Chapter Five
A flat tire and a leaky spare. Two calls to come in to work.
And two kisses—from the sexiest man alive.
She gripped the steering wheel of his truck and chewed her lower lip. She was not going to admit to herself that she wanted to turn around, go back and kiss him again. And again.
Between the feel of his lips on hers resonating through her body and nerves about what he must think of her after being in the wreck of her apartment, she was a mess.
By the time she got into the salon, she was jittery and had gnawed off two nails. She rushed through the door and noted the waiting area was overflowing with people. “Who’s up next?” she shot out to the receptionist.
“Ed.”
She waved to Ed, who she’d seen in the shop before. “Follow me.” She slapped a smile on her face and for the next twenty minutes chatted with the man and then sent him out the door, a nice tip in her pocket.
For the next three hours solid, she worked fast and furious until she looked up at a young blonde girl who was last.
Melissa her manager approached Tuesday. “Thank you for coming in. You really helped a lot.”
“No problem. I wish I could have come sooner, but I had some life complications.”
“Well, it seems Arianna was impressed with you.” She waved at the blonde. “She loved that new cut you gave to Amber Andrews and wants you to do her hair for the pageant on Saturday.”
Tuesday blinked. “That’s the pageant girl you mentioned? She sat here all day watching us do hair?”
She nodded. “She was about to leave when you came in so decided to stay and see what you could do. This girl takes her pageants seriously, and rightly so. She’s on track for Miss Texas.”
Okay, if Tuesday was uneducated about anything it was pageantry. She just didn’t understand the competitiveness or the drive to participate. But she supposed it was the same as any sport people were determined to be their best at.
“I’m free Saturday morning. But I need the afternoon, Melissa. I haven’t been home enough with my son.” Besides, she might want to clean her place and make a home-cooked meal for a cowboy who’d come to her rescue several times.
“You’ve earned it, Tuesday. C’mon, and I’ll introduce you to Arianna and then you can take off for the day.”
She made all the pleasant talk she needed to with Arianna and was thrilled to be trusted with her hair. They discussed an updo with some loose curls around her face and maybe adding some sweeping bangs to the style. But all the while she talked, Tuesday itched to get home.
To her son, of course. But there was another reason—and he was six feet tall with intense blue eyes and lips that had weakened her knees. For several minutes, those lips had made her feel like the most beautiful, important woman in Texas.
* * * * *
When she walked through the door of her apartment, music met her ears. A low rumble of Jason Aldean singing about back roads came from the kitchen radio, but that wasn’t what had Tuesday gasping.
She closed the door behind her, staring gape-jawed at the inside of her apartment, which was far from the cluttered state she’d left it in.
The piles of mail had been nudged into a neat stack next to the sink full of dishes that was clean and drying. The small stove had been wiped down, and only a pan of water sat on top. Inside was a bottle warming and several feet away stood Justus dancing around the kitchen with Joshua James in his arms.
At the sound of the door, he turned to shoot her a sheepish grin. “Just teachin’ him about country music while the bottle warms.”
Melt.
The man was… Well, she couldn’t think of anything to say.
“I cleaned up a bit too while he was lying on that floor thing.”
“Baby gym,” she said automatically, staring between the baby’s happy face and the cowboy’s rugged features mirroring the happiness there. Clearly the pair enjoyed each other’s company. She didn’t know whether to be thrilled or sad that she’d missed being part of it.
She laid the truck keys on the pile of mail and went to the stove to check the bottle. It was warm. Perfect, in fact. She rubbed Joshua James’s fuzzy head as she plugged the bottle into his mouth and Justus took over holding it for him.
But he was looking at her.
“Good day at work?” he asked.
“Yes. Busy but being there helped. I think everyone and their uncle needed a haircut today.”
“Hard when they’re short-handed.” He shifted the baby and the bottle, flicking his head toward the small living room beyond. “Let’s sit down.”
She almost didn’t want to leave the cleaned space and sit among the piles of laundry she hadn’t gotten around to folding or the floors that needed swept. But when she walked into the space, she reached out and smacked at Justus’s arm.
“You shouldn’t have cleaned my apartment!”
He sank to the sagging sofa that had come with the rental, very much at home. “Why not?”
