by CC Monroe
“So, what, for six months, we sleep together when we need it? That’s insane, Brew.”
“We sleep together. We eat together. We get to know each other.” His demeanor has changed. After getting the feeling not a lot of people have been able to read him, it shocks me to know I can. This isn’t a joke or something he isn’t serious about.
“But I’m here for six months. Then what? We forget each other?”
He doesn’t answer me, and I go to ask again, but we pull into the driveway of the house where my team is. Seeing this is the only row of houses done and there is a team of people waiting, he must have known this was my stop.
“I couldn’t forget you. Not now. We’ll talk later.”
“Brew?” I push, softening my voice. This is all so confusing right now, and we can’t just leave it at that.
“Go. You don’t want to be late, and my guys are waiting.”
Releasing a deep breath, I shelf this for now. That’s all I can do. Climbing out of his truck, I grab my bag, and before I shut the door, he calls to me. Well, his way of calling to me.
“Baby?”
“Hmm?” There is no use in correcting him. We have no time, and he’s as stubborn as a mule.
“Those men. Do they want you—what’s mine?” He nudges his head toward my team, specifically Parker and Gordon.
“What? No. What?”
“I wasn’t lying. I won’t take kindly to them trying to steal what’s mine. Remember that, JJ.” As he puts his truck in reverse, I’m left dumbfounded as I shut the door and watch him leave.
“You barely made it! That’s not like you,” Blair says.
“Oh yeah.” Not having time to not have my head on straight, I push away the past hour and focus on the project at hand. The new owners will be here in an hour, and I have to be on my A-game.
What the hell is in the water here?
Chapter Six
Brew
I’m a fucking moron. Why? Why did I have to peek out the window last night and catch her touching herself? Why did she have to be so damn different? Why did I have to fuck her like a man unhinged?
JJ is not only in my guesthouse, in my head, and her taste on my fingers. But she’s psyching me out. Every trait I’ve tried not to let show has surfaced. My jealousy. My possessive side. My fucking hormones, clearly. Goddamn, she felt perfect. That gorgeous body was sculpted by God himself, and he made her—every fucking detail—for me. Then she opens her mouth and is a smartass, intelligent woman with a mind of her own, and I crave that. She stimulates all my senses.
I don’t know what will come of these next six months, but I do know for sure it will be her in my bed every night. Conversations with the only woman I want to actually get to know. Just JJ.
Pulling into the dirt parking lot next to the unfinished houses, I climb out and grab my hard hat and utility belt. I’ve been the owner of Axton Construction for eight years now.
“Boss. You’re late. Jones fucked up his hand helping his wife with some home improvement stuff, so we sent him home. Didn’t need him making it worse. So, we are a bit shorthanded.” Bricks, my assistant and close friend, approaches. The news is a good distraction from thinking about JJ.
“I’ll call him and make sure he sees a doctor. I won’t clear him to come back until he gets the clearance.”
“Sounds good. The guys are working on the second-floor molding.”
“Good. Let me get payroll done, and then I’ll be out to help you guys.”
“You got it, boss.”
Work did help a little, but not as much as I wished it would have. JJ and our morning kept playing on repeat when I had a second not to focus on the task at hand.
Climbing in my truck, I see it’s nearing six, and I head to where I dropped JJ off earlier. When I pull up, I’m glad to see she’s still there and didn’t take off. Shaking hands with who I assume are two clients, she and her team wave them off. I stay parked across the street and watch her, and seeing her in her element is beautiful. I can’t tell what she’s saying, but her smile is lighting up her face, and her team seems to match that enthusiasm. Giving them all high fives, she says goodbye, then turns, her eyes falling on me.
I expect her to scowl or even take off running at this point, but she surprises me with a shrug and a small smile. As she checks the street before she crosses, I notice one of her team members—the man who looks like he graduated from D-bag Academy—looks her over, checking her out. My blood boils, and I stare him down. He must feel it, because when he looks over at me, my scowl sets him straight. He turns and rushes with the rest of the team to their Uber.
I climb out and meet her at the front of the truck.
“Brew? You okay?” she asks, but I don’t answer. Instead, I push her against the front of the truck, gripping her neck and kissing her like I did this morning, like I fucking plan to do every chance I get. But this has a purpose. My jealous side is coming out, and I need that tool to know that, while she’s in Tennessee, she’s mine. Expecting hesitation, I’m pleasantly surprised once more when I get none, and thank God for that. Maybe JJ has decided to go along with this—with us and whatever this is that’s going to happen between us.
Finally, and reluctantly, I release her lips but not her. I keep her caged, my arms stretched out on either side of her head, my hands splayed on the hood of my truck.
“First day. How was it?”
“Oh, um…” That kiss hit her hard. “It was great. The clients loved my designs and want to give me full creative control. So we’re going shopping all day tomorrow to get the items.”
“Good. You hungry?”
She nods in response.
“All right. There is a mom-and-pop pizza shop that I love just a couple miles south. You like pizza?”
“Who doesn’t? But I’m a New Yorker, so good luck trying to beat our pizza.”
“Fuck. You’re right, and I don’t know if I like the idea of losing. But I’m pretty confident in this place.”
