A Dash of Love (Pride Oregon #1)

by Jill Sanders

  She bit her bottom lip. “For as long as I can remember, I wanted to manage this place.” Her eyes moved around the office.

  “You still could. They have online classes.” He ran a hand over her shoulder lightly.

  She glanced up at him and he could tell she was thinking about it. Leaning down, he placed a soft kiss on her lips as his mind flashed to what she had done to him earlier that morning.

  “We’ll need to talk about… things.” He felt his heart kick up.

  “Things?”

  “You were… let’s say… very eager this morning. I didn’t have a chance to use protection.” He leaned his hip against the desk as she smiled.

  “I’m covered.” She ran her hands over the denim covering his knees.

  He nodded. “I’m clean. I was tested after my last breakup.”

  “Over a year ago,” she added with a smile.

  “Yes.” He sighed. “You?”

  “Same, but for me it wasn’t that long ago.”

  If he didn’t know better, he’d swear she was teasing him. “I pick up Toby this afternoon.”

  Her fingers were moving higher on his leg and he felt his body react to the closeness of her fingertips.

  “Okay,” she said, her eyes moving to the spot where his jeans had grown too tight for comfort. Her smile increased.

  “Sara, you’re not playing fair,” he warned.

  “Maybe I don’t want to.” Her fingertips brushed against the outside of his jeans, making his cock jump in response. “Did you know that my uncle installed a lock on that door?” She nodded to the office door.

  He jerked his hips when she ran her palm over him this time. His eyes closed as he dreamed of what he wanted to do to her.

  Then, he was up and sliding the lock into place on the door. When he turned back towards her, she was laughing at him.

  “You’re going to get it,” he growled as he crossed the room.

  Hooking his hands under her armpits, he pulled her up until she sat on the edge of the desk. Her neatly stacked paperwork fluttered to the floor.

  He jerked her legs apart and hiked up the little black skirt she was wearing. Tearing the silk panties down in one quick movement, he bent down and covered her pussy with his mouth.

  She cried out, her fingers digging into his hair. She held him to her and made sexy noises as he used his tongue to lash her. Her thighs tightened when he took her nub into his mouth and used his teeth gently on her. She cried out and arched back to give him better access.

  Sliding a finger into her, he continued his torture until he felt her convulse in his mouth. Only then did he unzip his jeans. Before she could recover, he jerked his hips, fully embedding himself into her.

  He covered her cries as he pumped relentlessly into her until he felt her build up again. This time, he couldn’t hold back and followed her.

  Needless to say, it was hard for him to concentrate the rest of the day. So instead of swinging the sledgehammer, he helped haul out the rubble and dump it into the massive dumpster outside.

  It was backbreaking work, but it kept him from thinking about going back into the office and locking the door once more.

  He avoided seeing her again after lunch and when they were all cleaned up for the day, he jumped into his truck and headed out to pick up Toby.

  The dog, upon seeing him, jerked the leash out of the doctor’s hand, ran across the room, and jumped into his lap, shaking like a scared baby. He whined as Parker held him while the vet described what to watch out for in the coming days.

  Helping the dog into the truck, he laughed when he tried to climb into his lap.

  “Did that mean man cut your balls off?” he asked as he pushed the dog into his normal spot in the seat next to him. Toby whined as a reply.

  He couldn’t help it, he laughed. “How about we go see Matt? You liked him, remember?”

  He knew it was odd, but he talked to the dog like he was a human, instead of a pet. He was pretty sure the animal understood everything he said, because Toby let out an excited bark and sat down in his spot.

  He parked in front of the brick building just down the street from the Golden Oar. The two family businesses were complete opposites.

  When he walked into the lobby of Jordan Shipping, he felt underdressed. Especially with Toby at his side. Still, the receptionist smiled and waved him in.

  “Is it okay that he’s here?” He glanced down at Toby, who was sniffing the woman’s shoes.

  “Oh!” She started petting Toby and giving him all of her attention. “Yes, of course. We’re a pet-friendly environment. Mr. Jordan brings in his dogs every now and then.” Finally, she smiled up at him. “How can I help you, besides giving your dog love?” She giggled.

  “Parker Clark to see Mr. Jordan. If he’s available.”

  “Let me find out for you. Why don’t you have a seat and I’ll buzz him.” She motioned to the leather chairs.

  Parker tugged Toby away from the woman and forced him to sit on the floor after he tried jumping up onto the chairs.

  Within five minutes, a man with curly blond hair walked over to him.

  “Hello, Parker?” The man held out his hand. “I’m Todd Jordan. Matt’s out of the office this afternoon.”

  Sara’s father. His gut sank. What was it with her family? They must have all won the lottery when it came to genetics.

  Parker stood suddenly, causing Toby to excitedly rush towards the man. Grabbing his leash, Parker held him at bay.

  “Who’s this guy?” Todd leaned down and gave Toby his attention.

  “Toby. He’s a little loopy,” he said after the dog fell over. “He just got fixed.”

  “Oh, poor guy.” Todd smiled up at him. “Why don’t you come back to my office?” He motioned towards the elevators. “I hear you’ll be working on my son’s place after you’re done with the Oar.”

