Waiting For Him (11 page)

There was a pause, then his hands settled on her waist. He nuzzled behind her ear. “Mm. I need more of you, love. What do you think of that?”

The egg she tried to crack smashed into the pan.

Stone eased her aside. “Why don’t I do the eggs? You can check on the dogs.”

She watched on as he scraped her egg mess into the garbage can, then expertly crack four eggs into the skillet. Talk about perfection. No man should look that good in his jeans, be an amazing lover, and know how to cook. It just wasn’t fair.

Keisha used calling the dogs inside to get herself together. If she ever hoped to be more than a convenient bed partner, she had to take control of this situation right now. After drying the dogs’ paws from the dew wet grass, she closed the door and returned to Stone.

He had the plates on the table and was buttering the toast. “How many eggs do you want?”

“One.”

He placed it on her plate and took the other three for himself.

Keisha squared her shoulders. “I’m not a virgin anymore.”

For only a second, Stone paused. “Nope, definitely not.” He put the toast on the table and pulled out a chair for her.

She hesitated to get that close to him when they had so much to talk about.

He leaned in, closing the distance. “You’re sexy, barely tried ex-virgin and, again, Keisha, I want more.” He moved away and sat across from her. “So what do you say? Wanna play for a while?”

Boy, did she ever.

Pretending great thought, she sipped coffee. “How long are we talking?”

That took the good humor out of his expression. “Need it spelled out, do you? Should we draw up a contract? Maybe specify an ironclad end date so that I’m not underfoot too long?”

“You’re angry?” For some reason, that made her feel better, less confused. “Recall, Stone, you said you wanted me to understand that you wouldn’t be getting involved.”

“I know exactly what I said.” He stabbed into a fried egg with his fork. “But I figured we’d play it by ear. Let things unfold naturally.” He put his fork back down. “No, I don’t want to get sent packing too soon.”

“How soon is too soon?”

A flush of color slashed his high cheekbones. “Damn it, you are hung up on time frames, aren’t you?”

She had to bite back a smile of relief. He wanted her. More of her—however much that might be. Elation filled her heart.

“I’m sorry.” Teasing, she asked, “Have I hurt your feelings?”

He looked so dumbfounded by that possibility, and then bemused as he realized it was true, that Keisha laughed.

Maybe he cared more for her than even he realized. Why else would he get so riled over it?

“Virgins are the devil.” While eyeing her, he ate an entire strip of bacon in one bite. “Go ahead,” he said at her continued giggling. “Keep me in suspense. I probably have that coming.”

He sort of did, she took her time eating most of her egg, a few bites of toast, but she couldn’t bear the silence or his watchful gaze.

After finishing off a strip of bacon, she reached across the table for his hand. “You were so incredible, Stone.”

Grudgingly, he said, “Thank you.” His warm fingers curled around hers. “Given how you affect me, I might not have been at my best.”

Lord help her. “You were more than I expected. More than I knew was possible.”

“I’m listening.”

“I would love to continue having sex with you.” She thought to add, just in case she spooked him, “For as long as we’re both having fun. Please go get your necessities. Definitely more condoms. Maybe bring a whole box.”

His eyes widened. “Yeah?”

She nodded. “Let’s play some more. I want to have as much fun as I can.” She leaned in closer. “With you.”

Stone breathed hard, shifted, then glanced at the clock. “If only we had enough time.”

A sudden knock at the door sent the dogs into fits.

Stone groaned. “I’ll have you know, love, I’m hard. Again. Around you it appears to be a perpetual state but most definitely when you talk about having fun and playing with me.” He shoved the rest of his food into his mouth and put his plate in the sink. He pulled out her chair.

Keisha smoothed her sleep rumpled hair. “I need my own shower.”

“Go on, then, while I get the door and Steve and I finish off the coffee. Take your time. I’ll clean up the kitchen.”

That sounded so nice, almost like the partnership she’d always wanted. Stone really was the whole package.

How long would she be able to keep him?

Chapter Ten

Stone pulled the section of wire fencing tight, added new staples to the post, and Steve hammered them in with a little more force than necessary.

Steve’s tight-lipped mood peeked Stone’s curiosity as he moved down to the next section. “I take it sexual frustration is adding to your fervor today?”

“None of your business.”

“I know you didn’t spend the night.”

“No, I didn’t.” Steve checked that the fencing was still adequately buried under the ground, found one spot that was a little loose and used a looped stake to secure it.

“This is a nice yard.” Stone admired their work. “Big enough, with plenty of shade. Now that the fence is secure the dogs are going to love the freedom.”

“Yeah.” Steve wiped sweat from his brow with his forearm. “I like they don’t have close neighbors on either side.”

“Private but not so secluded they aren’t safe.”

Steve looked toward Alexis’s porch. They could both see her hot tub, now covered, in the corner of her porch. “She’s coming to my shop on Monday to check out the wood.”

“Ah, well, then things must be looking up for you.”

“Don’t be juvenile,” Steve groused, but he grinned.

“What?” All innocence, Stone shrugged. “I meant that you’ve still got some opportunities with her. It had nothing to do with her seeing your wood.”

“Yeah, right.” Steve motioned at where the women worked the grill. “So how’s it going for you?”’

“Okay.”

“Just okay? Because I know that you did spend the night.”

Stone rubbed the back of his neck, scowled, then blurted, “She had me damn near begging this morning.”

That got Steve refocused real fast. “Begging for what?”

“Now who’s being juvenile?” He peeled her leather work gloves off his hands. “More time with her.”

“She doesn’t want more time?”

