Tool Belt Defender Page 5

  Her eyes flared with a sliver of evocative heat that he felt deep inside. “Thanks,” she replied. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  He wanted to kiss her. At that moment with her eyes shining so bright and her lips moist from the wine, he wanted to take her into his arms and lose himself in a kiss. Instead he jumped up from the table and went back to the oven where he pulled the steaks out.

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked.

  “No, thanks, I’m all set.” He plated the steaks and then carried them to the table.

  Thankfully the dinner conversation flowed easily. He regaled her with stories about his days as an attorney in Chicago, enjoying each time he managed to make her laugh.

  In turn, she told him about growing up with four older brothers who teased and spoiled her unmercifully. “When I told Tom I wanted to become a deputy he fought me tooth and nail,” she said. “There was no way he wanted his baby sister on the streets with a gun.”

  “So, how did you convince him to hire you?” Alex asked, half-mesmerized by the sheen of her dark hair beneath the artificial light overhead. He knew it would feel like silk between his fingers, imagined the long strands whispering against his bare chest as she straddled him.

  “I told him if he didn’t hire me then I was sure Topeka or Wichita would be willing to take me on. He hated the idea of me being on those streets even more, so he gave me the job here.”

  “And you liked being a deputy?” he asked, trying to stay focused on the conversation instead of on her physical attributes.

  She didn’t answer for a long moment. “I did, but I think I’m ready for a change now. I’m not sure that being a deputy was a true calling for me.” She looked away from him and he got the feeling that she didn’t completely believe her own words.

  “That’s the way I felt about being a lawyer. I went into the profession because I knew it would provide a good living for my family, but my true love has always been building things with my hands.”

  “I’m not sure where my heart lies at the moment,” she said as she reached for a piece of the bread. “I enjoy working on the computer and have gotten pretty good at making web pages.” Her cheeks flushed a charming pink. “In the months after the crime when I was staying out at my brother’s ranch, I was most comfortable social networking with cyber friends and teaching myself the ins and outs of web design.”

  “If you decide you want to do that, I’ll gladly be your first client. I need to get a web page up to advertise my remodeling work. I’d love to hire you.”

  She smiled at him. “I think we can work something out.”

  With dinner finished she insisted she help with the cleanup, even though he told her she should sit and enjoy being a guest.

  They worked well together, as if they’d cleaned up after dinner together a hundred times before. Afterward he poured them each another glass of wine and they went into the living room.

  “You have a lovely home,” she said as she sank down on one end of the sofa and he sat on the other end.

  “Thanks, it’s finally starting to feel like home.”

  Once again she studied him over the rim of her glass, her eyes dark and unreadable. “How did your wife die?”

  “Breast cancer.”

  “That’s rotten,” she replied.

  He took a deep swallow of the wine and then set his glass on the coffee table. “What was really rotten was that she knew she had a lump in her breast for months but she didn’t tell me about it and she didn’t go to the doctor.” He heard the edge of anger that had crept into his voice.

  “Why?”

  He leaned back against the sofa cushion. “We had a whirlwind romance. I met her at a fundraiser and within six months we were married. Don’t get me wrong, I loved her, but it wasn’t long into the marriage that I realized she was more child than woman, and by the time she got pregnant with Emily any passion I’d felt for her was gone. She was fragile, afraid of her own shadow, and it only got worse when Emily was born. By the time she finally told me about the lump the cancer had spread everywhere. She was gone within six months.”

  To his surprise Brittany leaned over and touched his hand, a gentle touch that lasted only a moment before she pulled away. “I’m sorry. That must have been horrible.”

  “It was tragic,” he replied. “She didn’t have to die, but she was so afraid of living that was the choice she made. If I ever decide to marry again, and I’m not sure I will, I’d want a strong woman who isn’t afraid of life.”

  He frowned, realizing he’d said far more than he’d intended to say about Linda…about his previous life. “Sorry, I must be boring you to death.”

  “Not at all,” she replied quickly enough that he believed her. “It’s just a reminder that life can be so unpredictable, that you have to grasp your happiness whenever you can.”

  For the next two hours they talked about favorite movies and food, sharing little tidbits of information to get to know each other better. And everything Alex heard from her made him like her more and more. She was funny and bright and beautiful, and as the evening drew to a close he wasn’t ready for it to end.

  “I’ll walk you home,” he said as he opened the front door and realized darkness had fallen while they’d talked.

  “That isn’t necessary,” she protested but her eyes darkened a little as she stared outside into the night.

  “It might not be necessary, but I wouldn’t be a true gentleman if I let you walk home alone in the dark, and I definitely want you to think of me as a gentleman.”

  Brittany slung her purse strap over her shoulder and smiled. “Okay, then.”

  As they stepped out onto his porch he locked the door and pulled it shut behind them. “This has been really nice,” she said as they started down his walk.

  “Yes, it has,” he agreed. The scent of flowers rose up to him, but didn’t diminish the scent of her that had teased him all night long.

  He’d told her he was just interested in having a friend, some companionship to fill the lonely hours of the day, but after spending the evening with her he recognized he wanted more from her.

