The Carpenter (Working Men Book 2)

by Ramona Gray

  I nodded. “Yeah, of course I can.”

  She frowned at me. “Are you sure? There isn’t that much of your dad’s life insurance left and you still have another six months of school. You’re not gonna have to drop out of school, just so you can have the chance to stare at Jacob’s butt while he builds bookshelves, are you?”

  “Don’t be ridiculous,” I said. “It’s all good, Rach. I gotta get back to work.”

  Chapter Two

  Jacob

  I sat outside the house of my dead best friend and tried not to feel like a total bastard. It was impossible.

  I was a bastard.

  A pervert.

  A sicko.

  If Frank could see me now, he’d be disgusted. He’d punch me in the face, kick me in the kidneys, and warn me to stay the fuck away from his daughter or he’d cut off my balls and hang them on the wall.

  God, I fucking missed him.

  I rubbed at the scruff on my jaw. I hadn’t bothered shaving this morning. I wondered if I should have. No doubt Maddie was used to those smooth skinned, pimple-faced kids who couldn’t seem to grow a beard. Hell, they fucking waxed their chests and their legs and their goddamn sacks nowadays. If Maddie took one look at my hairy body, she’d be grossed out.

  I kept myself groomed, I wasn’t a fucking animal, but I had never once waxed anything on my body and I never planned on it. If God hadn’t intended for us to have hair on our balls, he wouldn’t have put it there in the first place, right?

  Besides, maybe Maddie would like it. Maybe it would make her feel like she was with a real man. Not those little pricks she’d dated in the past. Speaking of pricks – I reached down and adjusted mine. I was hard as a goddamn rock, just sitting in the driveway, and I was about to spend an entire fucking day with her. What the fuck was I thinking?

  You weren’t. You couldn’t stand the look of disappointment on her face when you said you couldn’t take the job. And you wanted an excuse to be near her.

  My inner voice was right on both counts. It was utter madness to allow myself to get this close to Maddie, but I was so tired of avoiding her. So tired of seeing the hurt in her eyes when I dropped by to mow the lawn but refused to come in and visit after.

  She felt abandoned, I know she did, but I had no fucking choice. I couldn’t be alone with her anymore. My lust for her was so strong, I couldn’t think straight when I was around her. All I could think about was being between those smooth thighs of hers. Of pinning her body down and forcing her to take my thick cock over and over, until she was screaming for me to make her come.

  I shook off the mental image of being in Maddie. Fuck. I was a thirty-eight-year-old man lusting after my dead best friend’s twenty-three-year-old daughter.

  Like I said, I was a fucking pervert.

  I glanced at my watch. It was five after eight. I needed to go in there. I needed to measure the space, plan out the bookshelves and go and get the materials. And I needed to do all of it with Maddie hovering around me. With her sweet vanilla scent and her soft dark hair and beautiful doe eyes.

  Don’t forget about her tits.

  I groaned out loud. Like I could fucking forget about her incredible tits. I had dreamed about them nightly for the last nine months. Dreamed about what they looked like, how they tasted, how it would feel to cum all over them. The image of Maddie lying naked on the bed, her heavy, round tits splashed with thick ropes of my cum, almost made me cum in my own goddamn jeans. The pressure against my dick was painful now, and I adjusted again. It didn’t help and for a moment, I had the wild idea to just rub one out in the truck before I went in.

  I yanked my hand away from my crotch and stared furtively out the windshield. Neither Maddie nor her neighbours were anywhere in sight, but Christ, I needed to get control of myself.

  Maybe Maddie would leave. Maybe she would go shopping or hang out with Rachel or something.

  She won’t. You know she won’t.

  No, she wouldn’t. Because as much as I wanted to deny it, sweet little Maddie wanted me. If that night nine months ago hadn’t clued me in, just seeing the way she looked at me now would have. It’s like she had given up completely on even trying to hide it from me. Hell, I could practically smell her fucking desire whenever we stood too close. She wanted to be fucked by me, and I didn’t know if it was some kind of daddy complex or what, but it just made it that much harder to remember that I shouldn’t – couldn’t – fuck her.

