After Hurricane Nina, Reed's Resolution (Hot Hunks-Steamy Romance Collection Book 1)

by Natalie Ann

  Time flies when you’re nervous as hell.

  Taylor had been wondering for over a week if this was a huge mistake. If agreeing to a friends with benefits situation with a man she barely knew—and was her boss no less—was just setting her up for heartache and unemployment.

  He’d said her job wouldn’t be affected and she believed it.

  Up until the past month, she’d never seen him much in the building, so she assumed he wouldn’t bother her if she decided things weren’t going to work out.

  It was more likely he was going to say he didn’t want to continue than her. And when she thought of that, she realized she might be willing to take the risk and get a little pleasure out of life when it seemed like she was surrounded by so much frustration.

  Not only that, Reed had been keeping his distance. She wasn’t sure his reasoning. If he was afraid she’d change her mind, or he was going to change his.

  Either way, Angie had just given her a hug and a kiss and left with Jack’s parents and now she had two hours before she had to meet Reed at his house.

  Though she hadn’t seen him since they’d gone to lunch, they had been texting a bit more frequently. Playful things. Not stupid things like “how is your day,” but more like “what are you wearing right now?” or “how many times have you thought of me today?”

  Not things that friends would say to each other, but what lovers would. They weren’t there yet, but they would be tonight and she was primed and ready to go. She was willing to bet he was too if what he’d said was true and he hadn’t been with someone in over six months.

  Guys that looked like him, acted like him—all cocky and sure of themselves with a smile the angels bestowed on him—never went long without female companionship. If they wanted a piece of ass, all they had to do was scroll through their phone for it.

  She finished up doing laundry, then took Mutt for a nice long walk to wear him out since he’d be home alone most of the day. She’d be back later, but she made sure he had food, water, and access to his dog door.

  Once all her chores were done for the day, it was time to take another shower. The first one was to wake her up this morning. This one was to prepare her for a night of sex with a hot man.

  A man who’d been on her mind more than any other man in her life. She was trying not to think of why that was and pushed it off as neglected hormones. There was only so much pleasure and release she could give herself and she was looking forward to something more.

  Shaved and lotioned up, she dressed again in a pair of jean shorts. The weather was expected to be low eighties and sunny. Nothing to complain about there. Reed hadn’t told her anything other than to be comfortable for the day so that was what she did.

  How could she get comfortable when all she’d been thinking about was seeing him naked? And when had she thought about sex this much in her life!

  In her mind this was better than dressing up. She didn’t object to slipping on a dress now and again and feeling pretty, but it wasn’t who she was deep down. Those nights of being coaxed out to a club in a slinky dress were down the drain along with most of her pride and self-worth.

  For tonight, she needed comfort and she was just as happy to know she’d be dressed that way.

  With a deep breath and one more swipe with the brush through her long hair, she grabbed her purse and made her way to her car. The debate about makeup was left on the table since she was wearing shorts. Her normal foundation and mascara did the trick making her feel just the right amount of carefree and fun.

  Though her phone was spitting out directions to Reed’s house, she’d already looked it up online to get an idea.

  It didn’t take her long to find his house. Not a new one like he built in the developments Chapman’s owned and maintained. This was an old house with a bit of land. In the city, but close to the outer limits of a town called Guilderland that didn’t mean much to her other than it was a few miles from Albany.

  Why were there so many things about him that she couldn’t get a read on?

  She parked next to his truck like he’d told her and got out to walk toward the front door.

  There he was standing in the doorway behind the screen with a smile on his face and his feet bare. Yep, super sexy and mouthwatering. Like eying all the candy toppings at the frozen yogurt place she brought Angie to last week and trying to decide which one would taste the best and wishing she could have them all.

  She was going to have them all soon.

  What was that old saying about big hands and feet? Hmm, she was going to be one lucky girl tonight.

  “Am I early?” she asked him when he opened the screen. She was under the impression they had plans today and weren’t going to just get naked and start their new relationship off quite that fast. Though maybe that wouldn’t be a half bad idea.

  “No. I just lost track of time. Come on in and I’ll show you around. You seemed shocked by my house. Why?”

  Guess she wasn’t doing too good of a job of hiding her emotions. She’d been known to wear them on her sleeve most of her life. Men like Jack took advantage of it. But once Angie was born, she’d just shut that oven door closed and taped the handle in place. Looked like she was ready to peek inside now.

  “I was expecting something brand new. How old is this house?”

  “It’s about eighty-five years old. I build the new but love the old. At least on the outside. You’ll see the inside still has some of the old charm that I’ve restored with modern twists.”

  The foyer showcased a magnificent staircase and she could envision Angie jumping on the banister and squealing the whole way down on her butt. The dark wood all had a gleam to it too. “Did you do the work in here yourself?”

  “I did,” he said. “Not many people care for my taste, but it suits me and it’s my house.”

  She wondered if Whitney fell into that mix but knew better than to ask. “It’s beautiful. I can only imagine the memories it holds.” His smile dropped and she started to wonder if she’d made a huge misstep voicing that. “Sorry.”

