BOYFRIEND MATERIAL (Billionaire Romance)

by Mia Carson

  “I’m up, just making coffee,” she told him.

  “You are just making coffee at eleven o’clock?” he asked.

  Iris shot a look at the oven clock and cursed. “I didn’t realize it was that late.”

  Joe’s deep laughter echoed through the phone. “I heard you had quite the night, but you can tell me about it Monday on your first day of work.”

  “I’m not sure you want to hear… Wait, did you say first day of work?”

  “That I did. Swing by today when you have time. I’ll have you fill out the paperwork. Then Monday morning, you’ll be here at eight sharp to start your new job. We’ll discuss pay today, too,” he said. “I must go, but I expect to see you this afternoon.”

  Iris sank to the floor of her kitchen, trying to understand what was happening. “Joe, I can’t. You’ve never had an employee in your shop. You can’t afford it.”

  “Listen to me, Iris, I know what I can and can’t afford,” he said sternly. “You will take this job because you need it, and it is not charity. I’m thinking of taking a vacation soon and need someone to watch the shop. You will do nicely.”

  She hung her head and nodded, running her hand through her hair as she held her head. “I can’t ever thank you enough for this.”

  “You won’t have to. I will see you soon,” he said then hung up.

  Iris held her cell as she sat on the floor, the strong smell of coffee filtering down to her. A job. She finally had a job, which meant an income of sorts. If Sam asked about her job, she could say she had one and not let him know just how bad their financial situation had become. He only needed to worry about staying healthy. The job with Joe was a step in the right direction, and maybe she’d be able to find something better and get them out of this hole.

  She stood and made a cup of coffee with just sugar before she looked at the paper with Alec’s number on it again. Last night had definitely not been a date, and she had no idea how to plan a second one. Her experiences with men started and ended with Jenson, and he was a bastard.

  “Deputy Bastard now,” she reminded herself.

  He was going to be impossible to deal with if the sheriff thought he was good enough to be a damn deputy, but she would keep her nose down the best she could and stay out of his way. Alec, on the other hand… She wanted to bump into him again. She wasn’t sure why after the way last night had gone, but the warmth of his laughter and his smile, the way he kept his word to Danny without fail, told her he was just like her. Caring—over-caring, really—and the sadness in his eyes? He’d been hurt, just as she had, and maybe this was his chance to move on.

  “Or he’ll just use you and spit you out,” she muttered. She set her coffee down, picked up her cell again, and dialed the number.

  It rang three times, and Iris prayed it’d go straight to voicemail, but a deep male voice answered. “Hello?”

  She froze, her mouth open like some idiotic fish before she cleared her throat. “Alec?”

  He sucked in a breath and muttered a curse. “This is him. Who’s calling?”

  “Iris… from last night?” she mumbled, suddenly unsure whether what she remembered from last night had been real or a dream. “Listen, sorry if you didn’t expect me to call. I just wanted to apologize, and you left your number, but if you want to forget it all, I’ll understand.” Her anger grew as she spoke, thinking he was an idiot for leaving his number if he didn’t want her to call.

  “Iris, no—I wanted you to call,” he said quickly. “I’m trying to avoid speaking to someone, but not you. I’m sorry, really.”

  “So, you are running from someone?” she said and hopped up on her kitchen counter.

  “How much of last night do you remember?” he asked, and she heard his wolfish grin through his words. “I was starting to wonder if I needed to come over and check on you.”

  Iris grinned, imagining him showing up at her front door to make sure she was alive. Then she glanced down at herself in her sweats and messed up hair and recalled he’d seen her puking her guts out last night. “Well, no need to do that. I’m alive.”

  “Not alive and well?” he asked lightly.

  “No, not yet. Still working on the well,” she said. “I called to say thanks for getting me home last night and for stepping between me and Jenson. You didn’t have to do that.” The rest of the night’s events were slowly coming back to her with each sip of coffee, and she cringed, thinking about what might’ve happened if Jenson didn’t have the sheriff standing just feet away from him.

