Chapter 7

Jodie gritted her teeth as she walked away from Nick, Zyana bouncing along beside her.

Why had she come out here?

Maybe Nick staying last night for a glass of wine and having a conversation (limited as it had been) had made her think he was actually a sociable human being.

Wrong.

She was just being friendly and neighborly. And curious, okay. She had no idea what that grinding noise was—it could have been…well, something could have been wrong. So they’d come to check it out.

She had to admit to being taken aback at seeing him working on an antique piece of furniture. That was another shocker, like the crazy socks. He’d been engrossed in his task, his face relaxed but eyes intent, moving the sander over the wood, then stroking it with his fingertips in a way that was almost…loving.

Like, she could almost imagine those rough fingertips stroking over her skin and how it would feel…

“Wait.”

She closed her eyes briefly, wanting to ignore the word Nick called. She slowly turned back to him.

“You startled me,” he said again, slowly. “Sorry to be surly.”

She took a couple of steps back toward him. “Did we make you damage that?” She nodded at the chest, sinking her teeth into her bottom lip.

“It’s just a scratch. I can sand it out.” He stroked over the wood again with those long, lean fingers.

She swallowed. “What is that?”

“It’s a cedar chest.” He lifted the lid to show her the inside. “Lined with cedar to protect clothes from moths.”

Zyana bounced over to peer inside.

“That sounds very old-fashioned.”

“Well, yeah. It’s an antique.” He closed the lid, careful of Zyana’s little hands.

Jodie picked up on the veneration he felt for the piece of furniture in his voice and his touch with a ping in her chest, sensing that this was a man who appreciated beauty. “I see that. Where did you get it?”

“At an antiques market. There are a bunch of good ones in the city.”

“Huh. So you actually go looking for them?”

“Sort of.” He shrugged. “Sometimes you don’t find anything, sometimes you do.”

“Zyana, come away from there.” Zyana had wandered over to a tool bench with some scary-looking items.

“Why?”

“Because those are Nick’s things. Don’t touch, please.”

Zyana flounced back to them. Jodie’s gaze fell on the sideboard behind Nick. “You’re working on that too?” She squinted at it, the wood rough and raw.

“Yeah. I just finished stripping it. Zyana, don’t touch that!”

She had reached for a metal container but froze at his harsh tone, turning frightened eyes toward Nick.

“Sorry, kid,” he muttered. “But that’s dangerous stuff. Corrosive.” He rose and moved to pick up the container.

“We’d better go.” Clearly this was no place for a child, with all kinds of trouble to get into. Her plan today was to childproof the house to keep Zyana safe, not have her cut her fingers off with a power saw or something. “Come on, Zee. Let’s go make those cookies. And we can play more with the boxes.”

Nick eyed her with a raised eyebrow.

“She loves cardboard boxes.” Jodie bent to pick up Zyana. She propped her on her hip and smiled. “Right, love bug?”

“Wight.” She gave Nick a wary look.

Jodie’s lips twitched. “Now we know nothing’s being destroyed here, we’ll leave you to your work.”

He nodded, his usual taciturn self.

“Say bye, Zee.”

“Bye.” She waved over Jodie’s shoulder as they left. “He’s a mean man.”

Cripes. Had he heard that? She was going to hope not. “No, he’s not. He’s a nice man. He’s letting us live in his house.”

“He yelled at me.”

“He just didn’t want you to get hurt. The stuff in that can could eat all your skin off.”

Zyana’s eyes bugged out in horror. Oh hell. Maybe that hadn’t been the right thing to say.

“And he let us use his bedding last night. Which reminds me, we have to wash it and return it to him.” She climbed the steps to the door of the coach house, fished her key out of her pocket, and opened the door. She set Zyana on her feet.

Jodie glanced around. The place still looked like a tornado had ripped through it. It had been so pristine and pretty before they’d moved in. She let out a small sigh. “Okay. Chocolate chip cookies or peanut butter?”

