by Jill Downey
“Look at those stars,” he said, before getting off his bike and giving her a hand. She removed the helmet and handed it back to Jesse. The ocean breeze stirred tendrils of her hair that had escaped its clasp.
Looking up she said, “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? It always makes me feel so small…in a good way.”
He looked down at her, his expression suddenly serious, “You’re beautiful.”
Her breath caught as their gazes locked.
“I meant what I said back there, about not walking home alone this late at night.”
“Believe me, I heard you. That was frightening. From here on out, I’ll take my bicycle.”
The air was thick with awareness. The ride over had tousled his coppery brown hair and she wondered how it would feel to rake her fingers through it. Could he really see everything she was thinking and feeling or was it her imagination working overtime? Talk about feeling stripped bare. Geesh.
Suddenly self-conscious, she broke eye contact. Her emotions pinged all over the place…from fear to desire and back again…yet she felt drawn in by this man, somehow safe, cared for… and above all, she felt like a woman. The chemistry between them was insane. He got back on his bike.
“Um…well…I don’t know what to say or how to thank you. I’ve never been rescued before.”
His eyes flickered with some emotion, then he put on his helmet and started up his motorcycle. “I’m glad to have met you Faye LeBlanc. I’ll be your protector anytime.”
“I owe you a beer or two on the house. You’d better take me up on it or I’ll never forgive you.”
Eyes glittering, he said, “I’ll be there to redeem them, make no mistake about that. I’ll drop those cards off tomorrow.”
She felt her belly flip flop. “Good night then.”
He reached his hand toward her face, then pulled it back. “Good night Faye.”
She hugged herself as she watched him drive away.
Damn but that girl is fine! He circled back around to make sure he saw lights come on inside. She woke every latent alpha male instinct he had. She was slim and willowy, delicate. He was surprised by how attracted he was to her because generally, he went for the voluptuous curvy type... Maybe he’d finally learned his lesson on that score.
The dark smudges under her eyes only made them stand out more. Her eyes! Almost the color of a cornflower. The most vivid blue he’d ever seen. His jaw clenched remembering them wide with fear, which had made him want to pick her up and carry her off to his lair.
He was glad he’d listened to his gut feeling about the guy at the bar. It had paid off...big time. He’d decided to make sure she made it safely to her car. Except she didn’t have a car. What the hell had she been thinking walking home alone at one o’clock in the morning?
It had surprised him how badly he had wanted to beat the shit out of that asshole. He'd noticed the guy ogling her all night. Not that he was innocent on that score. He’d been aware of her the entire evening. How she’d moved, gracefully…like a dancer, her smile, her laugh.
She could have stepped right off the cover of a magazine. She’d had on some gauzy skirt with a side slit that went all the way up her long sexy thigh. Her spaghetti strap top had plunged daringly low in the front and left her midriff bare. The outline of her nipples pressing against the fabric had made him hard.
The short ride to her place wasn’t nearly long enough. His body had practically hummed with pent up energy. Feeling her breasts press into his back and her warm hands on his belly had stoked a fire in his groin. He wanted more.
He could still feel the heat from where her slim arms had wrapped around his torso. Almost like he was branded. Next question, how to get this woman to agree to go out with him. His mind flashed to an image of her tangled blond hair fanned out across his pillow, her plump lips wet juicy and willing.
Unfortunately, time was a limited commodity. Both his crews were working full throttle and he had several jobs he had to put bids on in the morning...which, glancing at his watch, was only a few hours away. Tired but revved up, he’d be lucky to get in a couple of hours sleep before his alarm went off at six am.
She needed some security lights. It was way too dark in that parking lot. But that fell under the category of none of his business. He hoped that tonight would be a wakeup call. Maybe when tourist season was in full swing it’d be safe with all the people mingling about, but now it was deserted this time of night.