  I closed my eyes and thought about Frank, about how disappointed he would be in me, about how he would hate me forever just for even thinking about his daughter that way. It was as effective as pouring ice-water on my balls. My erection disappeared, and I could have groaned at the relief of pressure.

  Taking a deep breath, I got out of my truck, grabbed my tool belt and belted it around my waist, and headed for the front door. I knocked once, and the door opened like she had been standing on the other side waiting for me.

  I took one look at Maddie, and my erection was back in full force like it had never left. I stared at her as lust roared in my belly and my pulse thudded in my ears. She was wearing jeans so tight, they looked painted on. Despite the coldness of the weather, she wore a thin, white tank top that hugged her clearly braless tits. I stared at her nipples poking against the thin material. Were they the same shade of pink as her lips? I was dying to find out.

  Before I could do something stupid like touch them, I dragged my gaze to her face. Her cheeks were pink, and I groaned inwardly at the look in her eyes. Fuck, nine months of successfully hiding my lust from her and I had blown in it less than three seconds.

  All because she wasn’t wearing a fucking bra.

  “Hi, Jacob.” Her voice was breathless, needy.

  I cleared my throat. “Hey. Can I come in?”

  “Oh right, of course.” Her laugh was a little high-pitched. She stepped back, and I gritted my teeth and walked into the house.

  “I’m going to do some measurements first.” I walked rapidly down the hallway toward Frank’s office. I hadn’t been in the house since the day of the funeral. I had stuck around after everyone left, helped Maddie clean up the leftovers and sort through the dozens of casseroles that people had brought. By the time we were done, the freezer was full to the brim. Maddie had given me her sweet smile when I told her she wouldn’t have to buy food for a year.

  I’d followed her into the living room and watched as she touched the old armchair her father always sat in. Her face had crumpled, she’d started to sway, and I’d picked her up and carried her to the couch. I sat her on my lap and rocked her, murmuring words of comfort into her hair that didn’t really help, as she sobbed brokenly. She’d cried herself to sleep and I’d continued to hold her, stroking her back and feeling heartbroken for her.

  When she’d woken up not even an hour later, she had tried to apologize. I cupped her face and stroked her satin cheek with my thumb and told her it was fine. Before I could tell her that I would be there for her whenever she needed, her soft little mouth was on mine.

  She had tasted like peppermint and when her sweet tongue pushed its way past my lips and into my mouth, lust had flooded through me. I’d cupped the back of her head and kissed her hard, taking her mouth with rough urgency as my dick grew hard underneath her. She’d ground her ass against it and made a sweet little moan that set my blood on fire with need for her.

  When she’d dipped her head and nipped at my thick throat, I’d been two seconds away from carrying her to her bedroom and fucking her. The only reason I hadn’t, the only thing that stopped me, was catching a glimpse of Frank’s picture on the mantel. My lust had died immediately and been replaced with shame. I’d pushed sweet Maddie off my lap and practically ran from the house. I hadn’t been back since.

  She’d never once tried to talk to me about that night, thank fucking Christ. I don’t know what I would have said to her. Hey, Mads, I know that you grew up around me and I’m your old man’s best friend, but I really want to f
uck you now.

  Fuck. All it had taken was one sweet kiss for me to forget the little girl that Maddie used to be. All I could see now was the woman she had become.

  The very sexy woman.

  Motherfucking hell, agreeing to build the bookshelves was a mistake.

  I slowed to a stop just outside of Frank’s office. I was almost afraid to go in. I still missed my best friend and the thought of being in that room, being around everything that would serve as nothing but a reminder of what I – of what Maddie – had lost was making me feel like fucking crying.

  “Jacob? What’s wrong?” Maddie’s voice was full of concern. I jerked away when she touched my arm.

  “Nothing’s wrong.” I opened the door and stepped into the office.