“Peanut butter!”

When the cookies were in the oven and the bowls soaking in the sink, she said, “How about some music?”

“Yes!” Zyana clapped and spun. “I will dance.”

“Perfect.” She started a playlist of Zyana’s favorite songs on her phone. While Zyana twirled and jumped to Raffi, she organized, flattened empty boxes, and filled every electrical outlet with childproof plugs. She found her favorite candle—a mix of plum, grapefruit, and ginger that always made her smile—lit it, and set it up out of Zyana’s reach.

She took the cookies out of the oven and was about to start on childproofing the kitchen, but with a smile she grabbed Zyana’s hands and twirled her around. Zyana’s giggles had warmth expanding fiercely in her chest. They danced together to “Body Boogie.”

Zyana collapsed on the rug, on her back, arms and legs starfished in a dramatic pose.

Jodie smiled. “Tired, sweet pea?”

Zyana nodded.

“I’m going to make lunch in a few minutes. Why don’t you color?” She set up Zyana at the coffee table with big papers and crayons and headed to the kitchen. She had a few childproofing things to attend to there, then she made grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch. She and Zyana were sitting at the island when she heard a knock at the door.

Huh. She slid off the stool. Through the window she saw Nick on the doorstep and she opened the door.

“Hi.”

He held up Ruby. “Someone might be missing this.”

Her eyes widened, and she reached for the elephant. “Oh my God. I didn’t even notice she’d brought Ruby.” She met his eyes. “Thank you.”

“No problem.”

“We’re just having lunch. Would you like a sandwich?”

“Uh…”

“It’s no bother.” She stepped back so he could come in. “I’ll just take a few minutes to make one more.” She saw the conflicted expression on his face. “But if you don’t have time, it’s fine.” She smiled. “Just thought I’d be neighborly and offer.”

Why did she keep doing this? Nick was clearly a loner. She didn’t want to call him antisocial but…

“Sure. A sandwich sounds good.”

She kept her expression matter of fact despite the pleasure that filtered through her. “Grilled cheese.” She closed the door and headed to the kitchen. “I’ll make you my grown-up version.”

He followed slowly. “I need to wash up, if that’s okay.”

“Sure.” She nodded at the powder room, and he disappeared inside.

“How’s your sandwich, Zee?” She turned on the stove and buttered some whole grain bread.

“Good. Can I have a cookie?”

“When you’re done with your sandwich.” Jodie smiled, layering cheddar and Monterey Jack with sliced avocado between the bread. She got the sandwich toasting in the skillet and arranged cookies on a plate.

Nick emerged from the bathroom, looking big and badass in ripped and stained jeans and a thick plaid shirt which was open over a white T-shirt. A tee that totally hugged his flat abs and wide chest. Dark scruff roughened his strong jaw. Damn.

“If you’d like something to drink, there’s juice and bottled water in the fridge. Help yourself.”

“Thanks.” He moved to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of water.

Zyana tracked his movements with suspicious eyes and a solemn little mouth. Jodie’s own lips twitched at her reaction to Nick.

Nick drank from the bottle, then said, “Why are the knobs off the stove?”

She glanced down. The only knob on the stove was the one for the element she was using. “Safety. I don’t want Zyana to play with them and accidentally turn them on.”

He nodded, sweeping the room with his gaze, taking in the covers on the stone corners of the island, the lock on a lower cupboard door and safety plugs in electrical outlets. “I see.”

“I firmly believe that parental supervision is the best safety measure.” She flipped the sandwich over, admiring the perfect golden color of the bread. “But just in case…”

“Never would have thought of half these things,” he admitted. He took a seat on one of the stools and nodded at Zyana’s last finger of crustless grilled cheese. “Can I have that?”

A tiny pucker formed between her eyebrows as she stared at him. “No.”

He laughed.

Jodie went still, standing at the stove. Nick’s laugh was low and rumbly…and delightful. She swallowed.

