Believe In Me (Paradise Place Book 7)

by Natalie Ann

  They hung up and he realized maybe he was the lucky one after all.

  18

  The Quiet Life

  He wasn’t thinking he was so lucky though when he was outside looking at the landscaping that had started today and a black Range Rover pulled to a stop in front of his house.

  He was still in his work clothes, and since he’d had a meeting off site at the end of the day, he was in a suit and tie, the jacket over his arm at this point, and Jet on his leash jumping around.

  The Range Rover turned off, the guy getting out. Harris Walker.

  He’d expected a visit much sooner than this, but at least thought he’d have time to prepare for it.

  Then he wondered why the hell he had to prepare for anything.

  “Harris,” he said, moving forward and holding his hand out. “It took you longer than I thought.” Might as well start on the offense himself. If he wanted to soften when the guy bent down to scratch Jet’s ears, he didn’t.

  “I’ve been busy. I’ve brought up meeting you a few times to Sarah and she blows me off. She’s her own person even when I tell her she is my baby sister. I saw you out here and figured it was my chance.”

  Chance for what, he wanted to ask but didn’t. “Glad we could at least meet,” he said eying Harris. He knew the guy wanted to say more.

  “Place looks nice,” Harris said. “Putting down roots? Big change from where you came from.”

  “I could say the same to you,” he said to Harris.

  “I came back for a reason,” Harris said.

  He wasn’t about to take the bait. “I know about that.”

  “I wouldn’t have been here if I didn’t get injured.”

  “But it looks like it’s working out just fine for you. Are you asking me why I came here? I believe Sarah told you I was promoted.”

  “Yeah. She did. I just find it hard to believe that someone who has your background would want the quiet life.”

  It didn’t seem to be so quiet to him lately, but he wasn’t going to add that.

  “People change when they get older,” he said back. He turned his head when Sarah pulled into his driveway and knew he’d just been saved.

  “What are you doing here, Harris?” Sarah asked, stopping at the bottom of the driveway with her window down. “You better not be harassing Caden. Hi, Jet,” she said. “I see you.”

  “I can fight my own battles,” he told Sarah while he was trying to control the puppy that wanted to go greet her.

  “Yep, you can. But come give me a kiss and let’s make my big brother uncomfortable.”

  He wasn’t moving from his spot. “Good man,” Harris said.

  “I didn’t do it for you. It’s more that I don’t do things in life to tweak other people. If Sarah wants a kiss she can ask for it for her, not to bother her brother.”

  Sarah’s jaw dropped and Harris started to laugh. “Okay then. I guess you can hold your own with my sister. Not many can.”

  He wasn’t sure what that meant, but Sarah said, “Get. Go back home and get dinner on the table for your wife and kid. Where is Scarlet?”

  “She’s home right now with Mom, who probably has dinner going already. Why don’t you get out and go cook dinner for your man,” Harris said.

  “I’ve got a man that can cook. He’s making dinner tonight. Maybe you could learn something from him.”

  Harris shook his head and walked away, then got in his SUV, waved and drove away.

  “Let’s go inside,” he said, walking up the driveway while she pulled up more.

  She got out and walked in the door with him. “Sorry about that.”

  “You don’t even know what was said. Why are you apologizing?”

  “Because Harris has been on my case to meet you for weeks.”

  He wondered why he was just hearing this now. “How come you never said anything?”

  “I didn’t want to put any pressure on you.”

  “You think I can’t handle it?” he asked.

  “I know you’re busy at work trying to figure things out and are having some personnel problems. Just didn’t want to add to it or stress you out.”

  He squinted one eye at her. “I’m strong enough to handle your brother and my job. I’m kind of insulted you think I can’t.”

  “It’s not that,” she said. “I just don’t need anyone to watch out for me or over me.”

  “I never thought otherwise.” And wondered what he might be missing.

  Sarah had been so annoyed when she pulled into Caden’s driveway and saw Harris out front.

  The last thing she needed was her big brother coming to the rescue again.

  Not that he did much as an adult, but when she was younger, he had no problem intimidating anyone she was dating. She figured it was just a typical older brother phase because when he went away to spring training, then it stopped.

  He never was around much to deal with anyone she was dating then.

  Most that she dated wanted to meet him, and they’d fawn all over him, which annoyed him as much as it did her. He’d almost play with them in an attempt to see how they reacted.

  He’d even make comments like he did to Caden about holding their own just to make them doubt themselves.

  She was damn proud of the way Caden answered and planned on telling him that.

  “So you are probably wondering why Harris made that comment about holding your own with me.”

  “It did cross my mind,” he said while he moved to his master to get changed. Jet had been unleashed and was racing ahead of him, knowing the routine at this point.

  “It’s nothing major. Harris knows my problem with men and trusting whether they want me or getting to him and he tries to put them on the spot to see if they can pass a test.”

  He turned to look at her as he pulled his tie off. Damn, he was one sexy man in a suit. “A test?”

