Man at Work (6 page)

“
You never thought of
hiring another one?”

“
Unfortunately, he took
off with my money too.” She began collecting the tools they’d used
and placed them in a gray, metal toolbox. Keeping her hands busy
kept her from getting angry all over again. “I’d worked with his
company on other flips, so I had no reason not to trust
him.”

“
Son-of-a-bitch. What kind
of person would leave someone in a situation like that?”

“
Yeah, my thoughts
exactly.”

“
So, what’s with the
three-week deadline? You have a buyer lined up or
something?”

“
Even better. I have a
chance to be profiled by Leap of Faith on
Flip It or Forget It.”

He removed his tool belt and placed it on
the counter. “The T.V. show?”

“
Yes. This home will go to
an underprivileged family who desperately need a place to live.
Then, the house will be advertised on the show. It’s my chance to
serve others while growing my business. I needed help. That was the
only reason I agreed to allow you to come over.”

“
I’m impressed. Here I
thought you had me over here for purely selfish
motives.”

She smiled. “If I don’t get the flip done,
I’ll be in breach of contract, and I won’t be on any show. The
contractor bailed on me at the worst time. Now, I’m playing catch
up to make that deadline. Which, by the way, thank you again for
your help. You saved me at least a week on the kitchen. Now, I can
focus on other areas of this house.”

“
So, let me get this
straight. You’re renovating this entire home all by
yourself?”

“
Yes. Along with Toye and
my sisters. Why?” She thrust her hands on her hips. “Are you
implying a woman can’t do this work?”

“
Not at all.” He leaned
backward against the countertop and stuffed his hands in his jean
pockets. “I’m just surprised that you don’t have a man or a
boyfriend to help you.”

Oh no! She was not going down this road
again. Instead, she turned the tables. “What about you?” she poked.
“Isn’t there a handywoman waiting somewhere for you?”

“
I’m all alone, unless you
count my three cats.”

Her mouth dropped open. A man with cats? Had
she pegged him wrong? “Are you serious?”

“
Nope.”

She laughed at his joke. She was so
relieved. For a moment, her tough-guy fantasy was in danger of
being burst.

His strong fingers stroked her from elbow to
wrist, sending shivers down her spine. “Your laugh is beautiful,
Candy. Just like you.”

“
Thank you,” she murmured.
She patted her stomach. Butterflies again. This was not good. The
two of them alone. Together. In this house. She turned away,
intending to put distance between them. But she took one step and
stumbled over a plastic bucket.

Gabe was there to catch her. She drew in a
sharp breath as she braced her palms against the hard biceps
beneath his denim shirt. The warmth of his body made her heart beat
wildly in her chest. He swept her into his embrace. When she looked
into his whiskey-brown eyes, she saw the raw hunger reflected
there.

He took her breath away when he spoke. “If
you wanted me to kiss you, all you had to do was ask.”

His lips descended upon hers. His kiss was
as bold as his words. He took full command, parting her lips with
his skillful tongue. She gave up the fight and gave him full access
to her mouth. She slid her palms upward along the chiseled planes
of his chest and draped her arms around his broad shoulders. Gabe’s
strong arms encircled her waist and pulled her against him as he
deepened the kiss. His tongue lovingly caressed hers, sending
electric sparks coursing through her veins. It had been so long
since she’d been stroked anywhere, her body felt as though it would
explode from one kiss.

When he released her, her body slid down the
hard length of his. Her nipples tightened as they left the warmth
of his chest and made contact with the cool air. The space between
her legs throbbed. For a split second, she itched to have him
inside her. She was curious to know every inch of him. Then, just
as quickly, she berated herself.

What happened to not thinking with your
vagina?

Gabe tipped her chin upward, forcing her to
look at him. “Have dinner with me, Candy.”

She was beginning to like the way he kept
calling her by the wrong name. “I don’t have time to go out to
dinner. My every waking moment is dedicated to this flip.”

“
You have to eat
sometime.”

“
I have people counting on
me. My name, my reputation is riding on this.”

“
I know. That’s why you
should let me help you. You’re talented, but there’s no way you’re
going to be able to finish this flip in three weeks. Not without a
contractor.”

That realization was beginning to dawn on
her. Even if she completed the bottom level in time, there was
still the second floor to tackle. She wanted to pull up the carpet
and install hardwood floors. There was so much left to do. Gabe’s
offer was tempting—and so was Gabe.

“
I can’t believe I’m
admitting this, but you’re a distraction, Gabe. I don’t think I can
work with you around.”

There! She’d said it. She didn’t care if her
confession made her seem like a sex-starved hussy.

“
Trust me, the feeling is
mutual. But I think if we promise to keep our hands off each other,
we can get through our misery. Or we could just screw like rabbits
right now and get it out of our systems.”

Don’t think I’m not
tempted, brotha!
Even now, her coochie was
thrumming in protest. She wanted Gabe, but she knew that was
exactly why she had to resist him. It couldn’t be all about the
sex. She was handling herself differently now.

“
I don’t have enough money
to pay you right now,” she finally relented,” but I promise I’ll
pay you what you’re worth.”

He grinned. “Woman, you have no idea what
I’m worth. I value myself pretty highly.”

“
I forgot who I was
dealing with. Okay, I’ll pay you the standard contractor
rates.”

“
For now, I’ll just settle
for dinner.”

# # #

Gabe pulled out his cell phone and dialed
Phil’s number. “Guess where I’m headed?” he asked when Phil
answered.

“
To the butt naked
club?”

“
Hell no. That’s your
hangout.”

“
Oh, yeah.”

“
I’m in my truck on my way
to pick up a gift for Candace.”

“
Woot! Woot!” Phil yelled,
forcing Gabe to hold the phone at arm’s length until he calmed
down. “The old Gabe is back! I told ya she’d come around. What are
you buying her? Flowers? Candy? Candy for Candace?”