“I was just kidding,” he said. “You eat it.”

Still regarding him warily, Zyana picked up the sandwich and took a bite.

Jodie slid Nick’s sandwich onto a plate, cut it in half, and carried it over to the island. “Here you go.”

“Thanks.” He peered at it. “Avocado?”

“Yes.” She held up her own uneaten half. “It’s in mine too, but Zee doesn’t like avocado.”

“Abocado is yuck,” Zyana added.

Nick grinned. “You’re missing out, kid. Avocado is awesome.”

Jodie blinked. Laughing and smiling Nick was…wow.

Zyana finished her sandwich. “I’m done, Mommy.”

“Okey dokey. You can have a cookie.” She handed her one.

When Zyana had finished her cookie, Jodie wiped her hands and face and let her run to the big box in the living room where she’d created an imaginary world for her elephants and dolls.

“Those are cool toys,” Nick said, eyeing them. “The elephants.”

“Thanks. I made them.”

“What?” His eyes widened.

She grinned and shrugged. “I made them. With a 3D printer.”

“Jesus. I don’t even know what that means.”

She laughed. “Sometime I’ll show you. I’m sorry again that we bothered you.”

“It’s fine. I’m just not used to having people around.”

“Do you refinish a lot of furniture?”

“Yeah. It’s a hobby.” He took a bite of his sandwich.

“I’m curious to see a finished piece.”

“I’ve got a bunch. Come see them sometime.”

“Okay.” She wasn’t sure if he really meant that or it was one of those polite invitations that really meant, Don’t bother me.

“I noticed you have a few antiques,” he said.

She frowned. “I do?”

“Yeah.” He gestured at the oak bookshelf against the wall. “Your coffee table. Your desk over there. And you have a good dresser in your room. I saw it when I was making the bed last night.”

“Oh. Those are old flea-market finds. I just thought they were cheap, not antiques.” She laughed. “The coffee table is actually an old kitchen table with the legs cut down.”

“I figured that. They’d all be gorgeous refinished.”

“Huh.” She eyed the old bookshelf. “You think?”

“Sure.”

“Well. Probably not gonna happen, since I have no clue about stuff like that. I did get the chair in my bedroom re-covered—it was another find, ugly as sin, but I liked the shape of it. I like how it’s big enough for me and Zee to sit in it together, with soft squishy cushions, so I got that flowery slipcover made for it.”

He nodded.

“And I don’t have them all out here—I probably won’t bother, since we won’t be here long—but I collect elephants. I’ve found some cool ones at flea markets.”

“Elephants?” One eyebrow rose.

“Yeah. I like elephants. Zyana’s fascinated with them too. I took her to San Diego last year, and we went to the zoo. That’s where we got Ruby. She has a bunch of books about them.”

“Huh. Cool. So are your elephants, like…stuffed? Or carved?”

“Mostly carved. I’d show you, but I don’t want to bother unpacking them all.”

“You don’t have to move out tomorrow.”

“I know. But this is just temporary. I know you value your privacy. I’ll keep looking for somewhere else, and hopefully we’ll be out of your hair before long.”

His lips tightened as he looked at the sandwich in his hand. “Sure.”

She eyed him and when he looked up at her, a buzzing tension vibrated around them and inside her. And she who usually couldn’t shut up found herself with nothing to say. Nick’s presence in the small house filled it with an energy, with his smoldery eyes and beautiful mouth and big shoulders. Her nipples tightened, and she briefly caught her bottom lip between her teeth when his gaze dropped. The buzzing intensified as she knew he’d noticed her nipples through her thin bra and T-shirt. He did a slow blink and returned his gaze to his sandwich.

She swallowed. This attraction to him was…inconvenient.

Despite her intuition that the attraction was mutual, it was clear he had no intention of acting on it. Much as Jodie liked men and liked sex, mattress dancing with this man could not happen. It would be totally awkward to hook up, with her and Zee living here so close to him. Plus he was a friend of Max and Kendra’s.

