Stiff_A Graves Family Romance

by Kim Linwood

  I don’t love the idea of trusting him with something this important, but I can’t deny that he’s got a point. “And for this generosity, I have to do… what?”

  He crosses his arms over his chest, looking every inch the well-built model as he watches me with a considering gaze. His eyes sparkle with the possibilities.

  Before he gets too ambitious, I clarify quickly, “I might as well save you the trouble and let you know that whatever you just thought, the answer is probably no.”

  He laughs. “Just probably?”

  My cheeks flare with heat. “I mean definitely.”

  “That’s unfortunate.” He pushes off the wall and walks up to me, putting his hands on the armrests of the chair, so that he’s effectively boxing me in. It’s imposing, having him so close, the masculine scent of his aftershave hitting me, its leathery smell contrasting to the delicate flowers lying in my lap. It’s not much of a leap to imagine what he might be like above me in some other situations, which are completely inappropriate.

  Oh God, why am I even thinking like that?

  “Relax, Sadie,” he says, voice rough but with honeyed overtones. “I’m just asking you to give me a chance. Let’s work together on this one. Being a part of the Graves Corporation isn’t an ending, it’s a new beginning. And give me a chance to show you that maybe, just maybe, I’m not a complete asshole. Besides, it would make Mr. Graham happy to see us working together, remember? I noticed you didn’t correct him about us.”

  “I just… I just didn’t want to upset him. But that doesn’t mean I think we’re an actual couple,” I rush to clarify.

  “Of course not. Unless you want to change that.” Carter leans in even closer. It would be so easy to close the distance.

  “Of course not,” I whisper, unable to look away.

  He pushes off my chair, looking down at me with a confident set of his jaw and a knowing look in his eyes. “Then I suppose I’ll have to make do with business for now, and trust me, by the time we’re done, you’ll be wondering how you ever managed without me.”

  It kills me that he’s probably right. He has resources I could only dream of. Of course, the idea of working closely with him is completely abhorrent. Who would want to watch that muscled body move around the office, constantly tempted to lose themselves in his gorgeous eyes or maybe steal a kiss somewhere private? Not me. Nope. Never.

  Obviously. Which is why I’m hardly thinking about that at all.

  “Fine. We’ll do it, and I promise to keep an open mind, but it’s just for this funeral. It doesn’t mean anything permanent.”

  “Understood,” he agrees all too quickly.

  “Carter…”

  “No promises. I get it, but you’ll have to excuse me for holding out a little hope that you’ll discover that while I might be a jerk sometimes, I can be a very useful jerk to have on your side when the going gets tough.”

  “Right.” I trust him about as far as I can throw him, but it will have to be enough for now. Looking over the request list that Mr. Graham left behind, it looks like he wasn’t kidding when he said he wanted to pull out all the stops. Stone angels and a “fountain of tears” whatever that’s supposed to mean. It looks like a funeral fit for a queen, not exactly something you’d expect in Wittville, PA. It’s way over the top, but it makes me smile in a sad sort of way to think Mr. Graham loved his wife so much that he wants to give her a send-off that would make royalty proud. Lydia was a lucky woman.

  I glance up at Carter and give my flowers one last sniff before I get up to put them in a vase. “I guess we better get started.”

  15

  Sadie

  “Zoe? Are you ready for a new one?” I call out, heading into her lair.

  She looks up from the body she’s working on, her eyes widening at the sight of Carter and me, together, and not yelling at each other. “Yeah, no problem. I’m just finishing up.” Bending back to her work, she resumes stitching up something inside his… ew.

  I focus my gaze on the wall past her shoulder, hoping I don’t look as green as I feel. “Good. A client came in this morning and his wife is ready to get picked up. The funeral’s going to be a huge event, so everything has to be totally perfect.”

  “Mine are always perfect. You know that,” she says indignantly.

  Nodding, I agree. “Extra perfect then. When I say huge, I’m talking event of the century.”

