by Susan Stoker
“I’ve got a contractor, but you’re the dog expert. If you’re serious, you can help me figure out what needs to be done immediately so Hannah will be safe here. Then I can call Max and get that done and work on the smaller shit when time permits.”
“Okay.”
“How about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?” Sidney asked in surprise.
“Yeah. I don’t have a lot of time, not if Hannah is going to be released within the week,” Decker told her.
“Right.” Of course that’s why he wanted her to come over so quickly.
“That, and I want to see you again,” he added.
Swallowing hard, Sidney did her best to keep the butterflies in her stomach under control. It had been a long time since she’d felt this way about anything. Especially a man.
And Decker was one hell of a man. She’d noticed that he was good-looking; of course she had. But it wasn’t until Hannah had been taken to the back at the vet’s that she’d really had time to reflect.
The T-shirt he’d had on pulled tight over his shoulders and biceps, showing off how buff he was. He had tattoos on his arms down to his wrists, all black, which was hot as hell. He also had a fairly full, neatly trimmed beard, which intrigued Sidney. She’d never dated a man with a beard before, and couldn’t deny she was curious as to how it might feel to kiss him. Would the hair on his face be scratchy and annoying? Or would it be soft and tickle as his lips covered her own?
She closed her eyes and tried to get her mind back on track. She wasn’t like Nora, didn’t expect sex in return for doing him a favor, but she had a feeling a naked Decker would be absolutely beautiful—and almost overwhelming, next to her less-than-perfect figure.
“What time?” she asked, trying to get her mind out of the gutter.
“Whatever time is good for you,” he returned immediately.
“Don’t you have to work?” she asked, suddenly wondering what it was he did for a living. He’d certainly had time that afternoon to help her and take Hannah to the vet. He said he had a job, but maybe that was a lie? Maybe he didn’t work. Maybe he was a trust-fund kid and lived off his parents’ money…
“Yeah. But at the moment, my time is flexible. It’s not always this way, but I might as well take advantage of it while I can.”
She wanted to ask about his job, so bad, but decided it would sound rude. She’d ask tomorrow.
“Okay. How about two-ish? I need to help Jude out in the morning since I was gone most of today.”
“Jude?” Decker asked.
Sidney thought she heard a note of jealousy in his tone, but that was crazy. “My boss.”
“Hmmm.”
“My sixty-three-year-old boss,” she added, wanting to make sure he knew she wasn’t in any way attracted to the other man.
“Right. I was that obvious, huh?” Decker said with a laugh. “Thank you for not playing games, Sid. Two sounds perfect. Do you want me to pick you up?”
“What? Why?”
“Because you’re doing me a favor by coming to my place to help me. It’s the least I could do.”
“No. I’ll meet you there,” she said firmly. There was no way she was going to be trapped at his house without transportation. She’d just met the guy. She wasn’t an idiot.
“You can trust me,” Decker said, his voice having lowered. “I know how that sounded, but you have nothing to fear from me. To you, I’m harmless.”
He didn’t say he was harmless in general. Some wouldn’t even note the distinction, but it was more than obvious to her.
“I’ll come to you.” The words sounded innocent in her head, but the second they came out of her lips, they seemed to have a deeper meaning.
“I’ll text you my address,” Decker said.
“Okay.”
“Sidney?”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
Sidney clicked off the phone and stared at it unseeingly. It wasn’t until it vibrated in her hand that she shook herself out of the stupor she’d been in.
Looking down, she saw Decker had indeed texted his address. She brought it up on the map and inwardly groaned.
Of course he had a house right on the beach.
What was she doing? She hadn’t been kidding when she’d said he was way out of her league. Someone like Nora could probably snare him in a second…but then she’d turn her back and walk away without a second glance, as well.
Decker Kincade didn’t strike her as a ladies’ man. He had a sincerity about him. A goodness.
And she should stay as far away from him as she could get.
