Too Hot To Touch

Hunks: Too Hot To Touch A novel of erotic romance by

Marie Rochelle

Published by Phaze Books Also by Marie Rochelle A Taste of Love: Richard Alpha Male Incorporated: Under Your Protection Closer to You: Lee My Deepest Love: Zack All the Fixin’ Caught Caught 2: Anja’s Return Closer to You: Lee My Deepest Love: Zack Crossing the Railroad Desire The Men of CCD: Loving True The Men of CCD: Tempting Turner The Men of CCD: Slow Seduction The Men of CCD: Help Wanted Lucky Charms So Much Better Taken by Storm Roped Into You

This is an explicit and erotic novel intended for the enjoyment of adult readers. Please keep out of the hands of children.

www.Phaze.com

Hunks: Too Hot To Touch Copyright © 2011 by Marie Rochelle ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Edited by Judy Bagshaw Cover Art © 2011 by Niki Browning First Edition December 2011 ISBN-13: 978-1-60659-644-9

Published by: Phaze Books An imprint of Mundania Press LLC 6457 Glenway Ave., #109 Cincinnati, OH 45211 All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, Mundania Press LLC, 6457 Glenway Avenue, #109, Cincinnati, Ohio 45211, [email protected]. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without permission from Mundania Press LLC. Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/). Please purchase only authorized electronic or print editions and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support of the author’s rights and livelihood is appreciated.

Dedication The true beauty of a woman is her ability to forgive.

Prologue “I can’t believe this is happening to me.” Shauntie Kane watched as the water dripped down from the ceiling onto her brand new mahogany kitchen table. For over a month now, she’d known about the roof leak, but she’d put getting it fixed at the bottom of her list because of demands from her job as an optometrist. She didn’t think it would get this serious so rapidly. Unfortunately now, her procrastination had led to a huge puddle in the center of her table which was getting larger right before her eyes. Good God! When would she have time to call a roofer to come and see about all of this? Her hectic work schedule was booked solid and this new situation only added to her tribulations. Why couldn’t this have occurred when she was on vacation? No, it had to arise right now, when she was having her busiest time at work. Damn, she already had enough bills to pay this month and her lucrative job as an eye doctor didn’t make a bit of difference. She hated spending extra money. From a very young age, she’d watched as her mother saved money and only spent it when necessary. Her mother’s favorite saying was ‘save a penny for a rainy day.’ She didn’t believe in wasting money; however, her need to save money was the main reason her roof was in this condition. Shauntie could only imagine the price the roofer would quote to fix the leaky roof. Without a doubt, it would probably cost an arm, leg and another one of her body parts thrown in for good measure. She might actually have to take a part time job on the side to foot the bill, she thought jokingly. Sighing, Shauntie took one last look at her increasing predicament before walking into the laundry room. Looking around the room, she searched for the small white bucket she’d placed there a few days ago. It wasn’t the best, but it would give the water something to collect in besides on top of her table. Finally, she spotted the bucket beside the dryer. Shauntie picked it up then grabbed a towel out of the dirty clothes’ hamper before she left the room. Going back into the kitchen, she wiped up all of the excess water with

the towel before placing the bucket directly under the steady drip. There, that should take care of her problem for a while. She went back into the laundry room and tossed the soaked towel into the washing machine. Tonight wasn’t turning out as she expected at all. She should already be out of the house and enjoying her usual Friday night cocktail with her friends. Sapphire and Emerald were probably already at the nightclub having drinks and talking about their day while waiting on her to show up. Why was she constantly the one running late when her best friends invited her out? Lately something out of the blue always seemed to come up at the last minute to keep her late at work or home. In the last two months, Shauntie knew she hadn’t arrived to the club on time for her girl’s night, and what was worse, she was the one who arranged the get togethers. Tonight, she’d finally hoped to change her bad habits by getting dressed earlier, but her idea hadn’t work because here she was once again still at home trying to make it out of the front door. Of course, Sapphire and Emerald weren’t going to let her hear the last of this since she’d practically gloated about how she was going to beat the two of them there tonight. Damn! Why did she have to brag about something she knew might not happen? Shauntie hated losing at anything and especially at something trivial like this. She could have been at the club twenty minutes ago and won the bet if she hadn’t needed to take care of this stupid leak. What person in their right mind wouldn’t have gotten it looked at after the first sign of trouble? However, like always she thought things would wait until she had the time to fix them on her schedule and that was never the case. This incident had taught her a well deserved lesson. Hurrying out of the laundry room, Shauntie grabbed her stuff off the kitchen island and rushed into the living room. She did a very quick tour through her house making sure everything was locked and secured before going out the front door. She hoped her friends hadn’t been waiting too long for her because Emerald would be the first one to speak up if they had. Shauntie pulled her dark blue BMW out of the driveway and headed down the street towards the nightclub where her friends were waiting. She couldn’t wait until she took a sip of her first drink. After the long hours she worked this week along with the two eye surgeries she’d performed yesterday, Shauntie needed something sinful

to release all of the tension from her body and since there wasn’t a hot, attractive guy in the picture to do it with sex, a good drink would have to suffice. The thought of having a couple of drinks and a night out with her girls sounded like the perfect way to alleviate the strain that had taken control of her racing mind and tired body. Shauntie couldn’t wait until she got to her destination because she wanted to flirt with some good-looking guys and have a good time with her friends. This wouldn’t be a problem with Sapphire or Emerald at her side since they constantly had some kind of wild and adventurous stories to help take her mind off her own pitiful dating life. Her two best friends never seemed like they were ever lacking in the boyfriend department. She couldn’t recall the last time either Sapphire or Emerald didn’t have a date planned during the week or at least on the weekends. Yes...it had been a while since a man had shared her bed or taken part of making her glad she was a woman. But did she really have to get excited this morning when an attractive guy struck up a conversation with her at the gas station while she was pumping gas. How sad was she? Sheesh. What would her friends say if they knew she was lonely from lack of male companionship? One thing was for sure, Sapphire and Emerald would never find out because she wasn’t about to tell them. She didn’t want to get dragged into one of their dating schemes again. They were always trying to find her a man and all she wanted to do was relax and have a little fun tonight.

Chapter One “Look who it is. I can’t believe my eyes. I thought you might be a hallucination until Emerald assured me you were the real thing, I’m glad that Dr. Kane finally decided to join us,” Sapphire Rhodes teased as soon as Shauntie took a seat at the circular table inside the nightclub. “I thought you were supposed to beat us here tonight.” “You are just too funny. You need to take your act on the road.” Shauntie tossed her black purse down on the table. “I would have been here forty minutes ago if my roof didn’t start to leak again. You wouldn’t be picking on me if either of you saw the mess I had to deal with before I left the house.” “Your roof is still leaking? I thought you had that problem taken care of last month,” Emerald Stone said as she reached for her drink. “You can’t let it go for much longer. It will only make it worse in the end and cost a lot more money to have it fixed properly. We all know how much you hate to spend your hard earned money.” Why was Emerald giving her a lecture? She had more important things to take care of besides her roof problem. “I had two eye surgeries this month,” Shauntie said. “I wasn’t thinking about my roof. Anyways, I thought everything was fine because the leak had stopped until today.” Jennifer Hudson’s song ‘Where you at’ played around them as Sapphire and Emerald stared at her like she had completely lost her mind. Shauntie didn’t understand why they were looking at her as if she was speaking a foreign language. Why were they acting like she was crazy? She just couldn’t cancel patients’ surgeries to deal with a household dilemma. Life didn’t work like that and both Sapphire and Emerald should understand where she was coming from. “Are you serious, Shauntie? A leaky roof just doesn’t go away by itself. You need to call a licensed roofer for an inspection and get it repaired.” Sapphire waved a waitress over to their table. “Your problem will only get worse if you don’t.” An African American waitress with multicolored braids piled up onto

her head came up to them with pen and pad in her hand. Shauntie and Sapphire gave the waitress their alcohol orders and then waited until she walked away before they continued their conversation. “Please don’t tell me you’re worried about the cost.” Emerald laughed. “You have your own private practice. How can you be concerned about money? You want your house in top condition which means you might have to pay a little extra to make it happen.” Shauntie disliked when Emerald teased her about her need to hold on to money instead of spending thousands of dollars on every sale that came advertised in the newspaper. She was very surprised Emerald had any money at all with the way she burned through it on any given day. Crossing her legs, Shauntie leaned back in her seat folding her arms over her breasts. “Emerald, I don’t think anything is wrong with saving for a rainy day. I’m lucky enough to have a good career, but I don’t possess the need to run through my money because of it.” “Hey, I was only─” “Okay, you two. Stop arguing.” Sapphire jumped in preventing an unnecessary disagreement from happening. “Shauntie, I think I can help you with your roof predicament. One of my co-workers’ brother is a professional roofer. I remember her mentioning over lunch this afternoon that Nash is between jobs right now. I can give her your information to pass on to him.” Shauntie was a little apprehensive about taking a referral from a roofer without being able to check him out first herself. How did she even know if this guy knew what he was doing? He could make her leak worse. “I don’t know,” Shauntie answered, truthfully. “Shauntie, all you have to do is let him check it out. If you don’t like the quote he gives you then you can find another roofer, but you have to get it fixed. You do know that, right?” Sapphire stared at her like she hoped she wouldn’t argue with her. Sapphire was right. It was a small leak now, but the crisis would only get worse if she didn’t get it taken care of now. She would rather pay a small price now then a huge price later on. She didn’t know what she would do without her friends keeping her on the right track. It took a lot for her to spend any extra money since that incident from her past, but she had to do it for her home. “Okay, fine.” She sighed giving in. “Give your employee my information and have her brother come by my house tomorrow morning. I can’t let this leak get worse. I’ll be home all day because I’m going to be planting new flowers.” Shauntie wanted this taken care of as quickly as

possible. Hopefully, Sapphire knew a legitimate roofer who would have her issue fixed in record time. “Are we done figuring out ways to help Shauntie out?” Emerald complained as the waitress came back with their drink orders. She placed their drinks down in front of them and left. “I came here to relax after my long day at work. Don’t the two of you want to unwind as much as I do?” Shauntie glanced at Sapphire then looked at Emerald. “What’s wrong with you? Did something happen at work that you want to talk about?” She knew sometimes Emerald’s job as a medical examiner’s assistant got to her. It wasn’t a job that she would be able to do every day. “I’m sorry.” Emerald apologized reaching for her drink again. “I don’t mean to be in such a bitchy mood tonight.” Something was up with Emerald because out of the three of them Shauntie considered Emerald’s personality as the most laid back and carefree which was one of the reasons she was able to do her job so well. “Tell us what’s wrong,” Shauntie encouraged. Uncrossing her arms she touched Emerald on the back of her hand. Emerald was usually the one in the partying mood anytime they went out for their girl’s night on the town. The weekends were usually the only time all three of them had free to just talk about their week. Emerald was typically the one with the best stories to tell, but tonight there was definitely a different vibe to her. Something big was up with her. “Don’t you ever get lonely?” Emerald removed her hand and wrapped it around her drink. “I mean all of us have brilliant and successful careers, but all of us are alone. Sometimes I would like to come home to a goodlooking, hunky guy. You know guys who get all sweaty and dirty from hard work. I’m getting bored with the men I’ve been dating. “Both of you know what I’m talking about, men who would rather be on their cell phones checking their stock options instead of cuddling up with me on the couch. I’m done coming second after anyone’s career. I’m no longer interested in the ‘moving on up’ type of guy.” “You want to date a man who spends his time outside becoming one with nature?” Sapphire frowned “Why are you thinking about dumping the corporate man for the guys who work outside in front of his office?” “Emerald, what brought this on?” Shauntie questioned, jumping into the conversation. Here she thought something was wrong and Emerald just wanted to get laid. Sometimes she thought she knew her friends and then Emerald or Sapphire would toss something like this out of the blue and make her wonder if she’d ever known them.

Sitting back in her chair, Shauntie listened to the latest pop song as she took a sip of her white wine. She couldn’t believe Emerald was interested in dating a man who didn’t at least make six figures and have a portfolio. When did her friend stop wanting to date her usual pretty boy and replace him with the working Joe? Emerald’s eyes swung back and forth between her and Sapphire with a mischievous look in them. “Come on, guys. Haven’t you ever seen one of those hot, sweaty men working outside and wondered what it would be like to be with him? I know a couple of times I’ve stopped my car and taken a long, lust-filled lingering look at a couple of the tight asses. Are you telling me that I’m the only one?” “Yes, you are,” Shauntie answered, instantly. “I’ve never thought about dating any of them. Why would I be looking for a relationship when I get everything I need from my job?” Was Emerald really serious about this? Did Sapphire think the same thing too? “Shauntie, can you really be so caught up in your career that you don’t miss the touch of a man’s hands on your body?” Emerald said staring at her with disbelief. “The scent of his skin right after he’s just gotten out of the shower, or better yet how his warm mouth feels as he kisses the back of her neck? “You can’t say that you don’t. Out of the three of us, you’re the one who hasn’t been in a relationship for almost three years. You can’t continue to eat and sleep your career. I know there has to be some days you hate going home to a huge empty house. You’re a liar if you say you aren’t a little lonely and in the need of some male company,” Emerald tossed at her Moving her drink around on the table, Shauntie wondered why tonight was turning out differently than she thought it would. Why was it becoming the ‘why didn’t she have a man’ show? Why couldn’t Emerald get it through her thick skill? She wasn’t in need of a man because she was quite happy being alone. She didn’t need to come home and have someone there waiting for her. Her life was going down the path she wanted this time in her life. Besides, most men she was a little interested in, more than often got intimidated by her being a doctor. More than a handful of them hated she made more money than them. They couldn’t handle the pressure of dating a professional woman and never called her out for a second date. On those rare occasions, the men who did call her back only wanted her to buy them things or use her for networking; because those guys with the powerful jobs only wanted to move up even more within their circle of friends. They weren’t the slight bit interested in becoming involved with a

woman who was their equal or to some extent more successful than they were. For the time being Shauntie was done with dating. All she thought about these days was working and helping her clients that needed improvement to their failing eyesight. Why should she mess up her uncomplicated life now with complications? She had come to terms with the fact she might be single for the rest of her life and she was beginning to accept it. Now, Emerald had to bring up finding a man tonight and she wouldn’t let it go until she got her point across. Emerald’s looks fitted her spunky personality from her short black hair, curvy body, cat-like eyes and her light mocha skin topped off by the a beauty mark on the right side of her cheek. Shauntie didn’t understand why her girlfriend was in search of a man. Her friend was truly stunning and most men would love to date her opinionated friend. Sometimes Emerald was a force to be reckoned with when she put her mind to something. However, those qualities were what made her so unique because she didn’t let anyone or anything stand in her way. Shauntie constantly thought of herself as a take charge kind of woman, but Emerald had both her and Sapphire beat when it came to getting what she yearned for. Anytime she got an idea inside of her head, Emerald didn’t release it until she achieved it and it didn’t matter how long it might take her. Emerald would get it sooner or later. Glancing to her left, Shauntie watched from the corner of her eye, her other best friend, Sapphire Rhodes play with her bottle of beer. She and Sapphire had formed a friendship in the ninth grade and it had only grown stronger over the years. Sapphire was the polar opposite of Emerald when it came to looks. She was tall, thin and so perfect that she could have made millions being a runway model; however, instead of a flashy career with a lot of fans and women craving to be her Sapphire decided her chosen career path was to become a dentist. Ever since she could remember back to her teenage years, Sapphire always dreamt and talked about going into a giving profession, so she could help people who were less fortunate than her. Many people instantly misjudged Sapphire because of her stunning looks and thought she had a snobby attitude. However, she was so gentle and sweet which gave her the personality she needed to make a perfect and understanding dentist. “Shauntie, what do you think about my idea?” Emerald asked, staring at her with a hopeful look on her face.

“What idea?” Shauntie inquired, confused. What had she missed? “Shauntie, will you stop daydreaming and pay attention. You missed a good conversation. I was telling Sapphire how professional men aren’t very comfortable with us being in the same league as them. The more I’ve dated them, the more clearly this plan of mine started to form in my head. Why shouldn’t we try something new and different?” “Are you really serious about dating a working man? Do you know any men who don’t work sixteen hour days? I’ve never seen you date a man who wasn’t at least a partner or working his way towards that goal. Can you tell me the last time you dated a plumber or window washer?” Shauntie knew that Emerald wouldn’t be able to give her an answer. Emerald probably couldn’t count them on one hand. Her girlfriend only dated attractive and rich men who drove Jaguars, not dump trucks. She wouldn’t last two days with a man who couldn’t take her out to a fancy meal. Why was she trying to change her ways now? Emerald had been fine up to now doing what she was doing. “No, I can’t.” Emerald snapped, glaring at her. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t change my ways and date a nice guy who isn’t more interested in his stock broker than me when we’re out on a romantic date. Sapphire is just as tired as I am with dating money bags men too. That’s why she agreed to go along with my plan.” Plan...what plan was Emerald talking about? One of her friends should fill her in on what was going on and fast. Shauntie wasn’t in the mood to listen to any more of this craziness. She could have stayed at home and debated where she was going to place her Christmas tree this year. “You do know that you’re something without a man at your side?” she asked, looking at both Sapphire and Emerald. “Sure, it’s wonderful to have someone to talk about your day with when you come home from work but if I don’t have it I won’t feel like less than a woman. “Sapphire, I don’t even know what you are agreeing to but I don’t think you should do it. You know how you are about things. You love jumping in feet first and then you change your mind at the snap of a finger.” “Shauntie, before you shoot my plan down, at least let me explain it to you. I mean it’s really good and you’re going to love it.” Emerald grinned at her from across the table which was usually a very bad sign. Lord, what was about to come out of her friend’s mouth. “See, this plan is going to be foolproof because all of us will get everything we want. I swear you’re going to love it. Sapphire and I decided to

find our ‘perfect hardworking man’ before our favorite holidays. Sapphire’s is New Years’ Eve, mine is Valentine’s Day and yours is Christmas which means you better get your butt moving if you want to find your man.” Get her moving? Hold on a damn minute! She’d never agreed to anything like this? She wasn’t looking for anyone at all. “I never agreed to do this with the two of you,” Shauntie pointed out. “I’m fine just the way I am. Don’t include me in this crazy plan of yours.” Out of the three of them, Shauntie knew she had to be sensible person and not jump into this without thinking it through. She wanted more than a hot body in her bed. She’d vowed to herself never to go down that path again. She’d learned her lesson once and she wasn’t about to make that mistake again...not in this lifetime. “Sapphire, are you truly serious about doing this with Emerald? Come on. You know how crazy this sounds?” Sapphire shrugged as she pushed her untouched beer away. “I think it might be fun. For once we can be the ones hunting down a man. Emerald didn’t say we had to marry the guys by our favorite holidays, only get them in our lives. What’s the big deal? “We only want to have a good time. I’m only twenty-eight years old and I’ve spent over half my life in school. Don’t you think it’s about time we get to have some fun? Why not try to find a sexy man to spend our favorite holidays with?” The passion in her friend’s voice shocked the hell out of her. Sapphire was usually so laid back and reserved. Shauntie was truly speechless. She couldn’t believe Sapphire could have forgotten about him. Her best friend knew about her last bad relationship with J.T. and yet she was ready to toss her back out there to the wolves. After everything that happened to her, she thought Sapphire would understand why she wasn’t interested in getting back out there into the dating pool. Well, it didn’t matter at all to her if Emerald and Sapphire wanted to go out man hunting. It wasn’t any of her business, but her participation shouldn’t have been assumed. “Girls, I’m sorry. I don’t have any right to judge either one of you” Shauntie wanted to get off the topic and on to something else. She didn’t need the memories of J.T. and how badly things ended between them rushing back to her. Not after she’d spent so much time getting the asshole out of her head. “Have fun looking for your men, but I’m not going to participate.” “Why are you always the fun police?” Emerald complained, leaning across the table. “Anytime I think of something fun and creative for us to

do you constantly, and I do mean constantly, find ways to shoot everything down within minutes of the words leaving my mouth. I’m tired of it.” “Yeah, me too,” Sapphire chimed in, shocking Shauntie causing her eyes to dart over to her friend she had known for the longest. She never thought Sapphire would jump on Emerald’s side so quickly against her. After the stabbing insults, Shauntie swallowed hard trying not to reveal her anger but more importantly her hurt. Why had she even come here tonight? She might as well go home and enjoy her own company because she wasn’t going to stay here with her ‘so-called’ best friends and continue to get insulted. Digging inside of her purse, Shauntie grabbed some money for her drink and then tossed it down on the table. “There’s my money for my drink. I’m leaving since the fun police is ruining everyone’s night,” she complained as she got up from the table. Shauntie saw Sapphire and Emerald’s eyes widen from shock, but before either one of them could utter one word she stormed away from the table leaving them there to go over their plan. Hell, she would rather grab something to eat from a drive-thru and then climb into bed with a good book. Anything sounded better to her than spending another minute with Sapphire and Emerald after the way they ganged up on her. . “Shauntie, don’t leave. We’re sorry. Sapphire and I don’t really think of you as the fun police. This is our night. Please come back and let us apologize,” Emerald hollered after her, but she just ignored them and kept walking. The thoughts of being home sounded better and better the closer she got to the door.

