by Cathryn Fox
“Is Candace feeling okay? She looked a little flushed yesterday.”
Pamina grinned and made her way to the oven. “She’s perfectly fine.”
Lindsay opened her mouth to ask about Anna, but Pamina answered her unasked question. “Both girls are perfectly fine and their rooms are coming along splendidly.” Pamina stepped up to the table with a dozen muffins. She pushed her fruit bowl to the side, turned the tray upside down and plopped the muffins onto a plate.
Lindsay helped herself. She inhaled the delicious aroma and bit into the scrumptious treat. “What’s with you and apples anyway?”
Pamina waved her hand toward the backyard. “One should never waste nature’s gift.”
Lindsay followed her gaze until her eyes settled on a huge tree, its branches heavy with crisp red apples. “I don’t remember that being there.”
“That’s because you’ve not taken the time to explore the grounds. There is a beautiful pond out back as well. A great place for lovers to sit and chat, don’t you think?”
At the mere mention of lovers, Lindsay’s mind reeled. She wanted to ask Pamina about Brad, but she didn’t want to sound too obvious. Once again, as though Pamina could read her mind, she directed the conversation.
“Brad is doing a wonderful job.”
Her body warmed all over. Good Lord, just the mention of his name had her going all weird inside.
Lindsay tried for casual but suspected Pamina, being as perceptive as she was, could see right through her. “Yeah, he should be done by tonight.” Her stomach plummeted, knowing it would be the last she’d see of him.
“And then he will be gone and you’ll be able to finish up your room. You must be thrilled about that, Lindsay?”
Thrilled wasn’t the word she’d use. Lindsay nodded and bit into her breakfast, even though she no longer had an appetite.
“How do you know him?” she asked, deciding to come right out and pry.
Pamina grabbed her own muffin and placed it on a napkin. “I don’t.”
That surprised Lindsay. Somehow she’d thought they knew each other. “Oh, then why did you hire him?”
“I found his name in the phone book. I heard good things about his business. And I didn’t hire him, you did.”
Lindsay wiped crumbs from her mouth. “When he left yesterday he said he had responsibilities. I guess he must have had other jobs to take care of.”
“I suppose that’s possible. Brad has proven to be quite the hard worker.”
Lindsay agreed. “Yeah, different from the men I know.”
“But I do wonder why he agreed to take a job so far from home. Don’t you?”
Lindsay narrowed her brow and pursed her lips in thought. She’d been wondering that herself. Brad had said no job was too small, but she didn’t buy that for a minute. There was more going on with him than he let on.
“Why don’t you ask him?”
Lindsay’s head came up, her eyes narrowed. How did Pamina always know what she was thinking? “What?”
“Ask him what responsibilities took him away. I’m sure it must have been important. Otherwise why would he rush away, especially when things were going so good for him here?” Pamina winked at her and offered her a fresh, juicy peach from the fruit bowl.
Lindsay choked on her muffin. Good Lord, did the woman know all her secrets?
Suddenly, she went warm all over. And she knew there was only one reason for that. Brad was here. She felt his presence even before she saw him. Everything in her body tingled just knowing he was in close proximity.
“Good morning, ladies.”
Lindsay dropped her muffin and turned to face him. When she spotted him standing in the doorway, her body buzzed to life. She took in the warm look in his eyes as they met hers, and her heart turned over in her chest. She fought down a barrage of emotions, reminding herself that what was between them was sex. Damn great sex, mind you. And nothing more.
She took a moment to peruse him. Dressed in a pair of jeans and a snug T-shirt that hugged his body to perfection, he had morning after written all over him. She swallowed and admired his shaved face. His thick hair looked damp, from a recent shower. God she loved how he pushed his bangs to the side. It made him look so damn sexy.
With effort, she said, “You’re here early.” Did she dare hope it was because he couldn’t wait to go another round with her?
“I thought I’d get at the room right away so you can start your painting. I know how anxious you are to put the room together.”
Damn. She forced a smile. “I see.”
Silence reigned heavy as they both stared at one another, sexual sparks arcing between them. After a long moment, Pamina spoke. “Well, head right on up, Brad. The sooner you get started, the sooner you finish. I’m sure you must have other, more pressing jobs waiting for you.”
Brad nodded and disappeared down the hall, and Lindsay resisted the urge to follow, peach in hand.
* * *
The morning had flown by rather quickly as Lindsay sorted through numerous paint chips until she got the exact color she had in mind.
Sitting at the kitchen table, she kept glancing into the hall. She hadn’t seen Brad all morning, leaving him alone to finish his job so he could get on to more pressing matters.
Like spanking her again. Good Lord.
Come to think of it, Candace or Anna hadn’t surfaced either. She’d gone to check on them earlier, but their doors were locked. She hadn’t wanted to knock and wake them in case they’d been up all night working.
It was nearing lunch, and her tummy grumbled. Maybe now was a good time to check on Brad, to see if he needed a sandwich or to see if he wanted to go another round on her padded bench. Her thighs trembled just thinking about it.
