One Hot Night Old Port Nights, Book 1 (2 page)

“Thank you.” She was relieved and couldn’t pretend otherwise.

The feeling was short-lived as Scott stepped in closer, reaching out to push a stray lock of hair out of her face. “You’re welcome. I guess the question is, what do we do until he gets here?”

Scott knew it was kind of mean to mess with Audra when she was in such a vulnerable position, but he couldn’t help himself—she was so damned hot. He’d thought she was attractive when he met her nearly five years ago, and that opinion had never changed. At the time, he was fresh from recovery after a career-ending injury on the ice and starting his new business venture.

When Audra had come around looking for rental space, it was clear that she was smart, capable, sexy—and wounded. Whoever had hurt her had left shadows clinging. For that reason, while he watched her walk in and out of the shop in her conservative skirts and blouses that he found sexier than the skimpiest bikini, he hadn’t pushed too hard the handful of times she’d refused his invitations out.

He’d come over here to talk to her about the business, because no one was at the bar and wasn’t likely to be in this weather, so he’d closed down early. Good of a time as any to tell her that he was going to have to raise her rent, and probably have her close up for a month or longer over the spring for renovations. They’d known for a little over a year that the building Lost Treasures occupied needed some repairs. He’d shared the inspection with her right away, but she’d asked him not to close over summer, her busiest season. The inspector said the repairs could wait until spring, but no longer.

However, the building was also a financial risk—all of the estimates to do the renovation work were very high. He had to raise Audra’s rent far past what she could afford, but he hoped they could work something out. His business manager wanted him to give up renting the space completely and expand Score! Scott wasn’t sure what to do.

Audra’s predicament had completely rerouted his intention to talk business. Truth be told, this was one of the first times he’d ever seen her less than perfectly cool and composed. Her silky-straight, brown-black hair was wild, her cheeks flushed, her eyes uncertain. Her breasts strained against the buttons of the soft pink sweater she wore in a way that made his mouth water. When she got worked up, angry or agitated, it made her cocoa-colored eyes turn dark, and her pretty lips flattened in a way that made him want to kiss them right back open again. Everything about her turned him on.

He leaned in closer, planting his hand on the counter, letting his thigh brush hers. He saw the flash of heat spark in her soft brown eyes.

Audra wanted him, as well. She didn’t
want
to want him, but that was a different story altogether. The shadows that haunted her when they’d first met had vanished, and electricity crackled between them instead. He focused on her mouth, enjoying how her tongue darted out to wet her lips and how the upper one crested in the center like a little bow—he wanted to lick it.

“Okay, I have a question.” She seemed nervous, to his surprise.

“What’s that?”

“Why are you coming on to me? Is it my age? Some kind of bent curiosity? Because I’ve said no before?”

He shook his head slowly. “Your age has nothing to do with anything. But I suppose, yes, I am curious and you have presented a challenge of sorts.”

“Is this some kind of gag?” she asked stiffly. “If so, I wish you’d stop. I don’t intend to be the butt of your jokes when you go back over to the bar, thank you.”

He pulled back with a frown.

“Why would you think that? I mean, it’s funny that you got yourself in this position, but no, I’m not coming on to you to go back to the bar and joke about it. No way.”

She looked doubtful.

Scott added, “I’m coming on to you because I like you. I’ve liked you for a long time, and I think you know it. I could ask why you always say no?”

“I just…I thought…I’m not exactly your type.”

“And what is my type, exactly?”

Her expression turned from hesitant to incredulous, and he noticed a light sprinkle of freckles on her nose.

Cute.

“Much younger and more scantily dressed, for instance.”

She had noticed who he was with, at least. That meant she was interested. He never saw her with anyone.

“I like to spend some time with a pretty girl now and then, sure, but most of the girls you see in the news or at the bar, they’re just sports fans or friends.”

“Whatever. It’s none of my business.”

Scott smiled and leaned in a little closer. “Would you like it to be?”

Her eyes widened. “You can’t say age doesn’t matter. I’m way older than you.”

“Not
way
older. Just a few years older,” he countered. “And no, it doesn’t matter one bit to me.”

Scott knew her age. He’d gotten a copy of her driver’s license for the rental contract. He could give a fig about the age difference. He knew people in their thirties who had bodies of sixty year olds after abusing them for years. In contrast, one of his uncles was near seventy-five and running marathons. Number of years meant little in the scope of things.

Leaning in, he licked his lips, anticipating her taste as the door in front opening rang the bell—it had to be Nick.

He winked at Audra. “Saved by the bell, honey.” Then he yelled, “Nick, back here!”

Scott wasn’t sure if it was relief or disappointment that flashed over Audra’s expression when he stepped away. She was clearly feeling a bit mortified when Nick showed up with his tool case, staring at her curiously and at Scott.

“What did I walk into here?” Nick asked, teasing his friend and winking at Audra, who blushed furiously.

Her lips clamped down and did that thing that Scott loved.

Damn. Nick had lousy timing.

“Ms. Leone was testing out these shackles and the key she had made doesn’t work.”

Scott handed the key to Nick, who studied it for a moment. “Yeah, this is all wrong. I can remake it for you. I’ll get you out of here in a slick minute. Who made this one? You should get a refund.”

Nick smiled easily at Audra, and Scott saw her relax a little and smile back.

“I’m afraid I ordered it online.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. Locksmithing is something you should have done in person.”

“I know. This is very embarrassing. It was stupid of me not to be more careful.”

“Ah, this is nothing. You should see some of the messes people get themselves into these days. I’ve seen stuff I can’t ever unsee, you know?”

