He knew she wasn’t the kind of woman who would be in and out of his life after a night or two. He didn’t know what he’d been thinking when he’d come up with this crazy plan to spend more time with her, here and at the wedding. Well, hell, he did know. He’d been thinking of himself, of the way that kiss had seared his soul, of being close to this woman who seemed to have a bead on the bull’s-eye of his heart.
One thing was certain, he hadn’t been thinking of her. She wasn’t a woman to trifle with, one he could use and throw away. She had a lot more at stake than he. All he’d selfishly wanted was an excuse to spend a few more hours with the woman who’d invaded his every waking thought. He hadn’t been looking for anything more than that. But he could see, from the reflection in her gaze, she’d already begun caring about what happened to him.
The thought alternately flattered and terrified him.
“Katie, this is probably way too soon,” he began, “but I should be up front with you, so we’re clear from the start.” He swallowed. “There’s not going to be anything beyond our deal. I’m not getting involved in a serious relationship and I’m certainly not getting married again. Hell, I’m not even the kind of guy who should be married.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m lousy at commitment.”
“You’re committed to this house,” she said, catching him in the lie. “What makes you think you’re no good for marriage?”
“Do you always ask this many questions?”
“Do you always evade answering them?”
“Touché.” He smiled, forcing the dark mood that had persistently tried to invade the day from settling inside him. He pushed thoughts of the past away and focused his attention on the very appealing present.
He was alone with a beautiful, intriguing woman. He’d be a fool to spend that time dwelling on what could not be undone. Instead, he’d focus on the things he could undo. Like the buttons on the kitten-soft sweater Katie wore.
Whoa, Romeo. What were you just saying about nothing beyond the deal?
“I forgot our breakfast in the bike’s cooler.” He left the barn before his fingers started doing, or rather undoing, the things his mind was fantasizing about.
Katie settled against her chair and considered what Matt had just told her. She’d heard the rumors about his child’s death and about his marriage, but obviously, those hadn’t begun to tell the truth. People had painted Matt as an unfeeling wealthy cad who had abandoned his wife for the open road.
She knew now, from watching the pain that had washed across his face and strained his voice, those rumors were far from the truth. Matt had been deeply affected.
But he wasn’t ready for anything beyond a few dates and a few nights in bed. He might never be ready. The last thing Katie wanted right now was to get involved with another Steve. At twenty-four, she’d stopped taking relationships halfway. There was no point in spending weeks, months, even years, with someone who wasn’t investing all he had. She was tired of being alone. Of wondering what life might hold if she could just get past the rut she’d buried herself in. Of watching Sarah and Jack build a future together, with a home, children.
Meeting Matt had given her a taste of courage to try the things she’d been missing for the past year—no, all her life. He’d sparked a fire that had never been anything more than day-old embers with Steve. She was exploring things she’d never considered before, that she’d only read about in books and thought had just been the fiction of a writer’s overactive mind.
But along with all those new feelings were the seeds of questions about herself. She’d said she wanted a change, a more adventurous approach to living. Yet every step she took in that direction scared her as much as it excited her. Matt had lived the opposite—taking off for parts unknown when he was young. Thumbing his nose at the town, at everyone who disagreed with him. She envied him for that.
What had she been so afraid of all these years? What had stopped her from living a life full of more than reruns and organized cans in the cabinet?
Somewhere along the path of her life, Katie Dole had decided not to take chances. Until Matt came along.
But right now, he was a risk of epic proportions. She was starting to like him. Too much. The best thing to do was leave, to walk away before her heart became too entangled.
She was halfway out of her chair when Matt re-entered the barn, framed by the rising sun like a portrait of a cowboy hero, and she knew she couldn’t leave. Not yet. If she did, she’d always wonder what if.
Besides, she’d made a deal. All she had to do was help him today and then she could go. But as her heart hammered at his approach, she knew there was far more involved for her than that.
And, he’d brought breakfast—a breakfast that came in bags decorated with golden arches. She laughed. “My, my, you do go all out for a girl, don’t you?”
“Egg and cheese sandwiches, with extra bacon—the breakfast of champions.”
“Mmm, they smell great,” she murmured, selecting one.
“Only the best for you, Katie Dole.”
“I’ve heard that line before,” she said wryly. “And that best left me standing at the altar.”
“He didn’t know what he was leaving behind.”
“He knew what he was leaving with,” she muttered. “Or rather, who.”
“You deserve better than him.”
She held his gaze. What did Matt want? He danced around talk of a relationship like a bee unsure whether the flower was a Venus flytrap or a lily. “Are you saying you would be a better choice than Steve?”
“How about some orange juice?” He grabbed the carafe by the neck and yanked it out of the bucket. A fine spray of water scattered over them and the table.
“There you go again, changing the subject.” Katie began eating her sandwich. “You’re awfully good at that.”
“I’m good at a lot of things.”
A soft sigh that was almost a purr escaped her. “That, I know. Firsthand.”
She was beautiful in the amber light of the lantern, beautiful and tempting and desirable. Soft shadows outlined her face, tracing along her body, and he found himself wishing there was a bed in the barn so he could explore those curves the way they deserved to be explored.
