by Abby Brooks
Ian hoisted several long pieces of wood onto a shoulder and grunted under their weight. “Four a.m., huh?”
“Yep. That's how we get up early in the city. Not this silly, after the sun’s already up stuff.”
“And how do you think you’ll feel come lunchtime?” Ian led the way around to the back of the house and Juliet followed. “You think you’ll still be rip-roaring, ready to go? Ready to work like a man, with a man?” He dropped the wood near the deck and it clattered onto the ground while Ian flexed and contorted his body like a bodybuilder, even going so far as to growl.
Juliet placed the toolbox down on the ground and shook her head, trying to look disapproving while her heart jumped up and down gleefully, inviting the butterflies in her stomach to join in. This man, this wonderful man. Everything felt okay when she was with him. Better than okay. Easy. Right. Natural. She swallowed and squashed those thoughts. You’re just his latest project, remember? Another puppy who needed saving. Enjoy him, but don’t get too attached. “Is everything a competition with you?” she asked, pushing all those thoughts away because they made her feel sad. And she was so tired of feeling sad.
“Why do you ask? You afraid of losing?”
Juliet laughed. “I don't think I even know how to lose. Not sure that's happened to me very frequently.”
“New town, new home, new guy, new rules.” Ian turned and faced the water, watched the morning sun glisten and gleam like diamonds scattered across the surface. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath in through his nose.
Juliet wasn't sure what to make of that last comment. New guy? Did that mean he considered himself a replacement for her old guy? That was a little presumptuous of him, considering she wasn't even in the market for a new guy.
Oh, come on now, she told herself, you spent the whole night fantasizing about his body, going on and on and on about his kindness, even gossiped with Ellie Charles about his past and then touched yourself in the shower, thinking about him. I think you can cut the guy a little slack if he's busy doing something similar with you. Besides, thinking about him thinking about her the way she’d been thinking of him felt damn good.
Turned out Ian intended to tear apart the old porch and replace a lot of the rotting wood with new wood. Juliet had anticipated hard work, but this was grueling. And while Ian did the majority of the hardest work himself, Juliet was definitely sweaty and tired by the time afternoon rolled around. They only took a short break for lunch, and there wasn’t much conversation at that point. They were both too busy just trying to get food into their mouths so they could get back to work, that talking was pointless.
After lunch, Ian took off his shirt and it proved to be just as magnificent as Juliet had hoped. She’d had her hands on him twice now, once the first night they’d met when she’d tried to brush sand from his chest. And then again yesterday when she’d reached up to hug him after he told her about the house. She had known he was going to be impressive without his shirt on, but that still didn't prepare her for the truth of Ian Moore in the flesh. It took every ounce of her considerable willpower not to just stand and gawk for minutes on end. He was so. damn. beautiful. His abs rippled as he bent and shifted, that delicious little v near his waistband making her wonder what he had hiding in his pants. His biceps flexed as he lifted and hoisted, as he wielded his hammer and saw.
By the time Ian called it quits, Juliet hurt in places she didn't know she could hurt. Even her eyes stung from the sweat that kept dripping past her eyebrows. She had slammed her fingers with hammers. She had chipped and pulled her fingernails, grabbing at nails in the wood. Her hair plastered itself to her face with sweat and what little makeup she had put on that morning had to be smeared all across her face.
Juliet was a little disappointed with herself. She’d wanted to impress him with her ability to adjust and learn quickly. She’d wanted to be invaluable help. Right there. Ready to take on any task Ian gave her. That hadn't been the case. She’d had to ask what the names of tools meant, she hadn't been able to lift some of the larger pieces of wood by herself, and she had no ability to use a power tool in the least. All in all, she was feeling pretty worthless right about now.
Ian leaned on the deck railing and stared out towards the sea. “I'll be honest with you,” he said, handing Juliet a bottle of water he’d brought out earlier. “I didn't expect you to be much help at all. I'd say you just taught me a lot about what to expect out of a New Yorker.” Ian swiped a hand across his brow and then rubbed that hand over the back of his pants.