Chapter Two Driving his black pickup truck up the circular driveway, Nash Wentworth admired the three- storey Victorian house that resembled something out of an Architectural Digest magazine. Was he really at the right place? He had worked on expensive houses before but none of them at this level. Late last night his little sister had called him waking him up out of a damn good dream to give him a referral for a new possibility for his roofing business. Nash wasn’t about to lose a potential job opportunity, so he had gotten out of bed and dug out a pen and paper jotting down the information. However, Nash never thought the house he would be checking out this morning would be located in the part of town only the well-privileged and ultra snobby could afford. He and his buddies constantly joked about getting called to do a job out at one of these houses in the ‘elite’ neighborhoods and here he was. Nash couldn’t wait until he told his friends about this over their Friday night beers at Pepper’s a local nightclub they loved going to after a long week at work. This weekend at the bar Nash knew he was going to have a better story than Brian or Chance. So, they better be ready to pay up with a lot of beer and BBQ Sluggers. He was so energized about this job and the bragging rights he would get from it. Nash almost wished it was Friday instead of Thursday, but he was a patient man. He could wait until tomorrow night. This was so good he would definitely win the-most-exciting-thing-to-happen-that-week contest they had going each other. Most of the people in this neighborhood probably thought they were so much better than him, but it wasn’t true. It didn’t matter if he worked with his hands every day; he was just as good as them. His money was green just like theirs. Taking off his sunglasses, Nash tossed them on the passenger seat in his truck and ran his hand over his hair. Over the years, he’d found out rather quickly that possible clients liked it better when they could see into his eyes. One client had informed him anytime when he wore his sunglasses;

he came off as a little intimidating because it came across like he was trying to get something over on them. With the way the economy was going, he couldn’t afford to lose one client with the bills he had to pay. So, he left his sunglasses inside the truck anytime he was dealing with someone new. Starting up and running his own business took a lot of capital and if he was lucky enough to get this new client, it would put him over the top for the rest of the year. Usually when his sister gave him a new referral, it usually came from one of her co-workers and everything always turned out perfectly. This job was the first job he got from her that involved someone outside of her workplace. Sitting inside of his work truck, Nash took in the scenery surrounding him from the perfectly manicured lawn to the nicely planted flowerbed at the end of the house. A slight movement at the edge of the yard caught Nash’s eye making him sit up straight in his seat. Who in the hell was she? Did she work for Mrs. Kane? He couldn’t believe what was right in front of his face. The most perfectly round ass he ever had seen in his life was stuck up in the air and was attached to a woman who was planting flowers in a small section of dirt by the front window. A pair of dark blue jeans hugged the woman’s lower body like they were almost painted on making his mouth water at the gorgeous sight. He loved a nice curvy behind on a female. Nash had been an ass man since he’d turned thirteen years old when he started taking notice of a girl’s body. Most of his friends either liked breasts or legs, but not him. He loved when a woman had a little extra in the ass department and this female had more than plenty to fill his hands as he made love to her. If she looked this good from behind than how good did she look from the front, Nash wondered to himself. Luckily, his wish got granted a few minutes later when she stood up and brushed the dirt from her hands and the sight of her luscious body made all of the air rush from his body. The upper part of her body was just as stunning as the rest. Firm, high breasts pressed against the front of her shirt which was tucked inside of her jeans showing off her small waist and womanly hips. If his father was still alive, he would say this woman was built like a Coke bottle. Nothing was out of place. Unfortunately, Nash couldn’t see much of her face or hair because of her sunglasses and big, brown floppy sunhat. His curiosity was piqued

about how soon he would be able to see her face and if it would match the rest of her killer body Nash knew he would love to stay inside his truck and stare at the vision before him, but sadly he couldn’t. Undoubtedly his client was probably inside right now peeking at him through the blinds wondering why in the hell his ass was still sitting inside of his work truck instead of at her front door. He couldn’t afford to piss off this new client before he got a chance to introduce himself or check out the job. Hopefully, the mystery woman who was planting flowers would still be around when he left since he was considering asking her out for a cup of coffee after he was done here. As long as she didn’t blow him off anything she might agree to would be fine with him. Getting out of the truck, Nash stood by the hood wondering what he should do. He stole a glance towards the house and then back at the woman who had resumed her original position of planting flowers. A thought suddenly crossed Nash’s mind. What if she wasn’t here when he came back out? He wasn’t sure how long it would take to survey the roof damage to this house. He might miss out on his only opportunity to find out who she was and ask her out on a date. As much as he was dying to land this job and add it to his business he couldn’t take the chance she might actually be gone when he came back outside. Hell, Nash knew he was extremely good at his job and possessed the credentials to prove it, so, his client could wait a few more minutes for him. Sauntering across the freshly cut grass, Nash made his way towards the woman who caught his attention the second he pulled up in the driveway. The closer he got to her; he began to wonder why she hadn’t turned her head and looked at him. Didn’t she hear him coming right at her? Nash got the answer to his question when he got a little closer to her. He noticed ear plugs in her ear. She was listening to music, and singing along. Nash didn’t recognize the song. Nash didn’t want to scare her by touching her on the shoulder or back, so he decided to yell loud enough hoping she would hear him over the music. It was the best idea that he could come up with for the moment. “Excuse me miss,” he yelled, but got no answer Inching closer to her, Nash tried to grab her attention away from her task a second time. He was almost directly at her side and he called out to her again. “Miss, can you hear me?” He hollered louder this time. The woman screamed and practically leaped off the ground before her head

swung in his direction. “My God, you scared the hell out of me,” she snapped, standing up pulling the earplugs out of her ears. The smoky quality of her voice rushed instantly to Nash’s cock giving him a semi-erection in seconds. Shit! Her voice was what hot, steamy nights filled with hours of sex was made for. Now Nash was dying even more to see her eyes. He wondered if they matched the smooth toffee complexion of her skin. Nash wasn’t the kind of man to discriminate when it came to the opposite sex. He loved all types of women. Having a type never entered his mind. If he was drawn to a female then he would ask her out and see where things moved after their first date. This woman was totally on his road to the first date status he loved so much. He could find out so much from a first date. Sometimes things worked out and sometimes they didn’t, but he never let that stop him from approaching an attractive woman when he saw one. “I’m sorry,” Nash apologized with a quick smile. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I only wanted to know if you knew if Ms. Kane was home. I’m here to check out her leaking roof.” Great job! Ask about your client first before you try to get a date with the hot woman in front of you. He really should pat himself on the back for that move. “I’m Dr. Shauntie Kane,” she answered, shocking him. “I should apologize to you for not being ready to see you. My friend Sapphire left me a message on my answering machine. She told me you’d be coming by this morning and I totally allowed the time to get away from me”. Nash couldn’t believe his bad luck. The sexy woman he had been lusting after and wanted to ask out for a cup of coffee was his new client. He was totally shocked that Dr. Kane was outside doing her own landscaping instead of paying someone else to do it for her. He never thought any woman who lived in this area of town would be caught dead down on her hands and knees getting one with nature, especially when she looked like Shauntie. But only a few minutes ago he’d witnessed her with her hands buried in the ground. Nash was even more intrigued by Shauntie now than before. Something about her just made him feel like he should get to know her better. “Sir, can you give me your name again?” Shauntie asked, removing her sunglasses. “Sapphire told me but I forgot.”

The second Shauntie’s eyes were revealed and then connected with his, who she was hit him like a ton of bricks. He couldn’t believe it. There was no way this was possible. Not after all of this time. Could he actually get this lucky and she was really standing in front of him? It was her! Everything around him stopped as Nash stared into the eyes of the woman he was supposed to spend the rest of his life with. He never thought he would ever see her again in his life. He had spent weeks trying to find her, but he never could and now here she was right within touching distance of her. She’d never given him the time of day because she was involved with the asshole he worked with on a construction job. He seriously doubted that Shauntie ever knew he even had feelings for her because she only had tunnel vision for J.T. Her large brown eyes were so dark that they almost looked black. They held an inviting gleam that no make-up could improve in his humble opinion. If Nash’s thoughts were drawn to Shauntie before, he knew he wanted to find out more about her even more now. With eyes like those, he could spend hours just looking at Shauntie while trying to figure out what she was thinking. For months, he’d stood at the sidelines and watched in pure agony as Shauntie made one of the biggest mistakes of her life by dating his shithead of a co-worker, but he never got a chance to warn her about J.T. She never knew how that idiot was only using her until it was too late. Nash lost count of how many times he had gone home after a hard day’s work and spent countless nights dreaming about being with her. God, how many times did he tell her good morning as she walked to work only to have her completely ignore him? Now, it was his time to finally get Shauntie to notice him. Nash was going to do everything in his power to get a date with her. He wasn’t a big believer in fate or second chances, but after running into Shauntie again he might have to change his mind. This was too good of an opportunity to let pass him by. Shauntie probably still didn’t even remember him and that was fine with him for the moment. All that mattered to Nash was he remembered her and how that one particular black skirt hugged her tight ass every time she walked past the construction site on her way to work. Back then, she was his dream woman and honestly, there hadn’t been another woman in his life to change his mind.

Shauntie was so unbelievable to him in so many ways. He couldn’t wait until he finally got to show her how much better of a man he was than J.T. Nash only hoped that she wasn’t already involved with someone. He took a peek down at her ring finger and noticed it was bare. The sight gave him hope that Shauntie was single and he might have a chance with her. “Nash Wentworth,” he finally answered when he noticed Shauntie frowning at him. God, how long had he been standing there staring at her? Get it together man! He was going to ruin things before he even had a chance to get them out of the gate. Titling her head to the side, Shauntie watched him for a few minutes. “Is that really your name?” she asked, surprised. What was wrong with his name? Actually, he was quite fond of it. “Yes, why?” “With a name like Nash Wentworth, it seems like you should be playing golf at a country club instead of working on a leaking roof in the hot sun. At least, you should be the star in an old black and white Hollywood movie.” Laughing at Shauntie’s comment, Nash realized she was actually right. He did have one of those names, but he wasn’t part of that crowd of people and truthfully, their lifestyles weren’t for him. Instead of getting close to all of those self-absorbed people, he only had his mind on learning about one woman...and she was standing directly in front of him. “I do get that comment a lot,” Nash admitted. “How about you show me where your leak is? I’ll see what I can do for you. Hopefully, it will be an easy fix.” “You’re right,” Shauntie agreed. “I should have shown you sooner. I hope you’re ready for the worst leak you might have ever laid your eyes on.” “I’m ready for anything you have to show me,” Nash said. He liked how Shauntie’s eyebrow arched over her gorgeous eyes, but she didn’t comment. Instead, she walked around him and headed towards her front door. Smiling to himself, Nash followed behind Shauntie loving how the jeans hugged her full ass even more when she moved. Oh....this job was going to be very exciting. The view of her flawless body was even better than he recalled from the past. He only hoped the leak would take a while to fix, so he could be around Shauntie longer than she expected.

Chapter Three Shauntie hurried towards the front porch of her house trying to ignore the feel of Nash Wentworth’s jade eyes on her ass. When she looked up and saw him towering over her, all muscular and sizzling hot, she almost fell backwards in the dirt and all over her precious flowers. Why did he have to come to her house? She thought men like him didn’t exist in the world anymore. He was ideal in all the places a man should be. Did Sapphire send Nash over here to prove a point to her? He was the type of guy she loved dating years ago when she hadn’t known any better. However, she had matured over the years and so had her taste in men. They had gotten better. Or at least she thought her judgment might have progressed until she saw Nash Wentworth standing not twenty feet from her...looking so fine with the sun shining down on his dark hair and rippling muscles. Over the years, Shauntie made a point to stop dating men who got her body going just from one sexy come hither look. Why should she still give them a chance with her? Nothing good ever came from it. So, Sapphire and Emerald’s plan seemed a little ridiculous to her. They might be intrigued by seeing their little brainstorm to the end, but she already knew the ending to this particular story so there was no need for her to reread the book. Shauntie wasn’t about to allow her friends to force her into taking a step back in her life. Her interest in dating a man not in the same social circle as her ended the second she had her heart ripped out by her ex-boyfriend. The bitter pill she’d had to swallow was hard and painful. All the time they had spent together wasn’t because he was falling in love with her, but because he loved her money. Shauntie knew one thing for sure. She wouldn’t dare allow herself to go down the same slippery road with this Nash Wentworth guy. Sure, keep telling yourself that lie, her mind taunted. Shauntie pushed the wayward thought to the back of her head and refocused her attention on Nash. He was here to take care of her problem. He didn’t come all the way to her house for her to lose her cool and drool all over him. No matter how smoking hot he looked in those tight jeans and the black shirt.

“Come on in,” Shauntie said, holding open the door for Nash. “Thank you.” As Nash placed his hand on the door, his hand accidentally brushed hers. The second their hands touched Shauntie instantly felt a jolt of awareness shoot through her body. The shock was so powerful that it almost stole her breath away, but she decided to pretend it never happened. She wasn’t looking for a man and especially not one named Nash Wentworth. What was going on with her? She had been around good-looking men before and not had that kind of reaction to any of them. “Mr. Wentworth, why don’t you follow me so I can show you where my problem is?” God, why did his name have to be as appealing as the rest of his rippling package? “I’ll be more than happy to follow you,” Nash replied, smiling at her making his eyes light up. Shit! Nash’s sex appeal was powerful. Shauntie knew right then and there she would have to stay on her toes so as not to fall under his charismatic spell. “The leak is inside my kitchen,” Shauntie said as she went around Nash’s large body. “I thought it had stopped, but the leak came back stronger than before during the huge rainstorm we had the other day. I was going to put off calling a roofer and having the issue checked out for a little longer until Sapphire told me she knew an excellent roofer that she could recommend coming over and checking it out for me.” “I’m glad Sapphire told you about me,” Nash said, behind her, his voice sending jolts of awareness down her spine. “I hope I can take care of your needs.” “Here’s the problem.” Shauntie stopped by the half-full bucket on the kitchen table. Turning around, she ran into the middle of Nash’s hard chest not realizing how close he was behind her. Instantly, his strong hands gripped her upper arms holding her in place. “Are you okay?” his rich voice asked as his hypnotic green eyes searched her face. “I apologize. I shouldn’t have been so close to you.” Shauntie could barely pay attention to any of the words coming out of Nash’s mouth. She was too caught up in how good it felt to be this close to a real man. Most of the men she had been dating in the past spent too much time behind a desk to even think about walking through the doors of a gym. Honestly, her ex-boyfriends wouldn’t be able to find the local YMCA if she gave them a map and circled the area with a red pen. Nash probably got in this amazing shape from working with his hands that he never bothered

filling out a gym membership. Why should Nash bother when his physique was more perfect than a seasoned body builder? She’d heard of men having zero body fat, but this was the first time she had ever been lucky enough to be this close to someone it applied to. A body like his came from hard manual labor and not pumping air at the gym. There was a difference. “I’m fine,” Shauntie answered when she finally got herself together. Placing her hands on Nash’s chest, she eased away from him trying not to get lost and moan at how incredible he felt beneath her hands. “Okay, if you’re sure.” Nash eyed her like he didn’t quite believe her, but he let it go. “What do you think could be wrong with my roof?” Water continued to drip into the bucket as Shauntie stood next to Nash. She had hoped the leak might have stopped overnight but it was still going at it when she came downstairs this morning. “Dr. Kane─” “Shauntie,” she quickly corrected. “Shauntie,” Nash repeated in his do me voice sending another pool of moisture into her already damp panties. Whoa! Shauntie fought down the temptation that Nash was throwing in her face. She didn’t have time for this and certainly not with him. What woman in her right mind would be this attracted to a man she had just met? “Do you think my leak will be an easy fix?” Shauntie questioned, trying to get the subject back on track. “Truthfully, a leaking roof can become a homeowner’s worst nightmare. A number of things can be wrong from flashing problems, gutters and lastly flaws in the roofing material itself. “With a slate or tile roof if either one is missing or broken, it will easily lead to a leak. Now, with a tile roof if the underlayment is old or just worn out a leak could pop up. Also, storm damage is another thing that might make a leak happen over time.” Shauntie hoped the leak would be a simple fix, but now after hearing Nash explain it to her, it might be a number of problems causing the damn leak. Shit! She hated this had happened to her right now. She was already overbooked with patients and wasn’t in the mood to deal with this personal problem. “How long do you think it might take to determine the cause?” she asked, wondering if she would have to take some time off from work to get this figured out. “I don’t want to give you a time frame until I get up there and look

around. Give me about forty-five minutes and I’ll tell you what I found,” Nash told her. Shauntie was beginning to get worried about how long it might take Nash to get the job completed. After hearing all the different causes it might be, she knew the drip couldn’t stay. Or it would definitely end up ruining the rest of her house. So, now all she was concerned about was the time frame and of course cost. “Alright, you can take a look at the situation and then I can meet you outside.” “Sounds like a plan to me. Let me get my ladder off the back of my truck and I’ll go up there and poke around. Hopefully, it will be an easy fix like you want.” Nash smiled at her then turned around and headed for the front door. A few minutes later Shauntie heard as it opened and closed behind him. Taking the sunhat off her head, Shauntie tossed it on the counter and ran her fingers through her hair. She wasn’t only worried about the cost of fixing the roof. Another concern was heavy on her mind too that involved her new roofer...her surprise attraction to him. Nash had this pull about him that was hard for her to pretend wasn’t there. Could she be around Nash for a long period of time without becoming more fascinated by him than she already was? Shauntie knew Sapphire sent Nash to her house on purpose and she was going to call her on it, but after she had a chance to change out of these gardening clothes. Why should she and Nash both smell like sweat?

Chapter Four “Sapphire, I know you sent him over here just to rile me up,” Shauntie accused as she peeked at Nash Wentworth outside her kitchen window. “Don’t you dare lie and tell me that you didn’t!” Damn, she didn’t know a man could have that many muscles on his body. “Shauntie, I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. You wanted a roofer to check out your leak and I found one for you. Nash comes highly recommended and I’m friends with his sister. He knows his job. I wouldn’t have sent him to your house if he didn’t. Why are you so upset?” Sapphire questioned, innocently. “Don’t play dumb with me. You know that he’s hot!” Shauntie tossed back not falling for Sapphire’s pitiful denial. “I have eyes. I can’t deny Nash is very, and I mean very, good-looking.” Shauntie cringed when Sapphire’s soft laugh touched her ear. “So, you’re saying that you could date a man like him again after the way J.T. treated you? I always thought you were too good for that loser. He just seemed a little over eager to me. I should have spoken up sooner about him. If Nash was my type I would be after him in a heartbeat, but you know I like my men to be a little less muscular.” Of course, Nash wasn’t the kind of guy Sapphire would date. He was way too big for her best friend, but Sapphire knew he would turn her head and get her panties wet. “I don’t blame you for not telling me about J.T. If you had, I probably wouldn’t have listened to you in the first place. However, I’m not going to fall for your trick. I have better things to do with my time than go along with Emerald’s crazy plan,” Shauntie tossed back. “I can’t believe you’re actually a part of it.” Sure, you do. Stop lying to yourself and admit you find Nash hotter than a summer day, her mind taunted. Sapphire’s soft voice laughed at her again making her regret even calling her best friend in the first place. “Sweetie, I only sent Nash over to your house to fix your roof. I swear I had no ulterior motive. Yet, you seem like you’re interested in Nash fixing something more than your roof. If I

remember correctly you haven’t had a boyfriend or a serious relationship since your favorite show ‘Will & Grace’ went off the air. Sapphire was wrong! She’d been out on dates. They just hadn’t been worth telling her girlfriends about. “Sapphire─” “Sorry girl, I have to go. I’m meeting Emerald for lunch, but have fun with Nash. He comes across like a real nice guy, so don’t do anything to scare him off. You know how stubborn and judgmental you can be sometimes. Bye.” The dial tone hummed in Shauntie’s ear as Sapphire quickly hung up on the other end. Shit! Sapphire knew how much she hated when she did that to her. She was the one who liked to get the last word in when they talked on the telephone. Snapping the phone shut, Shauntie slid it into the back pocket of her jeans as she watched Nash load the ladder into the back of his work truck. The heat from outside had dampened his black hair causing it to cling against his forehead. Her eyes were drawn to how chiseled his features were in contrast to the pretty boys who asked her out on dates in the past. With the sun gleaming down on him plastering his already damp shirt against his skin, Shauntie couldn’t tear her eyes away from Nash Wentworth if she wanted. She ran an appreciative eye over Nash’s form from his broad shoulders, all the way down to his toned tight ass. She was acutely conscious of how his movements were swift and filled with virility. Seeing him look this hot was only going to cement him in her mind, making him appear in her bed tonight, if only in her dreams. As much as she hated to admit to the truth, Sapphire was right. Nash captured her complete attention with his arresting good looks. He had a ruggedness and commanding manner to make any woman do a double take in his direction. When Nash smiled at her earlier his teeth were strikingly white against his tanned skin. His features were so strong that they held a certain sensuality to them that most women would undoubtedly fall for including herself. Nevertheless, Nash was here to fix her roof not do her. She would try to stay out of his way as much as possible to keep her fascination with him at a minimum. She wasn’t on the lookout for a man. Especially not one as commanding as Nash Wentworth because she got the distinct feeling he could be the man, the one who saw past the perfect image she presented to everyone else including her two best friends. Taking a deep breath, Shauntie ran her sweaty palms down the front of

her jeans hoping to calm the last of her nerves. She could do this. Nash was just a man like every other man she had been around. Spinning on her heel, she strode towards the door hoping she would be able to keep her composure when she got outside.

