Bidding War (10 page)

He watched her shimmy the slim shirt over her rounded hips before reaching for a pair of jeans. He would love to strip her down and take her right here, but the single bed tucked away in the corner didn’t look too sturdy, and he wanted to take his time loving her tonight. Besides, he wanted to make sure she handed in her resignation at the restaurant so she could be back on the job for them tomorrow. He wasn’t kidding when he told her they needed her. They had a triplex to furnish for an open house on the weekend and he and his brother were clueless.

He scrolled through the emails on his phone as she spoke to her co-worker.

“All set,” she said, smiling. “Janine would love to take my shift tonight.” Her smile slipped when she said, “She was in an abusive marriage. She has a little boy to support, and it’s been rough for her.”

Shane hated to hear stories like that. “Oh yeah? Maybe we should pay her ex a little visit on the way to the restaurant. You got his address?”

Smiling, Lacy stepped into his arms and tipped her head back, looking up at him. “Ah, my hero.”

He tightened his arms around her waist. If any guy ever thought about doing that to Lacy, he wouldn’t hesitate to put him in the hospital.

Frowning, she asked, “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good, hon. Let’s get the hell out of here.” He took her hand and led her toward the door. “You know what? Grab an overnight bag. I’ll drop you at the triplex in the morning.”

“You don’t have to do that. I can take the bus.”

He rolled his eyes. “Your days of taking the bus are over, sweetheart. What the hell happened to your car?”

She turned around, heading for the chest of drawers tucked away in the corner of the room, but he grabbed her wrist before she could escape. “I asked you a question. What happened to the car?”

She shrugged, swallowing. “I couldn’t afford the payments anymore. My lease was up next month, so I just took it back to the dealership.”

“How do you visit your brother?”

“My neighbor, Jake, takes me. He has family and friends there. He visits them while…” Her explanation faded away. “Shane, what’s wrong?”

Clenching his jaw as he thought about her trapped in a car for hours with some strange guy who was probably hoping she would repay his generosity with sexual favors, he said, “I’m buying you a new car tomorrow.”

“What? Are you insane? I can’t let you do that.”

“You don’t have a choice.” He pulled her into his arms. “I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you take buses all over the goddamn city or, worse, accept rides from strange men.”

She grinned. “You’re being ridiculous. Jack is a sweetheart.”

“Tell me something. Has this Jack guy ever asked you out?” The crimson stain on her cheeks told him all he needed to know. “That’s what I thought. Tell him to fuck off. You don’t need him.”

She laughed, shaking her head. “Jealous much?”

“Only with you.” And it was true. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been possessive of a girlfriend. Yet when he saw the contractors flirting with Lacy on a jobsite, he wanted nothing more than to fire their asses, but not before he had the satisfaction of throwing their tools out on the street.

“I’m not interested in anyone else, Shane.” She ran her hands up the front of his chest. “Only you.”

He’d waited so long to hear her say she wanted him. Getting the girl he’d pursued for months seemed surreal. He lowered his head and claimed her mouth in a possessive, demanding kiss that stole her breath. When he finally let her come up for air, he said, “That’s good, ‘cause I’m not letting you get away now.” He knew his possessiveness might intimidate her, but he couldn’t control it. Hell, he didn’t even want to try. He wanted her to be his, and he wanted the whole world to know it.

Rolling her eyes, she said, “You have some serious control issues.”

When she tried to step out of his arms, he pulled her closer, pinning her against his chest. “Does that bother you?”

She smiled, lowering her head. “No, in fact I think it’s kind of sweet that you want to take care of me and protect me. No one’s ever done that before.”

His hands drifted down to cup her firm ass, outlined in snug denim jeans. “I’d do anything for you. I need you to know that. When I’m in a relationship, I’m all in.”

She threaded her fingers through his hair. “Yeah, I kind of figured that out. That’s what scared me in the beginning, but…”

“But?” He held his breath, waiting for her response. He didn’t want to scare her; he wanted her to be willing to embrace the life he was offering.

“But I’ve really missed you these past few weeks. I didn’t realize how much I looked forward to our coffee or lunch breaks on the job site. I know we weren’t dating, but it kind of felt like we were. I mean, I knew how busy you were, but you always made time to check up on me.” She shrugged, refusing to look him in the eye. “It may seem kind of silly, but you made me feel special.”

He tipped her chin, looking down into her eyes. “You are special, you have no idea…” He claimed her mouth again. He couldn’t get within a few feet of her without having the urge to touch her, kiss her, or hold her.

She traced her thumb over his lower lip when he finally pulled away. “I want this to work, but I’m still kind of scared.”

Shaking his head, he said, “You have nothing to be afraid of, sweetheart. We’re gonna make this work, no matter what.” Failure was not an option for him, and in his mind, the stakes had never been higher. He knew what it felt like to make a stupid mistake that almost cost him the woman of his dreams. He wouldn’t let it happen again.

Slipping her hand into his, she smiled. “Let’s go.”

Chapter Nine

The short drive to Emilio’s was punctuated with comfortable silence, and Lacy knew she could spend the rest of her life loving this man. The weeks she hadn’t seen him felt the longest of her life. She went through the motions, working and visiting her brother, but something was missing. It didn’t take her long to figure out it was him. He was the missing piece of the puzzle for her. He was the difference between being happy and merely surviving.

