Romancing the Holiday

by HelenKay Dimon

  “No, it’s the last thing we should talk about.”

  He took a deep breath and a step back, the evidence of his passion for her deliciously visible against the zipper of his jeans. Her fingers flexed. She wanted to snake her hands down his body and touch him, spend all night mapping his body with her hands, her mouth, her tongue.

  Dammit, she wished she didn’t care so much about all those things that she really did care about. Because right now all she craved was one night with Brody, just one night to explore those epic fantasies that had fueled her for so many years.

  Instead, she opened the front door, the blast of cool air doing nothing to ice down her raging libido.

  Brody looked at the open door, then back at her.

  “At some point, Tori, we’re going to talk about what’s holding you back.”

  She laid her head against the door and didn’t say anything.

  So Brody leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. “I think you’ll be surprised what a good listener I am. Night, Tori.”

  She watched him walk down the stairs. When he disappeared from sight, she shut the door and locked it.

  As she headed to the bedroom, every part of her body throbbed with unfulfilled sexual desire.

  No, there’d be no conversation with Brody. He could never know her fears.

  Or how crazy in love she was with him.

  Chapter Five

  “Heard you drove my wife home the other night,” Wyatt said as they sat in a morning staff meeting.

  “Yup. She was well and truly wasted, man.”

  Wyatt grinned at Brody. “She said she had a great time with Tori—thanks for that, by the way,” he said to Tori. “She needed it after a shitty day.”

  Tori smiled. “It was my pleasure. She had the mother of all hangovers the next day.”

  “She told me that, too. She said it was well worth it.”

  “Sometimes you just need to tie one on,” Tori said. “Especially after a crappy week at work.”

  “Surely you’re not saying you’ve ever had a bad week here.” Ethan handed her a file. “We treat you like the queen you are.”

  Tori snorted. “You’re all a giant pain in my butt. I have to drink heavily on the weekends just to survive this job.”

  Wyatt rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you’re so mistreated around here. I don’t know how you bear it.”

  “It’s true,” she said. “The things I must suffer for a pittance of a paycheck.”

  “Speaking of that pittance,” Wyatt said. “It’s time for your annual review. I guess one of us will have to do that.”

  “I was going to mention it.” She looked at her laptop. “Ethan did it last year.”

  “We usually rotate. I did it the year before,” Wyatt said. “So that means Brody’s up.”

  Brody had been busy going through safety guidelines for his current job and had only been paying half attention. “I’m up for what?”

  “Tori’s annual review,” Wyatt told him.

  “Oh.” He looked over at Tori, whose smile suddenly died.

  “If you don’t have time, I’m sure one of the other guys can handle it,” she said, looking hopeful.

  “I have time.” He scanned his schedule on his laptop. “Let’s do it Friday. That’ll give me a few days to go over things with Wyatt and Ethan, and if your performance sucks, it’s a good day to fire you.”

  Ethan snickered. “Great idea. Friday’s always perfect for a pink slip. We could even take you out for drinks.”

  “Oh. Margaritas. I’ll alert Calliope,” Wyatt added. “You know, just in case things don’t go well for you.”

  Tori glared at him. “You are so not funny. None of you are. In fact, you all suck.”

  Brody laughed. “Now you’re going to be nervous all week long, aren’t you?”

  “Not at all. The ones who should be nervous are the three of you. I’m half tempted to go find another job. And then what would you all do? Why should I put up with this abuse every day?”

  “Because we’re your family?” Ethan asked. “Because we’re like your annoying brothers who you can’t help but love?”

  Her gaze shot to Brody. “You are definitely not my brothers.”

  “Definitely not,” Brody said. He knew their parents had taken her under their wing and unofficially adopted her as family when she’d hired on at Kent Construction four years ago, barely twenty-two years old at the time and with no family to speak of. She’d been quiet but efficient, and as soon as she’d grown comfortable with the family she’d become brassy and opinionated and they’d all fallen crazy in love with her.

  Well, not in love, love. Just...