Chapter Five Grabbing the black rope cords at the side of his truck, Nash worked on getting the ladder tied down securely. He didn’t need it coming off the back of his truck like it did accidentally a couple of weeks ago. Luckily, he was working out at a farm house rebuilding the roof on a barn and the incident hadn’t caused anyone to get hurt. Since the mistake occurred Nash made sure he spent more than enough time making sure all of his work equipment was properly secured. The sound of a door closing pulled Nash’s attention away from the ladder. He glanced over his shoulder back at Shauntie’s house and spotted her coming towards him. His cock instantly leaped to full attention at the sight of how the gray sleeveless ribbed t-shirt molded against Shauntie’s perky breasts. Her well-worn jeans with a medium sized hole in the knee hugged her shapely thighs. Nash’s arousal grew even more when he wondered how Shauntie’s legs would feel wrapped around his waist as he thrust in and out of her warm welcoming heat. His eyes drank Shauntie up until he finally was able to move from her tempting body and then he noticed Shauntie’s thick ebony hair. The ends didn’t quite reach her shoulders, but it was still long enough for a man to run his fingers through while he made love to that delectable body of hers. Shauntie owned an air of efficiency about her that called to him. She was by no means blind to his attraction to her, but he wasn’t going to move too fast. At least in his mind, Nash hoped that he didn’t; but sometimes it was hard for him to move slowly when he got his sights set on something he wanted. After his initial inspection, he determined that her roof needed a lot of work, so that would give him the time he needed to win Shauntie over. Nash wasn’t going to let her slip through his fingers a second time. “Did you figure out what’s wrong with my roof?” Shauntie asked walking up to him, a worried expression etched across her pretty face. Resting his body against the driver’s side of his truck, he crossed his arms over his chest. Nash wondered how much Shauntie knew about roof inspections. He doubted she knew everything that went into fixing a roof

especially one with the extent of work hers needed done. “How long have you lived in this house?” he asked. “Close to ten years,” Shauntie answered. “Why? Does that make any difference when it comes to my roof?” “Yes, it does make a huge difference. How many times have you gotten your roof inspected?” Nash knew he wasn’t going to get the answer he wanted to hear. Most homeowners never thought about having a roofing inspection done like they were supposed to. “I got it inspected when I first purchased this place, but I haven’t since then. Is that a problem?” Nash thought as much. He was going to have a lot of work on his hands with this project. “Shauntie, most roof leaks can be avoided with two annual inspections. All roofs age after a while and as much as a home owner might hate it, all roofs will need eventual replacement.” He watched as Shauntie kept her features deceptively composed. However, he could still tell she was trying to stay calm as it began to dawn on her what he was telling her. “Are you saying I need a new roof?” Shauntie shouted then lowered her voice. “I went over your roof twice to make sure it wasn’t something minor, and it wasn’t. You have a lot of damage from the sun. Truthfully, you got lucky it lasted for ten years.” Shauntie’s pretty face changed from anger to disbelief right before his eyes and he felt bad for her. She really didn’t have a clue about having her roof checked again after she purchased the house. “Are you trying to tell me the sun actually caused my roofing problem?” she asked and skepticism filled her voice. “I find that very difficult to believe.” Moving away from the truck, Nash positioned his body in front of Shauntie so he could be closer to her. He wasn’t upset that she doubted what he was telling her. He wouldn’t expect anything less; however, understanding the way weather can wear down a roof was sometimes hard for homeowners to comprehend. Yet, he would try his best to make Shauntie see he was telling her the truth. How could he ever get Shauntie to agree to a simple date with him if she didn’t believe he was an honest guy? “Several things can make a roof a problem; however, the sun a majority of the time softens the tar that binds shingles together. After that occurs

warping and cracking happen and even rainwater can ease its way in and a leak can form. If you don’t believe me, I can recommend another roofer to come and look at it, but he’ll tell you the same thing.” “I can’t believe this.” Shauntie sighed looking up at her roof and then back at him. “How much will it cost to fix this?” Quoting a price wasn’t something he liked doing on his first dry run on a roof. Nash always gave it a second look before he estimated a certain price. “I’m not quite sure,” he replied. “I want to come back tomorrow with some equipment to check it out one more time before we talk money. How does that sound to you?” Any excuse he could come up with was better than nothing when it came to finding a way to see Shauntie again. “How long do you think it will take? I don’t want to miss another day off work. I have another doctor working on my cases for me today and I can’t have it continue for the rest of the week.” Hiding his grin from Shauntie, Nash wondered how he could use this bit of newly learned information to his advantage. Since Shauntie was against missing another day of work, she should be more open-minded to meeting him for lunch or maybe a late dinner to discuss the conditions of her house. “I can check the roof without you being at home,” Nash told her. “I have your phone number, so if it’s easier on you we can meet somewhere in town over lunch to discuss what you want after my last finding. I would even be willing to meet you for dinner. Whichever works for you.” Having lunch with Shauntie would be his first step at getting a chance to know her better. She might try to fight him, but he wasn’t a quitter. He had waited far too long for this moment. He wouldn’t allow her to push him away for any reason. Minutes ticked by as Shauntie regarded him with somber curiosity. She seemed to be having an inner battle with herself over his suggestion. Why was she making an easy answer so hard on him? While Nash waited for her reply, he thought about the last time he’d been this nervous about a woman accepting a lunch date from him and he couldn’t. Shauntie was the first woman to make him feel like this. On those rare occasions when Nash had gotten approached by rich women at nightclubs, shopping or even the grocery store he would make a speedy exit because he didn’t want to be involved with them. Yet, this time he wasn’t interested in finding the nearest exit sign or a way out because he wanted to be here with Shauntie. “Alright, I think I can pencil you in on my calendar for tomorrow

since my office is usually closed for lunch,” Shauntie finally answered. “It shouldn’t be a problem for me at all. I just hope my roof is in good hands.” Easing closer into Shauntie’s personal space, Nash stood in front of her, not so close that they were actually touching, but near her enough that she could feel his body heat. He left her enough room to leave if she wanted. “I promise if you give me anything of yours I’ll treat it with respect because that’s the kind of man I am.” Shauntie’s big brown eyes grew wider. “Are we both talking about the same thing, Mr. Wentworth?” Nash took a step back from Shauntie, so she wouldn’t feel too crowded by him. He wanted to give her time to allow what he told her to sink in. She seemed like the type of female to put up a brave front, but on the inside she was nervous as hell of him and he couldn’t let that happen. “I better go,” he said, thinking it was time for him to leave. “I have to check in at another house where my crew is working across town. After our meeting at lunch tomorrow, I’ll have a better idea of everything that is wrong and we can move on from there.” Walking back to his truck, Nash got inside slamming the door closed behind him. He rolled down the window. “I’m not promising you that I’ll hire you as my roofer after you give me your estimate. I’m not going to pay an arm and leg to have something fixed that might only need to be patched up,” Shauntie told him as he pulled out of her driveway. “It’s good that I have all the faith in the world you’ll trust my judgment and skills as a top notch roofer,” he tossed back before driving off, leaving a shocked Shauntie in her driveway staring after him. Oh yeah, Nash thought as he looked back at Shauntie through his rearview mirror. He really was going to enjoy working with her. She had enough sweetness and sass to keep him going for a while.

Chapter Six Sitting back in the chair, Nash tapped the work order for Shauntie Kane’s house against the arm. Her roof was a damn disaster and usually he sent another worker to take over this kind of assignment, but he was going to keep this one for himself. His crew only consisted of eight men and they were busy working on other jobs around town. He couldn’t pull them off another job to start on this one. Besides he didn’t want any of them checking out Shauntie. She was for his eyes only. Earlier today when he’d been standing outside her house with her practically pressed against the side of his truck, it took all of his willpower not to kiss her right then and there. Shauntie came across like she was full of vinegar and spice, but Nash knew if his fingers stroked her in all of the right places then she would be purring in his hands like a well-fed kitten. All during their conversation Shauntie tried to pretend there wasn’t an element of awareness between them, but it was there as clear as day. Why was she trying to make things so complicated when it could be so easy for the two of them? Yes, they’d only met today in her mind. But his feelings for her weren’t new at all. If he had found out where she went into hiding after the cruel way J.T. tore her to pieces, he would have shown her how a good man would treat his woman. After the break-up with J.T., Shauntie stopped walking past the construction site and within a couple of weeks the foreman moved them on to a different job. Nash loved when everything around him was totally simple and effortless. Shauntie stirred all of his senses from the second she came within touching distance of his body. Instead of pretending she didn’t feel it too, she should be going with the flow. Shauntie didn’t know that speaking his mind was a huge part of his personality and sometimes that side of him seemed to get him into trouble. Yes, he and Shauntie were practically strangers; however, why should that keep them from exploring future possibilities with each other? Most couples started out as strangers and worked their way into something more

meaningful in the end. For him, everything boiled down to it not being as simple as black and white. There could be some shades of gray in there as well. The pull between him and Shauntie was there making him want to jump on it as fast as he could before she got away from him again. But if Shauntie was a little leery and needed him to move more at her pace then he would do it. Working at her house every day would allow him more than enough time for Shauntie to see things his way and maybe loosen up a little more. Nash was quite determined when it came to getting things he wanted and Shauntie was at the top of his list. She was under the impression she would be able to push him away, but he wasn’t going anywhere. He was here to stay as long as it took him to make her see the situation the same way he did. Shauntie was unlike any other woman he had ever met before and he was going to keep pursuing her. The only thing that could ruin this for him was if Shauntie found out about his connection to J.T. before he was able to tell her himself. But that wasn’t likely to happen since only one other person knew about his feelings for her while she had been involved with J.T., and Brian would never betray his trust by telling anyone anything about it...not even their buddy Chance.

Chapter Seven Later on that night as Shauntie got ready for bed she couldn’t stop her mind from wandering back to this morning and her meeting with the amazingly sexy Nash. He looked almost too handsome to be a roofer. How was she supposed to be around him every day and not stare at his body? Everything about him was what she was looking for in a boyfriend...well maybe everything but his job. Yes, Sapphire and Emerald thought it would be so exciting to date a blue collar man, but she had grown beyond that in her life. She’d made a conscious decision never to get involved with those types of men again. She was working way too hard to get herself chained down to a struggling man. She had to after everything that happened to her. She wasn’t working all those long hours to support a man who didn’t even know where his next paycheck might be coming from. Shauntie’d made a promise to herself. She wasn’t going to allow Sapphire or Emerald to draw her into any of their nonsense. They might be looking for a sense of adventure at their ages, but she was all adventured out for the moment. Maybe her reluctant behavior honestly came from being thirty years old while both Sapphire and Emerald were still in their late twenties. She was no longer seeking out a hot man to warm her bed at night. Nowadays, Shauntie thought it was more important to find one who could be on the same credit report as her. It was surely more important than bulging muscles, a washboard stomach and a killer ‘let me drop my panties’ smile Nash liked tossing at her today. Emerald was constantly on her case, teasing her about how she only wanted a boring man who would essentially fall asleep during sex instead of after. But she wasn’t going to give her friend’s crazy assessment any acknowledgment, because as much as she loved Emerald with her heart and soul, she wasn’t the best judge of character in the world when it came to men. So what...if she might end up with a horrible lover as a husband, Shauntie thought. At least she wouldn’t be the only one offering to treat

them to an expensive meal. Nash probably thought a cold beer and a plate lunch at a bar off the highway was something fancy. If Sapphire knew she was thinking like this, she would jump on her case about how she shouldn’t judge a man by his job and then end it by calling her a snob. But she wasn’t a snob in the least; she didn’t look down her nose at anyone. All she wanted to do was find someone this time who was her equal. Was that too much to ask? Shauntie knew passion was the reasoning behind her involvement with J.T. All it got her in the end was a broken heart and a stack of his bills to pay off. She was going to make damn sure the past didn’t repeat itself. Not after all of the hard work she had done to get where she was today. Of course, only one of her two best friends knew about the dumb mistake she’d made with J.T. when she was first starting her career as an optometrist. Sapphire already lived in DaVita, Illinois, so it was her shoulder Shauntie cried on after she found out about the betrayal of her no-good money hungry ex-boyfriend. Emerald hadn’t known anything about her relationship with J.T. because she moved to town a year and a half after everything was over. Shauntie became friends with Emerald after Sapphire introduced them at her house. Sapphire’s friendship with Emerald grew from her being a new patient in her dental office. From the first moment Shauntie noticed J.T. everything about him had drawn her. For weeks, she’d walked past the construction site just to check out how good he looked when he stripped out of his shirt. His thick, black wavy hair begged her to run her fingers through it to test out and see if it felt as good as it looked. Tight dark jeans molded his thighs drawing her eyes to J.T.’s well-defined ass and the look was only enhanced by his tool belt and his dirty work boots. He was the type of man she constantly fell for back then before she realized her mistake. When J.T. finally approached her after two weeks of her walking back and forth to her job, she thought she was the luckiest woman in the world. Shauntie couldn’t wait until her work day had ended so she would get to spend her personal time with J.T. Shauntie never questioned the times he wasn’t able to attend events with her. She knew she had J.T.’s love and that was the only thing that mattered to her. If she had only known what was really going on, the truth might have saved her a lot of heartbreak and tears. Sadly, she thought the feelings she was experiencing were mutual

because J.T. made her believe he was in love with her. He was such a pro at his game of deceit that he even conned her into buying him expensive gifts, especially when he happened to be short on cash which happened a lot. Why hadn’t she seen J.T. for what he was? Not once did it cross Shauntie’s mind her ‘picture perfect’ boyfriend didn’t have any money because he was spending it on his girlfriend, the mother of their three year old son. Why hadn’t she seen the signs before that day? Everything was right there in front of her face, but she was too blinded by lust or maybe love to even notice it. Shauntie never felt so stupid in her life until she showed up early that Wednesday afternoon at J.T.’s work as a surprise. She wanted to see if he could get off and have lunch with her. Instead, she was the one who got the surprise when she caught her supposed boyfriend in the arms of another woman. Not only was the woman wrapped up in J.T.’s arms, he was kissing the hell out of her while a threeyear-old little boy, who was undeniably his child, stood beside them. The pain hit her so fast it sent her pulse spinning. A tumble of confused thoughts and feelings assailed her. Her mind had refused to register what was going on not ten feet from her. Complete and utter shock had kept her feet firmly planted on the ground instead of turning around and running away. To her it seemed like hours passed around her, but it was probably only minutes until J.T. finally sensed her staring at him and glanced over his shoulder right into her eyes. She had expected his eyes to show her some kind of feelings like shock, fear or remorse at being caught red-handed by her. However, sadly, there weren’t any of those feelings expressed on his face. What made matters worse was the lying asshole didn’t even try to act as if he wasn’t cheating on her with another woman. J.T. wrapped his arm around the woman and pulled her even closer to his side. Shauntie swore she would never allow herself to forget the words that came out of his mouth. They set her on the path she was going down right now. “Shauntie, I want to thank you for a good time, but I was never in love with you,” J.T. told her with a slight smirk on his face. “I only dated you until my girlfriend decided to take me back. Sure, dating a rich woman was fun for a while. What guys wouldn’t want to be taken care of, but after a few days I was getting bored with you. You just didn’t have what I wanted in the end. Why don’t you find someone else who will be into everything you have to offer?”

She had been so shocked and embarrassed by J.T.’s confession she stood there and watched as he walked away with his girlfriend and son. Shauntie had felt the eyes of the other construction workers burning a hole in the back of her head, but she didn’t turn around and look any of them in their faces. She was trying to find the best way to get out this situation with her pride still intact, but she was woman enough to admit it was totally shredded to pieces. She’d wanted to tell his ass to go to hell, but she just couldn’t find the words. It was like they just lodged there in the middle of her throat like a piece of popcorn. She couldn’t get anything out. For six months, Shauntie allowed the image of that day to play over and over in her head. Why did she allow herself to fall for such a lowlife? She was glad; at least, they’d always used protection. Lord only knows what kind of awful souvenirs he might have given her if they hadn’t. Maybe her subconscious had known something back then about him that she hadn’t. After J.T. stomped on her heart and walked out of her life, Shauntie swore that she would never allow a man like J.T. into her life again. Several times after his betrayal, Shauntie thought about going to the construction site and flinging something heavy at the back of J.T.’s head. But she realized he was the ultimate asshole and he wasn’t worth her time or energy. Plus she didn’t want to spend the next fifteen to twenty years of her life in prison for attempted murder. So, instead of acting out on her first impulse Shauntie let it go and sent a silent prayer up to God thanking him she hadn’t wasted any more of her time than she had. Besides, he had a way of restricting her not physically but emotionally. J.T. tried on numerous occasions to tame her and it never worked. Shauntie loved having her freedom to come and go as she pleased. Independence was very important to her. She would actually call it the foundation to her overall happiness. She wasn’t about to change who she was to please any guy she might be dating to make them feel important. She had the right to her own feelings and thoughts which gave her the ability to share them anytime she wanted to with anyone who cared to listen. She was an adult. Why did he ever think she would want or need his approval about anything she did in her life? It was just plain crazy. Maybe her independence was one of the reasons her ex-boyfriend decided to run back into the arms of his old girlfriend. J.T. had the capability of handling a girl, but not a woman.

What J.T. never understood about her the short time they were together was her nature of being flexible. He didn’t comprehend she got a thrill from taking on new challenges in her life, which is why she decided to become an eye doctor. It gave her such immense satisfaction. Ever since she was a little girl, she’d had a fascination about people’s eyes and how they worked. In elementary school, she used to wonder why some kids in her class wore glasses and others didn’t have a problem with their sight. However, her ability and drive to help others almost got tossed to the side because of a bad judgment call, but fortunately she pulled herself out of her funk. Shauntie swore that she wouldn’t allow herself to get swayed by another handsome man because he would only bring trouble. So, if she had to cast her attraction to Nash to the side and settle for a career-driven over-achiever who still wore suspenders with his suit, Shauntie would gladly make that sacrifice for her career, her patients...not to mention her heart. Shauntie didn’t want to admit it, but her degrading experience with her ex-boyfriend pushed her even further away from dating and more into her job. She avoided being around any man who couldn’t afford an expensive restaurant or a nice suit. She’d been quite happy with the few meaningless men she’d dated until he had to show up. Why did someone like him have to make her want everything she shouldn’t? Nash was tall, handsome and very dangerous on her emotions. One minute she wanted to find a way to push him away and then a spilt second later she craved the feel of his mouth on hers. Unfortunately, Nash wasn’t aware that he’d shown up at the wrong time in her life; a time when she wasn’t interested in anything but advancing in her career. Having a boyfriend or man in her life wasn’t her top priority at all. Besides, Nash Wentworth wasn’t the kind of man she needed in her life at the moment. Nothing personal would ever take place between them. He was going to fix her leaky roof, and after it was done, he would be gone. Truthfully, she didn’t know anything about him and he could be the nicest man in the world; but she wasn’t ever going to find that out, because their dealings with each other would only stay on the impersonal side of the scale He just had this restless power about him...the kind women found deliciously appealing.

Nash had this innately captivating presence that made her want to forget everything she’d just vowed not to do and throw caution to the wind. Nothing good could come from her getting more involved with Nash. How could it when he was ten times better looking than J.T. had ever been on his best day?

Chapter Eight Walking across Shauntie’s roof bright and early the next morning, Nash checked the horrible workmanship in the valleys, the canals that come between two sections of a pitched roof. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing up here. How in the world did this roof even pass inspection in the first place? The previous work must have been done by hired laborers instead of a skilled professional like himself. The end result ended up not being done properly. The roof would undoubtedly create a leak, and then a stunned homeowner might not even know when a leak occurred, but it would eventually happen. Shauntie was proof of that. Yesterday while he was up here Nash spotted another problem along the ridges, but that issue didn’t come from poor workmanship. Instead it came from ridge caps being exposed to the weather elements. Luckily for Shauntie, he was skilled enough to replace her roof better than the people who laid it in the first place. Usually, he didn’t start his second roof inspection before nine o’clock in the morning, but after the hot dream he’d experienced about Shauntie last night and the things he fantasized about doing to her delectable body with his hands and mouth, Nash couldn’t spend another moment in bed without losing his mind. Shauntie...what was it about her that was making it so hard for him to stay away? They were still practically strangers to each other but she had taken root in his mind since their first meeting by her flower garden. No, he needed to be honest with himself. He’d wanted her all the time she was dating his former egotistical co-worker J.T. What an idiot his former roommate had been not to realize what a perfect woman he had in Shauntie. Something about Shauntie’s aura was pushing him to get to know her better. Could it come from the fact that during his first encounter with her, she hadn’t tried to flirt with him or look at him like he was the main course at her dinner table? Truthfully, she hadn’t even noticed him when he worked with J.T. and that made him even more interested in learning more about her.

Her standoffish attitude intrigued him making him wonder what was racing through that gorgeous head of hers. The last time he was here Shauntie blew him off pretty quickly, but he would make sure she didn’t get a chance for a repeat performance with him. She would take notice of him today. Nash wanted to imprint himself in Shauntie’s memory, so she would still be thinking about him even after he was gone for the day. For some reason, Nash didn’t like the fact Shauntie wasn’t affected by him. Sure, a majority of the time women did approach him even when he wasn’t interested in being bothered, but he couldn’t take how Shauntie acted like he was getting on her nerves. It wasn’t a feeling he was used to experiencing. Nash was more than determined to find out what it was about the good-looking doctor that had made his body and mind so restless last night and kept her in his head when other women hadn’t possessed the talent to do it. Like any red-blooded man, Nash loved the chase. He wanted to be the hunter and not the hunted. Shauntie’s lack of interest in him only fueled him even more to find out what was going on with her. Whatever it was he wouldn’t allow it to keep him at a safe distance. The best thing about a chase in his opinion was claiming the prize at the end. Shauntie may not know it yet, but she was going to be his ultimate prize. However, first he had to check the roof one last time to make sure there weren’t additional surprises waiting for him. Nash wanted everything he could find written down, so he would be ready for anything that might come his way. No matter how much he wanted Shauntie, his job always came first with him. He couldn’t afford to make any mistakes if he was trying to get his business to grow in this economy. Twenty minutes later, Nash wrote down the last of his findings on his pad and sadly, he had to let Shauntie know that his initial report was correct. She was going to need an entire new roof. The last time he told her about this situation Shauntie hadn’t taken the news very well. All Shauntie had to understand was that he was damn good at his job and everything would end up perfect if she only would have enough trust in him. Making his way back across the roof, Nash grabbed the ladder and descended. When both of his feet were firmly planted on the ground, he glanced over his notes one final time to make sure he hadn’t forgotten to write anything down. He hoped he would be able to catch Shauntie before she left. He had been really looking forward to his lunch date with her, but

Shauntie had called him late yesterday evening and cancelled on him. Which didn’t surprise him in the least, he knew Shauntie wouldn’t be able to go through with it. Shauntie told him she didn’t think it was right for them to have lunch together. So, she took another personal day off work and he could tell her what he found on Friday morning since she would be at home anyway. Nash didn’t believe the story Shauntie had given him, but he allowed her to get away with it for now. All of her body language yesterday showed him how scared she was about having lunch with him. Didn’t Shauntie know he wouldn’t let her get away with avoiding him? He was a man on a mission now. Nash wanted a date with her even more since Shauntie decided to run in the other direction from him and he was going to get one sooner rather than later. Nevertheless, he really did need to speak with her today because he needed her to sign off on the work order. Removing the shingles shouldn’t take him too long but he wouldn’t be able to do anything if he didn’t get Shauntie’s permission first. Once that huge hurdle was out of the way, Nash would be free to do anything he wanted to fix the issue. Since the problem was so big for the first couple of days, he was going to bring in some of his other workers to help him. Sliding the pen behind his ear, Nash spun around on his heel and headed for Shauntie’s front door. Yesterday, she might have been polite enough but as soon as their meeting was over she’d tossed him out so fast that he was surprised the door didn’t hit where the sun didn’t shine. However, he wasn’t the kind of guy who lived in the past. Why bother doing that when he had a whole new day ahead of him? As much as Nash resented being pursued and chased by women at bars with everything he had in him, he wasn’t bothered in the slightest bit or ashamed he was doing the same thing to Shauntie. About ninety percent of his time would be spent on his job, but any free time he had left over, Nash already decided he would direct toward wearing down Shauntie’s defenses. Nash pushed the doorbell and waited patiently for Shauntie to answer it. He couldn’t get one certain thought of his head. Today was going to be the start of their working relationship and he wanted it to get off to a good start. Only when both people had their best feet forward did good things happened. Where was Shauntie? She’d told him that she would be at home today. Her BMW was still in the driveway, so Nash was positive that he hadn’t missed her. Nash raised his hand to knock again, but the door swung open.

