by J. M. Madden
Blue eyes glinted mischievously as he nodded once again and headed out the door. Gina watched him until he disappeared into his house. She didn’t hear any immediate yelling, so she took that as a good sign. Maybe Chuck was already passed out. She closed and locked the door, then headed for her cell phone. Patrice answered on the third ring.
“Sorry to call you so late, Patrice. Am I interrupting anything?”
“Oh, no. I’m just indulging in a sob-fest on Lifetime and a pint of Chubby Hubby. I certainly don’t have anything more interesting to do on a Saturday night. What can I do for you?”
Gina related what Gabe had told her, and Patrice sighed over the line. “Okay. I’ll put him on the list for a surprise visit. You did the right thing by telling me. At some point we’ll catch him up in something and the boy can be removed. Did you get those classes in?”
“Yes, I did, but I’m worried that my interfering is making his situation worse.”
“I disagree completely. What would his situation be like if Chuck didn’t have you looking over his shoulder?”
Gina rubbed her forehead with her casted hand, and she had to admit her friend had a point. Chuck’s aggression might have already progressed to physicality if she hadn’t been around. “Maybe you’re right. It’s just hard seeing Gabe scared like that.”
“I know, Gina. I have a lot of faith that this situation will get better. We’ll do everything we can for him.”
“Okay, Patrice. I‘ll have to accept your word on that.”
Patrice chuckled. “Hey, I was in the hospital yesterday on a follow-up, and Delores said you had another accident.”
“Oh, God. Didn’t take her long to start talking, did it?” she laughed. “Good old Delores. Yeah, I fell at the office and broke my right wrist. I have a nice, ugly, itchy cast on for the next six weeks.”
“Um--hm. That actually wasn’t the interesting part of the story, though. Who drove you home?”
Gina was curious at the disapproving note in Patrice’s voice. “Matt Calvin brought me home. He also carried me in the house when I passed out and cooked me soup and a sandwich.”
“Why on Earth would he do that? That man does not seem like the Betty Crocker type.”
“No,” Gina admitted, “he’s not. But I think he felt guilty for knocking me down.”
“Wait a minute. He knocked you down at the office and broke your wrist?” Patrice’s voice had risen several octaves.
Gina was curious at the alarm in Patrice’s voice. “Yes, but it was an accident. We ran into each other.”
The silence hung on the line for several long seconds. “Gina, you need to be careful. Everybody in this department knows about Rick Calvin. It was long before my time, but the stories carry on. And I’m sure they’ve had an effect on Matt. Don’t take anything from him.”
Frowning, Gina shook her head. “Patrice, I know he had issues growing up, but I honestly think he’s a good guy.”
“Well,” she sighed, “just be careful. And if you need anything, call me immediately.”
“Okay, I will.”
Gina disconnected and then just sat at the table. Patrice’s warning had seemed from the heart, but Gina did not believe Matt would ever intentionally hurt her. She clomped upstairs to bed, thoughtful.
***
Matt waited until the lights flipped off one by one downstairs before he started the truck and pulled away. There was no visible activity at the boy’s house next door.
He snorted at the craziness of the past two days. In his wildest imaginings, he never would have thought he would be involved in Gina’s life this way. He was fascinated by her and the life she had built for herself, but he was uncomfortable with his own reactions. He liked being with her too much. What was going to happen when the house was fixed?
Pushing the troubling thought aside, he turned for Lowes. He had supplies to pick up.
Chapter Five
Eight o’clock Sunday morning, Matt rang her doorbell. Gina dashed down the stairs, hugging the wall at the bottom due to the missing banister. Tightening her robe around her waist, she took a second to finger comb her crazy hair, which was harder than hell to do with her left hand. She huffed in frustration and swung the door wide.
Matt wore a faded red Carhart t-shirt that hugged his body like it was sewn on him. Well worn carpenter jeans, frayed at the leg, and dusty old leather boots completed his outfit, and appealed to her more than she ever thought possible. Dragging her eyes away from his legs and up to his face, she smiled at him. Then gasped. “You’re not wearing a hat!”
