by Holly Jaymes
He looked over his shoulder and smirked. “I’m concentrating. I don’t want to scratch your parents’ door or compromise the mechanism.”
“Whatever.”
He laughed and turned back to the handle. “I buy and fix up distressed properties. I sell most of them, but I’ve kept a few and rent them out.”
Wow. I didn’t think I’d buy a home until I was married, and he’d bought several.
“How’d you get the money?”
He pulled the handle off and pushed the door open. He stood and extended his hand out like an usher inviting me in. “Savings, a little help from my parents and creative financing.”
I walked in. “Thank you.”
He squatted down and worked to put the handle back on. “You’re welcome.” When he was done, he came into the house. The area by the French doors was open. To the right was the kitchen and to the left a large family room.
I was leaning against the couch as he’d finished his work and now that he was done, he moved to me, standing a little too close for propriety, but my hormones were happy about it.
“My hero,” I said hoping my voice didn’t sound as breathless to him as it did to my ears.
He smirked. “Happy to help, Princess.” He studied me. “How’s Dean?” My on-again and off-again boyfriend from high school attended the same college as me. He graduated and now was getting ready to start law school. His new girlfriend was with him. “He and his new girl live in North Carolina.”
A spark flashed in Gabe’s eyes. He liked that Dean was out of the picture. Interesting.
“How’s Diana or whoever?” She’d been Gabe’s most steady girl in high school and after. Like me and Dean, they’d been on and off, but in-between, each had seen other people. It was hard to keep track with Gabe.
He gave me a crooked smile. “I don’t know.” He stepped closer. “You know what this means, don’t you, Sam?”
I shook my head, distracted by his nearness. Up close, his muscles were even more defined. There was a light sheen of perspiration that made them even sexier.
“It means this is the first time you and I have been single at the same time.”
Had he been keeping track too? “Is it?” I tried to be coy, although I wasn’t sure I was succeeding. I had a feeling Gabe knew how to read women pretty well. I suspected he knew how to do other things with them pretty well too. My body yearned to know for sure.
He nodded. “I’ve waited a long time for this to happen.”
That surprised me. While we’d flirted, I’d thought my attraction was one-sided. I swallowed. “So, what are you going to do about it?”
“I’m going to take you out.”
I liked the sound of that, but there was no reason to make it easy for him. “Will you ask me first?”
He rested his hand on my hip, against the skin that was exposed between my t-shirt and panties. I should have put on shorts to have this visit, but oh well. Then again, I liked Gabe’s large warm hand on my skin. The rest of my body was a little jealous.
“Samantha, will you go out with me tonight?”
“Why not?” I smiled up at him.
He studied me for a moment. “We’ve known each other for a long time, right?”
I nodded. “Since kindergarten. Miss Laymen’s class.”
“We’ve even hung out a little.”
We’d been with other friends or our respective significant others when we’d been out together in the past, but it was true. “A little.”
“So, this isn’t really a first date we’ll have tonight.”
Technically it was, but curious as to what he was thinking, I went along with him. “I guess not.”
His smile turned wicked. “That means I can kiss you now.”
My heart flipped out like a hummingbird and my panties immediately got damp. I swallowed although it was hard because my mouth was dry. I tried to remember if I’d brushed my teeth that morning. God, it would be a disaster to kiss Gabe with morning breath. He’d cancel our date for sure.
His thumb brushed along my belly as his hand tugged me closer and he stepped to me. “I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to kiss you, Sam.”
“Will you start soon?”
He flashed that signature wolfish grin and lowered his lips to mine. I supposed I expected something rough and aggressive, but Gabe’s lips gently brushed over mine, slowly settling against them, before his tongue traced the seam of my lips asking for entry. Of course, I let him in. When his tongue touched mine, an explosion of sparks flared through my body.
My hands held his shoulders, worried that if I let go, I might melt into a gelatinous heap. He made an “mmmm” sound, tilting his head, and then turned up the heat. It was possible I was going to spontaneously combust. That was okay. Going up in flames kissing Gabe seemed like the ideal way to go.
Finally, and much to my disappointment, he pulled back. I’d expected a cocky, smug grin, but his eyes were narrow as they looked at me. Like he hadn’t expected fireworks either.
“I think I’d better take my run.” He nodded downward. I followed his gaze, noting the erection in his nylon shorts. My breath hitched at the size and length of him.
I finally drew my gaze back up to his face.
This time he did have a smug, cocky grin. “I’ll pick you up at seven.”
I hadn’t known what to expect on a date with Gabe. Most men took me to dinner in a nice restaurant and then maybe a movie. Gabe picked me up wearing his signature jeans and a button shirt, helped me into his old truck and drove us south for a ways into a tired-looking neighborhood, parking in front of a craftsman style home that had seen better days. The grass was nearly up to my knees, the paint was chipping, and a couple of windows were broken and boarded up from the inside.
As Gabe helped me from the truck, I looked down at my summer dress, hoping I wasn’t overdressed for this date.
“What’s this?” I asked as we walked up the cracked walkway.
