by Elle Kennedy
“Everything okay, sugar?” he called out.
“Not really,” she called back, her sexy lips puckered in a frown. “Hey, you mind if I borrow your ears, sugar?”
He raised his brows. “Beg your pardon?”
“Come over here and help me listen.”
Help her listen?
He suddenly had to wonder if he was dealing with a crazy person. It would be a fitting follow-up to last night, that was for sure.
“Can I ask what we’re listening to?” he said when he reached her.
She had to tilt her head fully to meet his eyes. “Jeez Louise, you’re ridiculously tall.”
He flashed a smug grin. “Maybe you’re just ridiculously short.”
“I’m five-four. That’s average height.” She whipped off her cap and smoothed out the top of her dark hair. “How tall are you?”
“Six-five,” he admitted.
“Like I said, ridiculously tall. I’m talking to a giant.” She slanted her head pensively. “Do you play basketball?”
“Nope. Do you?”
“Sure, I shoot hoops every morning before work.”
“For real?”
She burst out laughing. “No, not for real. You actually believed me?”
His head started to spin, but truthfully, he was enjoying the exchange. He really liked her voice. It was oddly melodic. And despite being a foot shorter than him—which really did make him feel like a giant—she sure was easy on the eyes.
“Anyway, go over there,” she said briskly, gesturing to the other end of the neatly planted row of tulips. “Tell me if you hear anything.”
He obeyed her, mostly because his curiosity had skyrocketed to a whole new level. He crouched down on the grass and brought his head close to the flowers, then glanced over and said, “What am I supposed to be hearing?”
“Well, if my brother is repeatedly dialing my phone like I ordered him to, then you should be hearing the faint strains of A-ha’s ‘Take On Me’. I’m really into 80’s pop.”
He stared at her for one long moment.
And then it dawned on him.
“Wait a sec—you buried your phone in the dirt?”
She gave an exaggerated sigh. “Not on purpose. It must have slipped out of my pocket when I was planting yesterday. Hazard of the job.” She got on her knees again. “Now, hush. I’d like to find my phone sometime this century. I drove all the way back here this morning and I have stuff to do today.”
Jackson swallowed his laughter and concentrated on becoming one with the dirt. When he didn’t hear a single sound, he shifted over and investigated a new cluster of tulips. A few seconds passed. And then the muffled sound of a keyboard wafted out of the flowerbed.
“Over here,” he told the brunette.
She was at his side in a heartbeat, a broad smile overtaking her face as she shoved a gardening spade into the dirt and started digging.
He grinned when the metal spade connected with something solid. The gardener promptly dropped the tool and shoved her hands in the soil. Her fingers emerged covered in dirt and triumphantly holding an iPhone in a sturdy black case.
“Hells yeah!” she exclaimed, waving the phone in his face. “We did it!”
The phone was still blaring out the cheesy ringtone, and she quickly wiped one hand on the front of her cutoff shorts before taking the call.
“Hey, Danny, it’s me. I found it.” She paused for a beat. “Call me a dum-dum again and I won’t bring home any breakfast… Yeah... Yeah, whatevs, dude. I’d like to see you try… Uh-huh. ’Kay. See you soon.”
After she hung up, she turned to Jackson. “Little brothers are such a pain in the ass.”
“Trust me, I know. I have a younger sister and she used to be a real pest. How old is your brother?”
“Sixteen. He can be a total shit sometimes, but for the most part, he’s a good kid.”
Jackson slid his hands into the pockets of his faded Levis. “So you’re doing some work for Tom and Sarah?”
“Yep. But the job’s all done, actually. Sarah didn’t want anything fancy, so it didn’t take long to finish everything up.”
He hid his disappointment. He’d been hoping she’d only just begun and that he’d get to see her again, but as usual, luck wasn’t on his side.
Looked like he’d have to make his move now.
He extended his hand. “I’m Jackson Ramsey, by the way. I live next door.”
“Mia Weldrick. And I’d shake your hand but mine is all covered with dirt.”