She was going to have to make do with a little DIY action. That was fine. She was good at that.

But as she slid her gaze over his shoulders and broad chest, she couldn’t help but wonder about what was lower down and how good it would feel to have him inside her….

She swallowed a sigh.

“That was really good,” he said gruffly, picking up a paper napkin from the pile she’d set on the island. “Thanks.”

His sandwich done, he picked up his plate and carried it to the dishwasher.

“Have a cookie,” she offered.

“Mommy, can you put music on again?” Zyana bounced over.

“Sure, honey.” She tapped her phone and started the music app again.

“Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” played, and Zyana danced back to the living room, tossing her curls. She was actually a good little dancer. Jodie would look into dance classes when she was a bit older—probably most started at age three. Maybe ballet or tap.

The music got Jodie too, and she stood and bopped as she carried plates to the counter.

Nick watched Zyana with a bemused expression. “Where does she get that energy?”

“I know, right? But then, you don’t exactly strike me as a lazy guy.” There was no way he could have that body and play such a physically demanding sport for a living if he was a sloth.

Once again, her personal comment seemed to make him uncomfortable. “I, uh, better go. More work to do.”

“More furniture refinishing?”

“Nah, done with that for today. Things to do inside the house.” He started toward the door.

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

He gave her a look. At first she thought he wasn’t going to answer, which would be rude, but then again, maybe she was being too nosy asking questions. But she was interested.

“House needed a lot of work when I bought it,” he said. “Been doing drywall and replacing and refinishing woodwork.”

She tipped her head to one side. “Fascinating.”

His forehead creased into perplexed lines. “It is?”

“Sure.” She shrugged. Did he not get how interesting people were? And…especially him. “Well, good luck. Hope your day is productive.”

“Thanks.” He glanced over at Zyana as if he was going to say goodbye, but she was oblivious, dancing with one of her dolls. “See you.” He left with a nod, shutting the door firmly behind him.

Yeeeeaaah. Damn, he was annoying. She was just being friendly. So what if there was a bit of sexual attraction? Or a whole boatload of sexual attraction, for that matter. What the hell was he so afraid of?

---

Monday morning Jodie found herself out of sorts—unable to find things she needed to get ready for work, searching for a pair of tights to wear under her skirt that should have been easy to find, hunting for Zyana’s mittens, then trying to find a bag that she could pack with some snacks and toys to keep Zyana busy while she attempted to get some work done.

They managed to find their way to the office using the train. It wasn’t a long or difficult trip, just unfamiliar. Luckily she was one of the bosses, so showing up five minutes before their scheduled conference call wasn’t an issue.

Kendra was already there, looking gorgeous and put-together in a pair of tailored black pants, a crisp white shirt, and a necklace that was several strands of multi-sized pearls and gold chains. “Good morning!” Her gaze dropped to Zyana. “Cupcake! I missed you. C’mere and give me a hug.”

Zyana ran at Kendra and threw herself into her arms. “Hi, Kendra.”

While they hugged and then Kendra helped Zyana with her parka, Jodie took off her own coat and hung it on the black coat tree in the corner of their shared office. For the move to new premises, they’d splurged on new office furniture—sleek and modern black desks, chairs, and file cabinets, white shelves, and a black and white patterned rug on the scarred oak floorboards. The exterior walls were exposed taupe and beige bricks, but one inside wall was glossy black with the words CREATE THE THINGS YOU WISH EXISTED painted in big white script on it. One white door led to what they called the “lab,” where prototypes were developed, as well as a small kitchen area and bathroom, and another led to a large meeting room, also furnished with a big modern black table and chairs.

It wasn’t a huge space and it was an old building, so the rent was reasonable, and it was theirs. While Jodie had been winding things down in New York, Kendra had been getting them set up here.