Shauntie stood on the other side looking beautiful as usual. Nash couldn’t shake the thought that he was meant to be with this woman. “Sorry to keep you waiting, Mr. Wentworth,” Shauntie apologized as she took a step back. “Come on in. I was getting rid of the water in my leak bucket. I can’t wait until my roof is fixed because I’m tired of emptying that stupid thing out.” Taking Shauntie up on her invitation Nash brushed past her body deliberately making sure his arm touched her bare smooth skin. The light contact with her body made his cock throb with need. If he got this turned on from a little touch what would it be like if he got the chance to make love to her? Without a doubt, the two of them would burn up the sheets. Nothing that was as hot as what they shared would ever cool off in the bedroom. Hell, he wouldn’t allow it to happen anyway. Nash wasn’t sure if he could handle the reality of it, but he sure in the hell would give it his best try. One thing was for sure, he knew how to please a woman in the bed. Even one as beautiful and strong willed as Shauntie Kane. All she had to do was give him a little opening and he would kick the door down to get the rest of the way inside. Spinning around, Nash watched Shauntie as she closed the front door admiring how the Indigo fabric of her dress hugged all of her curves. He couldn’t help but think about what she would look like stripped out of it. Each and every time he saw her, the pull was stronger than before. “Did you find something different up there this time?” Shauntie asked, coming to stand in front of him. “I was up all night concerned about what other mistakes you might uncover.” Hell, Nash wanted Shauntie restless at night thinking about him, but not in that way. He would have to find a way to change her nightly thoughts of him. If he was waking up in the middle of the night aroused and in the need of something, Shauntie should be the same way over here. This wasn’t a one-sided attraction. Not at all. “Yes, I did find something different,” Nash said, confirming Shauntie’s suspicions. “But you aren’t going to like it. I actually found more damage along the edges of the roof. So, it might take me longer to fix since I’m going to need help to get your roof back in order.” For a long moment, Shauntie stared back at him like she didn’t quite know what to say. He couldn’t tell if she was upset or just in shock. Either way, it wasn’t looking good for him. Nash didn’t like the uneasy feeling forming in the pit of his stomach. “How can there be more damage?” she demanded. “I thought you

told me that you had found everything the other day. I can’t believe what you’re telling me now. Are you trying to pull a fast one on me or something? Sapphire told me I could trust you, but I’m not so sure now.” Nash couldn’t deny what she was complaining about, but she had to understand he was the best person for the job. He wasn’t going to tell her anything wrong or lie to her just to get more money in his pockets. He’d never run his business like that in the past and he wasn’t going to start now. Shauntie had every right to be apprehensive of him now. He did tell her one story and now was telling her a completely different one today, but he wasn’t trying to cheat her into paying him more money. Money wasn’t what he wanted from her. She had to know that...didn’t she? “You remember that I told you I wanted to take a second look at your roof before I quoted you a price,” Nash said. “Well, I got here early this morning and found another problem on the other side of your chimney. I don’t know how I missed it, but I did and I apologize for not seeing it yesterday. I think I caught it this time since the sun was brighter causing them to stand out more. If you sign the work order, I can have some men here later this afternoon to start taking care of the first part.” Nash handed Shauntie the work order. Her brown eyes scanned over the paper. “How much will this cost me?” Stepping closer, Nash placed his hand on Shauntie’s arm because he couldn’t fight down the urge to touch her. God, she felt so good beneath his fingers. The fringe of Shauntie’s lashes brushed her cheeks as she glanced at his hand on her arm. “Why are you touching me?” she questioned in a low voice. “I don’t think I gave you permission to touch any part of my body Mr. Wentworth.” His intense gaze came to rest on her questioning eyes like he was trying to figure out the correct answer to give her. “I couldn’t help it. Don’t you just get the burning urge to touch someone sometimes? I just had to touch you,” Nash answered as he dropped his hand. “But I apologize if I offended you. And I assure you that everything will be well taken care of with the remodel of your roof. All you need to do is trust me.” “You still didn’t tell me how much it will cost,” she pointed out, waving the paper under his nose. Nash could tell he wasn’t going to get anywhere with Shauntie until he gave her a price. He would rather be doing so many other things with her, but it wasn’t going to happen right at this second. “I usually charge about seven thousand dollars for work like this, but

since you came from a referral and since I didn’t find all of the problems with my first run-through, I’m going to give you a discount. So, I’m only going to charge you five thousand.” Shauntie stared at him in utter astonishment. “It’s going to cost me five thousand dollars to have my roof fixed just for that little leak,” she asked, pointing to it over his shoulder. “Are you serious?” “If it was just to fix the leak, it would a lot cheaper, but there is more wrong with your roof. I wouldn’t lie to you about this. You’re more than welcome to get a second opinion, but you won’t get a better deal than the one I’ve offered you.” Nash waited while Shauntie stood there and he watched as the wheels worked inside her head. His mind was a crazy mixture of hope and fear as he wondered what her answer would be. He hoped Shauntie would accept his offer, so he could have that time to work on getting her into his life. He feared that he might have ruined his only chance at getting to know Shauntie better. Today, money wasn’t the important motive pushing him, getting closer to Shauntie was. He couldn’t blow this a second time with her. “Mr. Wentworth, I’ll hire you as my roofer since my best friend recommended you. Sapphire told me that you were the best roofer in town and I believe her. But let me tell you one thing, I’m not going to write you a huge check beforehand. You’ll get half now and the other half when the job is completely finished. Can you agree to my terms?” Here was his chance and he wasn’t about to mess it up, Nash thought to himself. “I can agree to those terms, but on one condition,” Nash said, watching as Shauntie placed her hands on her hips. “I think you might like this offer even better.” “What is the condition?” “Go out on a date with me and I’ll do your roof for free,” he answered without missing a beat. A second hadn’t passed after the words left his mouth before Shauntie’s laughter filled the room. Why was she laughing at him? What was so hilarious? Nash knew he hadn’t said a damn thing amusing. “May I ask what is so funny?” he demanded. Taking a couple of deep breaths, Shauntie got her laughter under control as her hands brushed the tears away from her eyes. “How many women have fallen for that horrible pick-up line? Has it actually gotten you anywhere with any of your female clients?”

Shauntie actually thought he was trying to play a game on her? He was dead serious about going out on a date with her. This was the first time in a very long time that he had to ask a woman out on a date. “I’ve never given that offer to any other client,” Nash replied. “Why would I?” Shit! What did he need to do to make Shauntie see what he was trying to do? He couldn’t be any clearer about his intentions. He wanted a date with her. Why was she acting like it was so surprising? Was Shauntie being difficult on purpose? Shauntie shook her head as her beautiful smile pulled at the corners of her full mouth. “Sure you haven’t. My answer is no. All I need you to do if fix my problem and that is it. Now, can you accept my answer? If not, I can hire someone else. I need to go because I’m going to be late for another appointment.” Did Shauntie actually just turn down his mind blowing offer? Nash was so thrown that he didn’t know what to think. Shauntie was like a puzzle he couldn’t figure out from first glance. He wouldn’t consider himself an arrogant man by nature, but Nash knew that he was a good-looking guy. Ever since he’d turned sixteen the opposite sex had taken notice of him and he hadn’t looked back when it came to dating beautiful women. “Care to tell me why you won’t go out on a date with me?” His curiosity was piqued. He needed to know where he was going wrong with Shauntie. “I don’t have to give you any kind of explanation,” Shauntie told him. “No should be good enough.” “Well, it isn’t. Are you telling me that you aren’t attracted to me?” Nash took a step closer. Shauntie took a retreating step back. “Don’t you feel this thing between us?” he asked, watching the rise and fall of her breasts, a telltale sign Shauntie was attracted to him, but denying it. “I feel nothing,” she denied a little too quickly. “How can I? This is only our second time talking to each other. I know nothing about you. We’re practically strangers.” Shauntie sounded so logical and he hated it. Of course, she would consider him like a stranger to her, but he had remembered her. Hell, he had never forgotten her. Shauntie somehow had always held a place in the back of his mind even when he was dating other women. Nash wasn’t logical and he wouldn’t stay now trying to be. He liked

dealing with attraction and need. Since he wasn’t a patient man, which was one of his biggest faults, he never waited for anything to come to him. He got an extreme rush from making things happen. Sitting around and waiting for anything or anyone to come to him wasn’t in his personality and he sure in the hell was glad it wasn’t. “You’re right. Nothing about this makes any sense, but it doesn’t diminish what’s here either.” Nash waved his hand between him and Shauntie. “I’m a pretty straightforward guy. I believe honesty is the best thing,” he admitted. “From the second I spotted you I’ve wanted to know more about you. I think you want the same thing too, but you’re fighting your basic instincts.” Shauntie’s beautiful eyes widened then narrowed at him in quick succession. “Mr. Wentworth, you know nothing about me and I would appreciate it if you kept our conversation strictly to business. And your opinion about how my mind works is off limits as well. Do you understand me?” Fire! Shauntie was full of fire. But now Nash suddenly realized his mistake. She didn’t like he had moved so fast with her. Nash thought he might have jumped the gun by speaking his mind so freely, but he couldn’t help it. Shauntie was just so alluring. He was having a hard time keeping his thoughts to himself. However, he would take a step back for now. “I apologize. I shouldn’t have made those comments,’ he said, placing some space between their bodies. “I think it might be best if I leave.” “Yes, it would be best if you left” Shauntie said.. “I think the next time you come back to my house, all of your attention should be focused in a different direction. I want this job finished as fast as possible.” Nash couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Shauntie wanted him to get finished as fast as possible. Well, it was time Dr. Kane learned something very important about Nash Wentworth. Moving back over to Shauntie, Nash blocked her with his body. She might be used to men who rushed through things, but he wasn’t one of those guys. Now, he loved moving fast with certain aspects of his life and much slower with other things. It was left up to him to show Shauntie how much more pleasurable the difference was. Sometimes working something or someone slow and easy was so much better than fast and hard, unless it was requested. “Shauntie, I’m going to give you the best job you’ve ever seen, but it won’t be rushed just to get it finished. That’s what’s wrong now,” Nash said

softly as he ran his hand down the side of her arm. “Someone in the past did a rush job on you. Now there are all sorts of problems I need to sort through. “Since you have me now I’m going to take my time to get to the root of the problem and work on fixing it, so the issues will be gone forever. You only deserve the best and that is what you are going to get from me,” he bragged. “So, Dr. Kane, you better buckle your seatbelt since you will be in for a long ride with me. Sweetheart, I can promise you will love it after its over.” Shauntie’s breath hiked in her throat. “Are you still talking about working on my roof?” she asked, watching him closely. His next answer would make or break his chances at staying on this job. Nash had to make sure to keep his plans below the radar or Shauntie might not even allow him back into her house. If she knew how much he had been thinking about her since he first laid eyes on her, it would make her more than a little hesitant of him and his motives. Her ability to brush off their connection continued to impress him. Her indifference must be something Shauntie had been practicing for a while, so Nash wouldn’t force his hand just yet. He was getting turned on with this tug of war between them. Shauntie was handling everything that he was doing to her beautifully. The longer he spent around her Nash knew Shauntie had to be more than the reserved and closed off woman she presented to him. No woman as gorgeous as her should be alone. “I’m talking about working on your roof right now, but it won’t stay that way for long. I want to get to know you better.” The second Shauntie tried to open her mouth, Nash raised his hand cutting her off. He wasn’t going to deny himself what he wanted. He had never done it in the past and he wasn’t about to start now. “Shauntie, how about we don’t go into this anymore. Just think about what I said. That’s all I want you to do. Think about going out with me on one date. What will it hurt? I’m going to be here for a while, so it will give you time to think about what I told you.” Nash wasn’t used to taking a backseat, but he sensed it was something he had to do to get past whatever was holding Shauntie away from agreeing to one date with him. He’d made a huge mistake by not going after Shauntie right after that asshole J.T. dumped her in front of everyone. Shauntie didn’t know that she wasn’t the first woman that asshole had used and then dumped to the side. The hurt look on her face had broken his heart. Shauntie was too sweet

to have been dumped so cruelly by a man she should have never been with in the first place. Nash wanted to use this as his chance to prove that he could be the right man for her, if Shauntie only allowed him to get a little closer. She was going to let him past the security blanket wrapped around her heart like Fort Knox. She just didn’t know it yet. “I can’t promise you anything because we aren’t in a relationship,” Shauntie informed him with her usual dismissive attitude that he found hot as hell and made his cock as hard as granite. “Dr. Kane, you are correct. We aren’t, but I’m not giving up on changing that status of our relationship rather quickly,” Nash admitted then stepped away from Shauntie. He loved how her full lips opened in surprise before snapping closed. “You are too arrogant for your own good,” she hollered after him as he walked back towards her front door. “It’s a very ugly quality to have.” “For another woman it might be, but my arrogance is turning you on more and more because you can’t wait to see what I might do next,” Nash flung back at Shauntie before going out the door closing it softly behind him.

Chapter Nine Sitting back in the booth, Shauntie tried to relax as she took a sip of her Long Island Ice Tea while waiting for Sapphire to show up for their usual Friday night girls’ night out. Since it was getting closer to the Christmas holiday, she wasn’t sure how much extra time she would have to do this with her best friends. She still hadn’t decided if she was going home this year to visit her parents or not. The last two years she’d been too busy with work to get out of town, but she might change her mind this year and just do it. After the cocky way Nash sauntered out of her house, she needed her two best friends to vent to but unfortunately Emerald got called into work, so it would be just her and Sapphire. Which wasn’t a bad thing since Sapphire was the person who dropped Nash Wentworth into her life. She had requested a qualified roofer...not a hot, sexy man who, as much as she hated it to admit it, was pushing all of her right buttons. But there wasn’t a chance in hell that she would admit any of this to Sapphire, not until she found out more about Nash first. There was something familiar about him but Shauntie couldn’t put her finger on it. However, she wasn’t worried about it. She had all of the confidence in the world it would come to her. “How long have you been here staring off into space?” Sapphire asked as she took a seat across from her, a drink in her hand. “About ten minutes,” Shauntie answered. “I see you stopped by the bar before coming over here. Bad day at work?” As long as she had known Sapphire, Shauntie had never seen her friend start off their night with a drink. Something was up with her and she wasn’t going to let Sapphire leave until she found out what her friend was hiding. “I’ll tell you about it later. What’s up with you? You sounded totally pissed off when you called me on the telephone. Did something happen at work?” Placing her drink back on the table, Shauntie pushed it away from her. “I called you to get information about Nash. What do you know about him?” A smile tugged at the corner of Sapphire’s mouth as she leaned across

the table. The sounds of the newest smash hit by Lady Gaga blasted around them in the popular night club. Shauntie wasn’t a huge fan of most of the singer’s songs, but this one did have a pretty good beat to it. “Tell me how things went with Nash. Is he going to be able to help you?” Sapphire questioned. “Are you asking me about him so you can learn more about his work ethic? Or is there another reason you want to know more about him?” “You know why I’m asking about him,” Shauntie answered as her fingers played with the condensation sliding down her glass. “I knew you sent Nash over to my house for more than business.” Shauntie watched as different couples ground their sweaty bodies against each other on the semi-crowded dance floor. She wondered what happened to the part of her who used to get pleasure from getting up and dancing when an attractive guy asked her. Now, all she focused on was her job and nothing else really mattered anymore. Shauntie wasn’t dumb. She knew she was allowing herself to get into a slump and it scared the hell out of her. She desperately wanted a way out of it. “Yes, I did,” Sapphire finally admitted. “You might not want to join me and Emerald on our hunt for our adventure, but you know Nash is just what you need in your life. All I’m saying is if he asks you out on a date, don’t get so caught in who you think you are that you’ll tell him no.” Sapphire had to realize sooner or later they weren’t the same person. Her best friend might want to get down and dirty with a guy who got his hands covered in dirt for a living, but she didn’t. When were Sapphire and Emerald going to leave her alone? “Sorry, I’m not even attracted to Nash,” Shauntie lied. “Why would I be?” One perfectly manicured eyebrow arched over Sapphire’s light brown eyes. “I think you’re protesting a little too much about the handsome Nash Wentworth. Besides, stop with this snobby attitude of yours. Don’t forget I remember you working at those fast food restaurants while going to college.” No way! Sapphire didn’t just go there with her. Shauntie wasn’t going to let Sapphire trick her into saying something she shouldn’t. Nash was a complication that she wasn’t expecting. He was almost too much for her to handle. Shauntie wasn’t sure if she was more irate at him or intrigued by him, it was too close for her to call at the moment. “How are things going with you? Have you found the hunky man that

gets your body all hot and bothered?” Shauntie asked, changing the subject. It was time for her girlfriend to be in the hot seat preferably with the flame turned up to high. The beginning of a smile tipped the corners of Sapphire’s mouth. It was a look Shauntie knew all too well. Sapphire was keeping something juicy from her. Would it be hard or easy to get her best friend to confess to her what was going on? “Stop giving me the I-know-something-you-don’t-smile,” Shauntie complained, leaning forward in her chair. “Tell me who he is. I should have known that you would already have an attractive guy picked out.” “You’re half right,” Sapphire finally admitted. “I have found the guy, but I have no clue what his name is. I only see him from the side or from behind as he’s leaving the dentist’s office. He’s still a mystery to me.” “Why haven’t you seen the front of him?” Shauntie asked, confused. What was going on with Sapphire? She didn’t understand why she hadn’t gotten a chance to ask this guy out on a date yet. Being shy or taking her time about something wasn’t Sapphire at all. Sapphire was very outgoing. “I’m with my patients most of the time and I’m only able to catch glimpses of him here and there as I move from one dentist appointment to another,” Sapphire replied. “Shauntie, he has to be the sexiest mailman I’ve ever seen in my life. His body alone is something that would have a woman rushing to her front door just to get a better look at him as he goes from door to door. He’s beyond good-looking. He’s sizzling hot!” Ever since Shauntie could remember Sapphire never had a problem attracting the opposite sex. So this guy probably would take Sapphire out on a date during his shift or after whichever one Sapphire wanted him to do. Her friend shouldn’t be so bothered about this guy turning her down. Women who looked like Sapphire were the ones who left a trail of broken hearts behind them, not the other way around. “Why don’t you just ask him out the next time he’s at your office?” Shauntie suggested. “I’m thinking about it,” Sapphire admitted, “but first I have to make sure he’ll even be interested in going out with me. I’m not about to get embarrassed at my workplace if he isn’t.” “Are you serious?” Shauntie asked, shocked. “Do you really think this guy will turn down a dinner invitation from you? You probably won’t have to finish your sentence before he accepts the date. I bet he’s thought about ways to ask you out and you just don’t know it.”

“I’m serious,” Sapphire replied, staring her directly in the eyes. “I don’t think I have a chance with him. I’m usually very confident about going out on dates, but this time I’m not. I get this feeling he might turn me down” “He would be out of his mind to turn down a date with you. I don’t understand why he would do it.” Shauntie truly didn’t think any guy in his right mind wouldn’t want a date with Sapphire. Sapphire took another sip if her drink and then placed it back down on the table. “We both know that some guys aren’t fond of when a woman makes the first move. It puts them off.” Shauntie couldn’t disagree with Sapphire, but her friend would never know if this mailman was even interested unless she asked him out for coffee or at least lunch. Either one would be a great getting to know you date. “I think you should go ahead and do it. For as long as I’ve known you, you’ve never second guessed yourself. Ask him out. The worst he can do is say no,” Shauntie pointed out hoping Sapphire would get the point she was trying to make. “Why do you think I can handle the word no?” Sapphire questioned “No woman likes to get rejected by a man.” Shauntie did know first hand how much rejection hurt and she wouldn’t want to put that on anyone else, but she didn’t want Sapphire not to go after the guy she wanted in her life. This mailman must have something about him for her to be so anxious. “Sapphire, you’re a very strong woman and if he does tell you no than you’ll move on to the next hot guy who will love that you asked him out on a date.” “I know you’re right,” Sapphire sighed, “but I’m still a little apprehensive about what might happen. I’ve never spoken a word to him before. Don’t you think going up to him and asking him out on a date will seem odd?” Shauntie understood were Sapphire was coming from, but it wouldn’t hurt to try. “I still say go for it.” Sapphire’s black eyebrows suddenly arched mischievously at her. “I’ll ask my crush out on a date if you stop trying to find ways to shove Nash away from you. He seems like a pretty decent guy, so why wouldn’t you give him a chance. He hasn’t done anything to you.” Being caught off guard by Sapphire’s suggestion, Shauntie wasn’t too sure what to tell her friend. She wasn’t used to getting challenged about her love life. Adding Nash into her personal space wasn’t going to help her. “I can’t agree to your demands. How many times do I have to tell you

that I’m not interested in Nash?” “I guess until you make me believe you or you give up this lie and admit that you do like him more than you care to admit. Being honest with yourself isn’t going to hurt you, Shauntie. He isn’t J.T. Don’t make him out to be or you’ll be alone for the rest of your life.” Enough! She was done talking about this because it was going nowhere in her book. Shauntie wanted to offer Sapphire advice about pursuing the man she wanted...it wasn’t supposed to be the other way around. “You have your opinion and I have mine. How about we move on to a safer more neutral ground?” Shauntie suggested. “Do you know if Emerald has found her man yet? She has such an easy time finding men. They seem to flock to her.” Sapphire gave her head a quick shake. “I don’t think she has because she hasn’t mentioned anything and I talked to her last night. We both know that as soon as she does Emerald will tell us about it. She wants everyone to know what’s going on in her life.” “Yes, she does and that’s why we both love her so much. Emerald is the most fearless one out of the three of us.” She laughed. “I believe you’re the same way, but you keep it hidden more than Emerald,” Sapphire said, surprising her. “It’s time for you to live a little more. Get out there and show everyone what you’ve got. You can’t spend the rest of your life working and planting flowers. You need a family and could probably have one if you opened your eyes.” Why did Sapphire think there was something wrong with her life? Why couldn’t her friend understand how fulfilled her life was? She wasn’t missing anything out of it.” “Sapphire, I’m─” “Don’t you dare try to lie to me,” Sapphire retorted, cutting her off. “I have known you for years. We’re like sisters. I can tell that you aren’t happy, but I’m done pushing you. I know you’ll make the right decision. Hey, how about we hit the dance floor? I feel like dancing.” Glancing out on the dance floor, Shauntie noticed how crowded it was and she knew that she wasn’t in the mood to deal with it tonight. Her mind was on too many other things. Sapphire had given her a lot to think about tonight. “I think I’m going to pass,” Shauntie replied. “Why don’t you go out there and have some fun? I’ll stay here and watch our purses. Date enough for me while you’re there.” “Are you okay?” Sapphire asked, concern in her voice. “I can stay here

and talk some more if you want.” Shauntie gave her friend a huge smile. She didn’t want Sapphire not to have any fun because she was at a crossroads at the moment. “No, go on out there. I’m okay. Don’t worry about me so much.” “Thanks. I won’t be out there for long,” Sapphire promised before she got up from her seat and rushed out on the dance floor. Sitting back in her seat, Shauntie allowed the atmosphere of the club to flow over her while she thought about what Sapphire had told her. She was pushing Nash to the side for no reason. He hadn’t done anything to her. Honestly, the second she looked up and found Nash towering over her, she couldn’t stop her heart from pounding. Something deep inside of Shauntie warned her Nash would stimulate the part of her personality that loved spice and spur of the moment fun like a game of hide-and-go-seek. The way Nash approached her was keeping her on her toes. She couldn’t guess what angle he was going to use with her next. In addition, he wasn’t allowing her to know everything about him at once. She loved learning what made other people tick. She couldn’t admit to Sapphire that the anticipation of finding out about Nash was something she looked forward to more and more. All of their conversations up to now had been a very spirited exchange of words. Nash didn’t seem taken back by her stubbornness. Instead, it only seemed to invigorate his pursuit of her even more. Shauntie couldn’t believe she was sitting at her favorite club on a Friday night and instead of being out there on the dance floor wearing a hole into the tile, she was sitting by herself thinking about Nash and she seriously doubted wherever Nash was tonight that his mind was on her. **** “What’s up with you tonight?” Brian Terry asked Nash as the stunning blond walked away from their table blending into the crowd. “You just sent away the third hot chick that asked you to dance tonight.” Nash brushed off his friend’s complaining. He didn’t want to be bothered with any of the women here tonight. The only woman on his mind was Shauntie and if she was out having fun tonight with another man. Could she be in the arms of someone else instead of his? Why had he left her house without trying harder to get through to her? Shauntie was the woman he wanted in his life, not the club hopping women here tonight that were only looking for a good time.

