by Marie Harte
For the life of her she couldn’t think about anything but how well Cash fit there, as if he’d been made just for her. The breadth of him overwhelmed her, and she clung to his shoulders, dizzy and wanting and afraid to fall off one helluva ride.
He moaned her name and deepened the kiss. Starved for oxygen, she pushed at his chest, and he backed away, giving her the space to stare up at him.
She froze at the look of carnal need on his face; she’d never seen such a beautiful man in her life. Then Cash was kissing her again, gripping her hips and twisting her shorts under those big hands.
She wanted more, to feel him closer. But try as she might, tugging at his shoulders, he refused to budge. All that strength and power… She shivered under the onslaught of desire.
He slipped his tongue into her mouth, and the sly press of his tongue reminded her body of where he’d do even more good. She felt weak and strong and needier than she knew how to handle, aching between her legs with a ferocity that startled her.
Cash ripped his mouth away and stared down at her in shock, panting. “Fuck. You’re a menace.” Then he stormed out of the kitchen.
She landed on the floor with wobbly legs and tried to follow him but made it no farther than the wall in the hallway. After an embarrassing moment, she steadied herself and saw him halfway out the front door before he stopped, realizing he had forgotten his shoes.
“Motherfucker.” He shoved his big feet into them then glared at her. “That’s it. Never again. And stop looking at me like that, or I’ll fuck you right here in your goddamn living room.”
Jordan could only stare at him, not sure what to say to that. Please? No? How many times do you think you’re good for?
Cash swore again then walked right up to her and took her face in his hands. His touch was gentle, so at odds with the fierceness in his gaze. He kissed her, the touch light, wrought with an emotion that made no sense.
This time she pulled back, so confused…and freakin’ on fire to have him. “Wh-what?”
“Yeah. That’s what I’m sayin’.” He blew out a breath and let her go, taking a step back. “We never do this again.”
She nodded, knowing the rightness of what he said if quietly regretting the necessity. “Never happened.”
“Right.”
“We work together. Friends.”
“Work. Yes. Friends.” He seemed to have trouble taking his gaze from her eyes, staring holes through her.
“I’m still going to help you pack your mom’s place.”
“And I’ll still help you with your brother.” He paused. “Might be a good thing to take a break from working together tomorrow, just for a breather.”
“Um, yeah.” She breathed deeply, searching for calm and not finding it. “So, get out. I have stuff to do.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets, drawing her attention there, and she made the mistake of looking at the massive bulge straining his fly. She swallowed audibly.
“Cut it out.” He groaned. “I can’t help it. I have to go.”
Before he got through the door, she grabbed his arm. He froze, and she said, “Is Saturday okay? To help you pack stuff?” And to get this debt repaid, the quicker the better.
“Um. Yeah.” He coughed, didn’t turn around. “I’m off this weekend. And we can figure out what you want me to say to your brother and when.”
Reluctantly, she let him go, knowing it was for the best but regretting the fact she’d assuaged her curiosity and kissed the man. “Right. See you later.”
He took a step and paused then looked over his shoulder at her with a huge grin that did something funny to her insides. Not just her girl parts. Her heart started hammering even harder. “Why don’t we meet Sunday morning instead? Because, you know, you have an appointment Saturday morning with Miriam.”
She frowned. “What do you know about this that I don’t?”
He shrugged, but she didn’t buy it. “How could I know anything? I’m a guy. I’m too ‘empowered’ as it is.”
“Shut up.” She couldn’t hide a grin.
His smile left him. Cash scowled, took one step closer, and paused. “Nope. Can’t do it. Can I—? No.” Then he turned and left.
Jordan shut and locked the door behind him then plastered her back to it and slid to the floor.
Her entire body still throbbed, needy, aching for a man. But not any man. Aching for Cash Fucking Griffith.
She groaned and covered her eyes with a hand, astounded at having made the mother of all bad choices. He’s my boss. I’m attracted to my boss, and the man is part Neanderthal. What the hell is wrong with me?