Lindsay quietly made her way upstairs. She peeked into her room. “Brad, I thought you might like a sand—” Her words fell off when she looked around and found the room empty. Three steps took her to the window. She glanced out and spotted his truck in the driveway, but he was nowhere to be found.
She also noticed two other trucks parked on the street. Had Candace and Anna hired someone too? Dear God, perhaps they were up to the same thing as she was.
Before she had time to investigate, Pamina stepped into the room with a picnic basket. “I thought you might like to sit out at the pond and have lunch.”
Lindsay smiled. Just then her stomach grumbled louder. “I’d love to.”
They descended the stairs, walked out the back door and made their way to the apple tree. Lindsay tightened her sweater around her, breathed in the crisp autumn air and admired the beautiful colors on the fall foliage. “It’s just gorgeous out here.” She angled her head to see Pamina. “Like you said earlier, a wonderful place for lovers.”
Pamina handed her the picnic basket.
Lindsay frowned. “Aren’t you—?”
“Like I said, Lindsay, a wonderful place for lovers.” She waved her hand and Lindsay followed the direction. Her heart leapt when she spotted Brad sitting by the lake, legs crossed, head down, as though deep in thought.
“Enjoy.” Pamina then disappeared.
Lindsay drew a centering breath and with a lighthearted bounce to her step made her way to Brad.
She cleared her throat, heralding her arrival. “Hey,” she said as she came up beside him. It occurred to her that he’d been so engrossed in some book he hadn’t even heard her approach.
Startled, he closed the book on his lap and tucked it in beside him, out of her view.
How odd.
“Hey yourself.” He gave her a sexy smile that warmed her right down to her toes. “What are you doing out here?”
“Taking a break, like you.” She produced the basket. “I thought we could have lunch.”
He patted the ground beside him and she quickly took her seat. She gestured with her head. “What are you reading?”
“Nothing.”
“Obviously it’s not nothing.” She reached across him a
nd grabbed the book. When she read the title she was taken aback. She glanced at him, her eyes questioning. “What’s this?”
He snatched the book back and put it inside his backpack. “Like I said, nothing.”
“You’re studying for a medical entrance exam?” Wow, there was a whole lot more to this guy than she knew.
He rolled one shoulder, brushing it off. “Yeah.” In an attempt to change the conversation, he reached for the basket. “What did you bring?”
She wasn’t about to let him off so easily. “When we were chatting about your job, about being a handyman, how come you didn’t tell me?”
His eyes got serious for a moment. “Most people think it’s ridiculous.”
As he reached into the basket, she said, “Well I don’t. You certainly have the brains for it.”
His hands stopped, and he looked at her. “What makes you say that?”
“You run your own business, don’t you, and you can put up walls as well as tear them down.” Not to mention that he was smart enough to understand her needs and desires in the bedroom, unlike the other men she’d been with. “Stupid people can’t do that.”
He laughed and squeezed her leg. “You’re so politically incorrect, Lindsay.”
She offered him a wry smile and grabbed an egg-salad sandwich. She bit into it and chewed, letting the information sink in. “So you want to be a doctor.” It was a statement, not a question.
“Yup,” he said between bites. “My secret’s out.”
“I think that is fabulous.”
His head came up. “Really? You do?”
“Sure I do. Of course I never thought there was anything wrong with being a handyman, but being a doctor rocks too.”
He gave her a genuine smile and her insides turned to meringue. Oh boy. She had it bad for him.
She winked. “Hey, do you need any help studying? I could go over the male anatomy section with you if you’d like.”
Brad laughed out loud. “You really are something else, Lindsay. Quite different from any other woman I’ve met.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know, I know, we’ve been over that already.” She squinted and studied him for a minute. “Seriously though, Brad, how come you never mentioned it when we were chatting? How come you kept it a secret?”
He shrugged. “Like I said, most people laugh. No one has ever supported my dream. Even though I’ve got a science degree behind me, most people don’t think I’m going to do anything with it, and that I’m going to stay a handyman forever. They figure I’m great to have sex with and nothing more,” he admitted honestly.
She suspected it took a considerable amount of trust on his part to tell her something so personal. She suddenly recalled their conversation, just before they had sex. Her stomach lurched remembering how she told him there could only be sex between them, proving she was no different from any other woman he’d been with. “Well, I wouldn’t laugh. I think it’s wonderful, Brad.”
He leaned back on his elbows. His voice was low, soft, barely audible. “Thank you.”
It suddenly occurred to her why he’d come all the way to Mason Creek to work. “I’m guessing you took this job way out of town to make extra money to help pay for MCAT prep classes.”
“Pretty perceptive, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I pride myself on that,” she teased. “So tell me, do you have enough money?” Not that it was any of her business, but she really wanted to know. It mattered to her. He mattered to her.
He shook his head and she could tell he wasn’t all that comfortable talking money with her. She narrowed her eyes and studied him. There were fine lines around his eyes and she wondered for a minute if he even slept last night.
“Did you get any sleep after you left here?”
“No, I had another job to go to. The pay was too good to turn down.”
“Can you ask your family to help?”
