Keeping Katie (4 page)

She smiled and gave him a small salute before walking into the library. He gave his third sigh of the day before heading back upstairs.

It took him longer to locate and properly patch all the ceiling holes and now all they needed was plastering over. He thought he'd better check on his new little helper. He hadn't heard a peep from her in several hours and wondered if she was still down there.

It was nearing one p.m. and Jordan's stomach was growling. Damn, he'd forgotten to bring a lunch pack again. At least he had a few bottles of water.

He walked down the stairs to find the front entrance totally free of debris, with nothing but clean and swept floorboards. He walked though from the study, the dining room and the library to find the same. She had done an amazing job and had done more in a few hours than that punk boy had done in several days. But where was she? He found her sitting on the back step eating a sandwich.

"Hey, there."

"Oh, hi, hope you don't mind I got kind of hungry. Are you hungry?" Her big blue eyes smiled up at him.

"Famished. Where did you get sandwiches?"

"One of those mobile, lunch van thingies passed by. I chased it down and got some food."

He laughed. "Not only are you a miracle worker, but a chaser of food. Where have you been all my life?"

Her laughter was music to his ears. He sat down on the step as she tossed him a sandwich pack. He had removed his shirt in the June heat, but he realised she still had on her long sleeved shirt rolled partly up her arms.

"Are you not hot in that thing?"

"Oh, not at all." She gave her arms a quick rub. "No offense, but your summer doesn't feel as hot as an Aussie one."

Jordan bit back a groan. She obviously didn't realize what a hot Aussie she was to him. Probably for the best, he forced himself to stay on general topics trying to get to know her a bit.

"How long you been over here then?"

"Just over a month now."

"Going back anytime soon?" He smiled when she shook her head.

"No, not really, I'm living with my aunt and uncle. This is kind of a new life for me. A fresh start if you will."

"Well, that's a relief…that you're staying, that is. I don't want to lose my new worker anytime soon." Katie's lush mouth turned up into a pulse-wrenching smile, her large blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

"So, I got the job then?"

"How can I say no with the fantastic job you did in there." He watched as a blush rose on her cheeks, tinting them a beautiful pink. Jordan couldn't help but wonder what she would look like in the throes of passion. He shifted as he felt his cock starting to inflate again, not that it had returned to any normal size since she had gotten off her red scooter.
Fuck, double fuck.

"So, what's the rate of pay then?"

"I'll file you under first year apprentices. Twelve pound an hour okay to you?" Jordan knew it was a heck of a lot more than he usually paid his workers, and frankly he didn't care if it kept her coming back. Plus she was worth every darn penny.

"Oh, no, that's great. Are you sure? The other job I have now only pays seven pounds."

Jordan stiffened with a sudden nervous fear. "You have another job?"
Fuck, I want
you for myself
.

"Yeah, but it's only two evenings a week. I clean offices up town."

He relaxed. That wasn't so bad after all.

"Well, as long as working for me doesn't tire you out. Maybe I can claim you for the days you don't work there."

"It's a deal." Katie shoved out her hand. He eagerly shook it. The warmth of her small hand in his felt wonderful. Jordan was longing to touch a hell of a lot more than just her hand. With great reluctance he released her.

"Well, welcome to the team of MaKensy Restorations." He raised his water bottle in a toast. Then he gave a silent groan, realizing he had just committed himself to having a constant hard on. There was no way to be around this beautiful woman and not be affected by her smile and smell.

Now, all Jordan had to do was figure out how to keep his hands off his new stick of Australian dynamite long enough to actually get some work done. The bigger question was did he really want to keep his hands off her?

~ * ~

Katie was having the best time since arriving in the UK. She was enjoying the process of stripping down the old house. She used a crowbar to lever out the rotting floorboards in the dining room and the kitchen then carefully measured the lengths of each hole, jotting down each measurement on a note pad she had found inside Jordan's truck. She made a mental note to buy some work gloves and some overalls.

She liked Jordan a lot. He was fun, easy going, not to mention drop dead gorgeous.

