by Jill Sanders
“Sorry,” Steve apologized and for the first time in ten minutes, the man sounded nice. “It’s just that I always deal with Rea. I’ve never dealt with anyone else before. Not in almost twenty-some years.”
“I understand. What can I help you with today?” Kristen asked, feeling slightly relieved that Tyler had stepped in.
“Well, we need a couple more porta-johns down at the east site.”
“I understand. I’ll arrange for those to be delivered first thing tomorrow.”
“Great,” the man said, then hung up without even a good-bye.
Setting down the phone, she turned to Tyler, who was still just looking at her.
“Is there something you needed?” she asked.
He leaned against the edge of the desk. His knees were close to hers and she could smell his musky aroma, which sent a wave of awareness throughout her system.
Shoving all thoughts of him and that kiss to the back of her mind, she waited for his answer.
“I need the . . .” He glanced around and when his eyes landed on a file at the edge of the desk, he walked over and picked it up. “This,” he said, then turned around and stormed back into his office.
Kristen could tell that wasn’t why he’d come into the room. She knew for a fact that the file he’d grabbed was empty, since its contents were currently scattered around the desk. She wondered just how long it would take him to realize it. Leaning back, she waited and silently counted the seconds.
Fifty seconds later, his door opened. “I guess you’re still working on this,” he said, walking over and setting the file back down.
“Yup,” she said, smiling slightly.
“I’ll leave you to it.” His eyes moved over her once more as silence filled the room. From her seat behind the desk, she could feel the vibes shooting from him.
“Anything else you need?” she asked, not feeling too steady anymore. The fact that the question had come out as a whisper caused her some discomfort.
“Why . . .” He shook his head, then sighed. “If you need anything, let me know.” With this, he turned back into his office and disappeared.
By five o’clock, she was ready for a hot meal and shower. Maybe she’d even stop by the liquor store and grab a bottle of wine.
After turning off the computer, she stood up and stretched just as Tyler walked out of his office.
“Clocking out?” he asked with a smile.
“Yeah. You know, you should really invest in a new chair for Rea.” She rolled her shoulders and did a few stretches. “I’ve only been sitting here for a couple hours. I don’t know how Rea could sit here for eight hours every day of the week and not have back problems.”
“Duly noted.” He walked over to the door and took her coat off the hanger. “Well, since you put in a few hours, the least I can do is buy you dinner.”
Images of having another steak at the strip club filled her head. He must have read her thoughts, because he chuckled.
“I’m sure I can do better than the Spot.” He helped her on with her coat.
He hadn’t been lying. They had driven for a while but finally stopped outside of a small, family-owned Italian place. Soft lights, music, and a warm atmosphere greeted them as they walked into the place.
“This is nice,” she said as they were seated in a cozy booth.
“Yeah, it used to be a burger joint, until the Steins took it over a few years back,” he said, glancing over his menu at her. “Course, it’s the only Italian place for about a hundred miles.”
She smiled. “Do you like it?” His eyebrows shot up in question. “Living in a small town in the middle of nowhere.” She finished her question.
He shrugged. “As a kid, it was great. As a teen, I couldn’t wait to get out of here. When I first came back, I didn’t like it much at all.”
“Now?”
He sighed and set the menu aside. “I guess I’ve been too busy to care.”
She thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “If you had your choice?”
She saw his inner struggle with coming up with an answer. “I suppose I’d stay here. I’ve been a few other places. This is home.”
After the waiter delivered their wine and took their orders, she leaned forward. “I envy you.” She sipped her wine. “I grew up in the city. I’ve never really thought about one place as home. Sure, the house I grew up in was home as a kid, but since I’ve been out on my own . . .” She shook her head slightly.
“I know what you mean about a home. My mom’s place doesn’t seem the same since I moved out. It’s no longer my place, especially without Dad.”
“Where do you live now?”
His eyes met hers and she got the impression he was laughing inside.
“An apartment above the Spot,” he answered.
She choked a little on the sip of wine she’d just taken. “The strip club?”
He laughed this time. “It was the only place available when I moved back into town.”
“When was that?” she asked.
“Shortly after my dad passed.”
“And you’re still there?”
He answered with a shrug.
“Doesn’t the noise bother you?” What would it be like, living above a place that never closed and pumped loud music nonstop? Not to mention knowing what was happening below.
“I’m on the third floor. The noise isn’t too bad up there,” he said as their food was delivered.
“So,” Kristen said after taking a few bites of the hot meal. “I don’t mean to pry, but that incident today seemed pretty serious. Is Rea going to be okay? How could that man be her son?”
She listened to Tyler talk about how Rea had raised Brian on her own since he was eleven. How he and Brian had played together as young boys, but how, shortly after his father’s death, Brian had turned into someone else. Evil was a word Tyler used. Psycho was another one.
“To be honest,” Tyler said, finishing his plate of noodles and pushing it aside, “I’m not sure there’s a drop of good left in him, or if there ever was. I remember him in school, he was always . . . mean.” Tyler took another drink.
