You don't know either.”

  Chapter 8

  “Do you think if I turn off the AC they'd take off their shirts?” Tracy whispered this to Sophie as they stood behind the counter. Reed and Ben were carrying in lumber to build the frame for the wall.

  They both sighed at the same time.

  Sophie laughed. “Turn off the AC? I seriously considered turning on the heat.”

  Reed looked up when he heard Sophie's laughter. When his eyes met hers, there was such a knowing look that Sophie felt herself blush. He smiled like he knew the path of her thoughts, then turned back to the stack of two by fours.

  Tracy caught the exchange and raised her eyebrows.

  “Whoa. What did I miss? Don't you dare say 'nothing' because that was something! There was some serious eye sexing going on there.”

  Sophie pulled her toward the back and shushed her. “Eye sexing? No, there wasn't!”

  “Sophie Marie, 'fess up. What happened?”

  “Nothing!”

  “I told you not to say that! Let's hear it.” Tracy looked at her for a moment, then the light bulb lit.

  “You slept with him!”

  “I did not!” Not exactly, anyway.

  “Why does he look at you like he's seen you naked and wants to see it again?”

  “He hasn't seen me naked!” Yet

  Tracy wasn't convinced. “What happened?”

  Sophie gave up in defeat. “When he brought the estimate over last night, things got a little…carried away.”

  Looking intrigued, Tracy asked, “How carried away? And did it involve more sugar?”

  She didn't know how to word it. “Carried away as in…an orgasm with clothes on?” Sophie didn't know why she phrased it as a question. There was no doubt. It was exactly what happened.

  Damn. I'm way too old to keep blushing like this.

  Tracy grinned wickedly at her. “His, yours, or both?”

  Glancing over her shoulder to make sure the guys were still out of earshot, Sophie whispered, “Mine.”

  “And you didn't tell me? Why didn't you tell me?”

  Sophie nervously tried to tuck her hair behind her ear before realizing it was already pulled back in a ponytail. “I don't know. I guess because I'm still sorting it out in my head. Besides, he works for us now.”

  Tracy looked at her like she was speaking Swahili. “What's there to sort out? You're overthinking things, Sophie. Anyway, he's building a wall, not baking cookies with you. Reed's not working for us permanently so if you're worried about ethics, forget it.”

  Biting her lip, she confessed, “He says he wants to get to know me again.”

  Tracy peeked over Sophie's shoulder and grinned. “I'd say he hit the ground running.” Sophie couldn't stop thinking about what could become a serious issue. “What about his mom? That woman hates me with a passion!”

  “Do you want my advice?”

  She knew Tracy was going to give it to her whether she wanted it or not.

  “Yes. Well, I guess so.”

  “Let him get to know you again. You're not a teenager anymore. If his mom gets bitchy, tell her where to go! Reed is a grown man anyway. He'll like everything there is to know about Sophie Brandon, the woman.” She winked. “Besides, from the looks of it, he likes you enough already. Go with it and enjoy yourself.”

  “Go with it?”

  “Yes, ma'am. Go with it.”

  They went back up front to where the men were working on the wall frame. Reed was marking and measuring as he had a one-sided conversation with Ben. Ben, for his part, seemed to be listening but only shrugged or nodded at Reed while they worked.

  Sophie saw Ben sneak a glance or two at Tracy when he thought no one was looking. It was sort of sweet. Still waters ran deep with that one. Reed peeked over at her a time or two, but there was nothing sneaky about it. He didn't hide his interest in her at all.

  Keeping his promise to behave himself, he did his job and remained professional. But from the sexy looks he kept giving her, Sophie knew that sooner or later there would be some misbehaving. She just didn't know which one of them would misbehave first.

  * * * *

  By nine o'clock the guys had yet to call it a day. Tracy had already gone upstairs to experiment with a new cupcake recipe before heading to bed. Sophie sat at her table in the back and caught up on paperwork. She also scheduled the orders that still needed to be filled on her calendar. From the way her workload was piling up, Sophie was going to have to hire someone part-time to help run the counter. Soon. The long hours were catching up to her and she was exhausted.

  Even with the whirring noise of the saw and the popping of the nail gun, her eyelids began to droop. Before she knew it, a hand was on her shoulder gently shaking her awake.

  “Sophie? Honey, you need to go home and get some rest.” Reed leaned over her and moved her hair out of her face.

  How long had she been asleep?

  “What time is it?” She tried to stifle a yawn and failed. Sophie hoped to God she didn't have an impression of a keyboard on her face. She rubbed at her cheek just to make sure. Reed stood up and checked the time on his phone. “It's almost ten o'clock. Ben and I still have about an hour's worth of work b
efore we're done for the night.”

