by Brooks, Abby
Chapter Six
Juliet
Julz let out a long breath and a shaky laugh. “Wow, Ian. You scared me.”
“I can see that.”
That morning, he looked significantly more approachable in his jeans, T-shirt, and honest to goodness cowboy boots. Dressed down or not, he was still hot as hell. Maybe even better looking than he was in the tux. While the fitted jacket had its highpoints, the worn cotton tee outlined strong muscles in his arms and chest. It skirted past a flat tummy that was sure to be accented with rippling abs. Plus, he had the whole, scruffy-because-I-didn’t-shave-this-morning deal going, which only set off his eyes all the more. Suddenly Juliet wished she’d spent more time in front of the bathroom mirror.
“What’s this about not finding a place? You didn’t like the hotel? Bobby too grouchy for ya?”
Juliet stepped to the side while Ellie handed her a huge cup of coffee and went to work bagging up the rest of her order. “No, though he’s really not the most welcoming guy out there, is he?” Ian laughed and Juliet immediately wanted to make him laugh again. “He wouldn’t rent me a room.” A jolt of anxiety sparked to life as Ian’s face darkened.
“And why’s that?” His voice had an edge she didn’t like.
Not sure what she’d done to upset him, she smoothed her hair back and squared her shoulders. Peter would have expected her to drop her gaze and go quiet but Julz wasn’t the least bit interested in being that woman anymore. “Because of my dog, Lulu.”
Ian shook his head with a wry laugh. “Fucking Lulu.”
Juliet’s jaw dropped. “Excuse me?”
“I’m sorry, but who names their dog Lulu?” he asked through a broad smile.
Part of her was offended, the other part found his question hilarious. She drew back, allowing her gaze to wander over him from head to toe.
She wanted her reaction to come across as strong.
Or confident would have been nice.
Her eyes skated over his strong arms and trim waist, right on down to those powerful thighs, then landed right on his package…
Was it even legal to look that good in jeans? she thought, followed by, oh my God you’re staring! Julz! You’re staring! Lift your eyes!
She jerked her attention back to Ian’s face. He quirked an eyebrow and she knew, she just knew she’d been caught red-handed.
“And who are you to judge me for how I named my dog?”
The moment the words left her lips, her heart thundered in her chest. Peter would have grabbed her by the arm and thrown her over his knee, pulling up her skirt and spanking her ass until she cried for holding eye contact that long, let alone talking back like that. Or, well, talking at all.
It felt so. damn. good. to be free.
Like coming home and rediscovering herself all wrapped into a package and held together with a bow.
Ian laughed again and somehow made it feel even better. “I’m Ian Moore, that’s who. I’ll judge you, and your little dog, too.”
“Did you for really real just reference The Wizard of Oz? On purpose?”
“And who are you to judge me for what movies I reference?”
Julz put a hand on her hip. “I’m Juliet Lane, that’s who.” She lifted an eyebrow and turned her back to Ian, pretending to see how close Ellie was to having her breakfast ready, but mostly just needing to hide the blush that worked its way up her chest and flared across her cheeks along with a giddy smile.
She liked talking to Ian.
Thankfully, Ellie rescued her and showed up with her order. “I threw a couple extra napkins in there. It’d be a shame to ruin such a pretty dress.”
Juliet looked down and fought the urge to say ‘this old thing?’ because while it was true, the dress was old, it would only come across as false modesty. And she absolutely, positively, one hundred percent couldn’t stand any kind of falsehood.
Ellie smiled at Ian. “What can I get you, Lieutenant?”
Julz leaned on the counter and appraised the man before her. So, Ian Moore wasn’t just the kind of guy who drove fancy black cars and attended engagement parties in tuxedos. Nor was he only the kind of guy that owned beachfront rental properties. He was also a cowboy boot wearing, jeans and T-shirt sporting, military officer? As if he hadn’t already been intriguing enough…
She sipped her coffee and closed her eyes in pleasure as she swallowed. So good.
