Hot and Handy: A Small Town Romantic Suspense (Shameless Southern Nights Book 3)

by J. H. Croix

  I felt him starting to get close. His thrusts became uneven and faster, while his groans ran into one. I held onto him, licking, sucking, and stroking.

  I clenched my thighs together, moaning as I fought the urge to bring my fingers to my clit. I was so damn close, too, hovering at the edge.

  At the last minute, Evan rose swiftly, dislodging me as he shifted up. In a flash, he rolled me onto my back. His eyes were dark and heavy as he held himself over me. I arched my hips and felt his tip graze my aching clit.

  I moaned at the contact. Evan let out a low hiss of his own. “You’re killing me.”

  My hips bucked again. “Looks who’s talking.”

  Despite his tightly restrained muscles and beads of sweat on his forehead that told me he was as needy and close as I was, he flashed me a wicked smile. “True, but I’m in no rush.”

  He settled in to drive me wild with his lips, teeth, and tongue, his fingers trailing whisper soft paths on my skin. He teased my nipples, bringing them to aching peaks as I gasped and flexed into him.

  I cried out, losing myself to the abyss of pleasure as he pushed me higher and higher. He worked me right to the edge a few times but wouldn’t let me go over it.

  Mind hazy with need and desire, I writhed and begged for release. He didn’t make me wait any longer, sheathing himself with a condom before sinking inside of me. With slow, maddening strokes, he drove me to a climax.

  Only after he’d pushed me past the precipice a second time did he finally find his own release. Collapsing on top of me, he kissed the crook of my neck and rolled us over where I fell against him, sated and boneless.

  Evan sifted his fingers through my hair lazily, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “I should go shower. Lori will probably be bringing Emery home soon.”

  My eyes slid to the clock on my nightstand. “We have about an hour before they get here. Would you like some breakfast?”

  I rolled onto my side and propped up on my elbow, the sheet draped across my chest. Evan slid out of bed totally and gloriously naked, unashamed of his body. Not that he had a single damn thing to be ashamed of. Nature had blessed him, ridiculously so.

  In the soft light of the early morning, the rays of sunlight filtering through my open curtains gave his golden skin a glowing look. The lean muscles in his arms and back rippled as he moved.

  Broad shoulders tapering to a narrower waist gave him almost a swimmer’s build, but he was stockier with well-defined blocks on his torso and deeply defined lines between his hips arrowing to his cock. One long look at him, and I could’ve gone for another round.

  “Sadie?” He smirked when he saw where my gaze had drifted. I flushed but refused to apologize for getting caught staring. His eyes narrowed and despite our vigorous morning session, I saw him start to harden under my scrutiny. “I’m starting to wonder what you were offering breakfast.”

  I sat up, shoving the sheet aside to clamber out of bed and snag a robe to wear while making our food. “Oh no. I would’ve loved to be offering what you think I was offering, but I can’t. Emery will be here in an hour, and I’m starving.”

  He stalked toward me, still stark naked. Sliding his hands onto my hips, he pulled me in for a deep kiss.

  “There’s a lot we can do in an hour, but I can’t do anything about the fact you’re starving.” He spoke against my lips.

  I leaned back enough to allow him to see the smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. “Well done. I was fully expecting something along the lines of ‘I have something that will fill you right up, baby.’”

  Evan laughed, stepping away from me and walking toward to the bathroom. “Sorry, you just missed that line.”

  “Let me know to whom I should address the thank you note for that.” I smiled and left the room.

  Breakfast was simple with yogurt, cereal, and coffee. I finished setting everything out and took my first sip of coffee when Evan came into the kitchen.

  The smell of my soap wafted from him. I liked that he had showered here. It felt domestic, made us feel more real somehow, cemented. He filled his bowl and took a seat beside me. “What’s your work schedule like this week? When can I see you?”

  “My next day off isn’t until next weekend,” I told him, already dreading what was inevitably going to be another long week without him. We were still so very new, but I was getting used to having him around and spending time with him. When he wasn’t around, time dragged.