  Hell, he didn’t even know what he was thinking anymore where Tori was concerned. And that kiss the other night still hung on his lips, unforgettable as hell.

  He wanted more. He wanted her.

  At least she was semi-sort-of talking to him again, though it was only about work-related stuff. But still, that was a breakthrough. Now if he could just get her to talk to him about important issues, like why she’d stopped the kiss when he’d thought it was going so well. There was serious heat between them, they got along well, he teased her, she shot back with some barb. It was a great relationship. He had no idea why she wouldn’t want to take it to the next level.

  He understood that he was her boss, but she had to understand he’d never jeopardize her job. She’d always have that. Hell, they’d be lost without her.

  Maybe that was the holding point for her. He’d have to talk to her about that. Maybe after they did her review on Friday, he’d take her out for drinks, in a non-work environment and they could discuss her reservations about the two of them.

  * * *

  Tori pushed aside the thought of sitting with Brody for her review the entire week. In fact, by Friday, she’d totally forgotten about it. Being busy always helped with forgetting things she liked to forget, like that kiss they’d shared.

  Okay, maybe she hadn’t forgotten that. Maybe she thought about it every night as she lay in bed, when it was quiet and dark and all she had were her thoughts. Then she couldn’t shove him aside like she could during the day when the phone was ringing and paperwork piled up on her desk and she had a million things to do to fill her brain, so it was easy to forget about Brody.

  At bedtime, though, he wouldn’t go away. Not virtually, anyway. Resulting in a lot of restless nights spent watching reruns of her favorite television shows while eating ice cream, which kept her up all night. Which meant one cranky Tori the next day. Frankly, she didn’t know how the guys put up with her.

  It should make for an interesting annual review, which brought her back on topic of Brody.

  Oh, why did it have to be his turn to give the review? She could sit through it if Ethan or Wyatt was giving it to her. But not Brody. Their day-to-day interactions were brief, and she could deal with that. A review was intense, going over her work performance for the entire year. It would last at least an hour and would be one on one, just the two of them. Eye to eye, shoulder to shoulder.

  Gah. She should just tell him she was sick and going home early.

  Except she wasn’t a coward and putting it off wouldn’t do any good. They’d have to do this eventually. Besides, she was kind of hoping for a raise, which she needed so she could get out of that hellhole apartment. She’d blown off Brody’s suggestion that she move immediately because the area wasn’t safe, but he wasn’t too far off in his assessment of her current neighborhood. Her neighbors to the right fought all the time, and not just loud arguing, but knock-down, drag-out, throw-the-furniturevkind of fighting. The two dudes who lived on her left had people coming and going all the time. Despite Deer Lake being a small town, drugs still crept in, and she could swear those two guys were dealers. Either that or they were very popular.

  She’d settle for a nice, quiet place. Maybe she could finagle her way into a senior citizen’s center. Or maybe Brody’s parents would let her bunk at their house. She
loved Roger and Stacy Kent. When she’d first gone to work for Kent Construction, she’d been closed up, emotionally as well as physically. But Ethan, Wyatt and Brody—and especially Stacy Kent, the guys’ mother—had changed all that, had given her the bond of a family she’d so desperately craved her whole life and never had. Her own family had certainly been lacking. Cold and remote, her father had never been a presence in her life, and had taken off permanently after her parents had divorced. Not only had he not wanted her mother, he’d clearly had no use for his daughter, either. Her mother, on the other hand, had leaned heavily on Tori after the divorce, her emotional upheavals a burden that had been difficult for a young Tori to bear.

  Tori hadn’t regretted leaving that suffocating atmosphere as soon as she’d been old enough. Her mother had latched on to a new guy and she and Tori rarely spoke anymore, which suited Tori just fine.

  Stacy’d been more the parent than her mother had been. So getting close to the Kents, especially Stacy, had been like grabbing on to a desperately needed lifeline.

  She loved the Kents. They were the normal family she craved. She really did think of Wyatt and Ethan as her brothers.

