ScandalandSin (11 page)

Fred grinned. “Damn, I do like a woman in
tight jeans.”

Rye wanted to yell at his plumber to keep
his eyes off Alaina’s ass. He cleared his throat to keep from doing that.
“You’re married.”

“And I adore my wife, but I ain’t dead.
Alaina is a mighty fine-looking lady. Will she be around here all the time?”

“She said she’s going to work right
alongside my men.”

Fred tapped Rye lightly on the upper arm.
“Well, she beats looking at your ugly mug all day.”

Rye chuckled. He couldn’t argue with that.

Alaina came back in the room. “They’re all
on their way.”

“Good. Grab your coffee and we’ll meet them
in the dining room.”

* * * * *

Rye sat on the floor in the turret. Just
sitting wasn’t enough. With a groan, he lay back on the floor, his arms
straight out from his body. He didn’t think he’d ever worked so hard or been so
tired in his life. The last five days, he’d worked from seven a.m. to at least
seven p.m. in Stevens House. He didn’t demand the same hours from his workers,
or his brothers. There was so much to do here, he felt as if the extra hours
were necessary. Normally the one in charge, doing so much physical work had
proven to him that he wasn’t in as good a shape as he’d thought.

Dax had offered to stay late every evening.
So had Griff. Rye knew Dax had a date almost every night. Griff spent his
evenings alone in his house, nursing his grief. Just because Rye felt a need to
work didn’t mean he’d ask the same of his brothers.

He stared up at the inside of the new roof.
His guys would start putting on the shingles next week. Then the inside work
began here in the attic with insulation and a new ceiling. Every room had been
gutted. Walls had been torn down, flooring torn up. The house was little more
than a shell. That would change beginning Monday.

Each step in the process made Alaina as
giddy as a six-year-old. She hadn’t kidded him when she’d said she planned to
work with his guys. She’d pulled nails, hauled flooring and pieces of wood to
the Dumpsters, swept up sawdust and trash. As quickly as the crew made a mess,
she was right there to clean it. She got along with everyone. All his guys
adored her like a little sister. Of course, part of their adoration had to do
with her bringing goodies almost every day that her housemate baked.

Rye didn’t think of her as a sister. His
feelings ran much deeper than that. So deep that he hadn’t taken a warm shower
in a week.

She not only filled his mind during the
day, but also at night. His dreams were filled with the two of them together
here in Stevens House, or his house, or his office at Coleman Construction.
He’d kiss her until they were both breathless, then thrust his cock into her
hot, creamy pussy. He’d fuck her over and over, never able to get enough of her
body. Those little sounds in her throat that signaled her climax were sweeter
than the most beautiful music. She’d throw back her head, arch her back. Rye
would feel the spasms in her channel milk his cock, driving him to his orgasm.

He’d awaken sweaty and tangled in the
sheets, his heart pounding, his shaft so hard he could drive nails with it.

His hand was a poor substitute when he
wanted Alaina.

Rye knew the history of her father, a
heartless rogue who fucked any woman who spread her legs. Alesia had been the
same way, gladly spreading her legs for a hard dick. He wished he could be sure
Alaina hadn’t inherited the same genes as Alesia or their father.

She’d left at three today, stating she had
some personal things to do. Rye couldn’t help wondering if she’d gone home to
get ready for a date. Maybe she’d go out to dinner with her guy, talk and laugh
while they ate. Then she’d go home with him and spend the night making love.

Rye rubbed his stomach. A hollow feeling
always formed deep inside his gut when he thought about Alaina with another
man. He didn’t want anyone else kissing her, touching her. He sure as hell
didn’t want another man making love to her.

“Rye?”

He lifted his head when he heard Alaina’s
voice. That wasn’t possible. She’d left over four hours ago. His thoughts were
so filled with her, he’d started imagining he could hear her when she wasn’t
there.

“Rye, where are you?”

Okay, that definitely wasn’t his
imagination. Rye sat up. “In the turret,” he called out.

Footsteps sounded on the steps. A few
moments later, Alaina appeared in the doorway. She smiled. “Hi.”

“Hi.” His gaze passed over her, noting the
gold sleeveless shell, ivory slacks and high-heeled sandals the same shade as
her slacks. Her makeup made her eyes look twice as big as usual, her hair fell
in a tumble of curls to her breasts.

Stunning. That’s the first word to pop into
his head to describe her.

“You look amazing.”

“Thank you.” She glanced down at herself. “I’ve
worn work clothes all week. I thought I should show you that I do know how to
clean up.” She tossed a thick blanket at him. Rye automatically caught it.
“Spread that out on the floor.”

Only then did he notice she carried a large
wicker basket. “We’re having a picnic?”

“We are. Emma made some of her
specialties.”

Rye stood, shook out the blanket and spread
it over the floor. “You’re lucky to have a housemate who cooks or you’d
starve.”

She shot him a look that clearly said she
didn’t appreciate his comment. “For your information, I do know how to cook,
and pretty darn well. But Emma
loves
to cook and she’s incredible. Why
should I say no when she offers?”

Dropping to her knees on the blanket,
Alaina lifted the lid of the basket. Rye looked at his hands. Dirt filled every
crease of his palms.

Before he could leave the room to wash,
Alaina handed him a package of moist towelettes. “Clean your hands, then you
can open the wine.”

She could be a bossy little thing when she
wanted to. Rye struggled not to laugh. “Yes, ma’am.”

“I brought merlot. I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure I will.” He sat on the blanket,
cleansed his hands, and opened the bottle of red wine. He splashed a generous
amount in the two crystal wineglasses she handed him.

