To Lori Foster for providing the opportunity. To James for encouraging me to take it.
One “Just like a man to show up after all the hard work is done.”Not the warmest welcome Whit Thomas had ever received from a woman, but then this woman had been sending him the big chill for weeks. Her brown eyes, the color of rich caramel, sparked with anger every time he had the nerve to ask her a question.“I got tied up on another job.”“Whatever.” She shrugged her slim shoulders.A weaker man would have given up, written Hannah Bridges off as frigid, and moved on. Not Whit. Not after that day last week when he caught her peeking over her metal clipboard at his shoulders with barely disguised hunger.“Good afternoon, Hannah. I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”“Glad to hear it. So, did you want something or did you just stop by to say hello?” She asked the question without lifting her head.“I need your help.” He figured an hour or two between the sheets should do it.“Lucky me.”Whit had enjoyed his share of women over the years. Success on that front had never been a problem. Until Hannah. Sh
Two To her credit, Hannah took the news better than he expected. Well, for a heartbeat or two anyway. Then she started ranting and yelling. Two of her least attractive qualities.She said something about his family being made up of knuckle-dragging crazy people. He let her go on because she wasn’t exactly wrong. When he laughed at one of her more colorful streams of profanities, she lost what little remained of her cool.“This isn’t funny.”He tried to look serious. “Of course not.”“I want out of here.”“Hannah, look at the door. There isn’t a doorknob or any visible lock that I can see. I checked the only other door in here and it leads to a small bathroom. I’m afraid we’re stuck until my brother comes to check on the job.”“That’s days from now!” Her voice bounced up an octave.“The good news is we won’t have to wait until Monday. Adam’s supposed to meet me here for breakfast Sunday to go over some paperwork.”“We’re going to die.” A green cast settled over her usually peachy-cream skin.“Th
Three Whit’s brain had just convinced the monster in his pants to give up and find another strategy when he felt the slow slide of Hannah’s hand up his thigh. The nerve endings jumped under her light touch and his erection swelled in welcome. Whatever she was doing, he hoped she didn’t stop anytime soon.“Uh, Hannah, I gotta be honest with you. I’m getting mixed signals here.”“I could see where you’d think that.”“Yeah, well, I’m still confused.”“Take my mind off of where we are, Whit.” Her husky voice shot from his brain to the soles of his feet.She was an enigma. One second she cut him short, launching verbal volleys at the speed of sound. The next she turned all gooey, making him desperate to protect her and willing to throw out all of his careful plans. Now, she melted in his arms, making him desperate to have her.“Is it the space thing? Do you want me to try the door again?”“No.”Good answer, but he needed a bit more direction before he made his move. “What do you want?”“A distractio
Four What in the hell was she waiting for? He wasn’t going to get any bigger. That would be biologically impossible. And he couldn’t possibly want her more than he did right now.The minutes blurred until he could no longer think of anything but her. He prayed for death. Begged her to let him come. Swore at her to end it and put him inside of her. Pleaded with her to show some mercy as her small hands caressed him and shaped him.She made him wait.He thought about gnawing through the handcuffs and escaping to freedom. But that would mean leaving Hannah and there was no way in hell that was going to happen, not when her sexy feminine side showed up to play.Finally, when his energy drained and his control hovered on the edge, she stripped him naked. Dropped his pants to his ankles and dragged his gray boxer briefs down his legs with her teeth. His knees nearly buckled when her eager fingers toured his ass, caressing and tracing, before dipping into the crease.He had spent frustrating weeks
Five Whit inhaled, trying to calm his anger.“There’s nothing here.” Hannah scurried around the room. She picked up a particularly large dildo then dropped it as if it were on fire.“Not your favorite toy?”“Let’s just say your aunt must have been a strong woman. Or very large. Was she actually able to walk after spending time down here?”“I’ve asked you never to talk about my uncle and aunt and whatever they did in this room.”“Hey, you’re the one with the porno relatives.”He wondered if Hannah even realized she forgot to put her clothes back on. “Yeah, no inhibitions at all.”Every time she turned away she flashed him a centerfold shot of her bare ass. Round and perfect and creamy milk white in color. Not that he didn’t enjoy the view. He did, but being restrained was not in any of his plans. With every second that ticked by he lost an opportunity to touch her.“Check the drawers,” he called out.“No way.”“Why the hell not?”“Do you know what kind of crap could be in there?”“You mean crap lik
Six “You have to forgive me.”“Actually, I don’t.” If Cole pleaded his case one more time, she was going to belt him.“But we’re related. Think of the holiday dinners. You not talking to me. My mom crying.” He shook his head in mock despair. “A very sad scene.”“We’ve never had a family dinner. I wasn’t invited, remember?”“You’re killing my heartfelt apology.”“Gee, what was I thinking?”“My guess is you’re too busy being angry with Whit to think.”Hannah slashed open a cardboard box and stared at the stacks of shiny new tile inside. She’d spent the morning ripping up the old floor in Whit’s house. Broken ceramic squares littered the room and a fine sheen of chalk dust covered every surface. The appliances were gone. The room was little more than a shell. The physical work revived her.She wandered over to the home project early Sunday morning in the hope of finding quiet. Some solitude in which to forget all about one Whitman Goodard Thomas. She needed the bone-crushing work. Sweat running d
Seven Whit shimmied on his back under the toilet bowl and used his handy wrench to take out his frustrations on the unsuspecting drainpipe. The steady clanking noise stopped the dialogue raging in his brain. If he concentrated for even a second, Hannah’s insults and accusations echoed in his head.What the hell was he thinking slinking back into this house? To Hannah?She obviously hated him. Not that she didn’t have a good reason, but she made him sound like a complete ass. Sure, he had seen her photo at Cole’s house and felt an immediate and unexpected spark. He’d heard about her in construction circles and admired her work and perseverance. After all that, he decided the idea of spending a few hours investigating what she had hidden under that icy reserve sounded damn good.He never intended to use her. Never that.“Did they teach you plumbing at Vanderbilt?”He jerked forward at the sound of Hannah’s husky voice and banged his head on the bottom of the ceramic toilet bowl. The unexpecte
Eight Exactly nine days later Hannah walked up to the historically accurate wooden staircase of the Victorian house in search of Whit. Confused as ever.The kiss was a mistake. She wanted to prove she could be close to Whit and stay unaffected. Instead, she landed on her back and was two seconds from ripping his shirt off when Adam strutted into the room.She had tried ignoring Whit. Showering him with degrading comments, in her mind anyway. Nothing worked. His image never left her mind and his betrayal seemed less important as the days went by.He refused to stay out of her head and her heart.And her business.“Returning to the scene of the crime, so to speak.” Adam stepped out of the kitchen and caught her at the bottom of the stairs.“Adam.” A sharp pain settled in her abdomen. His mannerisms were so like those of Whit, just seeing him was a reminder. “What are you doing here?”He sat down on the step in front of her so they were eye to eye. “Trying to keep Whit from working himself to de
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When Good Things Happen to Bad Boys Page 26
