“I think you know the answer to that. You just want me to stroke your ego, don’t you?”

  “I’m not going to answer that either.”

  “My schedule is pretty jam packed during the week. You said you flip flop nights and days. When do you work again?”

  “I’m back on days and start Wednesday, so I won’t be off again until Sunday.”

  “And you’ll be working on the house the next two days and most likely nights?” she asked.

  “That is my plan. My shifts get out at six, if I’m on time. I can do dinner one of the nights. Or squeeze a lunch in in the next two days.”

  She liked a man that was a planner. Especially since she was always late and was fearful she would have been today too. Which was why she’d left ten minutes before she needed to.

  “Lunch is kind of hard. I never know if I’ll get held up in court or with clients. It’s a day by day thing, but Mondays are normally out.”

  “How about you let me know by Tuesday what works for you. I can do dinner or lunch. I’ll leave it in your hands since I set this one up.”

  She liked how he wasn’t going to control everything. She’d been there and done that too. She didn’t need a man to set her life up and ask her to follow along.

  “I think that sounds like a plan.”

  He leaned down and kissed her one more time, then turned to climb into his truck, Brina moving over to her SUV. She followed him out of the parking lot. He turned right, she turned left and they both went home...alone.

  The next morning, Nathan was up bright and early ordering cabinets for the kitchen and baths. The next stop was the flooring place. The hardwood was ordered and would be delivered tomorrow morning for him to start.

  Last stop was purchasing a toilet and tiles for the master bath. He was going to get started on that the minute he fixed the leak that he and his father found yesterday. It wasn’t anything major, nothing that required a plumber. He had the parts he needed in his truck.

  Hours later he was laying the subflooring down, the pipes fixed in the master. The toilet would go in next and then the sheetrock in place and he’d call it a day.

  When his phone went off, he let it go until he was done with the floors. Then he stood up and stretched, noticed it was after two and figured now was a good time to grab the sub he’d picked up on his way back and take a break.

  The message on his phone was from Brina. If she hadn’t reacted to his kiss the way she had, he might have figured that date was a flop.

  Even he knew not to talk about that much drama so soon, but there was something about her that made him feel comfortable enough to have that weight floating away from him like hot air balloons.

  She didn’t run. She didn’t hide. She didn’t even ask too many questions at first.

  She just reached for his hand and said how young Cassie had to be. Then wanted to know if those that caused it were punished.

  No, they weren’t. Not back then.

  Years later, if it happened to someone else, he still wasn’t sure if there would be a punishment and it made him sick.

  Though too many kids were stupid enough to put things online that would bite them now. There were text messages verifying most of what Cassie had left in her letter, but it was a lot of the same from the lawyers saying it was kids being kids.

  Did he keep tabs on some of those girls now? He sure the hell did. Some left the area, a few stayed.

  None of them ever apologized. He wondered if any cared.

  He wondered if they ever thought of the teenager whose life was cut short because of their careless and nasty words.

  And he wondered if he’d ever be able to move on. That night, it ruined his life. It ruined his family’s life.

  It made him into the jaded person he was today, but he was going to try to push that off and respond back to Brina who wanted to know if he was working hard.

  Hard enough, he typed back.

  I’m swamped this week. How about dinner Friday night? My treat.

  It was probably best he didn’t see her for a few more days. He had enough going on and didn’t need to get distracted by needing to get his hands on her.

  Sounds good. I’ll text when I’m out of work and ready.

  She sent him a thumbs up and that was it.

  In the past he’d be thrilled the communication ended there. Why wasn’t he now?

  11

  More Than Nice

  This week had flown by in some ways and dragged in others in Brina’s mind.

  During the week she was ramming from one client to the next, one courthouse to another. By the time she got home at night, she was exhausted.

  Not exhausted enough that she wasn’t counting down the time until she’d see Nathan again.

  When had she been like this with another man?

  Not for years. Maybe when she was young and stupid.

  She wasn’t going to be stupid again.

  She pulled into Nathan’s in Paradise Place a little before seven. He’d gone home, showered, changed, and said they could meet here since she wanted to see the work he’d done so far.

  Rather than go to the front door she went through the garage where the door was opened. She passed by his bike and wondered if she could get him to take her for a ride.

  Then she realized she really had another ride in mind.

  She knocked on the door to the mudroom and then pushed it open with her foot. “Whoa, you weren’t kidding about gutting the place.”

  “Hey,” he said, coming forward. “Sorry, I was just measuring something again. I’ve got an idea for the island here. Are you sure you’re fine with pizza and not going out?”

  “Works for me. It’s a pizza kind of day. And for dessert we’re having ice cream. Because it’s an ice cream kind of day too.”

  “What happened?” he asked, taking the pizza from her hands. “I’ve got a few stools for us to sit on and paper plates. Sorry. I figured we would have eaten at one of our other places when you suggested it. I was already here when your text came in.”

  “I’m starving and I wanted to see what you did here. So tell me about your island idea.”

