All Tied Up: Pleasure Inn, Book 1 (6 page)

As she gazed into his eyes, her heart went to her throat. It occurred to her that bad-boy Brad Caldwell had definitely helped tamp down the fire in her body, but in the process, he’d left behind his warmth.

Chapter Six

Two birds chirping a love song outside the window of the inn pulled Lindsay from her slumber. She stretched out her body, a contented smile on her mouth, and realized she’d never felt so sexually satisfied in her entire life.

She slid her hand across the huge bed and, much to her dismay, found the space empty, cold. After their amazing love-making session the night before, Brad had told her he had to leave, that he had responsibilities to take care of, responsibilities that couldn’t be neglected.

That made her wonder, and worry. The truth was she didn’t really know a lot about him. She was pleased to meet a man who had responsibilities, and who took them seriously. Meeting a man like that was a rarity for her. In fact, a lot of things about Brad were a rarity.

But what responsibilities was he talking about? Did he have a woman somewhere waiting for him? That thought made her stomach tighten and palms sweat. Or did he simply get what he wanted from her and take off, like the other men she knew? Then again, it’s not like she could blame him. She
had
assured him it was just about sex.

As her thoughts raced, it occurred to her just how much she liked him. How possessive she felt of him.

So much for sex easing the tremendous tension between them. Not only did it make her want him more, it created a whole new set of problems for her.

Disgruntled with the direction of her thoughts, Lindsay climbed from the bed and scooped yesterday’s clothes off the wooden floor. She needed to put Brad out of her head and get her focus back on to matters at hand. After all she’d told him she was only in it for the sex, and apparently he didn’t have any qualms about that.

So sex it was, and sex is all it would be.

Her tummy grumbled, reminding her she hadn’t eaten since breakfast the previous day. She’d skipped lunch with the girls when her equipment had arrived, and she’d skipped dinner because she and Brad had been too busy playing sex games to stop for nourishment.

Lindsay pulled her clothes on and padded barefoot to her door. She quietly eased it open and peeked out, wondering what her friends would think if they knew she’d spent all of yesterday having sex with Brad. Hadn’t they all made a vow to swear off men? Lord, she’d only made it two months. Libidinous slut that she was. Then again, how could she possibly resist a man like Brad, one who was so caring, so considerate, one who touched her with such tender care and was so damn in tune with her needs and desires?

She tiptoed into the hall and listened for her friends. Candace’s door was shut, so was Anna’s. She wondered for a moment if they too had worked late into the night and stayed over, or if they had made their way home.

As she pondered it a minute longer, the delicious scent of apple muffins caught her attention. Yummy.

After freshening up in the bathroom, Lindsay made her way into the kitchen. There she found Pamina talking to her cat. What a strange lady she was. The woman was far too young and beautiful to be one of those crazy cat ladies. That future, undoubtedly, was reserved for Lindsay.

Pamina twisted around to greet her, a bright smile lighting up her gorgeous eyes. Her voice as cheerful as ever, she said, “Good morning, Lindsay.”

“Good morning, Pamina, Abra.”

Abra jumped from Pamina’s arms and curled around her legs. Pamina chuckled and shook her head. “It appears that Abra is enjoying your company, Lindsay. He seems to have an affinity for Candace and Anna too. I saw him saunter out of Candace’s room this morning as a matter of fact.” She tossed Abra a scolding look. “He might be an old
Tom
cat but he’s not supposed to be a
peeping
Tom cat.”

Lindsay thought the comment odd, but chose to ignore it. Instead she arched a questioning brow. “Candace spent the night?” Her mind raced, wondering if Candace had heard the commotion going on in her room. Then again, if she recalled correctly she did hear a lot of banging coming from down that end of the hall. She made a note to check in with both her girls later.

“Is Candace feeling okay? She looked a little flushed yesterday.”

Pamina grinned and made her way to the oven. “She’s perfectly fine.”

Lindsay opened her mouth to ask about Anna, but Pamina answered her unasked question. “Both girls are perfectly fine and their rooms are coming along splendidly.” Pamina stepped up to the table with a dozen muffins. She pushed her fruit bowl to the side, turned the tray upside down and plopped the muffins onto a plate.

Lindsay helped herself. She inhaled the delicious aroma and bit into the scrumptious treat. “What’s with you and apples anyway?”