I bet that butt feels as magnificent as it looks.
“You’re sweet to try and make me feel good,” she said, trying to ignore the indecent thoughts parading through her head. “But go right ahead and call it like it was. That was hard and I wasn't any good at it. I was in the way more than anything.”
“You're something else, you know that? When I got here today, did you know anything about what we were doing? Did you know the names of any of those tools? Did you even know how to properly swing a hammer?”
Juliet hung her head and swiped a bit of damp hair out of her eyes. “No. Not really.”
“But you do now don't you?”
“Kind of. I mean I could show you which screwdriver goes to which screw, and I could tell you what that circular saw over there does, and I now know that just because you make all that wood look light and easy to carry, it doesn't mean it is light and easy to carry.”
“There's a joke in there, but I'm gonna let it slide. Be a gentleman and all that.”
“And what if I’m not interested in a gentleman?” Juliet had no idea she was going to say that until it was out of her mouth and now, there it was, hanging in the air between them like a window into her dirty little inner self.
Ian stared at her, his mouth hanging open, hunger burning in his eyes. Juliet’s whole world shrunk down into this one moment, the space between her breaths. Her chest heaved, and her heart thundered away as if it wanted Ian’s attention all to itself. He licked his lips and dropped his gaze to her mouth. Silence hung between them, punctuated by the crash of the waves on the beach until finally, Lulu started barking at them from behind the back door.
“Oh no!” Juliet wrenched her eyes off Ian’s bare chest and swallowed. “She’s been locked inside all day. I hope she hasn’t had an accident.” She bit her lip and made an apologetic face at Ian before she scrambled up the steps to let the dog out. As soon as she was out from under the weight of his gaze, she could take a full breath again.
What had she been thinking, saying that to him? On one hand it was true, she liked things rough, but if her experience with Michael taught her anything, she most definitely wanted a gentlemen over a possessive ego-maniac. Oh man, she could just imagine all the things Ian must be thinking about her right now.
Lulu bolted past her feet as soon as she got the door open and Juliet was just going to head straight into the house, making an excuse about checking for accidents. But Ian grabbed her arm, his grip forceful but not hurtful, stopping her in her tracks and pulling her back outside. He spun her around to face him and put his other hand on the side of her face, sliding his fingers up into the loose tendrils of hair that had escaped from her ponytail. And then he pressed his lips to hers, his mouth claiming hers for his own. His stubble scraping the soft skin around her mouth. Juliet welcomed the kiss, parting her lips and Ian’s tongue slid inside. Her entire body felt hot and alive with desire and she slid her hands up into his hair. He groaned into her mouth and let go of her arm, letting his hands slide down to cup her ass, pressing her hips forward into him, so she could feel how hard he was through his jeans. Juliet’s panties got damp, feeling the evidence of his arousal like that.
He smelled like sweat and cologne and felt so strong and hard, his body pressed against her curves. Juliet wanted more. She wanted him to grab her breasts. Tangle his fingers in her hair. She wanted her hands on his dick, to stroke his hard length and feel him grow harder still.
/> Ian grabbed her ponytail and wrapped her long hair around his hand, yanked down on it so that her head tilted back. She gasped through her open mouth and he trailed kisses down her jawline to her neck and then to the soft spot at her throat. “Like that?” he muttered against her skin and pressed his hips into her, using his hands to press her body into his.
“Yes,” she whispered to the sky, “like that.”
From what sounded like a million miles away, Lulu started barking. And barking. And barking some more. Juliet slowly came to the realization that the dog had left the back yard and had found her way out to the beach. She pulled out of Ian’s arms and saw the terrier running back and forth, telling the ocean exactly what she thought about it. “Damnit,” she murmured, stepping out of Ian’s arms. He turned and saw what had stolen her attention and shook his head.