  “Yes, I did,” he said. “And if he asks you, we’re friends from college.”

  Her face scrunched. “Friends from college? Did you run into him again after you left here?”

  “Yeah, but I’m not going to give you the details over the phone. I want to see you again, Iris, preferably when you’re not drunk and I’m not having to fend off your asshole of an ex,” he said with a throaty laugh. “What are you doing today?”

  “I have to swing by the pawn shop and fill out some paperwork for a new job,” she told him. “Then, after that, I was going to see Sam at the hospital, but nothing else really.”

  Why didn’t you say no? You don’t need this distraction right now, a voice nagged her.

  Hell yes, I do. He held my hair while I puked! No normal guy does that—hell, Jenson would never do that. We’re doing this.

  “Iris?”

  “Yeah, sorry, I’m here,” she stuttered, shaking her head free of her musings.

  “Why don’t I come and pick you up and we can do whatever you need to do together? And afterwards, we’ll go on a second date that might not end with you hugging a toilet.”

  She groaned. “You just had to bring that up again.”

  “It happens to the best of us, though I must say, you handled yourself quite well,” he said, laughing.

  Iris debated whether she should say yes. Having him deal with Jenson for her was bad enough. Did she really want to drag him into dealing with the rest of her baggage? She couldn’t remember everything she'd said last night, but she had a feeling she told Alec more than she should tell anyone she just met in a bar.

  “Why not?” she said finally.

  “Maybe we’ll just stay away from the whiskey tonight,” he said. “Be there in an hour?”

  “An hour sounds great,” she said. “Thanks, Alec, really. You don’t have to do this.”

  “Never said I did, but I want to. Besides, I’m new in town, and as payback for taking you home last night, you can show me around town,” he said, and she rolled her eyes. “See you soon, Iris.”

  She hung up and stayed in her kitchen until the coffee cup was empty, and she considered pouring a second to help chase the last bit of grogginess away. But she was in desperate need of a shower and some clothes not just thrown on if she was spending all day with Mr. Alec Wolf. As she hopped into the steaming water a few minutes later, she wondered why she even bothered. He’d leave her, just like Jenson had, after a few days. She wasn’t an easy woman to deal with, she knew that. Hell, half the town knew that, but it didn’t mean she wanted to spend the rest of her life alone. She just felt like her life would turn out that way eventually.

  The water poured over her shoulders, and she tried to let her worries wash down the drain with it, but her reality sucked. That was just how it was. Nothing was going to change anytime soon. All her dreams, all her ambitions, were gone, and now, she was going to be known as the pawn shop girl. Perfect.

  ***

  Alec splashed water on his face and ran his wet hands through his long hair, fixing it into the messy style he used to wear it in before Nikki took over his life. She had changed his wardrobe, his hairstyle, and forced him to shave every day. He never realized how much he’d hated it until the morning when he woke up, looked in the mirror, and didn’t recognize himself. He’d always worn his hair down, but Nikki insisted on him pulling it back if he refused to cut it. He scratched at the scruff on his face and grinned.

 
Iris didn’t seem to have any issues with how he looked. Then again, she’d been hugging a toilet, and as far as he was concerned, she might not even remember much about his looks. But she had said yes. He would get his tour around town and spend more time with Iris Newton, a curious woman he couldn’t stop thinking about.

  He was in the kitchen, making waffles with the old waffle maker he’d had since before college when August staggered into the kitchen wearing sleep pants and one sock. He rubbed his face and grunted at Alec before trudging towards the coffee pot.

  “You look marvelous this morning,” Alec teased, and August grunted again. “Where did you go after you left the bar?”

  “Went back to the bar,” he muttered roughly. “Did you know everything in this damn town is within walking distance? As is your house? I’m glad, otherwise I’m not sure where we would’ve ended up last night.”

  Alec frowned as he slipped a waffle out of the maker and poured in more batter. “We?”

