Paradise Encounter (2 page)

“Andy?” How could she not stare? He was so completely different from the man she’d pictured all these months. Just look at all that silky, coffee-colored hair, the little cleft in that squared chin, his long, black lashes. And check out the tan on those muscled forearms. He wore a dark green, polo-style shirt with the name of the nursery on the left chest. And what a chest it was. Maya could easily imagine resting her head on that broad, firm surface.

Whoa.

“That’s me.” Now he smiled, and the force of it just about knocked her over.
Again. Lord have mercy!
“Welcome to my little nursery. I’ve got your materials all ready to load.”

“You
own
Paradise Nursery?”

He nodded as he started around to the back of the truck. “Yep. My brother Jim and I.”

She trailed behind him, feeling as if she had been the butt of a long-standing practical joke. And speaking of butts, how perfect was Andy’s? Taut and rounded, in just the right proportion for a man his height. What was he? Six-two maybe? The perfect height for kissing if she stood on tip-toe.

God.
She needed a reality check, stat! This was Handy Andy, after all, the friendly, down-to-earth guy who’d been a pal to her over the phone all this time. She had felt close to him, like she knew him, but she’d been dead wrong about his appearance and about him being just an employee at the nursery.

What else didn’t she know about him? Was he married? He’d never mentioned a wife, but then she’d never bothered to ask if he had one. Her gaze flew to his left hand. No ring. That didn’t mean anything. Men who worked with their hands often avoided wearing a wedding ring.

The jumble of thoughts swirled through Maya’s head as Andy pulled on a pair of leather work gloves. He opened the tailgate and hopped up into the bed of the truck. As if it weighed nothing, he grabbed one of the potted maples and shoved it from the front of the truck bed to the rear, his impressive biceps bunching and flexing. Then he jumped down, hefted the pot, and swung it off to the side in one smooth motion. Maya gasped softly. All those hunky muscles weren’t just for show. Not that she was a stranger to powerfully built men – Derek was a professional athlete after all – but it was somehow different, more earthy, to watch Andy at work.

He repeated the maneuver with the other four maples, grouping them together on the pavement like a miniature forest. Then he straightened, dusted his gloved hands and grinned. Her girl parts went all soft and damp.

“Piece of cake,” he said. Only a faint sheen at his hairline attested to his exertion and the heat of the day.

She laughed. “Maybe for you. That would have taken me all day and I wouldn’t be able to walk afterwards.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing you’ve got me to do it for you.”

His face turned serious all of a sudden and their gazes locked. She braced her feet as the world tilted slightly. Even in the sunshine, his pupils expanded as he stared. She swallowed, trying to make room in her chest for some air.

“You’re definitely my hero today, Andy,” she said.

            Andy turned away and walked the few feet to where the flatbed cart with the bags of mulch waited. He lifted the top bag and repositioned it, pretending to realign the stack. He really just needed a few seconds away from the brilliant glow of Maya’s physical presence. Needed to get his heart back into a normal rhythm and his breathing less erratic. He chuckled to himself. Facebook should come with a warning on those album pages: “Subjects are several times hotter than they appear.”

And there was no way he could have been prepared for the way she smelled either, all warm and sweet, wrapped around exotic notes of floral and spice. Like honeysuckle and roses might smell if they bloomed along the Nile River. The little blue dress she wore only hinted at cleavage, but he was pretty sure that was where the enchanting scent was coming from. He could imagine burying his nose in that heavenly valley and taking his last breath. Talk about dying a happy man.

 “Everything okay, Andy?”

Realizing he’d been standing motionless for some time, he sucked in fresh oxygen, filling his lungs.
Come on, fool.
All this stalling wasn’t getting the mulch loaded onto her truck. That was the main mission today, after all, to get Maya’s order completed and out to the job site on time. He turned and pushed the cart over to the pickup.

“Everything’s great,” he said. “This will only take a few minutes to load.”

She sent him back a smile that would have blinded a lesser man.