She’d taint him. As sure as her name was Sidney Hale, she knew that without a doubt. She should go ahead and tell him who her brother was, get it over with.
But selfishly, she wanted a little more time to just be Sidney. To enjoy the strange connection she had with Decker…
Before he looked at her in horror and found a way to distance himself.
Sighing, Sidney shoved her phone back in her pocket and picked up her tool bag. She had shit to do, and thinking about the chocolate-brown eyes of Decker Kincade was not on the list.
Chapter Three
Gumby paced.
Sidney was late. He wanted to call her, to reassure himself that she wasn’t ghosting him. But he refrained. Traffic around Riverton was terrible. She was probably just stuck in it, and he didn’t want to distract her by calling.
But he couldn’t help the part of him that thought maybe he’d come on too strong. That she had absolutely no interest in him.
He didn’t like feeling insecure. As a SEAL, he was always confident and optimistic. But Sidney had a way of making him feel as though he were a teenager hoping a girl would agree to hold his hand at lunch.
Running a hand through his hair, he paced. And worried.
Finally, around two forty-five, Gumby heard the distinctive rumbly engine of Sidney’s Accord. He opened his front door and waited as she parked in his driveway and climbed out of her car.
When she was about four feet from him, she stopped, looked up at him, and began to speak. Her words were rushed, as if she thought he would interrupt her.
“I’m so sorry I’m late. Jude asked me to stop over at old Mr. Cotter’s trailer. He’d been complaining about low water pressure. He was right, he was barely getting a trickle out of his faucets. So I climbed under his trailer to see what the problem was and the second I touched the pipe leading into his trailer, it burst. I hadn’t turned off the water yet because I was just doing some recon. I was soaked in an instant and, of course, the dirt I had been lying in immediately turned to mud. I had to scoot out, turn off the water, then go back under his house. The pipe was completely blocked by rust, which was what had caused the low water pressure, and also why it just disintegrated when I touched it. I swear it must’ve been as old as Mr. Cotter himself.
“I couldn’t leave him without any water, so I had to get a new piece of pipe and patch it in as a temporary measure, but the entire line is probably going to have be replaced sooner rather than later. By the time I was done, it was already quarter to two and I had to go shower, because trust me, I looked exactly like the monster from that old campy movie, Swamp Thing, and then traffic sucked. I was going to call you and let you know I was running late, but I’d stupidly put my phone in my purse, which I threw in my backseat, and I didn’t want to stop to grab it because that would only make me later. Are you mad?”
Gumby hadn’t ever been mad. Worried. Upset. Unsure, yes. Mad, no. And by the time she’d finished her rambling explanation of why she’d been late, he was smiling. Of course she was late because she was helping someone else. Even if it hadn’t been her job, he had a feeling she’d never leave something half done.
Taking a step forward, Gumby didn’t say anything. He simply pulled her into his embrace.
She stiffened at first, then slowly melted against him as if they’d hugged like this every day of their lives. Her cheek rested against his chest, and he could smell the fresh flowery scent of whatever shampoo she’d used wafting up from her hair. She felt even smaller against his body. It was hard to believe this slip of a woman had been physically duking it out the day before against the thug who’d been hurting Hannah.
Remembering the incident, and how she’d been injured, he pulled back and brought a hand up to her face. She hadn’t tried to cover up her black eye with makeup, and he ran a thumb over the bruising on her face. “It hurt?” he asked.
She shook her head.
“Good. I’m not mad, Sid. I’m relieved that you’re okay. That you weren’t in a car accident on your way here and, more importantly, that you didn’t decide I was a total creeper and there was no way you were you coming over to my house.”
She chuckled and tried to step back, but Gumby didn’t let go of her. If she’d insisted, he would’ve dropped his arms immediately, but the second she felt his grip not loosening, she relaxed into him once again. Her hands gripped his biceps and she looked up at him.
“I couldn’t in good conscience let poor Hannah come to an unsafe house, now, could I?” she asked with a small smile.
