by Vivian Arend
Len held her. His heart racing, his mind racing as well. They were good together, like he always figured they would be. As much as he was glad they had this time together, he was worried he’d made a horrid mistake giving in and taking for even this short while.
They were good together. And saying goodbye down the road was going to hurt a hell of a lot.
Chapter Ten
Loud banging jerked her away from her task. Janey laid her hammer on the floor and made her way through the house to the back door, wiping her hands on her coveralls and preparing a smile for whoever was waiting for her.
Somehow, she kept it in place as she stared through the glass at Brad Jons. There was no avoiding him now.
He waved a hand, his bright smile flashing as she pulled the screen door open. “You’re a tough woman to get a hold of. I figured I could catch you here, though.”
“And you did,” Janey forced out. “Want to come in?”
He followed her into the kitchen. “I don’t want to interrupt you for long, but I needed to talk to you, and…” His smile twisted, no longer looking nearly so cocky. “I wondered if maybe you had the wrong idea about something, and if you’ve been trying to avoid me because of it.”
Janey hesitated. All kinds of possibilities were opened up by that comment, and she wasn’t sure which one she dared unwrap. Saying something noncommittal seemed the safest. “Oh, really?”
Brad nodded, glancing around at the renovations in her kitchen with admiration. “I know my uncle has been in contact with you a few times, but let’s face it, he’s not always upfront about what he’s got on his mind.”
He could say that again. “What does he have on his mind?” Janey asked.
Brad turned, his dark eyes examining her carefully. “I know you and I are in the same business, but I don’t think we’re rivals. In fact, I think we should be working together. There are some tasks that are too big for one person alone, plus there are times I get short-notice calls about projects when I’m already committed to another job.”
This was about work? “Wow. Yeah, I had no idea you wanted to talk to me about any kind of job.”
“Forget my uncle for now. The only reason he’s relevant is one of the jobs I took on in the last while is building maintenance for an apartment house he owns. That was kind of the straw that broke the camel’s back, because usually it doesn’t involve very difficult maintenance, but when something happens, it’s mayhem.”
Janey was still attempting to figure out exactly what Brad was offering. “Are you asking me to come work for you?”
Brad shook his head, then paused. “I’m not sure exactly what I’m suggesting. I don’t know if it would work for us to both maintain our individual businesses, but find a way to coordinate tasks, or if we should join together and set up one business—but that’s a pretty big step to dive into. We need to do a lot more talking first.”
“There are a lot of things to think about.” The biggest of which was she’d intended to leave at the end of summer. But if she didn’t have to go away to find the work she needed, it would be worth the work of setting up a deal with Brad.
He held out a business card. “Here’s the phone number for my accountant. Give it some thought. See if it’s something you’d consider, and if you’d like more information, set up a time that’s convenient for you to meet and I’ll be there. He said he’d be willing to go over options with us in terms of business arrangements.”
She was a little shocked by the speed of the whole thing. “That’s a very generous offer. You’d be basically sharing the business connections you’ve already established.”
He smiled, and this time it didn’t come across as a warning signal of trying to take advantage of her—just an honest expression of his pleasure, and a little tired around the edges. “See, there’s a difference between being thoughtful and saving my own ass. No good in me having an established business if I can’t satisfy my customers. Pretty soon those customers would be looking for other help. I prefer to keep them happy, and if that means bringing in a partner, that’s a better idea than screwing up what I’ve already worked so hard for.”
After that, Janey ended up giving him a tour of the entire house, Brad making appropriately enthusiastic comments about the changes she’d made.
By the time he left, her mind was in a whirl. This changed everything, maybe.
Co-owning a business had never been her intention, so it was a change of mindset she still had to work through. But there was so much potential in the idea, not the least of which meant she could stay in town. Close by her friends and everything she’d grown to appreciate.
Including, if she was honest, Len.
She dove into work for a couple of hours more before heading over to Katy’s house for lunch.
Her friend greeted her happily, laying little Tanner back in his car seat and lifting a finger to her lips. “Let me put him back in his room.”
Janey stirred the soup on the stove and grabbed the fixings for sandwiches. She had everything on the table by the time Katy returned.
“Well, that’s nice. I invite you for lunch and you do all the work.”
Janey blew a raspberry. “Hardly. You had most of it done.” She looked her friend over. “How’d you sleep last night?”
Katy wiggled her fingers. “I’m starting to get used to the mom thing. Waking in the middle of the night isn’t my favourite, but at least he’s not kicking my bladder anymore.”
They both sat and started on the food. “You’re going back to work at the garage sometime soon?” Janey asked.
Her friend nodded. “I can bring Tanner with me, or I can bring paperwork home and do it here.” She grinned. “One good thing about a family business, I guess. None of my brothers will object to having their nephew on the worksite, as long as he’s not in the way.”
“You’re going to have a mini grease monkey on your hands before you know it.”
Katy didn’t look at all upset. “I’m so happy,” she confessed.
Janey paused in the middle of scooping another spoonful of soup. “What brought that on?”