Pamina waved her hand toward the backyard. “One should never waste nature’s gift.”

Lindsay followed her gaze until her eyes settled on a huge tree, its branches heavy with crisp red apples. “I don’t remember that being there.”

“That’s because you’ve not taken the time to explore the grounds. There is a beautiful pond out back as well. A great place for lovers to sit and chat, don’t you think?”

At the mere mention of lovers, Lindsay’s mind reeled. She wanted to ask Pamina about Brad, but she didn’t want to sound too obvious. Once again, as though Pamina could read her mind, she directed the conversation.

“Brad is doing a wonderful job.”

Her body warmed all over. Good Lord, just the mention of his name had her going all weird inside.

Lindsay tried for casual but suspected Pamina, being as perceptive as she was, could see right through her. “Yeah, he should be done by tonight.” Her stomach plummeted, knowing it would be the last she’d see of him.

“And then he will be gone and you’ll be able to finish up your room. You must be thrilled about that, Lindsay?”

Thrilled wasn’t the word she’d use. Lindsay nodded and bit into her breakfast, even though she no longer had an appetite.

“How do you know him?” she asked, deciding to come right out and pry.

Pamina grabbed her own muffin and placed it on a napkin. “I don’t.”

That surprised Lindsay. Somehow she’d thought they knew each other. “Oh, then why did you hire him?”

“I found his name in the phone book. I heard good things about his business. And I didn’t hire him, you did.”

Lindsay wiped crumbs from her mouth. “When he left yesterday he said he had responsibilities. I guess he must have had other jobs to take care of.”

“I suppose that’s possible. Brad has proven to be quite the hard worker.”

Lindsay agreed. “Yeah, different from the men I know.”

“But I do wonder why he agreed to take a job so far from home. Don’t you?”

Lindsay narrowed her brow and pursed her lips in thought. She’d been wondering that herself. Brad had said no job was too small, but she didn’t buy that for a minute. There was more going on with him than he let on.

“Why don’t you ask him?”

Lindsay’s head came up, her eyes narrowed. How did Pamina always know what she was thinking? “What?”

“Ask him what responsibilities took him away. I’m sure it must have been important. Otherwise why would he rush away, especially when things were going so good for him here?” Pamina winked at her and offered her a fresh, juicy peach from the fruit bowl.

Lindsay choked on her muffin. Good Lord, did the woman know all her secrets?

Suddenly, she went warm all over. And she knew there was only one reason for that. Brad was here. She felt his presence even before she saw him. Everything in her body tingled just knowing he was in close proximity.

“Good morning, ladies.”

Lindsay dropped her muffin and turned to face him. When she spotted him standing in the doorway, her body buzzed to life. She took in the warm look in his eyes as they met hers, and her heart turned over in her chest. She fought down a barrage of emotions, reminding herself that what was between them was sex. Damn great sex, mind you. And nothing more.

She took a moment to peruse him. Dressed in a pair of jeans and a snug T-shirt that hugged his body to perfection, he had
morning after
written all over him. She swallowed and admired his shaved face. His thick hair looked damp, from a recent shower. God she loved how he pushed his bangs to the side. It made him look so damn sexy.

With effort, she said, “You’re here early.” Did she dare hope it was because he couldn’t wait to go another round with her?

“I thought I’d get at the room right away so you can start your painting. I know how anxious you are to put the room together.”

Damn. She forced a smile. “I see.”

Silence reigned heavy as they both stared at one another, sexual sparks arcing between them. After a long moment, Pamina spoke. “Well, head right on up, Brad. The sooner you get started, the sooner you finish. I’m sure you must have other, more pressing jobs waiting for you.”

Brad nodded and disappeared down the hall, and Lindsay resisted the urge to follow, peach in hand.

The morning had flown by rather quickly as Lindsay sorted through numerous paint chips until she got the exact color she had in mind.

Sitting at the kitchen table, she kept glancing into the hall. She hadn’t seen Brad all morning, leaving him alone to finish his job so he could get on to more pressing matters.

Like spanking her again
. Good Lord.

Come to think of it, Candace or Anna hadn’t surfaced either. She’d gone to check on them earlier, but their doors were locked. She hadn’t wanted to knock and wake them in case they’d been up all night working.