* * *
The next day, Friday, was the end of Jordan’s workweek and passed smoothly enough. She worked alongside Smith again, and as usual, he didn’t say much. They spent all day moving a client’s belongings from a storage locker in Green Lake to a storage locker in Renton, an easy day since they hadn’t been hired to do more than move things from point A to point B.
It turned out a bunch of the guys planned to hang out after work at Ringo’s Bar, a short drive away. It also happened to be closer to home for her, so she joined them. Cash and Reid were noticeably absent, but she didn’t mind. Cash had been right; she needed the break.
Her dreams had been filled with naughty images of Cash doing even naughtier things to her body. For some reason, his head had figured prominently between her thighs in most of her fantasies, and it had taken her a bit of time in the shower to cool off.
“You’ve been quiet today,” Smith was saying as she sat with him, Hector, Lafayette, Finley, and Funny Rob, one of the new guys. For some reason, the gang considered her an old-timer, and she’d only been with the group for a month and a half, though it felt like a lot longer.
Funny Rob, oddly enough, wasn’t that funny. A tall Asian man with a dry sense of humor who’d been a mechanic in the Air Force, his full name was Robert Tung. She liked him, though she didn’t know much more about him than that he preferred country music and ate a hot dog for lunch every day. Odd facts to know about a coworker, but he had an easygoing temperament.
Since she’d been with Vets on the Go!, she’d only had an issue with one employee—now an ex-employee since he’d been fired then arrested for trying to steal from one of Reid and Cash’s friends while pretending to work for the moving company. Talk about a headache.
She tuned back in to Smith’s comment. “What exactly are you complaining about? You like it when I’m quiet.”
“Ah, there she is.” Smith took a large swig of beer then left to get another pitcher.
“He’s in a good mood. Strange.” Hector grinned. Too handsome for his own good, the stocky, muscular ex-Navy sailor had several women giving him the eye. Jordan liked working with him, and she liked hanging out with him even more. He set her at ease, almost like a protective older brother. And she’d never had anyone to look after her except the Army, not since leaving home at eighteen.
“It’s a strange kind of day,” she agreed.
“I heard that.” Lafayette, Hector’s identical twin, nodded. And by identical, Jordan meant the exact same. Same shade of brown skin, same laughing eyes, same big muscles. She could only tell them apart when they told her who was who.
“Lafayette, can Simon tell you two apart?” she asked of his new boyfriend, looking from him to Hector.
“As a matter of fact, he can.” Lafayette grinned wide. “That was also a huge factor in Hector giving my new man a glowing rating.”
“Rating?” Funny Rob dipped into his nachos. “Like on Yelp? Did you try him out first, Hector? Or are you just browsing?”
“Funny Rob, you’re really not that funny,” Hector muttered.
Lafayette laughed. “I don’t know. I like his sense of humor.”
“When do we get to meet Simon?” Jordan wanted to know. “I’ll tell y
ou if he’s good enough for you. I have an eye for these things.”
“You do, do you?” Hector sized her up. “Why don’t we double date and see, Lafayette?” he asked his brother while flirting with Jordan.
Considering what a terrible thing she’d done by kissing Cash, Jordan decided a different good-looking man for a night might be just the thing she needed. “You know what? I’m in. But only as friends,” she emphasized when Hector lit up.
“Friends, sure. I’m down with that.” He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “Friend.”
Smith arrived with a new pitcher and made a face. “Keep it in your pants, Romeo. Don’t you know you never fuck around at work? Makes things awkward.”
Funny Rob blinked. “‘Fucking around’ has a lot of connotations, but you’re meaning that literally, huh?”
Smith frowned, and it felt as if a thundercloud darkened the area above his head.
Jordan was impressed. “You do menacing pretty well.”
Smith shrugged. “It’s a gift.”
“Speaking of menacing, where’s Cash?” Hector asked her, of all people.
