Beautiful Ties

by Alicia Rae

  Jason was standing in front of my television, staring at all the pictures on the mantel, with a look in his eyes that I had not seen before. He lifted the black frame in the center.

  His eyes now reflected affection. “This your family?” he asked.

  I was pretty sure he already knew the answer, but he was being polite. “Yes,” I replied fondly, moving to stand next to him.

  “You look just like your mom.” He smiled, glancing between the photograph and me. “And your brothers look like your dad. Who’s the oldest?” he asked, placing the picture back in its place.

  “Ryan and then Kyle. I’m the youngest.” I shrugged, predicting a tease coming on.

  He seemed to always have a playful side ready to pounce.

  “Ah…” Jason snickered lightly. He turned his eyes on me, and they were damn near sparkling with mischief. “The baby of the family.”

  I jokingly rolled my eyes at him. “I knew you were going to have something to say about that,” I said, shaking my head. “The oldest ones always do.”

  He tilted his head back, releasing a good-hearted laugh. The rich masculine sound sent my insides warming.

  “That’s because the youngest ones always get their way! And the eldest ones always have the most chores,” he countered, his voice laced with humor.

  “Whatever.” I chortled. “Well, the oldest ones always get to do everything first, and the youngest ones have the tightest leash because their older siblings ruined things for them,” I disputed playfully.

  Jason opened his mouth as if to make a feisty comeback, but then he stopped. “True. I’ll give you that one.” He chuckled, releasing a throaty sound.

  The sound warmed my insides, and then I remembered he was standing in my living room.

  “So, are you ready for a hard day’s work?” I asked, changing the subject.

  “Of course,” he huffed playfully. “Born ready.”

  “All right then, let’s go,” I replied as I walked to my kitchen counter to grab my purse and keys.

  Jason paused at the door. “You don’t need your keys. I’m driving, remember?”

  “I can drive,” I protested smoothly. Surely, I was independent enough to drive myself to and from work. I had been doing it for years.

  “I can, too,” he retorted while raising a brow at me. The look on him was sexy and frustrating at the same time. “Besides,” he continued, “your house is on the way, so it’s kind of a waste of gas to drive separately. Not to mention, carpooling would cause less pollution.”

  I resisted the urge to glare at him. Instead, I shook my head in exasperation as I was quickly learning that this man was as stubborn as my two brothers.

  That cannot be a good sign. I definitely do not want to date someone with that trait.

  “Good point, but I still need my keys to get back into my home,” I said, placing the keys in my purse and striding forward.

  I breezed past him as he held the door open for me, and I ignored the pleased expression on his face that should not look so adorable.

  “Wow,” I said, completely overwhelmed with the sight before me.

  The building Kyle, Jason, and Damon had bought on Lakeview Avenue needed some serious renovations. The outside had been extremely deceiving with its pristine brick and what looked to be new windows and a new front door. The inside was a disaster. The walls were covered in the ugliest shade of brown wallpaper I had ever seen. Worse yet, it was peeling, and it would have to be entirely removed before we could paint.

  Ugh.

  I had a serious hatred for wallpaper—well, not if it was pretty and had been properly applied. But when it had been done wrong, it was a nightmare to remove. The blue Berber carpet was heavily worn in some areas. In others, it seemed as though someone had taken a razor blade to it and made it look like a shaggy carpet. Golden light fixtures were literally hanging from their sockets. They were definitely fire hazards. They would need to be replaced and rewired for safety concerns.

  I felt like I’d just stepped into a hellhole as my eyes continued to gaze the perimeter back and forth, over and over, in astonishment. This was not a building that Kyle would have normally purchased. It needed much more TLC than any project we had restored in the past.

  “Yep, this place will take every single day we have set aside for remodeling, and if we’re lucky, it won’t take any longer,” Jason said, finally breaking the silence.

  My wide eyes turned to him, and I was pretty sure my open mouth was nearly touching the floor. “This place…” I started to say, but my mind still seemed to be stuck in a state of shock. “This is a serious project.”

  Jason nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, it is,” he agreed. His eyes roamed over the wide-open floor plan and then landed back on me. “Surely, as a businesswoman, you can see it has great potential.”

  “Of course, but this is past Kyle’s norm. How did you get him to agree to buy this?” I asked without thinking.

  “It was his idea at first,” Jason said carefully. “But after we all quickly ran the numbers and considered what work would need to be done, we knew this place was such a great deal that the three of us couldn’t walk away.”

  I knew he was right. Kyle had told me how cheap the building was, but I had no idea that its condition would require a lot of manual labor.

  “Okay,” I said while my mind was finally wrapping around the idea.

  The building did have outstanding potential. We only needed to find a starting point.

  “How about we start with a list? Today, we can gather supplies and order what we need. Then, we’ll go from there.”

  Jason grinned. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

  He slowly ran his gaze up and down the length of my body. By the time he looked me in the eyes again, I could almost feel the heat radiating from him.

  “Besides, we’ll have to get you some different clothes before we come back tomorrow.”

