The Blue Collar Bachelors Box Set: The Complete Blue Collar Bachelors Series

by Miller, Cassie-Ann L.

  “For joining the military. Seems so scary. I couldn’t imagine doing that.”

  I feel a pang in my chest at the question but I try to make light of my response. “Well, I’m big and I’m bad so why the hell not?”

  She tilts her head to the side and observes me. There’s no laughter in her eyes. “C’mon. Be serious. No lying in the confessional, remember?”

  I poke my tongue into my cheek and steal in a long breath. “That’s fair,” I say quietly.

  She’s silent, waiting. She doesn’t prod me. I appreciate that. “I was about seven or eight and, one night, while we were all asleep, someone came into our house. I was the one who heard it and I went into my parents’ room to wake them up.” My jaw clenches as I recall the events. “My dad pulled me and my mother into the closet. He said we’d be safe there. The problem was—my older sister was in her room, asleep. My mom begged Dad to go get her. But he refused. He was scared shitless. He didn’t want to get out of that closet to save his own child. My mother wouldn’t have it. She rushed out of the closet. She came face to face with the burglar.” I chuckle. “She was a savage woman back then. She still is today. She didn’t back down. She fought. She fought and she fought and luckily, the guy was a punk. He ran away with nothing and the police caught him by morning.”

  Daisy’s eyes are wide. “Oh my god. That’s horrible. What kind of man stands back and lets that happen to his family?”

  I shake my head. “He wasn’t a man. He was a coward. And I vowed to myself that I’d be the opposite of him.” I chuckle. “I took it all the way to the extreme.”

  She laughs and cups my jaw in her hand. “Yes, you did G.I. Joe.”

  “A man isn’t a man if he isn’t willing to fight for the people and the things he loves. A man doesn’t deserve a family if he can’t protect them. I live by that. I’m willing to be alone for the rest of my life if I can’t protect what’s mine to protect.”

  Even today my dad and I don’t see eye to eye on that. That’s why I stay away from my family as much as possible. I can’t stand to look at the weak man my father is and I resent my mother for settling for him all this time. I go visit once in a while but it’s better if we just keep our distance.

  “Fuck, you’re brave,” Daisy says and she slides her mouth over mine. My eyes fall shut and our foreheads press together. “God, I just wish…” She won’t let herself finish that thought.

  I wish a lot of things, too. I wish tonight wasn’t the end for us. I wish we had more time. I wish she were mine.

  The car lurches again before abruptly stopping. My eyes jerk open and I see that we’re stopped at a red light. But it’s the backlit roadside chapel with its ‘We do quickie weddings’ billboard that snags my attention and won’t let go.

  I take that as a sign.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Sophia

  My sister’s car pulls up in my driveway just before 6:00.

  Today was Archie’s second day and it went as smoothly as the first. He left about half an hour ago, after most of the children had already been picked up by their parents. I’m in the living room, packing away supplies from the art projects he worked on with the kids earlier.

  I’d expected Ramona to help me clean up before leaving. I mean, it’s the least she could do. But now that she’s on two weeks’ notice, all she does is show up. She works even less than she did before.

  Anyway, River sits on the floor, gnawing on the corner of a cardboard book as I tidy the arts and crafts area.

  “Hey dumpling,” my sister says as she waddles through the front door and swoops her niece into her arms.

  Angie rains down kisses on my daughter’s cheek and the little girl just loves it. “GeeGee! GeeGee!” I still don’t understand how a baby can butcher the word “Angie” to the point that it comes out “GeeGee”. But I digress.

  I shove the colorful paintings and scribbles into a large plastic storage container and slide it to the corner of the room. “Thank you so much for watching her tonight.” I give Angie’s arm a quick squeeze as I whizz by her. I hurry back into the hallway and slide my feet into my sneakers. “I have so much work to do to get this daycare centre up and running. I can’t put it off any longer.” I grab my cardigan and purse from the closet by the door. “But I’ll only be gone an hour or two. I promise.”