  It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. There was plenty of stuff to remind me of Frank, but Maddie had made a few changes. His old desk was gone, replaced by a newer, sleeker model and a slim laptop was in the place of the ancient desktop that used to sit on top of the desk. His old office chair was still there though, looking even more worn next to the new modern desk. The far side of the room was bare. Boxes of books were piled on the floor in front of it.

  “What happened to the old bookshelf?”

  “It broke from the weight of the books about three weeks after dad died.” Maddie made a small laugh. “It happened in the middle of the night and scared the hell out of me. The loud crack and then the books hitting the floor - I thought somebody had broken in with a gun or something. I sat in my bed like a frightened kid for about an hour before I finally got the courage to leave my room.”

  My heart ached at the thought of Maddie alone and afraid in her own house. “You should have called me.”

  “I knew you wouldn’t come.” Her voice was soft and there was no accusation in it, but I still winced as if she’d shouted at me.

  She was wrong. I would have been there in a heartbeat if she’d called me, but after the way I treated her, there was no way she could have known that.

  “I’m sorry, Mads.” My voice was hoarse with remorse.

  “It’s okay. I know why you wouldn’t. Now,” her voice was brisk, “I was thinking three bookshelves along the wall. What do you think? That way I have room for all of dad’s books and some knick-knacks and pictures.”

  I nodded. “Sure. The bookshelves will be on the smaller side if you want three of them to fit against the wall, but they’ll still look good.”

  “Okay. Can I help you with the measurements?” She gave me an adorable smile.

  “No.”

  “Are you sure? I can hold the other end of the tape or -”

  “I work faster alone.” I stepped back and looked pointedly at the door.

  Disappointment crossed her face, but she nodded and walked toward the door. Christ, her firm tits bounced with every step.

  “Okay, well, if you need anything, just holler. I’ll be in my room. It’s just right next door so…”

  Sweat broke out on my forehead. Like I needed any reminder that Maddie’s bedroom was right next door. “I’m good.”

  “Okay, well, thanks again, Jacob.”

  “Yep.” I walked away from her, pulling my measuring tape from my tool belt. I waited until I heard the door shut before I rested my forehead against the wall and adjusted my throbbing dick.

  Faintly, I could hear the squeak of Maddie’s bed as she climbed onto it and my dick swelled even more.

  Fuck. I was in so much trouble.

  * * *

  “Come in.”

  I hesitated. Christ, I really didn’t want to go into Maddie’s bedroom. “Maddie, it’s me.”

  “I know. Who else would it be? Come in for goodness sake.”

  “Are you – are you decent?”

  “No, Jacob. I’m lying here naked on my bed in the middle of the afternoon.”

  The teasing in her voice made my cheeks flush, but the thought that she might actually be naked, had me pushing open the door. She was sitting cross legged in the middle of her bed, her iPad on her lap and she was fully-clothed. Disappointment rushed through me and I shook it off as she smiled.

  “Hey, what’s up?”

  “I’m leaving to get the wood for the bookshelves.”

  “Okay. Do you need me to go with you to pay for it or…”

  “No. I’ll give you an invoice for supplies and labour once the job is done.”

  “Right, of course. That was stupid of me.” She smiled as she slid off the bed. “I’m about to run a couple of errands myself, so -”

  “No,” I said.

  “No what?” She frowned at me.

  “No, you can’t go with me.”

  She crinkled her nose at me. “That’s not what I was going to say. I was just going ask if you still had your key to the house?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Okay, well just use your key to let yourself in.”

  “Where are you going?” It wasn’t any of my business, but I still asked.

  “I have some errands to run and then meeting some friends before work.”

  My gaze dropped to her tits. “Who?”

  She shrugged as she grabbed her phone from the nightstand. “There are a few of us meeting at the bowling alley. God, how pathetic is it that the biggest form of entertainment this town has to offer is a bowling alley?”

  “Will there be guys there?”

  She studied me for a moment. “Yeah, why?”

  “You need to change.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Change your clothes before you go out.”

  She laughed, a sound full of genuine amusement. “Who are you, the fashion police? There’s nothing wrong with my outfit.”