  Earlier, Sophie was going to wait for them to finish for the evening and then lock up behind them. Now, she didn't think she could wait another hour. She knew Max had to go out and she needed to be up at four.

  Reed seemed to sense her dilemma. “Sophie, I don't know how comfortable you are with this, but if you have a spare set of keys for the shop, Ben and I can lock up when we're done.”

  She was so tired, Sophie had to think about where she put them.

  Reed mistook her hesitancy for doubt.

  “You can trust us, Soph. Ben and I have worked plenty of night jobs before. We usually get a set of keys from the owner and lock up after ourselves every night. It's more convenient for everyone.”

  Sophie stood and rummaged in her purse. Once she found her key ring, she removed the ones for the bakery. She gave him a sleepy smile and placed the keys in his hand.

  “Of course I trust you. I wouldn't have hired you if I didn't. Take my keys since I have a spare set at home.”

  Reed took hold of her hand and placed it over his heart. He had sawdust on his shirt, but Sophie didn't mind the rough texture under her palm. Her fingers flexed a bit over the hard muscle underneath it. She just couldn't help herself. As usual.

  A dark five o'clock shadow grazed his jaw and made his lips look fuller against the contrast of it. He embodied the sexy stereotype for a handyman fantasy. Only sexier. His light brown eyes looked down at her as if he were making a solemn vow.

  “Thank you for trusting me. We'll clean up our work and make sure the doors are locked up tight. When we're finished with the entire job, the keys will be returned to you immediately. Oh, and speaking of keys, remind Tracy to remove that key from under her mat.”

  “I told her about the yahoos.” That made Reed's lips quirk up. “I'm not sure she did it though. Maybe you could tell Ben to talk some sense into her. I think she likes him a little bit.” Reed squeezed her hand and placed it to his lips for a soft kiss. “A little bit, huh? I have a feeling he might like her a little bit too, but I'm more interested in how much you like me.”

  Sophie stood on her tiptoes and put her other arm around his neck to pull him down to her. When their lips met, she kissed him until he held her so tightly that she was practically lifted off the floor. After they broke apart, they were both breathing hard. She settled back on her feet and rubbed a hand down his chest to his stomach. His abs tightened like they had last night. Sophie made a mental note that he was sensitive there.

  She turned to gather her purse and laptop and walked around Reed. Sophie smiled at him from the door. “I think it's safe to say that it's more than a little bit. Good-night, Reed. I'll see you tomorrow.”

  “Oh, no you don't!” He took her laptop from her and ushered her through the door. “You can't kiss a man stupid and not expect him to walk you to your car.” Reed waited for her to open her car door, then handed the computer back to her. Before Sophie could get behind the wheel, he placed his hands on either side of her and boxed her in. “Besides, this gives me another chance to kiss you good-night.” He leaned down and touched his lips to hers in a slow erotic slide. It was hot and utterly consuming. It was also over much too quickly for her peace of mind.

  After one more soft kiss, he moved far enough away for her to close the door. “Be careful driving home.” Sophie stared up at him and shook her head at the smug look on his face. He knew that this time she was the one who'd gotten kissed stupid.

  “Good-night.” She started the engine and hoped like hell she didn't look as loopy as she felt.

  * * * *

  A few days later, Reed checked in at his office to make sure everything was running on schedule.

  Keith was sitting in his chair fielding a phone call. “No, tell him we're not breaking ground there until Friday. I don't care if he wants it done sooner. We have schedules for a reason.” There was a pause as he listened. “Fine, I'll be back at the site around two o'clock. Tell him to come see me at the mobile office and I'll tell him myself.”

  He hung up the phone and looked at his brother. Keith scrubbed a hand through his shaggy blond hair in frustration. “I'm telling you Reed, I hate this shit. I like it better when you're in charge.”

  Reed took a seat. “Keith, don't sweat it. You're doing a good job and the Falls Condos are going up right on schedule. You can handle this one on your own.”

  Keith sighed, “I'd rather be hammering something.” He gave a sly grin. “Speaking of hammering something, how's it going with Sophie?”

  Reed was out of his chair before he knew it. He glared at Keith. “Don't you ever talk about her like that!”

  He put his hands up in a sign of surrender. “Okay! Sorry man, I didn't know you were serious about her.”

  Reed tried to get his temper under control. “You don't talk about a woman like that.”

  Keith raised his eyebrows in surprise. “This is a new side of you. Usually, when it comes to women, you could take them or leave them. Personally, I like to take them, then leave them.” He laughed at his own joke but sobered when Reed didn't laugh too. “But seriously, I'm sorry. I didn't know.”

