Signed, Sealed, Delivered (10 page)

After a quick glance at his restraining hand, she frowned. “What?”

“Look, I want to ask you something.”

“Ask away.”

“About us.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” He gaped at her. “For what?”

“For letting things get out of hand. You were just being nice, rubbing the stiffness out of my shoulders, and—”

A chuckle slipped out at her innocent description of what had happened between them. “I believe I also stuck my tongue in your ear, and I distinctly remember you shoving your tongue down my throat.”

“It won’t happen again.” She dropped her gaze and tried to pull her arm away.

Connor wouldn’t allow it. The way she’d responded to him spoke volumes. She still wanted him, maybe even as badly as he wanted her. Their business was up and running even though Tracy hadn’t even made the announcement about the Barrett Foods factory yet. There was no reason to hold back anymore.

He brushed the purse from her shoulder, smiling at the loud thud when it hit the floor.

“Connor…”

He wasn’t about to be denied. The interrupted kiss had left him aching for her, a feeling he knew far too well. While he loved working with her, often marveling at the way the two of them complemented each other in so many ways, he wanted, needed, more.

As he leaned in to kiss her, he waited for her to put her hand on his chest and push him away. She didn’t want to jeopardize their business. He understood that. At least his mind did.

His body had other ideas.

Her resistance never came. When he touched his lips to hers, she sighed before kissing him back.

Every single time they touched, he lost control, wanting to drink her in and let her scent and warmth envelop him. He was the first to heighten the kiss, letting his tongue glide across hers and savoring the sexy whimper in the back of her throat.

He wanted to take her into her house and strip her naked. He’d look his fill of her curvy shape and then make love to her.

Fast the first time.

Slow the second.

Juliana was the one to bring some sanity back to them when she eased back. Her lips were rosy and glistening, and she had that slumberous, happy look that made him smile in masculine pride.

He’d rattled her.

“Connor, we—”

Connor pressed a finger to her lips. “Listen. Okay?”

She nodded.

He traced his finger against her bottom lip before pulling it away. “Things are going great. You and I are adults. We can handle being personally involved while also running a business together. Ask yourself this, what’s the worst thing that can happen?”

She actually gave it some thought, which offered him hope she’d changed her mind. “What if we do get involved again? What happens when we break up?”

“Who said we would?”

Her snort made him roll his eyes.

“Okay, fine. We break up,” he replied. “Then we keep working together and let it go.”

“You think it’s that simple?”

He nodded. “Just exes running their realty firm.”

“Have you ever worked with an ex?”

“Well, no. But—”

“I have.”

“You have?” This was a piece of the puzzle she’d never provided before.

“Yep. And trust me, it’s not easy.” She paused, clearly giving it more thought. “But we did okay, I suppose. For years, actually.”

He picked up her purse and helped her put it back on her shoulder. “Then we can try the relationship thing?”

“I thought this was about sex, not a relationship.”

“That’s not what I want, Red. I want the whole package.”

Her heavy sigh hung in the air. “How about this? I’ll think about it.”

Her first concession. It wasn’t enough for Connor. “For how long?”

With a smile, she leaned in and kissed him—a no-nonsense kiss, but another concession. “We’ll talk after dinner tonight.”

“Come on in.” Mallory held the front door open. “Why didn’t you come in through the garage?”

Juliana shrugged. “Wasn’t sure if I should be more formal.”

She couldn’t say she wasn’t sure the friendship rules applied to Connor, especially not with him standing right there. Mallory and Ben barely knew him, so punching in the code and walking right into their house seemed rude.

“Puhleeze. You’re both friends.” Mallory glanced to Connor, giving him a smile. “Right? I mean, Ben’s about to take your house apart. How much more personal can things get?”

Connor smiled back. “You’re right.”

“Hey, you two.” Ben gave them a wave from where he stood at the stove then he went back to putting pieces of bread into a basket. “Hope you’re hungry.”

“Smells wonderful,” Juliana said. “Still having lasagna?”

“Oh yeah,” Ben replied without turning around. “Amber and I made the mozzarella ourselves.”

