“So, I guess that means you can get on the McGregor estimate?”
Shit. Stone blew out a breath. “Yeah, as soon as I find the workup.”
Brick’s gaze narrowed. “You still haven’t found the paper?”
How the hell could he when the idiot set him up to show Jovy around all afternoon? He raised a brow. “Hello? Have you seen the office?”
“No,” his brother replied with a cheeky grin. “Kind of tough with all those papers lying about.”
The urge to flip the asshole the finger shook through Stone’s hand, but he refrained. Barely.
“I’d help, but I already told Cord I’d give him a hand installing a water heater for old Skeeter.” Brick slapped him on the shoulder. “Good luck.” Then nodded to Jovy before lumbering out of the stable.
She pushed that errant strand of hair behind her ear, revealing a long expanse of throat he’d stroked a few minutes earlier. His finger still tingled at the memory of her warm, soft skin.
“You’re looking for something in your office?”
He thrust a hand through his hair and exhaled a long breath. “Yeah. A paper with the list of work for the feed store in town. I’m supposed to call the client with the estimate tonight. If we land this, it could mean Foxtrot will get the contracts for their other two stores. And if that happens, we might be able to start breaking ground on another barracks.”
Why the hell did he tell her all that?
An eager expression crossed her face. “I’d be happy to help you look.”
Sweet offer. Bad idea. It wasn’t wise to be cooped up in close quarters with the tempting woman. “I hate to keep you from the shop. Especially with your grand opening a few days away.”
She waved a hand. “That’s okay.” A mischievous gleam entered her eyes. “Besides, I’ve been dying to get my hands on your paperwork.”
His body instantly hardened, having totally replaced “paperwork” with a different word.
“I can always paint tonight.”
And he really could use her help. “Tell you what,” he said, his mind already forming a plan. “You help me find that receipt, and I’ll bring two of my men with me to your shop tomorrow morning and help you paint. Deal?”
She grinned and held out her hand. “Deal.”
Stone shook it, but immediately released her, unwilling to tempt fate. “Okay, then let’s get started.”
An hour later, not only had he discovered the McGregor paper hidden between two folders, Stone uncovered his desk, too. Jovy was a miracle worker. The office looked a hell of a lot better. Clearer. Organized. Thanks to her and the app she suggested he download to his phone, which allowed him to take a picture of a receipt and automatically sent it to the appropriate file in an accounting program. Best of all, it was free. The woman not only saved him a shit-ton of time, she saved him a boatload of money, too.
Working side by side, they made a good team. While he snapped pictures, she manually filed the papers, and in no time, his desk was clear.
“You have a beautiful place, Stone. And these floors…” She bent down to run her hand over the tired wood. “Are they original?”
“Yes,” he replied, coming to join her in front of the desk. “They just need some TLC like the ones in the other room. No reason to get rid of them. We need to sand and refinish—and we will—but there are other things more important right now.” Like using the money to feed his men and keep a roof over their heads. Cosmetic renovations were low on the priority list.
She slowly rose to her feet and stared at him. Hard. His stomach clenched. What the hell did he do now? “What’s wrong?”
“You.” She poked his chest with her finger. “I’m beginning to realize that’s the norm for you.”
He frowned. “What is?”
“Looking beyond the surface and finding the good in things. People. Cows.”
A smile tugged his lips.
“You are something else, Stone Mitchum. You don’t discard. You support. Encourage. Cultivate self-worth.” She drew in a breath. “And you want to know the best part? You don’t even realize it. It’s second nature to you. God…do you know how rare that is in business?”
What was rare was the way the woman made him feel. Important. Treasured. Wanted. Even if she only meant how he handled his business. He couldn’t drag his gaze away. Her face was alive with conviction and passion, and the mixture was a heady cocktail he couldn’t resist. Stone needed—no, wanted to bask in the warmth of her appraisal, even though he knew it was dangerous. So damn dangerous. But he was drawn in. Mesmerized. It was too much and not enough. He needed to touch her. To feel the conviction. Taste the passion.