A frown settled over his face immediately, and Gina felt bad she had blurted that out. “Sorry.”
“It’s all right. I lost it somewhere and can’t figure out where.”
Her brows rose at the admission. “Well, I think you look good without it,” she told him firmly.
And he did. The hat was an easy shield, and he used it to hide his face and emotions. Without the covering, she was surprised at how damn good looking he was. His hair was shiny damp and combed down, hiding the butterfly strips, and his face was shaved clean of stubble. It looked like he had taken extra care with his appearance because the hat was not there.
At the same time she was checking him out, he was doing the same. Gina pinkened when she realized her robe had gaped open a bit in the front. She tucked the right side in with her casted hand and straightened the other side with her left. At the same time, she raised her shoulders and pressed her breasts out. If he was going to look at something, might as well give him something not slouchy and rumpled.
Matt cleared his throat and glanced down at the toolbox in his hand. “Did Gabe make it home okay?”
“Yes,” she answered. “I whistled for him at my window and he said everything was quiet.”
He looked back up at her, a question in his expression. Gina was surprised at how bright and clear his eyes were. A dark curl lay at the corner of his forehead. “We, uh, have corresponding rooms at the top of our houses. I check on him at night before we each go to bed.”
Matt’s full lips softened into an almost-smile.
“That’s nice. You know,” he said thoughtfully, “you watching out for him is really considerate. Not a lot of people would get involved.”
Gina tried not to let anger sour her morning.
“I don’t check on him to be nice. Well,” she conceded, “not totally anyway. I check on him because he’s a child, and he has nobody looking out for his interests. I grew up in a very large family, and children are treasures. I never wanted for anything when I was little. Every child should know that security.”
Matt snorted and shook his head. “Not everybody feels the way you do.”
Gina shrugged. “I know. But they should.”
Matt looked at her for a long moment before sliding by her to the stairway. Gina felt like there was a lot being unsaid.
“What about your family?” she asked. “Do you have any siblings or cousins?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Nobody?”
He shook his head.
“No distant relations anywhere?”
“I don’t know,” he answered shortly. The lid to the toolbox snapped open and he started to pull out tools. Gina thought he was just doing something so he didn’t have to look at her.
“Your parents never told you?”
“No.”
“Aren’t you curious? You may have blood relations out there.”
With a sigh, he turned and glared at her.
“My mother left when I was about six, I think. Can’t remember exactly. I know nothing of her family. My father was one of several brothers, but they had disowned him. Rick died when I was sixteen, and I was sent to a foster home because nobody claimed me, even though they had been notified several times. Rick’s father returned the letters unopened. Does that answer your questions?”
Gina felt like shit. She knew his relationship with his father had been bad, but she’d had no id
ea it reached through his whole family. “I’m sorry, Matt. I shouldn’t have pestered you.”
She slid by him up the stairs to get dressed. The man was helping her out, and in return she badgered him about things he didn’t want to talk about. Smooth, Gina. Curiosity had gotten the better of her. She peeked out the window and saw Gabe in the backyard next door moving branches. She wondered where Chuck was. Normally, he worked Sundays, but his car was in the driveway. Too passed out to do anything, probably.
One-handed, she pulled on jeans and a t-shirt. If she braced the elbow of her bad arm against a wall, she could turn her body enough to fasten the button and pull up the zipper without it hurting too much. She dragged a brush through her crazy mop of hair and managed to pull it to the base of her neck with a scrunchy. Not the classiest look in the world, but it would do. Her wrist ached, so she swallowed a couple of ibuprofen to take the edge off and headed down to eat some breakfast.
Matt sat on the steps, staring into space as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. He stood up when she stopped behind him and turned to face her. Being two risers above him actually put her at eye-level with the big man. He blocked her path.