  He sighed and ran a hand through his wet hair. “I can’t wait that long.”

  “Me either,” I admitted. I appreciated that he wasn’t playing games with me. He was honest, said what he wanted to say, and didn’t leave me guessing about whether he wanted to see me again or not.

  We ate our breakfast, both lost in our own thoughts. When I walked him to the door, there were less than thirty minutes before Lori and Emery would be home. Evan pulled me close, holding me tightly before lifting my chin with a gentle finger and crashing his mouth down onto mine.

  It was a needy kiss, a desperate one as if he were trying to borrow strength or energy to get through the week without me. His tongue darted into my mouth, tangling with mine until I melted against him, moaning softly.

  The kiss turned hungry then, his one hand tightening on my hip and the other tunneling roughly into my hair. I wound my arms around his neck and combed my fingers through the damp, silky strands of his.

  He groaned, breathing heavily as he lifted his face away from mine. “I’d better go while I can still walk.”

  I rolled my hips against him, feeling the hot, hard length of him. My own need throbbed and pulsed between my legs. I felt the slick heat of my desire when I moved.

  “You’d better, yeah. While I’ll still let you walk.”

  “You going to chain me to your bed and keep me as your sex toy?”

  I nodded seriously. “I might. Go. Before the chains come out.”

  He lowered his lips to mine again and pressed a chaste kiss to my mouth. “I’ll stop by the diner a few times this week to see you.”

  “Okay.” Warmth flooded my chest that he wanted to see me before my next day off.

  Capturing my hand, he wound our pinkies together. “Promise me you’ll let me know if you have any updates on anything at the firm?”

  “I promise,” I said, turning his hand to kiss the back of it.

  “And promise you’ll be careful,” he said firmly.

  I kissed his hand again. “I promise.”

  After he left, I headed to the bathroom. Lori and Emery arrived minutes after I stepped out of the shower. I threw on some comfortable clothes and went to meet them, rubbing my wet hair with a towel as I walked down the hallway to them.

  Emery nearly knocked me over from running so fast. She called out over her shoulder. “Hi, Mommy. Sorry, Mommy. Bathroom.” I nodded and kept going.

  Lori smiled at me when I walked into the kitchen. “Looks like someone had a good night that turned into a good morning.”

  Biting my lip, I nodded shyly. “It sure was. Thanks so much for watching her again.”

  “You get the answers you wanted?” she asked, cocking her head.

  “I did. I think we’re going to be okay,” I confessed, unable to hide the smile spreading on my lips.

  Lori met my gaze, her voice softening. “You really like him, huh?”

  “I really, really do.”

  A genuine smile lit up her face, followed by a hint of worry flashing in her eyes. “I’m so happy for you. You deserve a man who makes you look as radiant and happy as you do this morning. I really hope Evan’s not like his dad.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Evan

  “Here you go, boss.” Phoenix pulled a mug free from the coffee machine in my office and set it down on my desk. I appreciated how careful he was not to put it down on one of the designs I was working on.

  The smell of freshly roasted beans hung in the air, and the machine made low electronic noises as it made Phoenix's coff
ee. I lifted the mug to my mouth and savored the taste of the dark, bitter brew. “This was a good call.”

  Phoenix had convinced me to order a stronger roast than usual when I placed my monthly order a week ago, and I was thankful for it now. I needed the pick-me-up. The week felt like it’d been three years long when in reality, it was only Wednesday. Day three, not year three.

  “Thanks for letting me hide in your office with you.” Phoenix grinned, heaving his big body into a chair when his coffee was done.

  I scoffed. “We’re not hiding. We’re taking a coffee break.”

  Phoenix separated two rungs of the blinds that hung in my office and peeked out at the workshop floor. “Feels a lot like hiding. We’ve still got a shit ton of work to do.”

  “Which is why we needed coffee,” I told him, motioning with my cup. “It’s going to be a long day.”

  At the end of it, I wanted nothing more than to see Sadie, but she was working tonight. At most, I got a few texts from her during the day. Nothing more than that. She was busy. I was busy. I got it, but it sucked.