“If you’d told me a year ago what my life would be like now, I would’ve called bullshit.” Katy gestured around the house. “I know a lot of the trappings look the same, but the two big additions in my life, Gage and Tanner, make everything different.”
“Not to mention the accident, the amnesia, the whacked-out ex-boyfriend—” Janey stopped as Katy slapped up a hand. “What? You had all those things happen over the last year as well.”
All she got was a slow shake of the head from her friend. “Those aren’t what come to mind at all. It’s like, I know they’re there, and I can’t deny them because in some cases, one thing led to another, but the end result is I have so much in my life to be thankful for.”
Janey eyed her cautiously. “Are you pregnant? You’re like, really hormonal or something.”
A burst of laughter greeted her from across the table “Of course I’m not.” Katy sobered up a bit and looked thoughtful. “I don’t think so. Oh, God, I can’t be…”
It was Janey’s turn to laugh. “Better you than me. You have the rug-rats. I’m happy to be Auntie Janey to them all.”
Katy made a face. “You’re mean. And I’m not pregnant.”
They talked more, but Janey held back from saying anything about the possible job change.
Talk about a switch in situation. When she was done her renovations she was supposed to be off to Calgary. That’s what her parents thought, and her brother and sister. All her plans were aimed in that direction.
Yet, was it what she should do?
She paused in her work later that day, standing in the dining room at the house. Staring out the back window into the yard as Katy’s words echoed through her brain.
A year from that moment, where would she be? Would she be somewhere brand new? No longer seeing all of the familiar things, the familiar faces. Not being there as Katy’s kids grew up.
It was a wide-open question mark that lay before her, and now suddenly with Brad’s offer, there might be two roads she could choose to walk.
Len pushed open the door of Traders Pub, standing aside to let Janey enter ahead of him. A rush of music and heat wrapped around them with a sensual tease as he followed her into the crowded room. The dance-floor side of the pub was filled to capacity, and he wondered if they should try the other side, where there were pool tables and places to sit quietly.
Janey? Had no problem with how busy it was. She waded forward, keeping a tight grip on his hand as she smiled and nodded at everyone they passed.
“You want to sit with your family?” Janey asked, leaning back against his chest as she spoke. “Oh. Forget that. It looks like we’ve got a Thompson-Coleman free-for-all happening.”
He slipped an arm around her, happy as hell he had the privilege to touch her whenever he wanted. “Right. Mitch mentioned something. Birthday for one of the Colemans. Anna figured things might get rowdy.”
She laughed, squeezing his fingers briefly before tugging him with her as she threaded her way through the crowd. “Always nice when the cop in the family is on top of these things.”
The far corner of the pub had been taken over, familiar faces all around them.
She threw herself into the arms of a dark-haired woman who hugged her tightly. Over Janey’s shoulder, Tamara Coleman offered Len a wink then pulled him and Janey into the party.
Around one of the standing-room-only tables, the surface littered with shot glasses and beer bottles, a pack of the Coleman family was gathered. The youngest, Raphael, wore a tolerant smile as one of his cousins propped a tiara on his cowboy hat.
Len reached through the mob to offer his hand. “Another year older.”
“But not any wiser,” some joker shouted in the background.
Rafe shouted back. “I don’t have to get any wiser to be smarter than the lot of you.”
A collective oooooh echoed from his family.
In the midst of the laughter, Janey slipped in and gave the birthday boy a hug. “You’re already cuter than the rest of them, as well,” she teased.
Rafe snuck his arm around Janey’s waist. “Thanks, darling. So, do I get a birthday dance with you?” He flicked his glance up at Len for a split second before flashing her a cheeky smile. “Something slow…”
Damn brat. “She’s taken.”
All attention turned on Len, and he didn’t give a shit.
Janey raised one brow. “Does this mean we’re going to dance? Really? Like—actual dancing?”
“Shut up,” Len muttered softly as Janey offered him a giggle, covering her mouth with her hand.
Len led her away from the chuckling crowd, found them space on the crowded dance floor and pulled her tight up against his body.
She locked her fingers together behind his neck, settling in intimately with the front of her body in complete contact with his. “Well, now, Len Thompson. It appears you aren’t allergic to the dance floor anymore.”
He slipped a hand to the center her back and pulled her even tighter against him, leaning over to brush his lips past her ear. “You know why I never danced with you before?”
“Hmmm?”
He rocked their hips together, and the way he instantly reacted to having her in his arms had to be abundantly clear. “No way I was going anywhere near you when I couldn’t take what I wanted so badly.”
Her eyes flashed. Her tongue slipped out and did a slow roll over her lips, leaving them shining with moisture. Len kissed her briefly, pulling back before he could be tempted to get any dirtier.
But there was nothing saying he couldn’t tell her some of the things he wanted to do. He put his lips back where he could speak quietly and not be overheard, even by those swaying together close around them.
“I’ve got your breasts pressed to me. I can feel how hot you are. If I grabbed your hips and lifted you, I could rub your pussy against my cock until both—”
“Len. Stop it.” In spite of the heat, Janey shivered. “God. I can picture it.”