  Changing the status quo in any way could put her out in the cold again, leaving her all alone.

  She’d had plenty of alone and it sucked. She’d rather not do that again, especially not for someone like Brody, who changed women as often as he changed his underwear. It was too bad she was crazy about him and thought about him constantly. Why couldn’t she be immune?

  Then again, was any woman in Deer Lake immune? Judging from his past interactions with the women in this town, it didn’t appear so. And she had no interest in becoming another statistic. Likely the only reason Brody appeared interested in her was because she kept shutting him down. Once she let him in, he’d no doubt drop her in a hurry.

  The door opened and Brody walked in. She’d spent the day by herself since all the guys were out on jobs.

  “Sorry I’m a little late,” he said, taking off his coat and slinging it on the chair. “I had to drop Ethan and Zoey off at the airport.”

  “No problem. They get off okay?”

  He cracked a smile. “Yeah. Zoey’s all kinds of excited to go see her mom in concert in Nashville this weekend.”

  Tori leaned back in the chair and grinned. “I’m sure she is. I talked to Riley on the phone earlier this week. She really misses Zoey and Ethan when she’s on the road. She’s thrilled this is the last road trip she’ll be on for a while.”

  He nodded. “Ethan said he’s pretty happy she’s closing out her tour in Nashville. Now that she’s pregnant, she’ll be able to settle back for a while and concentrate on the baby. Ethan’s been nervous as hell with Riley insisting on finishing her tour while she’s pregnant.”

  Tori laughed. “Well, she is in her eighth month, but she’s been super healthy and the doctor’s been monitoring her regularly. But you’re right. She’s finishing up now and she can rest and start nesting.”

  “I’m glad it’s all worked out for them, considering their rocky start. Zoey loves Riley like she’s the only mother she ever had.”

  “The only one she remembers now. And you can’t tell Riley that Zoey isn’t hers. It’s a good fit for all of them. With the new baby almost here, I can’t think of a happier couple, or a happier family.”

  This was a new side to Brody, seeing him all mellowed out and grinning about his brother’s contented family life. “You’d think all that wedded bliss and family life would make you twitchy. Your younger brother is married with a baby on the way, and your older brother just got married this year to his ex-wife’s sister. So much...settling down going on around you. Doesn’t it freak you out?”

  He cocked a brow. “I have nothing against marriage and family, you know.”

  “Of course you don’t.” She couldn’t resist the smirk. “All your relationships with women lasting so long and all.”

  “Hey. I just haven’t found the right one.”

  “Uh huh.” She took a long sip of her giant soda she’d bought earlier. “You are the king of denial, aren’t you?”

  “I can do a relationship.”

  “Careful, you might break out in hives. Or maybe your nose will start to grow. I should get out my tape measure and check it out.”

  “You wanna check out something with a tape measure...”

  She shook her head. “So inappropriate for the office. And you being my boss and all. I should report you to your brothers.”

  “Whatever. Let’s go.”

  “What? Where?” Somewhere she could measure him? The thought both appalled her and flamed her senses.

  “Out of here.”

  “What about my review?”

  “You’re doing a kickass job, like you have been since we first hired you. We’re jacking up your pay twenty percent. I’ve got a write-up about your glowing skills in my file as well as a goals sheet for the next year. I’ll email it to you and copy my brothers. Any questions?”

  Her eyes widened. A twenty percent pay raise? Hell no she wasn’t going to question that. “Uh, no. No questions.”

  “Good. Let’s go.”

  She grabbed her purse and her coat, curious about where he was taking her. He locked the door behind her, but when she headed toward her car, he grasped her arm.

  “We’ll take my truck.”

  Shrugging, she climbed into his truck and he drove off. He was quiet as he drove down Central and turned onto the highway.

  “You’re brooding,” she said as she studied his profile.

  “No, I’m not.”

  “It’s because I insulted you, isn’t it?”

  “Doubtful, since you’re always insulting me. You really can’t hurt my feelings, Tori.”