  He reached for her hand. “Don’t be sorry. Whitney never lived here. She didn’t like this house. I bought it before she and I started dating. I was fixing it up on my own time. When we were together, she had different ideas and I listened to them. I wanted to make her happy and it was my mistake because it made me miserable. She kept saying she wouldn’t move in until it was perfect. I’ve been trying to fix all those changes and get this house to where I always envisioned it. I’m just struggling to find a pattern.”

  “Why do you need a pattern?” she asked, shocked that he shared that with her just now.

  “I don’t want it to look pieced together. These rooms, the living room and dining room over there.” She turned to her right and left and checked both rooms out. They were large and bright. The floors were dark, but everything else was light and almost cheerful. It really didn’t show much of his personality in her eyes though. “They don’t flow with the rest of the house. I like the colors on the walls. I feel comfortable in here. But other rooms are darker and look right that way, but don’t blend with the rest of the house.”

  “So,” she said. “Do you have every bedroom in your house the same? Most people don’t. Why can’t other rooms be different too? Why can’t each room tell its own story?”

  He snorted. “I never thought of it that way. Let me show you the kitchen, which you’ll see is one of the two most modern rooms in the house.”

  She followed him to the back of the house and he wasn’t kidding. It was light and bright. White cabinets, white and gray counters, and a marble backsplash. All stainless appliances and everything was oversized. This was a kitchen you’d see in the grand houses he built in the development.

  “Is this your style?” she asked.

  “Very much so,” he said. “What about yours?”

  “I’d be crazy not to want to have this kitchen in my house. I think you just need to walk into a room and do what feels ri
ght rather than what you think it should be.”

  “Then I’m doing this,” he said and yanked her forward plastering his mouth to hers.

  There was no hesitation at all. Her tongue came out and slid between his lips with the two of them dueling like that as if there was nothing else on the face of this earth they’d rather be doing. If the truth was told, there wasn’t anything else in her mind.

  His hands slid up her back, then down, under her shirt and up her spine. “You smell good,” he said as he nibbled his way to her earlobe and pulled it between his lips.

  “So do you,” she said, her hands moving under his shirt too. Why not? It was there and she was dying to feel him. Wasn’t that part of the reason she was here to begin with, to do just that?

  He groaned and dropped his forehead to hers. “We need to stop or all the plans I’ve made for the day will be wasted.”

  “What plans are those?” she asked. “I had some plans myself.”

  “We’ll get to those plans later, but right now, we’ve got to be somewhere in thirty minutes.”

  It was best, she knew that. “Do I get a tour of your house now, or do I have to wait?”

  “You can follow me upstairs while I grab my sneakers and change my shirt.”

  So she followed behind him staring at his tight ass and silently counting the hours down.

  Trying to Impress

  “A hot air balloon?” Taylor said when he pulled into the field and she could see what his plans had been.

  “Have you ever been in one before?” he asked.

  “Ah, no. Who does that? Isn’t that something men do when they’re trying to impress a woman or get in her pants?”

  “Well yeah.” He turned to look at her shocked face and grinned.

  “You already have my answer for that though,” she said.

  “That doesn’t mean I don’t want to try to impress you.”

  He’d had the week to think about this date and wondered why it was so hard to come up with a plan. Then it hit him. He’d never done this for another woman before. Ever.

  If he took the last three years out of the equation, most of his dates consisted of dinner, a movie, a party, or hanging out somewhere at someone’s house. Maybe a concert or the beach or on a boat. He’d even gone on a few vacations when he’d been dating someone for a while.

  But he’d never planned a special date for anyone. Nothing romantic at all.

  Why Taylor?

  Because he was sick of his life. He was sick of everything around him. And he realized it was time to snap out of it. To make a change. To grow up.

  He’d always been happy before and Whitney’s lies turned him into a person he never thought he’d be.

  He wanted to be the person he used to be. He wanted to find some happiness in his life that he’d always thought he’d have. He was sick of looking at other happy couples and wondering why it couldn’t be him. Why he lost out on that dream and future.

  Aside from his family driving him insane or worrying about him, he was letting Whitney win and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

  He’d made a promise to himself this weekend—one he wasn’t sharing with a soul—that he was going to try. He was going to turn his life around. He was going to stop being a womanizing SOB that only wanted to get his dick or face between a woman’s legs and instead he would try to get in her heart.

  Many would think it was a strange turnaround, but it really wasn’t.

  Six months he’d kept his jeans zipped because he was bored. But the truth was, he was more disgusted with himself.

  But every time he said he wanted to try again, he’d find a woman that wanted something from him. That was after his money or after the good time he’d been promising everyone.

  What he wanted was someone new and fresh who didn’t know him or his history. Who wasn’t judging him completely and who he felt would be completely honest with him. Honesty was the most important thing to him now. Next was wanting him for him and not a personal gain or career boost.