“All right. Bet?” JJ wagers.
“Bet.”
“How much?”
I think about this, and it hits me after a brief moment. “You.”
“What?” She giggles.
“The bet is, if this pizza is as good as a New York specialty, then you will give in to whatever is happening between us. That you’ll let me take care of you and spoil you fucking rotten, baby.” Not missing the gulp, I lean in and kiss her neck, moving to her ear. “It can be really fucking good between us, JJ. We both know it.”
Her breathing is labored, and I hear it in my ear that’s right next to her plump lips. Pulling back, she looks around, thinking it over. There is no doubt she’s been thinking about me all day and what we could be. This elates me to know I’m not alone. That whatever this is, is in her too. She’s feeling it just as deep.
“Okay. I’ll take that bet.” We share a smile, and suddenly we are interrupted by her phone ringing. Grabbing it out of her back pocket, she holds her phone up. “It’s Chrystal.” Stepping back, I lead the way to the passenger side, opening the door and helping her up.
“Chrystal, hey!”
Shutting the door, I hurry to my side, climb in, and start up my truck.
“Yeah! I would love that. Funny enough, Brew is working on the same housing development.” She pauses, and I can hear Chrystal but can’t make out her words.
“What’s the restaurant?” she asks me.
“Antonio’s. She knows it.”
“Antonio’s. Perfect! I can’t wait to see you. Okay, bye!” Ending the call, I see a side of JJ I haven’t yet—a giddy side.
“So what’s the story with you and Chrystal?”
“We were college roommates for the first three years at Columbia. Then I changed my major, and she got offered a scholarship at Bartum’s out here. But nothing changed other than the physical distance. She’s still my best friend.”
“Nice. Columbia. Damn, that’s incredible. What did you go for?”
“You’re incredible.”
“Thank you. I’m proud. Not in a stuck up, ‘I’m better than everyone’ kind of way, but I’m proud.”
“What do your parents think?” I ask before I think. There are some things you don’t just flat out ask when getting to know someone in the first couple of days. How do I know they’re even around?
She chuckles next to me, catching me off guard.
“What?” I ask.
“You can wipe the look of pure horror off your face. My parents are fine. They live in the suburbs of New York. They had me a little late in life, so they’re older but alive and healthy. They’re very proud.”
Ignoring that she caught me mid-internal-panic, I move on. “Only child?”
“Sure am. I was an oops. But one they’re glad happened. What about you?”
“Only child. Born and raised here. My parents live one town over, and they are incredible. I went to college for core classes but ended up starting up my own business,” I summarize, not a fan of talking about myself.
“I wanted to tell you these homes are beautiful, Brew. They are so well done. Just like yours.”
“Thank you, baby. I appreciate the compliment.”
Clearing her throat, she turns more toward me. “About that. The whole ‘baby’ thing. Can we not do that in front of Chrystal and Dominic? I don’t want her to ask a thousand question until we know what this is.”
Knowing what this is, I decide to follow the rule of time and place.
“All right. I can respect that.”
“Thank you.”
“What kind of music do you like?” Switching gears, I carry on with our conversation.
“Almost everything. But rock and country are my go-to usually.”
“Perfect. You and I have that in common. You can take my phone and pick any song.” Taking my phone off the holder it sits in on my dash, I hand it to her, and she goes through my songs, landing on one that throws me off.
“This song. My God. I heard it and just knew that whoever he wrote this about must be special,” she comments on Luke Combs’s “Forever After All.” Little does she know, songs like this one are written about muses like JJ. A woman any man would die to have, and for the next six months, I plan to make that my MO.
She sings completely off key, and I might sound like a chump, but it’s the truth—she’s adorable. I know JJ will be something I will most likely regret. She doesn’t seem like the type, but that’s what I thought about my ex, Jess. Everything started off great, before her, I wasn’t the type to swear off relationships, but after everything she did during our two years and then the even worse shit after I ended thing, I became that man.
This thing with JJ will be easy. She won’t be here permanently, and she loves her job. I’m not the type of man to make her give all that up. Let’s just hope she doesn’t keep impressing me and being the exact goddamn thing I wantin a woman. Because if she does, I may just not let her leave Tennessee.
Chapter Seven
JJ
The car ride to meet up with Chrystal was both filled with excitement—because I haven’t seen her except on FaceTime for nearly four years—but also tension. Sexual, awkward, and intimidating. Never have I ever been friends with benefits, let alone basically strangers with benefits, and I don’t want to let Brew distract me from the end goal—get this big job done and start my own designing company.
Neither of us approached the subject on our way, which I’m thankful for. Meeting up with Chrystal isn’t something I want overshadowed with more than the already confusing and complicated status of me and her husband’s best friend. I should have stayed in a dingy hotel in the bad part of town. But my God, that sex. It wasn’t good; it wasn’t just fun—it was so damn mind blowing, and if that was just an interlude and a “quickie,” then what would a full session under Brew be like?
No forces in the world could keep from wanting to find out. Great.
It’s just sex, JJ. Really, really good sex. You are and have always been strong-willed. He won’t stop you or keep you here. Enjoy the ride—literally, I tell myself.