“
Funny you should mention
that.” Gabe smiled thinking of the erotic nickname he’d given
Candace. “At any rate, I’m not getting flowers or candy. I’m
getting her the gift that keeps on giving—her very own tool belt. I
wish we had one of those shovels you were talking about, the ones
for females. How soon can we get those in?”

“
Uh, I think you’re taking
this home improvement thing a little too far, bro. I know you own a
chain of stores, but damn man, most women aren’t clamoring for a
tool belt—even if it’s pink and bedazzled.”

“
No, you don’t get
it.”

“
I sure as hell
don’t.”

Gabe chuckled. “She flips
houses. She’s in the middle of an important one. Leap of Faith
Industries is going to showcase the finished product on that
show,
Flip It or Forget It.
She’s real good at what she does,
Phil.”

Gabe found himself pumping Candace up. He
admired her. She was doing something with purpose. The fact that
she worked with her hands turned him on too.

“
Wow. You’ve met your
match now. Who'd have thought it?”

“
I’m helping her with the
flip. She only has three weeks to get it done.”

“
Gabe, you’re not helping
her. Sampson’s is helping her.”

“
Well, in a round-about
way, yes.”

“
Don’t you see this is our
chance to get involved in more charitable endeavors? This project
is an excellent write-off too.”

Gabe turned on his blinker and made a right
to exit the freeway. “What are you talking about? We already do the
classes for free. That’s offering a service to the community.”

“
No, I’m talking about
working with charitable organizations. Leap of Faith is a great
association to partner with. If Sampson’s pays for all of the
renovations on this house and it’s profiled on that home
improvement show, that’s the ultimate advertising for
us.”

“
I’m doing this to help
Candace. She owns a small business and I’m helping her gain access
to resources she wouldn’t normally have.”

“
So, you’re not doing it
because you want to get in her pants?”

Gabe didn’t say anything. He did want to get
in Candy’s pants. But it was more than just a physical thing. He
really liked her. For the first time in years, he had genuine
interest in a woman, and if that kiss was any indication, she was
damn sure interested in him too. The way her body responded made
his trousers tighten. When she’d draped her arms around his neck,
the feel of her breasts pressed against his chest set all his nerve
endings on fire. Even now, her scent clung to him like a cherished
memory.

“
I haven’t told her that I
own Sampson’s,” Gabe admitted.

“
Why not?” Phil
demanded.

How could Gabe explain that he wanted to
hold on to the magic for a little longer? He’d only just met
Candace. She had no idea what he really did for a living, and that
was fine with him. He wanted her to like him for himself, not his
wallet.

“
Never mind,” Phil said.
“I don’t want to know your reasoning. You don’t have to tell her
that you’re worth millions. Just tell her you made some calls and
got the full backing of Sampson’s. You’ll be her contact
person.”

Gabe pulled into the parking lot at
Sampson’s. “It’s so easy for you to create lies for me.”

“
Oh, no. I create them for
myself too.”

“
You are a piece of work.”
Gabe grinned as he put the truck in park.

“
Yeah, that’s why I’m your
best friend. Now, go get your tool belt.”

The next morning, Candace opened the front
door to find a strange man standing on the porch of her in-progress
flip. She looked past the man’s fiery red hair and large gauge
earring plugs to see two black vans with the green and white
Sampson’s logo emblazoned on the sides.

“
Are you Miss Jones?” he
asked.

“
Yes.”

“
I’m Elton, from
Sampson’s. I understand you need some help renovating.”

Behind him, a crew of men began removing
equipment and supplies from the trucks. “Uh, there must be some
mistake,” she told him.

“
No, ma’am. There’s no
mistake. Gabe sent us. Tell us where you want us to
start.”

He slipped past her into the house. Candace
opened her mouth to protest when her eyes flew toward a familiar
figure emerging from the passenger side of one of the vans. She
would know that physique anywhere. Toned thighs. Thick biceps. And
of course, his signature dusty jeans.

Gabe strode forward with purpose. His hands
were clasped behind his back. He looked good. Damn good. He looked
like he hadn’t tossed and turned all night thinking of her the way
she’d thought of his kiss. There were no dark circles under those
chestnut eyes.

She’d never seen a sexier grin than the one
that was currently making her melt on her doorstep. “Mornin’
Candy.”

The sultry timber of his deep voice
reverberated down her spine. She forced herself to focus on her
words. “What’s all this?” she asked.

“
I told you I would help
you with your flip.”

She nodded. “Yes, but I had no idea this was
what you meant.”

“
I made some calls and
Sampson’s agreed to sponsor your renovation.”

The redhead walked up behind her and
addressed Gabe. “Hey, Boss. You want us to start upstairs or
downstairs?”

“
Upstairs,” Gabe
replied.

As the guy trotted away, Candace squinted at
Gabe. “Boss?”

“
Uh, yeah, you know how
construction guys are. It’s just common nomenclature.”

Nomenclature?
Okay. If he wasn’t ready to tell her he owned
Sampson’s, then she wouldn’t push. Besides, what did it matter? She
was in need of help and he was here.

“
I got you something,” he
said. He withdrew a red and black tool belt from behind his back.
“Sorry I didn’t wrap it. I’m not much on bows and
stuff.”

“
Wow. Thank you.” She
accepted the gift. “Tool belt. Vans. A crew of workers. You really
know how to spoil a woman.”

He grinned. “You have no idea.”

“
Seriously, that was
sweet.” She pecked him on the cheek. God, he smelled so masculine.
She could definitely grow used to that scent.

His eyes lit up in response. “Now, that is a
proper way to show gratitude. Makes me want to go back and get the
matching vest and a pair of boots.”

“
Don’t push your
luck.”