Fuck me! He had enough to worry about… how was it that in the length of one evening she managed to burrow under his skin. He couldn’t stop thinking about how vulnerable she was working at that bar by herself. Even as he told himself that it wasn’t his responsibility, a flash of her big blue eyes, wide with fear made it impossible for him to listen. He shook his head, she had cast some kind of spell over him and dammit, he wasn’t sorry. Suddenly he related to how Tarzan must have felt. He knew he’d have to revisit that safety conversation with her when he cashed in on his free beer.
2
After a crazy morning, Jesse finally found the time to check in on Faye. The door was open, so he let himself into the bar. He could hear loud banging coming from the back room and found her in the kitchen on hands and knees hammering a nail into a wooden shelf.
Leaning his head inside the door he said, “Knock knock.”
Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail and she had a bandana headband tied at the nape of her neck. She wore a white tank top under faded bib overalls. And all he could think about was taking them off. His mind went straight back to the feel of her breasts pressed against him.
Startled, she bumped her head when she heard him. At the sight of him her whole face lit up. She sat back on her heels and grinned, then held up the hammer like a trophy. Her cheek was streaked with dirt.
Eye’s sparkling, she greeted him. “Jesse! You’re here.”
His pulse quickened at her warm welcome. “Yes. Checking in to see how you’re doing…um…you know after last night.” He didn’t know why he was suddenly tongue tied.
“I’m okay. Everything seems better when the sun is shining.”
“You’ve got that right. What are you working on?”
“I’m finishing off this shelf I made, then at least I can cross one thing off my endless list.”
His eyebrows rose, “You built that yourself?”
Standing up gracefully in one smooth motion, she set the hammer on the shelf, then wiped her palms against her pant legs. “Yessir, all by my lonesome.”
“I’m impressed,” he smiled at her, utterly enchanted.
“What brings you here in the middle of the day? Are you ready for a cold one?”
“If you can take a break, I wouldn’t turn it down.”
She undid her ponytail then shook out her hair. As she brushed past him, the air practically crackled between them. The top of her head came just about to his chin, which put her about five-eight if he had to guess. Her arms looked like pencils to him, all feminine, skin silky smooth and soft...made him want to find out just how soft. He caught a faint scent of flowers, fresh and clean, delicious.
“What’s your poison?” she asked.
“How about a Heineken?”
“My personal fave. I think I’ll join you. Let’s go out and sit on my rickety deck. I have a couple of lawn chairs we can sit on.”
“Sold.”
Spying the chairs leaning against the wall, he set his beer on a plank and fetched them. Opening her chair first, he swept his hand inviting her to sit. He followed suit. He leaned his head back and guzzled half the bottle in one swig.
“Thirsty much?” she drawled.
He wiped his forearm across his mouth, then grinned. “I’m a guy, what can I say?”
“Yes, you are definitely a guy.” Her eyes flickered as they lingered on his lips. He felt his dick respond.
“How long have you had the bar?” he asked.
“Coming up on three months. Open for a couple of weeks.”
“Quite the undertaking. This place has been abandoned for years.”
“Yep. A smarter person would have demolished it and started over, but I’m just a tad bit sentimental. I decided on the preservation route. I’m questioning my sanity at this point.”
“I think it’s admirable that you want to preserve a part of our southern heritage. This place is as old as dirt. I’m all about history and the vibe of a place. If these walls could talk—you know what I mean?”
She smiled at him, revealing dimples, as her eyes lit from within. He swallowed hard. “So what happened with the contractor?”
A fine line appeared between her brows, “I have no idea. He came, gave me an estimate, told me when he could start, then he never showed. After I left a half dozen messages, he called back and said he was tied up in another project and couldn’t get to mine. Basically, I’m screwed. I can’t find anybody. I’m doing what I can do by myself and practicing patience.” She laughed and said, “YouTube has been a gift from the Almighty! I have dreams for this place.” She took a sip of beer gazing out over the water.
“This location is prime. I think you made a wise investment.”