“I was bullied when I was in school,” she admitted. She wasn’t sure why she’d spoken up.
He waited for her to continue. She shifted in the booth and took a sip of her wine before continuing.
“It started in first grade. Then, when I didn’t stand up for myself or fight back, continued on through middle school until it finally stopped.”
“What happened in middle school?” he asked.
“I grew breasts before she did.” Kristen smiled as Tyler laughed.
“That must have been hard on you, though?” he asked, his smile slipping slightly.
She shrugged. “It made me stronger. Still, I’d like to run into Angie Higgs one day and rub my success in her face.” She shifted gears quickly, since she didn’t want to go into all the horrors she’d gone through as a child. “Do you think Rea will be okay?”
Instead of answering, he just looked at her as their plates were cleared. Once they were alone again, he shifted slightly. Moving closer to her somehow from across the booth.
“I thought I had you pegged,” he finally said.
“How so?”
“Well, it’s obvious from . . .” he waved his hand toward her, gesturing to her expensive haircut and clothes, “that you’re a city girl who isn’t afraid to spend every dime on . . .” He trailed off again, but she knew what he was saying. And he wasn’t wrong. The blouse she was wearing had been her most expensive purchase last month.
“Okay,” she leaned on the table, waiting. “And?”
“Well, I guess I didn’t peg you as someone who’d care about an old woman’s problems with her son. Especially since you’d just met her.”
“I like nice things, and I like nice people,” she countered.
She watched his eyes as he thought about her words. When he nodded quickly, she felt a little relieved and couldn’t expla
in why.
The fact of the matter was, she’d worked for JB Holding for three years and had never had this much of a conversation with anyone else who worked there. Sure, she’d busted her butt day after day, month after month, until the years seemed to melt together. She had what she liked to call “working friends.” People she occasionally went out to lunch with, but she’d never really talked to them like she was talking with Tyler.
As they left the building, she kept wondering why that was. It wasn’t as if she’d missed talking to people, or even feeling like she hadn’t had deep conversations. What was strange was that she wondered why opening up to Tyler felt so good.
Tyler knew Kristen was deep in thought, so he kept quiet during the drive back to the hotel.
What he’d said was true. He had thought he’d pegged her. But seeing her so concerned for Rea had completely thrown him off.
After all, she’d made it very clear that she was here to do everything in her power to convince him to sell his family business. It would mean a promotion for her, and that would mean more money to spend on more fancy things. But he couldn’t stop wondering why a woman like that would care about Rea’s business.
Then there was the attraction between them. He knew she’d felt it the moment he had, the second she’d stepped off the plane. Since he’d returned home and committed to the family business, he’d put aside his needs. Well, most of them anyway. Women being on the top of that list. That was until the kiss earlier. Since then, his mind and body refused to stop thinking of anything other than her soft lips under his. If he concentrated, he could probably still taste her sexiness.
Then his mind snapped back into gear when they pulled into the parking lot of the hotel. He knew he still couldn’t afford distractions. Especially sexy brunettes with green bedroom eyes. Not until the business books were where they should be. And, if his calculations were correct, that would mean staying focused for the next six months to a year. If everything went according to his plan and he avoided distractions.
He parked the truck in front of the small hotel. When his headlights hit the old building, he realized that it really was a run-down place and instantly felt bad. Even his apartment above the Spot was better than this hellhole.
“You know, my mom’s place has plenty of room,” he blurted out before thinking it through fully.
The shocked look on her face told him he’d crossed the line, but still, he felt the need to continue.
“I mean, this place is . . . well,” he nodded toward her door. Which looked like it would fall off its hinges at any moment. “Plus, it’s closer to the office.” He shrugged, beginning to feel bad. “The offer is out there.” He reached for the door handle, but her hand on his arm stopped him.
“Tyler, thanks.” She sighed. “But it wouldn’t be right. I wouldn’t feel right. Besides, JB has already paid for the room for two weeks, which means I’ll be here until the end of the month.”
“That long?” he said sarcastically. When she tilted her head and he saw a spark of anger flash in her eyes he chuckled. “Okay, I know when to quit.” He got out and helped her down from the truck, enjoying the way her body felt in his hands.
“This truck ought to be illegal. It’s too tall,” she said nervously.
He let her go, dropping his hands from her narrow hips. But as she moved to take a step back, her heeled boots slipped on the snow and once more, his arms wrapped around her as he pulled her close.
Even through the layers of thick material keeping them both warm, he felt her heart kick in her chest, which was pressed tight next to his own.
Okay, he thought as he bent toward her mouth, this isn’t exactly avoiding distractions. Then his mind went blissfully blank as his lips covered hers. There was nothing, at that exact moment, to stop him from enjoying the feel of her against him.
She melted into him. Her arms wrapped around him as he urged her tighter against his chest.
The soft sounds she was making were heating him up from his core until he felt his entire body burn for the feel of her. Naked, bared to him.
“Invite me in,” he moaned between kisses.