“Amber?” Connor asked in a low whisper.

“His daughter,” Juliana replied, not bothering to soften her voice. “She’s fourteen now.”

“Wow. I guess I was
way
off. I mistook Ben and Mallory for newlyweds.”

“We are,” Mallory said. “Amber’s my stepdaughter. I got lucky. She and Ben came as a package deal.”

“I see. Any other munchkins?”

“Nope. Just Amber.” She led them to the island, one of Juliana’s favorite additions to the kitchen Ben had made when he’d renovated the house. “Wine?”

“Sure,” Juliana replied. “Connor?”

He shook his head. “I’d love a soda, though. Any cola?”

How odd that she’d never seen him take a drink. “You don’t like wine?”

“Not my thing.”

“I’ve got beer,” Ben offered. “Local microbrewery makes great stuff.”

“Nah. Never learned to like the taste of beer.”

“I’ll get you a glass of soda,” Mallory said.

Mallory poured them both drinks and led them to the table just as Ben brought over the scrumptious-smelling lasagna.

As he set the pan on the table, Juliana got a good look at his apron. She burst out laughing. Only Ben would have the balls to wear an apron that had been printed with a curvy woman’s torso wearing a lacy pink bra and panties.

Connor cocked his head. “Red?”

She tried to stifle her reaction and pointed at Ben. “Check out his apron.”

He took one look and joined in her laughter.

“I got him that for his birthday.” Mallory sounded rather proud of herself. “Mostly as a joke. I figured he wouldn’t ever use it. Would you believe he’s got the guts to wear it on the deck when he barbeques?”

“Absolutely,” Juliana replied. “Ben has no shame.”

She’d never met a guy quite like him. He was so comfortable in his own skin he had no problem joking about anything, even if he ended up looking rather silly.

Connor seemed to have the same trait, although it was clear he still didn’t feel relaxed enough to let his guard down. But she’d make sure he did. She wanted him to belong, and she also wanted her friends to accept him.

Ben cast aside his oven mitts. “Let’s eat.”

* * *

Connor enjoyed the easy conversation at dinner. With the exception of Tracy, most of his friends had all but abandoned him.

So be it.

To sit down and eat with people he liked, who seemed to like him, was one of the most relaxing things he’d done in a long time.

“Damn, Ben.” He put his fork down on his empty plate and rubbed his swollen belly. “That was fantastic. Who taught you to cook?”

“Taught myself.” Ben leaned back in his chair, rubbing his own stomach. “Amazing what you can learn to do on a limited budget. Amber’s getting pretty good, too. Mallory’s a lost cause. The woman can’t boil water without starting a fire.”

“Why should I bother?” she asked. “I’ve got you trained quite nicely.”

Connor started to help collect the dirty dishes when Mallory put her hand over his. “Guys do the cooking. Ladies do the cleaning. Besides”—she smiled at her husband—“Ben had a busy day. He’s got stuff to show you in the garage.”

“Are you sure?” After they’d fed him, Connor wanted to at least lend a hand with the cleanup. As it was, it appeared as though a hurricane had just whipped through. Dishes were piled in the sink. Pans littered the stove. Ingredients were scattered across the counter. “I’d be glad to wash. Or dry.” He took another quick look at the disaster area of the kitchen. “Or anything you need.”

“Jules and I can take care of this mess,” Mallory replied. “You and Ben go talk shop. He’s been champing at the bit all afternoon, like a kid on Christmas morning.”

“You know me far too well, Mal.” Ben brushed a kiss over his wife’s lips and motioned for Connor to follow him.

Seeing no reason to hide how he felt about Juliana from her friends, Connor gave her a quick kiss, savoring her rather startled expression. He’d meant what he said about wanting a personal relationship, and she needed to know that.

He followed Ben before she had a chance to say anything in response.

“Welcome to my
lah-bor-a-tory
.” Ben mimicked Vincent Price. “Muhahaha…” He held open a door and swept his arm in invitation. “Come in. Come in.”