“I think she does, but I gave her my damned spiel going in about no commitments and now she’s…” He dropped his head. “She’s holding me to it.”

“What a dunce.” Steve gave him a playful jab. “You not her. Why the hell would you go into all that with her?”

“Seemed like a good idea at the time.”

“Because you always lay it out there with women?”

“Yeah.” Frustration bubbled over. “Thing is, she’s not like any of the others.”

“Duh. I could have told you that.” He clapped Stone on the shoulder. “You knew her a month and didn’t ask her out, but every time you look at her, it’s clear to anyone with eyes that you’ve got it bad. That alone sets her apart from other women.”

“Yeah.” Stone thought back on his hesitation, all the lame reasons he’d given himself for steering clear. “I’ve been an ass and now I have to figure it out.”

“Fuck me sideways. You actually admit it? Just like that?”

“Yeah. Just like that.” After having Keisha last night, he’d known deep down that he didn’t want to let her go. Not now. Not anytime soon. Probably not ever.”

That thought was so uncomfortable, he glanced at Steve. “She thought I’d want Alexis.”

“No.”

Steve’s predicament was far more amusing than his own. “Pay attention, man. I’m head over ass, so there’s no reason to mean-mug me. Keisha doesn’t interest me. Take a breath and get a grip.”

“She spelled it out last night. Friendship is the only thing on the agenda.” Steven picked up the tools.

Wow. Steve normally scored with ease. Outright rejection had to burn his ass a little. “Better luck with the next one.”

Steve shrugged. “It’s not just me, though. She said all guys are off limits.”

Stone remembered the hot tub comment and scowled. “She’s into women?”

“Nope. I asked.”

That had to have been an interesting conversation. “Probably too many bozos hitting on her, then, her looking the way she does and all.

“Maybe, but I get a feeling it’s more than that.” Uneasy, Steve chewed on his thoughts a bit before saying, “There’s something about her, something sort of… Hell, I don’t know. Maybe wounded.”

That would change everything. Stone started them toward the house. “So what are you going to do?” No way in hell he would let Steve muck this up for him. He wanted Keisha for the long haul. A disgruntled friend of his pushing her neighbor could wear out the welcome for them both.

Steve rolled a shoulder. “She has a lot of stuff that needs to be done around the house. I don’t mind doing it, so I’m going to be her friend. For a little while, anyway.” He stared at Alexis as they neared the porch. “After that I dunno. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

Chapter Eleven

A little while turned into a month.

Stone was having the time of his life. He came in from work greeted by berserk enthusiasm from the dogs and cat. Keisha preferred to be more subtle and wrapped her arms around him along with a kiss.

He loved it. Hell, he loved her.

He hadn’t exactly told her yet, not with her holding that invisible timer. Instead he showed her in every way he knew how and hoped she ended up caring enough to want to get all legal with him.

They took turns cooking, cleaning and caring for the animals. Stone helped to free up her time so she could dedicate more attention to her class work. She got along great with Steve, and it hadn’t taken her more than two minutes after her introduction for her to win over his brother, Robert, and his sister-in-law. Of course they love her, who wouldn’t?

Whenever possible, be it morning, afternoon, or evening, they burned up the sheets. And every time got better. He hadn’t officially moved in, but he spent far more time at her duplex than he did at his own place. For him, life was pretty damned sweet, almost as sweet as Keisha herself.

But poor Steve hadn’t gained any headway at all.

He was still hanging around, and both sides of the house had been rehabbed in numerous ways. Alexis now had a nice fence surrounding her hot tub and a new patio for it to sit on. She’d insisted on paying something, so they let her buy materials at cost and donated the labor.

On Keisha’s side, they built a deck that now held an assortment of outdoor furniture and a nice grill.

Steve, using every excuse he could to continue hanging around, currently put the finishing touches on a small house for dogs and connecting perches for the cat. The pet “condo,” as Keisha called it, was elaborate and decorative and looked great in the yard.

But so far, it freaked out the animals. They walked a wide path around both structures. Keisha worried that her animals would hurt Steve’s feelings.

“You’re so tenderhearted.” It was one of the things he loved most about her.

While Steve nailed in the last shingle on the roof, Clyde snarled.

“Oh, no.” Keisha fretted. “I feel so terrible. It’s awesome. I mean look at it. It’s like their own little home. Not just a doghouse, but something really special.”

Special enough that it had taken Steve two weeks to build. Steve enjoyed the work, and he even seemed to enjoy Alexis’s platonic friendship, but Stone wasn’t fooled.

“Put a few treats in there,” Stone suggested. “The dogs will like it more then.”

“Great idea!” Keisha rushed inside to get some dog chews.

Stone strolled out to his friend. “You can only put so many nails in there, bud.”

He gave one more whack of the hammer and relented. “Yeah, it’s done.” Standing back, he admired it. “Looks good, huh?”

Clyde walked over and lifted his leg on the side.

“Great.” Steve laughed. “If he’s marking his territory, then he must be willing to claim it as his own, right?”

Stone ignored that. “Alexis is usually home by now.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Should be here any minute.”

Steve looked up at the setting sun, then off to the side. “I have to take off soon anyway.” He bent to gather his tools. “I have a date.”

Why that shocked Stone, he couldn’t say. Steve had shown more patience that any healthy guy could be expected. “Damn.”

He glanced up at Stone. “What?”

Stone dropped down on the patio for a seat. “Something just occurred to me.”

“Yeah, what’s that?”

“Keisha’s ex.”

“What about him?” Steve put the hammer down.

“He waited for Keisha. For a long time.”