She gripped the bottle tightly, “Thank you for saying that. You’re the only one. Most people think I’m nuts. I guess time will tell.”
“You’ve gotta start with a dream.”
She turned her gaze back to him and searched his eyes as if looking for something. She must have found it because that warm smile lit up her face again, wreaking havoc with his pulse.
She sighed leaning back into her chair, “I was born a dreamer. That’s the easy part for me.”
Jesse took a long look around, the rotted deck planks, the dilapidated railings, the roof that’s shelf life had expired twenty years ago...the sagging overhang, and God only knew what else was hidden from view. He gritted his teeth trying not to jump in and offer to help. He had stacks of work upon work that he wasn’t caught up with in his own company. He had no business offering his services…and yet…
“I can help,” slipped out before he could stop himself. You dumb ass! How the hell are you going to help!
Her eyes widened as her mouth opened in surprise. “You can? Really? Aren’t you swamped?”
“I can make it work. I’ll have to make a few arrangements, but yes, I’ll help.”
Shrieking, she jumped out of her chair and leaned down to give him a big hug. “Bless your little heart! I’ll pay you anything. I will give you free beers for the rest of your life. I will name my firstborn after you.”
Jesse laughed, a warm feeling spreading throughout his body. “After I take care of a couple of things, we’ll have a business meeting to hash out the details of what you’re hoping to get done this season. Then I’ll give you an estimate. How’s that sound?”
She clapped her hands together then twirled around in a circle. “Are you kidding me? It’s like a miracle. And I’m going to owe a beer to that piece of work from last night.”
“I should be able to stop in here first of next week.” He didn’t know who was doing the talking, because it couldn’t be the business owner, Jesse Carlisle; he knew that he couldn’t bite off one more thing. But dammit, it was worth every little bit of inconvenience he was about to experience, to see her face light up like that. What was it about this woman that made him go all knight-in-shining-armor? He’d never hear the end of it from his crew.
“Should we shake on it?” she asked.
He held out his hand and she slipped her palm into his. She gave him a lopsided grin. “You probably just saved me from financial ruin. Thank you, Jesse.”
He winked at her and said, “My pleasure.” You dumb ass, you’ve really fucked up royally this time. Too late now, not a whole helluvalot you can do about it. But truth be told, he didn’t want to take it back. His body hummed with excitement. He felt invigorated and realized it been too damn long since he’d felt this alive. He’d make this work and the bonus? He’d be able to personally make sure she was safe.
“I’d best be getting back to work. I’ve got to tie up a few loose ends before I can start here.”
Faye clapped her hands together again and let out a squeal, almost a squeak, which made his heart skip a beat. Adorable. Dammit, keeping his hands to himself was going to be a challenge. She lit some kind of fire inside of him. She must have seen it on his face because suddenly she became still. Their eyes locked and the only thing that felt real was the electrified air between them. She blinked and the moment was gone.
Clearing her throat, she said, “I’ll wait to hear from you. I’m here every day from about eight in the morning until closing time. I’m not open for business until four during the off season. Gives me time to work on things.”
“Good to know. I’ll see you around.”
She beamed at him. “I’m so excited I could burst! You’re making my dreams come true Jesse Carlisle.”
He had a spring in his step that wasn’t there a day before and he found himself whistling as he climbed onto his motorcycle.
3
Faye stood on her tiptoes at the very top rung of the ladder and stretched as far as she could to reach the ceiling tile that needed replaced. She bit her lip in concentration knowing she was in a precarious position, her balance hovering on the edge. Someone has to do it. For the first time it struck her how much she really was on her own. Which is how she wanted it. Right? Today was a typical Monday…everything that could go wrong so far had done so.
It had started when she’d parked her bicycle by the back door. Someone had decided to spray paint profanities and graffiti all over the exterior wall. Hard to not take it personally. Then her beer distributor had made the delivery but had shorted her order…she wouldn’t make it through the week even if business was slow. At least they had promised to return the following day. From there she’d discovered that her freezer had conked out. A setback, but at least it hadn’t been stocked with food yet. Adding insult to injury, she’d hammered her thumb when she was nailing down a loose floorboard. It still throbbed.
