by Elley Arden
He held the soft, warm weight of both covered breasts in his hands while her rapid breathing fluttered against his wet lips. He was hard, hot, and frustrated, but he pushed on, freeing her breasts from their silky prison, holding her bare in his hands. It was torture, knowing he’d have to stop soon.
He brushed his thumbs across her nipples, and she whimpered against his mouth, pulling harder on his neck. He buckled under the weight of everything.
And then she reached for his zipper, smoothing a palm to his crotch.
He stepped back. The kiss broken. The moment shattered.
“I can’t.” His breathless words echoed.
“Oh.” She was a glorious mess of wide-eyed, blushing need, and he hated himself for not being able to satisfy her.
“No condom.”
“Ah.” She nodded, even managed to smile.
It was more pleasantry than she’d get from him. Grey couldn’t do anything but stare at her for fear he’d do something stupid, like drag her off to one of the spare bedrooms despite the missing equipment.
“Another time,” he finally said.
She nodded again, the blush fading, and he couldn’t help but feel stupid, like a bumbling teen, who missed his only shot.
“I should go … it’s late.”
He nodded. “Yep. We can finish tomorrow.”
He glanced at the mess they’d made of the kitchen, but he knew his comment had more to do with finishing what started between them.
She didn’t acknowledge either task. She simply adjusted her bra and tugged on the hem of her sweatshirt as she crossed the great room. He followed, picking up his pace so he could pass her and open the front door. When she brushed by him and out into the cold, she did so with barely a glance.
“Bye,” she called, flipping her wrist, a move that looked half wave, half brush-off.
He couldn’t shake the feeling he wasn’t going to see her again.
• • •
Nel didn’t get much sleep. She tossed and turned, dodging thoughts of Grey. Wanting him … not wanting him. Wondering where either decision left his house? He needed her. And no, not that way … although he had made it pretty clear he needed her that way, too. So intense. If needy could be sexy, then Grey cornered the market, making her underused libido scream, “yes, please,” while her overprotective heart yelled, “hell, no.”
In the end, she didn’t trust herself to make the right decision.
So when Paul called the office shortly after noon to ask if the drain remained clear, Nel saw an opportunity to make it all a little easier. She didn’t have the right to ask her brother for another favor, but she asked anyway, knowing it wouldn’t make Grey happy. She asked because it would make her feel … safer. To her surprise, Paul agreed to help with more than the plumbing in the kitchen at the Kemmons house. Bringing in Paul on the job was the right thing to do.
With three people doing the work, the house would be finished faster than expected, and Nel could list it and get on with her life, one that focused on real estate market domination, not adolescent boy-girl histrionics.
After Paul’s call, she worked more efficiently, content she’d be safe from making a stupid carnal mistake where Grey was concerned, but underneath it all was dull worry she was doing something wrong, something backhanded that would hurt more than help.
Grrr! Why couldn’t Grey be old or ugly — or female? Biology would screw everything up if she let it. But she wouldn’t, because a little sex wasn’t worth a lot of messy feelings clouding business decisions. Being screwed by Will — both ways — taught her that.
When she thought about Will, she didn’t like to think about the good parts, about the beginning, when they’d met in real estate licensing school. He came to every class in a suit with the swagger of a successful property investor. Being from a working class family, Nel had never known a man like him. And when he sat in the seat beside her, night after night, filling her with the scent of his expensive cologne, he made her swoon.
Five years later, when Will told her he’d named John Evans agency partner, he made her scream. Literally. And she made a scene in the office they built together. He said he was only thinking of her — of them — of their future children. Didn’t she want to have kids and stay home to raise them? A lighter work load was supposed to make it easier for her to walk away.
She walked away, that was for sure. Business and pleasure didn’t mix.
Which was why she needed Paul to run interference with Grey. She couldn’t afford to be rationalizing lusty feelings for a client.
“We need a new copy machine.” Rena charged into the main room and slapped a pile of papers on Nel’s desk. “There’s a thin blue line through everything. It’s decapitating you on these brochures.”
It was an ironic representation of Nel’s ability to lose her head around Grey. She grimaced and nodded. A new color printer wouldn’t come cheap. A sixty-thousand dollar commission — thirty if she had to share with the buyer’s agent — would certainly help.
“While you’re at it, we could use a new coffee maker. Ours sucks. It’s so slow, and I’m not running vinegar through it again. The coffee’s starting to taste like salad dressing.”
Rena was in quite the mood, but Nel didn’t complain. With Rena spouting off about shoddy copiers and inefficient coffee makers, she was too busy to be asking questions about what was going on with Grey. Which was great news, considering what was going on with Grey.
Still, Rena’s moodiness left Nel wondering, what gives? And as her best friend, she could only ignore it for so long.
“Is everything okay?” Nel asked.
“No,” Rena huffed. “Haven’t you been listening to me?”
“I’m listening, but I’m not convinced your mood is because of faulty office equipment.”
