Chapter Nine
With weeks to go before the summer season officially began, Jade’s store should have been looking like an actual store.
But it wasn’t.
To make matters worse, everything she’d ordered for the store had been delivered. And her tables, racks, and shelves were scattered around her main floor in a way that was anything but orderly. So, her merchandise was still in boxes, which were stacked all over the place. Her damaged hardwood floors hadn’t been replaced, the wall she wanted gone hadn’t been knocked down, and nothing had been painted.
If she didn’t find a contractor soon, the reality of making Chic on the Beach a success would be as nonexistent as her knowledge of how to tile her bathroom floors.
She needed to open the store and make money now. Because what little money she had left was dwindling fast. She’d saved up enough to pay for the renovations and to start the store, but only just.
And trying to hire another contractor had been an absolute mess.
One guy had come in so hungover from the night before that he couldn’t tell a wrench from a screwdriver. Even she knew that one.
Another place she’d called was run by two brothers who couldn’t agree on anything and had spent the entire meeting with her arguing.
The third guy had stared at her ass throughout their entire hour-long conversation and had actually grabbed for it in an ill-conceived “I tripped and my hand accidentally landed there” attempt. Seriously?
And the last guy had simply walked into the store, looked around, and said he didn’t have the time or manpower to waste on such a small job that wouldn’t pay much, anyway.
Ouch.
She had run out of options. So, that’s what had led to her standing on a ladder, paint roller in hand, surrounded by plastic, at eight o’clock on a Friday night.
Okay, so she had never painted anything before in her entire life…but how hard could it be to run a roller over a wall? Besides, that’s what YouTube was for.
What could go wrong?
She was in the process of pouring more paint into her tray when she felt a presence behind her.
She would have been freaked out—she was supposed to be all alone in the store—had she not instantly recognized the presence. She knew that smell. She had been missing it for the last two weeks and couldn’t understand how she had lasted this long without tracking him down and tearing the man’s shirt from his body.
The only thing that had stopped her was the reminder that he wasn’t good for her.
At least, not for her heart. Her well-protected heart.
Her body…well, there might be some flexibility, there.
Wait. No. No, there wouldn’t.
“You need some help with that?” Hunter asked in the smooth way she had become accustomed to in her dreams.
Dammit! He couldn’t be here. Her internal pep talks against getting involved were useful, but they didn’t provide the kind of stronghold she needed against this man.
She backed down the ladder, taking steady breaths through her mouth so she wouldn’t inhale more of his scent. “I can handle a brush and some paint.”
He chuckled and reached out to take the paint can out of her hands. The action brought his hard chest flush against her back. For just a second, she allowed herself to get lost in the feeling of his large body engulfing her. She imagined him gripping her by the waist and roughly pulling her against him, touching her everywhere.
“I’m sure you can,” he replied. “But since I’m the reason this place still isn’t done yet, maybe you could just indulge me and let me help you.”
He walked over to her pile of paint supplies to retrieve another roller and tray. He had apparently just gotten off work because he was still wearing his leather tool belt, loose T-shirt, worn jeans, and scuffed-up work boots.
It was the tool belt that really got to her, though she wasn’t sure why. Perhaps it was because she was imagining him standing before her with nothing on except that belt. Maybe he’d worn it into the shop tonight just for her…
She briefly slammed her eyes shut.
And once again, the fact that she’d seen this man naked negatively impacted her ability to have a normal conversation with him.
Hell, adults saw each other naked all the time and they moved on. She needed to grow up and stop being so awkward around him. And falling prey to his predatory advances. Even if they were just imagined.
She cleared her throat. “What are you doing here?”
He didn’t look up. “Like I said, I’m helping you. I saw your light on driving home. Figured I’d stop by to see how it’s going.”
“Does this mean that you’re officially helping me now?” she asked. “In a professional capacity?”
He gave her a half grin as he walked over to reposition the ladder against the wall. “You know the answer to that, Red.” He stepped up the ladder and examined the wall. “Looks like you’ve got some splitting in the molding up here.”
She didn’t know what that meant, but it didn’t sound good.
Instead of simply waiting for him to get down so she could look for herself, she felt compelled to climb onto the ladder with him, placing her body right next to his. It took her half a second to realize what she’d done, and they both froze. She felt his shoulders tense, and she waited with bated breath to see what he’d do or say next.
This was the longest they’d been in physical contact with each other since the night at the hotel. And they were both clearly still feeling the same electricity. The chemistry between them was definitely there, quickly sparking back to life.
Gathering her nerve, she whispered, “What are we going to do about that?”
She actually heard him swallow. “Can you hand me the caulk over there?” he asked, his voice cracking.
She almost choked. Did he say cock?
“The what?” she managed.
A vein jumped in his neck. “The white gun-looking thing over there by my toolbox. C-A-U-L-K,” he spelled. “So I can reseal the molding.”
But that meant she would have to stop touching him.
She reluctantly did as he asked.
She gave him the distance he needed to complete his task but sated herself by watching the way his arms bunched and rippled as he used the caulk—not C-O-C-K—gun. She may have even released a few sighs of awe as she remembered the way those muscles had pinned her arms to the wall while he ground his hard dick against her.
Obviously, her internal pep talks were doing absolutely no good, whatsoever.
“So, I hear you went to the Southern Sisters Salon the other day,” he said, turning to face her when he’d finished caulking.
She self-consciously ran her hand over her hair. She had just gotten a simple trim. “Why? Does my hair look bad?”
He focused on the long braid draped over her shoulder. “Definitely not.” He gave a small shake of his head and blinked several times. “I mean, no, it looks fine. I was just asking because the whole town is talking about you. Even more than before.”