  When my phone buzzed somewhere under the heaps of paper on my desk, I lunged for it. Slamming my palms down, I felt around until my hand curled around it.

  Tapping in my password, I opened my texts. Spam. Great. Phoenix smirked. “Is that your girl? You don’t look too happy with whatever she said.”

  “Fuck off,” I muttered. “It’s not her. It’s someone trying to sell me extra insurance.”

  Phoenix faked a shudder. “I hate spam. If I wanted fucking insurance, I would’ve called.”

  I tapped the side of my nose. “My thoughts exactly.”

  A mischievous look entered Phoenix's eyes. He rolled his shoulders back, the corners of his lips quirked up. “You know what I don’t hate?”

  I sighed, knowing I was walking into a trap. “What?”

  “Hearing about my friend’s new woman,” he chirped happily, chuckling. “You gotta tell me about the girl who stole your heart.”

  Widening my eyes mockingly, I clutched at my chest. “What? She stole it?”

  Phoenix laughed, shaking his head. “You know what I mean.”

  I smoothed out my shirt. “My heart’s still right here, buddy. Hate to break it to you.”

  He narrowed his blue eyes on mine. “I don’t think it’s all still there. I think she’s got a chunk of it with her.”

  No. Nope, no way. “We’re nowhere near our hearts getting involved yet.” A flat out lie but I wasn’t ready to contemplate more, much less chat about it.

  He cast a dubious glance my way, lifting one of his nearly invisible brows. “If you say so.”

  “I say so.”

  He kept teasing me about Sadie while we had our coffee, but I shrugged it off. When we were done, I shooed him back to work.

  I hit the workshop floor to a flood of questions from my guys. It felt like everyone wanted my opinion on something for a minute. We were booking new customers every day, though, and if my input made the client happy, I would gladly give it.

  Throwing myself into work for the rest of the day, I barely noticed the time passing. Sadie was always there at the back of mind, but I kept her there where I knew she was lingering, but I could also get my work done.

  Covered in smears of brown grease and smelling like a workshop, I rubbed the sweat off my brow with only a patch of clean skin left on my forearm and locked up. The sun was almost completely set and most of the guys had gone home.

  The ones who were still around were changing in the locker room we kept around the back. As soon as the shop was closed, I was planning on heading home myself. Scrubbing for about an hour should get all the muck off me if I had any chance of ever being clean again.

  Snapping shut the lock on the front entrance, I plodded to my truck. Exhaustion crept into my bones. It’d been a long couple of days of manual labor. The busier we got, the more weight I had to pull. Physically, administratively, and creatively.

  Soon, I was going to have to give one of those up. I wasn’t going to be able to be actively involved in every aspect of the business forever. It made sense to delegate one of those things to someone else, but I was having trouble facing that reality.

  The business was my damn baby. You didn’t just hand over a piece of your baby.

  Exhausted and preoccupied, I didn’t immediately notice someone waiting for me out in the parking lot. A gleaming silver luxury vehicle I happened to know they didn’t sell anywhere near Cypress Creek was parked in the darkening shadows of the trees in the corner of our lot.

  A man lingered near the bench under the trees. I startled when I saw him, but then my instincts took over.

  Fear wasn’t a factor as I watched the man emerge from the shadows and approach me. My shoulders lifted slightly and angled forward, my chest broadening. It was a defensive stance, but since I didn’t know who the man was and why the hell he was waiting for me in the shadows outside my shop, I figured I’d rather be safe than sorry.

  Against the shop’s outer walls, there were several perimeter lights that lit up when they detected motion. As soon as the man triggered the first one, I saw who he was.

  Ken Lyons.

  My eyes narrowed, my teeth smashing against each other. I only knew who he was from that picture Sonny showed us not so long ago, but it was definitely him. Same tailored kind of suit, graying hair, and small eyes. The words he’d said to Sadie echoed in my head. How much for a night with you?

