Hunks, Hammers, and Happily Ever Afters (52 page)

Junior gave me a nod and an understanding smile. "Morning, Alex. What happened?" he asked, as Jerry stepped around us and inside the building. The water on the floor came just shy of hitting the snake skin on his boots, as if it knew better than to slosh.

"Friday—" Hal began.

"We already know about Friday," Junior said. The other reason Hal hated me? He wasn’t my boss—
Junior was
—and Junior Dolan, who had also hired me,
liked me
. I quickly filled him in, earning another understanding smile at Hal’s sputtering when I got to the part about calling the police.

"Let’s not go assigning blame yet. Wade," Jerry sighed, "How long you think it’s gonna take your crew to redo that sheetrock?"

"At least a week; ten days at the outside," Wade quietly said. "And that’s just a guess."

"How far behind will this put us?" Jerry pulled a cigar from his pocket and clamped it between thinly compressed lips.

I dreaded saying what I had to say but I knew Jerry was man enough to take it and besides, he what was coming even if none of us liked hearing it. "We’ll have to have another electrical inspection, and all the insulation will have to be replaced. Ten days with overtime, and that includes fixing the hole."

"If they can get all the old sheetrock out by Thursday, I can have two insulation crews here to work all day," Junior said.

I didn’t even have a chance to ask where he’d find the insulation so fast.

"Do it." Jerry turned my way with a shake of his head. "Get the electricians out here ASAP, and get this job in as close to on time as you can. With no more fuck-ups!"

~*~

T
he rest of the morning was like something out of my worst nightmare as I watched Wade’s crew remove the saturated sheetrock they’d spent weeks installing, patching and sanding. And when I wasn’t supervising, I was dealing with the police, who finally showed up, or on the phone screaming at the electricians. After enough threats and cajoling, they agreed to get their asses out on Tuesday and check our wiring, though they made no promises about how long fixing anything would take.

I collapsed in the chair in my tiny office nearly deaf after a morning of listening to heavy equipment suck out water and the sound of my little window air conditioning unit drowning out everything else. I was hot and tired and sure as hell not in the mood for anyone’s crap when Wade showed up at my office door.

"How come you’re not eating with your crew?" I asked between bites of my meatloaf sandwich. With his jeans and t-shirt covered in white smudges from the damp sheetrock, he looked as stressed and worn out as I felt.

"Thought I’d come see how you were doing." He dropped his cooler on the desk and collapsed in a chair across from me.

"Finally got the fucking electricians straightened around."

"And the police?"

"They said there’s probably not much they can do but file the report and get us some extra patrol cars."

Wade pulled his lunch out and set it on the edge of my desk with almost military precision. "Did you tell them about that pack of skateboarders?"

"They’re not a pack," I said with a laugh, then asked, "You really think it was them?" I nibbled on a Dorito, waiting for his reply. I had nothing against skateboarders. Hell they were up and down my street all the time and their tricks were...well, they took more skill than I’d
ever
have. But I didn’t want them darting in and out of a busy construction site and risk getting run over or hurt—and of course, suing us.

"I think anything’s possible, darlin’. They got mighty pissed at you last week." Grinning, he eased back in his chair, a small plastic cup and spoon in his hand. "Between you running ‘em off and Hal nearly getting into a fistfight with another one of ‘em on Friday, anything’s possible."

As if Friday’s mess hadn’t been enough, the three skateboarders, who’d been a total nuisance from the day the concrete had dried, had appeared out of nowhere to laugh at The Hole. Hal hadn’t taken it well, but then there wasn’t much Hal did take well, and a heated argument had ensued.

"It’s a wonder we all still have jobs."

Nodding, Wade slipped a spoonful of something between his lips.

"What are you eating?" I frowned over the pile of paperwork at his lunch.

"Chocolate pudding."

"You eat your dessert first?"

"I gotta sweet tooth," he replied with a grin that said he had
more
than a sweet tooth.

I chuckled and shook my head as Hal appeared in the doorway, the perennial frown on his face killing my desire to flirt with Wade. "How’s it going out there?"

"We’re making good progress." Wade didn’t bother to turn around, just sighed and slipped another spoonful of pudding between his lips. I didn’t miss the hard assessing look Hal gave the both of us. Or the way Wade slowly licked the spoon clean, a huge shit-eating grin on his face.

