Stripped Down

by Erin McCarthy

  Her words shattered Sloane’s soul. No coffee here either. This was not good. “Good morning,” she said, trying to drag up a smile from the depths of her cheerful reserve.

  “Hey,” Winnie said, turning and waving. “Oh, God, you look how I feel. I saw you at Tap That last night. Happy Birthday, by the way. I take it you had a good time?”

  Sloane nodded, praying she was too old to blush. “I did, thanks. The charity event seemed to be a success and I haven’t danced like that since college.” Or had sex like that. Ever.

  Winnie laughed. She was a thin brunette with big brown eyes. Sloane had immediately liked her when she had interviewed for the job. This morning she too was dressed in jeans and a Paws and Effect T-shirt, her hair scraped back in a ponytail. “I didn’t go to college, but I have to say I’ve never seen that many screaming women in one place in Beaver Bend in my life. I can admit to some screaming myself, but I am sticking to my story—the tequila made me do it.”

  “That’s my story too.” Which was a total lie. She would have invited Rick into her place stone-cold sober. She had needed to pop the seal on divorce sex and he had been the right choice. She wasn’t sure she could stick to their “no awkwardness” pact though. She felt pretty damn awkward.

  “I have a headache and I can’t get this damn coffeemaker to work. I think it’s God’s way of punishing me for objectifying men.” Winnie hit the button a few more times and nothing happened. “Can you do me a favor?”

  “Sure.” Sloane wiped her palms on the front of her jeans. She was nervous about this job. She hadn’t worked in ten years and she was equal parts excited and terrified. Which was nuts, because she had volunteered at the animal shelter twenty hours a week in Minneapolis. How was this any different?

  “Can you go next door and grab us two cups of coffee from Rick? He always has a pot on.”

  Sloane froze. “From Rick?” she parroted.

  “Yes, at the auto body shop next door.”

  That’s what she thought she’d meant. There couldn’t be two Ricks with shops in this building. Damn it. “I can go to a coffeeshop if you want. It will probably taste better.”

  “Nah, that’s too much work. Plus this will be faster.”

  “Okay, sure, be right back.” It wasn’t like she was nervous to see Rick. Because she wasn’t. Not much anyway. She had just assumed he would still be sleeping. But he clearly wasn’t and now she was nervous. He’d gone places on her body no other man had. He’d been all Christopher Columbus in there, exploring uncharted regions with his tongue and now she couldn’t think about it without feeling warm in all those now-mapped areas.

  The front door to the auto shop was locked so she went around the side of the building to the open garage. “Hello?” she called, not wanting to startle anyone. She had no idea how many employees Rick had, if any. Maybe it was a random mechanic there, not him.

  She could hear banging around and the sounds of classic rock pouring out from the back of the garage.

  “Who are you?”

  Sloane jumped and put her hand on her chest. She turned to see a young girl sitting on a bench in the sun reading Harry Potter. “I’m Sloane. I work at the groomer’s. What’s your name?”

  “River.”

  Ah, so this was Rick’s little sister. It was hard to see any sort of resemblance other than she had the same caramel colored hair as him. She was slight with narrow cheekbones and a high forehead. Her eyes were darker than Rick’s, her expression more shrewd. She was wearing denim shorts and a T-shirt that said, Books turn Muggles into Wizards.

  Sloane smiled. “Nice to meet you, River. Do you know where your brother is? I need to beg him for a cup of coffee.”

  River just eyed her for a long enough pause that Sloane raised her eyebrows. So the kid didn’t want to talk. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your reading. I’ll go see if I can find him.”

  But River sighed and snapped her book shut. “I’ll take you to him.” She stood up. “You’re not one of his girlfriends, are you?”

  The disdain in her voice made it clear of her opinion of said “girlfriends.”

  “Nope,” Sloane said. “I am not his girlfriend.” She might still have the scent of him on her sheets, and his beard burn on her inner thighs, but she was not his girlfriend. “My brother is Sullivan O’Toole, so I’ve known your brother since he was your age.”