  Angie is standing there with River on her hip, watching me as I flutter about. “Take as long as you need.” Her eyes stay on me as I zip about the house. The air is heavy with the question I know she’s dying to ask. Eventually she cracks. “So, did you tell Archie?”

  I cringe. “Uh…not yet.”

  She tilts her head and glares at me. “Soapy…”

  “I just need a little time.” I sound defensive to my own ears. “He’s only been working here for a few days. I don’t want to rush and make the wrong decision and then have to regret it. I’m just thinking about my daughter’s best interests.”

  The more I watch Archie—the way he interacts with the children—the more I’m starting to think that, telling him about River is what’s in her best interests. He’s been great. Especially with her. I don’t know why but he seems to always take a little more time with her and pay more attention to her. It’s almost as if he knows the truth somewhere deep down.

  “Just don’t wait too long,” my sister warns, “Because if he figures this out on his own, you’re not going to be able to fix things with him.”

  I press my eyes shut and pull in a breath. “You’re right. I’ll tell him soon. Very soon.” I give Angie a one-armed hug, and with a quick kiss to my daughter’s forehead, I’m out the door.

  I use the bus ride across town to try and grapple with my feelings, to wrestle my fear into submission. I weigh the risk that he might freak out and walk out of my life forever against the possibility that he might open his heart and slip into place as the missing piece of River and my little family. Don’t get me wrong—I’m going to tell him. It’s just a matter of when and how.

  The future site of the daycare center is on a quiet side street a few blocks from Town Square. The 61 bus drops me off right on the street corner and I trudge across the lot, totally preoccupied with my thoughts.

  As I’m turning the key in the lock, I peer through the newspaper covering the giant windows and realize the lights are on inside.

  “Fuck!” I mutter under my breath. I haven’t been here in days so if I forgot the lights on all this time, I’ll be so damn mad at myself. I’m trying to run this business on a limited budget. I can’t afford an over-the-top electricity bill.

  I tug open the door and step into the main hallway. Yup, all the freaking lights are on. I’m kicking myself on the inside.

  But as I turn the corner into the main play area, I find a big, shirtless body hunched over a worktable, goggles on and electric saw whirring away.

  My heart breaks out into a sprint beneath my ribcage. I fold my arms over my chest and try to glare but I can’t win against the smile curling my lips. “You know this is trespassing, right?”

  Archie looks up and pulls the goggles away from his eyes. His dimples pop into view and my ovaries go kaboom! “Hey Daisy.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Archie

  In the narrow space, we dance around each other in silence.

  I’m busy sawing wood and installing shelves while Sophia stands on her tiptoes with the paint roller in hand, covering the grimy wall with a layer of vibrant yellow paint. The arch of her back and the definition in her calves makes my cock ache. She has no idea how sexy her body is, even in an old T-shirt, simple leggings and running shoes. It’s distracting. I nearly sawed through my finger twice looking at her.

  When she peeks over her shoulder, she catches me staring. Her tongue rolls over her lips and she bats her eyes at me. Gorgeous. My gorgeous Daisy.

  I’m her fucking slave.

  I’m not even complaining.

  She’s the kind of woman worth doing stupid shit for. That’s why, a
fter running around with a group of rowdy toddlers all day, I made my way over here to Sophia’s future daycare center.

  Despite the sizzling ache in my nerves. Despite the straining pull in my back.

  Because you do that sort of shit when you love a woman.

  Anyway, Charlie promised Sophia that Hartley Construction would take care of the painting for her. But he never got around to it. The guy has good intentions but he’s busy. That’s all right.

  But Sophia is my woman. So, it’s my duty to help make her dreams come true. This is my contribution. Anyway, Nova somehow managed to swipe the key from Charlie for me and I’ve been here for the past two days after work, getting shit done.