She liked his hazel eyes and the look of his disheveled rich brown hair. He was truly beautiful to gaze at. When he smiled, her pulse rate jumped; he was so damn sexy.

She fought the impulse to throw herself at him and beg him to kiss her with those full lips of his.

Her stomach had twisted with butterflies the moment she had seen him standing just inside the gate of his property. When he had taken his shirt off while they were having lunch, she had been treated to a scrumptious wall of well-defined muscle.

She had fought the urge to run her hands over his chest and fantastic six-pack. This was a man who knew hard work, which was something she respected. Not to mention he made her laugh time and time again.

She had almost forgotten about her encounter with that lawyer, Jack Cullen. Katie suddenly thought of Jack and wondered what Jack would look like without his shirt on. She shook her head to clear her brain of her ridiculous, dangerous thoughts.

Katie had agreed she would work Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and a half day on Saturday.

"Wouldn't want to upset your love life," Jordan had joked.

"I wouldn't worry about that as I don't have a love life to speak of." Katie felt the heat flush her face for the umpteenth time.

"What? A hot girl like you?" Jordan gave her a sweeping look. Katie laughed and felt her blush deepening.

"Jordan MaKensy, you are a tease." Jordan just grinned at her.

She couldn't shake the feeling there was something hidden behind his hazel eyes.

"Is your girlfriend the envy of every woman in London then?" she countered. Jordan's expression turned sheepish before he answered.

"Naah, there is no woman in my life at the moment, unless you want that job as well." Katie had stopped laughing when he became serious. He seemed to be staring at her lips. She got nervous and jumped hastily to her feet.

"I'll start clearing out the upper floors now." It was not a good idea to get involved with an employer, especially a new employer like Jordan. She needed this job and didn't want to ruin it by jumping the gun or Jordan for that matter. Not that it would make a difference. One look at the scars marring her body and it would be all over before it started. No, she had to play it safe.

It was five p.m. when Jordan called it a day. "I'll see you bright and early on Thursday, my new apprentice."

"Look forward to it." And she genuinely did.

Jack had come home early from work to find Jordan freshly showered and whistling as he moved around in the kitchen. Jack loosened his tie, slipping the noose off his neck and tossing it onto a kitchen chair, before undoing the first few buttons of his shirt. He smelled something cooking. Jordan seemed to be in a very good mood.

"What's this?" Jack moved around the kitchen bench and pulled Jordan into his arms planting a kiss on his lips. "What's the occasion?"

"Does there need to be an occasion for me to cook dinner?"

"For you, yes."

Jordan grinned, his eyes alight with eagerness to spill his news. Jack ran his hands down over his lover's back, squeezing his left arse cheek.

"I finally found a decent worker. I have a new apprentice."

"That teenage kid?" Jack remembered Jordan telling him about a teenager he was trying to give a go to.

"Heck no, she's a hundred times better than that kid."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "She?"

"Did I mention sexy as hell too? She knows her way around a hammer and a nail gun, mate. She is every handyman's fantasies come to life."

Jack was intrigued. "Going to fuck her?"

"Fuck no. Why would I want to scare away one of the best workers I've had in ages?"

"But you want too though, fuck this girl." He knew Jordan couldn't deny it from the look in his eyes. He wanted to fuck the hired help. Jack didn't blame him or feel any jealousy, considering he was thinking the exact same thing about the new office cleaner. "You know I don't mind if you do. Nothing would change what we have, and you know it would be even better if your new apprentice is also open-minded."

"I don't know her that well yet." Jordan shifted out of Jack's grasp to take the saucepan off the stove. Jack had no doubt they would find out soon enough.

Jack pulled Jordan back into his arms, taking his earlobe into his mouth while his hand found its way around to Jordan's cock.

"Seems the little miss has you nice and hard. You want to eat or fuck first?" Jordan gave a groan when Jack pushed his tongue into his ear. Jordan turned, pulling Jack's mouth into a deep kiss, their tongues tangling. It seemed fucking was on the agenda first.

~ * ~

Katie was smiling as she got back to her aunt and uncle's place.

