rubbed his cheek against Graci-Ella’s. “Duty calls. Gotta run, dammit.” His lips barely dragged across hers before he took off on a run, cursing whoever or whatever started that blaze.
Saturday, after a breakfast meeting with a client, Graci-Ella hurried into the big-chain hardware store, a list of items the building manager had recommended for her little office redecoration jotted on a sticky note.
In fact, she nearly danced through the large chain hardware store as she picked out a rug for under her client chairs, a lamp for her desk and paint. She chose a cheery shade of yellow for the wall with the window and a paler tint of yellow for the other three walls. Jo-Jo said he’d do the painting if she bought the paint, and also install a ceiling fan if she purchased a new one.
And, of course, the palm leaf shaped fan she fell in love with was stacked on the top shelf of boxed fans. She tried reaching. Tried jumping to slide a corner out far enough she could grab it on her next jump, but that didn’t work either. The darn box was just too heavy, even though the fan was small.
“Need some help?” A pair of hands encircled her waist and she spun—in shock and ready to knee some guy in the balls—only to glare into Boyd’s grey eyes. “Need me to lift you a few inches?” Wrinkles creased the corners of his eyes as a slow, sexy grin spread. My God, what a smile could do to his severe expression.
He had one of those faces of angles and planes that made a man look hard-edged, especially with that perpetual whiskered scruff he had going on. Her fingers itched to sift through his wavy, dark hair that barely rubbed the neckline of his t-shirt. And he smelled of woodsy soap.
Beat, heart, beat!
“I’m betting you could reach it for me.” Shut up, are you stupid? her hormones hissed. Let him keep his hands on you and lift you. Don’t you want to feel his strength? Good Lord, her female bits hadn’t been this bossy in ages.
“True.” His thumbs rubbed slow circles at her waist, sending “come to me” signals to her hormones in Morse code. “But I think Confucius said, ‘a job worth doing is worth doing in twos.’”
She laughed. “He did not. You just made that up.”
“Turn around and I’ll lift you. Think you can handle the weight of the box once you get it in your hands?”
“Oh, I can handle the weight. I could even handle you, once I got you in my hands.” That’s telling him, her female bits squealed. Look at his shocked expression.
He leaned and pressed his lips to her ear and repeated his command in a sensual whisper. “Think you can handle the weight once you get it in your hands?”
Oh, sweet climax. It was a good thing he was there to lift her because her legs had just turned to mush. Plus, she was going to have to go through check-out wearing wet panties. Better to go through the self-serve aisle—and damn quickly. She needed her vibrator.
By the time her feet hit the floor again, her back had rubbed against every delectable hard inch of his pecs and abs and, if she wasn’t mistaken, one rock-solid erection. Maybe she needed two or three fans for her office.
He took the box from her arms and set it in her cart. “Gee, you’re getting a lot of stuff here. Doing some redecorating at home?”
“No. In my tiny office at the law firm where I work.”
A groan tumbled from his throat. “Please I’m trying to forget you’re a lawyer. I’m pretending you’re one sexy photographer and nothing more.”
“But I am an attorney.” She planted a fist on her hip and hiked her chin at his scowl. “It’s an honorable profession.” Why did she feel the need to defend herself? “We’re not all bad. Just at certain times.” Now why the hell did I say that?
“Yes, I suppose there are some good lawyers. I know there are a few who smell like sin.” He leaned in and inhaled her fragrance and she trembled in response. The corners of his lips twitched and one of his dark eyebrows rose. “What do you need next?”
“Wh…what?” The man had just boosted her as if she weighed no more than a basketball and then slid her over his erection—one that resembled a fire hose full to bursting…set her hormones in a line dance to do the bump and grind to, “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love Baby.”
He backed her against the shelves, his fingertips lightly skimming the skin of her arms. “What else do you need, Ms. Good and Bad Attorney? Can I help you with it?”
For the life of her, she couldn’t recall why she’d come in this hardware store. A new pair of high heels? Shampoo? Ice Cream? Her mind was all befuddled. All she could see were intense steel-gray eyes, darkened and hooded with desire. His head tilted as if he were studying her. Her mental focus floated away on an internal heated breeze.
I need to date more.
Those man-hungry hormones of hers were pushing her closer to him and making her lips pucker in the most embarrassing way. Could anything be more humiliating? Like he would ever kiss her. And could she survive if he did? For this guy oozed an excess of testosterone. She cleared her throat. “Plant hooks for those aluminum strips that hold up ceiling tiles.”
He placed one hand on the small of her back and pushed her cart with his other. “Hey, that’s what I’m here for. We can find them together. Suddenly, the captain’s on a plant kick, so he sent me for hooks and some hanging plants. He’ll need to keep Emily away from them though. The woman has a black thumb.”
“You seem in a happier mood today.”
“Talking to you yesterday helped. Plus, I called my lawyer this morning and pressed him for some answers. Old Henry wasn’t too pleased. He prefers safety, but I got him to admit I could date—occasionally.”
“Henry? Not George Henry, mister conservative from the fifties.” Geesh, no wonder he had Boyd afraid to lead a normal life.
Boyd chuckled. “Yeah, he is in a bit of a time warp. He’s good, though, right?”
“Yes. Very thorough.” They turned into another aisle, his hand still on the small of her back.
“You know, I recognized your high heel clattering and knew you were in the store somewhere. You have a distinctive walk, as if you’re almost running. Few women can manage that in heels as high as you wear.”
“You must have good ears.” Being near him had her in a happy Zen place.
He laughed. “I’m a dad. I can hear a six-year old doing something he shouldn’t be doing at twenty paces. I call it daddy hearing. Gotta admit, I dig your blue toenail polish to match your dark blue stilettoes.”
“Most men don’t notice things like that.”
“I’m a fireman. I’m taught to be super observant.”
They talked while they shopped and picked out plants. She was surprised to learn he was a gentle giant.
