“I’ve seen guys like that operate, that’s all.” He kept his voice low, his body near as if he knew his heat could melt her on the spot. She thrust her chin up. “I don’t want to see you get used or worse,” he said.
“I’ve already been used,” Mandy hissed out. His angry expression shifted to hurt. She opened her mouth to take the words back but her voice stalled. Overhead, the thickening clouds blocked the sun and sent dark shadows over his face.
He released her arm with a look of resolve. “I thought we’d settled that. Obviously only one of us did.”
Mandy swallowed a hard lump. “We had. I did. That was stupid of me to bring it up.”
“No.” He shook his head. “You’re right. You have every right to hang on to that.”
But she hated people that hung on to grievances and didn’t forgive. Clearly he was the kind of man that did not hang on—and he’d expected her not to either.
He went alone into the house.
Rumbling overhead, feisty clouds twisted together in billows of grey and black. Even without a single drop of rain the air was starting to smell damp. Jagged bolts of electric white lightening stabbed the earth in the distance. Mandy shot nails into the wood, her eyes scanning the horizon, the wide expanses of dirt dotted with new construction, and wondered how much longer the work day would last.
It had been fairly quiet with the exception of Larry’s portable CD player and Marc and Larry’s never-ending woman chatter. Larry was still with Samantha—a record—
and he was happy to be monogamous. But the string tight quiet tying her, Boston, and A.J. left her feeling like she was working on a bed of nails.
She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the closest two-by-four. She hadn’t meant to hurt Boston’s feelings, to demolish whatever fragile thoughts he’d maybe had of her. One thoughtless sentence…
A hand on her shoulder brought her eyes open. A.J.
stood near, his twinkling eyes concerned. “You okay?”
Mandy nodded and took a deep breath. She fought the urge to look over A.J.’s shoulder to gauge Boston’s reaction but couldn’t. Her gaze shifted and there he was, pausing from his work, watching.
Mandy’s heart pounded just looking at him. The pain she felt for her snide remark once again tore through her.
Another rumbling from the arguing clouds above filled the airspace. She looked at A.J., studying her intensely.
“I’m okay, thanks.”
His hand was strong and sure on her shoulder. He gave her light squeeze, then he took in a deep breath and looked out over the horizon. “Looks like we won’t be working much longer if this storm doesn’t pass.”
“Marc’ll be ticked,” Mandy murmured, following A.J.’s gaze.
“It’ll throw us back a little but not much. We’re almost finished here.” A.J.’s gaze scanned the nearly completed second story of the house. Then his eyes found hers. “And we’ll be done.”
Mandy took a deep breath. The idea of the job being over caught her off guard and she didn’t like the sadness creeping over her. Her brother hired his crews according to the job, and she knew they had more houses to frame over the summer. Whether or not any of these guys would be part of the team she was assigned to was a guess. If the three of them couldn’t work civilly together, Marc might place her somewhere else.
A.J. reached up and skimmed the side of her face with his rough fingers. He moved closer and for a second Mandy had the fleeting picture that he would kiss her. But her fantasy of being pressed against the wood and kissed good and hard did not star A.J, as much as she cared for him.
“You’re a hard worker.”
“Thanks, A.J. I like to think I carry my load.”
His fingers were still on her cheek, wandering now, lingering near her chin. “Oh, you carry your load. And you make coming to work everyday a pleasure.” He held her chin poised and eyed her mouth with a look that sent warmth over Mandy’s body.
A furious crackle in the clouds broke the silence but not the intense way he was staring at her lips—with a look that caused Mandy to take an involuntary step back, bringing her spine against the framed wall. She wet her lips with a nervous swipe of her tongue. A.J.’s thumb gently brushed her chin, skimming her lower lip.
From the thundering clouds, a light, misty rain began to fall.
The thundering pound that followed was not from the heavens, but from Boston who stormed over, ripping both Mandy and A.J.’s gazes to him. His tanned skin pulled taut over the rigid angles of his face.
“Why are you letting him do this?” he demanded, glaring at Mandy.
“Excuse me?”
“He’s touching you.”
“Yeah? So what. I like it.”
“He’s playing with you.”
A.J.’s hand slipped down to his side and he shifted feet. The jagged current bouncing between them electrified the air, and with the rain coming down now in light bullets that hit the protective wood sheathing, voices raised a notch.
“He’s not playing with anyone. He’s a man. He wouldn’t do that.”
Boston let out a snort. “That’s exactly why he would do it, Mandy. You’re just too naive to see it.”
Mandy’s mouth opened. “I am not naïve. I happen to know exactly what’s going on between A.J. and me.
I’m not clueless here.”