  I gaped at him. “Uh, Jason…” I murmured, fumbling for words and shaking my head in astonishment. “I don’t do that kind of work. I’m more on the business and paperwork side of things.”

  His grin broadened. “Not for the next few weeks. Kyle said you’re my new helper.” He smirked good-naturedly.

  Crap.

  Well, I guess I need to have a few words with my dear brother.

  It was almost six in the evening by the time we finished our errands. After traveling to nearly every hardware store within a thirty-mile radius and making four trips back to the new building to unload our purchases, we had managed to cross off everything on our list. What we had not been able to get in stores, we had special ordered with deliveries to come in the next few days.

  “Would you like to stop for dinner?” Jason asked, glancing over at me from the driver’s seat of his large black Dodge Ram 2500.

  The sound of the diesel motor filled the interior of the truck. The smooth leather seat seemed like it might swallow me whole, but I was really enjoying the ride. There was something to be said about a hot man and his truck. It was a heady, eye-catching combination.

  I was utterly exhausted. However, I’d had a wonderful time with Jason today. In all honesty, I wasn’t quite ready for it to end.

  “Sure.” I smiled kindly at him. Then, I pointed ahead of us. “There is a place up here on the left that has really great barbeque ribs, if you want to stop there,” I added.

  “Ribs?” Jason said with interest. “Don’t gotta tell me twice.” He laughed.

  I guided him in the right direction, and after he made the next left onto Tyler Street, he turned into the parking lot. My phone beeped, and I started digging through my purse to find it. Gail had sent me a text.

  Hey, girl! How’s the workweek going? Have you let that hot and sexy hunk kiss you yet?

  I texted her back.

  NO! Working together, remember? Going out to dinner. Text you later. ;)

  My phone beeped again with Gail’s reply.

  By your curt reply, I’m going to a
ssume that you’re eating out with Jason. Deny it all you want, girl, but that man has his eyes set on you. I want details soon! ;)

  I slipped my phone back into my bag. We exited his truck and walked up toward the building. Jason held the door open for me, and I entered first. Jimmy’s Baby Back Ribs was pretty quiet since it was a weeknight.

  A young teenager gestured toward a front window table. Jason and I took our seats across from one another as our waiter approached. He quickly started his speech about the current Monday night specials.

  Jason lightly rested his forearms between us on the wooden table as he politely paid attention to the young boy. My gaze, however, was all on Jason. Even under the yellow dim lighting, Jason’s eyes were bright, reflecting his mood. My heart rate sped up while my mind memorized every delectable inch of him. My eyes moved to his broad shoulders and then swept down the length of his chest.

  Suddenly, his eyes met mine, trapping me in his stare. A slow, deliberate smile tugged from the corners of his mouth. The look in his eyes told me he knew I had been watching him. The air sizzled between us, and I could not tear my gaze from his. From the corner of my eye, I saw the waiter looking back and forth between us as if he must have missed something.

  After what felt like forever, the young man broke the silence by clearing his throat. “Miss, what would you like to drink?” he asked considerately.

  My attention snapped to him. “Oh, um…a house merlot, please.”

  “Of course. Would you like to order now? Or should I come back in a few minutes?” he questioned.

  “Give us a few,” Jason answered, keeping his gaze on me.

  The waiter nodded and quietly excused himself, leaving us alone.

  My pulse was now thrumming with such force that I wondered if Jason could sense my wild thoughts.

  The waiter returned with my glass of wine. Jason had apparently ordered a cold beer when I was silently admiring him with my eyes. I had no idea why my body was reacting this way to him. I worked with construction men every day, all day, and I’d never been so turned-on by just sitting a few feet away from one. I was beginning to think something was wrong with me. Maybe I needed to ignore the whole white-picket-fence search and take him to my bed. It had been way too long since a man had his hands on me.

  “I would give anything to know what you are thinking about right now,” Jason said in a mischievous deep and husky tone.

  I could hear the lust in his voice as I took a sip of my merlot. I continued to swallow large mouthfuls. Suddenly, I felt extremely hot in here. I was beginning to think this restaurant was in dire need of a few fans. Once I realized I could not hide behind my glass forever without being obvious, I gradually lowered it to the table.

  In an attempt to divert our conversation to a safer topic so that we could keep things professional, I asked, “So, what time do you want to start tomorrow?”

  “I’ll pick you up at seven again,” he answered before taking a pull from his beer. He deliberately set his drink back on the table. His thumb ran along the side of the bottle as if he was in deep thought. “Nice try, but it won’t work,” he added with a smirk. “So, are you going to tell me where those thoughts of yours were just a few moments ago?”

  I shook my head. “No,” I muttered.

  His eyes darkened with challenge, making him look ridiculously hot. The effect took my breath away. He leaned a little closer while his eyes lowered to my lips, and then he looked back up again. Desire for him surged through me. My mind fought against my body as my insides tightened with need to feel him closer.

  “Are you always so stubborn?” he asked in a suggestive tone.

  His piercing blue eyes bore into mine. He looked as if he was trying to figure me out.

  “Yes,” slipped past my ever-missing filter.