  Yes, he had a lot of obstacles in the way with Taylor, but it was a start. A fresh start he needed and he hoped it was one she was willing to try with him. If he could get past the barriers she was putting up herself.

  And when all those thoughts materialized in his brain, he knew he had to do something he’d never done before. He’d have to try to win her over. Because whatever had turned her sour in life might be something he couldn’t overcome. Just the thought of that was discouraging and he was using it as his motivation. To push harder than anything else he ever pushed for in his life.

  “I just don’t know what to say,” she said to him, her eyes going to the landscape around. The tour guide that would be taking them up was getting everything ready.

  “I hope it’s not that you’re afraid of heights.”

  “Not at all. There isn’t much that I’m afraid of,” she said, then leaned over to kiss him softly on the lips.

  “What was that for?” he asked, feeling like something was changing in her already. Or maybe it was just wishful thinking because it was something he wanted so badly. Not like when he wanted Whitney as a kid and she turned him down so much. This was different. They were adults. They were smarter and they were wiser. He knew going in to watch his back because he was positive Taylor was watching hers.

  “No one has ever done anything like this for me before. Nothing even remotely close.”

  “Then I’m glad I could be the one to do it.”

  They made their way out of his truck and over to the basket on the ground. “Have you ever been in one before?” she asked.

  “No. I never thought I’d want to be in one either, but I saw it on TV and thought why not?”

  He’d been trying to figure out for days what to do and was thrilled when he saw it on TV. More thrilled when he was able to get it scheduled on this short notice and that the weather was cooperating. Like all the stars were lining up right for him when he’d felt they were exploding around him prior.

  “Why not?” she said, laughing and throwing her arms out. “Of course not everyone can just call someone up and schedule this or even afford it.”

  He brushed her comment off. She seemed so happy so he was just going to go with it. He didn’t picture her the type to be out with a guy for his money. She was more like the type that cared whether the guy was a douche or not. He was trying not to be one toward women anymore.

  “We’ve got this trip for an hour, then we can go get a late lunch or early dinner.”

  “That works for me,” she said, reaching for him and wrapping him up tight in a hug. That was more than a friend hug in his eyes, telling him maybe those barriers she had were crumbling down a bit too.

  ***

  All the nervousness Taylor had been feeling was out the window. She was flying high right now.

  Literally, she’d felt like she was flying through the sky like a bird earlier.

  She’d had no idea how high they were in the sky and didn’t even ask. Just being up there like that, the peace and the quiet. The tranquility of it all.

  And she shared it with Reed. A man that didn’t need to go the extra mile for this date. Sure, she’d said she didn’t want to feel cheap, but that didn’t mean she expected this either. She wondered what he did when he really was with a woman.

  Then she pushed those thoughts out of her mind. They were friends. They were going to enjoy each other in the bedroom once in a while and outside the bedroom if the time allowed. Nothing more, nothing less.

  Almost a means to an end. That was all both of them really wanted out of this arrangement. It was all she had in herself to give right now. Her heart couldn’t take another hit like it had before.

  They were driving back to his house now deciding to order pizza in. He’d done enough that she didn’t want him to take her out on top of it. She was more of a pizza and wings type of girl as it was. When she’d told him that, he’d kissed her and said, “Thank God. I can’t tell you ho
w long it’s taken me to find a woman that’d eat wings with me.”

  She knew he was joking, but it was still nice to hear that maybe she was a tiny bit special or at least different than what he was drawn toward. Though he’d said it before, it could all just be lip service. She’d heard plenty of that in her life too.

  But when they pulled back down his driveway, the nerves started to resurface. Maybe she should have shown up earlier and they could have stripped each other naked first and gotten it out of the way.

  She was tough and she was brave and she was going to portray all of that until he gave her one hell of an orgasm. There was no doubt he could because she was so ready to jump him that it was actually pushing some of the uneasiness away. Or at least helping to distract her mind from her nerves.

  They climbed out of his truck and entered the front door. He stood there looking at her, like he was waiting for her to make the first move. She finally said, “What?”

  “You tell me what you want.”

  “Seriously? You’re the one that had this idea.”

  “You agreed. I don’t want to attack you.”

  “Maybe I want you to,” she said, lifting her chin. Why not show some bravado?

  “Taylor, you have no idea how much I’ve been trying to get control of my body. Give me the sign and you’re over my shoulder and up those stairs.”

  “What sign would that be?” she asked, running her finger down his chest.

  “That will do it,” he said, swinging her up, her chest hitting his shoulder with a thump, her head hanging down his back as he climbed the steps. She’d only been kidding but guess he wasn’t.

  It was better this way. No time to think. No time to worry. Just time to enjoy.

  And when his mouth slanted against hers the minute he pushed his bedroom door open with his foot and he shifted, cradling her, she knew beyond a doubt Reed Chapman was going to do more than give her something to enjoy.

  He dropped her down on his bed, then came down right on top of her. The weight of a man’s body almost felt foreign and yet welcoming at the same time.