Naked Desire: Naked Cowboys, Book 5 (3 page)

That probably put him emotionally closer to Cyn’s age than chronology did. He figured her to be about ten years older than he was, but all that did was that sweeten the pot. Would she consider age a barrier? Would it bother her? He was sure getting tired of women his age, women who didn’t seem to understand the flavor of life and a relationship.

Or maybe it was the kind of women he happened to pick to spend time with.

And speaking of those women, as he turned into his driveway, his stomach knotted and a headache began to gestate behind his eyes. A cherry-red convertible was parked at his curb. And sitting in the swing on his porch, one leg tucked under the other, a big smile on her bright-red lips, was his current bad choice. Lisa Harrelson. She seemed to show up everywhere these days, accidentally running into him.

Apparently, ten years in New York hadn’t given her what she was looking for, since last year she’d returned to Saddle Wells to live in the little guest cottage behind her parents’ historic old home. She commuted daily to her job as a paralegal in San Antonio. Jesse often wondered why she didn’t go ahead and move there and save herself all that time in traffic. Maybe then he wouldn’t have gotten himself tangled up with her.

He put the truck in park and turned off the ignition, gathering himself to politely tell her he wouldn’t be on her menu tonight. He wondered what part of, “Let’s hang out now and then, nothing serious, no big deal,” she didn’t understand.

“Hey, big guy,” she called as he climbed the porch steps. “I knew you were finished with the DeWitt job and took a chance you might be home early today.”

“Not working today?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Took a vacation day. Thought maybe we could do something together.” She cocked her head. “I missed you at the Bit and Bite. Where’ve you been?”

“Meeting with a new client.” He leaned his hip against the porch railing. No way was he going into his house until she left. Opening that door would be inviting a black widow inside. How could someone look so nice on the outside and be so selfish and possessive on the inside?

She had certainly dressed for temptation today. A tight pink T-shirt emphasized her breasts, the nipple showing dark beneath the thin material. It was obvious she wasn’t wearing a bra. And Daisy Duke jeans cut so high he could almost see where the toned legs joined her body. Her thick auburn hair flowed loose to her shoulders and her makeup was carefully applied. She might as well have been wearing a sign that said,
Fuck me.

When he looked at her, he wondered what he’d ever seen in her. Had the few hot dates been worth having her try to glue herself to him?

“Oh?” She lifted an eyebrow. “Anyone I know?”

“I don’t think so.” He wasn’t about to drop Cyn Dellinger’s name into this viper’s stewpot.

“Come sit down with me.” She patted the swing beside her. “There’s still a lot left of the day.” Her lips curved in a ravenous smile. “And all of the night.”

Jesse shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’ve got some plans to put together for the new client. I might be starting the job tomorrow.”

“Oh, come on, Jesse,” she teased. “You have to play sometime.”

“But not today.”

Now she arranged her features in a pout. “But we have so much fun when we play.”

Possession bloomed in her eyes, setting off every alert system in his body.

“Come on. Don’t do this.” He swallowed a sigh. “We’ve had a couple of laughs together, and—”

“And great sex. Don’t forget the great sex.” She unwound herself from the swing and eased toward him. “We’re so good together. We should think about taking things to the next level.”

Her laugh was throaty, and the sound of it rubbed the edges of his nerves. Her words moved his headache from hovering to fully present. Sure, he wanted to settle down. Get married. That was one reason he’d bought this house and lovingly refinished and restored everything. But it wasn’t Lisa Harrelson or anyone like her that he saw sitting across the breakfast table from him.

Unbidden, the image of Cyn Dellinger invaded his brain, sunlight pouring through the windshield of the truck highlighting the spun gold of her hair and painting her skin with a warm glow. He wondered again what she’d look like naked. How she’d taste. What she—

Jesus! I’m losing my fucking mind. She’s a client. A client!

“Hey.” Lisa was right in front of him now, doing her best to plaster her body to his. “Where’d you go, stud?” She winked. “Dreaming of the things we can do with a big bed? Maybe your big bed?”

That snapped him out of it. He made it a rule never to bring women to this house. Call him old-fashioned but the woman he took to his bed here would be the one he wanted to share the rest if his life with. Unlike some of his friends, he didn’t want an endless list of bodies rolling around on his sheets.

Closing his fingers on her upper arms he set her away from him.

“Go home, Lisa. I have things to do.” He tried for a smile. “Maybe you can find someone else to come out and play.”

“And if I don’t want someone else?”

