“I’ve got this,” she snapped, wincing at the testy sound of her voice. She so did not want or need his help.
“Brynn,” he murmured, reaching to gather the papers.
When she didn’t answer or look at him he said it again, only this time more gently. “Brynn, relax.” He stopped her frantic movements by holding onto her wrist.
She choked out a distraught groan, stared for a second at his big fingers wrapped around her hand, then raised her eyes helplessly to his. He gave her a slow, sexy smile. “I’ll take care of this,” he reassured her. “You go handle your customer, okay?”
Brynn bit her lip so hard she worried it would bleed. With a jerky nod she stood up and went back to the matter at hand, aware all the while that Jax was rescuing her but from what she didn’t quite know. Herself maybe. No. Make that definitely.
When she finally finished taking the special order she looked around and wasn’t in any way surprised to find him resting a hip casually against the shop’s long counter while he shuffled the receipts he’d rescued into an orderly pile. Well, damn. There was no way she could ignore him.
He was dressed differently today. The black jeans and t-shirt were replaced by a dark grey button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled back exposing the hair on his forearms. Brynn had a thing about hands. She sometimes joked with her sisters that she was a sucker for hand porn. And Jax’s hands fit that bill perfectly, something she discovered quite intimately not that many hours ago.
Instead of jeans, he had on black pants that fit him like a fucking glove and a thin belt with a small silver buckle. When he turned away from her for a moment, she sucked in a gasp at the sight his backside made in the dress pants. If this was his business look, she was in deep trouble.
Pushing some wayward strands of hair behind her ear, Brynn straightened and hurried to his side with long, but not all that confident, strides. It was a wonder she didn’t get tangled in her own feet and fall face first to the floor. He had that effect on her.
“Thanks,” she muttered with her hand held out. “I’ll take those.”
Handing her the slips of paper, he smiled into her eyes, leaned forward, and kissed her on the cheek. “Good morning to you too. I take it you slept well?”
She gasped and sputtered, not sure whether from the kiss, his reminder of her sated and content night’s sleep, or from sheer mortification for being called out due to her obvious lack of social manners.
Recovering as best she could, Brynn mumbled, “Oh. Yeah. I mean, good morning Jax.” That was all she was going to give him. He was out of his mind if he thought she was going to react to his taunt. Not in public anyway.
He made a low, rumbling chuckle and for a brief second she considered smacking the satisfied grin right off his face. This, right here, was why she didn’t mess around with men.
“I brought some pictures for you to look at,” he told her as he hoisted the backpack for emphasis. “Portfolio stuff. Other renovations and remodels I’ve worked on. Thought we could go over the changes you want to make. Looking at visuals helps when you’re trying to envision possibilities. Do you have the time to sit down for a bit and talk?”
Of course that was the moment she belatedly realized Amy had been standing nearby taking in their odd interaction. Shit, shit, shit. One look at her arched brows and sly smirk let Brynn know her unusually flustered behavior had not gone unnoticed.
Throwing a bit of well-deserved side shade at her assistant, she said, “Sure. I could use a break. Let’s grab a coffee in the tearoom, okay?” Being ever the gentleman, he dipped his head in agreement and held out a hand gesturing her to go ahead of him. With eyes narrowed and her mouth set in a grim line, she sent a final warning glare at Amy and told her to hold down the fort for a while. Might as well get this over with, she thought as she headed for a corner table in the cozy tearoom, imagining Jax eyeing her ass as she walked.
Good God. Watching Brynn’s hips sway as she walked in front of him was truly poetry in motion. The best part though was knowing he’d unsettled her. The result of that disturbance made her tight little ass even tighter. She had a backside that gave away her mood quicker than anything he read in her eyes.
Slinging his backpack across a shoulder, he grabbed the coffee pot from the sideboard along with two mugs and stalked after Brynn to the table she’d picked by the windows. In the natural light shining through the clear glass panes she looked angelic with her fair skin and golden hair. That was no angel who’d opened her legs to him last night though, he remembered with shocking clarity. More like a wicked temptress sent to fuck with his head in a way that had him seeking her out with a need so great it got his heart knocking furiously in his chest.