  “Madison,” I could hear the exasperation in my voice, “stop arguing with me and change.”

  “No. What’s the problem with what I’m wearing?”

  My temper snapped, and I was across the room and taking her by the arm before I could stop myself. I pulled her in front of the full-length mirror in her room, dropped her arm and stood behind her, glaring at her in the mirror. “This is what’s wrong.”

  “What?” She looked her body up and down.

  “Your nipples, Madison.”

  She studied the way they were poking against the thin fabric of her tank top. “What about them, Jacob?”

  “Do you want every guy at the fucking bowling alley to be staring at them?”

  She made another infuriating little shrug. “Everyone has nipples.”

  “I don’t want them looking at yours. Put a bra on before you go out.”

  “Nope,” she said cheerfully. “I don’t feel like wearing one.”

  “Madison…”

  “Hold on, maybe this will help.” She reached up and rubbed her nipples. My cock pressed against my jeans until I swore I could feel the imprint of my zipper on it. Her little nipples grew harder and it took all of my willpower not to shove my dick against her ass.

  “Hmm, that seems to be making it worse.” She gave me a cheeky smile as she rubbed circles around both nipples.

  “Stop it, Madison,” I warned.

  “You think you can do a better job?” She traced her fingers over the tips of her nipples and a little moan escaped her throat. “Sorry, my nipples are really sensitive.”

  “Madison…”

  “Yes, Jacob?”

  I opened my mouth to tell her to put a damn bra on immediately and instead, said, “Pinch them.”

  She did what I asked, grasping her nipples between her forefingers and thumbs and giving them both a hard pinch. She gasped and her back arched, making her ass brush against my cock. I groaned and stepped back but kept my eyes on her tits.

  “Again.”

  She pinched them again before pulling on them. I was so fucking hard, I was close to exploding. I reached down and rubbed my cock through my jeans.

  “Take your shirt off so I can see your gorgeous tits, baby.” My voice was raspy with need.

  She pull
ed her shirt over her head. My breath caught in my throat. Her breasts were as incredible as I had pictured them. She had sweet little nipples that were, in fact, the same soft pink as her lips. Her skin looked silky soft and my palms itched with the desire to cup her tits, to feel their heavy weight and feel her nipples beaded up against my palms.

  She must have had the same thought because she cupped her breasts, her thumbs rubbing her nipples and gave me a pleading look in the mirror. “Please touch me, Jacob.”

  “I can’t baby. But you’re going to be a good girl and touch yourself for me. Okay?”

  “I – okay.”

  “Good. Unbutton your jeans.”

  She unbuttoned her jeans as I stared at her amazing tits. When they were unzipped, she started to wiggle them down over her hips and I shook my head.

  “No, baby, leave them on.”

  “Don’t you want to see my pussy?” She almost whimpered.

  “So bad.” My hands were unbuttoning my own jeans. If I didn’t release some of the pressure, my dick really was going to explode. “But I can’t.”

  “I want you to see it.”

  “I know, baby. But it isn’t right. Slide your hand inside your panties and rub your pussy for me.”

  She pouted at me in the mirror but slid her hand into her panties. I watched her hand move, listened to her soft moans as I pulled my dick free and rubbed it roughly. We stared at each other in the mirror, our mutual groans growing louder as we rubbed and stroked and teased.

  She pulled her hand free from her panties and showed me her soaking wet fingers before holding her hand over her shoulder. “Taste me.”

  I shouldn’t.

  I knew I shouldn’t.

  But sometimes the thing you shouldn’t do, was the very thing you had to do.

  I leaned forward and sucked on her first two fingers. Her taste filled my mouth, sweet and clean and so utterly perfect. I lapped at her fingers like a damn dog, sucking the moisture from her fingers until all of her cum was gone.

  “Please touch me,” she pleaded again when I released her fingers.

  I shook my head, my hand rubbing my dick with hard and urgent strokes. “Baby, I want to, but I can’t. Touch yourself again for me.”