“Listen, Gina,” he said finally, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I’m sorry I went off on you earlier. My family is just not something I like to talk about.”
Gina blinked in surprise. She certainly hadn’t expected an apology. She was the one who had been digging. “Don’t worry about it, Matt. I shouldn’t have been nibby. I just--” she sighed deeply and met his eyes “--I was just curious about you, is all.”
Surprise flared in his gray-green eyes, and his brows furrowed in disbelief. “Why on earth would you be curious about me?”
The look on his face would have been cute if it hadn’t been so earnest. He honestly didn’t understand her attraction.
“I like you. I think you’re a nice guy. I wish I’d have talked to you sooner in that hallway, rather than just dodge around you. I’m sorry about that. I made assumptions about you like everybody else does. And they were wrong.”
Matt’s face had gone slack, as if he didn’t dare believe her words, and she couldn’t help but reach out and run a finger along his shaved jaw line. His gaze zeroed in on her gently smiling mouth, and it was absolutely natural to lean forward and press her lips to his.
Broad and surprisingly soft, Matt’s lips remained still as Gina moved her mouth against his. She pressed harder, daring to touch the seam of his lips with her tongue. From deep inside him, a growl rumbled forth, and his lips began to move with hers. Gina slipped her arms around his neck and held on as he pressed back in earnest.
Gina leaned harder and opened her mouth wide to invite him in. She allowed her body to rest against his, and she tunneled her good hand into the short hair at the nape of his neck, scraping her fingernails lightly.
Matt shuddered and came alive in her arms. Cupping her head in his massive hands, he drank from her mouth. His tongue teased at her lips, then slid inside to taste her. Gina couldn’t contain her helpless moan as she was suddenly wet and aching with arousal. Her nipples rubbed against his solid chest, and it was so very delicious.
One of his huge hands cupped her ass and pulled her into his arousal. Then he did some sexy thing with his hips that ground her pelvic bone into his erection. The second time he did it, he hit her clit. She tore away with a gasp, looking into his hooded eyes. This was moving way too fast.
“I, uh, think we should chill for a minute,” she panted out. “Yeah, definitely.”
Matt’s eyes darkened to an almost storm grey. But he pulled away immediately at her words. “I’m sorry.” He cleared his raspy throat. “Yeah, slowing down would be good.”
Even though he said the words, his hands seemed reluctant to let her go.
Gina’s knees quaked and threatened to fold, so she lowered herself to the step behind her.
“Wow,” she said quietly, trying to settle her heartbeat. When she looked up, Matt had a dazed expression on his face. “Are you okay?”
Blinking, he looked down at her before he took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes.”
Gina raised her brows, but he didn’t say anything else.
“I didn’t expect that, Matt. I mean, you’re cute and all, but damn.” She laughed and motioned at the step. “You just knocked me on my ass.”
Slowly, wondrously, his eyes lightened and his lips spread into a smile. The first full smile she had ever seen. It almost made her cry.
There must have been a strange look on her face, because the happy expression faded into a frown. “What?”
“I’ve just never seen you smile before.”
He looked away in embarrassment. Then turned to rummage in his toolbox.
Gina could have kicked herself in the ass. They were headed in the right direction, and she had to ruin it. Great going, Carruthers.
“I, uh, better go do something. You know, in the kitchen.”
Flustered, she forced her knees to hold her as she took off.
***
Out of the corner of his eye, Matt watched Gina’s beautifully shaped ass disappear down the hallway to the kitchen. It had fit so perfectly in his hands, as if the roundness had been formed exactly to his specifications. His cock twitched in his pants, and he knew it wasn’t going to go away until he took care of it himself later.
That didn’t help him now, though.
And it didn’t help him half an hour later when he pinched his thumb with a crowbar. The erection from hell was interfering with the work he had to do. His brain just wouldn’t shut off, let alone his body.
Matt could count on two fingers the number of women he had ever kissed, and neither experience had ever left him craving more. It seemed too personal. Off-putting. He’d rather screw and not deal with all that coddling, girly stuff.