  “Oh.” That seemed to appease her. She walked into the garage and glanced at Sloane over her shoulder. “I’ve never seen you at Winnie’s pet salon. Are you a new hire?”

  The fact that a nine year old said “new hire” was kind of amusing. “Yes, I am. I just moved back to Beaver Bend from Minneapolis. I moved in across the hall from you.”

  “Gross. Why would you move back? I can’t wait to leave here. I’m moving to Chicago for college and I’m never coming back here.”

  Geez. River sounded like her at that age. “I said the same thing. But I missed my dad and my brother and my baby nephew.”

  “That’s what FaceTime is for,” River said.

  That made Sloane laugh. “Sounds like you have a plan.” Then her laughter died on her lips when she saw Rick. He was wearing jeans and a black T-shirt and he was bent over removing the chrome on the side of a motorcycle. The one she had hit the night before.

  “Coffee’s over here,” River said, pointing to a table that had a coffeepot, cups, and some bottled water sitting on it.

  Rick turned and spotted her. He broke into a smile. “Sloane. Hey.”

  His voice was low and sexy as hell. Damn. She felt warm and girly and stupid. “Hi, Rick.”

  Just hours earlier she had been screaming his name in the middle of an orgasm.

  She went straight for the coffee without another word. She needed caffeine before she made a complete ass out of herself with Rick. Again. Hitting his bike had been pretty embarrassing.

  “Can I have some coffee?” she asked, as she poured herself a cup and grabbed the powdered creamer.

  Pour and ignore.

  That’s all she had to do. Pour the coffee, ignore the way he made her feel.

  * * *

  Rick stood up and eyed Sloane. He hadn’t expected to see her wandering into his garage at ten in the morning. He’d thought she would still be sleeping. But here she was, looking a little sleep-deprived and asking for a coffee she already had in her hand and halfway to her lips. That seemed about right for Sloane. Take, then ask. He wished he’d had an opportunity to see some of that confidence in bed, but she’d been very submissive the night before.

  The thought made his dick harden and his mouth water. He wanted Sloane in all the ways he could have her. He’d been an idiot to think one night could be enough. They had said they wouldn’t talk about what they’d done together. He didn’t need to talk. He just wanted more of her.

  He had no clue though what to make of her being here now, given she had basically thrown him out of her apartment after Rachel called. “You’re up early,” he commented.

  “I got a job next door. Today is my first day. I have to get some coffee for Winnie too. Her machine is broken.”

  He barely heard a word she said. He was too busy staring at her ass in those jeans. He was picturing the way she had looked when he had thrust into her from behind. Damn. He needed to focus. “You’re working at the pet groomer’s? That sounds fun.”

  She nodded. “I love dogs. Well, all animals, but especially dogs.”

  “I remember that.” The O’Toole house had always been at least three deep in dogs when they were growing up.

  Sloane smiled. “My dad could never say no to me and Sullivan. Guilt pets. He wanted to make up for my mom.”

  Rick nodded. His father had let him have dogs too, but by the time he was ten he had given them all away to friends. Having a pet live in the squalor of their house had been too cruel. The memory wasn’t something he wanted to deal with right now so he strolled over to her and poured another cup of coffee. “I’ll walk you back.”


  “Thanks.”

  “River, I’ll be right back.”

  “I’m coming with you.”

  “No, you’re not.” He wanted the opportunity to kiss Sloane, or at the very least whisper something dirty in her ear.

  “Yes, I am.” River was pouring a third cup of coffee and shooting him a look of defiance. He wasn’t sure if the coffee was supposed to be for her or for Winnie. Probably her. He was fast learning he had about zero control over this kid. She was going to give him gray hair by thirty.

  “River,” he said, trying to sound as harsh as possible. Being a parent was hard as hell when you weren’t actually a parent. She didn’t respect him at all.

  River sailed on past him, sipping the coffee and trying to pretend like she was enjoying it.

  “She clearly listens well,” he told Sloane. “Only female I’ve met I can’t persuade to my way.”

