Beautiful Ties

by Alicia Rae

  “I can’t believe you ate all those ribs.” I laughed, unable to resist an opportunity to tease him.

  “I couldn’t seem to stop myself.” He chortled as he dug in the front pocket of his jeans to grab his keys, and then he hit the unlock switch. He tilted his gaze at me as we made our way across the parking lot. “I think those were the best ribs I’ve ever had. I’ll definitely be back for more of those.”

  “I’m sure the owners of this place will personally know you by name very soon,” I responded playfully.

  “I bet they will, too,” he replied as we reached the passenger side of his truck.

  Since Jason had been a fraction of a step behind me, I lifted my hand to lift the door handle myself, but the lever stuck. I pulled on it again, but it would not budge.

  “Sorry about that. Sometimes, this handle sticks. I ordered a new door handle, but it’s not in yet.” He reached over me to pull it open, brushing his chest against my back.

  All my senses leaped into overdrive. I was hyperaware of how his body was caging me in, and at his proximity, my heart rate spiked in a nanosecond. On the second tug of the lever, it finally gave for him. I tilted my head up to him, planning to thank him, but I was quickly distracted by the way he was staring down at me. His eyes glazed over with desire, and his breathing slightly deepened, mirroring my own.

  And damn him, he made my heart flip-flop in my chest. I inwardly deliberated over how someone could have such an intense effect on me. It seemed like chemistry at its finest. I would never understand the science behind my physical reactions to him, but I was positive that no one had ever affected me so.

  When he came close to me, my pulse sped up, and when he touched me, it soared beyond reason. With one hand braced on the roof of his truck, the other lifted to my cheek. He delicately ran his knuckles down my bare skin. A sigh escaped me at the feel of him touching me at last.

  “This thing between us doesn’t feel anything like friends, Abbey,” he said in a gruff tone.

  His fingers trailed with sensual purpose from the bottom of my jaw all the way to my chin. He cupped the center with his thumb and forefinger and tipped my head up.

  Gazing into my eyes, he said, “Every time I so much as see you, I want to kiss you.”

  Then, he paused while glancing down at my mouth. His words were sinking further into my mind.

  “I want to know what those full pink lips of yours feel like against mine.”

  He bent forward until his mouth was nearly touching mine, and I held my breath at his closeness.

  “Tell me no, and I’ll stop, Abbey,” he breathed unevenly.

  My mind swarmed with reasons to say no, but his touch sent my every nerve ending skyrocketing with pure need to feel his lips on me. I wanted to know what he tasted like. The cool night air had no effect on my scorching skin. Every fiber inside me told me to seize this moment and not let it slip away from my grasp.

  Without another thought, I let my body win, and I whispered, “Yes.”

  Jason’s mouth crashed against mine. His lips were warm and inviting and as sweet as honey. It was better than I could have ever possibly imagined in my daydreams. As he deepened the kiss, I grabbed his biceps for balance, reveling in the muscular feel of them for the first time. My hands traveled up the length of his thick arms to his shoulders. He groaned throatily in response while gathering his other hand around the small of my back, drawing me closer to him until there was no distance between us. As my fingers reached his hair, I held him near me, not wanting our kiss to end. His lips were simply too heavenly to pull away.

  By the time we parted, the two of us were both breathless.

  Jason closed his eyes, and he dropped his forehead against mine. Time stood still as I caroused in the sensation of his strong, powerful embrace.

  “That”—he paused, pulling air into his lungs—“was definitely not a friendly kiss.”

  I smiled at his reoccurring reference to my earlier choice of words, and I drew back to create a small gap between us. “No, it wasn’t,” I admitted to each of us.

  His expressive eyes lingered on mine, his gaze penetrating me. He seemed to be processing his own thoughts, too.

  So much had transpired between the two of us only minutes ago, but I was not sure I could wrap my mind around it yet, let alone put those thoughts into words. I felt like I was standing on unfamiliar territory, and our working arrangement added to that complication. I was in over my head. Kyle would never allow Jason and me to work together and date. It was bad business etiquette.