She squeezed her eyes shut again, and this time added a groan. “Please tell me it’s just about the store.”
His expression turned apologetic. “That, too. But in case you hadn’t figured it out, those sisters are the biggest blabbermouths on the east coast. Now everyone’s talking about the ‘darling sweetheart with the gorgeous red hair who owns that fancy new bikini store.’”
Her head fell forward and she had to laugh. “I should have known never to trust sisters named Virginia, Carolina, and Georgia.” No joke. Those were their actual legal names. “They just seemed so sweet and innocent. Like three homey grandmothers.”
He snorted. “Well, they are grandmothers. But everyone knows they also run the town’s rumor mill. They’d sell every last one of their porcelain cat figurines for the latest news on the most recent scandal.”
“It’s a good thing I’m not hiding any scandals, then,” she muttered.
His eyes flew to hers, dilating with unspoken thoughts. “I don’t know,” he said in a low voice. “Some might call at least one thing you’ve done pretty scandalous.”
Her pulse spiked, her insides melting to liquid goo. The man had no idea how potent his attraction was, nor how it affected her. “Then it’s a good thing that scandal hasn’t made its way into the rumor mill.”
He seemed to register what she was saying, and his forehead smoothed out in understanding. As she’d told him from the beginning she didn’t want everyone to know what she’d done the second she rolled into town. She didn’t want a big scarlet A painted on her forehead. To be forever identified as that woman.
“I said you don’t have to worry about that. I’ve never had a big mouth,” he said.
Oh, but he had such a gifted mouth.
And she might have to worry about that.
“Good to know.”
Silence fell between them as they gazed intently at each other, so many thoughts going unspoken. Everything was so still that when he made a move in her direction, her entire body involuntarily jolted backward. She threw out her arms to catch herself and her hand hit the ladder, knocking over a small can of white paint she’d been using to touch up the wall trim.
“Shit!”
She watched in horror as white paint splattered onto her freshly painted coral wall, and quickly looked around for something to clean it up. Before she was able to react, though, he sprang into action and started wiping up the spilled paint with a gray cloth. She couldn’t drag her eyes from the mess, hoping she hadn’t somehow ruined that section of wall.
When he pulled the cloth away, most of the white paint had been removed, though a distinct smudge lingered on the coral. Still, she’d expected it to be much worse. She breathed a deep sigh of relief.
Then sucked it all right back in.
Because that was when she looked over to see him standing there in all his tanned, muscled perfection…half naked. The gray cloth he’d used was his T-shirt. He was standing there in jeans, boots, and a tool belt. Without a shirt on.
Was it her birthday?
“You’ll just need to repaint that small section,” he said. “But it’s not too bad.”
She stared at his chest hair, remembering the way she had run her fingers through it as he thrust inside her. And the way he had moaned as she touched him, asking her not to stop.
She wanted to do it again.
Those pep talks had definitely not prepared her for seeing any part of him naked.
“Uh, Jade?” His voice sounded so far away. “Jade.”
Her eyes snapped up. “Yes, hair?” She coughed in an attempt to mask her embarrassment and tried to ignore his wide grin. “I mean, yes, Hunter?”
“I was just saying the paint didn’t do much damage.”
She glanced back down at the coral wall, attempting to hide her furious blush. “Thanks for that. I forgot to put the lid back on.”
His laugh drew her eyes back up to his. “I don’t know,” he said, crossing his arms over his bare chest. She knew he’d done it on purpose, especially when he subtly flexed his biceps. The man was pure evil. “Maybe your plan all along had been to get me naked.”
“Hey, I didn’t tell you to take your shirt off.”
His eyebrow raised. “No, but I don’t hear you complaining about it, either.”
And he wouldn’t. “I don’t think seeing a man’s chest is going to traumatize me,” she replied. “Besides, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”
His tongue ran over his bottom lip as his eyes roamed over her figure. “And you saw quite a bit that night. Didn’t you, Red? I’d be happy to refresh your memory on the rest.”
Her pulse spiked. “That’s not necessary.”
He took a step toward her. “Why is that?”
“I have a good memory.”
He grunted and took another step. “Trust me, I do, too. But memories aren’t as sweet as the real thing.”
He continued to stalk her across the room as she retreated. “Some dishes are best sampled only once.”
He slowly shook his head. “Not if you develop a craving for them.”
“You can’t develop a craving after only one night.”
He snorted out a laugh. “Tell that to my dick.”
He couldn’t start talking dirty to her or she would be finished. She had to nip this little encounter in the bed—er, bud. Hunter and beds were a dangerous combination. “Sorry, but I have nothing to say to your dick.”
“What a shame,” he said with a sexy smirk. “Because it might be me who spills the paint next time.”
“I’m not taking off my shirt to clean it up.” Her voice didn’t sound as convincing as she would have liked.
He chuckled darkly. “I was actually talking about using my pants, but I sure as hell wouldn’t stop you. We wouldn’t want to make a mess, now, would we?”
It would be so very easy to give in to him. But she forced herself to put her hand up, blocking his path. Of course, he walked straight into it and didn’t stop until her fingers were actually grasping all that wonderful chest hair.
“I think it’s time I call it a night,” she said on a rasp, swiftly removing her hand.
He hesitated, as if waiting for her to change her mind. When he saw she wasn’t going to, he reluctantly nodded. “Okay. But just remember, I’ve got lots of extra paint cans in my garage.” He bent down, closing the distance between their mouths until his lips were a hairsbreadth away from hers. “We could clean up messes all night long. Whenever you’re in the mood for that, you let me know.”
She didn’t breathe again until he walked out the store’s front door less than a minute later.
But his manly scent stayed on her fingers for the rest of the night.
Damn chest hair.