“Brian is right Nash,” Chance cut in glaring at him. “You aren’t acting like your usual partying self tonight. Usually you can’t wait to pick up one of these girls here. Is there something going on that you aren’t telling us about?” “Yes there is,” Nash admitted. Why should he keep it to himself? Shauntie would be introduced to his friends soon enough especially when he finally got her to see things his way. “I’m not interested in anyone at Peppers tonight since I’ve found the woman of my dreams.” He couldn’t keep the silly grin off his face. Shauntie was so perfect. She was everything he had been looking for when he dated the women here, but he constantly kept coming up with the short end of the stick. “Woman of your dreams? I didn’t even know that you were looking for her. I thought you loved dating all of these gorgeous females around us. When did you get tired of them and decide to move on?” Brian questioned. “Didn’t you go out with that leggy redhead last week or the week before?” Nash opened his mouth and then snapped it closed. “If you must know all of that changed when I laid eyes on Shauntie Kane. She is truly stunning with curves in all of the right places. “Shauntie’s warm brown skin has me dreaming about the different ways I want to taste and touch her. Remember how I told you about the new roofing job I got the other day?” “Are you telling me you actually think one of those snobby females will give you the time of day?” Chance inquired. “I’m surprised she even allowed you inside the house. How could you have fallen for one of them so fast? Is she really that gorgeous or did you just fall for an excellent pair of breasts and a tight ass? What makes her so different from the rest of the women here tonight?” Nash didn’t have to explain himself. Chance’s track record with females was pretty bad. He had no reason to be in his face about anything since every week he had different woman was on his arm. Chance had an intense fear of commitment and he probably always would. He wouldn’t be able to understand Nash’s feelings for Shauntie or the depths he would go to for her. “I’ve always been interested in Shauntie and now I might have an opportunity with her. I won’t allow it to slip away from me again. I have a second chance with her.” Brian eyed him from across the table giving him an odd look, as waitresses dressed in their red shorts and tight black tops walked past them.

Nash mentally kicked himself for not keeping his mouth shut. Brian was going to remember Shauntie. “Wait a minute,” Brian said, “are you talking about the girl who dated J.T.? You used to talk about her all the time whenever you spotted J.T. with another woman. Wasn’t she a doctor or something? I mean she’s wealthy. I know you aren’t talking about the same person. I thought you’d forgotten all about her. It’s been a while since you brought her up.” Chance’s eyes darted from him back over to Brian. “Shauntie’s a doctor and you actually think she would give you the time of day? Why would she ever think of you as anything more than her roofer?” Nash thought Brian and Chance would be happy for him. What was going on tonight with his buddies? Weren’t they supposed to be buying him a beer and celebrating he might have found someone? Instead of getting praise and congratulations all he was getting was cheap shots and negativity. He wasn’t expecting any of this from his friends. They should be on his side not against him. “Brian, you’re right. Shauntie is the woman that J.T. used to date when he was our roommate. I had feelings for her back then, but as you know she only had eyes for J.T.” “Man, I can’t believe you’re interested in getting with a woman one of your friends dated. Isn’t there some kind of code against doing that sort of thing?” Chance asked. Grabbing a handful of peanuts out of the bowl in the middle of the table, he tossed them into his mouth. “No, there isn’t some sort of rule about that Chance because J.T. wasn’t ever my friend. He was a guy paying one third of the rent for a month or two. Besides, it wasn’t like he ever brought Shauntie to the apartment. The only time I saw her was when she would come by the construction site,” Nash snapped getting fed with Chance’s harassment. Yeah, he might be a cop, but he didn’t have to interrogate him. “Okay man, whatever,” Chance said getting up from the table; he grabbed his empty beer bottle. “I’m heading over to the bar for another beer and maybe find that chick you tossed away, so I can get her number.” Chance walked away from the table leaving him alone with Brian. “What’s up with him tonight? He’s being more of a pain in the ass than usual,” Nash asked as he watched the back of his friend’s head as it disappeared into the crowd. Looking away from Chance, Brian’s eyes landed on him. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “He was in a bad mood when I picked him up. I think it might be something involving his job. I know the police station has been

making him work longer shifts since two officers got transferred out of the precinct.” “Well, I’m sorry his job has been getting to him. But, that doesn’t give him the right to treat me like I’m the suspect in a murder crime. What was up with him and those questions? Shauntie and J.T. are over. I have every right in the world to want to date her and it isn’t any of his business.” “Don’t let him get to you,” Brian said. “Tell me more about Shauntie. How did it feel to see her again? I remember how you talked about her all of the time back when we both worked construction together. I think even J.T. knew that you liked her.” Now this was the Brian he had been looking for earlier, Nash thought. The Brian he could always count on to have his back no matter what it was about. He understood why Chance wasn’t concerned about his feelings towards Shauntie. His other buddy wasn’t around during that part of his life, so Shauntie was a stranger to him. He wasn’t there to experience the history. “I can’t put it into words. She was more breathtaking than I remembered her. I still can’t believe what an asshole J.T. was to her. How could another person use someone like he did?” Nash hated the fact he hadn’t spoken up sooner and told Shauntie the truth about J.T. “I was never fond of the loser and my opinion of him only got worse after he dumped her.” “J.T. wasn’t the nicest guy in the world,” Brain pointed out. “He suffered a lot from control issues. I still don’t see how J.T. ended up dating a doctor anyway. What did he say to her to make her even think he was worthy of her time? I thought J.T.’s preference was strippers.” Nash knew Brian was telling him the truth. J.T. had a way of rubbing everyone he came into contact with the wrong way. “Honestly, I don’t know either, but he did date Shauntie and now she won’t give me the time of day. Every time I try to ask her out, she tells me no. I’m beginning to get pissed off by it. Why won’t she give me a chance? Doesn’t she know I’m nothing like J.T.? I won’t ever be able to prove it to her, if she’s too scared to give me a chance.” She could push him away all she wanted, but he wasn’t going to budge in his pursuit of her. Shauntie was oblivious to the fact he had set his sights on her when she belonged to another man, so now nothing was going to distract him from achieving the end result he desired. Nash was more than determined to get Shauntie in his life. She didn’t understand the more she fought him, the more it drove him to keep after her. Brian’s face broke out into a huge grin. “I’m glad to hear the fight in your voice, man. For a split second there I thought you might be giving up.”

Nash frowned, his eyes level under drawn brows. “I’m not a quitter and I never will be. You need to get that crazy idea out of your head right now. Shauntie is having a hard time seeing things my way, but after a little coaching from me I don’t see her having any problems with us being together. Shauntie only needs to understand how serious I am about her.” “Do you think Shauntie would date you? What if she’s against dating a man who does labor work?” Brian questioned. Sitting up straighter in his chair, Nash stared at Brian with disbelief. Was that the reason Shauntie didn’t seem to take his interest in her seriously? No, Shauntie wouldn’t do that to someone she hadn’t taken the time to get to know as a person. Nash didn’t like the fact he was getting prejudged before Shauntie got to know him. If what Brian was telling him held an ounce of truth then he would have to work even harder to get Shauntie to trust him to take her out. He already had the perfect date planned out in his head, but it might not even happen if Shauntie kept running in the opposite direction. When was the last time he had to work this hard to gain a woman’s trust or make her see how good it would be to go out on a simple date with him? “Brian, I never thought Shauntie’s past mistake with J.T might be the main reason she’s fighting me so hard. She keeps telling she isn’t attracted to me which I know isn’t the truth.” “Women can be like that sometimes. They’ll judge a man in their future by what a man did to them in their past. It’s happened to me on more than one occasion and I know Chance has been through the same thing. Hell, he was probably the man in a woman’s past that she judged her current relationships by. “You know how our boy can be when it comes to the ladies. He’s like Baskin Robbins. Chance doesn’t see anything wrong with sampling all the variety of flavors the world has to offer.” Chuckling, Nash couldn’t disagree with anything in Brian’s comments. Chance did take pleasure in being a single guy and made no qualms about it. There wasn’t a part of Chance that was thinking about being in a monogamous relationship. He didn’t doubt Chance might break out in a hives if he had to stay with only one woman for the rest of his life. “You’re right about Chance, but I’m not like him and neither are you. We both know what we want and go after by not allowing anything to stand in our way.” All of a sudden Brian’s expression stilled and grew serious. “I wish I believed the same thing as you did when it comes to attracting the woman’s

attention that I wanted.” How could he be so inconsiderate right now? Nash had sensed something was wrong with Brian all night, but he was too caught up in his own personal problems to even ask his best friend what was going on with him. “What’s her name?” Nash asked, watching Brian closely. “Whose name?” he frowned. “The woman who has you in such a tailspin,” Nash replied. He knew Brian never had a problem attracting the opposite sex...ever! His buddy’d had a girlfriend in the second grade and not once in Brian’s life had he ever been without one. Brian could get a date with anyone at all, so what was the hold up with this particular female? “I’ll tell you about her later. It’s not that important right now. All I want to know is are you going after Shauntie. You’re getting a second opportunity to with her.” Nash was very aware of the amazing chance he was getting with Shauntie and he wasn’t going to blow it. “I’m going to be at her house bright and early tomorrow morning with some of my work crew who volunteered to help me with the initial work on her roof. I won’t allow Shauntie to slip through my fingers a second time.” “I hope you don’t,” Brian told him. Why would he be stupid enough to make that mistake? Shauntie was a very special woman and it took a confident man to handle her. Good thing he was man enough to handle her and a lot more. “Don’t even think twice about messing up with Shauntie,” Brian warned him. “If this goes wrong, I don’t see you having another gift like this tossed into your lap.” “You know how every Christmas I treat myself to one big gift and nothing else?” Nash asked. Brian nodded at him. “Didn’t you buy your black work truck last year at an auction or something like two weeks before Christmas?” “Yes, I also got a car for my little sister.” Nash already knew what he wanted this year as his Christmas present. “Have you decided what you are going to buy yourself this year?” Brian asked, a tiny bit of excitement in his voice. “I’m not going to buy a damn thing. This year my present will be absolutely free and better than any other present I have treated myself to in years past.” “I can’t believe anything you get this year will be better than your

truck,” Brian told him. “In my opinion, there is no way you will ever do better than last year.” Nash flashed his friend a smug grin. Oh, he would be able to do better, but he might have to push harder than he wanted to in the beginning to get what he needed in the end. “I swear I have two words for you that will top my black truck parked outside this bar.” “Okay, I’ll bite. What is it going to be this year?” “Shauntie Kane. She’s the only present I want for Christmas.” Eyeing him with a lot of concern, Brain said, “Do you think that you can get Shauntie to give you a chance before this self-made deadline of yours?” “Damn right, I am,” Nash replied with every bit of confidence in his voice and he was going to prove it. Now, all he had to do was get Shauntie within touching distance of his body tomorrow morning and then he would let the sparks take over. “I wish you luck because the way you talk about Shauntie, she seems like she’s going to fight you at every turn,” Brian said. “I think you’re wrong. Shauntie just needs to be shown there are still good men in the world and she’ll open right up to me,” Nash said confident he was going to be the man who showed Shauntie how right he was.

Chapter Ten Early the next morning, Shauntie stood at the side of her well-manicured yard staring up at Nash’s men as they worked on tearing up her old roof so the new one could be laid. This morning when someone knocked on her front door, she’d rushed out of the kitchen excited about seeing Nash after her talk with Sapphire last night. But her excitement dimmed and was replaced by disappointment when she found one of Nash’s employees standing on the porch instead of him. The guy informed her they were there to start the initial work until Nash arrived in a couple of hours. He had a personal matter to take care of and then he would be right over to her house. She wouldn’t have been so excited about seeing Nash today if Sapphire hadn’t given her a lot to think about last night after she got home. Nash wasn’t J.T. She shouldn’t be treating him so harshly like he was planning to use her and then toss her to the side like an empty hamburger wrapper out of a car window. He could actually be a pretty decent guy, but she would never know if she kept prejudging him without any proof to back up her theory. Shauntie wouldn’t want anyone to judge her before getting to knew who she was. So, Nash deserved the same respect she demanded from other people around her. As soon as Nash got to her house, she would tell him she’d changed her mind about going out on a date with him. For all she knew Nash might actually show her a pretty good time. I can do this, she thought to herself. “Can I be lucky enough to hope that you’re standing out here to see me?” Nash whispered against her ear. His warm breath tickled her neck. Why hadn’t she heard his truck drive up? God, she had it bad for this guy. Nash had her daydreaming about him right in front of her house. She needed to get a better grip on her emotions. Turning around slowly, Shauntie pretended her panties just didn’t wet from the unexpected sound of Nash’s deep penetrating voice. His nearness was so overwhelming for a spilt second, she thought she might have to

place her hand on his wide chest to steady herself; however, she got herself back under control. Shauntie cleared her throat. “Why do you think I was waiting for you?” she questioned. “What man doesn’t envision a beautiful woman waiting for him somewhere?” Nash told her as he brushed back a piece of hair from the corner of her eye. She felt electricity at his touch and liked it. A delightful shiver of want ran through Shauntie making her realize how much she wanted to feel Nash’s lips against hers. She wondered what Nash would do if she moved the last few steps separating them and kissed him. “Shauntie, are you alright?” Nash touched her on the arm. “Yes, I’m fine.” She moved toward him propelled involuntarily by her own passion. “No, you don’t seem fine to me,” he said disagreeing with her. “Let me take you inside and get you something to drink. It’s hot out here. Maybe you need to cool down.” Nash wrapped his fingers around her upper arm and quickly ushered her back inside the house then over to the couch. “Here sit down and take a couple of deep breaths. I’m going to get you something to drink.” “Nash, I’m fine,” she assured him. Shauntie didn’t want Nash to get her a glass of water. “No, you aren’t. I can tell the difference. Stay here while I get you something to drink.” Moving away from her, Nash went into her kitchen and she could hear him opening and shutting cabinets as he searched for a glass. Shauntie didn’t know what came over her when she was outside with Nash. Why did she get so drawn to Nash and everything else around them seemed to fade into the background? She never acted so.... God, what was the word she was even searching for to describe her actions. Reckless...yes, she was acting like Emerald would. “Here you go,” Nash said as he came back into the living room carrying a glass of water. He took a seat on the couch next to her and handed her the glass. Bringing the glass to her lips, Shauntie took a sip loving how the cold liquid slid down her suddenly dry throat. She took several more sips before placing the glass down on the glass table in front of her. “Thank you for the water,” Shauntie told Nash as she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. “I’m much better now.”

“You’re welcome, but are you sure that you’re okay. You didn’t look so good outside.” “I’m sure,” she answered facing Nash on the couch. “It could have been the sun or the heat. The weather is pretty hot out there and I had been out there a while watching the guys work on the roof.” Light smoldered in Nash’s green eyes as he slid next to her on the couch. The sound of the workers on her roof got completely blocked out. The next second Nash’s arm slid along the side of the couch bringing his body into closer contact with hers. Shauntie’s pulse rate jumped up another notch when the soft touch of Nash’s breath kissed the side of her cheek and the warm scent of his cologne surrounded her on the couch. “Shauntie, I was hoping that something more than the weather conditions caused the reaction out of you.” “Like what,” she whispered noticing there was a spark of some indefinable emotion in his eyes. “Maybe me, and this undeniable chemistry that has been simmering beneath the surface between us since the moment our eyes connected. I know I’m not the only one who feels the tension anytime we’re alone with each other.” Shauntie couldn’t admit to Nash she knew what he was feeling. Not this soon. She jumped in too soon before. Some of her apprehension started rushing back into Shauntie’s mind. This connection or draw she and Nash felt towards each other wouldn’t work. The feelings he brought out in her were too intense. “You’re wrong,” Shauntie denied. “I’m right. You’re just scared to admit what you’re feeling for me,” Nash whispered as his hand slid behind her neck pulling her slowly across the couch cushion until her knee touched his hard, warm thigh. “You’re the one who’s lying. Stop thinking so hard about what’s going on and allow yourself to feel what’s happening. Isn’t that the best part of getting to know someone—the intense feeling that gets stirred up when one of you are in the room with the other person?” Nash slowly brushed the pad of his thumb back and forth over her bottom lip drawing her body and mind further under his spell instead of further way. “Baby, I’m dying to kiss these beautiful lips of yours. Will you let me do that? Can I learn the taste of you?” he asked, softly as his green eyes searched her brown ones for acceptance and permission. Should she tell him to get the hell away from her? Or should she finally

give in to the recurring thought that has been driving her crazy. Since she’d opened her front door and found Nash standing outside of her porch. Shauntie thought about giving Nash her usual answer when he got too close for comfort until Sapphire’s stern voice came rushing back into her head. Don’t you dare tell Nash no. You know you’ll regret it later. “Yes, I want you to kiss me.” Shauntie didn’t give herself time to change her mind. Lowering his head, Nash’s warm firm lips captured hers in a white hot kiss. Shauntie felt sparks. His tongue teased the corner of her lips followed by the seam before finally working its way to the inside. Nash switched back and forth between tasting, exploring to finally filling her mouth with an intense pleasure she had never known. Nash definitely knew how to kiss. He didn’t need any lessons to learn any new tricks. Never in her life before had a man’s kisses made her feel so alive and desired. Shauntie moaned into Nash’s mouth and then gasped when he picked her up making her straddle his thighs .“Oh,” Shauntie sighed breathlessly when Nash moved his tantalizing kisses from her mouth to the side of her neck, down along her collarbone until he came to the top of her breasts exposed by the deep V in her dark gray t-shirt. Cupping one of her breasts in his hand, Nash brushed the edge of his nail over the nipple sending a jolt throughout her already aroused body. “You are so breathtaking,” he whispered. “There are so many things I want to do to you, but I’m not sure if I have enough time. Do you want me, sweetheart? Can I learn the feel of your body? Tell me. All I want to do is please you.”