She smiled at Ellie. “Nice meeting you.” Then she tipped her coffee cup in Ian’s direction. “And nice seeing you again, Lieutenant Moore.” She headed for the door despite every fiber of her being begging her to stay right where she was and keep talking to him.
“Juliet…”
She very much liked the way her name sounded in his voice and when she turned, she found Ian beckoning her back to the counter as he finished placing his order with Ellie.
“I’ve got the dog in the car. Meet me outside?” She had to speak more loudly than she wanted in order to be heard over the other customers, all of whom now appeared to be watching the interaction. Some politely tried to hide their curiosity while others stared unabashedly at Juliet as if they thought they’d find her family secrets written somewhere on her body.
Ian nodded. “See ya out there.” He winked at Julz, then turned back to Ellie.
“How’s James?” The brunette dropped her gaze as she readied Ian’s coffee, and the rest of the conversation was lost as Juliet left the café. Sunlight warmed her skin and she couldn’t help the smile that blossomed from the bottom of her feet and bloomed on her face.
Take it easy, she reminded herself as she floated to her car on imaginary clouds. You’re not looking for a man. What you need is a place to stay and a way to make money.
Seemed like she wasn’t in the mood to listen to herself, though because as soon as she saw Ian exit Good Beginnings, her heart pounded, and her belly unleashed an entire field of butterflies in a triumphant explosion of YES, PLEASE. She waited until he saw her and then leaned into her car to let Lulu out.
Her white sundress was short, and she knew that by bending over she gave Ian an eyeful, a tantalizing glimpse of juuuust enough leg. But fair was fair. There was no way he didn’t know how absolutely delicious he looked in those jeans. Yet, he chose to wear them anyway.
He’d caught her staring, so who could blame her for giving him a chance to return the favor? Juliet made sure he had time to take a long, hard look and his expression when she turned around confirmed he liked what he saw.
It felt good to be seen.
It felt good to flirt.
She took a deep breath and slowly let it out as Ian strode toward her, all boots and biceps and tummy fluttering smiles. Nervous, Juliet took a drink of her coffee and swallowed hard. She kind of wanted to touch him again, the memory of how hard his chest felt under his tuxedo jacket ever so fresh in her mind.
Strike that.
She didn’t just kind of want to touch him again, she definitely wanted to touch him again.
“Hey,” he said as he stopped beside her and leaned against the car.
“Hey.”
“Long time no see. How ya been?” He kept his face so pleasantly stoic that Juliet was a little thrown on how to respond.
She went with light and sarcastic. “It has been a long time since I saw you inside Good Beginnings, just now.”
Ian sighed. “Longest five minutes of my life,” he said without flinching, or winking or doing anything to weaken the words.
Juliet blushed but tried to cover it by nibbling at her sandwich. She broke off a piece and fed it to Lulu rather than interrupting the conversation by climbing in the back to get her dog food and bowl (and giving Ian a chance to walk away).
“Where did you sleep last night?” Ian unwrapped his sandwich and took a man-sized bite.
She tapped the hood of the Hyundai. “Right there.” She felt an odd sense of pride in the statement.
He swallowed with obvious effort. “In your car?” He clearly didn’
t share her positive feelings about the experience. “Why didn’t you call me?”
Truth was, she hadn’t really thought about it. But even if she had, she still would have chosen not to call him. “Put yourself in my shoes. New to town. Showed up without a plan. Get help from a random stranger and then, when your non-existent plan lands you in a tight spot, would you want to call that same stranger and ask for even more help?” Juliet shook her head and took a drink. “I know I wouldn’t. It’s my fault I didn’t have a place to go. No need to make you suffer because of my poor planning.”
Ian shrugged and ran his hand through his hair. “There’s some logic there, I guess. I still don’t like that you spent a night in your car, but…I can respect your decision not to call given the circumstances.” He held up a finger and put on a serious face. “This time.”