He kissed the back of her hand as he pulled into the Emilio’s parking lot. “What are you thinking about, beautiful?”

She smiled, tilting her head to look at him. He was gorgeous. Not model-striking, but sexy, rugged… a real-life fantasy. “I was just thinking about you, about us. I’m happy you didn’t give up on me.”

He chuckled. “That wasn’t an option for me.” He eased the vehicle into a parking spot and cut the engine. “These past few weeks were hell, thinking I might never see you again.”

She sighed. “I needed time to sort through what happened. I was hurt and angry…”

He gripped her thigh, applying gentle pressure. “I know, baby. I get that. I screwed up, but it won’t happen again, I promise.”

She smiled as she laid her hand on top of his. “You can’t promise you won’t screw up again any more than I can, but when we do, I think we can agree to work through it.” She sighed. “This relationship thing is new for me. It’s going to take some getting used to.”

He smirked. “I’ve got nothing but time, sweetheart. Seriously, I’m in this for the long haul, as long as it takes.”

She knew he wasn’t a patient man, but he was patient with her and she appreciated how much it cost him. “I hope it won’t take all that long.” She could imagine their life, living together, working together, maybe getting married and having a family someday. Propping her leg up on the seat, she turned toward him. “Do you want kids?”

“Hell yeah.” He laughed. “Though I have to admit, I’m kinda hopin’ for boys. I don’t know what the hell I’d do with a daughter.”

She smiled, imagining him as the father of her children. “Why’s that?”

He leaned his head against the seat, a grin splitting his handsome face. “I think about the teenage boy I used to be, and if my little girl ever brought home a kid like that, I’d be haulin’ my shotgun out.”

She laughed, squeezing his thigh. “She’d be a daddy’s girl, huh?”

He tilted his head, smiling at her. “Oh yeah. No man would ever be good enough for her.”

She loved his protective instincts. Instead of intimidating her, as she feared it might, he made her feel safe, protected, as though she had nothing to worry about as long as he was with her. “I think that’s sweet.”

He rolled his eyes, chuckling. “I don’t know about that. I’ve gotta admit though, a few of my buddies have sons. They’re about four or five now, and I think that’d be pretty cool. Teaching them to play sports, taking them fishing…”

She reached over to stroke his cheek, realizing that she loved everything about this man, his kindness, generosity, his commitment to his family. “I happen to know your mama is more than ready to be a grandmama.” His mother routinely stopped by their job sites to check on their progress and Lacy often took a coffee break to catch up with her. She was a wonderful woman, kind, warm, generous, much like her eldest son.

“She told you that?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah. You sound surprised.”

He laughed. “I don’t know why I am. She’s been singing your praises for the last six months, telling me you are exactly the kind of girl I need to set me straight.”

She linked her hand with his. “She told me you’ve helped her, financially, since your father died.”

He shrugged. “It’s no big deal. She made a hell of a lot of sacrifices for us over the years. I figure it’s about time I repaid her.”

“She’s so proud of you,” she said, quietly. Knowing she would never have a parent take pride in her accomplishments the way Shane’s mother boasted about his hurt her. “She tells me all the time that you were an All-Star athlete, top of your class in college, always so driven to succeed.”

He rolled his eyes. “Spoken like a devoted mother, right?”

She tried to catch the tear before it slipped down her cheek, but it was too late.

He caught it with his finger. “Hey, what’s wrong, sweetheart?”

She shook her head, wishing she hadn’t mentioned his family. It was still a sore subject for her. “Nothing, I’m sorry.” She sniffled as she reached for the door handle. “Just give me a minute…”

He grabbed her wrist. “Like hell. Come here.” He reached across the gearshift to pull her into his arms. “It’s okay, baby. I know how hard it must be for you, feeling so alone.”

She squeezed her eyes shut, fisting his shirt in her hand as she let her tears fall on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to do this again.” She didn’t want Shane to think she was weak or needy. She wasn’t. She’d taken care of herself and her brother for years, but having a strong shoulder to lean on for the first time evoked a barrage of emotions she felt ill-equipped to deal with. “Just give me a minute,” she whispered.

“Take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere.”

She allowed herself to imagine what having this man to lean on would be like, not just tonight, but forever. To have him as a life partner, to share the burden of her brother’s illness, to listen to her vent at the end of a long day. She pulled back, looking him in the eye. “You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into with me, Shane. This could be a mistake.”

He frowned, gripping her shoulders. “What the hell are you talking about?”

She owed it to him and herself to be honest and give him one more chance to back out before one, or both, of them got in too deep. “I don’t want you to feel sorry for me, or to feel as though you have to rescue me. You don’t. I’ve been doing fine on my own.”

He eased back in his seat, watching her carefully. “You’ve been going through the motions, Lacy. You’ve been so focused on surviving, but what about living? Don’t you think you deserve to be happy?”

She knew he was right. She hadn’t been happy, really happy, in a long time. Not since before the accident, and even then, their lives were a constant struggle. “I don’t know…”

He framed her face with his hands. “Close your eyes for me.”

“But, why…”

“Don’t ask any questions. Just trust me.”

Those three little words had always been impossible for her to swallow, until now. After closing her eyes, she said, “Okay, now what?”