“Whatever.” She spun around and raced to her desk, where she picked up the telephone receiver, hung it up again, shuffled some papers, and then roared. “Ben asked me to move in with him. He said he’s ready to take the relationship to the next level. And I was like, ‘what relationship?’” She tossed her hands into the air. “Living together? I’m not ready for that.”
Which wasn’t surprising. Nel had never even heard Rena refer to Ben as her boyfriend. Considering the ambiguous state of the relationship, moving in together seemed premature. And yet they’d been sleeping together for four years. Friends with frequent benefits — something Nel couldn’t understand.
“Ben’s a great guy,” she said, wanting to help Rena, but knowing it was complicated.
“I know.”
“Then what’s the problem with having a real, romantic relationship with him?”
“What if he’s not the right guy? What I commit, move in with him, and the next day I meet somebody who sweeps me off my feet and makes me lose my mind?”
Grey. Nel closed her eyes amid a fresh flush of memories from the night before. She chased them away with a clearing of her throat. “Just because a guy does all that doesn’t make him the right guy.”
And who was Nel trying to convince? Certainly not herself. There was no reason to think Grey was the right guy for anything Nel had planned. Even if he wasn’t just a blip on the radar screen of her life, he’d still be nothing like the man who would someday be right for her.
Nel sighed.
Rena sighed, too. “I don’t know what to do. I can’t make up my mind, and Ben keeps calling and texting. He wants to go to dinner tonight. I’m so worried I’m going to say something just for the sake of saying something, and I’m going to regret it the rest of my life.”
Nel could relate. There was something daunting about being alone with a man who wanted something you weren’t sure you should give.
“Come with me tonight,” she blurted. “Help us out with the house. Paul’s going
to be there, too. It’ll keep you busy.”
Us busy.
Too busy to make stupid mistakes.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Grey unloaded boxes of hardwood flooring off the bed of his pickup truck. With help from his beard and the bill paid in cash, he managed to make it out of Lowe’s without being recognized. He even slipped into Wal-Mart next door, and with his head down, used the self-checkout to purchase some things. It dawned on him during the drive back to the house that maybe nobody would’ve paid a lick of attention to him either way … but he wasn’t taking any chances.
All it took was one baseball fan calling into one talk radio show, and everybody would be wondering why Nashville’s Gold Glove winner was in Pittsburgh. There’d be speculation about a trade, and before long he’d be the talk of SportsCenter.
Even worse, if it became public knowledge that he was buying condoms in a suburban Wal-Mart after the untimely death of his girlfriend, there’d be enough drama attached to the story to put Grey on TMZ’s front page.
Under the best circumstances he wasn’t comfortable with notoriety, and attracting attention now would only screw things up; tipping off Jordon about the house and robbing Grey of the element of surprise. If Jordon caught wind of this project, he’d argue, and there was no doubt he’d refuse the money if he knew how much work it was going to take. For things to go as smoothly as possible, it was important for Grey to lay low.
At least he had the dogs to keep him company. And Nel.
He hoped he had Nel, but after the way last night ended he wasn’t so sure.
He hoisted another box onto his shoulder and headed for the house, stopping at the sound of a car pulling up behind him.
She came back.
Relief flooded his body, and his muscles unclenched. He hadn’t realized he’d been so tense.
Last night, while he laid in bed, sandwiched between two big dogs, wishing he was sharing mattress space with Nel, he asked, why her, why now? A million thoughts pinged back and forth in his head, but he kept honing in on one simple truth. Having her around made him feel better — almost normal — and it’d been a long time since he felt like that.
He turned, eager to see her expression, hoping to see her smiling face. But she wasn’t smiling, and she wasn’t alone; it wasn’t even her car.
Paul popped out of the driver’s side of his van. “Hey, man.”
“Hey.” Grey lifted his chin as further acknowledgement. Why are you here, weighed heavy on his tongue, but he bit down, holding it in.
Grey liked Paul and Paul’s inappropriate humor. Grey laughed more while working on the drain yesterday than he had since the season ended. He missed the guys, and having Paul around sort of filled that niche. But having Paul around also changed the dynamic of things. Spending hours alone with Nel was something Grey looked forward to.
“Surprise.” She hopped down from the passenger’s seat, slamming the door behind her. “Paul agreed to help us out, and we brought my friend, Rena. You remember me mentioning her, right? Well, she was free tonight, so I thought why not? They’re sworn to secrecy — right, guys? And with four of us, we can bust this reno out in no time.”
Grey didn’t bother acknowledging the woman who emerged from the van next. He was too stricken by a nervous Nel. She was babbling, not making eye contact with him, and it was so different from the meeting he’d hoped for. The skin on his forehead tightened as he tried to process the turn of events.
Suddenly, the reason for Nel’s entourage was crystal clear. She said Paul and Rena were here to “bust out this reno.” In other words, she wanted to hurry up the job and get the hell out — far away from him.
Grey’s gut clenched in an I-told-you-so move. He’d been right to worry about the way she’d left last night. She’d been all business the day they’d met; apparently the breech in professionalism made her retreat.