  I was hoping Sophia wouldn’t catch on to what I was doing until I was completely done setting everything up. I just wanted to see the heart-stopping expression that would eat up her face when she walked in here and saw everything in its place. I wanted to see her looking at me like I’m her damn hero. And I got that gratification when she walked in here an hour ago and she smiled that big smile at me.

  I’ve made a lot of progress but I still have a long way to go. When the painting is done, there’ll be more shelves and safety gates to install. There’ll be piles of colorful plastic dishes to pack away in the cupboards and alphabet posters to stick to the walls. But we’ll get it done. Sophia and me, together.

  It’s nearly 8:30 when she yelps. “Oh my gosh. I totally lost track of the time.” She sets the roller brush down in the paint tray.

  I lift my safety goggles away from my eyes. “You gotta go?” I casually lean a hip against the table and cross my arms over my chest.

  “Yeah,” she says as she grabs her thermal fleece sweater and purse from the nail I hammered into the wall as a makeshift coatrack. “I was only supposed to be gone an hour. My sister’s at my house watching—” She stops herself mid-sentence.

  I step closer. “Your sister’s at your house watching what?”

  She’s flustered. Her lips open and close without making any meaningful sound. Then she starts stammering. “I just—I—I just need to get home.” She slips the sleeves of her sweater up her arms as she’s heading for the door. “You have the keys, right? You can lock up?” She flips her ponytail out from inside the back of her shirt.

  “Yeah, I have keys.” I make big strides across the room toward her. “Let me drive you home.”

  She shakes her head vigorously. “Oh, no, no, no. You really don’t have to do that.” She zips up the front of her sweater then quickly checks the time on her phone. She’s a mess of frenetic energy. “The 61 bus is coming in exactly three minutes and if I miss it, I can catch the 37 at the next corner. And worst-case scenario, the 108 bus runs—”

  I catch her by the wrist and spin her around. Her body twirls like a ballerina and our chests crash together. Her eyes are as wide with alarm as they are hot with lust. With my knuckles under her chin, I lift her face up to mine.

  Her words are whispered as her self-control slips through her fingers. “The 108 bus runs…”

  My massive fingers circle her skinny wrists, pinning both of her fisted hands to my chest. My entire being simmers with urgency. I lower my face and our foreheads tenderly land together. “I’m taking you home.”

  “No…” It almost sounds like she’s begging.

  This woman is so frustrating with her self-sufficiency. I get it. She’s independent. I’m not trying to take away from that. I’m just trying to make her life easier, so she can do more, be more. “Why won't you just let me love you, Sophia?"

  She takes a shivering breath. Suddenly, she looks vulnerable. Terrified. "Because I'm scared that I'll wake up again and that I’ll realize you're not real. That you're just a dream. That you've always been just a dream."

  My lips cover hers. I kiss her soft and slow but still the force of our connection is strong enough to bowl me over. I want to kiss her insecurities away.

  I pull back before this kiss goes too far. “It’s real. I assure you that it’s real.” I stroke her cheek tenderly. “Come on, baby.” I lace my fingers through hers. “I’m taking you home.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Sophia

  I’m beaming as I climb beneath my covers.

  The image of Archie standing in the middle of the daycare centre, sawing through planks of wood…It replays on loop in my mind.

  Nobody has ever done anything like that for me. Josh would shower me with gifts, pretty things that he charged to his father’s credit card. We’d swipe expensive wine from his family’s winery and eat at fancy restaurants where his family kept an open tab. But Josh never got his hands dirty for me. He never broke out into a sweat to help me get my dreams off the ground.

  Archie isn’t Josh.

  That man cares about me. He’s invested in helping me bring my dreams to reality. And now, I just want to pull him into my life and give him a place in my little corner of the world.

  This is it. He is it. There’s not a doubt in my mind anymore.

  Finally, I feel like I can be honest with myself about how I feel. I love Archie. I’m not even sure ‘love’ is a strong enough word to describe the depth of the emotions that man provokes in me. For so long, I’ve been afraid to let myself admit that. I tried to bottle up the feeling and hide it away because no responsible, level-headed adult goes off to Vegas, meets a random stranger and legit falls in love.