Her answer was somewhat disappointing, considering the direction his thoughts had wandered, but Gumby didn’t let what he was feeling show on his face. “Right.” He dropped his arms and took a step back, gesturing toward his door. “Ready for the grand tour?”
Sidney stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Decker, if I wasn’t interested, I wouldn’t be here.”
He stopped and stared at her. He was pretty good at hiding his emotions. Had to be in his line of work. But Sidney had easily seen through him. It was disconcerting, but at the same time it was a relief. “I know I’m pushing,” he told her. “And this isn’t like me. But there’s something about you that I can’t resist.”
“I’m nobody special,” she said.
“And that right there is part of the reason why I’m so fascinated,” Gumby told her. “You have no idea how special you are. Most women would’ve rescheduled the appointment with Mr. Cotter, but you didn’t. And don’t get me started on your compassion when it comes to dogs like Hannah.”
Sidney shook her head. “Seriously, Decker. You don’t even know me. Yeah, I like dogs, but that’s not a reason to put me on a pedestal.”
“It’s more than that,” he told her. “I can’t put my finger on it, and I can’t really explain it. But there’s something that’s drawing me to you like a moth to a flame.”
“You’re gonna get burned,” Sidney told him.
Gumby knew she believed every word that was coming out of her mouth. Just as she had when she’d warned him yesterday that they weren’t in the same league. He sensed she had some deep, dark secret…but he didn’t care. Sidney Hale was a good person. He knew it with a sort of sixth sense.
He dealt with the worst of humanity on a fairly regular basis. He’d witnessed men strapping bombs onto their own flesh and blood and pushing the button to detonate those explosives in order to push their own agendas. He’d been lied to, spit on, looked down on, tortured, and shot by men and women who could probably blend right in here on the streets of Riverton if they tried hard enough.
But he’d looked into their eyes and seen the evil within.
One of the main things he saw when he looked into Sidney’s eyes was pain.
Whatever demons she had may be locked down tight, but they didn’t prevent her from helping out old men in her trailer park or helpless animals that couldn’t fight for themselves.
“I’ve always been a bit of a risk taker,” Gumby told her. He didn’t reach for her, didn’t brush the hair behind her ear as he wanted to. “The question is, am I the only one feeling the connection between us?”
She opened her mouth to answer, but he quickly talked over her, not wanting to chance hearing her say yes.
“Give me today,” he pleaded. “Get to know me a bit more. If, after today, you don’t feel the same pull toward me that I’m feeling toward you, I won’t bother you again. I’m not looking for a pity date, Sidney. I’m too old for that shit. I want a woman who can’t bear to be in the same room as I am without touching me, holding my hand, brushing her fingers against my arm. I want a woman who can stand up for herself when I’m not around, but isn’t afraid to let me take charge when I am. I want a partner. Someone I can laugh with, but who I can also let go with, and have her take some of my burdens when I need to share.
“And I’m not saying you’re that woman. But I am saying you’re the first woman in a fuck of a long time to interest me even a little. But after today, if you only see us being friends, tell me. I won’t freak out. Okay?”
She nodded.
Gumby knew he’d probably said too much, but he’d been honest. He didn’t want to date someone just to get his rocks off. After almost dying in Bahrain, and then seeing how close his teammate, Rocco, had become with his girlfriend, Caite, he realized that he wanted what they had. Maybe Sidney wasn’t that woman. But what if she was?
“Come on,” he forced himself to say in a lighter tone. “I’ll show you my house. But I warn you, it’s a mess.”
She smiled. “I’m sure it’s not that bad.”
Gumby winced as he opened the door for her. It was, but he’d let her see for herself.
Thirty minutes later, Gumby was staring at Sidney’s ass as she knelt on his kitchen floor on her hands and knees, head hidden in the cabinet under his sink.