  Sloane’s eyebrows shot up as she fell in step beside him. “Oh, really?” she asked dryly. “Does that include me?”

  He winked at her and leaned over to murmur in her ear, so River couldn’t hear. “I got you to kiss me, didn’t I? And a little bit more?”

  She narrowed her eyes and tried to look annoyed but he could see the tinge of pink in her cheeks and the way she sucked in her breath at his words. He teased her hair away from her ear and gave her neck a kiss. She jerked away.

  “Stop it, someone will see us.”

  He didn’t really give a shit, but he let her move away from him. River had already rounded the corner and was walking quickly to the groomer’s. She loved bugging Winnie with requests to pet the dogs. More often than not, he thought he was failing miserably with his sister, but he was trying. It was all he could do. Just keep plugging along, doing the best he could.

  “Oh, thank God, there you are,” Winnie said as River pushed open the door and they all invaded her pet salon. “I am dying for coffee.”

  Rick handed her the cup he was holding. “Knock yourself out.”

  “I should have poured myself two cups,” Sloane said. “I’m already out.”

  “Then you’ll fit right in around here,” Winnie said with a smile. “Rick and I are coffee addicts.”

  “I was going to say coffee whores, but your phrase works too.”

  “Don’t say whore in front of River,” Winnie said, slapping her hands over River’s ears.

  River rolled her eyes. “You should hear how my dad talks. F bombs dropping like crazy. But don’t worry, I’m not damaged.”

  Winnie sighed.

  Rick shrugged. “She’s an old soul. What can I say?” And he wasn’t qualified to be raising her, but he loved her with all his heart. That had to count for something. “Sloane, I can get you another cup of coffee if you want.”

  “Thanks, that would be great.”

  “Even though I am in the middle of fixing my bike you nearly destroyed,” he said teasingly, knowing it would set her off.

  She didn’t disappoint. “I did not destroy your bike! And I tried to give you my insurance information. You’re the stubborn one.”

  “And you’re so easy to get wound up.” He gave her a grin when her jaw dropped. He went back to his shop and set about pouring her another coffee, whistling a random tune. He was feeling fantastic this morning. He’d gotten everything from Sloane he’d wanted and then some. She had been enthusiastic and so very easy to please.

  Fuck his promise to keep it at only one night. Actually, it hadn’t been a promise. Just an agreement and he wanted to renegotiate the terms. He wanted to be the guy Sloane used for sex until she felt ready to start dating again. He wanted to be her friends with benefits. Her fuck buddy. Her dirty little secret.

  Everything about that idea was hot as hell to him.

  Sure, she would move on and he would hate that. But all the more reason to wring every ounce of pleasure out of Sloane while he had her full attention now.

  They were going to be constantly around each other. He and Winnie had a fluid work environment on the weekends because he had to bring River with him and she was always running over next door. He popped over there all the time to check on her. Plus he and Sloane lived across the hall from each other. He was going to see her around at some point even if it was in passing. There was no way he could repeatedly be exposed to her presence without at least attempting to fuck her.

  Especially because right now he had no interest in any other women.

  He just wanted Sloane.

  Still whistling, he left his shop and his dinged up bike. It wasn’t a major repair. He didn’t normally work Sundays but he’d wanted to repair his bike before the work week started. He had three cars stacked up for some intensive repair work and he didn’t want to fall behind. He was planning to head to the O’Toole’s afterward. Though Sloane might not know it, he’d been invited to a little cookout for her birthday, something he was really looking forward to now.

  He was proud of his business, of what he had built literally with his hands. He’d scrimped and saved and bought the building knowing the apartment rentals would help cover his expenses until his business took off. Now he was twenty-eight years old and doing just fine. He loved what he did and the money was good.

  When he entered the groomer’s he saw Sloane was being shown around the place by Winnie. Winnie’s dog, Hampton, was sitting on River’s lap in the reception area. She was absently stroking him with one hand, holding up her book with the other. The kid was brilliant. Rick wasn’t sure where her IQ came from but if it was on her father’s side, it had skipped him. He was definitely the guy who excelled at common sense and working with his hands over school work.