Chapter Eleven “Nash, please,” Shauntie begged, squirming around on Nash’s thighs as his erection teased her body through her underwear. Why was he driving her crazy like this? It just wasn’t fair...not at all in her opinion. Nash never spoke a word to her as he removed the t-shirt from her body dropping it on the floor next to them. Only left in her bra, Nash stared at her breasts before taking his index finger and sliding it down her cleavage. “Please,” Shauntie whimpered as she moved her hips back and forth over Nash’s hard thighs loving the feel of his hot cock against her damp underwear. The warm sensation was driving her crazy. Moving both of his hands to her breasts, Nash held them, slowly tracing small circles over her nipples with the pad of his thumbs. The tingling started to form little by little in her body until it spiraled downward to where their two bodies were connected. Shauntie loved the pressure building inside of her. She had never wanted a man this badly before. She fought down the impulse to rip the shirt off Nash’s body and run her tongue along his six pack abs that she knew were there waiting for her touch. From underneath her eyelashes, Shauntie watched in anticipation and need as Nash’s long, tanned fingers with the fine dusting of dark hairs across the knuckles, worked on the front hooks of her black lacy bra until her breasts sprang free of their prison and landed in the palms of his hard working hands. “You’re so damn beautiful,” Nash praised before leaning forward sweeping his thick tongue over the sensitive buds. Moments later, he sucked one into his mouth biting down on it gently. Running her painted fingernails through the smooth strands of Nash’s black hair, Shauntie held his head to her breasts. “Oh...that feels so good.” Using his other hand, Nash traced the length of her spine until he came into contact with the curve of her ass. He gave it a light squeeze then his wandering hand disappeared underneath her denim skirt. Shauntie was so wet for Nash she knew his finger got drenched the minute he slipped it underneath her underwear and inside of her body. She

craved him so badly that her entire body was aching to have him buried deep inside of her. Shauntie knew she wasn’t the only one feeling this desperate need from the way Nash’s cock twitched between her legs. Everything about her being with Nash was so wrong, but Shauntie couldn’t push it to the side anymore. Something about him just clicked with her almost like they were meant to be together. She wasn’t a big believer in déjà vu but she was starting to think she and Nash had met somewhere before. “Tell me you like this....Tell me you want us,” Nash demanded against her breasts as his thumb played with her clit while his finger thrust in and out of her. “I─” RING! RING! The loud sound jerked Shauntie wide awake and out of her dream about Nash. Brushing her hair out of her eyes, Shauntie glanced around the room noticing the thin beam of light coming through her partially closed bedroom windows. Damn him! Shauntie cursed as she tried to get her pulse and heart rate back down to normal. Why wouldn’t he leave her alone? She couldn’t get any peace from Nash even in her dreams. He was driving her crazy in and out of bed. Her recurring dreams about Nash were becoming hotter and hotter with each passing day. She was beginning to have a hard time not thinking about him during the day. Falling back down on the bed, Shauntie glanced at the clock on the night stand noticing it was almost seven o’clock in the morning. Usually, she was out of bed by six o’clock on the weekends and downstairs reading the morning papers before she watered her flowers. However, here she was lying in bed wanting Nash’s warm perfect body next to hers. Why couldn’t she blow him off like she wanted to do? What was it about him? Why did he have this way about him that made it hard for her to look away? Couldn’t Nash have made an appearance after the Christmas holiday? Being alone close the holiday season always made her lonelier than usual, especially when she shopped for Christmas presents. Seeing all of the happy families together got to her after a while making her wish she hadn’t put so much time into her career instead of finding someone to love.. Closing her eyes, Shauntie fought off the sudden sadness filling her heart while she wondered if she’d missed out on finding the right man for

her. Not that she believed in those sappy movies on the Hallmark channel where the couples realized how much they loved each other and fell into each other arms before the credits rolled at the end. She wasn’t that kind of woman anymore but she wouldn’t mind having someone to confide in besides Sapphire and Emerald with her problems. Sometimes it would be nice to have a man who knew what she wanted only from the expression on her face. Prince Charming didn’t exist in her mind, but secretly she hoped there was a man out there who would want her not only in his bed, but inside his heart as well. Last night while she was out with Sapphire, Shauntie thought about bringing all of this up to her girlfriend, but she already knew what Sapphire’s advice would be to her. Her Prince Charming was already in front of her with Nash. All she had to do was take off her blinders and give the guy a chance to get to know her. Enough! Why was she doing this to herself all the time? She was a strong, independent woman and she was something without a man. Nash was a temporary distraction and that was it. He would be gone in a few weeks and everything would be back to normal. Shauntie was done thinking about the aspect that was missing out of her otherwise rich life. She had to pay attention to what was going on today and stop allowing the unknown future to hold her back. Life was way too short for any of that nonsense. Today, when Nash arrived at her house with his crew, she wouldn’t have much time to talk to him, but she would try to make him understand she wasn’t going to change her mind about them dating. After she was done with him, she needed to make a quick trip to her office. The doctor who kindly volunteered to fill in for her this week sent her an email about two patients he was concerned about. She needed to grab their files and check over his notes. Grabbing the covers, Shauntie tossed them off her body then sat up on the side of the bed. Her day was going to be packed and she had to use every second wisely, if she wanted to get everything accomplished before the day was over. She might need to recheck her calendar over breakfast to guarantee she wasn’t forgetting anything important. Shauntie wanted to keep her head and heart on the same level, but somehow her mind seemed to be on a different level anytime Nash was anywhere near her. Finally making the decision that she wouldn’t be able to deal with Nash or anything else with bed head, Shauntie got up from the side of the bed

and made her way towards the bathroom. A hot shower and then breakfast usually helped her mind work better and one thing was for sure. Today out of all days; she needed her thoughts as clear as she could get them.

Chapter Twelve As the warm morning sun shone down on them, Shauntie tried to keep her wandering thoughts on all the information Nash was giving her about his work crew and her roof, but she couldn’t get past how good he looked and the masculine scent of his cologne. She secretly wondered if Nash was wearing it for her or someone else he was meeting later on after he left her house. His black hair was still slightly damp like he’d showered before coming over here to check and see how well his crew was doing. Every handsome inch of Nash’s presence made it difficult for Shauntie to keep her promise to herself. Nash was beginning to win her over and he didn’t even know it. She wondered how much longer she would be able to keep it a secret from him. “Shauntie, are you listening to me?” Nash asked snapping her attention back to him. “I’m sorry. I was thinking about what I need to take care of at work,” she lied. Shauntie couldn’t let Nash know that she was daydreaming about him. “Since I’m boring you, let me see if I can find something more interesting for us to talk about instead?” he suggested. “Now...what could be more interesting than learning about all the ways my roof was a piece of junk?” Shauntie questioned, taking a peek over at Nash from the corner of her eye. “Our first date,” Nash answered shocking her as he faced her completely. “I already have it planned out. I thought about it twice while I was in bed last night.” Surprise raced through Shauntie at Nash’s confession, but she tried to be indifferent to his words. “You were thinking about me last night?” She wondered if Nash noticed how she was getting lost in the way he was looking at her. “Yes, I was,” he admitted, staring down at her. “How can I not think about you when you’re constantly on my mind whether it’s day or night? Have you thought about what I asked you? Will you consider going out on a date with me?”

“If I agreed to go on this date with you, what might it entail? I mean I know you would come up with something better than the usual dinner and a movie.” His light green eyes brightened with pleasure as Nash inched closer to her. Shauntie knew her feelings for Nash had nothing to do with reason, but raw attraction. “Sweetheart, I figured you were more than a dinner and movie woman the first time I laid eyes on you,” Nash confessed as he ran his fingers down her bare arm. “Are you seriously agreeing to this date with me? I do have this amazing surprise and the thought of wasting it upsets me. I thought women loved surprises. Do you like surprises?” Nash went on as his fingers continued to stroke her skin. “The kind that keeps you guessing until you feel like you’re going to lose your mind if you don’t find out what it is.” A delicious shudder heated her body as Shauntie thought about what Nash could do for her if she allowed it to happen. She wanted to open her heart again, but her mind was warning her against what might happen if she let her guard down for another man she barely knew. Why should she try to develop an intimate relationship with someone who was so much different from her? Now Nash was in her face pushing her to forget about everything else but him and how she should live in the moment with him and not allow the future to hold her back. Was she ready to take that leap with him? Shauntie already had the answer in her mind before it left her mouth. “Yes, I like surprises,” she answered. “Like you said, what woman doesn’t?” “Good, so let me make sure I’m hearing you right,” Nash said as his eyes searched her face. “You’re agreeing to a date with me a couple of hours from now. You aren’t going to call and tell me something came up and you have to cancel on me. If my memory serves me correctly you chickened out on me last time a day before our lunch date.” “I didn’t chicken out on you,” Shauntie said moving her arm away from Nash. She couldn’t think straight when he was touching her. “Something did come up at the last minute.” Shauntie wasn’t about to admit it was her own fears that kept her from going through with their date. “Anyway, why are you so concerned with making me feel so special?” Shauntie asked. “We barely know each other.” Nash had known her less than a week, but was showing her more attention than guys who she’d dated for months. “I agreed to this date with you. Shouldn’t this be enough?”

Nash cupped her chin holding her still as he stared into her eyes. His eyes brimmed with tenderness and passion. Shauntie tried to look away but she couldn’t. He held her captive thinking about what was going on inside of his head. “I love hearing those words and I hope you’re ready for a great time; but you need to know why I want this date with you. Shauntie, you have this certain pull about you that makes it so hard not to think about you every second of the day.” Nash’s thumbs brushed against her jaw as he talked to her. “I’m not concerned about making you feel special. Truthfully, I’m trying everything I can to get you to notice me as someone who can be in your life.” Shauntie wrapped her fingers around Nash’s wrist. She moved his hand away from her face. Was he crazy? How could she not notice him? Nash was the kind of guy everyone noticed when he walked into the room. She wasn’t ready to think about him as a permanent part of her life or even as boyfriend material yet. All she wanted to do was get through this first date and then see how things moved along from there. “Nash, I can’t think past today with us. I hope you can live up to everything that you’re promising me. I’m excited about our date tonight but that’s all I can give you. Besides you have gotten me to notice you pretty fast since the first day you showed up to my house. Can we do this one day at a time?” “Look, I already know how well you know your patients.. You know them like the back of your hand. So, I’m not going to tell you how to deal with them. However, I feel you should loosen your grip a little and let me do this. Can you do that?” Nash asked her. A challenge was tossed out and Shauntie wasn’t about to give Nash the satisfaction of thinking she was a coward. She was more than tough enough to handle this date along with any other surprises he might have hidden up his sleeves for her. “I can handle that and so much more you don’t know about Mr. Wentworth. Bring it on!” “How can I back down after you tossed those three words at me? Be ready at six o’clock and wear jeans. You’ll want to be comfortable.” Nash ran his finger over her bottom lip before walking away. Shocked by the touch, Shauntie placed her fingers on her mouth surprised to still feel the lingering warmth of Nash’s touch still there. Resting her back against the driver’s side door of her car, she stared after Nash as he went over to one of his employees.

Shauntie wondered how he was able to leave his mark on her just from one little innocent touch. Despite her uncertainties about her date with Nash, she felt a hot and compelling joy that she was going out with him tonight. If nothing else, this date with Nash was getting her back out there in the dating pool, something she should have done a long time ago. Dropping her hand away from her lips, Shauntie took one last long look at Nash before getting inside of her car and pulling out of her driveway.

Chapter Thirteen “Dr. Kane, what are you doing at work on a Saturday? I thought you weren’t coming back to the office until Monday? Is there something wrong?” Turning away from the filing cabinet with two files in her hand, Shauntie found Ann Cater, one of the Saturday cleaning ladies standing behind her a worried expression on her face. Two weekends a month, the cleaning crew came in and gave all of the offices a thorough cleaning. “Ann, how are you doing?” Shauntie asked as she closed the filing cabinet drawer. “Is your son enjoying college?” “He sure is.” “Excellent. I decided to come in and get a few things to work on this weekend. You know how I am when it comes to work and my patients. I only want the best for them.” “Yes, ma’am, I do.” Ann smiled coming further into the room. “Malcolm called me last night. He told me he’s having a great time and is even thinking about joining a fraternity. I’m nervous about that one, but I know he won’t do anything too crazy to become a member.” “I bet you’re right. The few times I’ve met Malcolm he seemed to have a good head on his shoulders.” Shauntie felt a hint of jealousy that she couldn’t talk about her family or kids. “What about you? Is there anyone special in your life? I noticed you don’t talk about a man anymore. I have a nephew who’s single. I think the two of you might hit if off quite well. I think he’s only a couple of years older than you are. He’s a podiatrist.” Ann wanted to fix her up on a blind date! Shauntie’s stomach knotted at the thought of going out with a stranger. Thank God she already had plans with Nash for tonight. At least, she had known him long enough that their date wouldn’t be considered a blind date. Now, she had to think of way to turn down Ann’s offer without insulting her. “Ann, thank you. I’m sure your nephew is a really good guy, but I already have plans tonight with someone. It’s going to be our first date.” Ann grinned at her. “Finally. I thought I’d never hear about you getting

back out there into the dating world. You’re way too pretty to be at the office all the time. Hopefully, this date of yours will lead to something more. But if it doesn’t let me know and I’ll tell Dillon about you.” Shauntie couldn’t promise Ann anything because she didn’t know what was going to happen with Nash tonight. She wasn’t expecting to fall in love with him, but she did hope to have a good time at least. “How about we just wait and see how things turn out with my date tonight before we discuss anything about me going out with Dillon?” she suggested. “I’m sorry,” Ann apologized, quickly. “I think I might have overstepped my place by bringing up you going out on a date with my nephew. I didn’t mean any harm by it. I only wanted to help you.” She suddenly felt bad for making Ann feel uncomfortable. Over the last year, they had become friends and friends did try to help each other. Ann hadn’t done anything wrong by wondering if she might be interested in going out on a date with Dillon. “I think it’s very nice of you to be concerned about me, but there’s no need to be. When I see you next week, I’ll be able to tell you about how my date went with Nash. You never know I might have a great time with him.” “I’m going to be on vacation all next week. My niece is going to be filling in for me to get some extra money for college. I guess you’ll have to wait and tell me about it later. I hope you have a good time,” Ann told her before spinning around and leaving the office. Shauntie couldn’t recall the last time she truly had fun with anyone. Nash promised her a night that she wouldn’t ever forget and she hoped it was true. Making her way back over to her desk, she slid the files into the open brief case sitting on the top. She tried to keep her conversation with Ann in the back of her mind, but parts of it kept coming back to the surface. Was she truly working such long hours that the cleaning lady even noticed how she wasn’t having a social life outside of these four walls? Sapphire and Emerald were constantly on her back about getting out and having fun, but they made it their business to be involved in her life when nothing else was going on in either one of theirs. Now, since both of them were busy looking for their men they would leave her alone for a little while or at least give her enough free time to figure out what was going on with her and Nash. He was so complex, but slightly open at the same time. He didn’t have

a problem telling her what he was thinking or needed. But there was still a part of him that Shauntie sensed he wasn’t telling her about. Not knowing was what piqued her curiosity. Even more to the point, she wanted this date tonight so she could learn more about Nash. Her handsome roofer wasn’t the only one who had unanswered questions floating around in his head. She had the same unanswered questions when it came to him. Sitting down at her desk, Shauntie snapped her brief case shut before placing it on the floor next to her chair. Being at work even like this was fantastic because it was such a part of her soul. A majority of her employees and especially her two best friends thought she tried to juggle too many details at once, but she didn’t agree with them. Emerald constantly told her to discover herself by bringing all of who she was to anything she was doing, instead of trying to find who she was through every single experience she encountered in life. At first, Shauntie hated Emerald’s suggestion to her because she didn’t feel like it had anything to do with her but could fit any random person she walked past on the street. Yet, after she gave herself time to cool off and think about it so more, she admitted to herself that Emerald was right. Work and her other interests, like gardening, were being used to fill a deep void in her life that a good, healthy relationship could take care of if she allowed more people to see the true her. Somehow, Nash seemed to be able to see the part of her everyone else thought she was purposely hiding from the world. . More than once Shauntie wondered if she would ever find a man who saw past her title of doctor and the tough act she put on, to the person buried deep inside. Most of the dates she’d gone on usually got pretty boring and stifling by the end of the night and she had no interest in seeing any of those guys again for any reason. Certain times, she still considered herself a big kid who only wanted something fun and interesting to keep her going through the day. Could Nash be the man that would do that for her? Shauntie knew tonight was going to be her first look at finding out what Nash Wentworth was going to mean to her life.

Chapter Fourteen Sitting outside in his truck, Nash stared at Shauntie’s front door wondering if what he had planned for her was good enough for her. What if she hated it and wouldn’t give him another chance to prove himself? Shauntie wasn’t the usual woman he dated. She was rich, successful and used to having dinners at five star restaurants. What if his date was too low key for her? Nash shook the doubts from his head. Wait a damn minute! He wouldn’t allow his sudden doubts to cloud his judgment. He knew he had planned a good first date and Shauntie was going to love it. She would experience something tonight none of those rich men had been able to show her. Shauntie wasn’t going to get the same tired old date when it came to him. Taking a deep breath, Nash got his nerves back under control before getting out of his vehicle. He slammed the door behind him and made his way towards his destiny. **** Shauntie jumped back from the window hoping Nash didn’t see her peeking out at him. She was nervous which surprised her since she never got nervous about anything. In addition, she had actually changed clothes at least eight times before deciding to wear what she had on. How could a simple date turn into something so stressful for her? After leaving work earlier she spent the better part of the day driving around thinking about tonight. Nash took her completely by surprise this morning challenging her to go out with him tonight on this date. Nash thought she wouldn’t go through with it, but he was so wrong. Shauntie Kane wasn’t about to back down from anything. He’d made her very curious about where he was taking her tonight if it wasn’t the regular dinner and a movie. Nash acted like he was going to do something for her other men hadn’t. The sound of the doorbell ringing drew Shauntie’s attention to the front door. She couldn’t back out now. Nash was here and ready for their date.

She thought she might have butterflies or have a hint of uneasiness, but truthfully she was ready for this. Tonight was going to be the first step of her getting back out there in the dating world. Blowing out a deep breath, Shauntie got her game face on and then headed for the door. “Hi,” Shauntie said softly after she opened the door. “Hi, yourself, gorgeous,” Nash answered, smiling down at her. “You look good in your hot pink t-shirt and jeans. I like this look on you. You seem more approachable and relaxed. I think you’re going to fit in quite well with my plans for tonight.” “Are you ever going to tell me what this date is?” Shauntie asked excited now that Nash was standing in front of her. “I’ll rather show you than tell you. Are you ready to hit the road?” he asked her. “Honestly, I’ve been thinking about this date all day,” Shauntie admitted. “Let me grab my stuff and then we can leave.” She gave Nash another smile before heading back into the house. Minutes later, she came back to the door and walked out closing it behind her. “I’m ready.” “Let’s go.” Nash grabbed her by the hand and walked her to his truck parked next to her BMW in the driveway. Once they were both inside and their seatbelts was locked in place Nash pulled out of her driveway. Shauntie took a peek from the corner of her eye; she noticed how Nash’s t-shirt strained against the muscles in his arms while he was driving. She had so many questions in her head that she wanted to ask, but she didn’t know which one to start with first. “How old are you?” she blurted out. Nash’s took his eyes off the road for a minute as he glanced over at her. “I’ll be thirty-nine the day after Christmas. Why, do you think I look old?” “No, you’re very good-looking,” Shauntie answered quickly making Nash’s face spilt into a huge grin. “Thank you. I think you’re quite gorgeous yourself, sweetheart,” he told her as he turned his eyes back to the road. “Is there anything else you want to know about me?” “How long have you been a roofer?” “I used to work in construction first while I worked to get my roofing business off the ground. After I got the money I wanted saved up I became a roofer full-time. So, I haven’t owned my business for that long, but it was my dream job and I wasn’t about to give up on it until I achieved it. What about you? Have you always wanted to be an eye doctor?” Nash used to be a construction worker. Suddenly, Shauntie had a quick

flash of J.T. in her head, but she placed it where it should be in the back of her mind. He had no place on her date tonight. Shauntie crossed her legs and got more comfortable in her seat. “Yes, ever since I was a little girl I wanted to do this as my career. I think my parents didn’t think I knew what an optometrist was at eight years old, but I did.” “You were one of those brainy kids that never talked to me while all while I was going to school,” Nash laughed as he turned left at the corner and continued on down the street. “I wouldn’t consider myself a brainy kid, but when I got to high school I did have to take algebra, health and medical courses. I mean most of my time was put towards studying which kept me from going out a lot.” Stopping at a stop light, Nash gave her his attention again. “I can’t believe you weren’t a cheerleader and involved in all of those extracurricular activities after school. You seem like the girl I had a crush on in school, but she never noticed me.” “No, The cheerleaders never found the time to learn my name until we had a class together and they got put into my group. I wasn’t totally a nerd, but I think I was pretty close back then.” Nash raked his eyes over her body lingering on the slit in her t-shirt. “I can promise you that the girls might have thought you were a nerd, but the guys saw you in a totally different way,” he said, surprising her before pulling away from the green light. Shauntie was tired of talking about herself. She went on this date to learn more about Nash. “Enough about my past. Tell me more about yours. How were you as a kid? I can’t believe you weren’t popular. I bet you had girls following behind you wanting dates.” “I wasn’t the guy the girls at my school wanted to date. I was lanky with black hair that seemed to grow long and fall into my eyes no matter how many haircuts I got. I was a total outcast because I collected comic books and preferred to spend time by myself. I was a big introvert until I took up working out my last year of college.” “I can’t believe you went to college.” The second the words left her mouth Shauntie was embarrassed for voicing them. “I’m sorry, that wasn’t right of me to say about you.” “Don’t worry about it. My parents were surprised I got a full scholarship to go themselves and especially an academic one but since I didn’t have a huge amount of friends I took that time working on school work and graduated with honors.”