It was nearing lunch, and her tummy grumbled. Maybe now was a good time to check on Brad, to see if he needed a sandwich or to see if he wanted to go another round on her padded bench. Her thighs trembled just thinking about it.

Lindsay quietly made her way upstairs. She peeked into her room. “Brad, I thought you might like a sand—” Her words fell off when she looked around and found the room empty. Three steps took her to the window. She glanced out and spotted his truck in the driveway, but he was nowhere to be found.

She also noticed two other trucks parked on the street. Had Candace and Anna hired someone too? Dear God, perhaps they were up to the same thing as she was.

Before she had time to investigate, Pamina stepped into the room with a picnic basket. “I thought you might like to sit out at the pond and have lunch.”

Lindsay smiled. Just then her stomach grumbled louder. “I’d love to.”

They descended the stairs, walked out the back door and made their way to the apple tree. Lindsay tightened her sweater around her, breathed in the crisp autumn air and admired the beautiful colors on the fall foliage. “It’s just gorgeous out here.” She angled her head to see Pamina. “Like you said earlier, a wonderful place for lovers.”

Pamina handed her the picnic basket.

Lindsay frowned. “Aren’t you—?”

“Like I said, Lindsay, a wonderful place for lovers.” She waved her hand and Lindsay followed the direction. Her heart leapt when she spotted Brad sitting by the lake, legs crossed, head down, as though deep in thought.

“Enjoy.” Pamina then disappeared.

Lindsay drew a centering breath and with a lighthearted bounce to her step made her way to Brad.

She cleared her throat, heralding her arrival. “Hey,” she said as she came up beside him. It occurred to her that he’d been so engrossed in some book he hadn’t even heard her approach.

Startled, he closed the book on his lap and tucked it in beside him, out of her view.

How odd.

“Hey yourself.” He gave her a sexy smile that warmed her right down to her toes. “What are you doing out here?”

“Taking a break, like you.” She produced the basket. “I thought we could have lunch.”

He patted the ground beside him and she quickly took her seat. She gestured with her head. “What are you reading?”

“Nothing.”

“Obviously it’s not nothing.” She reached across him and grabbed the book. When she read the title she was taken aback. She glanced at him, her eyes questioning. “What’s this?”

He snatched the book back and put it inside his backpack. “Like I said, nothing.”

“You’re studying for a medical entrance exam?” Wow, there was a whole lot more to this guy than she knew.

He rolled one shoulder, brushing it off. “Yeah.” In an attempt to change the conversation, he reached for the basket. “What did you bring?”

She wasn’t about to let him off so easily. “When we were chatting about your job, about being a handyman, how come you didn’t tell me?”

His eyes got serious for a moment. “Most people think it’s ridiculous.”

As he reached into the basket, she said, “Well I don’t. You certainly have the brains for it.”

His hands stopped, and he looked at her. “What makes you say that?”

“You run your own business, don’t you, and you can put up walls as well as tear them down.” Not to mention that he was smart enough to understand her needs and desires in the bedroom, unlike the other men she’d been with. “Stupid people can’t do that.”

He laughed and squeezed her leg. “You’re so politically incorrect, Lindsay.”

She offered him a wry smile and grabbed an egg-salad sandwich. She bit into it and chewed, letting the information sink in. “So you want to be a doctor.” It was a statement, not a question.

“Yup,” he said between bites. “My secret’s out.”

“I think that is fabulous.”

His head came up. “Really? You do?”

“Sure I do. Of course I never thought there was anything wrong with being a handyman, but being a doctor rocks too.”

He gave her a genuine smile and her insides turned to meringue. Oh boy. She had it bad for him.

She winked. “Hey, do you need any help studying? I could go over the male anatomy section with you if you’d like.”

Brad laughed out loud. “You really are something else, Lindsay. Quite different from any other woman I’ve met.”

She rolled her eyes. “I know, I know, we’ve been over that already.” She squinted and studied him for a minute. “Seriously though, Brad, how come you never mentioned it when we were chatting? How come you kept it a secret?”

He shrugged. “Like I said, most people laugh. No one has ever supported my dream. Even though I’ve got a science degree behind me, most people don’t think I’m going to do anything with it, and that I’m going to stay a handyman forever. They figure I’m great to have sex with and nothing more,” he admitted honestly.