She couldn’t look at the folded laundry nestled in baskets for long without guilt taking over. If the clothes weren’t folded neatly, at least it was done. And the old worn hardwood floors had been swept.
She buried her face in her hands and groaned. “Now I owe you more than one home-cooked meal.”
“Well. Maybe dessert.”
At his tone, she jerked her head up and met his gaze. The twinkle in his eyes was unmistakable.
“If you think I’m sleeping with you because you’ve cleaned my apartment, you’re crazy.”
He narrowed his eyes. Uh-oh. That had come out all wrong.
“I didn’t mean that,” she said at once.
“I like the bold way you talk, Tuesday. But don’t ever assume the kind of man I am.”
Great—now she’d offended him when she was truly grateful for all he’d done. He didn’t look her way but stared down at Joshua James.
To cover the awkward moment, she scooted closer on the sofa to look at the baby. “His eyes are already drooping. You must have worn him out with the dancing.”
He grunted. “Kid plays hard. Wore himself out.”
Another minute and the child’s lips slackened around the nipple and he was fast asleep.
Love expanded her chest as she lifted the baby from Justus’s arms and carried him in to his crib. Her room hadn’t been tidied, thank goodness. She didn’t want to think about how she could repay him for three clean rooms.
When she came back, Justus was on his feet, hat in his hands.
Her trained eye went to his shaggy hair. “You could use a haircut.”
“I’ll make an appointment sometime,” he said noncommittally.
“You’re not going, are you?”
“Been taking over your life enough for one day. I know you don’t like it.”
“I don’t.” She looked into his eyes. “But I do appreciate it.”
He dipped his head by way of acknowledgement, and the mere action had her insides humming. He was pure man, and everything he did made her libido fire.
She didn’t want him to go just yet.
“Why don’t you sit and I’ll get you something to drink. We can talk.”
He stared at her.
She nibbled her lip. “If you’re not in a hurry to get those snickerdoodles, that is.”
A smile lit his eyes before it hit his lips. She found herself staring at his mouth a moment too long. “I’ll just get some drinks.”
When she opened the fridge, she found he’d also tossed out all the old food and wiped the shelves.
She inwardly groaned and swore she wouldn’t let her place get into such a state again before grabbing two bottles of soda and heading back to the living room.
There Justus was seated once more, long legs stretched out because the sofa sagged too low to sit without his knees jacked up to his ears.
“I really need to get a new sofa.” She handed him the drink.
“Serves the purpose.”
She sat next to him, feeling like a schoolgirl on a first date. She didn’t dare look at him or she’d wind up in his lap.
Kissing him, rasping her fingers over that scruff of hair on his angular jaw.
She twisted off the cap of her soda and took a sip.
When she lowered the bottle, he was staring at her mouth.
She wet her lips.
He grabbed the bottle from her hand and set it aside and then lunged for her, stretching her back on the cushions. His big body half across hers.
She surged upward as he captured her lips. They shared a muffled noise of want.
God, the feel of his weight on her, the flavor of him on her tongue…
He slipped a hand beneath her to draw her closer, molding her to fit his body. As his hips came in contact with hers, the bulge in his jeans had her burning. Her panties grew damp as they kissed, tongues tangling and untangling, only to clash together again. The kiss spiraled out of control and she learned the contour of his broad shoulders and the planes of his back while he skimmed his fingers with incredible lightness up her torso.
He backed off just before reaching her breasts, which ached to be touched, kneaded, her nipples pinched.
“Justus,” she rasped.
“I know. I need to stop. God, how can I?” He dropped his forehead to hers, breathing hard. When he opened his eyes, she saw the torment there and knew she must look the same.
He did a pushup over her, his biceps bulging. She couldn’t resist spreading her fingers around them just to feel the power harnessed within the tanned flesh.
“Case you hadn’t noticed, Tuesday, I like you. A lot.”
“I like you too, but…”
“Yeah.” He moved off her and plopped back down on the sofa, jamming his fingers through his hair. She sat up too, trying to channel some cool air against her hot, sticky skin. She pushed her hair off her face.
They looked at each other and a grin broke over his face. She giggled and clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from waking the baby.