Juliet smiled and the wind played in her skirt, brushing the light cotton against her legs. For just a moment, she felt out of time, as if this instant could stretch on for the rest of forever. And, if it chose to do so, she wouldn’t complain. Talking with Ian felt almost as natural as talking with Willow.
“What are you going to do?” He leaned an elbow on the roof of the Hyundai, lifting the hem of his tee just enough to show a sliver of toned tummy.
The question brought reality crashing down around her. “I was gonna look in the paper, see if there are any places in my price range. Hunt down the library and check online. I’m not opposed to another night or two in the car, if it comes to that.”
Ian frowned, looking at her like she’d grown a second head. “You don’t get cell service here?”
He had every right to look confused. Newspapers? Libraries? Who didn’t have a smartphone with instant access to the internet? (The answer? Women on the run. But he didn’t need to know that.)
She smiled wryly and pulled out the prepaid Walmart phone. “Oh, I get service.” She flipped the thing open and closed before tossing it back into her purse. “But it’s not exactly easy to Google stuff on that thing.” She tried to keep her smile light in the wake of his ever-growing judgement. She watched it darken his face and found that she much preferred his smile.
“That’s settled then,” he said with a perfunctory nod. “You’ll move into one of my beach houses.” He grinned and it was like the sun parting the clouds. “I know just the one. It’s newly remodeled, top of the line appliances, marble countertops, and the bathroom is updated, complete with a whirlpool, jetted bathtub. Oh, and I think you’ll love the huge walk in closet in the master—”
Juliet held up her hands and cut him off. “Whoa there, Lieutenant. I appreciate the offer and it sounds absolutely wonderful. It really does. But there’s no way I can afford something like that and I’m not looking for handouts.”
Ian studied her, his tongue in his lip and deep thoughts in his eyes. “What can you afford?”
“I’m here, in a new town without a job, sporting a prepaid phone and a car full of not enough stuff.” She waited for him to respond and finally sighed into his silence. “I can’t afford much.”
“What are you running from?”
She fidgeted under the intensity of his stare before dropping her gaze. “I’d rather not say.”
“The law?”
Juliet choked with a laugh. “God, no.”
“Trouble?”
She sucked in her lips and nodded. “Of the crazy male variety.”
And that was all she was going to say about that. Which was already more than she intended to say about it. If Ian wasn’t satisfied with the answer, then he could just go about his merry way and leave her to figure her next step out on her own.
“And you didn’t do anything to incite said male craziness? Take his stuff? Ruin his life?”
Juliet bristled. “Of course not.” She hadn’t finished her breakfast but no longer had any interest. The butterflies in her stomach had morphed into a case of nauseating nerves. She set her half-eaten sandwich on the roof of her car and took a drink of coffee. Because caffeine always made anxiety easier to handle…
“Hey,” Ian said, holding out his hands, “you can’t fault me for asking.”
“No, I guess I really can’t, but can we please change the subject? First day of my new life and all that. I’d rather focus on looking forward.”
He stared over her shoulder and Juliet took the time to try and calm her churning stomach. Standing on the sidewalk in the heat, her choices scrutinized by a cowboy boot wearing sex machine, the awesomeness of starting her fancy new life was wearing off. In its place was the realization that she had very little money, no job, and nowhere to stay.
And…to make matters worse, she was about five seconds from crying.
And there was nothing worse than crying in front of someone, let alone someone like him.
She swiped at her eyes and hoped he wouldn’t see, but of course he already had.
“Oh hell, what have I done?” Ian dug into the paper bag and pulled out a few extra napkins. He dabbed at her eyes, leaning in close enough for Juliet to smell his cologne. After her tears were dry, he didn’t pull back.
He ran his thumb across her cheekbone and Juliet’s breath caught in her throat. Her lips parted. The muscles in her stomach clenched.
It didn’t make any sense.
None at all.
But in that moment, she knew if Ian kissed her, she’d kiss him right back.
