Love Required (The Real Love Series)

by Codina, Melanie

  Once Lexi was hoisted into Darlene’s arms, Tori realized that coming into the office might have been a bad idea. Jason may have suggested it, but he neglected to take into account that when there was a baby in your arms, everyone wanted a piece of the baby love.

  Smiling to herself, she watched Lexi stare at the older woman with a strange expression on her face. She didn’t want to be rude but she needed to get out of there. Didn’t Darlene understand there was a man who was the pure definition of masculinity waiting outside for them? After a few moments, and figuring it was as good an excuse as any, she said, “Well, we better get going. I have a ride waiting for us to take me to get my flat fixed.”

  Reaching for the baby, Darlene reluctantly handed her over with the standard look of disappointment people had when their “baby time” was done. Tori smiled in understanding as she pulled Lexi against her chest. Leaning forward, she kissed her daughter on the head before readjusting her on to her hip. Darlene waggled her fingers at Lexi in an exaggerated fashion as she said good-bye in her baby-talk voice before looking back up to Tori and asking, “Didn’t you work the wedding reception last night?”

  Tori nodded as she shifted the baby to her other hip and re-shouldered her purse, making a mental note that she needed to grab the diaper bag from the car before they left. She nodded, “Was there a problem or a complaint about last night?”

  “Oh no, not at all,” Darlene reassured her. “I was just going to ask you if all the men there looked as good as the one who was just in here. Quite a looker, if you know what I mean.”

  Tori couldn’t help but laugh a little. Darlene might have been in her late sixties, but she clearly had great taste in men. “Yes, there were quite a few good looking men there last night.” She didn’t want to come off as inappropriate with her response, but she wasn’t the one who brought up handsome men. Dropping her voice to a whisper, she leaned forward like she had a secret. Darlene was instantly intrigued and mirrored Tori’s posture. “But the one who just left was the best looking one for sure. And as it turns out, he’s more than just good looks; he’s the one taking me to get my tire fixed.”

  Darlene’s eyebrows shot up as she stood straight. For a second Tori thought that maybe she had crossed a line, but then Darlene smiled big. A second later, she was around the desk and looking out the window by the door. Tori knew when Jason must have come into view because Darlene sighed. She actually sighed. Turning back to Tori, she said, “Mmm, mmm, mmm … if I was thirty years younger.”

  Dropping back down in the seat behind her desk, she fanned herself. “I sure hope you shaved your legs today, young lady.”

  Now who was saying inappropriate things? “Darlene! I can’t believe you just said that.”

  “What? It’s true. You wouldn’t want to make a terrible first impression by rubbing sandpaper legs up against him when you’re wrapped around him. Things might end before they even get started.”

  “Oh my God, I take it back. I can’t believe you said that!” Tori exclaimed in shock as she tried not to blush at the image of her beneath that big body of his as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

  The older woman shrugged. “I may be old, but I’m not dead, sweetie. I know how these things work.”

  Shaking her head and moving toward the door, Tori said, “It doesn’t matter if I shaved my legs today because they won’t be wrapped around or rubbing up against anyone later. He’s just being a gentleman and helping me with my tire.”

  When she turned to open the door, Darlene said, “Honey, a gentleman calls a tow truck. A man who’s interested finds a reason to be in your presence longer.” Looking back over her shoulder at Darlene, she realized she didn’t have a response. He could’ve just called a tow truck, but instead he was personally making sure her tire was fixed. Suddenly she was very happy that she did, in fact, shave her legs that morning.

  Stepping out into the late morning sun, Tori pulled her sunglasses from the top of her head to shield her eyes. It was a bright, clear blue sky and a lovely day to be outside. Too bad she had a car to take care of instead … her thoughts trailed off when she caught sight of Jason. He was talking on the phone while leaning against his car, in his tight t-shirt with jeans, slung low on his waist. A waist that she had imagined squeezing between her legs a few moments ago. Apparently she had no control over her recently revived libido any longer.