  Zoe gives me a skeptical look. “Ooookay, well, I’m ready down here, but who’s doing pick up? Arthur and Frank are off today. I suppose I could—”

  “No!” I scowl and raise an accusatory finger.

  “It was just that once—”

  “Nope! You don’t street race with our hearse. Not even once!”

  She sighs. “There was no one in it.”

  “Doesn’t matter, Zoe. I’ll go.”

  “Since when are you okay with… uh…” Zoe looks between me and Carter. “I mean, that isn’t in your usual job description.”

  I glance down, regret it, and look right back up. “There are two of us, it’ll be fine. He’ll do the heavy lifting.”

  “I will?” Carter glances at me questioningly.

  “Yup.”

  Zoe grins. “Well then, that sounds great. I almost regret having no time go with you and watch.” She looks at Carter. “I don’t suppose you’ll be able to take pictures. Sadie just loves the hands on sort of jobs.”

  “No pictures,” I bite out, glaring at her. “It’s disrespectful.”

  “Oh, fine, but I wasn’t talking about the corpse.” Zoe winks and then shoos us out, humming to herself as she goes back to sewing.

  “I feel like I missed something there,” Carter says on our way back upstairs.

  “Inside joke.” I don’t elaborate, even when it’s obvious from his expression that he’s curious. The last thing I need is for him to find out that corpses squick me out.

  A squeamish funeral director? He’d never let me live that one down.

  In the garage, Carter plucks the keys out of my hand as I unlock the hearse and start to open the door. “I’ll drive.”

  “Excuse me? This is our hearse. You’re only visiting.”

  “That’s alright, I don’t mind. I’ll drive.”

  I make a grab for the keys. “If this is some sort of macho Neanderthal bullshit, you can stuff it right back in your cave. I know the names on the insurance form, and yours ain’t on it, bud.”

  He walks stiffly around to the passenger side and stands there like he’s expecting me to change my mind.

  I smile sweetly and hold out the keys. He grins for a split second before I snatch them back. “Psych.” Then I hold open his door for him. “If it makes you feel better, you can navigate.”

  “You mean hold the phone?”

  “Yep.”

  Carter glares at me with the fury of a cat on the way to the vet as he gets in and slides back the seat to fit his long legs. “Fine, what’s the address?”

  “Bryhn Memorial in Stinson.”

  He types it in and starts the navigation. “I hope you’re giving me credit for this show of willingness in our new attempt at working together.”

  I grin as we pull out of the garage. “You’ve never driven a hearse before, have you?”

  “No,” he grumbles.

  I stop the car. “Oh, alright, but I’m driving on the way back because if anything happens once we have Mrs. Graham, I’d be up shit’s creek.”

  It’s amusing how fast we change places, but Carter’s a responsible driver, and in forty minutes, we’re there.

  And waiting.

  There was a pileup on the highway going in the other direction and they’re swamped. It’s all hands on deck, so a tiny woman with huge hair tells us we’re going to have to wait. Carter finds a shady spot behind the morgue and parks the hearse.

  I get out and find a nice place to sit under a row of maple trees that line the back parking lot. Behind me, the driver’s side door slams shut as Carter fol
lows.

  “How long do you think they’ll be?” he asks as he spreads out his suit jacket, motioning for me to move over so I don’t have to sit on the grass.

  I do, a little guiltily because his jacket probably costs way more than my skirt. One feel of the silky interior confirms my suspicion. Definitely high end. “Who knows? We could drive home, but they’d probably call as soon as we got back.” I check the time. “I’m sure it’s just extra busy because people were at lunch.”

  He nods, sitting down next to me on the open jacket. I kick off my shoes, trying to ignore how intimate it feels to be so close. Carter stretches out next to me, shifting onto his side.

  “So, while we wait, what should we do?” His words are innocent, but the sparkle in his eye tells me that whatever he’s got in mind, isn’t.

  “We wait. Enjoy the weather. Keep it professional.”