  He set the pizza on a workbench. “I’m putting an island right here,” he said standing there. “I was going to have seating for four, but then I thought wouldn’t it be nice to have a bench built in on the other side and table there rather than having a separate table in that nook. This way I could make the kitchen itself bigger. Maybe put a wine fridge or coffee bar over there with more cabinets.”

  “That sounds like my dream kitchen. Coffee for the morning, wine at night. I’d be all over it. I’d buy this house alone for that. Not that I could afford it though.”

  Not all lawyers made a shitload of money and she was one of them. She didn’t do badly, but she wasn’t breaking any banks, and buying this house when he was done would smash her piggy bank to pieces.

  “I’m looking for mass appeal here. I do that with most of my flips. But this is going to be a family house. It’s too big for someone to buy it and not have kids at some point.”

  “Good point. So show me what else you’ve done other than pull up all the floors and knock down some walls.”

  “Down here I haven’t done a lot other than what you see, or what is left to see.”

  They walked to the front of the house and she looked up. “Did you fix your leak?”

  “I did. Then I cut and patched where the stain was. Thankfully it wasn’t that bad and I could do it myself.”

  She almost asked what was wrong and then stopped herself, realizing that she’d had no clue even if he did explain it.

  “When are you going to start on the floors?” There was just sub flooring down everywhere.

  “Sunday. My goal is to get the downstairs all done. I’ve got the master floor done so you’ll see what I’m putting in the whole house. I need the master suite done so I can move in. I’ve got three and a half weeks until I close on my other house. I’ve got a good jump on the master this week though.”

  She’d almost felt bad doing dinner tonight, as she knew he’d been working nonstop to move in.

  When they turned the corner into the room she saw the wide planked darker hardwood floor. “Wow. That’s nice.”

  “Thanks. It installs pretty fast too.”

  “How come there are no doors anywhere?” she asked. She just realized that.

  “They were all cheap and hollow. Not to mention brown. The molding and doors are all going to be white and be replaced. It will be a nice contrast to the floors.”

  She moved into the master bath. “This is going to be more than nice. You’ve gotten a lot done.”

  The big slate-colored tiles were on the floor. The walk-in shower was all tiled in white and gray marble. No glass doors, no fixtures, sink, or cabinets either.

  “I should get the bathroom done this week. The cabinet and fixtures will be here Monday. I’m not even touching another room upstairs. The kitchen won’t be done before I move in, but I should have a good start on it. I can live without a kitchen for a few weeks.”

  “How will you eat?” she asked.

  “I’ve got a fridge in the garage. All I need is a coffee pot and microwave. I can make it work.”

  She laughed. “Sounds like my college days.”

  “I wouldn’t know,” he said.

  “You didn’t go to college?”

  “No. I went into the Army, did my few tours, and then came back home and started with the state police.”

  Her eyes were roaming over him now. Images of him in another uniform filling her mind and getting her blood pumping. Damn.

  “Will you think bad of me if I kiss you right now?”

  “I’d never think bad of you for a kiss,” he said, pulling her close to him. “Not sure why you had to ask that or were even worried.”

  “Not worried. Just that I had a mental image of you in uniform and well...”

  “Oh, I see how it is,” he said, his mouth going to hers. “Whatever works though.”

  “There is plenty of you that works,” she said, saw his smirk, and then his mouth captured hers again.

  Her hands went under his T-shirt like she wanted to do the other night in the parking lot. There wasn’t anything stopping her from touching him this time.

  “You’ve got one hell of a body on you,” she said.

  “Just from feeling my back,” he said.

  “You’re right. Let me see it.” She grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it up over his head.

  There was a massive smile on his face. “Do I get to do the same to you?”

  “I wouldn’t have started this if I didn’t want you to.”

  “In case you haven’t noticed, there isn’t a bed around?”

  “There is a nice finished floor and some sturdy walls.”

  He shook his head. “What if I didn’t have any protection on me?”

  “I have a feeling you’re someone that doesn’t go anywhere without it.” At least she hoped so because she didn’t have any on her. Sure, she’d wanted to do this but hadn’t thought they would.

  “I do in my wallet. Which is in my truck.”

  “Well then, go get it.”

  He laughed. “It’s not going to spoil the mood stopping like this?”

  She rolled her eyes. “This conversation isn’t spoiling the mood. But if you don’t get a move on, I might change my mind.”

  His smile dropped. “I don’t play games. Yes or no?”

  “Yes,” she said. “I just meant I might go eat first instead.”

  “I’ll be right back,” he said.

  He didn’t run out, he didn’t even move fast like most men would. He strutted. Yeah, cocky and she couldn’t wait to see that bleed over into other areas.

  Nathan hadn’t expected this night to go quite like this even if he had wanted it to.

  He jogged down the stairs, went to his truck, grabbed his wallet, double-checked he had a condom in there, then locked the door to the garage and the front door before he made his way up the stairs.

  “Your shirt is still on,” he said when she was standing there leaning against the window frame. He’d have to move her away from the windows too so he wasn’t giving the old couple across the street a show if they looked out.