“What was your major?” Shauntie asked, surprised to learn Nash had a college degree. He was proving to her more and more that looks could be deceiving. “Finance and business. I worked in the corporate world for about six years until I figured out it wasn’t for me. I got more pleasure from being outside in the fresh air than inside an air conditioned building. I left my six figure job and got hired at a construction site two weeks later.” Turning her head, Shauntie gave Nash another once over and she couldn’t envision him wearing a suit and tie. He came across like it would have been too restricting for him. “How did you get hired at a construction site? Did you have any experience working at one?” “Off and on I helped out my father at his construction site during college when I was home during the summers. I loved it then, but I never considered it a career because I was more invested in finance, but after I landed the job it got old after a while.” “Are both of your parents still alive?” she inquired. “Yes, they’re living in Florida having the time of their life in a retirement community. I usually go and visit them twice a year, but they stay so busy I have to work around their schedules. How about you? Are your parents still alive?” Nash asked her. “Yes...they moved away from here about seven years ago. My mother wanted to be closer to my sister when she had her baby. My nephew is a handful and loves everything Spiderman. I sent him a box full of Spiderman goodies last Christmas making me his favorite aunt in the world. Do you have any siblings?” “I’m one of six,” Nash answered, shocking her. “My sister lives here and the rest of my siblings are all over the place. We get together once a year for the holidays either Thanksgiving or Christmas. This year it was Thanksgiving and we had a blast, but I got teased about being the only one who wasn’t married with kids. My baby brother got married earlier this year and his wife is expecting their first baby.” “Your family sounds a lot like mine. My mother keeps telling me she isn’t getting any younger and she wants grandbabies. I keep telling her as soon as I find the right man she can have all the grandbabies that she wants.” Shauntie never had felt at such ease with another man as she did with Nash. He was making her comfortable enough to bring up her family. She usually kept her private life to herself on the first date. “Here we are,” Nash said, pulling up into a crowded parking lot. Glancing through the windshield, Shauntie spotted several couples

spread out across a huge field sitting on blankets eating and drinking. There was a huge stage with equipment being set up by several people wearing black t-shirts. “What is this?” Shauntie asked, facing Nash. “Haven’t you ever been to an outdoor concert before?” The surprise was loud and clear in his voice. “They have them here every Saturday starting the first week in December. It’s like an annual Christmas thing to do, but the bands play 80’s, 90’s and some current music tossed in.” “No, I knew nothing about this.” Shauntie was beyond keyed up. She loved music and especially the older songs from the 80’s. Nash had absolutely impressed her with this surprise. She wasn’t expecting it. “I made us some sandwiches and brought some snacks along. I hope you like turkey club sandwiches,” Nash said as he turned off his truck. “I wasn’t sure what to make for us, but if you don’t. I can go and get you something else.” “No, I love turkey. I eat it more than ham or roast beef.” Shauntie was still trying to get over this outdoor concert surprise. A desire to rush out of the car was building up in her. She couldn’t wait until everything got started. “Can we sit anywhere we want to?” “We have a space near the front waiting for us. I know one of the guys performing here tonight and they got it blocked off for us. So, we’ll be the only two up there,” Nash told her. “I’m glad you liked my surprise. I was a little apprehensive that it might not be up to your standards.” “My standards aren’t as high and snobby as you may think. I love little settings like this. Thank you so much for thinking of it. Can we get out this car and get down there?” Shauntie asked, reaching for the door handle. “We can get going right now.” Nash opened the door and got out. He jogged around the front of the hood and opened her door before she had a chance to. Grabbing her hand, Nash helped her out of the car closing the door behind them. Pulling her close to his body, he stared down into her eyes making her get lost in their green depths. “I’m really glad you decided to come here with me tonight. The last couple of times I’ve come by myself and it’s not the same. I think hearing the music is better when you have someone to share it with you.” “I’m glad I decided to come too,” Shauntie answered, placing her hand in the middle of Nash’s chest. She heard his quick intake of breath and smiled. “How about we get to our spot?” she suggested removing her hand. “Fine, but anytime you want to touch me again feel free. I like the way

your hand felt on my body,” Nash whispered by her ear then moved back and walked to the back the trunk. Shauntie spun around and watched as Nash removed a small cooler from the car. She wasn’t expecting to be attending an outdoor concert with him. When he told her it was a surprise, she never thought of anything like this. Sitting shoulder to shoulder and thigh to thigh on a blanket with Nash under the moonlight didn’t have her in a panic at all. Honestly, she couldn’t wait until she felt his body heat surrounding her. Shauntie liked having her hands on Nash’s body just as much as he did. Hopefully, she would have them on him a lot more before their date ended.

Chapter Fifteen “Are you having a good time?” Nash, stretched out next to her on the blanket, whispered in her ear, his warm breath tickling her. The band was playing their next to last song and Shauntie hated that their night was almost over. Tonight was one of the best, if not the best, night she’d experienced in a very long time. Especially since the band played some of her top favorite songs from the eighties: Take on me, Livin’ on a Prayer, Call Me, Time after Time and Walk like an Egyptian. She couldn’t have dreamt of a better night with Nash. He showed her such an outstanding time. “Yes, I’m having a great time. You really outdid yourself with this,” Shauntie answered, glancing over her shoulder at Nash whose green eyes seemed brighter at night than they did during the day. “Would you like to take a walk in the park after the concert is over?” Nash suggested. “It won’t be that late. I think most of the Christmas lights and decorations should be on display by now.” “Yes, I’d love to.” Shauntie loved how the Parks and Recreations Department decorated the park every year for Christmas, but she seldom took the time to stop and enjoy it. She usually caught a glimpse of the lights here and there as she drove past after working late. “Wonderful.” Nash sat back up and pulled her back against his chest wrapping his arms around her waist as the band finished up another song. Looking around the park, Shauntie noticed how most of the other people here tonight with her and Nash were couples. They all gave the impression the outdoor concert was their date night too. Tonight Nash showed her how much she was changing since their first meeting. If another man had brought her to anything like this, Shauntie would have demanded he take her back home instantly. However, the outdoor concert felt right with Nash like it was the perfect date for them. She was actually looking forward to her walk in the park later with him. His suggestion was the perfect end to such a wonderful date and when he dropped her off at home, Shauntie hoped that Nash would give her more than a peek on her cheek.

In the very back of her mind, Shauntie could still feel how Nash’s finger left the tingling impression on her lips. Now, he was making her wonder how her mouth would feel if he got up enough nerve to kiss her. With all of the mixed messages that she had been sending to him, Shauntie wasn’t sure Nash would even try. Confidence oozed from every pore of his body, but Nash might think she would reject him if he tried, which was the furthest thing from the truth. She might have to make the first move to get what she wanted tonight from him. She had to know how it would feel to kiss him. Nash had the most perfect mouth for kissing because his bottom lip was a little fuller than his top one. Just the thought of the talented ways Nash might be able to use his mouth on her body had Shauntie squirming around on the blanket. God, what was wrong with her? She was acting like a young girl out on her first date instead of a thirty year old woman. She was definitely too old to be this jumpy with a guy. “Shauntie, are you okay?” Nash asked by the side of her ear. “What’s wrong? Are you cold?” He pulled her closer to his chest and her nerves took a completely different turn. Instead of wanting to get away from Nash, he made her try to think of ways to get even closer. Nash’s intimate gesture only made her body shiver even more. “No, I’m fine,” Shauntie answered, hoping she sounded more convincing to Nash than she did to herself. “No, there’s something wrong. I can tell,” he said. “Why won’t you be honest with me?” She was torn between telling Nash the truth and thinking up something else entirely. Could she really just blurt out that she wanted Nash to kiss her? Wasn’t she supposed to be distant and shoving him away at every turn? Instead here she was fighting down her own instant desire to grab Nash by the front of his shirt and pull his towards her for a kiss. Sometimes, it was like she was two different women when Nash came within touching distance of her. “Tell me what it is.” Nash continued to encourage. “I want this night to be the best for you. Let me in.” “I was thinking about you kissing me,” Shauntie finally answered. Touching her on the shoulder, Nash slowly spun her around until she was looking him directly in the eye. “Sweetheart, you don’t have to wonder what it would be like to kiss me. I’m more than willing to show you.” He pulled her closer to him until their chests were almost touching but not

quite. Nash tilted her head by holding her chin so they could maintain eye contact as his eyes searched her face. He secretly hoped that the more Shauntie was around him the more she was going to fall for him. How could she not with the sizzling attraction brewing between them. “You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to do this,” he told her. “From the first moment I saw you I wanted you, but you didn’t even notice me. I’ve never felt so invisible in my entire life. “I know this is way too soon to tell you this, but I’m going to take this chance. I think I could fall hard for you, Shauntie Kane.” Nash’s voice was so soothing like a cup of hot chocolate with mini marshmallows on a cold winter night. Shauntie felt her heart jump in the center of her chest. It was like she had been caught doing something and she hadn’t gotten a chance to catch her breath yet. She closed her eyes as Nash lowered his head and was delighted by the first touch of his mouth on hers. Tentatively, Nash tested the waters by nibbling at her bottom lip and then with each passing second their kiss grew deeper until his tongue worked its way inside of her mouth. The tip of his tongue played around with hers drawing it in and out of his mouth until it became a little game between the two of them. The music faded into the background around them as Shauntie felt Nash’s hand move from her chin and slid behind her neck holding her in place so he could control the intensity of the kiss. Just as Shauntie wrapped her arms around Nash’s neck to pull him closer, he broke away pressing his face against the side of her neck. She felt his warm breath against her skin like he was trying to breathe in her scent as he planted kisses down her neck and over her collarbone. “Why did you stop?” Shauntie whimpered disappointed. “Baby, the band is done with their last song and people are leaving,” Nash said as he eased back from her. WHAT! Shauntie looked around and noticed how most of the people who were sitting behind them were already making their way back to their cars. Did she really get so lost in kissing Nash that she hadn’t realized the band had stopped playing? “I can’t believe I didn’t notice people were leaving,” she said, slightly embarrassed. “I guess what we were doing was more important than anything going

on around you,” Nash teased as he got up from their checkered blanket. Reaching out, he grabbed her hand and pulled her up from the ground back into his arms. “Wow...aren’t we being a tad bit arrogant,” Shauntie teased, smiling up at him. “No...not arrogant,” Nash quickly corrected, “just pleased that you got into our kiss as much as I did. Are you ready for our walk in the park?” “Yes. I am.” Shauntie picked up the blanket off the ground and folded it while Nash worked on cleaning up their empty containers and drinks tossing them back into the small cooler. After everything was cleared away from their area, Nash grabbed Shauntie by the hand and they walked back to the car together each lost in their own thoughts about how the night was turning out.

Chapter Sixteen “Thanks for a wonderful night.” Shauntie tossed her keys down on the living room table while Nash closed the front door. “I had a fantastic time. The concert in the park was exceptional; it was something I’ve never done before on a date.” At first, she wanted to pretend that Nash hadn’t shown her a kick ass night, but Shauntie knew she couldn’t lie. Nash lived up to his promise ten times better than she imagined he would. “I’m glad you liked it.” Nash said, placing his hands on her shoulders and spinning her around to look at him. “I think my favorite part was the kiss we shared. I couldn’t get it off my mind all while we were walking through the park. Were you thinking about it too?” “Yes, I thought about it too,” she admitted. “I really hope that you’re feeling what I’m feeling right now and...” Nash paused for a moment and looked at her. He studied her like he wasn’t quite sure what he was going to tell her or even if he should tell her at all. “You are so damn beautiful. I don’t know how much longer I can fight off the urge to kiss you again.” Fight off his urge? Shauntie had been aching for another kiss. In all honestly, she hadn’t wanted the first one to end. All while they were holding hands walking around the trail looking at other couples in love and taking in the Christmas lights she secretly wished Nash would have stopped and finished what they had started at the concert. “Stop fighting,” she told Nash, pushing away more of the shield she kept fisted around her emotions. Shauntie was more than ready for Nash and anything else he wanted to do with her tonight. Taking a slow deep breath, she threw caution to the wind. Standing up on her tiptoes, she parted her lips giving Nash the invitation he’d searched for most of the night. Cupping the back of her head with his hand, Nash wrapped his other arm around her waist and yanked her hard against his body. “If you don’t want this, you have to let me know. Because once I kiss you, Shauntie, I

swear that I won’t be able to stop. I’ve dream about this moment for such a long time. Baby please be sure. Now is the time for you to step back and walk away.” Shauntie only knew of one way to give Nash her answer. She brought his head down to hers and kissed him. A low growl erupted from the back of Nash’s throat as the hand on her waist slid down further and grabbed her ass. Lifting her up, Nash wrapped her legs around his waist. “Take me to your bedroom. I don’t want to strip you naked in your living room. We need a nice, big soft comfy bed. Where is it?” His eyes searched her eyes again looking for some reason to put on the brakes, but he didn’t find any. With everything in her she was ready for this. Nash was the man she wanted to be with tonight and Shauntie knew she was going to make love to him. “Straight down the hall way and it’s the first door on the left.” Nash didn’t waste a single minute taking them to the next step. He raced out of the room, down the hallway and into her bedroom. He didn’t even bother closing the door, but continued to carry her into the room. Standing in the middle of the floor, Nash slid her down his body until her feet hit the floor. Without saying a word, he reached out and his fingers brushed the underside of her breasts causing her already swollen nipples to poke even more through her tight t-shirt and bra. His thumb stroked her through her clothing causing her body to sway towards his. Shauntie whimpered in the back of her throat because it was too hard to get any words to come out of her mouth. All of her defenses started melting away when Nash grabbed the hem of her t-shirt pulling it over her stomach, waist and the chest until it cleared her head. The thin material disappeared somewhere behind her, but Shauntie didn’t waste any time looking to see where it landed. There were about to be so many better things to do tonight. A strong arm wrapped her waist anchoring her to Nash as the fingers played with the top of her breasts left exposed by her hot pink bra. “I’ve never been fond of this particular color until I see how perfect it looks against your creamy brown skin. I don’t think you should wear any other color but this from now on.” “Well, I can’t promise you that,” Shauntie teased. “I might actually get sick of it after a while.” “Hey, I wouldn’t care if you didn’t wear anything at all when I’m

around,” Nash confessed as his thumb continued to stroke and tease her moving from one breasts to the other. Shauntie felt a quiver shoot through her as Nash lightly squeezed her nipple with his thumb and index finger. Heat flowed through her body like a warm caress. She gasped when Nash did it again and his mouth quickly covered hers to capture the unexpected sound. Nash’s tongue glided past her teeth sweeping gently against her own tongue making it follow his back into his own mouth. He sucked on it sending a rush of moisture into her underwear. Leaving her breasts, his hand slid over her stomach and worked on the button at the top of her jeans. Minutes later it was undone and the sound of her zipper sounded loud in the quietness of her bedroom. Long fingers pushed the heavy fabric down over her hips until it pooled around her ankles and shoes. “Take them off,” Nash directed as he stepped back from her and worked on removing his own clothing. His voice was thick with desire. Not wasting a second, Shauntie kicked off her tennis shoes and finished taking off her favorite pair of skinny jeans until she was standing in front of Nash in only her matching underwear. Shauntie watched in awe as Nash’s perfect body came into view. God, he was breathtaking! This is what she had been waiting for. Tonight was the night she would finally get to see Nash completely naked and for her eyes only. His wide muscular chest was hairless expect for the thin line of black hair that started below his belly button and trailed down into the black underwear covering the part she was dying to see the most. She could only imagine how good Nash would make her feel later because of the huge bulge his less than qualified underwear was trying to keep contained. Moving back to her, Nash picked her up sweeping her back into his arms. “You feel so right like this with me. I think it’s something I could get used to for a very long time, Shauntie.” He carried her the short distance to her bed. Gently, he laid her on top of the covers before his hands got rid of her skimpy underwear in record time. “God, you’re so stunning,” Nash said as his body covered hers. He didn’t waste a second recapturing her mouth with his continuing with the white hot kiss he’d ended on ten minutes ago. The faintest touch of him anywhere on her body caused Shauntie to shiver with need. She couldn’t take much more of this playing around.

Nash was deliberately trying to drive her crazy with his kisses and touches. She was already on fire for him. He needed to put it out because he was the only one who would be able to do it. “Nash, please I need you,” Shauntie begged. She couldn’t wait any longer. Her dark brown eyes stared into a pair of desire-filled green ones. “Don’t make me wait any longer. I can’t handle it.” “Shauntie, you’re so flawless. I want to take my time and learn every inch of your body,” Nash said, placing at kiss at the corner of her mouth. “You can worship me later. I’m dying right now to have you. Please....” “Okay, baby. I’ll give you what you want.” Nash moved away from her. Going back over to his clothes, he pulled something out of his wallet then came back to her. Tossing the condoms down on her nightstand, he quickly stripped out of the last barrier separating them. Nash grabbed a condom and then tore it open. He quickly rolled it over throbbing cock. “Do you want me baby?” he teased, softly. Covering her body with his harder one, Nash eased the tip of his cock inside of her before taking it out. “Are you about to lose your mind to feel me in you fully?” She tried to raise her hips to keep him inside of her, but Nash held on to them holding her in place so he could control the entire situation. Shauntie was pissed yet turned on all at the same time. No other man had controlled her like this in the bedroom before. “Admit it,” he grunted working himself back into her again. “Tell me the truth.” Shauntie could feel her orgasm hovering. She was so close that she could almost taste it. Nash wasn’t aware of how long it had been for her and all of his teasing was driving her to the breaking point. “Nash, I want you. I need you. I crave you.” She wasn’t able to get another word out of her mouth as Nash drove into her. “Christ,” he replied in a coarse voice. Nash’s hands dug into her sides. His hips pushed forward grinding his erection into her like he was working hard to drive his cock into her deep, wet heat as much as he could. His steady, sure strokes never stopped as the bed creaked underneath them. “You’re so tight...like a fucking glove. I won’t ever get enough of you,” he panted as he dropped his forehead into her shoulder. Shauntie wrapped her legs around Nash’s lean waist urging him even deeper into her body. She was so close...her orgasm was just at the brink and about to go over the edge. All she needed was a tiny little push. “Shauntie, don’t hold back from me, sweetheart. Let me hear you. Scream...let yourself go. This is all for you.” She needed no further coaxing.

Nash’s words were the shove she needed. Her orgasm rocketed through her body pushing her to limits that she didn’t know she could reach. Shauntie’s screams echoed throughout the room. She’d just started coming down from her ultimate high, her body still shivering from the aftermath of pleasure when she felt Nash’s hands grasp her hips as he rode her even harder until it felt like the tip of his cock was tapping at her womb. With a loud shout, Nash tossed back his head, the hard muscles straining in his neck, arms and shoulders. Sweat poured down his handsome face dropping onto her sweaty skin as he worked to find his release. “Yes...Fuck...Yes,” Nash growled as he ground his hips against her and his orgasm raced through his hard body. Nash gently separated their bodies and rolled to his side pulling her against his chest. He tossed one of his legs over her thigh keeping her in place like he thought she might try to leave. Why would leaving him ever cross her mind after the way he worked her body? Nash proved to her he was the one in control...at least in the bedroom. He sure knew how to use his body. Not an inch of her felt untouched or neglected. The complete satisfaction she was feeling at this precise moment was leaving her speechless. All she wanted to do was stay like this for the rest of the night with Nash, but she had to tell him something. It was very important. “Nash─” “Shhh...don’t say a word,” Nash whispered against the back of her neck as he covered them with a sheet. “Just go to sleep. Let’s just drift off to sleep. Anything we have to discuss can be done in the morning.” Shauntie wanted to argue, but instead she snuggled closer to Nash allowing sleep to take over her body as Nash’s arms tightened around her waist.

Chapter Seventeen Warm lips brushed against the back of Shauntie’s neck as a hand cupped her right breast and a thumb teased her nipple. Moving back, she rubbed her ass against the hard erection poking at her back. “I think I could wake up like this every day of my life,” Nash whispered against her damp skin then placed a kiss on her shoulder. “You feel so amazing in my arms. How about we stay in bed the rest of the day? It’s Sunday and I know I don’t have anything to do. What do you say?” “I would love to but I can’t. I already have other plans,” Shauntie said and felt Nash’s body tense up behind her. “Who do you have plans with?” “You don’t know them,” Shauntie told him. “We always have brunch every Sunday to catch up on what we did on Saturday. I don’t think Sapphire and Emerald will be too happy if I cancelled on them at the last minute.” Instantly the tension for Nash’s body left at the mention of her two girlfriend’s names. “You’re having dinner with your girlfriends.” Nash flipped her over and then covered her body. “Yes,” she grinned up at him. “Who did you think I was talking about?” Grabbing her wrists, he pulled them above her head and glared at her. “You know damn well I thought you were leaving this comfortable bed e to see another man and I wasn’t going to allow it.” Shauntie’s eyebrow shot up to her hairline. “You won’t allow it. Now, you need to understand one thing, Nash, you don’t own me. I can do anything I please with anyone I want.” She couldn’t let him think that he had control over her like that after only one night...well, hours and hours of mind blowing sex. “Oh, you think so.” A glint came into Nash’s eyes as he lowered his head and ran his tongue across the top of her nipple. A breath hissed out between Shauntie’s lips as Nash tortured her with his tongue by playing with the sensitive bud without drawing it into his mouth the way she was dying for him to do. “Admit that you’re all mine,” Nash demanded against her breasts. “What we did last night was special and you won’t find it with anyone else.

I won’t share you with anyone, ever!” “No!” She was going to stay strong. He wasn’t going to break her. “I’m stronger than you. I won’t admit to anything.” Dark green eyes narrowed into slits as Nash glanced up at her. “Hmmm... let’s see about that, sweetheart.” Reaching over to the nightstand by her bed, he grabbed something off it and quickly tied her wrists to the headboard. After he was finished, Nash tossed the light sheet he used to cover them up with last night off the bed. Turning her head, Shauntie found her wrists bound by her own underwear. “Untie me this minute, Nash Wentworth,” she yelled, trying her best to sound pissed off but a hint of excitement was racing through her body at what was going to happen next. “No, I think I like you just the way you are,” he smiled moving back a little to eye his handiwork. “You’re constantly pushing me away and this time I’m not going to let you do it until I get my fill of you. It’s beyond time you see that we are meant to be together.” The tips of his fingers glided over her skin touching her in a way that made her body twist around on the tangled sheets. “Nash, this isn’t fair,” Shauntie complained, tugging at her arms again. “Sweetheart, nobody ever said life was fair.” His hands moved back up her body holding her breasts in his hands. “You are so beautiful. Who wouldn’t want to wake up every morning and see how perfect you are.” Nash slowly drew a nipple into his hot mouth sucking on it like it was the finest piece of chocolate in the world. “Oh...” Shauntie moaned. Please don’t let him stop. I need this. He continued the seduction of her overworked body as his mouth trailed a path between her breasts, down over her flat stomach until he reached the part of her that desired him the most. Shauntie jumped when Nash eased his long, thick middle finger inside of her wetness. “Baby, you want me. You are so wet and tight. I could get lost inside of you for the rest of the day and well into the night. Tell me what I want to hear and I can make this torture go away.” Her head twisted back and forth on the pillow as she continued to pull at her wrists. “I’m not going to tell you a thing.” “Your mistake, not mine,” Nash warned her a second before he spread her legs even wider and lowered his head. He slowly latched onto her clit causing Shauntie’s eyes to roll in the back of her head from pleasure. She was so turned on that she had to stop herself from coming in a matter of seconds with a scream no walls would be able to hold. Her

neighbors along with the rest of the neighborhood would have heard her come from the pleasure Nash was giving to her. The tension in her body started to evaporate as Nash’s tongue licked at her drawing the juices from her body into his waiting mouth. None of her past boyfriends had ever done this for her. The thought never even crossed their minds she might come apart from something erotic like this. Nash grabbed her ass holding her closer to his mouth while his tongue licked at her like a cat did a saucer of milk. Suddenly the pressure built up in her stomach fighting to break free from her center as Nash got more in depth loving her with his mouth, tongue and teeth. The orgasm ripped from her body when Nash shoved only the tip of his tongue into her. Shauntie’s hands tightened around the silky fabric of her underwear as Nash moved his mouth away from her and replaced it with his throbbing cock. As Nash filled her to the hilt with his cock, Shauntie’s fingers wrapped around the fabric holding her hostage so she wouldn’t touch Nash drawing his attention from the intense pleasure he still had rippling through her throbbing body. She had forgotten how long and thick he was, but this morning Nash reminded her. Shauntie felt every glorious inch of him as he filled her until there was no more room. She heard Nash’s hard breathing against the side of her neck as his hands held her hips in place while he thrust in and out of her. After every stroke, Nash would grip her a little harder, not too tight but just enough for her to gain even more bliss. “Yes...please give me all you have,” he groaned, almost pleading with her. “Let me love you. Let me in.” Shauntie was shocked and pleased to have this handsome, caring man almost begging her to let him be with her. “Damn you!” Nash groaned as his orgasm took over his body and triggered a second one from her. Reaching up, her ripped the underwear from around her wrists and yanked her to his body so suddenly that Shauntie gasped for breath. Seconds later they both collapsed back on the bed with Nash’s sweaty drained body fell over top of her. He laid there for only a few minutes before rolling to his side pulling her against him. “If that doesn’t prove you’re mine than I guess nothing will,” Nash whispered into her hair and he laid his palm on her stomach. Shauntie wanted to argue with Nash and the cockiness of his statement, but all she could do was snuggle closer before she drifted off to sleep in his arms.