  He unleashed a scorching grin. The look made him utterly irresistible. My body begged me to climb over the table and kiss him senseless. I wondered if his mouth would be as soft and luscious as it looked from where I was sitting.

  “What would you say if I asked you on a date?” he drawled, shocking the hell out of me with his candor.

  Shit. It was much easier to dance around each other than avoid a direct question.

  “I would have to say no.”

  He raised his left brow, perplexed. “But you already agreed to ride on my bike,” he countered.

  “I agreed to a friendly ride,” I responded while trying to keep the invisible line drawn between us straight in my mind.

  We needed to make sure our professional relationship stayed all business. This was going to be so much harder than I’d originally thought.

  My plan will work if I can manage to keep my emotions and my body in check.

  Jason shook his head from side to side, chuckling softly. “Friendly?” he asked, making direct eye contact with me for a second time.

  His eyes were keen and hot. The influence it had on me was overpowering and mouthwatering.

  “The way you were just looking at me a few minutes ago was anything but friendly,” he retorted, throwing me for a loop.

  “We can’t date,” I blurted out, laying all the cards on the table.

  Our situation would be much easier on both of us if I could make him understand where I was coming from.

  A hint of amusement glowed in his eyes. “Why not?”

  “Because you’re my boss. We work together. That’s a line I don’t cross—ever,” I said, regretting every single word even though they were true.

  “I’m not your boss. Kyle is,” he answered simply.

  I stared at him, feeling confused.

  “Kyle made that part clear from day one. You would remain his employee. I’m not sure on all the technical aspects of it yet, but that point was very apparent,” he explained while regarding me with serious eyes.

  “Oh,” I replied, trying to process the unexpected news.

  Kyle and I had not had a chance to go over those details since he had been so busy with the wedding.

  “Does that change your mind?” he asked.

  The look in his eyes was indecipherable, but I thought I saw a sliver of hope in them. It made me wonder why he would want to date me. I did not picture myself as his usual type. He was beyond gorgeous, and I was much more…average. And to top it off, I was pretty much married to my job.

  “No,” I replied. I decided I owed him an explanation, anticipating that it would finally close the idea for him. “Because we still work together. Dating would complicate things at work and make it awkward.”

  His lips parted, and I knew he was going to object, but then the waiter came. I inwardly thanked him for his impeccable timing.

  “Are you ready to order?” the boy asked.

  “Yes,” I answered first, welcoming the distraction. “I’ll have a small set of ribs and a sweet potato on the side.”

  The waiter redirected his gaze to Jason. “And you, sir?”

  I intentionally kept my gaze on the boy, needing a moment to breathe. I could still feel Jason’s eyes on me as though he was struggling to make sense of my reasoning. His stare made it so much harder for me to stand my ground. My mind and body were at a constant war. I wanted him, yet my job felt like a huge brick wall between us. There was no way to the other side.

  Jason finally said, “I’ll have a rack of ribs, fries, and mashed potatoes.”

  When the waiter excused himself, I nervously scanned the room, trying to find anything to look at but Jason. I failed within the first twenty seconds.

  To my surprise, Jason kept our conversation light throughout the rest of our evening together. Inside, I was grateful. I needed more time to process these out-of-control feelings I had around him.

  Jason told me about his move and how he’d lucked out in finding a new apartment complex on Riverside Avenue, which was only a few blocks from me. He was still keeping his house in Colorado until he was positive things would work out here in California. This move was a big change for him and Damon. He
spoke of Damon often, and I could tell the two of them were very close. Damon was more of the architectural part of the business than hands-on, like Jason seemed to be.

  Jason told me of his other brother, Blake, who was in the military. Jason’s voice was proud while speaking of Blake, but I could hear in Jason’s underlying tone how much he missed Blake.

  I could unequivocally relate to his feelings. Kyle had been gone for many years with less than a handful of visits home. A huge part of my heart had been missing when he was away on overseas missions. Never knowing if he was safe or if he would return had been very difficult times on my family and me.

  Jason’s parents, Lucie and Dan, were still back in Colorado. They were planning to start traveling after his father’s upcoming retirement. Both his mom and dad were excited and supportive of Jason’s and Damon’s new business adventure, saying life was too short not to chase after your dreams.

  While Jason spoke, I realized I could listen to the sound of his voice for hours. Everything he said about his family was filled with such love and affection. He was definitely close to them all. I could not help but smile at learning about that part of him because I reciprocated the same family morals.

  By the end of our meal, I found myself opening up to him as well. I told him that my eldest brother, Ryan, and his wife, Kate, were expecting their first baby girl, who they were planning to name Annabel, making my parents, Grace and Gavin, first-time grandparents.

  When I spoke of how I’d come to work for Kyle, Jason was genuinely intrigued to hear more. The construction field was common ground for the two of us. He quickly figured out that most of my days consisted of long hours and little fun time, and he informed me in a playful tone that times were about to change. I laughed off his comment, not sure how to respond. All I knew was that I was amazed at how much I enjoyed his company.

  After nearly two hours of talking as if the two of us had known one another for years instead of days, Jason led me toward the exit of the restaurant.