  “I took yours off. You need to take mine off.”

  He walked toward her, his hand out. “Floor, wall, or bench in the bathroom.”

  “Oh,” she said. “Shower sex without the water. That would be a first for me.”

  “So you’ve had it against the wall before?” he asked. He took her hand and threaded their hands together and moved to the bathroom.

  “Actually no. We can try that sometime. I don’t think I’d be too worried about you letting me fall.”

  Meaning in the past she might have worried with other men? He didn’t ask because he really didn’t want to know.

  “This isn’t very romantic,” he said, pulling her shirt over her head. She had a nice little light blue bra on and he made quick work of getting rid of that too.

  “I’m not looking for romance,” she said. “We said fun. This is all about fun, relaxing, and popping off some steam.”

  He was going to pop off soon, he knew that.

  He set his wallet down on the bench in the shower, then moved over and sat next to it, pulling her down on his lap, her legs on each side of his hips. “Good thing I grouted this the other day too or it’d be too sharp.”

  “I’m sure I wouldn’t feel it.”

  “I’m done talking now,” he said.

  “Thank God. I didn’t know you’d be this chatty.”

  He’d never been called chatty a day in his life. Why was he someone different with Brina than he normally was?

  It wasn’t time to think of anything other than the pink-colored nipple in front of him. She lifted up on her knees a bit, aligning her breasts with his mouth, an open invitation if he’d ever seen one before.

  He closed his lips over her, his tongue swirling around, her head falling back. “You have a nice mouth.”

  He was going to tell her no talking but was too busy to do anything other than enjoy what was in front of him.

  Her fingers threaded through his hair, holding his head in place, his other hand moving up to play with her other nipple. Pinching it, flicking it, her nails digging into his scalp a little.

  “You seem a little sensitive,” he said.

  “Horny. You’re just teasing me too.”

  He had been trying not to rush it, but he had a feeling she wasn’t going to let him do that.

  Before he knew what she was doing, she slid off his lap, undid the button and zipper on her shorts and let them fall with her underwear.

  She grabbed the condom. “Catch up,” she said.

  He slid forward, undid his shorts and pushed them down, not even having time to kick them off completely before she was ripping the condom open, reaching for him, and covering him completely.

  Her fingers sliding over his cock that hadn’t seen much action lately almost sent him over alone.

  He grabbed her hips, yanked her forward, and had her climbing into his lap. She didn’t hesitate to lift up, line herself up, then slide right down.

  There was a moan in the room and he wasn’t sure if it was hers or his. Not that it mattered at this point.

  All he cared about was the hot woman on him, her inner muscles squeezing him, holding him tight, her hands going to his face, and her mouth attacking his.

  With his hands on her hips, he started to guide her up and back down, but he didn’t have to do much more. She just took over. Almost too fast and eager.

  “Slow down,” he said.

  “I can’t. You feel so good. So big. So deep.”

  Okay, there was no stopping him after hearing that. She was bobbing up and down. He couldn’t even lift his hips to meet or match her and let her do all the work. He was enjoying it just the same.

  “Watch me,” she said. “Lean back. See if you go deeper.”

  Jesus, who would have thought she was this much of a hellcat. He leaned back on his hands, his hips angling up.

  Her breasts were jiggling with her movements and he couldn’t stop watching like she’d said. “I’m so close.”

  “Make it fast,” he said. “I’m not sure I can last much longer.” He was almost grinding his teeth at this point in an attempt to hold off. He wanted her to get there first. Or at least them together.

  “God, the pressure is so much,” she said. “I need to fall and I can’t.”

  “I can fix that.” His hand went right to her swollen nub, flicking it a few times which had her screaming out his name and moving even faster.

  “Shit,” he said, grabbing her hips to hold her in place. He wanted to just keep her still while her muscles squeezed every last drop out for him.

  Her head dropped onto his shoulder, her breathing as heavy as his. “At least you don’t need to get up and walk into the bathroom,” she said a minute later.

  He started to laugh. He had no other choice at that point. So much for having any privacy or modesty around Brina.

  12

  No Stopping It

  “Cold pizza is the best,” she said, reaching for another piece. “I was hungry before but now I’m famished.”

  “Me too,” he said. “I know I’ve said this before. That you’re not like other lawyers, but I’ve got to say you aren’t like a lot of other women either.”

  “Why? Because I put out on the second date? Or because I’m a cheap date. Heck, I even bought dinner.”

  He laughed. “I wasn’t thinking it for either of those reasons. It had more to do with a lot of women need to be wined and dined. They wouldn’t do what you did. At least not in a house like this.”

  “Then I think you’ve been around the wrong women. Or maybe I’ve been around the wrong men.”

  Not many she’d dated would have done that. She’d never had sex against a wall because most of the men she tended to date wouldn’t be strong enough. Or she wouldn’t think they were. It’s not like you can relax and enjoy yourself if you thought the guy was going to drop you or you’d get hurt.