"Electricians are scheduled for tomorrow."

"Good." With one last nod, Hal turned and headed down the tiny hallway, his footsteps reverberating through the tiny trailer.

"Do me a favor," I said once the door slammed, announcing Hal’s departure.

"What’s that?"

"Don’t call me darlin’ when we’re at work...or honey either."

I hadn’t meant to say it quite so harshly but Hal just did that to me. With a curt nod, Wade had gathered up his lunch and quickly retreated from my office, leaving me all alone and pissed off at myself for not having more tact. I made it a point to stop him when they knocked off work for the day, then found myself hemming and hawing under his scowl until all of them finished streaming past.

"I have a reputation—"

"As a ball-buster. Yeah, I know."

Before I could respond, Hal went trolling by, giving us both another long hard look like he’d done earlier. "See you both tomorrow."

We said our good-nights then watched him climb in his dusty Ford. The sound of the diesel engine starting up drowned out anything else we might have said.

CHAPTER FIVE

If anything, Tuesday was worse. The stench of sour mud hit me the minute I got to work and stayed with me the entire time I walked the site with the electricians who, of course, confirmed my worst fears. We had wiring problems.

I stepped outside the building in time to see Wade, who’d ignored me all morning, coming my way with two biscuits and two cups of coffee, a smile on his handsome face.  Sure, it was probably for the best that he’d ignored me, but that didn’t mean I had to like it.

"You look like you could use this," he said, handing me one.

With a sigh of relief and a smile, I accepted his peace offering.

"Where’s mine?" Hal boomed from behind me with a raucous laugh. "Or do you just treat
the ladies
to breakfast?"

From nearby a few men chuckled and I swallowed a lump of dread as I picked up a few sly glances shot my way. As business-like as possible, I filled Wade in on the electrician’s verdicts while I ate.

"They’ll need at least two days to fix the wiring."

"It’s a wonder Dolan hasn’t shown up back out here to supervise." Hal stepped past Wade, giving him a slap on the shoulder.

"Any other bad news you’d like to share, darlin’?"

More laughs, and louder to boot; this time from Wade’s crew and the electricians who streamed past us on their way to the catering truck. It wasn’t even noon yet and the humidity was so thick I could feel it pressing me into the sidewalk. My feet were so heavy, I couldn’t move as fear and anger stiffened my spine. Somehow or another I had to make him understand that being at work meant business as usual. Though that didn’t make me want him any less.

I sipped my coffee, and then gave him a cold, hard stare from under my hardhat. "You’re guys are gonna have to work this weekend." I couldn’t hold back a smirk at the sound of groans that accompanied my statement.

"I ain’t working this weekend," Wade said with a shake of his head.

"’Fraid it looks like you are."

"I got a hot date."

I wanted to ask who with, since he hadn’t asked
me
out, but I didn’t.

"Your hot date will have to wait. You’re working this weekend to get that sheetrock finished up. And you’re probably working late this Friday night."

"Which means you’ll be here, too, right?" He shot the crew a grin.

"Nope, but I will be on call." I made to step past him and escape to the relative peace of my office where I could hide out and forget he’d called me darlin’
again
.

"What if we can’t reach you?"

Because, of course, I’d be at Jimmy Z’s while he was here hanging sheetrock by spotlight. "I’ll have my cell phone."

"So we can just
call you
you if something goes wrong?"

There was no missing the threat in his voice. If there was an emergency and I had to come straight from the bar all dressed up in high heels and a skimpy dress, I was busted. I wadded up the biscuit wrapper and threw it in a nearby trash bin. "Let’s take this in my office, shall we?"

On shaky legs I led him across the parking lot to the trailer and flung the door open. One of Hal’s flunkies sat at a rickety corner desk, talking on the phone in a low voice. At my scowl, he set his feet on the floor and turned his back to us, obviously not in the mood to be disturbed.

I led Wade back to my office, slammed the door and threw my hard hat in the corner, thankful Hal was still outside. Kicking the extra chair out of my way, I leaned against the desk beside Wade.