He had to laugh at how hard she was trying to pretend that she wasn’t falling apart, seeing him again so soon after their intimate encounter. The telltale signs were there—trembling fingers smoothing hair that wasn’t out of place, lowered eyes, chewing on her lip.
He’d wanted to kiss her properly when she finally acknowledged they were on the same planet but settled for a quick peck on the cheek because he knew damn well they’d been the center of attention. Now that he had her alone, more or less, he planned to press any advantage he could think of. Bottom line, after jerking off his thundering hard-on last night, Jax knew without the shadow of a doubt that he wanted Brynn Wilde. Period.
Setting the mugs on the table and letting his backpack slide off his shoulder to the floor, he set the hot coffee pot out of the way and with his body blocking anyone’s view, bent over and calmly put his hungry mouth on her shocked one. He tasted the surprise first and her desire second when she allowed him to swipe his tongue across her lips as she, reluctantly at first but with increasing fervor, kissed him back.
When their lips separated, he looked into her eyes and murmured, “Hi.”
She had to clear her throat to answer, but eventually her husky, “Hi,” sounded like music to his ears. Score one for him. She might want to pretend last night never happened, but he wasn’t having any of that shit.
Jax had the good sense to wonder if he was being an asshole when her nervousness reached inside him and ignited another instant hard-on. She ran her own business and from what he could tell had been single-minded about chasing success. That Brynn Wilde fancied herself to be in total possession of her emotions and completely in control made her tension almost like an aphrodisiac. She might be large and in charge in other areas of her life, but when it came to him, after just a few short hours in his company he knew her inner world was being rocked by how quickly he’d subdued her. Best she know from the get go who held the power. And it wasn’t going to be her. Not unless he said so, of course.
Instead of playing with her, just because he knew he could, he kept her off balance by immediately going into business mode. Pouring them each a steaming mug of the delicious smelling brew, he skidded a chair close to her and dropped into it.
Mmmm, good,” he told her with a smile. “Just the way I like it. Strong. Fresh. Yum.”
He watched her silently after that as she tried to get her bearings, thinking she looked cute in her discomfiture. After she’d shoveled four heaping spoonsful of sweetener into the mug, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Why do you even bother?”
She startled when he spoke and blinked at him. “What? Oh,” she croaked. Making a wry face she added a huge glug of creamer and stirred until the formerly dark beverage turned pale. After a quick sip, she shuddered and deadpanned, “I thought I told you already—I actually hate coffee.”
“Then why the hell do you drink it?” he teased.
“Honestly? Because it takes too long to make a proper cup of tea and since I’m constantly on-the-go, sometimes it’s coffee or nothing.”
“Ah,” he replied with a knowing shake of his head. “The curse of being the boss. All work. Little time to play, hmmm?”
“Something like that,” Brynn drawled. “Mostly though, it’s a bad case of impatienc
e. I don’t do slow down and wait all that well.” She snorted and made a ‘yikes!’ face. “Actually, waiting is my Achilles’ Heel. Drives me batshit.”
Good God. Remembering how he’d brought her to the edge last night but withheld a completion until he was good and ready to let her come, made him stop and think. Hmmmm. Heather would have ignored his desires and come as she pleased, just to be perverse. Without an ounce of regret he vowed never to put his former fiancée and Brynn in the same thought ever again. The two women were polar opposites. Heather had ended up being a right, royal cunt while Brynn was proving to be just the handful he hoped she’d be. In a good way.
Jax reached into his backpack and pulled out the leather bound portfolio he brought containing diagrams and before and after photos from a few of his favorite projects. Flipping through quickly, he located a bathroom makeover that he thought would be perfect for Brynn’s downstairs powder room and pushed it in front of her to view.