  He wasn’t even near me yet, and energy coursed through me. All issues with my father aside, this creep had hit on Sadie. This man was one of the high-level players in the criminal enterprise my father was a part of if Sonny was right about him. There weren’t many people I trusted, but I trusted my brother and his instincts.

  Every time I thought about what Sadie told me he’d said to her, anger flashed hot and high. Bile rose in the back of my throat.

  Ken spoke when he came close to me, standing so the light illuminated him from the back but partially hid his face. Fucking coward. “You don’t know who I am, but I’m aware you’ve been in touch with your father.”

  I didn’t clue him in that I knew who he was. “So?”

  “So I was wondering why you finally went to see him after all these years of having no contact with him.” Ken’s voice was sure and smooth, curious but edged with cold venom. He was smooth. I’d give him that.

  I glared at him, shoving my hands into my pockets. “Fuck off. It’s none of your business.”

  “On the contrary, son,” he said. Standing still, he regarded me for another minute or so before he turned on his heel and left.

  My eyes narrowed to slits as I watched him leave. What the fuck was that all about?

  He hadn’t threatened, pushed, or even asked for any information. He was one strange motherfucker. I made a mental note to tell Sonny about the exchange, but he wasn’t my immediate concern or my first priority.

  Sadie was. The man behaved strangely when he was here. He was after something, and since I didn’t know what it was, I was on edge.

  Worry replaced the hatred and the anger, turning the heat in my blood to ice. What if Ken had connected me to her? What happened if and when he did? Fuck.

  I yanked my phone out of my back pocket and jogged the rest of the way to my truck. The need to speak to her was choking me. I needed to hear her voice and know she was okay and that the fucker didn’t hurt her. I was planning on visiting her at work tomorrow, but I was seriously considering driving there right now.

  Gripping the phone so hard I was afraid I was about to crush it, I pressed it to my ear. The phone rang, but there was no answer. I tried again, but the same thing happened.

  A fist was closing around my throat, cutting off my air supply. Breathe, Evan.

  I gulped in a few deep breaths of air. Keeping my cool when I was angry came as second nature to me, but being this worried about someone else’s safety? It didn’t come naturally to me.

  Forcing myself t
o take a beat and think clearly, I texted her. She’d told me her next day off was only over the weekend, which meant she was at work.

  She couldn’t answer her phone at either of her jobs. She’s fine.

  My knees wouldn’t stop bouncing while I waited for her reply. When it came through, I released a breath in a dizzying sigh of relief.

  I’m at work. Can’t talk. Everything okay?

  Fuck. My head fell back against my seat. Thank God.

  I was going to have to find out from Sonny how he handled it when Niki was in the line of fire because this shit was ridiculous.

  Chapter Twelve

  Sadie

  “Sadie,” my boss snapped. I hadn’t heard him come up behind me. It was near the end of my shift at the diner, and I was refilling the condiments. My thoughts weren’t on the diner. They were miles away at the garage with Evan.

  Startled, I jumped. “Do you need anything, Mr. Ray?”

  The balding man glowered at me. I didn’t know what I did to earn his wrath this time, but it could’ve been anything, either real or imagined. “I’ve checked the roster for this weekend.”

  “Yes, sir.” I felt a pit forming in the bottom of my stomach. The rampage my boss was on to force staff to take extra shifts, specifically over weekends, was well-known and intensely hated.

  His mottled chin shook from anger. I held back a laugh, knowing it was likely to get me fired if I let it out. The man looked comedic when he was trying to be intimidating. “I noticed your name wasn’t on it.”

  “It’s not, sir. As you know, I have a daughter. I work the Saturday shifts when I can, but I can’t work every weekend.” It was an argument we’d had time and time again. Whether he genuinely forgot each time or thought I would give in if he pursued the point relentlessly, I didn’t know.

  “The least you could do if you can’t work over the weekend is to pick up extra shifts during the week,” he said, his voice rising and becoming thinner.

  I suppressed a sigh. This was another argument we’d already had. “I work two jobs. When I leave here, I go to my second job. I don’t have any extra time to work extra shifts.”