“I don’t mind getting dirty every now and then.” With a crooked grin, he stepped forward and took her hand, giving it a light shake.
She arched her delicate eyebrows. “Was that a line?”
“Was what a line?”
“You know, the whole ‘I like it dirty’ thing. Was that supposed to get me all tingly and weak-kneed?”
Jackson had to laugh. “I didn’t say I liked it dirty. I said I didn’t mind it. And no, it wasn’t a line.” He tipped his head to the side. “Why, did it get you tingly and weak-kneed?”
Her green eyes sparkled. “Nope.”
She took a step away and he experienced a tiny jolt of distress. He didn’t want her to go yet.
“Would you like to have dinner with me sometime?” he burst out, lacking all finesse and sounding far too eager.
Mia sighed. “Oh boy.”
“‘Oh boy?’” Another grin sprung to his lips. “Is that how you respond to all your dinner invitations?”
“No. But that’s because I don’t get a lot of them,” she said frankly. “I never go out, which means I don’t meet a lot of guys. Honestly, I’m unprepared for this.”
“Doesn’t require much prep, sugar,” he teased. “A yes or no would do the trick.”
Another “Oh boy” escaped her perfect lips, which made him shake his head in bewilderment. Normally he was dang good at reading women, but he seriously had no clue what was going on in this one’s head.
“Okay, I’m going to lay it all on the line,” she declared. “You’re wicked hot, and I’m totally digging the height thing. It makes me feel dainty.”
He choked out a laugh. “All right…”
“But I don’t want to have dinner with you.”
A rush of disappointment filled his chest. “I see.”
“It’s nothing personal,” she said quickly. “I bet you’re a really awesome guy, and that accent is definitely a bonus, but I don’t have time to go out on dates. I have a gazillion jobs and a teenage boy to raise.”
“Your parents aren’t in the picture?”
“Nope, it’s just Danny and me. Which is why dating is the last thing on my mind right now, and probably won’t be until Danny graduates. So even though I’m flattered, I’m gonna have to pass.”
He was about to tap into his innate Southern charm to twist her arm, but she was already walking toward her truck. “It was nice meeting you,” she said with a genuine smile. “But I’ve got to skedaddle now.”
A minute later, she was gone, leaving him staring at her taillights in dismay.
5
Jackson back strode into the house. He couldn’t believe Mia had just taken off like that. The first woman he’d felt a real connection to in forever, and he wouldn’t get to see her again.
He stalked into the living room, then stood there for a moment at a total loss. What now? Did he put on a movie and kill time until he had to go to Seth’s for dinner? Did he take a nap? Play some Call of Duty?
He dismissed each of those options and headed for his bedroom instead. Fuck it. There was only one way to release all this pent-up frustration, and that was jacking off until he couldn’t frickin’ see straight.
Fuck, he hadn’t had sex in ages. At least not since before the team’s stint in the desert. That he couldn’t remember exactly how long it had been made him feel like a pathetic loser. All his buddies used to be major manwhores, and even though they’d all settled down, they still got action like n
obody’s business. Even when they were abroad, for fuck’s sake—as much as he wanted to, Jackson would never be able to erase the memory of walking in on Seth’s naked Skype session with Miranda during their deployment.
He stretched out on the bed and unbuckled his belt, pulling out his semi-erect cock and wishing like hell it wasn’t his own hand doing it, but a warm female one. Like Mia’s. Christ, having her hand on his dick would probably feel like heaven. She probably had a dang good grip, working with her hands every day.
A moan lodged in his throat as he circled his fingers around his shaft. He was aching. Edgy. Primed for sex. Rough, kinky, dirty sex—and therein lay the problem. The women he’d been with hadn’t felt comfortable taking things where he wanted them to go, which was why he took it slow nowadays, getting to know a girl so he could gauge her sexual attitudes before he slept with her.
And, if he was being honest, that was also the reason he’d turned down all those threesome invitations in the past. He didn’t want his friends knowing just how far he liked to push the limits.