  He had pulled the shiny black car up to the curb, and it gave her a little thrill to know that he did that for her. He was certainly polite. Then she recalled Darlene’s comment from a few moments ago and wondered if he was acting as a gentleman or was an interested man finding a reason to be in her company. Her rational mind warred with her heart. Her girlie parts kicked both her mind’s and heart’s asses when it declared that the second option was the only one, and a small tremor worked its way from between her legs and vibrated outward.

  Pausing for a moment, she squeezed her legs together to help dispel the sensation. She was unsuccessful. She moved toward him as he ended his call and gave her a breath-taking grin. She’d heard of such smiles existing, but had yet to find one in person. But she had a feeling that Jason would be able to elicit a whole mess of sensations that she was unfamiliar with. Stop it, she scolded herself before she could catalog all the possibilities.

  Jason opened the back door, and one of his nephews hopped out before he reached in and lifted Lexi’s seat out. His basic familiarity with moving the car seat around reminded her of the baby she had seen him with last night. Clearly this man had experience being around children.

  “Here you go,” he said as he held the seat up in a position where she could belt Lexi in.

  “Thanks,” Tori said as she shifted Lexi into the seat and began to buckle her in. “You could’ve put the seat on the ground. I hate making you do more than necessary.”

  Lexi was staring up at the hulk of a man holding her car seat. She didn’t appear bothered in the least. It was obvious that his attractiveness was acknowledged by all ages. Taking ahold of her daughter’s hand, she lifted it to her mouth and kissed it, but Lexi was still looking at Jason.

  “Of course I could have, but then you’d have had to get down on the ground to load her in. This way is easier for you,” he said and then looked down at Lexi. When her daughter and Jason made eye contact, Tori watched as a big, mostly toothless, drool-dripping smile spread across her face. When Tori followed Lexi’s gaze, she saw Jason had puffed out his cheeks and crossed his eyes to make a funny face. Then he let out a big breath and made a raspberry sound which had Lexi giggling immediately.

  Hiding behind her sunglasses, Tori watched as Jason made silly faces and noises to entertain Lexi. A deep sense of longing began to swell in her chest as she let Jason move the car seat into the car, where he efficiently snapped it into the base. He definitely knew his way around baby equipment.

  When Jason motioned for his nephew to get back in the car, he closed the back door before opening the front door for her. Smiling again, she stepped up to get in and said, “You sure are good at that.”

  “It’s really not that hard to make a baby laugh.”

  “No. I mean, you’re right it’s not. But I was talking about how you know your way around a car seat.” She stumbled through her words as she dropped into the passenger seat. Looking back up at him, he gave her a half smile and one-shouldered shrug.

  “I have eight nieces and nephews of varying ages. Not to mention a brother who insisted I knew how to load an infant seat before he allowed his daughter to ride in my car.”

  So no children of his own, she thought as he closed her door and walked around the front of the vehicle, allowing her to view his confident stride. She marveled at how he moved so smoothly for being such a tall, broad man. He moved with agility and purpose. Turning her head toward the driver’s door, she was graced with a front seat view of his tight backend as he folded himself into his seat. Tori had never been much for men’s butts, but now she saw what all the fuss was abou
t.

  Her cheeks warmed below her sunglasses, and she found herself once again needing to redirect her thoughts. This was Darlene’s fault for bringing up the differences between a gentleman and a man who was seeking a way to spend time a woman.

  To take her mind off Jason’s tight ass, she asked, “Only nieces and nephews? No kids of your own?”

  He started the car before giving her a sideways glance. Maybe it was more of a cocky smirk, as he said, “Only nieces and nephews so far. Haven’t found the woman meant to have my children yet.”

  He winked at her, turned his attention to driving, and pulled the car away from the curb. He didn’t even notice the fire he just lit in the seat next to him.

  CHAPTER SIX

  JASON parked the car opposite the large open garage doors of the tire shop, glad he’d called his buddy ahead of time to make sure he was working. Looking toward Tori, he said, “I’ll just bring the tire in and see how long it’ll be.”