“My newest gem.”
“You bought this?” I winced at my overly surprised tone.
“Are you surprised because I’m young or because the house looks like it’s on its last nail?”
I smiled sheepishly. “A little of both, I guess.”
He took my skepticism well. “Just wait.” He opened the front door and the inside was as bad as the outside. It smelled of dog and cigarettes, the carpet was worn and ratty and the walls were a yellowish color that I was sure didn’t come from paint. In the kitchen, the appliances were dirty and the cupboards looked like they had a coat of sticky grease on them.
I looked at Gabe wondering what he was thinking. He had a wistful expression as he scanned the rooms. Clearly, he was seeing something different.
“Come on.” He took my hand and led me to the back yard, which was also mostly overgrown. But there was a clean patio table with two chairs and a small vase of flowers. “Wait here a minute.”
He ran back inside and I thought I might have heard him at his truck. He returned a few minutes later with a picnic basket.
“We’re having a picnic?”
He grinned. “Yep.” There was something really sweet and charming about that. He laid out the food of chicken, fruit, macaroni salad, and a bottle of wine. “There are chocolate-dipped strawberries for dessert.”
“You thought of everything.”
He helped me sit in the chair and served me some food. “I know the house looks run down, but her bones are good, like you Samantha,” he said with a wink. “She’ll be the belle of the block when I’m done with her.”
As we ate, he told me his plans and I realized he really did see a different house than I did. But as he went room by room, detail by detail, I could see what he saw. Ivory-white walls and hardwood floors. The kitchen would be gutted and filled with wood cabinets, tile floor and stainless steel appliances.
“It’s going to be amazing. Will you live here?” I asked him as I pushed my plate away, full from the lovely meal.
>
“No. I’ll probably sell it.”
I frowned. “All that work and you’ll sell it?”
“That’s what I do. This house is special though because it’s an audition of sorts.”
“Audition?”
“There is a home renovation channel that saw my YouTube videos and has reached out to me. We’re in talks for me to do my own home renovation show.”
YouTube? I didn’t know he did that. Still, if a network wanted him, that was huge.
“Oh my God, Gabe, that’s fantastic.” I was truly amazed by the news. It went to show just how good Gabe was in home restoration, as well as on camera. Although that was no surprise. Gabe was incredibly handsome with his dark hair, chiseled jaw, broad chest and abs of steel. He could just stand there and smile and I’d watch. “So, you have to fix up this house and from that, they decide if you’ll have your own show?”
He nodded. “That’s about it. I think they want to see how I work with a crew and budget expenses too.” He leaned forward. “I had to get an agent.” He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Well, of course you did. All TV stars have an agent. What are the YouTube videos of?”
“I share some of the stuff I do on the homes on video like how to tile or what to look for when buying a distressed property.”
“That’s amazing, Gabe. And that’s why you’re about to be famous.”
He laughed. “I know this isn’t what most women would want to come to on a date, but,” he shrugged like he was trying to be nonchalant. “I wanted you to see it.”
I was touched that he wanted to share it with me. “I’m glad you did.”
“From here, I thought we’d go to the river.”
“I didn’t bring my swimsuit.”
He flashed his cocky smile. “Who needs a suit?”
Later that evening, we were walking along the bank of the river, with me on the riverside and Gabe next to me. The dirt gave way, causing my foot to slide down the embankment. I was sure I was about to take a dunk in the river as I cried out and my arms reached out with nothing to grab but air.
An arm came around me, hauling me up against the hard chest of Gabe. He stumbled back, falling with me on top of him.
“I almost saved you,” he said.
I laughed. “Did you plan that? I mean, look how we’ve ended up.” I was sprawled over him, his hand nearly on my ass. In this position, I could feel every part of him was hard muscle. I doubted there was an ounce of fat anywhere on his body
“I didn’t, but it was a nice result.” He grinned.
I decided I’d waited long enough, and lowered my head to kiss him. Like that afternoon, sparks went off in my brain, and my blood thickened and warmed. I could have stayed there forever kissing Gabe.
“You’re taking my moves, Sam,” he said when we came up for air.
“You were taking too long.”
“Sam likes kissing. I’ll keep that in mind.” He put his hand around my neck and pulled in for another kiss.
By the next week, I knew for sure that he was primarily muscle as I’d touched every inch of his hard body. I’d traced his tattoos with my finger and my tongue.
He knew my body as well as I’d gotten to know his, including the feel of him sliding inside me with his sizable erection. The week after that, I knew I was in love with him. Gabe could be cocky and arrogant, but he was also sweet and funny and romantic. He was the first between us to say “I love you,” which he did one evening while we skinny-dipped in the river. The stars were out, the river was a cool respite from the heat and humidity and Gabe was sexy and sweet as he held me in his arms. His words wrapped around me making me feel gooey inside. Of course, I told him I loved him too.