A voice that appeared when Lindsay left, a voice he hated, sneered. She doesn’t want you as much as you want her.
The story of his fucking life.
“Good,” he growled, feeling his muscles harden again. “You can unload the truck while I check on the dogs.”
He stalked inside, dropping the box of hardwood planks to the subfloor in the great room. The contents made an awful racket, but he didn’t care if he scratched or cracked a board. Nel and her “work crew” could take care of it.
His old friend Anger slithered free of its cage and walked side-by-side with him through the house to the back hall. Grey clenched and unclenched his hands, breathing in and out through his mouth, trying to reset his brain, telling himself he didn’t need Nel.
He could have any number of women in the world. He was a professional athlete. It was part of the game — getting laid was a given. All he’d have to do was shave off the beard and head to a bar downtown. One word about his profession and he’d have a harem of half-drunk females at his disposal.
The idea didn’t sound appealing.
He’d picked up women a few times before, after Lindsay ran off with Dad. But it wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. It felt a lot like being given the night off, sitting your ass in the dugout while you watched the goddamn game. Yeah, sure, you were there. Same sights and sounds, but you were missing something — something big.
He winced, remembering those mostly silent, too-damn sweaty, uncomfortable encounters. Not one of those women came close to lighting him up like Nel did.
The thought prompted a growl.
Stalking down the hallway, Grey was back to wondering why she mattered. Worse yet, why didn’t she want to have sex with him? He ought to be thinking, fine, good, I don’t need the trouble anyway. But he wasn’t. His ego wasn’t pleased; his ego demanded he prove her self-control wrong by showing her again exactly what she was missing.
He knew he was a moody bastard, but he didn’t think he was that much of a jerk. She was entitled to her decision. He thought about throwing a fist against the wall, but then he thought better of it, shoving hands into his jean pocket instead. If only she hadn’t felt so damn good in his arms, then he could move on without another thought about her. What was wrong with liking someone, feeling something, and wanting to act on it? Nothing more, nothing less.
Nel was making it too complicated. At least her brain was making it too complicated, because as far as he could tell, her body was an eager participant. She didn’t want to stop last night any more than he did. He tasted the desire on her lips and watched it sparkle in her eyes. And come on! The second time she kissed him.
Grey had to find a way to remind her of that — despite the people she’d brought to run interference.
Unbelievably so, by the time he reached the door to the den, he was smiling, certain Nel wanted him, but she was playing some sort of game. He wondered how long it would take for her to realize she didn’t have a chance at winning.
After all, she was up against a man who got paid to play.
The more he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. After all, he’d been working a lot lately … too much maybe. Now, it was time to have a little fun.
• • •
Nel banged the mallet on the edge of the hardwood, locking the plank into place. She glanced up to thank Paul for the freshly cut pieces he stacked by her feet, and then she looked over at Rena, who was standing with a paintbrush in one hand and her cell phone in the other.
“I thought the purpose of tonight was to keep you away from all that,” Nel said, walloping another board with the mallet, frustrated for too many reasons to explain.
Rena stuck out her tongue. “And I thought the purpose of tonight was helping a client, not doing all the work for him.”
What could Nel say? Rena was right, though Grey disappearing to play with the dogs wasn’t unusual. He did so off and on whenever Nel was here. But to do it precisely n
ow; to be gone for forty-five minutes when they’d just arrived to help? That seemed rude, even for Grey.
She smacked another plank and as the vibration bit into her hand, she admitted his rudeness was probably because of her. He didn’t look happy to see her in the driveway. The few words he managed didn’t sound happy, either. Could she blame him? He had no reason to suspect she was bringing reinforcements, not after last night, not after what happened between them. There was an insinuation they’d pick up where they’d left off. With the renovation … and the sex. She could claim all she wanted that she brought Paul and Rena along to help with the construction, but it was mostly to help keep her feet on the ground instead of her back on a mattress. Her reasoning was starting to feel more than a little bit pathetic, especially in the face of Grey’s negative reaction.
Still, he didn’t know she brought Paul and Rena to interfere with whatever might have happened tonight. How could he? There wasn’t enough interaction in the driveway for her to give herself away, and he didn’t know her well enough to be predicting her behavior. Only a paranoid person would automatically assume she brought Paul and Rena to put a permanent wedge between them.
Nel closed her eyes on a sigh. What was she doing? This was Grey she was talking about. Of course he was paranoid. He had more reason than anyone she’d ever met to make assumptions based on mistrusting people.
Crap. She screwed up. She wimped out. She should’ve been straight with him in the first place. This was not the way Nel Parker did business. Standing, she brushed her hands clean and took a deep breath of dusty air. “I’ll take care of it.”
Her stupidity and his obstinacy weren’t going to put this project at risk. Regardless of the real reason she brought Paul and Rena, with two extra pairs of hands they had a real shot at pulling off some stunning renovations. She and Grey just needed to pull their heads out of their asses long enough to get over what happened in the garage and on the stoop and in the kitchen … and focus on work.