“Fucking Lulu.”
Chapter Twelve
As Juliet ran after the dog, Ian got himself all put back to rights. Adjusted his pants to make room for his raging hard on, took a deep breath, and ran his hands through his hair. It hadn’t been easy working next to Juliet all day. Well, not that it’d been particularly hard, either. But he couldn’t help but stare at her, nor could he help but notice that she kept staring at him. When she made that comment about not wanting a gentlemen, his dick had twitched to life and practically ordered him to bend her over the rail and fuck her until she begged for mercy. It was only the memory of those pictures—the look in her eyes, the bruises on her arms—that kept him from actually doing it. Well, that, plus the fact that he wasn’t at all interested in taking her against her will.
That kiss though? That’d told him that she was very willing, that not only did she want him as much as he wanted her, but she might be exactly the kind of woman he was looking for. Someone who liked it a little rough, someone who wanted a man to take charge and tell her how it was going to be.
But it went deeper than that. She might be more than simply compatible in bed. She might be the kind of woman he was looking for in all ways. Strong enough to take care of herself, but willing to let down her guard and let him take care of her, too. Eager to help, ready to anticipate his needs and act on them. To give him everything, every last part of her without holding anything back.
And it was because of that sneaking little suspicion that he wasn’t going to ruin anything by trying to go too fast. He actually wanted to get to know her. To understand her likes and dislikes, to understand what had her looking so afraid in those pictures. He wanted her to let him in, let him protect her from the whole wide world.
Get a hold of yourself, now. You’ve not known this girl long enough to know if she’s worth any of that stuff.
But no matter how many times his head told him such things, something in him kept insisting that she was worth at least finding out. And as he watched her stride back towards him with that silly little yapper in her arms, he couldn’t help but smile.
“Whatdaya know,” he whispered to himself, “Ian Moore may have finally met his match.”
Chapter Thirteen
Ian was right. Fucking Lulu. With one last look back at Ian—holy shit he’s so sexy!—Juliet took off towards the water to rescue her dog. She couldn’t believe Ian had just kissed her! And, just the way she liked it, too. All hot and needy, claiming her as his. No asking for permission or tentative bits of eye contact to make sure she was on the same page he was. He just grabbed her and kissed her and, holy shit, it was so good.
Lulu was wet from running after the water as it receded from the beach and then getting hit as the next wave rolled in. “I guess that makes two of us,” she whispered to the dog before making her way back to where Ian sat on the porch. What would he say? Would he regret the kiss? Would he cheapen it by trying to apologize?
For that matter, what would she say? She was just getting out of a crazy ass relationship, not one built on love, God no. It was born of lust and then held together with dominance and submission and one hell of a lot of rope. But Ian wasn’t the kind of guy she wanted to rebound with. He was too … what? Too everything she ever wanted…? Or did she just feel that way because she’d gotten all wrapped up in the romance of her new life, her new freedom, here in Bliss?
Ian was leaning on the porch railing when she got back to the house. “I think you should invest in a lead for her. Seems like one of us is always trekking out to the beach and coming back all covered in sand.”
Ahh. So they weren’t going to talk about the kiss at all. Juliet painted a smile on her face. “Probably a good idea.” She looked around for something to clean Lulu up with. “I guess I need to run inside and get the sand out of her fur. My landlord would kill me if I let her track the beach into the house.”
“Here,” he said, tossing her his shirt. “Use this.” Juliet started to protest. “Remember, I don’t like being told no.” There was that devilish little grin again.
Juliet used the bottom edge of the hem to dry Lulu’s shirt, doing her best not to get wet dog all over the thing. The kiss hung in the air between them and Juliet couldn’t find her voice through the tension. She couldn’t even bring herself to meet his eyes because every time she did, lust flared hot and bright in her belly, her lower muscles clenching deliciously. How could she have a decent conversation with him when all she wanted was his mouth all over her body?