  “Oh. Is it something that takes a long time to do?” Tori asked. “I really hate keeping you from whatever your plans were for today.”

  “No worries, Tori. I rather like how the day has turned out.” Opening his door, he stood to see his friend, Garrett, stroll from the garage. Moving to the trunk, he popped it and hoisted the flat tire out and to the ground. When Garrett reached him, he looked up and said, “Good to see you, man.”

  Jason grabbed his friend’s outstretched hand before giving a one-armed guy hug. “Yeah, you too. Thanks for taking my call earlier. You got these in stock?”

  “Yeah, you said you needed two. Where’s the other rim?” Garrett asked.

  “It’s still on the car, so I’ll bring that one back later,” Jason told him. “This is the spare, and it was flat, too.”

  “Okay, but since when do you drive late model imports that sport these kind of wheels?”

  Before Jason could answer, Tori stepped out of the car. It didn’t take Garrett but a few seconds to figure out why Jason was bringing him a wheel that belonged to a car he would never drive.

  Garrett nodded to Tori. “Morning. We’ll get this tire patched up for you as quickly as possible, ma’am.”

  Tori smiled and made her way toward them. Jason caught the not-so-subtle perusal his friend made of Tori when she came into view. “Great, thanks so much. Do I take care of paying now or when you’re done?”

  “When we finish is fine.”

  “How long do you think it’ll take?” she asked.

  Garrett made eye contact with him, giving him a considering look before turning back to Tori. For whatever reason, Jason wasn’t too pleased with his friend’s wandering eyes. He was proud of his ability to resist throwing something at Garrett’s head. Although that probably had more to do with the fact that he had nothing to throw, but he’d gladly accept credit for his restraint.

  “Not too long. About an hour or two. It should be enough time for you all to grab a bite to eat.” Garrett then looked back at him, flashing a cocky smile—like he thought Jason now owed him one. “I can just text Jason when we’re all done.”

  Yep. He was going to owe him one all right. Jason held back his urge to smirk. An hour or two of time where Tori couldn’t escape him was just fine. Something told him this woman was strong-willed and didn’t usually make herself completely dependent on another person. Especially a man. A momentary flash of guilt for feeling like he manipulated the situation in his favor came and went. He wasn’t doing anything harmful, and if she wanted to go, she could. He would just make sure he was accommodating enough so she wouldn’t want to.

  When Tori looked at him, he gave her his best can’t-say-no-to-this-face kind of smile and said, “Are you hungry? ‘Cause I know a place not too far from here that has great burgers.”

  There was a pause as she once again considered what he was saying. Jason only hoped she was contemplating saying yes to food and not how to grab her daughter and make a quick break for it. After a few seconds she said, “Are you sure this isn’t completely ruining your plans for the day?”

  “Are you kidding?” Jason said, making his way toward her. As he opened the passenger door and gestured for her to get in, he continued, “My day is turning out better than expected.”

  TORI dropped into the front seat, shaking her head and smiling as Jason closed the door. She had seen the look that passed between the two men. That knowing look telling her she had been set up, or at least she played right along with whatever plans were orchestrated. The funny thing was she kinda liked that she did. It made her think Jason had an interest in her beyond the whole ‘helping a lady in distress’ thing. Looking in the rearview mirror, she could see Jason talking with his friend before they shook hands, and he made his way to the driver’s seat.

  When he went to get in, Tori made sure to pay attention. She watched as he bent and tucked his large frame through the open door and dropped into his seat. Her gaze followed the motion of his thick arms as he easily turned the key and started the engine. Why hadn’t anyone told her starting a car was so sexy to watch? When she brought her gaze back up to his face, they locked eyes.

  He graced her with one of the sexiest, most confident smiles she had ever seen, and all the girlie parts of her body perked up and paid attention. He seemed to be very pleased with himself. She huffed a little laugh and decided that she was also pleased with the way her day was turning out. That dangerous feeling of hope began to form, and she relished in the sensation of it.