Screw it. To hell with his reservations and holding back. Stone cupped her head, marveling at the softness of the confined dark-chocolate-colored hair. Her eyes widened, and he held her heated gaze while he slowly lowered his mouth, giving her the opportunity to do what he could not. Pull away.
God, he hoped she didn’t.
Chapter Six
Jovy’s heart literally stopped when Stone lifted his hands to cup her face, taking that first step to act on the attraction that nearly had her melting into a pile of goo at his feet all damn afternoon.
Walking beside him, listening to the intelligent cowboy talk about the ranch and his solid, well-thought-out future plans sent her heart aflutter, but it was the mutual respect she’d seen in the eyes of his men that had knocked the lid off her attraction.
So now, when he hesitated, giving her the option to push him away, she slid her palms up his chest to grip his shoulders tight.
No way was she backing out.
Apparently happy with her choice, he stared down at her, heat flaring in his gaze while his mouth hovered, barely above hers, sharing a breath, breathing her in, as if needing to savor her acceptance. She breathed him in, too, so heady on his essence she could no longer hold still. At the brush of lips, she sighed and melted against him, his height lining their bodies to near perfection. And the man was perfection, big and tall with hard muscles and ridges, making her feel all soft and curvy. She’d never been held by a man this tall before. The sensations were new, and that, coupled with their chemistry, had her trembling against him, nipples beading and poking his chest while he drank her in, over and over, as if he couldn’t get enough of her taste.
Jovy knew kissing Stone would be memorable. How could it not with that attraction zinging between them? Still, nothing had prepared her for the fierce awareness rippling through her body like an untethered electrical current at the faintest touch. Gripped with an unrecognizable need like she’d never known, she fought the urge to strip them naked and conduct an in-depth personal interview on his desk.
But he appeared to want to savor. Take his time to explore. Feed off her enjoyment. Learn what she liked. Drive her freakin’ out of her mind. So when he tipped her head for a better angle and slid his tongue into her mouth, making long, slow, decadent sweeps, she moaned, thrust her hands through his hair, and initiated her own expedition.
This was insane. How could it be so good? The man tasted hot and hungry, pressing his tongue against hers with mind-drugging strokes. A fierce, tangible heat shuddered through Jovy straight to her own “V-Spot Café.” The experience was new and incredible, and if she weren’t about to lose consciousness from lack of air, no way would she have ever broken the kiss.
Still holding her head, Stone set his forehead to hers, working to control his breathing while she slumped against him, clutching his shoulders as she did the same.
“D-damn…you’re potent,” she stammered between breaths. “What did you do to me? I can’t feel my legs.”
Brushing her temple with his lips, Stone dropped his hands to her shoulders and drew back to catch her gaze. “Despite fighting this crazy-ass need to kiss you since we met, I swear, Jovy, I didn’t plan that.”
Confusion and heat mixed to darken his eyes. Good. She wasn’t the only one knocked off-kilter. He felt the out-of-control att
raction, too.
“I know.” She nodded, her chest rising rapidly as she continued to drag in air. “I’ve been fighting it, too.”
Lifting a finger, he traced a line from her shoulder, up her neck to her lower lip. “The timing is bad. I can’t afford the distraction.”
“M-me, either.” Her whole body trembled under his touch. “I’ll be heading back to Philly in four weeks.” Starting any kind of a relationship would be foolish. Unfounded. Jovy hadn’t gotten where she was today by letting emotions rule her head.
He nodded, and she watched stark resolution chase the disappointment from his gaze. “So we’re in agreement? We keep our hands to ourselves?”
“And lips.” She grinned under his thumb.
“And lips,” he repeated, his gaze devouring her mouth as well as her strength.
Dammit.
Need increased, sending her pulse into orbit and a memo to her brain requesting an extension on her break from reality. “Starting ten minutes from now?”