Boston crossed his arms. “What is going on between you?”
“I don’t think that’s any business of yours.” A.J.’s calm voice seemed to only annoy Boston further. His fiery glare slid over.
“I’ve seen you operate, man.” Boston tapped A.J.
on the chest. “You’re smoother than a car salesman and about as sincere.”
“Control your fuse.” A.J.’s hands fisted. “I think you’d better stop while you’re still in one piece.”
Boston’s arms tensed at his sides and Mandy stepped between them. “Okay, this is over now. We’re all friends here, we work together. Let’s be professional about this.”
“This isn’t about work, baby doll.”
“Like hell it isn’t.” Boston took a step in A.J.’s direction and Mandy pressed her hand to his chest to hold him back. “You come here every day with your mouth drooling and lay your trap like some shifty fox.”
A.J.’s body twitched. Mandy thought he looked ready to combust and her heart sped in her chest. A half-smile twisted his lips, he shook his head. “See, you’re too young to control yourself, to know when to back off.”
“I’ll back off when you stop messing around with her. She’s not like you. Anybody with half a brain can see that. What makes you think she’d go for a freeloader, anyway?”
A.J.’s eyes slit. Mandy held her breath. When A.J.
stepped forward she slapped her palm on his chest to stop him. “A.J., don’t.”
“What’s going on here?” Marc’s demand sliced through the sound of pelting rain as he marched over.
Neither Boston nor A.J. said anything for a long, steamy moment. Mandy’s left hand stayed fastened on A.J.’s hard chest, her right on Boston’s. She looked at Marc and stumbled on words. “We’re…we just—”
“Having a friendly little chat,” A.J. answered Marc but his gaze stayed locked on Boston.
“There’s nothing friendly about it,” Boston ground out.
“Okay, okay.” Marc’s gaze flicked from A.J. to Boston. “One of you needs to go take a leak or get a drink or something. Now.”
Boston jerked back and stormed across the floor to the stairs.
Marc set his hands on his hips and let out a sigh.
Overhead, thunder rumbled as the clouds rolled over the site, dropping sheets of water outside the protection of the house. “I’m not even gonna ask what that was all about. I don’t want it happening again. I don’t need drama. Get back to work.”
“Yes, sir, boss,” A.J. nodded.
Marc’s impatient stare held Mandy for a moment before he stomped back to Larry who merely sho
t a casual glance the way of the disturbance, and didn’t even stop working.
A look of wary curiosity was on A.J.’s face now.
Her hand was still on his chest and she drew it back, the awkward moment quiet.
“What do you make of all this, baby doll? Ever been the subject of a man’s fight?”
Mandy drew her lower lip between her teeth. “No.
Can’t say it’s all I thought it’d be, either,” she murmured, glancing over where Boston had disappeared.
A.J. scrubbed his jaw, took in a deep breath, and followed her gaze. “Yeah, well, there’s no cameras here.
No script.”
Mandy shivered from the awkward moment.
As usual, A.J. seemed to read her thoughts. The idea comforted but disconcerted her at the same time.
“What are you doing with me, A.J.?”
He seemed taken aback, and for a moment his green eyes averted. “I’m not playing with you, if that’s what you’re worried about.” His intense gaze held her still. “Mandy, from day one I thought you were something else. Sweet.” He reached out and stroked the side of her face with his finger. “Innocent.” But the look in his eye was not the look she had seen there before, this look had sadness in it. Regret. Then he looked over her shoulder at where Boston had gone.
Mandy wasn’t sure, but something inside of her wound tight around her heart, like the moment between her and A.J. had changed everything. A door had closed.
Mandy took a deep breath, then wrapped her arms around herself to combat another shiver. More than anything she wanted to find Boston and talk to him, but she’d never put out two fires at once before.
A.J. nodded his head in the direction of the stairs.
“Go talk to him.”
“Can we get back to work, please?” Marc hollered from across the floor.
Again A.J. gestured with his head for her to go.
“Go.”
“I need to get a drink,” Mandy called to Marc.
Marc rolled his eyes, threw up his hands like a ref after a foul and then waved an arm in the direction of the stairs.
She found Boston. He stood in the front door casing, both hands gripping the frame as he looked out. Mandy crossed to him slowly, her mind racing with what to do, what to say. His grey tee shirt clung to the muscles of his back and arms. The rain was thoroughly drenching his hair, his head looked like he wore a glistening cap. The tips of his waves turned up and framed his face like a halo.
He looked over and the dark intensity in his eyes made her insides swarm with uncertainty.
Another scream of thunder wracked the air around them. The building felt as though it shook, but Mandy was sure it was just her body trembling. Outside the structure, rain pelted the dirt in a million splats.