“Then you’d better change your way of thinking because, you and me—” he pointed to her and then himself, “this really isn’t working. I tried to tell you it wasn’t anything serious. I was honest and upfront with you.”

Anger crackled in her eyes. “Damn you, Jesse Orosco.” She planted her fisted hands on her hips. “You just—” She stopped and drew in a deep breath, let it out slowly. Forced her lips into a smile again. “I picked a bad time. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude. Why don’t we do something this weekend?”

“I told you I’m starting a new job. I expect to be pretty busy.”

Her eyes widened. “On the weekend too? What the hell kind of job is it anyway?”

“A good one that I’m really looking forward to.” He stepped away from her. “Look, you’re a beautiful woman. The right man is out there waiting for you. But I’m not that guy. I’m sorry if I ever did anything to make you think that, but—”

“Please. Spare me the platitudes.” She stomped down the steps to the walkway. At the sidewalk she turned. “You don’t know what you’re missing. But you will. I promise. You won’t find anyone better than me. You’ll come back to me. That’s a fact.”

She climbed into the convertible, cranked the engine and burned rubber as she pulled away from the curb.

Jesse stood watching her, shaking his head. Saddle Wells was a small town, so he was sure they’d bump into each other. Probably more than he wanted to. Somehow, he’d have to figure out how to deal with it, because no way was he taking up with Lisa Harrelson again.

Chapter Three

A week later, Cyn pulled her SUV into the one empty space behind the row of stores, glad that it was directly behind her back door. Turning off the ignition, she sat back for a moment, forcibly controlling the beat of her pulse that seemed to ratchet up off the charts whenever she was near or with Jesse Orosco.

It’s nothing except hormones, she kept telling herself. It’s all those years with Frank, years of bad sex or no sex. Years of listening to cutting remarks that made her question her appeal and desirability as a woman. How had she even let it go on for so long? Why hadn’t she walked away a long time ago?

Because it took a lot of strength to fight Frank’s power and dominance.

But now she was starting the rest of her life. A brand new life. And instead of focusing completely on the business she planned to open, she was mooning over a man ten years her junior like a teenager in lust.

Get it together, Cyn. Right now.

Gathering her inner armor, she climbed out of the SUV, unlocked the back door of the building and walked right into the sight of Jesse with no shirt, body gleaming with perspiration, muscles bunching temptingly beneath his skin as he hammered the braces for the storage shelves into place. Blake Shelton blasted from a boom box set on an overturned box and Jesse was humming along with the rich sound.

On his right shoulder was the tattoo of an eagle with a hammer in one claw and a screwdriver in the other. Cyn was not a big fan of body ink, but somehow it seemed totally appropriate for Jesse Orosco. As he lifted his arm, the eagle moved, the tools waving.

She drank in the sight of him, imprinting his image on her brain. She had hoped that spending time with him would help the effect he had on her fade away, but no such luck. If anything, it had only intensified. The day he brought the sketches and his bid, for example, he’d insisted on going over everything in detail with her, and her brain had kept short-circuiting, her gaze straying again and again from the paperwork to his lean, panther-like body. She’d even found herself licking her lips and biting down on the lower one to regain some measure of control.

After she’d given her approval, he’d insisted on buying her coffee at the Bit and Bite, where she’d been thankful to see only a sparse scattering of people. The last thing she was looking for was more gossip about her. She’d had her fill in Memphis.

So what? He’s my contractor. I’m allowed to have coffee with him. Right?

Then he’d taken her along while he selected the different types of wood he’d use so she’d get exactly the effect she was looking for. Somewhere in there, they also stopped for lunch. By the time he’d brought her back to her SUV, her top had stuck to her with perspiration that had nothing to do with the Texas heat and her pulse had done a wicked two-step.

If she’d thought she could put some space between them and get her brain straightened out, however, she was mistaken. The very next day he’d convinced her it was important for her to be at the store with him while he laid things out and had walked her through the process again. But when they were finished and he’d tried to take her to lunch, she’d begged off as politely as she could. After all, she didn’t want to be rude. But again, she hadn’t been eager to be in the public eye with any man, especially one this hot and good looking. And young.

Yeah, don’t forget young, Cyn.

She gave him credit for being perceptive and not forcing the issue. But he had convinced her to let him pick something up, and they’d had a picnic on the floor of the empty store. He’d made her laugh with stories about his family and his friends and growing up in Saddle Wells. Despite her misgivings, she’d found herself relaxing and enjoying the informality of the mood. Frank had certainly never done anything like that. Not even close.