“God, yes,” he growled before crushing her close and kissing her stupid. Again.
The man was on a mission to destroy every last brain cell in her body and was doing a hell of a job, too. He was hired. And hot…and dead sexy. Cupping the back of her head with one hand, he ran the other down her side, brushing the swell of her breast with his thumb. She moaned and tugged his shirt from his jeans, giving in to the raw, fierce need to feel his skin, to stroke his hard, hot abs, to rock against him without shame.
A sexy sound rumbled in his chest and he ground against her, siphoning what little strength remained in her legs.
Still, she didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop. Wouldn’t. Longing consumed her, turning her stupid. Why else would she wrap around him like a pretzel when he set her on his desk?
Because she was an idiot who wasn’t thinking straight. Hell, she wasn’t thinking at all. She was feeling. Lost in a crazy vortex of heat and need and hunger unlike anything ever to cross her personal résumé. She didn’t want to stop. She wanted to explore the avenues presented to her, because, oh, hell yeah, Stone could definitely teach her a thing or two about heat and delicious sensations.
The sound of gravel crunching on the drive barely registered in her fogged brain, until she heard the front door open and voices filled the hall.
Stone broke the kiss and stepped back.
…
“Hey, Stone,” his brother called out, reminding him where he was…and that the office door was wide open.
Shit.
He watched Jovy scramble to her feet, her face flushed, lips swollen, and hair mussed thanks to him. A smile tugged his lips. Ravaged looked good on her. Damn good. And she tasted damn good, too. Then there was the whole responsive thing. No woman had ever reacted to his touch, his kisses, like Jovy.
She was addicting.
He couldn’t get enough. One touch…one taste and he was set, locked on. Missile to target locked on. All concept of time and presence of mind disappeared, along with his common sense, the second their lips touched.
Maybe celibacy wasn’t such a smart idea. He was wound so tight he was like a firecracker ready to go off with the slightest spark. That had to explain his lack of control and the asinine move.
Tucking in his shirt, he positioned himself between Jovy and the doorway to block her body from view while she smoothed her dress and hair back into place.
“Any luck finding that paper?” Brick strode into the room and stopped dead, his gaze moving over Stone before he tilted his head and glanced past him. “Oh, hi, Jovy. Didn’t see you there.” Stone could tell his brother knew something was up by the slight tilt of his mouth. “Looks like you were…busy.”
Stone glared a warning.
“Hi, yeah, I’m still here,” she replied, stepping out from behind him. “I was helping Stone file paperwork.”
A small twitch tugged his brother’s lips. “Is that what they’re calling it?” Brick muttered under his breath so only Stone could hear.
The son of a bitch. Stone opened his mouth to lay into him, but the idiot continued.
“You two have been busy. The room looks great. You even found the desk.”
Yeah, they’d found it all right, and if the asshole had returned a half hour later, they would’ve…
Stone stiffened. What the hell was wrong with him? Instead of chastising Brick, he should be thanking the man. Christ. If they hadn’t been interrupted, he would’ve conducted a totally different type of business in the room. Not something he’d ever normally do. The woman had him acting out of character.
Brick’s gaze turned serious. “Did you find the McGregor stuff?”
He reached for a paper on the desk and held it up. “Yes. I was just about to start working on the estimate.”
“Terrific.” His brother’s trademark dimples made an appearance. “I know I don’t have to tell you to make sure you look at this incredible prospect from every angle.” Something in Brick’s tone told Stone he was no longer talking about the feed store. “I get the feeling this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, little bro. Don’t blow it.”
There was nothing to blow. She wasn’t staying. He wasn’t looking. They’d already agreed to go hands-off.
So why did it feel like a big mistake?
…
For the first time in over a decade, Jovy slept in on a Monday. It was Stone’s fault. Although she’d acted all tough yesterday, agreeing to keep her hands and lips to herself, she never said anything about her mind. Nope. Her mind kept replaying his incredible kisses, over and over, until she dozed off and dreamed about sharing a whole hell of a lot more than kisses with the cowboy. After they’d christened his desk, they were headed for his couch in her yummiest dream ever, when she woke up and realized the time and the fact that the cowboy was due with a crew to help her paint within a half hour.