Gina’s kiss hadn’t had the same effect on him others had. The touch of her lips had ignited a need he’d never felt before, and he had thrown himself into it. Hell, he’d have spread her legs right there on the stairs and blown his nut within seconds if she’d have continued to kiss him that way. He kept replaying the scene in his head, going over her every word and movement.
It took a long time for the boner to retreat and for work to continue. His ears were targeted on Gina as she puttered through the house. She had been gone the better part of an hour when a mouth-watering smell began to filter through the air. Other than fast-food, he hadn’t really been around a lot of cooking, so he wasn’t sure what it was until she brought out a small plate covered with chocolate chip cookies, and a huge glass of milk. His gas station breakfast had been hours ago, and he eyed the cookies hungrily.
“Thought you might like a snack,” Gina said, holding the plate out to him. The glass of milk was set on the hallway entry table, then she turned and left.
The cookies were still hot from the oven. Matt broke one open, and the molten chocolate looped down over his thumb. Raising it to his mouth, he licked it off his nail and groaned in pleasure. Half the cookie was shoved into his mouth, and the second half quickly followed. Damn, they were good. Reaching, he grabbed the glass of milk and chugged some down, then shoved another cookie into his mouth, whole. This one he savored and chewed thoroughly before swallowing. The third took a little longer, and he finally decided he had died and gone to heaven. The dough of the cookie was fluffy and not too sweet, the chocolate decidedly on the bitter side. Walnuts added a dimension that was phenomenal. He’d never tasted anything better.
The fourth cookie he took even longer time with, because he knew it was the last. Damn, that was tasty. Unable to help himself, he headed down the hallway to the kitchen.
Gina was bent over the open oven door, pulling out a tray of cookies. There was a row of paper towels lining her counter, with a few cookies already cooling. She glanced at him, then down at the empty plate, and smiled. “Liked those, did you?”
Matt set the plate in the sink. “I did. Very much. I think I wan
t to hire you to bake me cookies from now on.”
Gina laughed out loud, and it made his gut tighten with awareness. She began to remove the cookies from the pan with a bright blue spatula. “I don’t know,” she hedged, setting the pan on the smooth top. “I have a lot of requests for my cookies.”
“I’ll change the oil in your car. Renovate your house. Replace your roof. Something.”
Gina laughed and turned to face him, leaning back against the sink.
Matt felt his own lips tip up slightly. “You don’t believe me?”
“I believe you. I don’t think you have to do all that, though. I mean, they’re just cookies.”
Matt abruptly sobered. They were just cookies, but he was trying to attach a sentimentality to them that wasn’t there. Nobody had ever made him cookies before. Looking at her now, he realized she may not have even made them for him. Ridiculous hurt poured through him as he realized he was acting like an idiot.
Gina reached out and rested her left hand on his crossed arms.
“Matt, I’ll make you cookies anytime. But you certainly don’t have to pay me for them. Or roof my house.” A thoughtful look came over her face, and her eyes twinkled. “I may let you change my oil, though. I think I’m a few hundred over.”
A rusty chuckle burst from him, surprising them both. Gina laughed with him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug. Matt allowed himself a few seconds to enjoy the feeling, even going so far as to bury his nose in her hair and inhale the fragrance before he pulled back. Gina let him go without complaint. She stepped to the counter, snagged two more cookies and pressed them into his hand. “Here. These should hold you till lunch.”
Matt nodded and turned away. He paused at the door. “Gina, I uh…” He stopped and shook his head, at a loss for what to say. “Thank you for the cookies.”
“You’re welcome,” she whispered, but he was already gone.
Matt Calvin was tearing her to pieces, and breaking her heart one little chunk at a time. It was so difficult to remain emotionally reserved. Desire danced in her blood, just from that small hug. Gina knew if she tried to move too fast, he would be gone. And she didn’t want to spook him.