Connor refrained from making a smart-ass comment, although he did smirk. Nice to know Juliana’s friends were every bit as sarcastic as he was. People who were too serious gave him hives.

The garage was a well-organized craftsman’s dream. Tools hung from a pegboard wall. Some were stacked in cases, sorted by size. A few sat on the concrete floor, cords wrapped neatly around them. Connor had never been much of a tool kind of guy. Home improvement and repair were best left to someone who knew what he was doing. Anytime he’d tried to fix something, whether a toilet or a piece of trim, he’d usually made the problem worse.

One of the benefits of being a Realtor was getting to know people in all lines of work. Back in Indianapolis, he had a dozen people from contractors to carpet installers he could call and get help from at a moment’s notice. Here, he was starting from scratch. But now that he knew Ben, more contacts would follow, since Ben seemed like the kind of guy to help Connor network.

“Nice tools.” He ran his fingers over one of the saws. “I wouldn’t know what to do with any of them.”

“Thanks,” Ben replied. “Don’t feel bad. I wouldn’t have a clue how to deal with a mortgage company. Come on over here. I want to show you the stuff I got from Charlie Barker this afternoon. He always has some great salvage. Didn’t disappoint me today.”

“What’ve you got?”

“How about a practically new stainless steel kitchen sink?” He pointed to a double-sided sink lying on the floor by an antique claw-footed tub. Several other pieces, ranging from faucets to long pieces of crown molding, rested nearby. “Would work well for your place.”

“Nice. How much?” Stainless steel appliances came at a premium. Surely a sink, used or not, in such good shape would be expensive, too.

“Would you believe fifteen bucks?” Ben tapped the rim of the tub. “Got this beauty for fifty. Refinish the surface and it’ll be good as new. Cost me a third of one off the showroom floor.”

“What about the cabinets?”

“Charlie had a shitload—far too many to make a selection. You’re gonna have to go with me and take a look. That way you can pick new doors you like. He’s got Shaker, colonial, modern, you name it. Pick what you want, we’ll give ’em a new coat of paint, add the new hardware, pop in the sink and a faucet, and you’ve got a usable kitchen.”

“A shame the countertops are that awful butcher block.”

“Got an idea for that, too.” He kicked a roll of thin metal. “We can wrap the counters in this, distress it, seal it, and it’ll be better than new. A helluva lot more innovative than granite and a lot cheaper.”

“Distress it?” Connor hated feeling stupid. While the idea of covering that hideous countertop was appealing, he didn’t understand why Ben would want to ruin the metal.

“We’ll acid-wash it. Give it some interesting color that’ll contrast with the stainless steel. Mallory’s got some pictures on her laptop to show you. She saw it on some home improvement show. She and Jules are addicted to HGTV.”

“This all sounds great, Ben.”

“How about we meet sometime next week to make final choices?”

“Sounds great.” Connor offered his hand. “I can’t thank you enough.”

Instead of returning the shake, Ben folded his arms over his chest and leveled a hard stare. “Now we’ve got
that
solved, we need to talk about Jules.”

Not that he hadn’t expected some kind of response from Ben over the intimate clinch he’d seen in the office, but Connor didn’t want to get pulled into a personal discussion. “Why would you want to talk about Juliana?”

“She and Mallory are pretty tight; like sisters. You might not know how close they are since the two of you have been working long days to get the business going. Jules means the world to Mallory. And to me. We’re both looking out for her.”

“Noble, but unnecessary.”

Ben rubbed the back of his neck, the first sign he was as uncomfortable with the conversation as Connor was. No doubt his wife had put him up to it. “Try to see this through our eyes for a minute. You breeze into Cloverleaf and suddenly Jules leaves her job, starts a new career, and all but disappears. Mallory and I are a little worried.”

“Again, noble on your part, but there’s nothing to worry about. Juliana’s an adult. She’s also a woman who knows exactly what she wants, and she wanted this change in her life.”

“We get the real estate. What we don’t get, frankly, is you. Where are you from, Connor? What made you decide to come to a small town like Cloverleaf of all places?”