One by one, he strong-armed the slippery plastic bags onto the bed of the truck and then pushed the cart off to the side. Then he lugged the first arborvitae over to the truck. He felt her eyes follow him the whole time. Had it suddenly gotten twenty degrees warmer on the back lot? Perspiration prickled down the center of his back and under his arms.

“Is there anything I should be doing?” she asked, holding up a small pair of work gloves. “I came prepared.”

“Not a thing, Maya. You just stand right there and pretty up the place.”

God help him! Now he was spouting lines from a bad 50s Western!

As the corny words tumbled unchecked from his mouth, he allowed his eyes to flick over her from top to bottom. She was leaning with her hip against the wheel well of the truck, her gorgeous legs crossed at the ankles. So much smooth brown skin. And what sexy little feet peeked at him from those ridiculous, impractical sandals.  “You’re not exactly dressed for it, after all.”

She laughed. “I told you that on the phone, remember? I guess I’ll just have to leave all the dirty stuff up to you.”

Their eyes met again, hers shining with naked admiration as they roved boldly over his body. His belly dropped out and his cock snapped to attention. Had she meant that the way it sounded? ‘Cause he could think of all kinds of dirty stuff he’d rather be doing right now, certainly not involving mulch and shrubs. Flushing, he turned away and made quick work of loading the other four pots, then slammed the tailgate closed.

“There you go. All set.” He stepped back and took his gloves off. With his hand barely grazing her elbow, he walked her around to the driver’s side of the cab. “There will be plenty of guys at the site to unload you, right?”

“I guess so.” She looked uncertain as she put her fingers on the door handle. She hesitated a moment, dropping her gaze, then looked up again from under the fringe of her thick, black lashes. “You wouldn’t consider driving me, would you? I did have a little trouble with the pedals on the way over.” Her lashes fluttered. “These heels, you know?”

Andy’s heart thudded and took off at a gallop. Granted, it had been awhile since he’d been in this close proximity to such a sexy woman, but he was pretty sure he was reading her signals correctly: she was coming on to him, no doubt.

Confirming his thoughts, Maya took a step forward and put her hand on his arm. He caught a heady whiff of her perfume. When he looked down into her face she smiled up at him in a way he’d only fantasized about.

Or was he just imagining that?

And what about now? Was he just imagining that she’d taken another step and was pressing herself up against him, tipping her head back and amping up her lazy, come-hither smile? His whole body went into emergency mode, thigh muscles tensing, blood rushing to his face…and other places. No doubt she could feel how hard his cock had gotten, jutting there against the curve of her belly.

“Uh, Maya?”

“Yes, Andy?” Another sexy smile. And yeah, she was snuggling right up to him, her lush body like a sleek, soft cat’s. If possible, his cock got even harder.

His arms seemed to go around her of their own volition.

The truck blocked whatever view of them someone might have from the front part of the nursery, and the gate was closed behind them. What was stopping him from taking what she was offering?

At the moment he couldn’t think of one damn thing. 

Raw energy surged through him as he pulled her up hard and lowered his lips to hers. It wasn’t a shy or awkward kiss. All the longing he’d stored up over the past months flowed through him, translating into simple, potent sexual passion. Her lips opened willingly beneath his and she made a desperate little sound that told him she liked what he was doing. Her mouth was sweet and plump and yielding, her tongue firm when it met his. She tasted faintly of vanilla. He slid his tongue deeper, thrusting and exploring.

As his mouth took full possession of hers, he splayed his hands wide on her back. Her warmth pulsed against his palms through the thin fabric of her dress. He felt the soft ridge of her bra strap. She moaned as his fingers played there, and her scent trapped him in a stupefying swirl, stealing any ability he might have had to pull away.

It was Maya who tilted her head back first, breaking the kiss with a little gasp. Their gazes locked, hot and needy, the air punctuated by the ragged sounds of their breathing. Her breasts rose and fell where they still pressed against him, and his cock throbbed with the primitive urge to take things further.

She put one hand to her lips and looked up at him with wide eyes.

“Oh my,” she said.