"Do you think I asked you not to call me sugar or darling or honey just to be a bitch?" I asked, scowling down at him.

He set his biscuit and coffee next to mine and eased to his feet so I had to look up at him. "I think you’re making a big deal out of nothing."

"
Nothing?
How long have you worked for Dolan?" I hissed, wishing I could holler at the top of my lungs and throw stuff instead, but I damned sure didn’t want anyone finding out the real reason I’d yanked him into my office.

"This is my first job, but I’ve worked construction all my life."

"Ever work with a woman?"

"Yeah," he said, with a slow nod. He stepped in front of me so his legs straddled mine and reached up to give my shoulders a firm squeeze. Talking was nearly impossible with him distracting me.

"Wade, I’ve worked my ass off for the last three years just to earn a little respect. Just a
little
and you’re putting all of that in jeopardy. You see how Hal—what are you doing?"

He was unsnapping my dusty work shirt. Then he was untucking my tanktop. Fear and desire slid up my spine, competing with one another as his firm, warm hands grasped my ribcage. "No, Wade! Not here. We can’t," I whispered as he leaned closer.  What I could do and what I should do were two very different things.
What I should do is chase his ass out of my office.

"The door’s not even locked," he murmured, his lips curving into a smile.

Even though I knew I shouldn’t, that I could kiss my job good-bye, if we got caught, I let him kiss me. His mouth was as warm and firm as I remembered as his tongue slid smoothly against mine and his fingers dug deep into the sore tired muscles of my back.

"You know if we get caught—" I stammered once he let me up for air. I felt hypnotized by his deep green gaze, my legs were heavy and my cunt damp and eager, in spite of, or because of, the possibility of getting caught.

"We’re not gonna get caught. We didn’t get caught Friday night," he added, unzipping the fly of my jeans.

I cupped the erection outlined in worn denim. "That was a bar, though."

"Yell at me," he said, pulling a condom out of his pocket.

I snorted in shocked laughter at the little cellophane package. "Yell at you?"

"Yeah, and turn around, while you’re at it."

I could barely remember why I’d dragged him in here in the first place. Biting my lip to keep from laughing, I spun around in my heavy work boots. He moved up behind me and leisurely unfastened my jeans and pushed them over my hips, as if he had all the time in the world. I closed my eyes and leaned against him as soft worn denim caressed my bottom and caused my nipples to strain against my bra. His hand at the small of my back coaxed me to bend over my desk. Frigid air to drift across my backside and sent another shiver up my spine. I moaned and grabbed the edge of my desk for support as he bent me over and slid a finger inside me.

"Yell," he hissed, leaning over to cover my body with his. Anyone who walked in would have no doubt about what we were doing.

I sighed at the feel of his cock pressed against me, then forced myself to follow his instructions. "Y’all are working this weekend whether you like it or not!"

With one hard thrust, Wade was buried deep inside me, and I wasn’t laughing anymore. I struggled to adjust to the feel of him inside me, stretching me, finally pushing myself up on my toes and arching my hips to better accommodate the both of us.

"No we’re not! That sheetrock can get hung—"

From somewhere nearby a door slammed. I tensed slightly until my sex-fogged brain didn’t pick up footsteps.

"This weekend, Goddamnit!"

The window A/C unit hummed loud enough to drown out the moans we forced ourselves to stifle as Wade pumped in and out of me like a piston, filling me, only to pull back and tease me, then thrust inside again until skin slapped against skin.

"Harder," I ordered from between gritted teeth.

"Yell some more," Wade replied on a thrust I felt at the back of my throat.

"It’s your turn."

"If you ain’t workin’, I’m not either." He pressed his face against my shirt so I could feel him laughing against my back.

"
I’m not the drywall foreman
," came out somewhere between a yell and a screech at another extra-hard thrust. I could barely force the words out as I got closer and closer to climaxing. "And don’t call me darlin’ again or I’ll have your ass!"

"I got your ass," he ground out softly.

Now we were both laughing. I shifted enough to get to my clit with my fingers and stroked myself while Wade raced to keep up. "Come on, baby," I hissed, ready to finish it before we
did
get caught. Groaning, I pressed my face into a stack of paperwork, crumpling some of it with my free hand. "Hurry, Wade...oh God."