“I . . .” She shook her head and pushed against his chest until he took a step back. “I don’t think . . .” He watched her green eyes return to focus. “Tyler, this isn’t a good idea.”
“It’s a terrible idea,” he said with a smile. “But still . . . it’s an idea.”
Her eyes closed and he watched her take several deep breaths. He watched the puffs of air dissipate in front of him and knew that the moment had disappeared too.
“There’s something here,” he said, taking another step back. “No matter what brought you to me, you can’t deny it. Not forever—maybe not even for two weeks.” He turned and jumped behind the wheel before she could respond.
As he drove off, he glanced in the rearview mirror and smiled when he noticed that she was still standing in the same spot, her hands over her heart as she watched him drive away.
CHAPTER SEVEN
She avoided Tyler all weekend by staying in her hotel room. He’d called her a few times, but she’d let each call go to her voice mail. She ventured out for one late lunch but made a point to avoid normal meal hours. She was thankful she’d had a couple days to recover from that kiss. She’d needed it.
Who was she kidding—she still wasn’t over it.
As she drove up to the trailer Monday morning, she knew something was wrong. There were two police cars parked out front next to Rea’s car. From what she understood, the woman practically lived there. Worry flashed so fast that Kristen was out of the car and running to the front door before she felt the cold and snow.
When she rushed in, every eye turned toward her. Tyler, Trent, and at least four officers.
“What’s happened? Where’s Rea? Is she okay?” She couldn’t hide the panic in her voice.
Then Tyler took a step back and she noticed Rea sitting at the desk, smiling up at her.
“I’m fine, sweetie. They aren’t here because of me.”
Kristen relaxed. “Oh.” Her eyes moved around the room and she could tell Tyler was upset when their eyes met. “Well, then what seems to be the problem?”
The older officer stepped forward. “We’re just here as a service. To warn of the protesters that have set up camp on the north side of town.”
“Protesters?” She removed her coat and shook the fresh snow from it, then hung it up on the hook. “What kind of protesters?”
“We’ve dealt with them before,” Tyler said, holding out his hand and shaking hands with the older men. “Thanks, Tom, we’ll take the normal precautions.”
“If you need anything . . .”
Tyler nodded. “You’ll step up the drive-bys?”
“Yeah, we’re working out a schedule now. I’ll let Rea know when we have it all set.”
“Thanks, Tom.” Rea smiled up at the man.
Kristen thought she saw the man blush slightly, but he turned away and followed the other men outside.
“What kind of protesters?” she asked again when the officers were gone.
“The usual kind,” Tyler growled, then walked into his office without a look back at her, then shocked her by shutting his door.
Trent turned toward her with a frown. “What’d you do to set him off?”
“Me?” Her eyebrows shot up. “I just got here.”
Trent tilted his head toward her. “Come into my office,” he said after a moment. She glanced at Rea, but the woman just shrugged her shoulders and busied herself at her ancient computer.
Kristen turned and followed Trent into the smaller office down the hallway. When she walked in, Trent was sitting behind the desk. He motioned for her to sit in the only other chair in the tiny room.
“Listen, I don’t know . . .” She stopped when Trent held up his hand.
He leaned back in the chair and just looked at her, then a slow smile crossed his face.
“So, when did it happen?”
“What?” Her eyes narrowed at the man. He was so much like Tyler, yet so different. Trent’s eyes held more humor behind them. Almost like he had a private joke that he was constantly telling himself.
“Come on, I know my brother better than anyone else. Only a few things can make him act like that, and I don’t think you’ve pulled any major pranks on him to piss him off.”
“Pranks?” She leaned forward. “Like what?” Her curiosity spiked.
Trent laughed and crossed his arms over his chest again. “Oh, there was the time that Trey filled his shoes with pudding or the time that Trey and I spent the whole night sewing up the hems of all of his jeans two inches to make him believe he’d grown overnight. Or the time we superglued his butt to the . . .” He shook his head and chuckled. “You’ll have to ask him about the superglue.” He shrugged. “Just to list a few.”
She couldn’t help smiling back at him. “You guys are terrible.”
“Tell me about it. Don’t think that Tyler didn’t pay us back.” He laughed. “He’s worse than us, and if I remember correctly, he started it all.”
She laughed. Really laughed, even though she was still hurt inside.
Just then Trent’s office door swung open and Tyler walked in. The frown on his face had increased by double.
“What’s going on?” he said, his eyes going between them.
“Just catching Kristen here up on some family issues,” Trent said with a smile.
“Aren’t you supposed to be making a delivery?” Tyler said.
“Not until . . .” But the look on Tyler’s face stopped Trent from finishing. “I’m heading out now.” He got up, but before leaving, he leveled a mock-serious gaze at Kristen. “We’re not done with this.”
She nodded, swallowing her laughter.
“Done with what?” Tyler said once his brother was gone.
“I think your brother was trying to question me on what had gotten you in your sour mood.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m not in a sour mood,” he said, then turned and left the room. She followed him down the narrow hallway, but he stopped abruptly and she bumped into his solid back.