“Here’s an idea that would work well for you. Clean lines, not a lot of crap that makes such a limited space look even smaller. You could get rid of that horrendous seventies tile and freshen things up without a lot of fuss. That’s option one,” he told her.
Flipping to another set of photos he continued, “But here’s a second option. I noticed there’s a space behind the powder room that doesn’t really make much sense. What do you use it for?”
“Oh, you mean the old sewing room. It was considered something of a luxury when the house was built. Bigger than a closet but not large enough for much else. Mostly I use it as a catch-all. Stuff I don’t know what to do with goes in there first before eventually ending up in storage closets out in the old garage.”
“So what you’re saying is the space has no real purpose?”
Glancing at the portfolio she ‘hmmm’d’ a moment then fixed him with a surprised gaze. “Never really thought about it, but I guess you’re right. It’s dead space mostly.”
“That’s what I thought,” he noted with a smile. “You could break through the common wall and make two small spaces into one that was larger and had more practical use. Look,” he told her, flipping a few more pages. “With not a lot of trouble, I could give you an updated half bath, even put in a corner shower stall and add ceiling to floor storage with pocket doors like the ones in the rest of the house. Would be plenty of room to store linens and towels and probably a whole lot more. The entire house doesn’t have a lot of useable storage as it is.”
“Ooooh, I love that idea,” she gushed. “Closets are at a premium, y’know?”
Jax laughed and edged closer to her. “It’s the en suite you want upstairs though where things could really get interesting.”
Her eyes shone with delight, and she whispered, “Don’t tease!”
“No, I’m serious,” he snorted. “Bang out the wall, put in a claw foot tub and a big tile shower. Double sinks. The whole deal. Now I only eyeballed the measurements, but I’m pretty damn sure I can give you a dressing room and a walk-in closet. Every girl’s dream, right?”
Brynn relaxed back in her seat and looked at him. “Jax. These photos are amazing. You do beautiful work. Does this mean you’re willing to take me on? I mean, do the remodeling at the house,” she added quickly.
“It’s your lucky day, Ms. Wilde. As it happens, I’ve nothing on my calendar till after the first of the year. If you want to start right away, I can knock this whole project out in four to six weeks. It’d be done in plenty of time for the holidays.”
He watched her mind go to work and marveled at how easy it was for him to read her thoughts. The two simple updates he’d suggested would enhance the living spaces in the house. Unless she wanted to go crazy and start moving walls, after that it was just a few minor things here and there for the sake of functionality. New windows, maybe a bit of updating in the kitchen, and voilà—complete makeover.
“I love it,” she announced with a broad smile that reached all the way to her eyes. “Especially the claw foot tub. Something big and deep would be awesome.” She gave him a cheeky lopsided grin and admitted, “I’m a complete pushover for a proper bath. Loads of bubbles, mmmm.”
“Really?” he asked. “I know someone who does custom tubs and can probably get you one big enough for two people. If you want to go all out, we can even hang a chandelier overhead.”
“Oh my God,” she cooed. Patting her chest she giggled. “Be still by beating heart!”
Warmth crept along Jax’s nerve-endings. When she lightened up, Brynn was impossible to resist. Visions of her, very naked and very wet, lounging in the romantic tub under a beautiful chandelier with delicate crystals dangling overhead, surrounded by mounds of fragrant bubbles went straight to his groin.
Practicalities had her switching gears in a hurry. “You could stay at the house while the project is going on. The studio apartment in the garage would be perfect. Charlie did a great job of making the space comfortable and useable. ” She thought for a moment then said, “Hey, want to go look at it after work?”
A possessive red mist clouded his vision. Charlie? Who the fuck was Charlie? It hadn’t occurred to him that there might be a man in her life. The thought did not sit well with him. Not at all.
“Who the fuck is this Charlie,” he growled.
Brynn flinched at his angry tone. Her eyes widened, and he watched her swallow hard. He didn’t share. Ever. And after last night, there wasn’t any question that he intended to make Brynn Wilde completely his. As soon as possible.