  “You passed. I’m not surprised with as smart as you are and all.”

  He laughed. “Gee, thanks. But all I did was answer him truthfully. I don’t jump on command to play with people, nor am I the type to use someone to get to someone else. I thought we established this before when you told me who your brother was.”

  “And that was wrong of me to say that. I did it as a joke because I knew what Harris was doing and it annoyed me. We did talk about it before, but again, trust issues that I need to work on. And I am. Don’t get me wrong, it’s just my family testing things in their own way.”

  “That’s fine. I understand. My sisters annoy me too. But don’t put me in the middle of your family games.”

  She didn’t like the sound of that. “I’m sorry. Now you’re pissed off.”

  “I really wasn’t until you started to explain things. I’m not sure I’m mad either other than I’m stating facts. If your brother wanted to meet me, then tell me that. We could have a mature dinner or visit.”

  She knew he was right. “Got it.”

  He was unbuttoning his shirt now and dropping it in the hamper, his bare chest exposed, and she was getting distracted. She never thought she was so easily won over by a man’s body before.

  “See something you like?” he asked undoing his pants and dropping them down, then putting them in the hamper too.

  “You should know you don’t need to ask me that.” She moved forward and put her hands on his chest. “I see a lot that I like. Are we done talking or do we have to hash this out some more?”

  “I’m fine. As long as we are on the same page. No games. Come to me with things and we can talk.”

  “Will do,” she said, her hands reaching down into his boxer briefs and grasping his cock that was starting to grow. “I think I need a snack before dinner.”

  “Really?” he asked. “Maybe I feel the same way.”

  “I love it when we are on the same wavelength.” She pushed his underwear down, freeing him, then went on her knees and put her mouth around the tip of him, pulling it in and sucking.

  She heard the in
take of his breath and did it again. “That’s nice.”

  “Just nice?” she asked.

  Her mouth covered the length of him now and his legs looked a little wobbly, she could see. That would teach him to try to downplay it.

  “You know the answer so why ask the question?”

  “Just want to make sure I’m doing it right.”

  “You know you are,” he said when she almost swallowed him whole she’d gone so deep that time.

  She was bobbing her head up and down, her hand joining in the action. The dog was jumping on her back and she shooed him away. She had more important things to do and deal with.

  But he tapped her on the shoulder and she stopped to look up. “What?”

  “You might want to stop.”

  “I might not want to,” she said, smiling, and then dropped her head back down. It was sweet he was warning her, but she was good. And she showed him how good she was sucking and licking and going harder and faster while she knew he was close.

  His hands were on her shoulders almost squeezing her at the moment while he tried to hold back and she wondered why he was. “Don’t stop yourself,” she finally said.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Jesus, Caden. Yes, I’m sure. You’re killing the mood.”

  He snorted but then dropped his hands down while she went back to work and it didn’t take long before he was moaning and coming. She swallowed a few times, then leaned back and wiped her mouth, and looked up at him.

  What she didn’t expect was him to pick her up and toss her on the bed and then all but rip the bottom of her scrubs off as he lowered them fast with her underwear.

  He put his hands on the back of her legs and lifted her up high, his mouth going right to her core and attacking harder and faster than she had him.

  “Holy shit!” she yelled.

  He dropped one of her legs over his shoulder, then inserted two fingers in her, pumping in and out while his tongue was darting around her bud, pulling it in his mouth, then biting it none too gently.

  She’d never had a man do that and before she could even stop herself, just exploded and started to throb and come so hard she thought she was going to cry.

  He wasn’t stopping or even coming close to letting up. He was still sucking on her, and thrusting his fingers in and out.

  The orgasm was almost painful at this point it felt so good, but she didn’t want him to stop either.

  But he finally did when she was still on the bed having no energy to even say his name.

  “I’d say we both got a snack before dinner,” he said.

  “Dinner? I don’t have the energy to get up to eat. I’ll just lie here for a while.”

  “No,” he said pulling her up to her feet, then taking the top of her scrubs off.

  “I need to get my clothes on, not off,” she said.

  “We’re taking a shower together. Then I’ll start dinner while you relax and play with Jet.”

  “Yeah. That sounds good.”

  He picked her up and carried her limp body into the bathroom, leaning her against the corner while he turned the water on. When the bathroom was steaming up, she moved the few steps and walked in with him.

  But rather than lather each other up, she put her arms around his waist and just held him. The words she hadn’t said to another man before were right there only she couldn’t get them past her throat.

  She was pretty sure he wasn’t ready to hear them any more than she might be to say them. He wasn’t the only one that had a lot of control.

  19

  Give A Little

  “So how was your day?” Sarah asked him while he was cooking dinner.

  As frustrating as it’d been, then to come home and see Harris here, and to find out the two of them were playing some big brother-little sister game with him in the middle, he was happy they were just talking casually now.

  “It was fine. Normal shit at work.”

  “So tell me about it,” she said.

  “No reason to bore you,” he said back. He tried not to talk about his job after hours. It was part of his way to separate the two.