They laughed, and while Scott knew that Nick was only putting her at ease, his friend’s flirting rankled. Nick was closer to her age. He was in good shape, Scott knew, because they often played community hockey together—but Audra had never laughed that easily with him.

Before he could think about it more, Audra was pulling her hand from the counter and stretching both arms over her head with a sigh of relief.

Scott swallowed hard, watching her. Nick grinned widely, watching him.

Audra was clearly relieved as she lowered her arms. “Thank you very much. I know you’re professional, and I know I probably don’t even have to ask, but—”

“Client-locksmith confidentiality. No worries, sweetheart,” Nick said with another one of those smiles that made Scott want to trip him the next time they were out on the ice.

Wasn’t Nick seeing someone? He wasn’t sure.

“Drive safely, Nick. Send me the bill.”

“Ah, for this? No charge. My pleasure. Nice to meet you, Ms. Leone.”

“Audra, please. And I’ll be sure to call your shop from now on for anything I need done,” she said.

There was nothing flirtatious in her manner or her tone, but as she shook Nick’s hand and walked past the two men toward the front of the store, Nick whistled under his breath.

“Whoa. Nice score, Beckett. And shackles. Check the key next time.”

“Not like that, Nick. She really did get herself locked up there, total accident.”

“There was nothing going on? Maybe I should give her a call, since she said—”

“Watch yourself, now.”

Nick laughed and slapped Scott on the shoulder. “Just yankin’ ya, Scott. You might not have locked her up, but any idiot can see you want to. Good luck with that—she’s class.”

Scott grimaced. “Yeah, she is.”

“Think she’s too good for you? Probably, but you know, nothing ventured…”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Anyway, really, thanks for coming out here in this weather—beers on the house next time you’re in.”

“Wings?”

“You got it.”

“It’s a deal.”

Nick walked out with him to the front and left. Scott wasn’t sure where Audra had gone. The store was silent and she wasn’t anywhere in sight. He heard a door shut at the back, in the warehouse behind her store, and walked in that direction.

Audra was there, dressed in a puffy parka that swallowed her, head and all.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting my coat and snow pants on.” The look she sent him said
duh
.

“I don’t think you need that gear to walk over to the bar.”

“Huh?”

“Dinner. Remember? I set you free, now you come to dinner.”

She frowned, shaking her head. Cool and composed—and distant—again.

“Can we have a rain check? I need to get my car dug out and head home. It’s a mess out there. I didn’t realize when I was locked up in the back how nasty it was getting.”

“It is bad. Bad enough that you probably shouldn’t go out on the roads, period.”

She didn’t respond as she struggled with the zipper of the bubbly down coat she was wearing. The ridiculous garment was bright blue. With faux fur around the hood. He closed the distance and pushed her hands away, finishing the zipper himself.

“There. That’s quite the parka.”

“It’s warm, which is what I care about.”

He pulled the hood up and zipped it, just for kicks. She looked like Eskimo Smurf.

“Be careful out there. And remember, you owe me.”

Before she could say anything else, he cut off her objections with a kiss, sating a curiosity that had been with him for years. He knew that she was never going to keep their dinner date, so he’d settle for this instead. One kiss.

Her mouth was soft, and her lips warmed very quickly, parting and pliant under his. He’d only meant for it to be a casual, friendly kiss, but it didn’t go that way. Almost five years of curiosity wasn’t about to be sated in five seconds. Especially when he could feel her hunger and her struggle to hold back. He didn’t want her to hold back.

When she didn’t back away and didn’t object, Scott went in for more, pulling her up against him and forgetting about everything except that she felt damned good—even in her crazy, puffy coat and snow pants that blocked everything he wanted to feel—and she tasted even better. Amazingly, she melted for him, opening and meeting his tongue with light, inquiring little licks of her own.

By the way the fire was building between them and how hard he was, Scott thought maybe they were both plenty hungry. Starving, even. She broke the kiss, breathless. He couldn’t think straight for a moment. His knees were actually a little wobbly.

“Scott, I don’t know why I… I-I have to go.”

He watched her head for the door like an escaped fugitive with the law on her tail. He wanted to call out to her, but before he could, she was gone. Snow puffed inside the door where she closed it. He stood there for a few minutes feeling like an idiot. A very horny idiot.

He’d kissed Audra Leone. It was probably a mistake, for every reason she’d stated earlier. Maybe she was right to leave. However, as he reset the security code and left through the front, he couldn’t help but think that walking away from that kiss didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel right at all.

Chapter Two

Audra had made a terrible mistake. Another one. It sure seemed to be her day for it. Somehow, the snow hadn’t looked quite this vicious from her shop, but the little car she drove was well and truly buried. Though she fought the wind and the continuing barrage of white in her attempts to unbury it, she finally had to face reality. No way she could get it out of the lot.

She was stuck. Again.

Turning off the car, she banged her forehead softly against the steering wheel in frustration. As soon as she could, she was trading this tiny gas-saving miracle in on an SUV with huge ground clearance that could get her out of an apocalypse, if necessary.

There was a cot in her office. There might be a candy bar or two in there, as well. As she walked back to the store, something smelled so good it made her mouth water. It was coming from Scott’s kitchen vent, which regularly filled the lot behind Score! with the alluring aromas of Buffalo wings and other kinds of tempting, greasy food. Hot food.

Her fingers were freezing, but she could still recall the warmth of Scott’s mouth. She leaned back against the building for a moment, cursing her situation. A hard wind howled, and a ledge of snow from the roof fell from above, landing directly on her. It stuck to her face, and she shook it off like a dog, unsure what she’d done to deserve this. It was as if life was going to dump on her until she got the hint.