  “I hope so. I’ll be swinging by the house later next month to start putting together a quote.” He followed the man into the elevator.

  He was a little nervous, since Toby had never been in an elevator before, but the dog handled it like a pro and sat on his butt until the doors slid open.

  Parker followed Sara’s dad down a long hallway and into a massive office on the top floor.

  “Nice place,” Parker said. Then he noticed the old dog lying at the foot of the desk.

  “That’s Raco. He comes with me when he doesn’t want to deal with the other two at home. He’s friendly.” He nodded towards Toby, who was sniffing his way across the room towards the old dog, who had yet to get up or move.

  “What can I help you with?” Todd asked, motioning towards a chair.

  After sitting, he debated telling Sara’s father about the freezer incident. It was one thing to tell Sara’s brother why he’d been there to pick her up at midnight, but a completely different thing to tell her father.

  In the end, he opted to tell the man everything, since it was more than just her reputation on the line.

  “Do you think it could have been Aiden?” he asked after he’d gotten the story out.

  “Aiden?” Todd thought about it for a moment. “No, I doubt it. The boy was hurt, but he’s not someone I can see doing something like that.” He shook his head.

  “What about a disgruntled employee?”

  “Iian would know more about that than me. I can…”

  “No,” Parker jumped in. “Sara would kill me if she knew I was talking to you, let alone if Iian found out. She’s trying to prove to her uncle that she’s capable of running the place.”

  Todd shook his head. “Iian has known for years that she was ready. He was just waiting for the right opportunity to let her prove it to herself.” Todd leaned back. “You said you fixed the freezer so it can’t lock again?”

  He nodded. “It took some work, but the two loops have been ground down.”

  “Until we know more, we’ll just have to keep a closer eye on things.” Todd stood suddenly. “I’ve got a meeting
in half an hour, but I think we’ll swing by for a late dinner.”

  “I’m picking her up after work. I’ll continue to do so every night until I’m sure she’s safe.”

  Todd reached out his hand and Parker easily took it. “Even under the circumstances, I’m happy to meet you.” He chuckled. “Of course, we’ll have to come up with some explanation for how we met.”

  “Yeah.” He laughed himself. “I doubt she’d take too kindly to knowing that I came down here and tattled on her.”

  “Still”—Todd bent down and scratched Toby’s head—“I’m happy you did.”

  11

  It took Sara almost an hour to straighten up the office again after Parker left. Somehow, every single piece of paper had ended up on the floor.

  Still, she was smiling and humming as she finished the task.

  When the evening crew came in, she kept busy and time flew by. Before she knew it, it was closing time and she was locking up again. This time, however, she carefully went through the building, making sure she was alone before heading back to the office. Still, she couldn’t stop the shivers as she walked by the freezer.

  Even after she’d noticed what Parker had done to the door, she had an eerie feeling as she walked by it. She had avoided going in it the entire day but tomorrow she would force herself to man up.

  Parker was going to pick her up again tonight. She’d tried talking him out of it, since her Jeep had sat in the parking lot for two nights now, but he was persistent. She figured when he arrived, she could talk him into allowing her to follow him back to his place that night.

  She was excited to see Toby again, which was why they were staying at his place. She had a bag of clothes in his truck.

  She was just finishing up the newest budget report with her suggestions for Iian when she heard a strange noise coming from outside.

  She glanced down at her watch and frowned. It was half an hour before Parker was due to arrive.

  Maybe he’d arrived early, after last night’s excitement. She shut down her computer and pulled her bag out of the bottom drawer. Locking the office, she followed the sound and stepped out the back door.

  It took a moment for her eyes to adjust in the darkness. When the door shut behind her, the sound stopped.

  “Parker?” she called out. When the area remained silent, she started walking around to the front of the building as she pulled out her cell phone. She heard the noise again and realized it was coming from the large trash container.

  Probably an animal scrounging for food. She turned on her cell phone’s flashlight and made her way across the parking lot. The noise stopped again, and she tiptoed the rest of the way, not wanting the animal to jump out at her and scare her.

  She was less than five feet from the massive dumpster when headlights flashed on her, causing her to jump slightly.

  “What are you doing out here?” Parker asked, pulling up beside her.

  She smiled as Toby tried to poke his head out of Parker’s open window. Parker tried shoving him back, but the dog wasn’t having it.

  She patted him on the head and was about to lean in for a kiss from Parker, when Toby let out a low growl. Before either of them could respond, the dog jumped out of the open window and took off across the parking lot towards the back of the dumpster.

  “What the…” Parker threw his truck into park and jumped out to chase his dog. “Stay put,” he called over his shoulder.

  Trying not to think about Toby catching whatever animal was digging through the trash, she climbed into the truck and waited.

  Less than ten minutes later, Parker came back to the truck, pulling Toby along with him. The look on Parker’s face made her smile fall.

  “Is Toby okay?” Worry flooded her thoughts.

  “Yeah. Would you mind keeping him in with you? I need to call this in.”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Someone broke into our supply trailer and messed with some equipment.”