He fisted his cock and gave it a sharp pump. His brain conjured up the image of the pretty gardener, her sexy green eyes, pouty lips. Fuck, she had total blowjob lips. The kind you wanted wrapped around your cock, sucking you dry.
His thumb grazed his engorged tip, sliding over the precome pooling there. Closing his eyes, he pictured Mia’s mouth surrounding his cock and a shudder overtook him. He imagined the hot suction of her mouth, the graze of her teeth, the warmth of her palm as she squeezed his balls hard.
Heat surged through his blood, pulsing in his sac, which had drawn up tight. He jerked his cock in a fast, hard rhythm, his breathing becoming labored as pleasure gathered in his groin.
In his mind, Mia was sucking him harder now, taking him deep in her throat. His cock tunneled in and out of her lush mouth as he fucked it.
The release came without warning, an explosion of heat that started in his balls before shooting out in all directions, turning his muscles into limp noodles and making him gasp for air. Fuck, he’d needed that.
But it wasn’t enough. He wanted more. Needed more.
As he slid up into a sitting position and reached for the box of tissues on the nightstand, he wondered if maybe it was time to give in and take one of those navy groupies for a ride. Maybe a night of wild, no-strings sex would be enough to tide him over for a while.
But he knew it wouldn’t. He’d only leave the encounter feeling even more unsatisfied. Sadly, he wasn’t cut out for random hook-ups or anonymous sex. Never had been, never would be.
Just like that, the edginess returned, the same old tension he’d been riddled with for months now.
He thought of Mia again, her pretty face and outgoing personality and contagious laughter.
I don’t want to have dinner with you.
Her rejection echoed in his head, but it wasn’t enough to curb the determination that jolted through him. She hadn’t said she wasn’t interested in him. Nope, she’d all but admitted she found him attractive.
Which meant that all wasn’t lost yet. He still had a shot to win her over.
After he’d quickly cleaned himself up, he grabbed his phone and pulled up Seth’s number. An idea was forming in his head, and he suddenly knew exactly how he was going to convince his feisty gardener to give him a chance.
I don’t want to have dinner with you.
A chuckle slipped out of his mouth.
Yeah. We’ll see about that, sugar.
The End
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To find out what happens with Jackson and Mia, pick up their scorching novel, As Hot As It Gets!
Other Titles by Elle Kennedy
If you enjoyed A Little Bit of Hot, make sure to check out the full-length titles in the Out of Uniform series:
Hot & Bothered (Book 1)
Hot & Heavy (Book 2)
Feeling Hot (Book 3)
Getting Hotter (Book 4)
Hotter Than Ever (Book 5)
A Little Bit of Hot (Book 5.5)
As Hot As It Gets (Book 6)
For other retailer links and information about print or audio versions of these titles, visit the series pages on my website.
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For all the m/m fans out there, check out the RITA-award-winning book HIM and its sequel US, my New Adult hockey romances co-written with the fabulous Sarina Bowen.
Love New Adult and hockey? Then you’re totally going to want to check out the bestselling Off-Campus series, which consists of The Deal, The Mistake, The Score, and The Goal.
If you’re interested in my erotic romance and/or romantic suspense titles, you can also check out these bestselling series:
Killer Instincts
Outlaws
After Hours
DreamMakers (with Vivian Arend)
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About the Author
A New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Elle Kennedy grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario, and holds a BA in English from York University. From an early age, she knew she wanted to be a writer and actively began pursuing that dream when she was a teenager. She loves strong heroines and sexy alpha heroes, and just enough heat and danger to keep things interesting!
Elle loves to hear from her readers. Visit her website www.ellekennedy.com or sign up for her newsletter to receive updates about upcoming books and exclusive excerpts. You can also find her on Facebook (ElleKennedyAuthor), Twitter (@ElleKennedy), or Instagram (@ElleKennedy33).
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
A Little Bit of Hot
Reissue © 2018 by Elle Kennedy
Original Publication 2013
Cover Design © Sofie Hartley of Hart & Bailey Design Co.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may reproduced, scanned or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in articles or reviews.