In less than half that time, she showered, pulled on her cutoffs and a T-shirt, and tied her damp hair back before swiping a banana from her kitchen counter on her way out the door. There wasn’t time to grab anything else, or to think, for that matter. Which was good, considering the last time she’d seen the guy she’d had her tongue in his mouth while rubbing against his hard body like a cat in heat.
Or a lovesick cow.
Ah, crap. Her steps faltered on the stairs. She was turning into Lula Belle.
Her only saving grace was he’d felt it, too. Stone had been just as caught up, just as lost in the crazy rush of heat and need that had sucked the common sense from her brain. But they’d left on good, mutually understanding terms yesterday. The kiss was incredible, but the timing was bad.
End of story.
A rap sounded on the door at the bottom of the stairs that led to the parking lot behind the building. Great. He was ten minutes early. Jovy shoved the last of the banana in her mouth and raced down the remaining steps.
It was too damn early for this. She needed a coffee.
Promising to remedy that soon, she reached the bottom, her ponytail whipping forward as she halted in front of the door and swallowed the last of her breakfast. With no time to be embarrassed or wonder how to act, she plastered a smile on her face and yanked the door open on the third knock.
Disappointment momentarily froze her features when she found Cord standing there with two bearded men she recognized from brunch the day before.
No Stone in sight.
“Oh, hi, Cord.” She blinked back her surprise. “I wasn’t expecting you…this early,” she added, moving aside to let him and the other men into the hallway.
He nodded. “Hey, Jovy. Stone sends his regards. Something came up. He asked me to help instead,” he explained before walking through the open door on his right that led to the shop.
“I appreciate it,” she said, following the men inside. “I taped everything off last night. I don’t think I missed anything.” Too much pent-up energy upon returning from the ranch yesterday had led to a trip to the next town for paint, followed by an hour and
a half of taping off woodwork to prepare for this morning’s paint date. With Stone. Who wasn’t there.
Get over it.
No touching of hands or lips, remember?
Cord glanced around and nodded. “It’ll save us time. Thanks.”
Two hours later, Jovy started the second coat on the window trim while the men finished the walls. For something that should’ve been a chore, painting had turned out to be visually pleasing. All around. Toning down the bright yellow walls made a huge difference. The café already felt more inviting. Exactly what she wanted to project.
Watching the fit men help her paint had been an extra bonus, too. She enjoyed the yummy display of muscles and ridges rippling under their T-shirts, and wasn’t sorry. Nope. She ogled. Didn’t care. The guys were hot. Not as hot as Stone, but they were not shabby by far.
“Nice color choice,” Cord said, rolling the wall to her right.
“Thanks. I like it better, too. I’m glad Stone agreed to the blue. Not sure I could’ve stomached the yellow.”
“He hated it. Told me he looked forward to covering it up.”
She stopped painting to stare at the man. “He did?”
The former Ranger must’ve felt her gaze, because he turned to face her. “Yes. Trust me. Stone had fully intended to be here to have the honor himself. But his…something came up and he couldn’t.”
“I understand.” Not really. “I’m sure he’ll appreciate the finished product. It’s exactly as I envisioned.” It had better be. Last night, she’d spent two hours picking out the color.
“I’m sure he will. You have a good eye for business, both academically and aesthetically.”
She smiled. “Thanks.”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
He cocked his head and stared at her. “Why are you going through all this trouble if you’re only here for a month?”
Crap. “It’s complicated.”
“Humor me.”
Blunt. Direct. She liked him. He worried about his friend. It was clear in the lines tightening his features.
She set her brush down and held his gaze. “I have four weeks, starting two days ago, to make as much money as possible in this café.”
In the Ranger's Arms (The Men of At Ease Ranch) Page 6