  “Oh, I’m sure I could if I tried harder.”

  That at least got a curve of a smile. God, he was devastating when he gave that sexy half smile. She’d love to see that smile close up, like when he was hovering over her, both of them naked...

  Stop that. Hadn’t she spent the time before he came into the office reminding herself of all the reasons why they couldn’t be together? Fantasizing about making love with him was the wrong direction for her thoughts to go.

  It was a while before she realized he’d hit the highway, that they were leaving Deer Lake.

  “Brody, where are we going?”

  “Out of town.”

  “So you’re kidnapping me?”

  “Not exactly.”

  It took about fifteen minutes to get to Botswell, the next town over. He pulled into a one-story—shack, was the only way she could think of to describe it. She supposed it was a bar, with the headache-inducing half-blinking neon sign proclaiming it as Ed’s Bar and Grill. Though the grill part was suspect, since the place resembled an oversized shed. She’d come into Botswell on occasion, mainly to do some shopping, never to hit the bars.

  This one seemed—interesting, in a she’d-never-stop-here-without-a-guy kind of way. Or even with a guy, for that matter. She half expected a brawl to tumble out the front door any second.

  When she climbed out of his truck and met him around the front, she cocked her head and looked at him. “Seriously?”

  “Best beer and burgers I’ve ever had.”

  “I hope this isn’t a date, Brody, because if this is where you bring your women, your taste is sorely lacking.”

  He cracked a smile and grabbed her hand. “You have such little faith in me, Tori. Just trust me.”

  She snorted. Trust him? Borrowing a line from one of her favorite movies ever—as if.

  The inside didn’t look much better than the outside. Old, worn tables were scratched with wear and tear. There were a few pool tables scattered around, and those were taken up by people who must be regulars. A couple older-model televisions sat above the bar that several people who’d bellied up were watching.

  A couple food tables were full, but Brody had spied one in the corner, so he grabbed her hand and, d
espite her dragging her heels the whole way, tugged her along. She feared for her life as she took a seat in a rickety chair.

  “Come on,” he said. “It’s not that bad.”

  She wasn’t exactly a prima donna as far as the places she hung out, but Ed’s was as low on the dive bar food chain as she’d ever gotten.

  A waitress hustled over. She was older, in her fifties maybe, with faded-out blond hair that she’d over-teased, over-bleached and gathered up in a haphazard ponytail. And she didn’t look happy to see them, because she didn’t smile as she grabbed a pencil from her hair and pulled the pad out of her apron. “What can I get you to drink?”

  Brody ordered the specialty beer. Tori looked at him.

  “Try it. It’s great.”

  Tori nodded. “Okay, I’ll have one of those. And can we see a menu?”

  The waitress, whose nametag said “Pat”, snickered. “Honey, we have cheeseburgers, or cheeseburgers without cheese on them. If you’re feeling adventurous you can have a hot dog. That comes with or without chili and the works. I’ll be back with your drinks and you can let me know what you want.”

  Tori shifted her gaze to Brody. “Limited menu.”

  “People come here for the beer and the burgers. The hot dogs kind of suck.”

  “Thanks for the warning. I guess I’ll have a burger, then.”

  “Good call.”

  When Pat came back with the beer, Brody said, “We’ll both have the cheeseburgers.”

  “Smart idea. Everything on them?”

  Brody looked at her. Tori said, “Sure. Why not?”

  Pat finally shocked her by patting her hand and grinning. “You’re gonna love these burgers, honey. And once you eat them, you’re gonna come back again and again. Enjoy your beer.”

  After Pat hustled away, Tori looked at Brody. “Oh, my God. She seemed almost human there.”

  He laughed. “Pat has tons of attitude. She and Ed have owned this place since they were in their twenties. He brews the beer himself, along with his sons now. Taste it.”

  She took a drink of the beer. It was mellow, with a honey flavor. “Oh, it’s good.”

  “Told you. They’re a small operation, but this place is never empty. I stop by for lunch a lot when I’m driving through town on a job.”