He’d wanted to impress her. Maybe convince her to sit out on his deck with him as they got to know each other better. But the second Sidney saw his kitchen—which was a disaster from the remodel that had been started but not finished because he’d been sent to Bahrain, and hadn’t yet called the contractor back to complete the job—he’d lost her.
She’d demanded he tell her his vision for the space, and after he had, she’d started inspecting everything the contractor had done so far, telling him where she thought improvements could be made and what else needed to be done. She was currently inspecting the plumbing under his sink to see if the ice maker he’d wanted installed would be possible.
“Good news!” she called out, her words muffled by the cabinet. “I’m pretty sure it’s doable!”
Gumby couldn’t tear his eyes from her ass. He’d never really considered himself an ass man—or a tit man, for that matter. He just enjoyed women’s bodies, period. They were all different. But mostly he just loved how they were softer than he was. He’d spent his entire life making sure his body was battle-ready, but he didn’t want a woman who was hard like him. He wanted someone who was curvy and soft.
And Sidney certainly fit that bill. Looking at her ass as she shifted on her hands and knees in front of him made him revert back to a teenager looking at dirty magazines. He couldn’t keep the fantasy of taking her that way from his mind.
She’d be on her hands and knees, just like she was now, on their bed. She’d look coyly behind her and shake her ass at him, urging him to hurry up and fuck her already. But he’d take his time. Drop to his knees behind her and eat her out that way. She’d fall to her elbows, tilting her hips up, giving him better access to her honey.
He was lost in his fantasy, even licking his lips, imagining he could taste her there, when she scooted out from under his sink, sat on her heels, and looked up at him. “Did you hear me?”
Blinking, Gumby realized his erection was practically in her face. She was at a perfect height to reach up and—
Shit.
Spinning around, Gumby rested his hands on the counter, trying to get his shit together.
“Yeah, I heard you. Great,” he said quickly.
He heard her standing up. “Are you okay?”
“Of course. Are you thirsty?”
He felt her hand touch his back, and Gumby’s fingers twitched with the need to spin around and haul S
idney into his arms. God, he hadn’t been this horny in years. What was wrong with him? She was here to make sure his house was safe for Hannah. He was a pig for ogling her the way he’d been.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. “I’m sorry I kinda lost it in here. This kitchen has such great potential, and I got carried away. We can look at the rest of the house now.”
Gumby shook his head and didn’t turn around. He felt every one of her fingers on his back as if she’d branded him. He both prayed she’d leave her hand there and hoped like hell she’d back away from him. “No, you’re right. I was going the easy route, but I need to reevaluate, and the ideas you gave me are perfect.”
“Decker?” she asked. “I feel as if I’m making you uncomfortable. Maybe I should go.”
With that, he did spin around. So fast, she gasped and took a step away from him. She stumbled as she tripped over a stack of tile on the floor and would’ve fallen if he hadn’t reached out and grabbed her around the waist.
He couldn’t stop himself from hauling her close. He stared down at her for a long moment. Her black hair was in disarray around her shoulders, and the bruise on her face drew his attention. She had the most amazing blue eyes. They were like the ocean outside his back door right before it got too dark to see it…an amazing deep blue color that drew him in.
“You don’t make me uncomfortable,” he told her after a moment. He knew his erection was pressing against her belly, that she could feel it. She’d have to be completely clueless not to, and he knew she was anything but. “I like having you here in my space. A bit too much, if you know what I mean. I’m trying to be a gentleman and not freak you out, but I’m struggling.”
“Oh,” she said with a gasp, but didn’t tear herself out of his arms. He hoped that was a good sign.
Taking a deep breath, and loving the way her flowery scent filled his senses, he let go of her and headed for the fridge. He took out a bottle of water and held it up. “Water?”
“Uh…yes please,” she told him.
“Come on,” he said. “I’ll give you the rest of the tour and you can tell me what needs to be done immediately for Hannah. I have no idea if she’s a chewer or not. I know I need to get an electrician over here to close up the sockets and shit.”