After Lulu was sufficiently dry, Juliet let her back in the house and found herself utterly unable to turn around. She about jumped out of her skin when Ian put his hand on her arm, gently this time.
“Look at me, Juliet.”
Still frozen, she turned her head over her shoulder, trying to do as he said even though her body was fighting against her.
“All the way.” He put his hands on her shoulders and spun her around and Juliet was ashamed to find she couldn’t meet his eyes. “I said all the way.” Ian put a finger to her chin and lifted her face to his. “Never be afraid to make eye contact with me.”
Juliet swallowed. “I’m sorry…” she began, but trailed off, unsure why she was apologizing. He was the one who kissed her.
“Don’t be,” said Ian. “I’m not.” His gaze traveled over her mouth again.
“Promise?” she breathed.
Ian nodded and ran his thumb over her bottom lip. “Promise. And,” he said, putting some distance between them, “I’m gonna want to do it again.” Juliet practically melted with relief. Felt her lips part and her body ache. “But, not now.”
Juliet pouted. ‘Why not?” she asked.
“Greedy girl,” said Ian, and a flush flared across Juliet’s cheeks. “I like it. I want you to want me more than anything. More and more and more of me. All I have to give. But,” he said, holding up a finger. “I’m dirty and smelly and I want to take you on a proper date first.”
But I like the way you smell. She considered saying it, but didn’t. Instead, she just nodded, suddenly completely aware of how stinky she must be herself.
“So here’s the plan,” said Ian, seemingly not bothered by Juliet’s silence. “You go inside and get cleaned up. Put on a pretty dress. Do your hair, fix your nails, whatever it is you do to get ready, and I’ll go home and do the same.”
“You’re gonna go home and do your nails?” Juliet smiled wickedly at Ian, pleased she’d finally overcome whatever terrible bout of shyness had stolen her voice.
“Hey, you do you, I’ll do me, okay?” Ian waggled a finger at Juliet and tried to look stern. “Anyway, as I was saying, I’ll go home and get cleaned up—and I think we can both agree that I’m allowed to do it in any way I deem fit, right?” He waited for her to nod through her giggles and continued. “I’ll be back here to pick you up at seven.”
And with that, he gathered up his toolbox and loaded it into the back of the truck, hopped up into the driver’s seat and drove away, leaving Juliet staring after him in the driveway.
“What. The fuck. Was that?” she asked, shaking her head and running her hand through her ponytail as she w
andered back into the house.
She was showered and completely ready with still forty-five minutes to spare and couldn’t keep still. What the hell was she doing? She’d just left Michael two days ago. And now she’s already making out with hot men on her back porch? Spending hours getting ready for a date? This couldn’t be healthy. Couldn’t be normal.
And yet, she felt so damn happy. Better than she’d felt in longer than she could ever remember. She had hummed while she did her make-up, sung while she did her hair, danced naked in front of her closet while deciding what to put on. She had lingered longer than she liked to admit over her underwear choices, because, again, should she really be wondering if Ian would prefer white or black lace at this point?
In the end, she’d settled on black because it made her feel the sexiest. And a short little red dress that flared at the waist because it was the only other dress she had with her. Needing a reason to stop pacing, Julz took Ian’s advice and sat down to do her nails. She only had her manicure kit and some clear polish with her, but that would have to do. On a whim, she pulled out her phone and texted Willow her *67 code.
When her phone rang, she didn’t recognize the number, but assumed that Willow had borrowed a phone from someone again.
“Hello?” she asked cautiously, capturing the phone between her ear and her shoulder.
“Julz! Heeey!” Willow singsonged. “I got me a prepaid phone so we don’t have to go all cloak and dagger all the time. So, you get to where you were going?”
“Yep. And I’m way more setup than I thought I’d be.”
“Sounds about right. You’re Juliet the Impenetrable. Julz the Phoenix. The cat who always lands on her feet.”
“You make me sound like a superhero.”