“Oh, um,” she stammered. “She’s my little sister. Real name’s Charlize but we’ve always called her Charlie.” She sounded startled. By his reaction, no doubt, and maybe just a little by how she interpreted his heated response.
“You have a sister named Charlie?” he bellowed.
“Yesssss,” she croaked.
The atmosphere had changed in a heartbeat when his possessive jealousy sprang to life. Fuck it, he thought. He was too old to play games and beat around the bush.
“Tell me the truth Brynn,” he snarled. “Is there a man in your life?”
He didn’t like the way all the color leeched from her face. If she answered ‘yes’, he was going to go ballistic.
“Shit, Jax. Do you mean besides…….you?”
“What?” he barked.
“Oh. My. Fucking. GOD!” she sputtered in his face. “Do you actually imagine what happened last night … I mean, c’mon! If I was involved with someone else…oh my God! You dick! That’s what you thought, isn’t it?”
He recognized the shitstorm he’d unleashed with his jealous reaction and knew he’d better calm her down. Not that he blamed her, though, for the fury he saw blazing in her eyes.
She stood up and glared down at him. Her body language suggested he was about to have his ass handed to him.
“This—” she railed with fury dripping from her voice. “This is why I don’t get involved. You fucking dick.”
“Yeah, I got that part, Brynn. Let me explain…”
“Oh, fuck no you will not. For the record, Mr. Merrill…”
He grimaced at her furious use of his formal name. Yeah. This wasn’t good.
“I am not a bong to be passed around at a frat party. It doesn’t say much about what you think of me that you thought for even a second that…”
She threw up her hands in disgust and stomped away from him without another word. Watching her clenched ass and ramrod straight back move swiftly from the tearoom, he sat there and shook his head at his own fucking stupidity. After giving herself to him so completely, he couldn’t have done or said anything more vile or stupid than what had just left his mouth. Jesus.
BRYNN WAS ON FIRE FOR the rest of the day. Swinging between anger that he so quickly assumed she could behave like such a slut and dismay because she was coming around to really liking Jax Merrill, it was all she could do to get through her daily list without screaming.
Amy had seen her angry retreat from the tearoom and had wisel
y kept her distance, until three o’clock rolled around and it was time for her to take off for the day. The sweet-face college student Brynn had recently hired to work part-time in the afternoons was more than capable of handling the counter and the tearoom so when Amy braved a face-to-face, it was simply to say good-bye for the day and to let her boss know everything was fine outside the kitchen.
“Thanks Amy,” Brynn mumbled while she furiously scribbled on the list she was making for tomorrow. “Have a nice night.”
Her assistant sighed deeply and cocked an eyebrow at her. “Boss,” she began. “You are a piece of work.”
“Excuse me?” Brynn sniped. She was in no mood for any of Amy’s commentary. Being of the same age, give or take a year or two, meant they had similar perspectives on life although the fact that the other woman was happily married gave her an unfair advantage.
“Only you could alienate the first decent looking man under the age of fifty who’s showed an interest in you in, oh, I don’t know how long. Like years, maybe? What the hell is wrong with you?”
Snarling and frowning like it was in her job description, Brynn answered tartly. “Don’t even go there. Seriously.”
Amy snorted and groaned. “Pffft. Honest to God Brynn. What the hell?”
Oh my God. Could this day get any worse? Throwing her body against the back of her desk chair, Brynn crossed her arms over her chest and glared for all she was worth. “I don’t want to discuss Mr. Merrill with you. Conversation over.”
“Yeah,” Amy quipped with sarcasm. “Nice try but that’s not going to happen. You two all but set off wildfires just from the way you look at each other. Now, I don’t know what happened earlier but your dramatic retreat and the way he looked like you’d just removed his balls strikes me as a bit over the top for a casual business relationship. I’m not stupid Brynn. Something happened between you two or you wouldn’t have exploded that way.”
Wilde Forever (Wilde Women Book 1) Page 9