  She was so different from the wife he’d lost, so filled with life and with that core of inner strength that radiated from her eyes. She drew him, stirring a simmering passion that he hadn’t expected.

  “I was serious about that web page,” he said when they reached her porch. “I’d like to hire you to get one up and running for me.” They stopped at her door.

  In the faint spill of light from a nearby streetlamp, her eyes glowed as she gazed up at him. “Are you sure you aren’t just trying to be nice?”

  He grinned at her. “I’m a lawyer. When it comes to business I’m not nice—I’m a shark.”

  She laughed, that low throaty sound that swirled warmth inside his belly. “Okay, then, why don’t I work something up tomorrow while you’re working on the deck and before you knock off for the day we can talk about it?” She turned and unlocked her front door.

  “Sounds like a plan,” he agreed.

  “Thank you, Alex, for a terrific night.”

  “No, thank you.”

  For a long moment they remained standing far too close together, their gazes locked. He realized he intended to kiss her and saw the dawning realization take hold of her, as well.

  He took a step toward her and she didn’t retreat. Instead she raised her chin, her lips parted slightly as if to welcome him.

  He took the subtle invitation, gathering her into his arms as his mouth met hers. He’d intended only a sweet, soft good-night kiss, but her lips held a heat that transformed his intent, his initial desire.

  Pulling her closer, he deepened the kiss, tentatively touching his tongue to hers. Her arms wrapped around his neck as she returned the kiss, leaning into him in surrender.

  He wasn’t sure who broke the kiss, he or she, but they broke apart and she gave a shaky laugh. “I’m not used to my friends kissing me like that.”

/>   “Sorry,” he replied. “I don’t usually kiss my friends that way.”

  “Don’t apologize. It was the perfect ending to a perfect night.”

  Before he could reply she was gone, leaving him staring at the sight of her closed front door and with a well of want inside him that stole his breath away.

  As he started back down the sidewalk toward his house he realized there was no way he’d be satisfied with Brittany just being his friend.

  He tried to tamp down the pleasure that coursed through him. He’d misjudged a woman before and wasn’t eager to make the same kind of mistake.

  Alex didn’t believe in happily-ever-after anymore and it was going to take more than a scorching kiss with a hot woman to change his mind.

  Chapter 4

  The kiss had shaken her to her very core. Alex was the wrong man for her for a million reasons. She wasn’t ready for a relationship. He had a daughter and she wasn’t mother material. And yet for all the reasons he was wrong for her, the kiss had felt so right.

  She stood at the window and watched the men working on the deck, her gaze lingering on the man who had rocked her world with a single kiss the night before.

  Each time she thought about it her mouth tingled with pleasure and her entire body enjoyed a wash of warmth that made her want to repeat the experience.

  It had just been a kiss, but it had made her want more and that worried her just a little bit. Wrong man, she kept trying to remind herself.

  She’d learned as much about him with the things he hadn’t said as what he had shared with her. His marriage had obviously not been great, but she was certain that if his wife hadn’t died he would have remained in the marriage, taking care of a fragile wife and his daughter. She instinctively knew he was the kind of man who would sacrifice his own happiness for that of his family.

  He deserved better than her. She was a spoiled brat who, before her kidnapping, hadn’t thought about anyone but herself and if that weren’t enough she still had some baggage left from her ordeal.

  She turned away from the window with a sigh and sat at the table where her laptop was open. As she waited for it to power up, she thought about her work as a deputy. She’d fibbed to Alex. She’d absolutely loved being a deputy, but just like the crime had changed her, it had also changed what she thought she could be in the future.

  Once the computer was up and running she got to work. When Alex had arrived that morning he’d brought with him a sheet of paper with all the pertinent details necessary to build him a web page.

  She consciously shoved away the memory of his kiss and instead focused on the task at hand. As always it didn’t take her long to lose herself in cyberspace.

  She stopped at noon to fix herself a quick sandwich. A glance out the back window let her know that apparently Alex and the others had also knocked off for lunch.

  By the time she’d finished her lunch the three men were back to work in the yard and once again she found herself wandering to the window. She told herself it was to watch the progress being made on her deck, but she couldn’t stop her gaze from lingering on Alex.

  What was it about him that drew her? Physically it was an easy question to answer, but it wasn’t just physical attraction she felt for him. Certainly she liked the way his smile flashed his straight white teeth against his tanned skin, and the width of his shoulders made her want to get lost in his embrace.

  But it was the man she sensed beneath the handsome package that drew her, a man who loved his daughter enough to quit his job and move across the country so she could have a loving grandmother in her life, a man who from what little he’d said about his own parents hadn’t had a solid support system while growing up.

  From what he’d told her his parents had been in their mid-thirties when they’d had him. He’d been an oops baby and by the time he was six he realized his parents weren’t cut out to be real parents. He’d become a self-reliant child who had matured into a self-reliant man.

  With a muttered curse of frustration she returned to her work on the computer. By the time three o’clock came and Alex knocked on the back door to let her know they were stopping work for the day, she had a tentative site to show him.

  He leaned over the back of her to view the monitor and the scent of him coupled with his body heat made her heart flutter.