  I lie all the way down, closing my eyes and just listen to summer. There’s a muffled sound of traffic from the main road, but more immediately, there’s a bumblebee making its way through the flowers nearby, and birds twittering in the trees above us. Sunlight filters through the leaves, leaving spots of warmth that travel across my exposed skin as a quiet breeze moves the branches.

  The little trails of warmth go cold, and I open one eye to find out why. Carter’s staring down with that gorgeous, sexy smile aimed right at me.

  “Um… hi?” I respond in my best can-I-help-you tone.

  “Waiting’s boring.”

  “Okay… go for a jog or something.”

  “In my suit? Too hot for that.”

  “Take it off. I’m sure the patients would love the show.” I close my eyes, pretending not to care if he follows my suggestion, while inside, I’m making popcorn and lining up with the rest of the eager spectators.

  “Hmm. That’s not a bad idea.”

  Wait, really?

  Fine, I can’t help it. I peek.

  He unbuttons his cuffs and rolls them up, revealing the tanned and inked skin of his powerful forearms. Then he unbuttons his shirt, every little movement revealing a bit more of his chest. The whole time, he looks right at me with a sly expression, the corners of his eyes crinkled in amusement, like he expects me to stop him.

  “Um, Carter?”

  “What?” As another button goes, a light dusting of curly hair on his chest comes slowly into view. It’s incredibly distracting.

  “You do realize I was kidding, right?” I swallow and lick my lips.

  “Really? Huh.” Carter leans closer. “I’m not sure I believe you.”

  This would be a great time to move away. Maybe even stand up and check on the situation in the hospital. Instead, my fingers twitch, wondering if that trail of hair that disappears into his slacks is coarse or soft. “Well, it’s true! We’re in the hospital parking lot, for cripes sake.” I look around, searching for an excuse to get this back on track, but it’s totally quiet back here. “What if someone shows up and sees?”

  “Sees what?” He grins suggestively. “A man with his shirt off in the summer? That’s not exactly front page gossip. Or were you thinking of something else? Something we’d need more privacy for?” The gravel in his voice crunches lower, huskier.

  “Of course not… You’re reading way too much into…” I don’t so much stop talking as I completely lose track of what I meant to say as I watch him work the rest of his shirt open. One good tug and he’ll be bare-chested.

  “Sadie, Sadie, Sadie. I don’t think you mind nearly as much as you say you do.”

  “I totally mind. We need to keep things professional, remember?”

  Carter takes my hand and places it on the middle of his chest. I can feel the beat of his heart under his smooth, warm skin. “No matter what happens between us, I promise it won’t make any difference in our business negotiations, but I’m done pretending nothing is going to happen.”

  “Nothing’s going to happen,” I whisper weakly. “After this, we’re done.”

  “After this, we’re just getting started.” Carter lets go of my hand and cages me in with his arms, pinning me to the spot without even touching me. Having him so close sets my blood racing. God, I don’t want to want him, but my hand feels glued to his chest and the heat building between my legs has nothing to do with the summer weather. No wonder he’s so sure of himself.

  He’s like sex personified.

  And I’m starting to wonder why I’m fighting so hard to stay away.

  Should I be flattered? Or am I fooling myself by thinking that I might be more than a throwaway conquest? In principle, I’m not even exactly opposed to a little no strings attached sex, but he’s so wound up in my life that we’re not just talking strings—this is a whole ball of yarn. Things are complicated enough that there’s not enough ice cream in the world to deal with the potential fallout.

  “Nothing to say?” Carter’s dark chocolate eyes watch me like he’s reading my every thought and secret urge. By the smile tugging on his lips, he knows I’m only one frayed principle away from tearing off my clothes and letting him do what he wants to me. It’s almost enough to make a girl want to invest in a good bodice to be ripped off.

  I give it one last shot, moving my other hand to join the first in an attempt to push him away. But it only makes the situation worse. His skin is hot, and his muscles sinfully textured underneath my fingers. I want to rub against him, to explore every ridge and plane. The only thing stopping me isn’t my steely resolve, it’s the fact that we’re in a freaking parking lot in Stinson, PA.