  Light steps padded down the stairs, and a moment later, a blonde head of hair appeared in the doorway. “Morning, Alec,” the woman called out cheerily before hurrying to August’s side and kissing him passionately.

  Alec raised a brow and leaned against the counter, watching his brother struggle for air until the woman let go. She reached around him for coffee, and August’s face turned three shades of red.

  “Uh, Alec, this is Melody,” August said. “Met her at the bar last night when I left you.”

  “Nice to meet you, Melody,” Alec said and held out his hand. She took it lightly and giggled. “August, there’s no furniture in my house yet. Did you make this woman sleep on the damn floor last night?”

  His little brother buried his face in his mug as the woman giggled again. “No, there were boxes of blankets in the room so we dumped them on the floor and made a nest. It was quite toasty, all snuggled up together,” she whispered as she ran her fingers down August’s bare chest. Alec glowered at him.

  “Ah, do you mind giving us a minute? How about you go warm up the shower?” August told her, and she flounced away, wearing August’s t-shirt from the night before and boy shorts that showed off her ass.

  “Oh, and by the way, I know you’re new in town, but you should stay away from Iris,” the woman called over her shoulder as she flipped her hair.

  Alec shot August another look before smiling as politely as he could. “And why is that? She seemed nice enough last night.”

  “She’s a piece of work, that’s why. When she’s not drunk, she’s a shut-in—a little weird, too. Who the hell studies anthropology, anyway? That’s why we have computers,” she muttered and shook her head. “She’s bad news. Jenson can give you the rundown. He dated her long enough to know what crazy’s locked in her head.” She winked and disappeared upstairs.

  Once Alec heard a door shut, he glared openly at August. “Nice woman you bring home to my house—and you are washing everything you two mated on last night.”

  “Sorry, we were drunk,” he said with a laugh. “And you were passed out on the cot in your room, so I didn’t get to ask you if it was alright.”

  “And why do you always date stupid girls?” Alec continued. “On all your travels, you couldn’t find one person to match your brains? Or calm your wild side?” He cursed when smoke curled out from the waffle maker, and he lifted the lid to find a very brown, very crisp waffle. He slipped it onto its own plate and handed it to August with a wink. “That’s yours, mister hot stuff.”

  The brothers stared at each other, their eyes never wavering until Alec’s lips twitched and they burst into laughter. August took the plate with the waffle on it and drowned it in syrup before diving in. Melody’s words ran through Alec’s mind again—about Iris being the town drunk and dating Jenson—but he knew there was more to the story than Iris being crazy. He hadn’t seen that last night, but what he did see spoke of a woman at the end of her rope, trying desperately to cling to something—anything—to stop from falling off a very high cliff.

  “Can you manage the range today?” Alec asked after he turned off the waffle maker and made one for himself to eat.

  “Are you offering me a job?”

  “I figured you weren’t sure how long you were staying in town. Do you mind?”

  August shook his head. “I was going to stay until I dragged your sorry ass away from any memories of Nikki, but I think this Iris woman just helped shove you into the present. I got nowhere else to go, though, so if it’s alright with you, I’ll stay for a while.”

  “Good. I’ll make sure I get furniture ordered today so you don’t have to make another love nest on the floor,” he said casually, but August choked on his waffle. “Really, I mean you couldn’t have just gone back to her place?”

  “She has three roommates,” he explained.

  “And I’m not your roommate? At least she had a bed,” he argued.

  August shrugged as he popped the last bite of his waffle into his mouth. He set his plate down and picked up his coffee again. “Why do you need me at the range, anyway? Isn’t this your first weekend in town? I figured you’d want to see how busy it would be.”

  “I’ll get there eventually, but I have a few things to take care of first.” He checked the clock on the wall and pushed off the counter. “I’m picking Iris up. You’ll be alright without a vehicle?”

  “Iris? The woman who Melody just warned you about being a drunk?”