“How should I know? I’m not his keeper.” She sounded defensive, even to herself. She got a few raised brows and groaned. “If you tell me I sound like him, I might just shoot you.”
Hector smothered a grin. “Another beer?”
She shook her head. “I can’t. Got an early appointment with Miriam tomorrow.”
The others froze.
“Okay, what did I say that’s got you all spooked?” Now more than ever she knew she didn’t have all the information about Miriam’s Modiste.
Lafayette put his beer down. “Say again? You have an appointment?”
Jordan nodded. “She’s giving a new session of empowerment classes. First one’s free, so I thought I’d check it out.”
Everyone leaned closer.
Hector’s and Smith’s wide grins looked feral.
Jordan scowled. “What’s wrong with Miriam?”
Hector laughed. “Nothing at all. But…promise you’ll tell us all about your ‘empowerment’ session on Monday.”
Lafayette leaned close to whisper something to Funny Rob, who broke out laughing while staring at Jordan.
“Oh, you have to go,” Rob said.
She frowned at the guys. “Okay,” she said slowly and watched her friends try to stop laughing and grinning. And failing. Heck, Hector kept choking on his beer while trying to pretend to be serious. “I swear I’m going to kill the lot of you if the class is as bad as you’re pretending it will be.”
Smith winked at her. “I hear it’s not bad at all. Heidi went once, and she loved it.”
He’d winked. It took Jordan a moment to process Smith acting like a human. “Heidi went?”
Hector, now able to breathe on his own, nodded. “Yep. Swear to God, she did.” He sounded strangled. “She’s going again. Hell, she might be there tomorrow.”
That put a different spin on things. Except Heidi wasn’t exactly, ah, normal. Then again, none of Jordan’s wacky veteran buddies were. She sighed and held out her glass. “Fill me up, Smith. I have a feeling I’m going to need it to deal with tomorrow.”
Which started the group on another round of laughter.
Great. Between Miriam and dealing with Cash on Sunday, she wondered which task would give her the biggest headache.
Chapter 5
Cash wouldn’t have thought it, but he’d missed Jordan the minute he’d left her apartment. And after last night, the pretense that she was just a coworker and meant nothing to him was more difficult to maintain. He had no idea how he could feel simultaneously comfortable and aroused by a woman at the same time.
At least at work, Finley hadn’t annoyed him too much. Knowing Jordan had again been paired with Smith bothered the crap out of him, but he’d never admit as much to Reid, so he let things lie. When several of the gang decided to meet at Ringo’s that night after work, he took a pass, complaining of a headache.
As he’d said to Jordan, he needed a break.
Because as God was his witness, he’d never felt so out of control in lust before. Combining that with genuinely liking the woman, his libido was off the charts. His hands on her hips, holding on tight, had been the only thing stopping him from doing her right there in her tiny kitchen last night.
So he understood her looking both sexy and confused after they’d kissed each other senseless. Or at least, he’d felt muddled. Maybe she’d been confused about something else. Had she felt the same tsunami of desire he had? Man. He hated not being sure.
The smart move would be to stop working alongside her altogether and keep things professional. No more dinners. No helping him pack up his mom’s place. No talking to her brother. No personal relationship, period.
But that would be akin to cutting off his arm. He wanted to be around her. Even to joke around, all platonic-like.
Did she still think about that kiss? He did. Hell, he’d beaten off to it this morning. Twice.
He groaned, glad that at least he had the weekend to think about how to deal with the mouthy beauty.
Later that evening while the gang met at Ringo’s, Cash sat beside Evan at his cousin’s place, sharing a pizza.
Evan frowned at him. “You okay? You’ve been groaning a lot lately.”
Cash shrugged. “Life.” He reached for another piece of extra cheese and finished off their first pie. “Good thinking, getting a few boxes.”
Evan grinned. A lot like Reid but more easygoing, Evan Griffith had also done his time in the Marine Corps. Unlike Reid and Cash, Evan had become an officer. A logistician, and from what Cash knew, the guy had been on his way to making real grade. But Evan had left the service as a captain, become a CPA, and made enough money that he’d been able to afford investing heavily in Vets on the Go! He was the other, more silent, partner in the business.