“I popped these in the microwave downstairs
to heat everything.” She removed a plastic lid from one of the to-go plates.
The scent of beef curled around Rye’s nose and sent his salivary glands into
overdrive. “Beef tenderloin stuffed with lobster, twice baked potatoes, and
fresh asparagus.”

“Wow.”

Alaina grinned. “Does that mean you
approve?”

“What’s not to approve?”

She handed him the plate, then a linen
napkin wrapped around silverware. “I also have Emma’s melt-in-your-mouth yeast
rolls dripping with butter.
Real
butter. Emma doesn’t believe in
margarine. And quadruple chocolate brownies for dessert.”

A sharp knife was wrapped inside the napkin
along with the fork and spoon, but Rye didn’t need it. He cut into the
tenderloin with his fork and took a huge bite. His taste buds immediately did a
happy dance in his mouth.

His expression must have shown Alaina his
pleasure for she grinned again. “Wonderful, isn’t it?”

“My mom is a great cook, but I haven’t had
anything that tasted this good since the last time Griff prepared a gourmet meal.”

“Griff cooks?”

“He did before…” Rye stopped, still
unwilling to talk about Jana. “He doesn’t cook much anymore, or eat much.”

“That’s obvious by how slim he is. Did
something happen to make him lose his appetite?”

“I don’t feel comfortable talking about it,
Alaina.”

“Oh. Okay. I didn’t mean to pry.”

“You weren’t. I understand your curiosity.”
As much time as Alaina spent with his guys and around town, she’d learn about
Jana eventually. Rye decided he might as well tell her now. “Griff’s wife was
killed in November in a bank robbery. He’s having a hard time getting on with
his life.”

“I can understand that.” She removed her
plate from the basket. “Were they married very long?”

“Seven years.”

She winced. “How sad. I’m so sorry for
him.”

“Me too. They were very happy. He adored
her.”

“Thank you for telling me. It explains a
lot about his mood. Does he ever smile?”

“I haven’t seen him smile since Jana died.”

Alaina reached back in the basket for the
container of rolls. The cowl neck of her shell meant Rye received an enticing
view of her cleavage every time she leaned over. He remembered the feel of her
breast in his hand. He’d only touched her through her shirt and bra, but he’d
felt her hard nipple in his palm, beneath his thumb.

Thoughts of Griff and Jana and everyone
else fled from his mind as he imagined sucking Alaina’s nipple into his mouth,
feeling it on his tongue. He hadn’t seen her body when he’d taken her against
the wall in this house. The next time, he wanted her completely naked so he
could lick every part of her.

There isn’t going to be a next time, so
get that thought out of your head right now.

“I’ve met a lot of people at the post
office, grocery store, places like that.” Alaina tore her roll in half.
“They’re all very curious about me and the house.”

“Word gets around quick in a small town.”

“Most of them have been very nice and
friendly. Some of the older ones have pointed out what happened here so long
ago with your great-grandfather.”

Rye forked up his last bite of beef, his
gaze focused on his plate. “You know about that?”

“I lived here until I was thirteen, Rye. I
was young, but I heard all about the murder. How could I not have known about
the only murder in Lanville for over two hundred and fifty years?”

Setting aside his plate, he looked at
Alaina again. “My great-grandfather didn’t kill that woman.”

“He was convicted and hanged for it.”

“I don’t care. I’ll never believe he did
it. My grandfather was only two months old when Laura Cummins was murdered. Why
would my great-grandfather risk his marriage and the future of his new son by
stabbing her? That never made sense.”

“You’re right. It doesn’t make sense.”

Rye set his empty plate on the blanket. “My
great-grandmother had nowhere to go, no family to help her. She moved in with
my great-great-grandparents because she had no choice. She couldn’t go anywhere
in town without people whispering behind her back about her husband being a
murderer.”

“I imagine that was very hard for her.”

“
She
had nothing to do with the
murder, yet people still blamed her for it.”

“I could never blame anyone for something a
member of their family did.”

“Neither could I.”

“Really?” She tilted her head and looked
him in the eyes. “Isn’t that what you’re doing with me?”

Chapter Nine

April 18, 1937

It was such a beautiful day, Laura and I
walked home from church instead of riding with our parents. One of the nice
things about living in a small town is that everything is close. We live only
half a mile from the church. It’s nice to stretch our legs after Brother Winston’s
sermon.

He
pulled
up beside us in his fancy car and offered us a ride home. Laura smiled and
blushed. I know she would’ve accepted his invitation if I hadn’t quickly
declined it. The black look he gave me chilled me to my soul. Why can’t my
sister see what an evil man he is?

* * * * *

Bull’s-eye. Alaina had gotten Rye with that
question…one he obviously didn’t know how to answer. He stared at her, his last
bite of roll halfway to his mouth as if he’d forgotten he held it.

“You’re nice to me when other people are
around. But if I get too close to you or accidentally touch you, you skitter
away like you’ve been shocked by a live wire. I promise I’m not poison.”

He laid the roll on his empty plate, his
eyes downcast. “I know that.”

“Whether you believe me or not, I don’t
make a habit of having sex with a man the first time I meet him. I know
technically I knew you years ago, but you didn’t remember me and I’ve changed a
lot in sixteen years.”

“We both have.”

“We were scorching together, Rye. And to be
honest with you, I wouldn’t mind it happening again.”

His gaze met hers, but she couldn’t tell
his thoughts by his blank expression. “Is that why you brought the picnic, to
put me in the mood?”

It hurt that he thought she would try to
trick him. Alesia must have trampled his heart into little bits. “No. I brought
the picnic to thank you for all your hard work. I know you’ve put in longer
hours than anyone else. I wanted to do something nice for you. I obviously made
a mistake.”

Alaina began to gather up their items to
put in the basket. She hoped she could get out of here before she burst into
tears.