“Your lips are swollen.” His eyes hooded.
She dragged in a deep breath but only detected his scent—musk and man and a hint of baby. Who knew that combination would melt off a woman’s panties and make her ovaries explode?
To put some distance between them, she got up and took several steps away. He eyed her like a yummy treat, maybe one of the snickerdoodles he was craving.
She was craving something herself.
A Dalton man.
“Let’s slow things down. Talk.” His suggestion was more level-headed than she could have guessed from a man who’d just kissed her the way he had.
“Talk. That’s good.”
“Yes.”
They stared at each other. The sofa was so inviting. The floor too. Hell, the laundry basket would work for her.
She chewed her lip and abruptly stopped when his gaze snapped to it.
“I got a new pageant client.”
He nodded. “That’s great.”
Silence stretched, with both of them far too aware of the other.
“My family’s throwing a fiftieth anniversary party for my aunt and uncle.”
“Oh, that’s a long time to be in love.”
“Yep.”
Another heartbeat passed.
“What are your tattoos?” she asked.
He raised his arm so she could see. “It’s Navajo. Means to protect and respect the world.”
“It’s beautiful and I love the notion behind it.”
He nodded. Silence descended again.
“My momma will be here next week too,” she said.
“She’s coming to visit?”
“Yes. She hasn’t seen the baby in months.”
“Maybe she’ll be here for the party and you can all come.”
She threaded her fingers together. “Justus, what are we doing?”
“Gettin’ to know each other. Now it’s time for the kissin’ part again.” He was on his feet and standing in front of her before she could blink.
* * * * *
He pulled her up, pasted a hand over her lower back and swayed her toward him. With a knuckle beneath her dainty chin, he tilted her head back. Her eyes were deep pools of desire.
“I have a confession to make, doll,” he rumbled, lips inches from hers. He couldn’t look away.
Her chest rose and fell, and her breasts brushed against his chest, soft and round. He wanted to nuzzle each one until she was arching under him.
“What is it?” she rasped out.
“I’m jealous as hell that you share that baby boy with another man.”
She jerked in his hold, but he kept her against him. She wet her lips, and he watched the movement only a split second before lowering his mouth to hers. He nibbled along the bottom curve of her lip. Her head dropped back, and he dotted kisses over her jaw to her throat where her pulse beat erratically.
“There’s no man. Joshua James is adopted.”
He stopped worshipping her neck long enough to look up into her eyes. “Adopted?”
“Yes, my teenaged sister’s son. I took over a day after his birth.”
God, what kind of woman did that? She was young too, yet she’d taken on the huge responsibility of raising a child on her own. His respect for her tripled, quadrupled.
“You’re an amazing woman, Tuesday. Let me show you.” Without waiting for her response, he trailed a path of kisses down between her breasts. She strained in his arms, fingers digging into his shoulders for purchase.
When he dipped his tongue between her breasts, she sucked in a sharp breath. He ran a hand up her ribs to cradle her breast. She moaned softly, and he swished his thumb across the tight bud of her nipple.
As he strummed it, she gasped and grabbed his face in both her hands, pulling him up for a kiss. His cock throbbed against her curves. To sink into her… Oh God, he had to slow things down.
She didn’t need more complications in her life.
He broke the kiss and searched her eyes. “I want to take this further, but hell, I can’t.”
Some of the sexual haze in her eyes faded, and she withdrew from his arms. “You confuse me, Justus.”
He blinked. “I ain’t tryin’ to send mixed messages, doll. I just—”
“It isn’t that. It’s you being such a helpful man and good with Joshua James. I don’t know how to take you.”
He cocked his head. “Does it help if I tell you I’d never held a baby before the other day and I don’t clean up after myself?”
She chuckled. He grinned.
“I think you’d better go,” she said.
He arched a brow. “Can I get one more kiss?”
Laughing, she shoved at him, but he didn’t budge. “I’ll see you later.”
“I’ll hold you to that.” He stuck his hat back on his head. It would be so easy—too easy—to fall into bed with her. What then? If she was a young, unattached woman, it would be much simpler. All he had was a temporary job on a ranch that wasn’t his own.
He didn’t have a whole lot to offer a woman and her child.