“So when are you gonna quit your job and work with us full-time?” Cash asked, having heard his cousin complain about his beautiful, brainy, domineering boss one too many times.
“Pretty soon, I think.” Evan started on his fourth piece, no slouch at putting down food. “I’ve been redoing my five- and ten-year plans. With what I have put aside, some investments, and some ideas, I think I might be able to take a break for a while.”
“A break? As in not work?”
“Why not? I’ve earned it.”
“Well, I guess.” Cash couldn’t imagine doing nothing. Oh, for a day or two, he could focus on the gym, petty chores, watching his dramas or seasonal sports on TV. But too much time gave him too much potential to get into trouble.
Evan snorted. “We’re not all obsessive type A’s like you and Reid.”
Cash huffed. “Please, Evan. You’re worse than Reid is. I work because otherwise I get myself into trouble. That and I like to eat.” He started on another piece of pizza. “Being able to afford food is a pretty decent motivator to keeping a job.”
“Yeah. Especially with as much as you put away.”
“You’re no slouch.” Cash stared at his cousin’s now-empty plate. “I’ll open the other box.”
“Do that.” Evan sighed and sank back in the couch. “Yeah, my time at McNulty & Campbell is at an end. I just don’t want so many hours. Vanessa’s a workaholic yet still has time for her husband and little girl. I have no idea how she does it.” He sighed. “I feel tired all the time.”
“You look like shit.”
“Thanks so much.” Evan rolled his eyes. “I know you think I’ll become this huge sloth, but I just need a week or two off to relax. Then I’m thinking of working part-time, doing people’s books. The rest of the time I’ll help grow Vets on the Go! Thanks to Reid and Naomi, we have a decent start.” He paused, saw Cash’s annoyance, and added, “Oh, and you too. You are the one who beat up that burglar o
n TV. Way to save Gotham, Batman.”
Cash could do without the sarcasm. “First of all, I was stopping some lowlifes from knifing a kid. I didn’t know anyone was filming it. Second, that they happened to be robbing the neighbors made hitting them feel damn good. I felt like I should have been paying them for the privilege.” Cash shrugged. “So suck it if you don’t like my skills.”
“Whatever. Still, that heroic act got us the attention that’s made a real difference. Remember where we started? With just you and Reid doing all the lifting?”
“More like me lifting while Reid bitched about it,” Cash murmured.
“Right. But now we have, what, ten employees?”
Cash did the math and nodded. “Not counting me, Reid, and Dan.” Retired Gunnery Sergeant Dan Thompson, their elderly office manager they couldn’t do without.
“Right. Even with all the overhead, employees, trucks, and maintenance, we’re making money. That’s huge. We need to keep capitalizing on Naomi’s PR strategies.”
“You know, that’s great. But could we not talk about work for a while? I’m beat.”
“Sorry,” Evan said. “I’m just excited to be getting out of my job. My brain hurts at the end of every day.”
“Yeah? If you don’t want to think too much, come move stuff for a living. I’m not too proud to admit I’d die if I had to work behind a desk. I want to get out and do shit.” He filled his plate with more food, famished despite having devoured more than half a large pizza.
The food satisfied but was nowhere near as tasty as Jordan’s meal had been.
And that easily, he was thinking of her again.
“Evan, man, how come you’re not married?”
Evan choked. After he’d caught his breath, he glared at Cash. “You too? My mother on my ass is bad enough.”
Cash felt for the guy. Aunt Jane had given birth to Evan at an older age, making her feel more like a grandmother than an aunt to him and Reid. She’d always been sweet to them though, and the fact she hadn’t cared much for Cash’s mom was another point in her favor.
“You can’t blame her. You’re single and rich.” At Evan’s expression, he corrected, “I mean, comfortable. That’s the word, right?”