He stood frozen for a few seconds, at war with the passion still steamrolling  through him. He hadn’t felt a reaction this strong since junior high when Beth Gardner let him get to second base. Good God, he had almost lost control. He’d wanted nothing more than to fuck Maya Thomas right here in the back lot!

And from all appearances she would have been a willing partner.

He let his hands drop away.

“Maya, I’m – I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened.”

She was silent for a moment, her clear green eyes studying him. Then she gave him another flirty smile.

“I do,” she said. And before he knew her intent, she reached down between their bodies and grabbed his erect cock, pressing and rubbing where it strained against his zipper. Renewed heat burst through him. He groaned and captured her fingers. He could hardly believe he was stopping her from doing the one thing his reckless body craved.

“We really can’t do this.”

“No? Why not?” She was practically purring, her clever hand continuing to stroke and knead.

One of them had to keep a clear head. But he didn’t want to offend her either.

“Look, Maya, I’d love to. And that’s putting it mildly. But Wilson Homes is an important customer of ours. It’s never a good idea to mix business and pleasure, you know? Besides, you’ve got a yard to landscape and I’ve got a nursery to run.” He gestured toward the trees and shrubs surrounding them, all the while finding the situation just too surreal. Was he really turning down his dream girl for hot sex?

Her bottom lip protruded ever so slightly.

“Does that mean you won’t drive me over to the house either?” Her fingers began to fiddle with the tab on his zipper. His pulse erupted once more. Again he captured the errant hand in his.

“I’ll drive you. Yes. Fine. But we unload the truck and then you bring me right back. Agreed?”

“Okay,” she said, still pretending to sulk.

He set her away from him and held out his hand. “Keys?”

He went to the passenger side and held the door open while she climbed in. He made it a point to turn away from the tantalizing view of her perfect legs and ass as she positioned herself on the seat. Then he slammed the door and walked around to the driver’s side.

Once Andy had closed her door and disappeared around the back of the truck, Maya slumped down in the seat, hitting her forehead sharply with the heel of her hand. What had she just done? This was Handy Andy, her phone buddy, the guy who never failed to be helpful and kind to her when she called with a problem or question. And she’d just made a grab for his cock, for god’s sake. That wasn’t like her at all. What the hell?

But could you blame a girl? The man was incredibly hot!

In her wildest dreams she had never pictured him looking the way he did,  something along the lines of Ryan Reynolds’ darker-haired brother. How was that fair, taking her unaware like that? And especially since it had been a long, dry three months since she’d been with a man. Watching the flex of Andy’s tanned muscles as he moved the mulch, smelling the scent of clean sweat and warm male body had definitely reawakened her sexual side. That he had responded initially only made things harder – she smiled at her own pun – and the kiss they’d shared had been amazing. The man certainly knew what to do with his mouth. She couldn’t help wondering just how far south his expertise extended.

But of course what Andy had said made sense. Maintaining a good business relationship was critical to them both. Even casual hookups could get messy. And she’d hate having to explain to Junior why they suddenly had to find a new landscape nursery.  

She had to fix this.

She turned toward him as he pulled open the door and got in.

“Andy.”

“Hmm?” He settled on the seat and turned the key in the ignition, keeping his eyes on the dash board controls. His cheeks were still faintly pink. The sudden rumble of the big truck’s engine made conversation difficult.

“I’m sorry!” She raised her voice above the noise. “I don’t know what came over me.”

Now he looked over and smiled. He shrugged and began backing the truck up to turn around. “I know what you mean. That wasn’t typical behavior for me either.”

“Can we start over?”

“Okay. Sure.” With an expression of obvious relief, he threw her a grin. Then he seemed to notice the interior of the cab for the first time. He stopped the truck and pulled a folded red kerchief from his back pocket. “Here. Sit on this. It’s clean, and you don’t want to ruin your dress on these filthy seats.”

“Too late,” she said, but she took the kerchief and did her best to slide it under her body. Derek never would have thought of that. To be honest, no guy she’d ever dated would have thought of it. Andy was one of a kind.

He reached down and fingered a small remote on his belt, and the big gate rolled open as they approached it. In a moment they were out on the city street and heading west through the midday traffic.