  Sighing, Reed ran a hand over his face. “I didn't mean to overreact. When it comes to Sophie, I…” For once he was at a loss for words. “I don't know what the hell I'm thinking. It's just different with her. Got it?”

  Keith answered. “Got it.” He broke the tension with, “So, do you get free cookies? If you do, man, send some my way.” Making a disgusted grimace, he said, “Mom forced the ones that she made on me and after one bite, I couldn't do another. It got stuck in my throat when I tried to swallow it. I swear it's because my body didn't recognize it as food.” Keith took a sip of coffee as if to rinse out the remembered taste. “For once, I couldn't eat something and I don't think she believed me when I told her I was full.” Then his expression brightened. “But I did remind her how much you like cookies.”

  “You asshole!” Reed groaned.

  Keith was unrepentant. “You're welcome.”

  Walking into the office, Ben looked from one brother to the other. “What happened?”

  Reed knew he looked miserable. “Mom made cookies again.”

  Ben smirked in amusement.

  Eying Ben's reaction, Keith said, “Did I mention that I told Mom you had a sweet tooth too?”

  Ben opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, then made an about-face and walked right out of the room.

  Keith looked to Reed for an explanation. “What was that?”

  It was Reed's turn to smile. “That's Ben's way of calling you a dick.”

  Standing up, Keith gave Reed a brotherly slug to the shoulder. Reed wouldn't react or admit to it, but damn, that shit hurt! He fisted his hand and returned the favor. It was like hitting a brick wall. Next time, he'd just throw his mom's cookies at him. He bet they'd leave bruises. At least now Reed knew what to do with them.

  “Don't you have work to do?”

  Keith frowned at the reminder. “Unfortunately, yes. I have to get to the site and manage things. Thanks for that.” The sarcasm dripped off each word. Reed sat behind his desk and almost put his feet up just to irritate him. Instead he said, “You're welcome, little brother. Anytime.”

  His brother stomped out and flipped him the bird. Only a guy like Reed would take that as a sign of affection. Coming from Keith, it probably was.

  * * * *

  Sophie was putting a tray of root beer float cookies in the glass case when hell froze over. Dot Sutton walked through the door and read the sign:

  Welcome. Please excuse our dust but building our wall is a must!

  She didn't look awed by Tracy's poetry. Dot checked out the room as if actually looking for dust. Finding only the wooden frame that would soon be a wall, she glanced up at Sophie.

  Sophie straightened and braced herself. Her heart was ready to thump out of her chest, but she put on a serene expression and smiled. “Hello. Welcome to The Cookie Jar. May
I help you?”

  Dot looked down in the glass case at the array of cookies but seemed wholly unimpressed with the selection. She looked at Sophie and said, “Hello. I'm Dot Sutton. I'm chairwoman of the Madison Falls Ladies' Improvement Committee. Maybe you know my sons, Reed and Keith?”

  Dot actually held her hand out in greeting like she had no idea who Sophie was. Okay, then. If that's the way you want to play it. Sophie reached over the counter and shook her hand.

  “I'm Sophie Brandon. Pleased to meet you.” Again. Oh, and by the way, your son is a fabulous kisser. She wanted to say that, but instead went with, “Yes, of course I know them. As a matter of fact, Reed is building our wall.” As if you didn't already know.

  Reed's mom turned to scan the wooden frame of the wall. “My son is very talented with his hands.” Amen to that, lady. “So, is that how you two are acquainted?”

  Dot appeared innocently inquiring, but Sophie knew better. The woman was on a fact-finding mission. She wouldn't give anything away. If Reed wanted to tell his mom what was going on, then so be it.

  “Yes, he and Ben Carrington are doing a wonderful job so far.” Sophie kept the smile firmly planted on her face. Dot peered into her eyes, waiting for Sophie to confess all, no doubt. Not gonna happen, sister.

  She looked half stymied/half relieved that Sophie didn't say anything more about it. She reached into her purse for her wallet. “My purpose for being here is to place an order for cookies.”

  Sophie was stunned. “Excuse me?”

  Dot continued, all business. “Yes. I'd like to order fifteen dozen cookies for our next MFLIC meeting. All of the members will be in attendance so I'll need a variety.”

  Sophie was in a state of shock but went through the motions of retrieving an order form and a pen. She gave a list of all the available cookie flavors to Dot and told her to make her choices.

  She stared down at the menu and frowned. “Are these all you have?”

  “No, this is the standard selection of what's usually available. I also have different flavors according to the seasons and I'll make some special requests.” Sophie pointed to the cookies she had just placed in the case. “These are root beer float cookies in honor of summer. Children and adults love them because they're a reminder of their favorite ice cream treat.”