Since Ben wasn’t going to let his concerns be brushed aside, Connor took a seat on one of the stools while Ben followed suit. “Has Juliana told you anything about Barrett Foods?”

Ben shook his head.

So his partner could be counted on to hold a confidence. Good to know, but he’d already judged Juliana as being honest and trustworthy.

Connor walked a thin line, trying to give Ben enough information about Tracy Barrett without getting too deeply into all of the whys and wherefores that had ultimately led to Kelley-Wilson Realty. The big reveal was coming up. Tracy would be in Cloverleaf soon and would make her announcement. Once that happened, everything would change and he could talk freely about his choice to come here.

At least the professional reasons.

Ben listened, nodding from time to time. The man had a poker face much like his own, and Connor learned little about his thoughts from his expression.

When Connor ended his rather bare-bones explanation about Barrett Foods and how he’d come to this fair town, Ben sat thoughtfully for a moment. “There’s more to the story, isn’t there?”

“Honesty, Connor. Always be honest.”

Tracy’s voice echoed in his thoughts. But this one time, he simply couldn’t heed her advice. “Nope. Nothing more. Sorry to disappoint you. No intrigue. No crazy ex-wife. No… nothing.”

“Ben!” Mallory called. “Dessert!”

Thankful for the reprieve, Connor stood and pushed the stool back under the worktable. “I know Juliana’s important to you. You’re gonna have to trust she’s every bit as important to me. Okay?”

This time when he held out his hand, Ben shook it. “Fine. But know this—if you hurt her, I’m not responsible for the feminine fury that’ll rain down on you.”

“Feminine fury? You mean Mallory?”

“You haven’t met the Ladies Who Lunch yet, have you?”

“The what?”

“The Ladies Who Lunch. I can’t wait ’til they get a load of you.”

As he led the way back into the house, Ben’s knowing laughter made Connor wince.

* * *

“Who are the Ladies Who Lunch?” Connor asked on the drive home.

Juliana felt a pinch of guilt.

A pinch? More like a slap to the back of the head.

Her friends had been the most important thing in her world for years. Yet here she was, reveling in the bustle of her new career and spending eighteen-hour days with Connor Wilson. She saw Mallory at least once a week. But Beth and Dani? They had to feel abandoned.

“They’re my best friends. We all teach together.”

“Taught.” He gave her a crooked smile.

“Yeah, taught. You really need to meet them.”

But when? Neither had any free time.

Then an idea hit. “How about we have a cookout? The Fourth is coming up and we could cook out and shoot off some fireworks.”

He thought it over before nodding. “I guess we can do it.”

“What did you think of their place?”

“Perfect. I could have ten buyers there tomorrow with offers in hand.”

Knowing Connor, he wasn’t exaggerating. “I know, right? Ben did all of it on a limited budget. Did he have some good stuff to show you?”

“A sink. A faucet. An interesting new surface for the countertops. We’ve got an appointment this week so I can pick cabinet doors. As soon as it’s done, I’ll invite you over.”

Ever since he’d asked if she was ready to take their partnership to a more intimate level, she’d been thinking hard about what she would do. He was taking the route back to the office—her house. Did he assume he’d be staying?

Despite the numerous tangents her thoughts took, they always came back to the same place. Connor wanted to make love again, and she wasn’t sure if she had the strength to fight her own desire let alone his.

What did they have to lose?

Kelley-Wilson Realty.

But was it truly in jeopardy?

“Thinking awfully hard over there, Red.”

“Your fault.”

“Good. I hope that means you’re going to ask me to stay. God knows I want to. I dream about you every night. Just seeing you makes me hard as a rock.”

Her body flushed hot, and a little whimper escaped her lips. She tried to hold back her physical response to his words. “What about the firm?”

“It’s not going anywhere.” He slipped his hand over her thigh and squeezed. “Even if we—”

“If we break up?” Damn if that didn’t sound like they were a couple of adolescents.

He caressed her thigh, sliding from knee to lap, making her breaths come faster. “Shouldn’t we get a relationship going before we worry about it ending?”