  “I spent quite a few hours with her last night and had a great time,” Alec said sternly. “I’m not going to take the word of a floozy over what I saw for myself. And put some damn clothes on when you walk around my house.”

  August glanced down at his chest and one bare foot. “Could be worse. I almost couldn’t find my pants.”

  Alec stalked towards the front door, slipped into his black boots, and scooped up his keys.

  “Are you sure you want to see this woman again? And you know I want details later about everything, including last night.”

  “Bye, August, and don’t burn down the place until I manage to get there,” he warned and walked out the front door, pulling it shut on his brother’s smirk. He climbed into his old black truck, started the engine, and pulled out onto the only main street Lundy had.

  He’d only been in town one night and had yet to experience a typical Saturday afternoon. It was almost noon as he drove around. Every outdoor patio was filled with people eating lunch, laughing, and talking with each other. They all must know each other, being from a small town like this. Several people waved at him and called out greetings, and he waved back, wishing he’d grown up in a place like this and not Bismarck. When he reached Iris’s house, he parked alongside the curb and sucked in a deep breath to calm his nerves as he walked to her front door. She was the first woman he’d gone on a date with since Nikki, and he was out of practice. Though last night really wasn’t a planned date, it ended on a less-than-pleasing note. Not with Iris, but with Jenson showing up.

  The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and Alec glanced up and down the street, feeling eyes on him. The street was deserted except for an old woman watering the mums on her front porch. Swallowing his paranoia—probably caused by an overzealous and jealous Nikki—Alec knocked on the door.

  “Just a second!” Iris called through it, and he shoved his hands deep in his pockets, turning his back to stare up and down the street again.

  He expected to see Jenson drive up and try to arrest Alec for something to get him away from Iris, which was ridiculous, and he tried to get his nerves in check. Part of him considered telling Iris what had happened last night. He knew he said he would, but he’d heard the strain in her voice. She had enough going on in her life, and adding to that stress when he could avoid it would hopefully keep her from slipping closer to the edge.

  The door creaked open behind him and he turned, his breath catching and his chest tightening when he saw Iris. The dark blue sweater clung to her breasts and waist, leaving little to the imagin
ation, as did the jeans that hugged her thighs perfectly. Her black boots clicked as she stepped out onto the wooden front porch with a crooked smile, watching him.

  “Something wrong?” she asked with a light laugh.

  “No,” he said and grinned when the sun caught her auburn hair, highlighting four different shades of red and brown. “Nothing at all. Ready to go?”

  She nodded, and after she’d locked the front door, he offered her his arm. Her hands tightened around the strap of her purse slung across her body. He waited patiently, and with a curious glint in her gray eyes, she slipped her hand in the crook of his elbow. Her eyes, reminding him so much of the morning fog rolling across the back roads, drew him in, and the Iris he saw last night—vulnerable and desperate—was replaced by the face of a woman who was not willing to give up so easily. He wondered how often she wore that mask, but if Melody’s words were true, he worried that no one really understood how close she was to breaking.

  “Mind if we walk today?” she said when they reached his truck. “The weather’s still nice, but it won’t be for long. Besides, you said you wanted a tour of the town. Best way to do that is on foot.”

  “Lead the way,” he said, and they turned right down the sidewalk past the row of houses on her street. They didn’t talk, not at first, but Alec felt her questions building up, probably about last night. “You can go ahead and ask.”

  “Ask what?” she said lightly, but he heard the worry in her words.

  “You didn’t do anything embarrassing last night,” he assured her. “And I don’t think you said anything that crossed a line.”

  She nodded slowly as they turned towards Main Street. “That’s good, I think. You’re sure puking on our first unofficial date isn’t embarrassing?”

  He laughed as she pulled him to a stop. “Not at all. Why are we stopping?”

  “That, right there,” she said, pointing towards a large three-story brick building parked in the town square, “is City Hall and the police station combined. It dates back to the founding of the town, though it was mostly a shack back then.”