She rubbed against him, and the touch wasn’t nearly enough to ease the aching pressure in his cock. “So can I.”
Janey caught him by the front of his shirt. “What happened to my shy, quiet man?”
Len shrugged. “I’m still quiet. Don’t say much.”
“No,” she agreed. “But what you do say is damn filthy.”
She fanned a hand in front of her face for a second, and he laughed, moving her into a less intimate position as the music changed and the tempo picked up.
As long as she was somewhere in his arms, he didn’t mind the dancing bit.
Janey finally begged off. “I need to hit the washroom.”
She wiggled away from him, her fingers trailing out of his hand as she flashed him a mischievous smile. “Grab me a drink?”
He nodded, watching her ass for as long as he possibly could until it vanished around the corner.
After picking up a couple of drinks, he found a space between a couple of the guys. Len halfheartedly listened to their discussion, but he was more interested in watching for her to come back
“You’re certainly obsessed,” Trevor teased. One of Anna’s brothers, he’d spent more time around the Thompson boys then a lot of the Coleman clan. “When are you going to give the rest of us a chance to dance with her?”
A hot flash of jealousy clicked through Len, and he shoved it away as quickly as he could. “Up to Janey.”
Trevor shook his head. “I don’t think so. I mean, maybe you know that’s a safe thing to say because she’s only got eyes for you, like always.”
Satisfaction rolled hard, and Len didn’t even try to hide it. “Good.”
The other man laughed. “Obsessed, and possessive. Yeah, you’re a Thompson.”
“You mean he’s a guy.” Janey slipped into the conversation as she wormed her way under his arm and picked up her drink. She took a long swallow before smiling at him. “Most guys have trouble moving past the ‘it’s mine’ stage of the playground. Especially when it comes to women.”
She gave him a wink and turned to Trevor to ask him about something on the ranch. They chatted for a bit while Len listened. He was more focused on Janey being pressed against him, all soft and warm. Moving into his touch as he stroked her arm.
All of it got him hotter by the minute. And every time she glanced up, it was obvious he wasn’t the only one feeling the heat.
The music volume rose, and she hauled him onto the dance floor, the front buttons of her shirt now undone to a perilous level. From the expression in her eyes, she knew she was playing with fire.
Long before closing, Len was done. He waited until she’d paused during a conversation with her friends before leaning down and whispering in her ear, “Let’s go.”
What he had in mind must have been on hers as well. She turned to Shannon and Liz. “Talk to you later.”
Feminine laughter followed as he damn near manhandled her out the door.
In front of him, Janey twirled, taunting him as she swayed her hips from side to side. “You’re a good dancer, Len Thompson. I’ve been wondering about your moves for a long time.”
“You gonna get another dose of my moves damn soon,” he offered. Sweeping her off the ground and into his embrace as he strode through the parking lot.
She locked her arms around his neck, tossing him a sultry look. “Well, that sounds mighty fine. Where are we going to do this…dancing?”
There were too many possibilities, and most of them were too far away.
Janey waggled her brows. “Ooh, I recognize that expression. Like a puppy dog whose favourite toy has been taken away.”
Len laughed. “So, I’m a dog now?”
“Only if you insist.” She tilted her head towards his truck. “Get in. Let me drive.”
He didn’t argue, even though he was curious as all get out. He found his seat gingerly, desperate to fin
d more room for his cock.
When she pulled into the back alley, and then into the parking spot behind her house, he was ready to pick her up bodily and run inside.
Only she stopped him in his tracks. “Open your pants,” she ordered.
He paused long enough to see her reach under her skirt and pull off her panties. “Jeez, Janey.”
In a flash, she was on her knees, kneeling on the bench seat beside him. “Hurry up. You got me so damn hot on the dance floor.”
Then she was kissing him, her lips hot against his neck, rubbing her breasts against his torso as he scrambled to release his cock. He was totally on board with the speed they were going, except there was something…
“Condom.” Thank God his brain wasn’t completely gone.
“Shit.” Janey dove for her purse, reaching in then throwing it back on the floor. Somehow she had a condom package open and her soft hands rolling the latex down before he had time to breathe a word of protest.
She caught hold of his face, her knees straddling his hips. “I need you to fuck me now.”
She accompanied her words with the full-body stroke over his length, the hot moisture of her pussy like a GPS signal calling him home. The next thing he knew she was sinking over him, surrounding him with her tight warmth. “God damn.”
They were sitting in the dark, twenty feet from her back door, their bodies intimately connected while mostly dressed. It was the hottest damn thing Len had ever experienced.
He caught hold of her chin and kissed her, pressing a hand to the curve of her lower back and over her ass. Thrusting with his hips as he mimicked the motion with his tongue into her mouth. Janey made a noise that brought his blood to a boil, and he lost it. Pounding upward, her breasts jiggling against his body as his name escaped her in a long, breathless cry.
Somehow he got a hand between them and added pressure to her clit. Her head fell back, and he scraped his teeth along her neck, setting a bite at the soft curve where her neck and shoulder met.