“Hey sis, you’re going to break your neck!”
She turned and saw her brother Griffin standing in the doorway.
“Griffin!” Quickly climbing down the ladder, she ran over to give him a hug.
“How’s it going?”
She rolled her eyes, “It’s a disaster really. And I don’t want to hear any I told you so’s or so help me I’ll hammer your toes.”
Griffin grinned, then he noticed how tired his sister looked. “You look like shit sis.”
“Turns out owning a bar is more than just pouring drinks and making conversation—who’d have known?”
“Me, for one, and all your friends, oh and who can forget dear old Dad, and brother Kyle for starters…”
Laughing she held up her hand. “Stop! Message received. I’m just venting anyway. I’m actually enjoying it. Call me crazy.”
“That among many other things.”
Looking him up and down she said, “By your country club golf attire, I take it you didn’t come here to help out.”
He smirked, “Hardly. I just came to check on you.”
“You have to swear to keep things between us! No reports to big brother and especially not to Daddy! Do you hear me?”
“Yes, sis I hear you. My lips are sealed.” He pantomimed locking his lips and throwing away the key.
“Be serious! You have to promise.”
“Yes, I promise. Listen sis, hear me out, what I lack in mechanical skill I make up for in my hefty bank account. I’d like to donate to the cause.”
Faye straightened and put her hands on her hips challengingly, “I told you I’m not accepting any family money. I’m doing this all on my own…of course I’m not forgetting my trust fund was the seed money to begin with.”
His lips twisted, “Yes if you don’t remember that little gem, Daddy will be sure to remind you.”
“So far he’s staying completely out of it.”
“Only because his primary residence is now in Palm Springs.”
I don’t know Griff; I think he’s mellowing in his old age.”
“I’ll concede he’s better than he used to be…not by much though,” Griffin said.
They both turned when the front entrance door opened and there he was. Jesse. Faye’s face heated and her whole body tingled. She pressed a hand to her throat as he stood there flashing that killer smile…gleaming white teeth…he should have to wear a warning sign.
His eyes narrowed speculatively when he saw Griffin standing next to her.
“Hi Jess, come on in,” Faye called out. “This is…” she cleared her throat, “A friend of mine, Griffin Jones.” She gave her brother a warning look catching his attention before he could say otherwise. He recovered quickly, hiding his surprise and held out his hand. Jesse grasped it firmly and the two men sized each other up.
“Hey Jess, what’s up?” Griffin said.
Jesse nodded his head toward Faye, “Here for a consultation with Faye.”
Griffin raised his eyebrows, “A consult huh? What about?”
Discreetly kicking him with her toe she said, “Griffin was just leaving. I’ll walk him out and be right back.” She grabbed Griffin’s arm and tugged him out the front door.
The minute the door closed behind them, she glared at him and hissed, “What was that about? It’s none of your business what we’re about to discuss.”
He grinned and winked, “Your cheeks are all red. Where did this dude come from?”
“I repeat, none of your business. I’ve got to get back in there. Remember, you’re not my brother! You’re an old friend. That goes for anytime you’re in the bar. And my last name is LeBlanc not Bennett, Got it?”
“Why the deception?”
She gave an exasperated sigh, “A multitude of reasons. It’s not really deception, after all it is mom’s maiden name. Besides I told you, I don’t want anyone to know I’m associated with the Bennetts and I don’t want my crazy ex to be able to find me. But mostly, I want to be judged by my own merit and not as a spoiled little rich girl. I want to be liked for who I am not for what I can buy. Besides it’s different for a guy, rich and powerful is a bonus. For women, it either intimidates the good ones or attracts the one’s that just want to use you. Men like to be the one with the power.”