“My dad died when I was in high school, and mom is sick. So with her expenses, and taking care of my two younger siblings, I don’t think I’m going to take the prep classes this year. I’m still a couple thousand short.” She could hear the sincerity, the love and the responsibility in his voice.
Mind sorting through everything, Lindsay leaned in next to his warm body and snuggled in tight. He turned until they were face to face, chest to chest and hip to hip. He touched her cheek and in no time at all, desire overtook them. Their lips met in a frenzied kiss and in that instant she knew she wanted more from him. He was everything she’d ever wanted in a man, and she had no doubt that she wanted something a little more permanent.
God, she’d told him this was just about sex, but in the span of a few short hours, things had changed for her. She cared for him. A lot. And she needed to show him how much. She knew of only one way to do that. By showing support where others hadn’t. She was going to do something she’d sworn she’d never, ever do again.
7
Less than two hours later, Brad had Lindsay’s room all cleaned up. He’d swept, cleared out all his supplies and had taken the plaster to the dump for disposal.
Now that his job was completed, he needed to talk to Lindsay, to tell her how he felt. To see if she wanted to explore their relationship further and see where it led. Like he hoped she did.
He stood back and admired the wide open space. Lindsay’s voice gained his attention. Just her sultry tone alone had his body reacting with heated anticipation. Desire twisted inside him as she stepped closer.
“It looks fabulous, Brad. It really opens the room up.”
He turned to face her and smiled at the endorsement. “Thanks.”
He held his arms out to her and she moved into them. He wove his fingers through hers and tugged until their bodies collided. God, her heat scorched him and made him wild with need. He brushed a wayward chestnut lock from her face and put his mouth close to her ear.
“Lindsay, we need to talk.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he mentally kicked himself. He hadn’t meant to approach her that way. He knew firsthand that those words were usually the kiss of death. He’d heard them himself a time or two, women letting him know they wanted sex, not emotional commitment from him.
She removed herself from the circle of his arms and stepped back, her lips thinned to a fine line. Her voice tight, edgy. “Brad, wait.”
Everything in him reached out to her. Damn she must have read him wrong, either that or she was about to give him the brush-off. Shit, either way, this wasn’t good. “Lindsay—”
She held an envelope out to him. “I want you to have this.”
“What is it?”
Looking a bit unsettled, she shoved it at him. “Just take it, please.”
“What’s going on, Lindsay?” As he read her body language, his gut churned, he had a bad feeling. Her face was anxious, her stance antsy. Brad accepted the envelope and ripped it open. When he peered inside, his stomach hit the ground like a felled wall.
Jesus H. Christ.
Nausea welled up inside him but quickly segued to anger. Pride crushed, he’d never been so offended in his entire fucking life.
“What the—”
Lindsay rushed out, “I want you to keep it.”
He stepped back, hands curling and uncurling as anger swept through his bloodstream until he saw red. After the intimacies they’d shared, after talking and getting to know each other on another level, how could she turn around and do something like this?
What made her think he was the kind of guy who would take money from her? Goddammit. And what the fuck was it for, services rendered? Lord, he’d never felt so used, so prostituted in his life.
“You can use it for your prep course.”
Jesus, did he seem that shallow? That he’d mooch off her. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
Her eyes narrowed, confused.
“Lindsay, Christ.” He stumbled over his words and took a distancing step backwards. It felt like she was paying him off. To leave nicely. A thank-you for the
good times. Wham, bam, thank you, handyman.
Incredulous, he looked at her for a long moment and then tossed the money onto the bench. The same bench where he’d made love to her and thought they’d made an emotional connection.
“Keep your money. My services were free.”
Before she had time to speak, he shoved the door open. It hit the wall with a thud and nearly ripped off its hinges. He stormed out the door and, without so much as a backward glance, flew down the staircase. Too bad his heart hadn’t come with him.
The sound of his heavy work boots reverberated through the hallway as he hastily sailed through the house and made his way to his truck. He shoved the key into the ignition, but the goddamned thing wouldn’t turn over.
“Now what,” he said, slamming his hand on the steering wheel. He pushed his door open and climbed from the driver’s seat. After popping the hood, he examined his battery.
“Having trouble, Brad?”
He angled his head to see Pamina behind him. He didn’t have time for this, not when he just wanted to get the fuck out of Dodge.
“It won’t turn over,” he bit out and immediately berated himself for snapping. Pamina wasn’t the one he was angry with and he had no right to take it out on her. The truth was, he was pissed with Lindsay and with himself. Pissed with her because she didn’t want more from him, and pissed with himself because he’d allowed himself to believe there was a possibility she would. When the fuck would he learn that women wanted him for a good romp and nothing else?
She touched his arm, and he turned to face her. “Do you love her?”
At first that question took him by surprise, but then it occurred to him his actions were pretty transparent. “It doesn’t matter.”
“I can’t blame you for loving her. She’s a very special girl.”
He narrowed his gaze, wondering where this was heading.
“I guess it makes one curious why such a special girl like her is still single.”
That thought had crossed his mind a time or two, or a thousand.
She lowered her voice. “Well between us, Brad, Lindsay has sworn off men. She doesn’t want anything more to do with relationships.”