But he’d decided when he went out to the motorcycle for breakfast that he wasn’t going to go there. A girl like Katie ought to have a promise of forever and a man who would keep it. And then, he suspected, the floodgates of passion—of the true Katie, who had probably been kept in check all her life—would open to the man she loved. A fleeting image of her doing just that rippled through his mind.
Pour the juice; don’t spill it on the table. His hand was unsteady and a puddle of orange had formed around the base of the glass. That’s what he got for letting his thoughts run to peeling off her clothes and tasting the sweet, warm skin underneath.
Every time he saw her, or his mind even wandered to thinking about her, red-hot fire rushed through his groin. He needed a dousing with ice water just to concentrate on the simplest tasks and to stop him from whisking her off to bed tonight. And tomorrow night. And the next night.
Until those nights began to pile up into something more, something that would tempt him to hang around for years—forever. For Matt, that was his cue to leave.
He might not be a perfect man, but he was enough of one to know those boundaries were ones he shouldn’t cross. Not with a woman like her. But, damn, he wanted to cross them all anyway.
She leaned her chin on her hand. “Tell me. What exactly does our ‘deal’ entail?”
He grinned. “The curiosity is eating you up, isn’t it?”
“Well…yeah.”
“You know I own a construction company?”
“Yes, I heard you tell Miss Marchand.”
“Well, my guys are busy finishing up a big job back in Pennsylvania. They won’t be here for another week. I’m anxious to get out of my parents’ house and into my own. But it’s a l
ittle hard to build a house by yourself.”
“Why not hire a local crew?”
“Because it’s much more fun to ask you to help me.” When he’d come up with the idea in the bar, it had seemed perfect. An excuse, he knew, to see her again. To be a good guy for once and help her show Steve Spencer she was an incredible woman. It was just a deal, he told himself. A favor. For a friend. Yeah, right.
“Matt, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m a pint-sized weakling.” She flexed her arm muscle as proof. “I’m not sure I even know how to hold a hammer.”
“Right now, I have some demolition work to do. Nothing big, nothing I need a whole crew for. The real work will start when the rest of the supplies are delivered. The studs I put up eleven years ago are warped and need to be replaced. You don’t have to do much more than hold on while I rip out the old stud and put up a new one. Besides, I could use the company.”
“That’s all you want?”
No, I also want a bed and you in it. Naked. With me. “Yep, that’s it.”
“And in exchange, you’ll go to Steve and Barbara’s wedding with me on Saturday?”
He nodded. “And pretend to be your fiancé so that you can show ‘Stevie’ that you’ve moved on. In a big way.” He grinned.
“But I don’t understand why you’d pretend to be engaged to me. From what you just said, that’s the kind of commitment you won’t get within ten feet of.”
Because it gives me an excuse to keep seeing you, even though I know I shouldn’t. He couldn’t say that, so he told another lie, one as flimsy as the boards holding the barn together, because the truth—his internal war between wanting to get close to her and wanting to roar out of town on Jane—was impossible to voice.
“Because it’ll be fun to turn this town on its ear again. You’re looking to ruin your reputation. I’m looking to repair mine. Being with what my mother would call a ‘nice girl,”’ he grinned a wicked smile, taking pleasure in the flush that ran down her neck, “would certainly change my image.”
“Well, I’m not looking to ruin my reputation, just smudge it a bit.” She laughed. “I’ve been Conventional Katie way too long.”
“That’s a heck of a nickname.” He considered her. “Somehow, it doesn’t seem to fit you.”
“You met me after I changed my life motto.”
“And what is your motto now?”
“To live life to the fullest, before it passes me by,” she said with a nod, as if she’d just reminded herself, too.
“That’s a hell of a good motto, Katie Dole,” he said, and meant it. He had seen the years slip by in lonely nights spent in bars, trying to drown out the memories that only good beer and later, when he was sober, hard work seemed to erase. He was thirty, and a third of his life had already been spent in atonement.
“Let’s put it to work and get started on that house.” He tossed his napkin on the table and got to his feet. He was suddenly anxious to tear down those old walls and get the new lumber into place. For his new life.
Chapter Six
With a hammer in her hand and sawdust in her hair, Katie’s new life was decidedly hard work. The old timbers were heavy, the new ones even more so. As the sun rose and warmed the sky, working on Matt’s house became more and more of a workout. Her arms ached, her back twinged with pain and she could feel the beginning of a sunburn on her nose.
But she didn’t mind. Every minute that passed steamed with a growing attraction between her and Matt, one she was sure she wasn’t imagining. Even though he’d professed not to want a relationship, Katie found herself fantasizing about just that, and about a lot more than the kiss they’d shared in the store.
“Ouch!” She jumped back, away from the two-by-four that had stabbed her, leaving an angry red mark on her finger. For an innocent-looking piece of wood, it had one heck of a mean streak. That’s what she got for being distracted by thoughts of Matt.
“Here, let me see that.” He took her hand in his. All day, there’d been these little touches, some accidental, some on purpose. It was as if working together in the quiet stillness had brought them closer.
Well, the splinters had helped, too.