  Jason pulled me out of my internal debate. He ran those warm hands down either side of my cheeks while bringing his mouth closer again. I drew in a swift breath at the contact, and the palpable energy between us stirred for a second time.

  “You’re overthinking it again, Abbey,” he nearly growled along my lips.

  He was right. I was rationalizing.

  I reached up on my tiptoes, taking his mouth. This time, I didn’t hold any part of myself back. As I caressed my tongue with his, I surrendered myself to every sensation he invoked within me. Kissing him was so much better than thinking.

  Another noise left the back of his throat, rolling through his chest, as he seamlessly pressed our bodies together. I could feel his hard length against my stomach, and it sent my desire spiraling. I had to remind myself that we were in a public parking lot, and I forced myself to take a step back and break our connection.

  A look of male satisfaction spread across his handsome features. “Now, that was a kiss.” He grinned.

  When I blushed, he chuckled quietly while stepping toward me. He dipped to kiss my cheek once. “Come on, let’s get you home. We have a long day tomorrow.”

  “Okay,” was all I could manage to say. My mind and body had completely been turned upside down by someone I barely knew.

  I had another hunch that all thoughts would once again be consumed with Jason tonight—his heart-melting smile, the sexy dimple that appeared whenever he grinned, the throaty sound he made when laughing, and most of all, the sweet taste of his warm mouth on mine.

  I was pretty sure the image of the last one would forever be etched in my mind.

  Tuesday morning, I arose early to make sure I was ready for Jason. He’d said he would be here right at seven, so I dressed in more suitable work clothes today since we had made a game plan that consisted of me removing wallpaper and Jason pulling up the unsightly carpet. When my doorbell rang at seven sharp, I smiled at Jason’s promptness as I strode in the direction of the front door.

  “Good morning, sunshine.” Jason smiled. Then, he glanced down at my clothing. “Glad to see you’re ready for work this morning.”

  “Morning, Jason,” I replied politely while backing up so that he could step inside.

  He lifted his right hand, revealing a bag.

  “What’s that?” I asked with interest.

  His eyes danced with delight. “These are your new work boots,” he responded, pulling out a pair of feminine CAT boots.

  A chuckle escaped my lips before I lifted my gaze to his, and I raised a brow at him in question. “Thank you,” I responded. Curiosity got the better of me. “When did you have time to buy those?” I asked, knowing no stores were open this early.

  “I grabbed them yesterday while we were running errands.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “I didn’t think you saw them. You were far too occupied with filling our shopping cart.” He smirked, outstretching his hand.

  I grabbed the bag. “Very true.” I laughed. “I was on a mission.”

  “Yeah, you were.” He chortled. “You ready to head out?”

  “Yep,” I responded, bending over to put on my new boots. I laced them up tightly while thinking he had excellent taste.

  I straightened up and rocked back and forth from the balls of my feet to my heels. The stiff leather needed a little breaking in, but overall, they felt good.

  “Comfortable?” he questioned.

  “Surprisingly, yes, t
hey are,” I answered.

  “Do you think men would wear them for ten hours a day if they weren’t?” he asked with amusement in his tone.

  “Probably not.” I laughed, pivoting to reach for my purse and keys. I slipped my phone inside.

  Jason chuckled as he opened my front door for me. I quickly locked up. Then, we walked outside along the sidewalk together and stopped in front of his Dodge, so he could dig around in his pockets for his keys.

  I glanced up at the sky while waiting, doing a quick assessment of today’s weather. It was warm and cloudy, and I guessed it was in the mid-eighties. The temperature was perfect. It wasn’t too hot or too cool. When Jason found his keys, he clicked the unlock button on his keyless entry and then opened the passenger door for me.

  As I glanced forward, the first thing I noticed were two brown Starbucks cups. “Coffee two days in a row?” I nearly groaned, letting the sweet smell fill my sense. “I’m beginning to think you’re my hero.” I lifted my leg to hop up into his truck.