  “It won’t.”

  He turned and looked at her after he stirred the pasta in the water. Shrimp scampi was fast and easy. “I’d rather not. I’m not trying to keep anything from you, but sometimes I just want to shut it off when I get home and you’re here.”

  “That’s sweet,” she said.

  “We don’t get a lot of time together. No reason to spend it talking about my job.” It was the truth. He really didn’t want to talk about it in the little time they had together. He would have thought a woman would appreciate that.

  “I know. It’s just you seemed like you had a bad day and normally you don’t say much. I mean I know you have personnel issues right now.”

  “Yeah. If you really want to talk about it, we can. But don’t feel like you need to.”

  “It’s part of our lives. If it’s bothering you, say something.”

  In the past, he never talked about his job with anyone. Ever. He just held it in and never let it out, kept it festering into the ulcer he was sure. But since he felt fine he wasn’t worried it would make him fall back into his old ways and had talked to Sarah about a few things here and there and some of the people in his office. Just little conversations but not much more.

  “I wouldn’t say it was bothering me. Anyway, nothing major. You know John isn’t pulling his weight. I’ve found lots of complaints about him in the past, the staff are having issues, but they keep sending in Colleen to talk to me rather than them doing it.”

  “How do you know it’s not her with the problems?”

  “I’m sure she has plenty. She’d like nothing more than to have his job. I’m not stupid.”

  “Ah. One of those. I bet she’s hitting on you too. Nice handsome guy that is her boss,” she said, her eyebrow wiggling.

  He wasn’t sure what to say or do at this point, but since she brought it up, he might as well. “I think she is feeling it out.”

  “Really?” she asked, her smile dropping. “Did you tell her you were seeing someone?”

  “No. It’s no one’s business,” he said.

  “Oh,” she said and bent down to pick up Jet and pet him while he finished up the dinner.

  When they had their plates made and were sitting down, he said, “Does it bother you I didn’t tell them about you? I’m not one for talking about my personal life at work.”

  “Just like you don’t like to talk about work at home,” she said, starting to eat.

  “I’m trying real hard to separate the two. Most women appreciate that.”

  “I’m sure they do.”

  “But you’re not one of them?” he asked, wondering how this night was going to go now.

  “I don’t know what I am. I totally see your side of it. I guess as long as she isn’t coming in with her tits and ass hanging out, it’s all good.” He didn’t comment but was sure his face flushed a bit. “Is she?”

  “I’ve noticed a change in her wardrobe. She hasn’t made a pass at me or asked me out or anything like that. It’s a touchy situation. I’m a man, she’s a woman. Saying something about her clothing could be construed wrong. Just because I think it’s a little bit more showy than it should be, it’s in the office, not with clients.”

  “So that makes it right?” she asked

  She didn’t understand. “You’re getting your nose bent. There is nothing going on and I don’t want there to be. You’re more than enough woman for me.”

  She smiled. “I’m sorry. Normally I’m not the jealous type.”

  “But you are now? Why?”

  “I’m not sure either one of us is ready to say much more.”

  He knew where she might be going. He didn’t want to hurt her feelings and agree with that statement, especially since he was pretty sure he might be falling in love with her. That what he’d felt for her the first time he’d seen her at the doctor’s office
was a bigger pull than he’d had for another woman in his life.

  He’d never put a woman first before. His job had always been front and center until it consumed everything, even his health.

  And with changes in his life to get healthy, he found he might be finding something else he’d been missing for years.

  Did he want to lose that because he was afraid to hurt her feelings? He didn’t.

  “You’d have to try me,” he said. “Maybe I’m feeling some of what you are and I’m nervous too.”

  She hesitated a moment, held his stare, and then a smile started to form. “I think that statement says enough for both of us.”

  He was glad she understood what he was getting at. That maybe neither of them was quite there yet, but could give a little.

  “Good,” he said. “No more about this.”

  They were sitting there eating and his phone rang. It was on the counter, so he turned and reached for it and saw it was Colleen calling.

  “What’s wrong?’ she asked.

  “Nothing. It’s work.”

  “Take it,” she said. “I’ll pick up dinner.”

  She stood up with her plate and then grabbed his and walked into the kitchen so he answered the call and moved into the living room. “Hello.”

  “Hi, Caden. Sorry to bother you at home. I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

  “Just finishing up dinner. What’s going on?”

  “I’m a little upset right now. John sent me a nasty email about ten minutes ago accusing me of going behind his back and trying to cause trouble and that I’ve been spending a lot of time in your office with the door shut.”

  He wanted to grind his teeth over this. Melanie had just warned him about it, but the guy moved fast obviously. As much as he didn’t want to address his personal life, he was thinking he might have to.

  Then he told himself this wasn’t about him, but Colleen and John. “Well, you are in my office with the door shut and he clearly is insecure about his job performance,” he said.

  “He’s always been that way,” Colleen said. “You know he’s had complaints. I know you have to know that.”