  Answering his smile with what she hoped was a sexy one of her own, she said, “Burgers, huh? What if I was a vegetarian?”

  She smiled bigger and laughed a little at how his eyes widened and a slight look of panic crossed his face. “Uh, I’m sorry. Are you? Because I’m pretty sure they have salads, too. I know I’ve seen Allie and Gillian eating something green.” He pulled out his phone and started scrolling through as he continued to back pedal. “Madison, too. She only eats salads, and she eats there. Let me call and see if they do.”

  She let out a full laugh this time and placed her hand on his arm. “Sorry, I couldn’t help but tease you. You’ll see I’m a bit of a smartass. And don’t worry, Jason, I totally eat meat. Find me a great burger, and we’ll be friends forever.”

  Jason paused his rapid search on his phone and moved his gaze to her hand on his arm. For a split second she thought maybe she had overstepped her bounds with an unwanted touch. But when he lifted his eyes to hers, unleashing that mesmerizing smile on her again, she knew there had been no overstepping. In fact, the look was so inviting she considered climbing across the center console of his car, straddling his lap, tunneling her hands in his hair, and finding out what that sexy beard would feel like against her skin.

  His words momentarily brought her out of her fantasy. “Just when I didn’t think you could get more attractive, I find out you’re a teasing smartass. This day just keeps getting better and better.”

  The visual in her head shifted and now had him pulling her across the center console, tunneling his hands into her hair, and feasting on her lips. It was a stunningly erotic image that she could almost feel as if it were happening. Her heart rate picked up, and she took a slow, somewhat steady breath as he watched her reaction. When his hand slipped over hers, which was still resting on his arm for no apparent reason, she shivered. A warm tingling sensation slowly spread through her hand, which he now had trapped against his skin. The desire to move was strong. Not move it away, but move it around and absorb more of his touch.

  Tori let a few beats pass, enjoying the sensation of touching a man after so long. Taking in a measured breath, she gave Jason a sultry smile. “It looks like I’m not the only one around here who likes to tease.”

  She winked and then slowly slid her hand out from beneath his, placing it in her lap.

  JASON had never been a love-at-first-sight kind of guy, and he still didn’t think he was. Lust-at-first-sight was something he could certainly understand. But whatever was going on with Tori was o
ff-the-charts intoxicating. The pull he felt to touch her bordered on inappropriate, because he’d always made sure to act respectful around women, with the exception of a few years in his early twenties where youth and stupidity dominated his environment. But what was running through his head now was anything but respectable.

  Knowing he needed to focus on driving instead of openly lusting at the woman sitting beside him, he put the car in gear and pulled out of the parking lot. It was a short drive to Brody’s Burgers, so it didn’t take long to get there. Jason couldn’t help but take notice of how comfortable he felt having her in his car. When they pulled into a parking space, she was engaged in a conversation with the boys, instigated by Dylan, about which superhero was coolest.

  He was intent on opening her door for her, but settled for helping lift the baby out of the backseat once he saw she was already getting out on her side. He couldn’t help but smile when he saw the look of surprise on her face at him helping with the baby seat. “I’ll carry the seat if you get the diaper bag. While I have no problem sporting the whole brown and pink polka-dot print, it does nothing for my complexion.”

  Tori laughed as she slung the bag over her shoulder. “You’re probably right. I’d have you pegged as more of blues and greens kind of guy.”

  “Blues and greens are good, but I’m told that blacks and grays really bring out my eyes.” He finished with a wink before turning toward the door. Holding it open, he watched as she motioned for Dylan and Ryan to head in before her, and he followed. Glancing down, he couldn’t help but smile at the beautiful baby girl he was carrying. When she saw him look at her, a big smile appeared, and her little body began to squirm as she reached up for him.

  Yep, he was a goner for baby girls, he thought as he lifted her seat up higher in his arms. Looking toward the bar, he held up his hand to show how many were in their group. The young man motioned toward a table in the corner and they migrated that way.