And then Ian shifted and cleared his throat as he put definite space between them. “That’s settled then,” he said, as if it really was.
“What’s settled?”
“I have a place that I just got my hands on—”
Juliet started to explain yet again that she couldn’t afford it and Ian gave her a stern look.
“This isn’t up for discussion, Juliet.” The tone of his voice had her snapping her mouth shut against what she was about to say. “The bones of the house are good,” he continued, “but the whole thing needs renovating. You’ll stay there in exchange for helping get the place ready for a real renter.”
“How much?”
“Work? Oh, it needs new paint, new floors, new cabinets, a new deck. New everything, really.”
“That’s not what I meant.” She broke off another bite of sandwich for Lulu. “How much for the rent?”
“I won’t take your money. Just your help.” Ian slid his hands into his back pockets, looking completely satisfied with himself.
“It’s a house on the beach?” Juliet bit her lip, trying to hold in the excitement.
“The ocean practically touches the back door.”
“And I could live there while we fix it up? For free?”
“Oh, darlin’, it won’t be free. I’ll need your blood, sweat, and tears.”
“And you’ll be there every day, and we work on it together?”
“Every. Day.” Ian gave her the most adorable ‘what do you think’ face. “So? You gonna agree with me on this or keep me standing out here on the street?”
What did she think? It sounded absolutely amazing! A house on the beach. No lease agreement for Peter to trace back to her. The ability to work off her debt. And, she’d get to spend time with Ian while he did manly house fixing stuff. With his shirt off. Oh, please let him spend most of the time with his shirt off, she thought.
Juliet wanted to jump into his arms, wrap her legs around his hips, and kiss him where he stood. Thankfully, she had enough self-control and chose to hold out her hand and put on her New York City businesswoman face instead. “I believe we have a deal, Lieutenant Moore.”
Chapter Seven
Ian
When Ian saw those long legs standing in front of him at Good Beginnings…
That dark hair swept into a swinging ponytail…
When he heard her sweet voice complimenting Ellie on her cafe, he couldn’t believe his luck.
The night before, he decided he’d stop by the hotel and check up on Juliet first thing, but by the time he woke up, he’d changed his
mind. He told himself he made the decision because she was too flighty to be worth his time, but that was a lie. Ian decided not to see Juliet because she’d already gotten under his skin.
He hadn’t been able to get her out of his head for more than thirty seconds the whole night, his dick twitching merrily away in his tuxedo pants throughout the party. He’d felt like a teenager again—filled with uncontrollable lust and the obsessive urge to possess Juliet in every possible way.
When he finally made it home, he’d taken himself in his hand, stroking his hard length while envisioning his hands on her tits, his fingers playing inside her, and the surprised gasp he’d elicit by slapping her ass. He came so hard thinking about her last night that he was still smiling because of it this morning.
Fast forward just a few short hours, and his plan to avoid her had completely imploded.
There they were, shaking hands on a deal to move her into his newest property for the super low price of absolutely nothing. One look at her thin arms and manicured hands told him she wouldn’t be much help with the renovations. But he would get to spend every day with her. And she might actually have a decent head on her shoulders. Plus she definitely needed his help. He should have known she was running from trouble. Everything about her screamed ‘help me.’
She’d deny everything if he told her he saw right through her act. She’d been trying so hard to be strong and brave, but he could see how scared she was. Her fear triggered his desire to protect her—which was strange because he barely knew her.
But couldn’t not help at that point.
He had no choice but to put a roof over her head, so he’d know she was safe.
He’d much prefer to move her into one of his fully renovated properties, but he could tell she’d fight him tooth and nail over that. As much as he hated the thought of putting her into the rundown home he’d just agreed to set her up in, he could rest easy, knowing she wasn’t sleeping in her car. His jaw clenched at the thought of her curled up and uncomfortable, nothing but a few thin pieces of glass and steel protecting her from the harsh world.