  “Your coffee,” he said, handing it to her. He brushed his fingers over hers.

  “Thanks.”

  “Turning thirty yesterday hasn’t slowed you down at all. Up so late last night, partying. Having a really, really good time. I’m surprised you’re here looking so damn cheerful.” She wasn’t. She looked tired and pale and nervous. But still gorgeous.

  “I’m a cheerful person,” she said, shooting him a warning look, like she thought he was going to tell Winnie and River why she was thoroughly sleep deprived today. She raised her cup to her lips.

  “Good. Then you’ll be ready to have fun all over again tonight.”

  Sloane choked on her coffee, spitting half of it out on a cough. It dribbled down her chin and landed on her Paws and Effect T-shirt. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said, cheeks turning pink.

  “The cookout. At your dad’s house,” he said, giving her a wink. “I was invited by Liam.” Her father had been like a second dad to Rick. He respected Liam a hell of a lot for holding it together after his wife left.

  “Oh. Right. The cookout.” She narrowed her eyes and handed him the cup with the remaining coffee. “I’m done with this, thanks.” Then she murmured so no one else could hear, “I’m going to get you back for that.”

  “I can’t wait.”

  Eight

  “Finn, look at Aunt Sloane.” Sloane covered her face with her hands, on the grass at her father’s house with her nephew plopped across from her. She pulled her hands away quickly. “Hi, Finnie!” He gave her a drooling smile that melted her heart.

  This was what it was all about. Being part of Finn’s life.

  Making sure her father wasn’t lonely.

  Keeping an eye on Sullivan.

  Not having sex with Rick.

  The thought made her cheeks warm and she couldn’t help but dart a glance over to the firepit where he was sitting in an Adirondack chair drinking a beer. Looking casual and cool. As if he hadn’t been buried inside her the night before. She envied him his complete control over his emotions and facial expressions.

  He had entered the back yard with River and had given her a wave and an easy, “Hey, Sloane,” before heading right into the house to deposit a six pack in the fridge.

  Finn reached for her with his plump little fingers. He touched her cheeks, s
queezed his fingers into a fist, pinching her skin. “Ow,” she said, pretending to be hurt. “Owie, zowie.” She made a funny face and he laughed, that hearty belly baby laugh that could bring world peace if anyone ever thought to bottle it up. Forget waterboarding. They needed to make prisoners listen to baby belly laughs in a total opposite approach.

  Sloane was exhausted, but she realized she was bone-deep content. She’d survived her thirtieth birthday. Had actually ended it with a bang, in the truest sense of the word. Sex with Rick had been beyond anything she had ever experienced and she realized at some point, when she was ready, she could have that in a relationship. If Rick had gotten her off, someone else could, right? In theory. It wasn’t like he was a unicorn. Surely other men existed who knew how to please a woman.

  It had been a long day at the groomers after a night filled more with sex than sleep, but she loved dogs so much being able to pet and cuddle them while working had refilled her well, which lately had been so damn empty.

  Now she had baby Finn and her family and friends around her. Both Becca and Emily were here at her father’s request to do a low-key birthday cookout, along with Sullivan’s buddies and Lilly, who was everyone’s friend. It warmed her heart that they still wanted to be a part of her life after all these years. A woman couldn’t ask for much more.

  Her eyes wandered to Rick again.

  Well.

  She could ask for that again.

  She hadn’t known sex could be that intense. That deep and satisfying. It had popped in and out of her head all day, making her nipples harden at totally inappropriate times. But she had shown Rick to the door and they hadn’t discussed anything other than that she had demanded it wouldn’t be weird or awkward.

  Finn gave a happy shriek and crawled up onto her legs, which were sprawled out in front of her. Then without warning, he reached out and squeezed her breast like he had her cheek, which he seemed to think was hilarious.

  “Kid knows a good thing when he sees it,” Rick said, as he moved past them, an empty beer in his hand.