  He murmured under his breath, “Got to break down those steel barriers of yours somehow, and it seems coffee is the way to your heart.”

  His words had been just loud enough for me to hear, causing me to miss my step up onto the running board, and I nearly face-planted at his bluntness. Luckily, I caught myself by placing my hands on the passenger seat in front of me. I whipped around until I was looking directly at him with a mixture of surprise and confusion. My pulse hammered ferociously, and I felt perplexed over my uncooperative body and mind that were still at odds. In the last eight hours, I had not solved anything about our situation, but I did know nothing in our circumstances had changed.

  “You can’t say things like that,” I protested with scattered wits, shaking my head. “Yesterday can’t happen again,” I added, forcing myself to believe it, too.

  Jason and I needed to get back on track. The two of us were still working together.

  “Get in the truck, Abbey,” Jason said roughly, his eyes boring into mine with various emotions of his own. He seemed as though he was struggling for control to hold himself back from ravishing me up against his truck.

  Ignoring how much my body wanted him to do just that, I knew we needed to stop flirting with one another. It was too risky. One of us would end up getting hurt. I swallowed as I put on the stubborn persona my family knew so well.

  “No, not until you promise,” I retorted, standing my ground.

  A mischievous grin flashed across his features before he was suddenly right in front of me with one arm resting on the top of the truck and the other on my hip. He bent forward, closing the distance. I gasped softly, and my lips parted, thinking he was going to kiss me.

  But he didn’t.

  He lightly grazed his lips across my cheekbone and then all the way to my ear. My breathing deepened as I tried to anticipate his next move. His warm breath tickled my flushed skin.

  “Promise you what?” he challenged in an absurdly sexy and gruff voice.

  The tone sent a delicious shiver pulsating from the tip of my spine down to the base.

  Before I could form a decent response, he continued, “Promise you that I’ll keep my hands off of you?”

  He tightened his hold on my waist and gently bit on the bottom of my earlobe. His touch made heat spread through my body like wildfire.

  “Because that is proving to be really fucking hard when you have been in my thoughts nonstop for the last three days. So, please don’t ask me to stay away. I don’t think I can.”

  If he continued, I was bound to cave. Or I would strip him down right here in the parking lot because I wanted to know what his bare chest and every curve of his muscles would feel like up against my own.

  I had it bad for him. He was like a tempting chocolate morsel right under my nose, begging to be eaten.

  Since giving in was not an option, I got ready to unleash my last card. I pressed my backside against his leather seat, half in and half out of his truck, in an effort to create a little distance between us, so I could clear the haze from my mind. “Kyle would never allow us to date since it would compromise our working relationship,” I replied.

  An impish grin broke free across his face. “You just let me worry about Kyle.” He chuckled.

  Before I could voice my concerns, I heard footsteps approaching followed by a familiar young voice.

  “Abbey? What are you doing?” Pearl asked, nearing the side of the truck.

  All previous thoughts were pushed aside as my head spun in her direction. Jason had already taken a respectable step back from me.

  I cleared my throat. “Hi, Pearl!” I said in surprise. “What are you doing out so early?”

  She was dressed in a pair of black leggings and a pink T-shirt with a ruffled hemline. A piece of my heart splintered off when I noticed her outfit was very worn, and it looked to be at least one size too small for her. She had her hair pulled up into a messy ponytail, and her backpack looked to be about ten years old, nearly falling apart at the seams.

  “Diane said she had to leave early today, so I have to wait outside for the bus,” she replied sadly.

  I frowned. The fact that this little girl was caring for herself at such a young age didn’t sit well with me. I felt helpless. I wished I knew more about Diane. Hearing Pearl call her by name instead of mom once again made me assume there was more to that particular story. I did not want to overstep any boundaries, but maybe I could talk to Diane and try to help out in my free time.

  “Oh…” I said and then paused.

  Pearl swept her bangs out of her face, but they fell right back over her eyes. Jason stood silently at my side, quietly observing our interaction.

  “Would you like some help with your hair, sweetie?”