Tenderly, Matt lifted her finger to the light and examined the tiny shaft of wood protruding from her thumb. “That’s a bad one. But, not as bad as your last one.”
“Or the one before that.”
“Or the one just before that.” He grinned. With a set of tweezers he’d told her he kept in his toolbox, Matt carefully extracted the splinter, just as he had the other three. When he was done, he lifted her hand to his lips and placed a soft kiss on the red mark, just as he had done earlier. And Katie’s heart skipped a beat at the tenderness of the gesture, just as it had three times before.
But this time, Matt didn’t let go of her hand and turn back to his work. Electricity hummed between them, simmering like the sun that blazed above them. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”
“What?”
“Having you work on the house with me. You’re getting injured,” he kissed her palm and the heat seared her skin, “every five seconds.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not. I don’t like seeing you get hurt.”
“They’re just splinters. I get thorns in my fingers all the time from the roses at the shop. I can handle a splinter.”
“I’m sure you can,” he said. “I think, though, that you deserve a little TLC for all your efforts.” He dipped his head towards hers, his mouth hovering over her lips. Waiting, wanting. Desire curled between them, a rope growing tauter by the second. “Tender.” Matt took a breath. “Loving.” Released it. “Care.”
She wanted him. His lips on hers again, his touch warm against her skin. Taking a tremendous, daring chance, Katie stretched forward just enough for her lips to brush Matt’s.
When she did, he let out a moan that sounded like her name and then kissed her. The moment his mouth met hers, hot fire raced through her, ten times stronger than at the grocery store. She wrapped her arms around his chest and stood on tiptoe to have more of him.
His lips claimed hers with a hunger that matched hers. His hands roamed along her back, dancing a tune all along her spine. She could feel his heart beating, merging with the rhythm of her own. Blood rushed through her veins, tingled against her nerves. She opened her mouth to his, amazed that something so simple as a kiss could feel so stupendously wonderful.
“Katie, Katie, Katie,” he murmured against her mouth. “I’ve been trying all day not to do that.”
“I can’t think of a good reason why we shouldn’t.” And she couldn’t, not now. All those justifications she’d had earlier today seemed miles away. “Can you?”
“Hell, no.” He hauled her against him. Instinct pressed her pelvis to his, wanting, needing, seeking what she’d never had before. She trailed her hands down his back—
“I see you’ve found a way to spend your days.”
A man’s voice sliced through the air with razor sharpness. Katie jerked out of Matt’s arms and turned, silently cursing the intruder’s timing.
A tall man, the kind who commanded attention and deference just in the way he held himself, zeroed in on Katie like a hawk spotting a mouse scurrying across the ground. His dark-gray suit, perfectly tailored and precisely fitted, screamed expensive and top-notch designer. Even coated with a fine layer of dust, Katie suspected his shoes didn’t come from this side of the Atlantic.
“Hello, Father,” said Matt. “What a surprise.”
So this was Edward Webster. He looked every bit as daunting as his reputation.
“Katie, this is my father, Edward,” Matt said, taking her hand in his. “Father, this is Katie Dole, my…”
Girlfriend. Pretend fiancée. Maybe the love of my life. Katie supplied a number of mental tags but Matt obviously wasn’t telepathic.
“…friend,” he finished. “Close friend.”
“I could see that,” Edward replied dryly. “All the way
from the road.” He cleared his throat. “I came by to see what you were doing. Your mother said you were rebuilding this house. I wondered why.”
“I need a place to live.”
“Why this house?”
“Because I already happen to own it.”
Edward picked his way slowly around the rooms-to-be, peering at the new wood Matt had erected. He grabbed one of the posts and gave it a firm shake, testing it for stability, Katie supposed. “And you’re going to do this all by yourself?”
“I have Katie to help me.”
Edward’s gaze told her exactly what he thought about her abilities to construct a house. “And?”
“And my crew will be here in a week. They’re finishing up the last two houses in a development I bought last year.”
Edward cocked his head. “You bought? Your crew?”
“My business has done very well, Father.”
“I wasn’t aware of that.”
“You never asked.”
“I hadn’t expected…” Edward’s voice trailed off.
“That I’d do anything more than drink and raise Cain?”
“Well…”
Katie could see the two men were at an impasse, both stiff and unyielding in their posture, and most likely in their minds as well. She hefted one of the newly delivered two-by-fours from the pile in the corner and began dragging it over to an empty spot on the sill plate.
“Katie, what are you doing?”
“You’ll never get your house built standing around talking all day.” She turned to Matt’s father and offered him a friendly smile. “Mr. Webster, would you mind toenailing this in while I hold it?” After two hours working with Matt, she already had the construction jargon down pat. Another hour and she’d be sporting a cowhide tool belt and holding nails with her teeth. “Did you bring a hammer?”
Edward’s eyebrows lifted. “Hammer?”
“If you’re here, you might as well help.” Katie bent down and grabbed her own hammer. “Here, use mine. There’s a pile of nails by your foot. Now, I’ll hold this and if you wouldn’t mind, could you nail two of those long ones in at an angle to the bottom?” Edward gaped at her as she talked in a steady stream of words that left no room for refusal.
Best of Virgins Bundle Page 23