Perhaps her greatest regret, the thing that made her disgusted with herself, was how long she’d fooled herself that she was content in her marriage. Talk about being a blind idiot.

After that day, though, she’d made it a point to distance herself from Jesse, arguing she’d only be a distraction while he worked. She’d taken a day to just veg out, hanging out at the B&B. Trying to get both her brain and her hormones under control. Georgie, of course, had plied her with questions that she’d sidestepped as best she could. The other woman had a gleam in her eye that Cyn did her best to tamp down.

“He’s my contractor, for heaven’s sake,” she’d insisted. “He does excellent work.”

“I bet he does.” Georgie had laughed.

Cyn had deliberately turned on her ereader, hoping to signal an end to that conversation. And it had. At least for that day. But Cyn knew before long all the girls would be giving her the third degree. She hoped she could answer them without giving away her unbidden feelings.

Today, an invisible magnet had drawn her to the place. The battle she’d raged with herself all morning had been a losing one. What could it hurt to casually stop by? She’d stopped at the deli and picked up sandwiches and drinks. Maybe he brought his lunch, maybe he didn’t, but it would give her a good excuse to stop by.

So here she stood, drooling over a partially naked god, mentally licking her lips and willing her pulse to slow down.

Cyn, this is over the top. Get your act together.

At that moment,
he turned and uncorked his megawatt smile that made her panties dampen and her nipples harden with need.

“I heard you come in, but I wanted to finish this one brace.”

“What if I’d been a thief who’d come to rob you?” she asked. “Or some other kind of idiot breaking in?”

He chuckled. “I could smell your perfume as soon as the door opened.” He winked. “Very unforgettable. And sexy.”

Oh, Jesse, don’t say things like that to me.

She lifted the bag in her hands. “I picked up lunch. I wasn’t sure if you brought yours or not, so I took a chance.”

“Great. I didn’t, and thank you.” He pulled on his T-shirt, took the bag from her and checked inside. “Roast beef on rye from the deli. Excellent choice.” He set everything down next to the boom box. “Let me show you around and then we’ll eat.”

“I can see you’re getting ready to install the shelving back here, but you haven’t had time to do anything else, have you?”

“You’ll see.”

As if it was the most natural thing in the world, he took her hand and led her into the front part of the store. Her eyes widened at the sight of chalk marks on the floor defining the layout as he’d sketched it for her. But what really surprised her were the exquisitely finished stained shelves leaning against one wall, ready to use.

“Are these for the front?” She ran a finger over the satin-smooth surface of one of them. “I’m surprised you brought them here already.”

“Uh uh. The back. For your storage.”

She turned back to him. “But—But isn’t it more expensive to have finished shelving in the back? I thought all I’d need were some old boards to hold inventory and supplies.”

Jesse’s laugh was deep and sexy, vibrating through her.

“Well, I could have done that, but then I couldn’t let you tell anyone I’d installed them. People know my work. Even when it’s out of the public eye, I want it to look the best.”

She was still touching the stained shelf. “Doesn’t this cost more than we figured, for you to do this? And when did you get it done anyway?”

“No, it doesn’t exceed the budget.”

He lifted her hand and closed his fingers over it. “I happened to have this wood at home. It didn’t take much to cut it and put a coat of stain on it in my workshop.” He was staring straight into her eyes. “I want every inch of this place to be special to you, Cyn. Even the parts no one can see but you. Forgive me if I’m overstepping, but I have a feeling no one’s wanted to make things special to you for a long time.”

An image of Frank crowded her brain, the anger lining his face when she’d last seen it. The way his fist had slammed on the conference table when they’d met for the last time with all the attorneys. Heard again the vicious words he’d spat at her.

“Bad memories?” Jesse’s voice was soft, covering her like flannel sheet.

Cyn blinked and gave herself a mental shake. “Memories not even worth discussing. Thank you for this, Jesse. But surely you have other things to do in your evenings besides making shelves for my store.”

“When I’m on a job,” he told her, “I tend to do some of the work in the evening away from the construction. Allows me to focus better on the work.”

“I’ll bet that disappoints a lot of ladies in this town, making yourself unavailable like that.”

He winked. Lordy, that wink was going to do her in yet.

“They’ll survive. Anyway, I’m off the market.”

“Oh.” Of course. How stupid of her not to realize that. A man as appealing as Jesse Orosco certainly wouldn’t be single. She made her face as blank as possible. “How nice for you.”

“I don’t know about that. It won’t be nice until I can tell her and she’s receptive.” Abruptly, he took a step back, still holding her hand. “Come on. Let’s walk around here.”