“We’re here. You got a good poker face?” Brew pulls me away from my wayward thoughts.
Peering at him, then the restaurant, I clear my throat. “Better than yours, I bet, country boy,” I tease.
“Country? That’s cute, baby. I’ll show you I’m more than a country man later.”
My stomach flips. I already know I will be underneath Brew tonight. I want it, and he wants it. We are like magnets, and I feel the pull between us, trying with all its might to fuse us together. I climb out at the same time he does, and he meets me at the front of his truck.
“If we weren’t trying to be obvious, I would smack your ass so hard, throw you back in the car, and eat you out until you begged me to stop.”
“Um, excuse me.” I chuckle, but you can hear the arousal.
“I open your door, always. Got it, woman?”
“Woman? My name’s JJ.” With that, I pat his pec in a mocking manner and start heading toward the entrance. I sway my ass back and forth, knowing he’s watching. I like power. He can have it when we’re naked, but I like the control I have over him when we’re fully clothed.
“You are going to make me crazy, woman,” he growls when he catches up, walking beside me.
“I plan on it. It’s gonna be a fun six months. But hey, this was your idea.”
Before he can get in another word, a high-pitched screech calling my name interrupts us.
“J! Oh my God! I missed you!” Just as I’m realizing its Chrystal, I’m nearly tackled. Throwing her arms around me, she squeezes me tightly to her.
“Chrys! Hey! I missed you too.” My enthusiasm matches, just in a softer tone. Stepping back, we both look each other up and down.
“Shit, girl! You look fucking hot! The purple—so you. I mean, I know I’ve seen it on FaceTime, but in person, you look like a vixen.”
Rolling my eyes and laughing, I wave her off. "Stop, let’s talk about you. You look so happy. Like really, really happy.” Chrystal had a rough time in college. Her boyfriend put her through hell. More often than not, she was a wreck over the mental strain he put on their relationship. Part of her leaving was to have an excuse to get away from that tool bag. Her face lights up so brightly, the adorable gap between her teeth showing—something she used to hate and hide from everyone, when really, it’s one of her most beautiful, unique traits. Her blonde hair is shorter now, above her shoulders, and I swear, this is a brand-new woman.
“And you must be the infamous Dom, who has kept my best friend from coming back to New York.” She wasn’t lying. He is very good-looking—tall, dark, and handsome indeed. For a long time, they went through the ringer in the town they used to live in. No one there liked seeing a black man with a white woman. It was awful, and it nearly drove them apart. Thank God it didn’t. Because this man has made her the happiest she has ever been.
“Sorry, but I ain’t letting my woman go anywhere. Sorry, sweets.” His voice is deep and gravelly just like it is on the phone. When he says this, he pulls her into his side, and that look, the way he stares at her like he would not only kill for her or die for her, but it’s as if he is living and breathing for her. It puts it all into perspective. I wouldn’t want to leave that either.
“Dom, brother. Good to see you.”
“You too. Sorry I wasn’t there for drinks the other night at the club. My old lady wasn’t feeling good.”
“Oh no. Your mom’s sick? Is she okay?” I ask, placing my hand above my heart.
Suddenly, all three of them share a look and then start laughing.
“No, sweets, Chrystal is my old lady. It’s
a biker term.”
I knew that. How did I not think about that? How embarrassing.
“Shit. I forgot that’s a biker thing. I’ve watched Sons of Anarchy enough times to know this. And nothing is hotter than Jax Teller calling his woman his ‘old lady.’”
The air shifts somehow, and I peek up at Brew, who wears a scowl. Doing my best, I don’t react. Clearly, Brew is the jealous type. I’m learning something new about him every minute, it seems, and usually the jealous, possessive thing isn’t something I’m a fan of. But those pesky butterflies in my stomach tell me that when it’s coming from Brew, it’s… sexy.
“Okay, enough. I’m starved, and I want to know all about the new project and everything!” Chrystal wraps her arm around mine, locking us in a hold, and leads us off.
After ordering, we make small talk. We sit in a booth against the window, Chrystal and me on one side, and Brew and Dom on the other. They talk biker stuff, and Chrystal and I get lost in conversation.
“The job is going really well. Oh, and I forgot to tell you.” I pause taking a sip. “Parker has been a pill, and today, he asked me out again. I swear he wouldn’t know professional boundaries if they kicked him in the nuts, which I’m about to do.”
“Who is Parker?” Brew halts both conversations, and I turn to look at him. His lip is curled, and his knuckles on the table are as white as a ghost from the strain.
“He’s the owner’s son of JJ’s company, and he’s been relentless on trying to get her to go out with him. No matter how many times she says no, the slimy bastard keeps at it, and it gets more and more intense every time.”
There. That comment shifts the entire mood, and whatever he is about to say could blow up our whole secret.
“Really,” he seethes, and I readjust myself, uncomfortable and nervous. That look he is boring into me is nearly a physical touch, it seems. I can feel it; it’s that powerful.
“I got it. It’s no big deal.” I squint at him and kick him under the table, but he doesn’t budge.