  Her eyes lit up. “Could you, please?” she asked with delight. “My hair won’t stay out of my eyes!” she huffed.

  I glanced at Jason apologetically. “I’m going to take Pearl upstairs and braid her hair. Can you holler if you hear the bus coming?”

  Jason’s stare was full of sympathy and questions about the young girl. I subtly shook my head at him, letting him know that now was not the time.

  “Of course. I’ll keep a watch for it,” he answered me. Then, he offered Pearl a kind and gentle smile.

  The endearment made my heart expand in my chest. She returned his smile with a shy one of her own.

  I put my arm around her shoulder. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s go tame those bangs, so you can see,” I said to her while leading her back up the sidewalk toward my condo.

  As we were walking, she tilted her head up at me. “Who was that?” she asked.

  “A friend,” I replied as we reached my front door. I slipped my key in and turned the handle before gesturing Pearl inside.

  “What kind of friend?” She giggled. “You mean, like a boyfriend?”

  I led her into the bathroom. “No, sweetie, he’s just a new friend. And what do you know about boyfriends anyway?” I teased lightly.

  “I don’t,” she replied quickly, placing her hand on her chin. Then, she got that dreamy look in her eyes. “But someday, my prince will come rescue me, like in Cinderella. Then, we’ll get married and have ten babies.”

  Rescue—what an unusual word to use.

  Didn’t Cinderella have a sad childhood?

  I shook off the thoughts, knowing Pearl was waiting for me to respond. I started to brush her hair. “Ten babies?” I said in wonder. “You are going to be a very busy mommy.”

  “Yep, I want to be a mom for my grown-up job.” She smiled. “Abbey, what do you do at your job?”

  I carefully started French-braiding her hair. “I help purchase old buildings and plan the restoration process,” I said, realizing she probably had no idea what I was talking about.

  Gail still didn’t even really understand. She would just go, Uh-huh, after a while.

  “Restoration?” she replied, testing out the word.

  I pondered over how a seven-ye
ar-old would think. “Yep, that means fixing them up. Basically, we take really old buildings and make them pretty again,” I said.

  “Oh, that makes sense.” She suddenly gasped in the mirror. “That looks so cute!” she squealed, studying her hair in the mirror. “Where did you learn how to do that?”

  I smiled at her reflection. “Well, I never had a sister growing up, but I did have many sleepovers. I learned how to do fancy braids after lots of practicing on my friends. This one is called a French braid.”

  “Can you teach me?” she cried. Her eyes were full of hope.

  “Sure.” I smiled. Then, I gestured her toward the door. “We can start practicing another day. Right now, we have to get you on your bus, or I’ll be in big trouble.”

  “Okay!” she exclaimed.

  I locked my condo, and then we headed out the door. After putting my keys in my pocket, I motioned for Pearl to start walking again. She surprised me by grabbing my hand and swinging it back and forth as we made our way toward the parking lot. I could not help but feel my heart swell in my chest. I adored this little girl.

  Jason was leaning against his truck, and his right leg was kicked out over the other. His attention was focused on his cell phone in his hand.

  “Look what Abbey did to my hair!” Pearl said with delight to Jason, making him look up.

  He smiled over at her.

  “It’s called a French braid!” she added while running her free hand along her new updo, never breaking our joined hands.

  “It looks great,” Jason said to her. He turned to glance at me, and his eyes glowed with warmth.

  I beamed back at him before turning my attention to Pearl. “So, what time does your bus normally arrive?” I asked gently. Just then, I heard a bus coming around the street corner.

  She rotated her head toward the noise. “Uh, right now!” she exclaimed loudly. She spun to face me. “I gotta go! Thank you, Abbey!”

  She hugged me hard, nearly knocking the wind out of me with her surprising force, and I embraced her back.

  “You’re most welcome,” I responded.

  Pearl took off running toward the bus that was now stopped in front of our condo complex. I lifted my eyes to see Jason staring at me. His eyes were full of many emotions that seemed to be coursing through him.