He pointed to copies of his sketches taped to one wall, explaining what he envisioned in more detail as he walked her around the chalked areas.

“So what do you think? I know there’s not much to see, but I hope now that it’s diagrammed, you can get what my vision is.”

“I saw it the day you showed me the finished drawings. I’m excited to see it take shape.”

“Did you order your stove yet?” he asked, leading her into the back room again.

“No. I plan on doing that today.”

“I should have this area ready for delivery by the end of the week.”

“You mean Saturday? But that’s only three days away. Are you sure?”

“Would I tell a fib?” he teased. “I can tell how important this place is to you.” His face sobered. “I don’t know what your backstory is, Cyn, but whatever brought you here, we’re all going to help you succeed.”

“You don’t even know me,” she protested.

“I have good instincts. So do your friends, all of whom I know. If you were a phony, they’d spot it right away.”

Warmth spread through her at his words. Was it possible that she had found total acceptance so quickly? In Memphis, she had always had the feeling she was circling on the fringes of Frank’s crowd, never quite making it in to the circle. She was beginning to think fate had directed her right here to Saddle Wells.

“So where are you going to shop?” Jesse asked. “We’re pretty limited here in town.”

“In the city. Georgie said she’d go with me. She has a place where she shopped for the B&B while she was rehabbing it.”

Jesse nodded. “She’s done a damn fine job of pulling that old place together, that’s for sure.”

“Did you work on it?”

He shook his head. “That’s a real story.” He picked up a paint-spattered tarp from a pile in the corner and spread it out on the floor. “Sorry I can’t offer you fine-dining service, but I hope the company makes up for it.”

“Of course.” She sat carefully, folding her legs the way she used to when she went to summer camp. “I guess I didn’t even think about where…about how…”

“It’s okay, Cyn. I’m really glad you showed up with lunch. The food—and the company—will make my day.”

She wasn’t sure how to answer that, so she changed the subject. “So why didn’t you work on the B&B?”

“Oh, I did. But only the finish work.” He laughed as he twisted the cap off a soft drink. “Get Georgie to tell you the story of how she and her husband, Cade, met. It’s quite a tale.”

“I will.” It was obvious that the Hannigans adored each other. Maybe she could pry some answers from Georgie if she low-keyed it. She knew what it was like to have people dig into her private life.

They finished their sandwiches and soft drinks and Jesse policed the area, stuffing all the trash into the plastic bag.

“I’ll take it.” Cyn reached for it.

“I’ll dump it in the trash bin behind the stores here.” He rose lithely to his feet, his movements graceful and fluid, and held out his hand to her.

Did she imagine it, or did his touch linger a few seconds longer than necessary?

Stop it, Cyn. You’re too old for daydreams and fairy tales.

“Like I said, see if you can get delivery and installation Saturday,” he told her. “I’ll have your work table installed by then too. My mouth is already watering for some of those corn muffins and ribs you talked about.”

Heat crept up her cheeks and she was sure she was bright red. What was the matter with her, blushing like a shy virgin at such an innocuous remark? She drew in a steadying breath.

“You can be my guinea pig. But I warn you, I’m way out of practice.”

“No sweat. I’m happy to be a guinea pig.” He grinned at her as he opened the door. “Bring on the recipes.”

She managed her exit without looking too flustered. Sitting in her vehicle, the engine running, she ran her fingers through her curls. What was there to be so disconcerted about? He was a nice young guy being pleasant to a client. Customer. Whatever. Nothing more.

Right?

Right.

So before she saw him again, she’d better get her shit together. And wipe the image of his half-naked body out of her brain.

Cyn and Georgie drove into San Antonio where Georgie told her the selection and pricing would be much better than in Saddle Wells.

“Even if they charge a delivery fee, it’s worth it.”

“You did such a good job with the B&B, I have to believe you know what you’re talking about,” Cyn said.

“So how’s it going with Jesse?” Georgie asked as they made their way down the aisle of the home-appliance store. “Don’t you have a hard time not drooling all over him?”

“
Please
.” Cyn turned away so Georgie couldn’t see the faint blush she felt creeping up her cheeks. “He’s a good-looking kid, but come on, Georgie.”

“Kid?” Georgie looked at her, one eyebrow lifted. “Honey, Jesse Orosco is a full-grown, totally adult man. If you haven’t noticed that, you’re blind or encased in cement.”

“He’s ten years younger than I am,” Cyn pointed out. “And he’s also my contractor.”