“I don’t know what to say.” She approached with caution, stopping a good six feet away from him.
Along his arms, muscles shifted and tensed as he held onto the door frame. He didn’t respond, just stared at her, and the jumble of feelings coursing through her was thrilling, frightening and wondrous.
“Do you think I led A.J. on?”
“Maybe.”
“I was just being friendly.”
“You were flirting.”
Mandy’s eyes popped. “So what if I was. I don’t belong to anybody. I have the right to—”
“Not on the job, Mandy. It’s not professional.”
Mandy was mortified that he’d seen her attempts at friendship as unabashed flirting when she’d been trying to protect him, and preserve her heart.
“Maybe you’re just peeved because I wasn’t flirting with you.”
“You were flirting with me too, that’s the problem.”
Aghast, Mandy stepped back, robbed of speech. A flush heated her from head to toe. “I was trying to protect you.”
“From what?” He let out a frustrated sneer.
“From…I don’t know. Females in general.”
“Yeah, right. You were flirting. Blatantly flirting when you knew I was trying to stay away from women. You made it impossible.”
Mandy’s mouth fell open. Shock made her blink at him. She couldn’t defend herself because part of what he said was true. She just thought nobody knew what was inside her heart but her.
She took another step back. She wanted to run somewhere—anywhere—and get away from him and this horrible moment.
Boston stormed from the door and in two long strides was against her. His hands, warm and firm, cupped her cheeks and the next thing she knew, his damp lips were on hers. Fire shot from her head to her shaking knees.
Just as fast as he’d grabbed her, he released her, and stood back, dark eyes locked with hers, a fast pant in his chest.
Mandy’s mind was blank. Her heart pounded against her ribs, in her ears, pulsing flames to her cheeks.
A few feet away, Boston’s erratic breath started to slow.
He took another step backward, his gaze still fastened to hers.
Mandy’s blood thudded with uncertainty. Boston shot one last hard look at her before starting toward the stairs. Taking in a deep breath, Mandy waited until he had vanished before she pressed her fingers to her lips and closed her eyes.
chapter fourteen
Mandy stood just inside the glass doors of Barnes and Noble and breathed deep. She even smiled, though her insides were still a mess after what had happened earlier at the site.
That kiss.
She touched her lips again. Why had he kissed her?
Dazed thinking about the kiss, she wandered into the store with a small grin on her lips. Cam was supposed to meet her and she headed for the back of the building to the lounge area but didn’t see him or his black backpack.
She checked the last aisle, found it empty and headed to the home improvement section in search of house plans.
At the end of a corner, she bumped into A.J.
“Well, how goes it, baby doll?” He smelled like he’d just emerged from a shower, clean and soapy. Khaki shorts showed off his enviable tanned legs and his silky, flowered shirt made him look like he was ready to party.
“I’m good, A.J. You? What’re you doing here?”
“Looking for you.” With a teasing smile he glanced around. “And books.”
“Me?”
He reached out and skimmed her nose with his finger. “Yeah. You didn’t think I read, did you?”
The contact caused her heart to skip a beat with uncertainty. She shrugged. “You’re a college graduate and an accountant. I assume you’ve done your share of studying.”
His cheery demeanor shifted slightly. Mandy wondered if she’d said the right thing. The last thing she’d ever do is hurt A.J.
“Can I get you a drink?” he asked.
Mandy was glad to be off the topic. She nodded.
He held out his elbow to her and for a moment she stared at it. Then she slipped her hand around it and let him lead her into the café.
“You looking for a particular book?” he asked.
“No, just looking. Actually, I’m meeting a friend here.” She watched his reaction. His smile only deepened.
“Why is he keeping you waiting?”
Mandy looked around the café, but she knew she wouldn’t see Cam there. He hated getting their drinks because the guy behind the counter flirted with him, so he insisted she get their orders. He was probably running late at Five Buck.
They stopped at the counter and the waiter that liked Cam, dressed in black jeans and a black tee greeted them. He reached up and smoothed his black, dew-drop hair and smiled, his gaze lingering on A.J.
“I’ll have an Italian soda. Make it caramel and vanilla with cream,” Mandy said.
The young man nodded, then his bored look shifted with interest to A.J. “You, sir?”
A.J. studied the menu through squinting eyes. “I’ll have a mint freeze.”
“My favorite.” The waiter leaned forward with a twist on his lips. “You won’t be disappoi
nted. Promise.”
A.J. seemed to finally get the underlying pleasure of the waiter’s comment because his face went flat. Mandy almost laughed.
He looked at Mandy. “You didn’t answer my question.” He seemed to relax just turning his attention to her.