They’d created a small play area for Zyana in a corner, and Jodie quickly got her settled so they could set up in the meeting room for their conference call. This wasn’t always easy with a two-year-old. Luckily Zyana was making up for her meltdown the other day by being a perfect angel, only interrupting once to hold up a juice box for Jodie to open for her.

After the call with a supplier, they gathered Ethan, Lashanda, and Fiona in the boardroom for a meeting about some new products they were discussing.

“I totally agree that we should be manufacturing lube,” Fiona said.

“What could we offer that’s not already available?” Jodie asked, leaning back in her chair.

“Well, I think we could market it as made especially to work with our products,” Kendra said. “But yeah, to keep people buying it, we need it to be good.”

“It enhances the vibration,” Ethan suggested.

“I like it. Not sure how to make that happen, but I like it.” Jodie made a note.

“Well, we can talk about water based versus silicone based,” Fiona offered. “Water based is nice and slippery but dries up quicker. Silicone lasts longer but needs soap and water for cleanup.”

“What if we came up with an entirely new formula? Not water or silicone,” Lashanda said.

“I like that too,” Jodie said with a grin. “Again, not sure what that is.”

“Can’t be oil,” Ethan said. “Doesn’t work with condoms.”

They all nodded. “But that doesn’t necessarily matter,” Jodie said, “if we market it as made to be used for ‘a girl’s night in.’ ”

They all grinned.

“So maybe an oil-based lube could work…something safe and natural.”

“Flavors…been done. Warming and tingling…done.” Kendra tapped her pen on the table.

“What about a synthetic oil?” Ethan asked, sitting up straight. “They make them for cars.”

Jodie smiled. She knew better than to criticize an idea when they were brainstorming. “Four kinds of lubricant,” she said, going back to college days. “Oil, grease, penetrating lubricants—”

“Ha!” said Ethan and Lashanda at the same time.

They all burst out laughing.

“And dry lubricants,” Jodie continued. “Made up of lubricating particles such as graphite, molybdenum disulfide, silicone, or PTFE. At the molecular level, these particles are super slippery, so they reduce friction.” She paused. “There is work being done on artificial mucus.”

“There’s a sexy word,” Ethan said. “Mucus.”

“Right? But still, that’s what vaginal lubrication is. Hmmm…” She leaned forward and tapped in a Google search on the laptop in front of her. “Okay, they’re engineering mucin-inspired polymers and synthetic mucus. What they’re trying to do is find a solution to antibiotic resistance.” She read on. “Mucin glycoproteins are secreted by epithelial goblet cells.” She tipped her head to one side. “Okay, let me think about this. Challenge accepted.”

“Now what about the smartphone app,” Kendra said. They’d been discussing a new vibe that could be controlled by a smartphone. “How’s that coming, Ethan?” Everyone burst out laughing again. Kendra grinned, shaking her head.

“The coming is great,” Ethan said, still laughing.

“People, people, this is serious business.” But Kendra laughed too.

“The app is almost ready to start trials. As well as controlling the vibrations of the device, there’s also a secure chat function with visuals.”

Jodie and Kendra nodded. “Whole new level of phone sex,” Jodie said.

“Right.”

“What about security though?” Kendra asked, forehead creasing. “It’s wireless, so it’s susceptible to spying and remote access.”

“Jesus. The last thing you want when you’re having hot phone sex is someone hacking in and watching.” Jodie covered her eyes with her hand. “Can you imagine?”

“We’re on it,” Ethan said. “There’ll be authorization and identification procedures that limit the use of Bluetooth services to the registered user. As long as the measures are enabled on the user’s phone or other device, unauthorized access is unlikely. Also, someone can switch their Bluetooth mode to ‘non-discoverable’ and avoid connecting with other Bluetooth devices.”

Zyana wandered into the meeting room and climbed onto Jodie’s lap. “Hey, sweetie,” Jodie murmured to her, pressing a cheek to her curls. “You bored?”

Zyana nodded. “And hungwy.”

“Okay, we just have a few more things to talk about and then we’ll go get lunch.”