  Except, I did.

  I’m in love with this man and if that makes me insane then, I guess I’m insane and I just have to live with it. But I can’t live without him. Not anymore.

  When he dropped me off at my door tonight, I could tell he wanted to come inside but he didn’t press the issue. He didn’t even mention it. He just leaned across the console and kissed me hard enough to make my lungs shudder. Then, he sat patiently and watched until I locked my front door behind me.

  But tomorrow night, I won’t be sleeping alone. I’m done keeping him at arm’s length. I’m going to tell him about River and I’m going to trust that this good man will do the right thing.

  Tomorrow is the day everything changes.

  Just as I’m dozing off to the blissful land of sleep, I hear the chime of the doorbell in the distance. I peel my face away from my pillow and swing my feet over the side of the bed. “Who the hell could that be?”

  I grab my short satin robe and hustle down the hallway, hoping to answer my unexpected visitor before they ring again. Angie had River in bed by the time I got home and I don’t want this ringing to interrupt my daughter’s sleep.

  When I check through the peephole, it’s Archie standing there. My body lights up on a shuddering breath. My heart shouldn't pound the way it does at the sight of him. But the sensation causes a wide smile to pull across my lips.

  I swing the door open right as he’s lifting his hand to buzz again.

  There’s no preamble. He comes storming through the door and immediately, his mouth is on mine. And he’s kissing me. Kissing me and kissing me as his hands roam down the length of my body.

  Feeling our way through the dark hallway, he walks me backward until we’re at my bedroom door. I grab him by the collar and yank him inside before shoving the door closed.

  He spins us around and falls onto the mattress, pulling me down on top of him. “I don’t want to be alone tonight,” he tells me, our lips are pressed together as he speaks. “I don’t want to be alone anymore. I want to be with you, Sophia. I need you.”

  I breathe hard into the kiss. “You have no idea how much I need you.”

  It’s true. And it’s liberating to admit it. I spent so much time trying to assert myself as a strong, independent woman. I tried to bury the way I feel for him because I was scared his love would make me weak. But the opposite is true. Together, we’re both stronger than either of us could be on our own.

  That’s why this kiss means so much to me. That’s why I spread my thighs wider and invite him into my heat when he edges his hips between my legs. That’
s why I’m already so wet for him when he slips his hand beneath the hem of my nightgown and tears my panties down my legs. I whip his shirt up his chest and over his head, then fling it to the floor.

  I bristle with impatience as he slides his sweatpants halfway down his thighs to roll the condom on. I grab his stiff shaft eagerly and impale myself with it.

  He’s on all-fours above me. I rock up to meet his hard, frantic thrusts. Goosebumps burst across the surface of my skin when his tongue smooths along my throat.

  “So good,” he groans at the curve of my neck. “Tell me how good it feels, Daisy. Tell me you like it.” His hand reaches between us and he presses on my buzzing clit, flicking his finger back and forth.

  “I love it, Archie. It’s so good.” My fingers climb his hard, muscular chest and lock behind his neck. “So, so good.”

  He’s so deep in me, as he has every right to be. Because from this moment, I’m his.

  No other man stands a chance. No other man could ever reach so deep inside of me, carving into my tunnel with his thick cock, thrusting all the way to the hilt. Writing his name on my soul.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful.” He brushes my hair from my sweaty forehead. His next deep thrust hits that dense bundle of nerves and triggers a forceful rush that makes the hair on my arms stand on end.

  Every cell in my body spasms and he growls from the depths of his belly. Our bodies go tense together and we cry out as one.

  Powerful explosions of pleasure ring out. I say his name and his shuddered breaths fan across my skin.

  When the orgasm is done wrecking us, he falls heavily to the mattress beside me.

  Desperate to be close to him, I crawl into his arms and he holds me tight to his pounding chest. “You’re so amazing,” I whisper against his sternum before pressing a kiss there.