My summer was immersed in Gabe. When I wasn’t working at the local java joint to make money for school, I was with him. He took me to look at distressed properties he was considering buying and would tell me how he’d fix them up. He took me to his audition property and let me help him paint and do other work. I couldn’t believe the transformation the house was making. He had amazing vision. And when he was working, especially without a shirt, it was all I could do not to jump him. I had no doubt he’d have a popular TV show. All he’d have to do is take his shirt off a few times.
He was sharing many of his tips on affordable but quality rehabbing tricks on YouTube, which had become another source of income for him. And when he told me the home improvement network located in Florida had offered a contract to him to do a show, I couldn’t have been prouder of him.
The only problem was, as the summer drew to an end and I was planning to return to school, we had to face the fact that we’d be apart.
“I can come visit you at school. In fact, I can move down there. There’s lots of great real estate. I’ve checked. I can get us a place and fix it up while you go to school.”
The fact that he’d already looked into moving his business to the other side of the state filled my heart. It said he wanted the same thing I did; to stay together.
“What about the show?” The TV network would require him to move to Florida.
He shrugged, but I could see in his eyes he wanted to do it.
“Gabe, you have to take it.”
“What about us?”
“I love you and while I don’t want to be away from you, it will only be for a year. Less actually. Ten months. Once I get my degree, I can come to Florida. They need teachers there, I bet.”
He blew out a breath. “I want both. You and the show.”
“Then you have to do the show because you’ve already got me.” I was totally committed to him. It worried my parents who felt I was too young to be so serious about Gabe. But I felt it deep in my soul that he was the one for me. We’d survive the time apart and then be together forever. I was as sure of that as I was that the sun would rise every morning.
As it turned out, six months later we were done and I wondered what the hell I’d been thinking to believe he was the man for me.
Book 1: Chapter 1 Samantha—Lightning Strikes Twice
Four Years Later
Samantha
“How did I get here?” The wind scooped up the corner of the tarp, slapping it in my face so hard I was sure it would leave a mark. I pushed it down, playing a game of Twister on my roof to cover up the leak before the storm arrived. I was losing the race as I fought the wind, and the rain steadily picked up. Just as I was about to secure one corner, a loud clap of thunder rumbled across the sky.
I lifted my head and saw the dark clouds encroaching and the streaks of lightning firing downward. If I didn’t get this tarp strapped down now, I’d have to risk water damage to my house or death. Probably both.
“What the hell are you doing?”
I flinched at the voice. Not because it was unexpected, but because I recognized it, even through the wind and now pounding rain. I turned my head, careful not to lose my balance.
Gabe Sloane crawled toward me on my roof. “You’re going to die up here. Get down now.”
Inwardly I groaned. “I have to get this over the leak—”
“I’ll do it.”
“I can do it.” I turned back to the task but the tarp billowed around me, nearly wrapping me up. In a matter of moments, I was going to roll off my roof while cocooned in a plastic tarp. I wondered if it would cushion my landing on the ground.
“Jesus Christ. Get down!” He took control of the situation, pulling the tarp from around me. “Seriously, get down or you’ll kill us both.” As if to accentuate his point, another loud bang of thunder rattled my teeth.
Miffed, I did as he said, carefully making my way to the ladder and climbing down. I briefly considered moving the ladder, but if he was struck by lightning, I’d probably be charged with murder.
I waited near the bottom of the ladder despite the increasing rain and wind and growing nearness of the lightning. I was soaked and probably looked like a wet rat, but I wasn’t going to act like some silly girl a
nd hide on the porch.
I could hear him swearing as he made his way down the ladder. When he got to the bottom, he laid the ladder on the ground, then, grabbing my wrist, he pulled me to the porch.
“What the hell is wrong with you? Do you want to die and couldn’t decide between falling off the roof or being struck by lightning so thought ‘why not do both?’” He glared down on me with his hands on his hips like I was an idiot. Maybe I was, but I’d sunk all the money I had from my measly teacher’s salary into this house. I wasn’t going to let it get more dilapidated from rain. Not when I had a tight budget to restore her to her early twentieth-century glory.
“I needed to cover the leak to protect the house.”
“I’m sure your heirs will appreciate that when you die from the effort.” He shook his head. “How stupid—”
“Don’t call me stupid.”
“What you did is about as stupid as you can get.”
I wanted to punch him for so many reasons. For being right in that my actions were reckless and dangerous. But most importantly, for looking so delicious when soaking wet. His hair was short on the sides and he’d pushed the longer wet strands on the top back, making it look like he’d just stepped out of the shower and not been in a rain deluge. His white t-shirt clung to his torso like it was painted on, showing me every carve of his chest muscles and six-pack. I could even see the shadow of his sunburst tattoo and other ink that hadn’t been there before. It really should have been illegal for someone to look as sexy as he did when drenched by pouring rain.
He must have noticed my checking him out because his eyes took a similar scan of me. I was certain he wasn’t impressed by what he saw, especially since my ponytail was hanging down my back in wet stringy strands and my makeup was probably running down my cheeks. His gaze lingered around my chest and my eyes closed in embarrassment as the wet shirt mixed with a breeze certainly had my nipples making an appearance.
“Don’t get any ideas,” I quipped. “That’s from the rain and cold.”