  “Oh no.” She scooted over and let Toby jump in beside her. “Do you need me to—”

  She stopped when he shook his head. “No, I’ve got this. I’ve already called Donny, my foreman. He’s on his way down.”

  Toby was excited to see her and spent the next few minutes trying to climb into her lap and lick her face. Finally, when he settled down, she glanced around the dark parking lot in hopes of seeing Parker.

  When another truck pulled up beside them, she waved at Donny, whom she’d seen working on the light switches earlier that day.

  When he jumped out of the truck, Parker was there. She rolled the window down, trying to hear them, but Toby stuck his nose out to the night air and drooled over the glass. Not wanting the dog to jump out again, she rolled up the window.

  The men disappeared behind the dumpster just as the police cruiser pulled in.

  Robert Brogan and Aiden were made from the same mold. With the exception of Robert’s silver hair and laugh lines, the father and son looked almost identical.

  She waved to him as he passed the truck. Parker stepped out and waved him back.

  For the next twenty minutes, she remained locked up with Toby in the truck. When the dog started whining, she wondered when he’d last relieved himself. Seeing his leash, she clipped it on him and narrowed her eyes at him.

  “You’re not going to drag me around, are you?”

  The dog stared at her, then let out another whine. He looked at her with his big brown eyes and begged to be let out.

  “If you tug me, I’ll never walk with you again,” she warned gently.

  Opening the door, she slid one leg out. Before she could put both feet on the ground, Toby had jumped down and was nudging her towards where the men had disappeared.

  There was a grassy spot behind the dumpster Toby could use, so she made her way back there.

  When she saw the mess that greeted her, she gasped, causing all three men to turn towards her.

  The dog did his business quickly, then tried to get attention from the men.

  “I had hoped we could have this cleaned up before you saw it,” Parker said, taking Toby’s leash from her hands.

  They were standing next to the large container that held all of the tools and supplies that Parker and his men were using to fix up the Oar.

  Tools were scattered on the ground, equipment was tossed around, and a bunch of two-by-fours lay broken and splintered on the ground.

  “Are you okay?” Parker finally asked her.

  “Me?” She turned towards him. “It’s not my stuff lying all over the place, destroyed.”

  “No, but…” He nodded to the back of the trailer. The doors were half shut, and just as Robert pointed his flashlight, she got a glimpse of why Parker had been concerned.

  There, spray-painted on the back of the trailer in dark black letters, it said, “The bitch will get none of it.”

  “You think that whoever did this meant me?” She turned to Parker. “Why?”

  He shrugged. “It was Robert’s idea.”

  “Parker told us about what happened last night,” Robert started.

  “I locked myself in a freezer. Stupid move, but not criminal.” Her eyes returned to the lettering.

  “Sara.” Parker took her shoulder with his free hand, since Toby was getting attention from Donny at the moment. “There wasn’t any way you could’ve been locked in without someone putting the U-shaped bar in place. Someone locked you in there, on purpose.”

  She let his words sink in. Part of her had known. After all, not one other employee had ever been locked in there. She knew that was why Parker had ground down the two loops.

  Parker wrapped his arms around her. “Go back to the truck. We’ll clean this up.”

  She shook her head. “I… I’m going to drive myself home,” she said under her breath.

  He gently pulled her a few feet away from the others, dragging Toby with him.

  “I’d rather you stay put. Robert called your parents. Your dad is on his w
ay here.”

  “My…?” Her eyes narrowed in Robert’s direction. “Fine, they can take me home.”

  “Sara, I wanted…” Just then, a car pulled into the parking lot, causing Parker to sigh. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He walked with her back to the parking lot and helped Toby jump back up into his truck. He waved at her parents and watched them drive away.

  Sara tried to keep her eyes dry until after they were out of the parking lot.

  “What happened?” her dad asked when they were on their way.

  “Nothing.” She settled into the leather seat and closed her eyes, feeling defeated. She was too tired and embarrassed that all of this would get back to Iian. She was ruined.

  Her father turned to her after parking in front of the house. “Sweetie.” Her father’s hand went up and covered her hair, holding her face until she turned towards him. With his thumb, he wiped a tear away from her cheek. “Iian doesn’t need to know everything.” He winked at her.

  She lunged towards her dad and held on as she cried again.

  Parker was pissed. All the tools were accounted for and while they would need a new load of lumber, that was no big deal. Most of the damage done had been to Sara.

  Who would have done something like this? The sheriff had been quick to defend his son and assured him that he had been with them all night.

  With the obvious culprit off the list, he had no fresh leads. He toiled over it as he helped Donny clean up.

  “I’ll stop by the lumberyard first thing tomorrow to replace what was damaged,” Donny said, tossing the discarded wood into the dumpster next to the trailer. “We’ll need a new lock.”

  “I have one in my truck.” He pulled it out of his glove box and noticed that Toby was fast asleep curled up on the driver’s side. “This will have to do until I can get another one.”

  “I’ll pick one up tomorrow,” Donny said. “As far as it goes, we lucked out. All of the tools were here and undamaged.”

  He nodded. If any of the equipment had been stolen, it would have set him back in not only money, but time. Some of the equipment had to be purchased in the city, since the hardware store in town didn’t carry the bigger stuff.