  I mean, if this is going to happen, I’m a grown woman. I have my own condo, and an office, or even just the backseat of my car. Not that we’re going to be doing anything that requires that kind of privacy, because we’re not.

  Probably.

  He leans closer, doing a slow push-up over me but forgetting about the up part. If I tried to do it I’d end up on the ground in two seconds flat, but Carter doesn’t seem to even notice.

  “I’m not going to screw you in the hospital parking lot,” I say, way too breathily.

  “Okay.” He smiles.

  “Okay?”

  “I was just going for a kiss anyway.” And then he closes the gap.

  Dammit, I don’t want to give in when he presses his full, sexy, soft lips against mine, but I do. As soon as we connect, my lips part of their own volition. My skin flushes and my heartbeat doubles as his tongue slides into my mouth. At least we’re near the ER if I have a heart attack.

  My arms betray me too. As we press together, they wrap themselves around his neck, my fingers clutching at his hair, tugging him against me. He eases his weight down, settling between my legs. Inevitably, that means my skirt rides up and the smooth weave of his slacks slides against my bare thighs while we make out like a pair of lovesick teenagers. I can’t believe I’m doing this, but it feels right.

  “Fuck, woman, you’re driving me crazy,” he gasps against my lips.

  I curl my hands into his hair, pulling his face back down. “Shut up and kiss me.”

  His hand glides down my ribcage and over the curve of my waist, tugging at my blouse until he’s touching bare skin. The pounding of my heart warns that we’re approaching a dangerous precipice, but I ignore it and willingly throw myself off the edge.

  Talented fingers gently quest upwards until he’s teasing the sensitive flesh right under the curve of my breast. I moan into his mouth and he takes it for what it is, encouragement, and then he’s cupping me over the lace of my bra, his thumb rubbing against my left nipple.

  Carter feathers kisses down my jawline and into the hollow of my neck. “I want to rip your clothes off. Right here. I don’t fucking care if anyone’s watching. I’m going to make you scream so hard they send the ambulance.” His voice is rough with need and right in my ear, every word sending a jolt of electricity through me.

  I slide my hands down his chest, settling them at his waist and not quite sure if I’m trying to push him away or get him even closer.
A car honks on the road nearby and I momentarily come to my senses, but I might as well be trying to lift a car. Maybe I should take Josie up on her offer to show me around the gym. On the other hand, he does feel quite nice…

  No. “Carter…” I half say, half moan, trying to slow things down enough to at least stay on the right side of an indecent exposure charge. “We can’t. Not here.”

  Taking my hand in his and easily pinning it to the ground above my head, he gives me a grin that would make the big bad wolf proud. “Can’t? Or shouldn’t? Because I definitely can.” He shifts his hips, giving me an up close and personal preview of exactly how sure he is.

  I swallow, vulnerable beneath him in spite of knowing he’s mostly teasing. At least for now. God, we really shouldn’t be doing this. And I really need to stop telling myself that, if all I’m going to is keep turning into a lust filled pile of mush as soon as he looks at me.

  Then my phone rings. An easy out, saving me from having to make a decision. “Can’t. That’s probably the hospital.”

  He groans in resignation, placing one last kiss against my neck before moving away so I can grab the phone. “Pretty sure that’s the first time I’ve been cock blocked by a corpse.”

  I stifle an inappropriate giggle before answering my cell. “Hello? Sure, we’ll be right there.”

  Carter sighs and puts his shirt back on. I can’t help reaching out one last time and running my fingers over his chest. He wraps his hand around mine, giving me a look that could melt steel, let alone my panties. “Remember what I told you? We’re just getting started.”

  It feels like everyone must be able to tell what we were doing as Carter helps a gangly male nurse maneuver the gurney into the back of our hearse, but the addition of Mrs. Graham is a much needed bucket of ice water for my libido.

  In spite of my earlier protestations, I don’t say a word when Carter climbs into the driver’s seat. My brain is in overdrive, thinking of every possible worst case scenario for both the immediate and long term future.