"Katie, you're an absolute mess. What have you been doing all day?" Aunt Penny looked her over. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd be back in time for dinner."

"Sorry about that. I should have called, but I got a new job today. He wanted me to start strait away."

"See, I knew you would find one," Uncle Allen said. He was sitting on the sofa watching the evening news on telly. "So what kind of job did you get?"

"I'm working for Jordan MaKensy. He owns MaKensy Restorations."

"I know him. Decent fellow." Allen looked up from the telly. "He's a bloody good restorer. I heard he made an absolute fortune buying up old properties, making them all modern and fancy then reselling them to the rich. I did some jobs for him a few years back when he was still getting established."

"I'm happy for you, Katie, but are you sure it's not going to be too much for you?"

Katie shook her head.

"What's he paying you? Better be more than six pounds an hour, or it ain't worth it, love."

"He told me twelve pounds was going rate for first year apprentices." Both Allen and Penny looked stunned. She worried about their reaction.

"No offense, love, but bloody hell. That's a lot more than I ever earned as a plumber, even on call out."

Penny smiled. "Oh tish, Allen, times have changed and our niece here is worth every pound," Aunt Penny said. "Why don't you go have a nice bath? I'll open a fresh wine to celebrate your new job."

Katie walked up the stairs with a smile and a feeling of self-satisfaction that came with a hard day's work. Katie ran a bath, stripping off her dirty, dusty clothes. She turned off the taps when the tub was just over half full then sank down into the water with a moan. The warm water soothed her tired muscles.

Resting her head back on the rim, she remembered Jordan's handsome boyish face smiling at her. She remembered the way he had looked without his shirt and his glorious wall of tanned muscle. She hadn't missed the way he'd been looking at her like she was the first hint of rain in a barren desert, and he was thirsty for a taste.

She remembered the way her body had reacted, her nipples tightening, the way her stomach had clenched and the dampness between her legs. She ran her hand over her breasts, squeezing them, wondering what it would feel like if Jordan was squeezing them. Would he lick and suck on her nipples like she had seen other men doing on the internet and movies? She gave a groan, moving her fingers further down across the scar of her stomach. Her heart gave a lurch. Would he find her scars hideous and not want to touch her?

She slipped her right hand down further through the curls at the junction of her thighs.

Lifting one of her legs up onto the rim of the bathtub, she found her clit and started rubbing in small circles, the burst of pleasure spreading through her body. Closing her eyes, seeing Jordan's face, she pressed down harder before reaching down with her left hand. Widening her thighs, she delved two fingers into her hot passage, slowly pumping in and out. All the while, she kept on rubbing at her clit, her breath coming in short choppy little gasps, not daring to moan too loud lest someone should hear her.

As she pushed herself further to reach that pinnacle, to her surprise Jack Cullen's smiling dark face came into her head. The sound of his voice washed through her brain, mingling with Jordan's. She came at that moment, her hips bucking out of the bath water. She pinched her clit to ride out the climax, making it last all the longer.

Slowly she came down off the wave. She sank back into the water with a satisfied sleepy moan.

Was she finally losing her mind? How could she think about two men at the same time while bringing herself pleasure? They were both tall and handsome in their own way. Jack had a dark dangerous appeal and Jordan a light-hearted boyish charm.

How was Katie ever to decide between them?

Katie sighed, grabbing the bar of soap to wash herself. Maybe it wouldn't be up to her to decide, as she looked down at the horrid burn scars over her left shoulder and the one marring the middle of her stomach. Her heart twisted in pain. What man would really want a scar-riddled woman anyway?

No, her grandpa had always told her people who couldn't accept another for who they were on the inside were not worth knowing. She wasn't looking for love right now. Her main goal was to experience life and she seemingly had found one, or even two, willing candidates to help her out.

Washing away the day's grime, she climbed out of the bath and towelled herself dry.

Tomorrow was another cleaning day. She was half excited at the prospect of running into Jack Cullen again, as much as she was in fear of it. It seemed both Jack and Jordan had been permanently etched into her brain, whether she liked it or not.