  “That looks great,” he exclaimed. “It’s exactly what I had in mind. You’re obviously very talented at this.”

  Pleasure washed over her. “I’m still learning, but I do enjoy it. All we need to do is set you up with a domain name and a hosting service and we can get it published to the internet.”

  “Can you take care of all that?” he asked as she got up to walk him to the front door. “Add it into your fee?”

  “Sure, I can do that,” she agreed.

  They reached her front door and he turned back to face her. “I was thinking maybe after dinner tonight you could give me that lesson in French braiding? Emily would be thrilled if she could have her hair done for school tomorrow.”

  “Sure, that would be fine,” she agreed.

  “How about around six-thirty?”

  “Sounds good.”

  It was only after he left that she wondered if maybe things were moving too fast. She’d already figured out all the reasons why she was wrong for him. Still, she didn’t want to disappoint Emily by reneging on the offer now.

  And if she were perfectly honest with herself she would admit that she wouldn’t mind the company. The evening hours were the worst for her, when the dark shadows of night began to spill over everything, over her.

  It was precisely six-thirty when Alex and Emily returned to her house. Brittany opened the door and Emily danced in and immediately threw her arms around her waist.

  “Thank you, thank you!” she exclaimed. “I’ve been telling daddy for a long time that I’m too old for pigtails and I need a French braid, but he’s having such trouble and needs your help.”

  Brittany was stunned by how much the hug warmed her. Emily smelled of bubble bath and innocence, and Brittany returned the hug with one of her own. “By the time you leave here tonight your daddy will be able to French braid in his sleep,” she promised.

  She straightened and smiled at Alex. “Come on, we have work to do.” She led them into the living room where she had laid out a brush and comb on the coffee table in preparation for playing beauty shop.

  “I washed my hair and everything,” Emily said. “And when you’re all finished with me, Daddy is going to take me to grandma’s to show her how beautiful I look.”

  “Honey, you’re beautiful without a French braid,” Brittany replied. She sat on the sofa and patted the space next to her. “Let’s put Daddy here and you sit on the floor here in front of me.”

  Brittany was far too aware of Alex as he sank down next to her. His body heat wrapped around her, as well as the scent of his spicy cologne. As she picked up the hairbrush, she felt ridiculously clumsy, as if she’d suddenly grown ten thumbs.

  She began to brush through Emily’s hair, enjoying the feel of the pale, silky strands. “My mommy used to brush my hair like this,” Emily said as she relaxed against Brittany’s legs.

  Brittany’s heart squeezed for Emily’s loss. “I’ll bet you miss that,” she said as she exchanged a quick glance with Alex.

  “Sometimes, but Daddy tries his best and he’s getting better and better,” Emily replied. “He only pulls sometimes if he gets in too much of a hurry, but he’s always sorry when he does.”

  “That’s good. And now, for the fine art of French braiding.” As she began to braid Emily’s hair she went slowly, showing Alex exactly how it was done. He watched intently, as if it was the most important thing he might learn for the rest of his life, and that made Brittany only like him more.

  “Okay,” she said when she was finished. “Now we’re going to take it all out and let you try.”

  Alex looked at her dubiously. Emily turned around and flashed him a brig
ht smile. “Don’t worry, Daddy. I know you can do it,” she said as she scooted over in front of him.

  Brittany could never have guessed that a lesson in braiding hair could become a study in sexual tension, but as she leaned against Alex and guided his fingers through Emily’s hair, tension coiled in her stomach as she wondered what those fingers of his would feel like sliding through her own hair, over her bare skin.

  She could tell he felt it, too. When his gaze met hers his eyes were darker in hue, simmering with a hunger that was unmistakable.

  By the time she’d had him work the hair three times in a row, she felt as if he knew what he was doing and she rose from the sofa, needing to distance herself from him. “Emily, want to see in the mirror?” she asked the little girl.

  “Oh, yes,” Emily exclaimed with eagerness as she got up from the floor.

  Brittany led her into her bedroom where she had a full-length mirror on the back of the door. Emily gazed at her reflection and emitted a little squeal. “It’s perfect.”

  It wasn’t perfect, but it was a terrific effort by a terrific dad. Emily turned and looked at Brittany. “Would you like me to brush your hair? Sometimes I brushed my mommy’s hair for her and since you did mine I could do yours.”

  The offer touched Brittany deeply. “That’s very nice, Emily, but I think my hair is just fine for tonight.”

  “Okay, then I’ll owe you one,” Emily replied. She turned back to the mirror and gazed at her reflection. “Do I look older?”

  Brittany hid her smile and studied the little girl thoughtfully. “You know, I think you do. With your hair like that you look at least eight.”

  Emily preened. “Now we have to go show my grandma,” she said as they left Brittany’s bedroom.

  Alex stood in the middle of the living room, his gaze unfathomable as it lingered on Brittany. “Thanks,” he said simply.

  She smiled and nodded. “Not a problem.”

  “Brittany, you want to come with us to visit my grandma? She’s going to be so surprised. She couldn’t braid my hair because she has bad fingers that hurt.”