**** “I still don’t like it that you’re going out instead of spending the day with me,” Nash complained as he zipped the back of her white summer dress. Shauntie caught his eyes in the mirror in front of them. She still couldn’t wrap her head around the fact she‘d spent the better part of last night and this morning making love to the gorgeous man behind her. So much for her keeping her vow about staying away from Nash because she didn’t think he would be right for her. All of that went out of the window as soon as he kissed her. Nash came into her life like a whirlwind and changed it only for the better. Sapphire was right. She needed to get past her own self doubts before she would be able to see what was right in front of her face. “Nash, I thought you told me in the shower how you had your own stuff to take care of today too. Sunday is my day with the girls. I won’t change that for you.” “I’m not asking you to,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I was only blowing off some steam because you didn’t let me finish what we started in the shower.” Shauntie felt Nash’s ever-present erection brushing against the lower part of her back. How was it possible for him to always be ready to go? Didn’t he ever get tired? “Sapphire and Emerald were nice enough to let me reschedule our lunch for a later time. They’re going to have questions when they get here. Come on, why don’t you get dressed? I love seeing your amazing body naked, but I’m not the type who’ll share its beauty with my girlfriends.” “I guess I have to since it doesn’t seem like I’m going to talk you back into getting naked for a quickie.” Nash continued to hold her eyes with a hopeful look in his. “Baby, stop looking at me like you’ll change my mind. I’m going to lunch and you’ll get dressed.” Spinning around, Shauntie planted a kiss at the corner of Nash’s mouth. “Be good now and I’ll be good to you later.” She tried to walk past Nash, but he grabbed her by the waist and placed her on the dresser behind them. His hand quickly eased under her dress and slipped into her underwear. “Nash, what are you doing?” Shauntie squeaked as two of his fingers slipped inside of her.

“I’m just making you as hot for me as I am for you,” he admitted, working his fingers in and out of her at a steady pace that had Shauntie almost near a quick orgasm. Just as she was at the edge, Nash removed his fingers from her body along with her white thong. “What in the hell?” she snapped. “You can’t leave me like this! Finish what you started.” “Hey, if I can’t get any, neither can you, Dr. Kane.” Nash waved her underwear in front of her face. “I think I’ll keep these. I need something to tie me over until we meet up later tonight.” Shauntie’s mouth dropped open when Nash sauntered away from her and proceeded to get dressed. Once he finally worked the zipper of his jeans over his massive erection, he shoved her underwear into the front pocket and reached for his shirt on the bed. “I can’t believe you,” Shauntie complained. “At least help me off the dresser so I can get another pair of underwear!” Walking back over to her, Nash picked up her and placed her feet back down on the floor. “I’ll pay you back later for that little stunt.” Going over to her underwear drawer, Shauntie opened it. As she was reaching for another white thong the doorbell rang. “Shit! I can’t answer the door with no underwear on.” “Hey, I got it,” Nash said as he picked up his shirt off the bed. “I’ve been waiting to meet your girlfriends anyway.” Nash hurried out of the bedroom before she could stop him.

Chapter Eighteen “Hello ladies.” Nash grinned at the two stunned women standing on Shauntie’s front porch. He was sure they almost got whiplash from how fast their heads swung back at each other, down at the t-shirt still in his hand and then up to his face. He guessed they weren’t used to having a shirtless man open Shauntie’s door. “Where’s Shauntie?” the shorter woman demanded “Who in the hell are you?” “Nash, how are you doing?” The taller woman asked him gaining his attention. Nash stared at her a few minutes before it dawned on him where he knew her from. “Hello, Sapphire. You work with my sister right? I didn’t make the connection when Shauntie mentioned your name earlier. She’s in the bedroom getting dressed. She wanted to tell you to come on in.” Stepping back, he gave Shauntie’s friends enough room to come inside. Nash shut the front door and then finished getting dressed while Sapphire and her friend watched him closely. “You’re partially right. Your sister is the one who works for me. She’s one of my dental assistants. I was the one who recommended you to work on Shauntie’s roof.” “Looks like he’s working on more than Shauntie’s roof,” the shorter woman mumbled under her breath, but Nash heard her anyway. “Emerald, shut up.” Sapphire looked down at her friend then back at him. “I guess you’re the reason Shauntie moved our lunch date,” she teased him. “She was busy doing other things so food wasn’t on her mind.” Nash blushed. He wasn’t used to being on the hot seat. Sapphire was a very outspoken woman just like Shauntie. A part of him wondered how the two of them even became friends. . “I’m guilty as charged,” he grinned. “I wanted to spend some extra time with Shauntie since I won’t be seeing her until later on tonight.” “Shauntie never told us she was seeing you,” Emerald piped in as she took a seat on the couch. “How long have the two of you been going out? She usually tells us about everything going on in her life. You’re a total surprise that Sapphire and I weren’t expecting this afternoon.”

“Emerald, will you stop with all of the questions before you scare Nash away,” Shauntie complained as she walked into the living room and stood next to him. Bending now, Nash gave Shauntie a quick kiss. “Hey, I didn’t mind the questions. I’m glad your friends are concerned about you,” he said against her soft lips. The alluring scent of Shauntie’s perfume surrounded her delicious body making him think about carrying her back down the hallway into the bedroom, but he couldn’t. Her girlfriends were already here and from the look Emerald was shooting him she wanted him to get the hell out of here, so she could drill Shauntie. They both probably wanted to know what was going on and he couldn’t blame them. Brian and Chance would treat Shauntie the same way. “Baby, I’m going to leave. I need to take care of some stuff at home. I’ll probably call Brian and Chance over later to watch some football. You can stop by if you want to. I wouldn’t mind having you there at all.” “I’ll think about it,” Shauntie said, smiling at him. “But you go and have some fun. Don’t get too caught up in the game.” Nash gave Shauntie another kiss on the mouth and then stepped back. He hated to stop, but he couldn’t do any more with an attentive audience of two in the room watching his every move. “Bye sweetheart,” he whispered, staring into her eyes. “I’ll see you later.” He was falling hard for Shauntie. Being with her last night only cemented their connection in his mind. There was no way Shauntie was going to get away from him now. “Bye Nash,” her silky voice answered making his cock semi-hard. “Have fun with your friends.” God...he had to get out of here and fast before he humiliated himself and Shauntie in the process. “Ladies, it was nice to meet you. Have a good time at your lunch.” Nash waved at Sapphire and Emerald before he turned around and went out the door closing it behind him. **** “Why didn’t you tell us you were dating him?” Emerald questioned the second the door closed behind Nash. “He’s hotter than hell. What happened to that speech you gave us about not wanting a working man in your life? I mean for someone who wasn’t interested in getting involved you picked the

best man not to be involved with. You already have your man for Christmas.” Shauntie wasn’t thinking about Emerald’s plan last night when she and Nash were making love. Her mind was totally into how good he was making her feel after such a long dry spell in her bed. Nash proved more than once he wasn’t faking his interest in her. She almost couldn’t keep up with him the last time. Why had she even agreed to lunch today with Sapphire and Emerald when she could barely form a thought in her head? Lunch was going to be long and less enjoyable than she wanted because Emerald wasn’t going to let this thing with Nash go. “How about we head out of here?” Shauntie suggested. “We can talk about this more when we get to the restaurant.” “Shauntie, do you really think Emerald will stop with her questions? You’re in for a twenty question marathon. You know how she can get when our girl finds something interesting to get involved with. She’s a like a hungry dog with a bone.” “Hey, I don’t like being compared to a dog. All I was doing was showing concern about the half-naked man who opened Shauntie’s door. We all know her love life has been dry as the Sierra desert. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. Yes, Nash is a beautiful looking man, but I don’t want his face and killer body to sway Shauntie’s judgment.” “Whoa, weren’t you the one who was screaming at me about being the fun police,” Shauntie chastised. “Now that I’m having fun with a guy you want me to stop. Won’t that go against your ‘find a guy before the holiday’ plan?” Sapphire laughed and Emerald shot her a look. “Can’t I show some maturity sometimes?” she asked. “I was only looking out for you, that’s all. You’ve been out of the dating field for so long that I wasn’t sure if you knew how to handle Nash.” Shauntie perked up at Emerald’s off-handed comment. “Emerald, I might have been working excessive hours lately, but I haven’t forgotten how to deal with a good-looking man. Nash and I are getting along just fine. I don’t need you to worry about us.” “Is Nash your boyfriend now?” Sapphire teased. “Did he give you his class ring or football jacket?” “Very funny, Sapphire,” Shauntie said, giving her friend a sharp look. “Will the two of you please stop teasing me?” “Nope, we don’t think that we can.” Emerald got up off the couch and came to her. “You’re so easy to get all fired up. I’m glad you’re doing the

mattress dance with Nash. It’s about time you got sweaty by doing something else besides planting those flowers you love so much.” Shock flew through Shauntie. God...Emerald sure didn’t know how to hold her tongue. “Emerald, if we hadn’t been friends for so long I would take your comment as an insult.” “You shouldn’t. You know how I am. I’ll give you my opinion even if you don’t think you need to hear it,” Emerald admitted. “I’d tell Sapphire the same thing. No one is safe from me. I should start an advice column like Dear Abby only more diverse.” “How about we leave?” Sapphire cut in. “I can listen to the two of you complain while I drive us to the restaurant. I’m starving for Mr. Lee’s.” “Why didn’t you tell us ten minutes ago that you wanted Mr. Lee’s?” Shauntie complained, snatching up her purse off the table. “I love the shrimp rolls there. Let’s hit the road.” She went towards the door with Sapphire and Emerald behind her.

Chapter Nineteen Taking a bite of the shrimp roll, Shauntie allowed the sweet fried taste to evaporate onto her tongue. Hands down Mr. Lee had the best Japanese food in town; it was one of her favorite hot spots to hit when she needed to clear her head. “God, I love this place. I could come here twice a week if I had enough free time to get away from work,” she said, placing her half-eaten shrimp roll back onto her plate. “You’re right,” Emerald agreed before taking a bite of her BBQ pork with rice. “Ladies, we didn’t come here to talk about food.” Sapphire wiped her mouth with her napkin placing it at the side of her plate. “I believe we were going to continue the conversation we were having about Shauntie and her man Nash. What’s going on with the two of you? Was that the first time you invited him for a sleep over?” Emerald chuckled. “I wanted to know the same thing, but I wasn’t sure how to ask her. Thanks for doing it for me, Sapphire.” Shauntie glared at both of her girlfriends hating they had caught Nash still at her house. She had wanted a moment or two to enjoy the afterglow of being with him. Last night hadn’t been planned which made the sex even better. Nash showed her that he knew how to work more than his hands and mouth last night. The entire day was fantastic and different, something she looked forward to anytime she went out on a date, but usually fell pretty short. “I’m not going to tell either one of you everything that happened between Nash and myself after we came home from our date. Sapphire, you and Emerald already saw for yourselves this morning that Nash spent the night with me. What else do you need to know?” she questioned. “You’re doing us so wrong,” Emerald complained, watching her. “You’re leaving out the best part. Come on, give us details! Something good must have happened on your date with Nash that you insist he spend the night with you. Unless you’re telling us he spent the night in one of your many guests room.”

Shooting draggers at her friend, Shauntie pushed her plate away from her. She was so ecstatic that she had driven her car to the restaurant instead of riding with these two. She could only imagine what would come out of their mouths if she had asked them to drop her off at Nash’s house instead of hers. “No, Nash didn’t stay in the guest room. Stop acting silly.” She sighed. “Why would I send him out of my bed? I needed what Nash had to offer last night.” “You bet you did. Now, you have this glow about you. I like this new look on you. Keep doing what you’re doing. It looks really great on you.” Sapphire grinned at her. “Does this mean when you find your man you’re going to tell us all about how it was to make love to him? “I believe you’re the one next in line to find Mr. Holiday for yourself. New Years Eve will be here before you know it. Time is running out for you.” “I know time is running out and I’m not going to lose our little bet,” Sapphire promised. “I already have a plan in mind how to get his attention. Monday morning, I’m going to strike up a conversation with him. I’ll call you and let you know what happens.” “Sounds like you’re a woman with her own plan.” Shauntie smiled. “You sound much more confident now than you did the last time we talked to each other. What changed your mind?” Leaning back in her chair, Sapphire crossed her legs while the slight breeze blew her long, dark hair around her shoulders. “I took your advice. I was being too scared of the unknown. I was worrying about something that hadn’t even happened yet. How do I know what his answer will be until I ask him out on a date?” Shauntie was impressed with the abrupt change in Sapphire. Emerald’s plan didn’t seem so stupid now since everything seemed to be moving so smoothly and working out pretty well. The thought of having Nash around her for Christmas actually didn’t scare the hell out of her. She was looking forward to spending some extra time with Nash and getting to know more about what made him tick. “So, Emerald, that just leaves you. Have you found anyone yet? Truthfully, you’ve been pretty quiet since all of this started.” Shauntie thought Emerald would be the first one out of the three of them to already have her man all lined up. Emerald picked at the remaining food on her plate before she pushed it away from her. “Guys, I haven’t seen any possibilities at all. I’m getting very irritated that the two of you found men so fast when it was my idea.

What am I supposed to do?” “Valentine’s Day is a long way off,” Sapphire pointed out as Shauntie glanced at her watch. “Your man is probably right around the corner. Have a little more patience. Remember this little game of yours is supposed to be for fun and not competition.” “I agree,” Shauntie cut in. Opening up her purse, she grabbed some money tossing it on the table. She wanted to go by Nash’s house before she went home and started getting her schedule ready for work on Monday. She still hadn’t taken any time to look over the patients’ files she’d bought back to her home the other day. “Ladies, I hate to eat and run, but I promised Nash I would stop by his house after our lunch. I need to see him because the rest of the day I’ll be at home reading over patients’ files. There’s my third of the meal along with a tip for the waiter.” Getting up from the table, Shauntie pushed in her chair. “I’m so happy to see you this excited about Nash.” Sapphire smiled at her. “Go ahead and leave. Emerald and I can take care of the rest. Besides, I can go ahead and get your Christmas gift with Emerald. We can take the rest of the day since neither one of us has to be at work.” Emerald spoke up giving Shauntie some advice. “Just remember to be safe and not let him think he’s the one in control. I know one thing for sure, men love a little mystery when it comes to a woman,” “Okay, Ms. Relationship 101.” Shauntie laughed, looked at Emerald who winked at her then grinned. “I’ll try to keep that in my mind while I’m at Nash’s house. I’ll talk to the two of you later.” She turned and walked away, heading for her car.

Chapter Twenty Nash pulled Shauntie into his arms the second his front door opened, and planted a kiss on her mouth. “Do you know how much I’ve missed you today?” he asked, tugging her into his house and kicking the door closed. “I thought you’d never get here after you called asking for directions to my house.” Pushing her against the wall, he kissed her deeply tugging her arms above her head. “All I’ve been thinking about all day is how you left me hard and horny for your sexy body. I wasn’t even able to enjoy the football game because of you. Brian and Chance left early to finish watching the last quarter of the game at a sports bar.” “I missed you too,” Shauntie confessed. “I couldn’t get away from my lunch fast enough either. I couldn’t get the idea of you out of my head. Is it wrong for us to be this attracted to each other? We went from zero to a hundred in less than a week. Maybe we should put the brakes on things and take a step back.” Nash felt the comment like a punch to his gut. Easing back a little from Shauntie, he stared down at her, confused. “Are you telling you’re regretting what we did last night and this morning?” Grabbing him by the shirt, Shauntie tugged him back to her. “No, I just wanted to see the look on your face. I couldn’t let you think you’d seduced me that fast. A girl has to play a little hard to get sometimes.” She grinned at him. “Now, how about we get back to what we were doing?” “Oh, I’m going to make you pay for that little stunt, Dr. Kane. I’ll have you screaming my name once I get you naked on my bed.” “I’ve heard that promise before and I haven’t met a man yet who has lived up to it,” she tossed back. “Well, today you’ve met that man.” Swinging Shauntie up in his arms, Nash hurried out of the living room in the direction of his bedroom. Going down the long hallway, Nash walked into his bedroom with Shauntie in his arms. He tried to stay calm as he laid her down in the middle of his king sized bed. This moment was what he had wanted for so long that he almost didn’t know how to take it all in. He knew that he had already

made love to Shauntie once back at her house, but this was different. She was here with him in his bedroom, a place he had dreamt about being for so long that he was about to go crazy with his need to strip her completely naked and have his way with her until both of them were too worn out to move off the bed, yet alone leave his bedroom. Bending down, he removed the white scandals off her feet admiring her painted toenails before planting a kiss on top of her foot. “I love your feet. They’re so soft and smooth,” Nash confessed as his hands slid up her thighs stopping at the hem of her white dress. “Are you glad you came over here today? I thought you might cancel out and spend the rest of the day with your girlfriends.” Leaning up on her elbows, Shauntie leaned her head to the side causing her hair to brush against her smooth brown shoulders. “I can’t think of any other place I would rather be. Sapphire and Emerald get me all the time. It’s not like I abandoned them or anything. We had a wonderful lunch and I left. They were fine with it. I believe they’re going shopping for my Christmas presents anyway, so I couldn’t be there with them.” “This year I don’t have to ask Santa for a present underneath my tree because I already have it,” Nash said staring at Shauntie. “Oh, can I ask what you already have for Christmas that you’re so excited about,” she teased, touching his chest with her big toe. “I know I still love asking Santa for gifts. I haven’t been the best girl this year, but I still think Old Jolly St. Nick will still make a visit to me. He might have to use the door this year instead of my chimney because of my destroyed roof.” Easing his hand underneath her skirt, Nash slipped Shauntie’s underwear past her hips, down her shapely hips sending them to the floor. “I think if you tell me I might be able to get you anything you wanted. I’m pretty good friends with Santa. We go way back.” “Oh, you do.” Shauntie smiled as he worked on the side zipper on her dress. “How do I know you won’t take credit for the gift Santa might give me?” she teased. Nash pulled Shauntie up from the bed and removed the dress from her body and kicked it away from them towards the edge of the bed. His mouth watered at the sight of his woman’s smooth chocolate skin and how her breasts were perky and firm. He loved how they were more than a hand and mouthful with their large dark brown nipples. “The only thing I’m going to take credit for is having you scream my name when we’re in this bed. I’ll let Santa keep his gift since he

only comes around once a year. What kind of guy would I be to take that special day way from the old guy?” Laughing, Shauntie slapped Nash on the side of his arm, “I think we should do less talking and get you out of these clothes. All I’ve thinking about on the long drive over here is seeing you naked. I thought I would get lost coming out to this part of town. Talk about becoming one with nature. I’m unquestionably a city girl. I think on the way here I only saw three houses.” “Can I help if I love my privacy?” Nash questioned, running his hands up and down Shauntie’s bare arm loving the silkiness of her skin. Lowering his head, he ran the tip of his tongue along the side of her neck. “Oh,” Shauntie moaned, rubbing her hard nipples against the front of his shirt. “When are you going to get as naked as me?” Leaning back from him, Shauntie stared up into his eyes and the hot desire he saw there made his cock stand up and take notice. Not waiting for a second invitation, Nash began to undress as fast as he could. Pulling his t-shirt over his head exposing his chest to Shauntie’s hungry eyes, he heard her quick intake of breath and smiled. “Do you like what you see, sweetheart?” Nash kicked off his shoes while his hands worked on undoing his belt, but when he reached for the zipper of his jeans, Shauntie’s hand shot out and stopped him. “Let me do it,” she whispered, knocking his fingers away. Standing still, he watched from underneath his lashes as Shauntie slid his zipper down over the erection he had been sporting for the last few minutes. Nash bit back a groan when Shauntie’s fingers brushed over the tip before she shoved the thick fabric down around his legs. Not wasting a second, he kicked them away from them. He didn’t know how much longer he would be able to stay calm with the way Shauntie’s rich chocolate eyes were devouring his body. Reaching out for a second time, her small fingers teased his erection through his white boxer briefs making it grow another inch in her palm. “Oh, I love touching you. You feel so good against my hand.” Shauntie held his gaze as her hand eased inside of his underwear and she brushed the tip of her thumb over the mushroom head then she eased the fabric down his legs and his cock sprang free happy to be out of the confines of his underwear. “You are so beautiful,” she praised holding him in her hand. Before Shauntie could do anything to him and make him come before

he was ready, he picked her up and laid her back down on the bed covering her with his weight. “I’m not ready to come yet, so stop teasing me with your touches,” he growled, nibbling at her neck. “Now, how about you let me give you a taste of your own medicine?” Kissing his way down her body, Nash paused at Shauntie’s legs giving both of them a tiny kiss before he grabbed her legs and spread them open to his seeking eyes. Instead of tasting her like she wanted, Nash brushed his nose against her moist curls breathing in the sweet aroma of his woman. This is the place he should have been at all day. Shauntie’s quivering body was only meant for his touch and no other man. He wouldn’t be able to give all of this up for anyone now or in the future.

Chapter Twenty-One Nash parted Shauntie’s toned legs even wider giving her a long, slow swipe of his tongue drawing the juices from her eager body into his waiting mouth. He had never tasted anything as sweet or rich in his life. “Yesssss!” Shauntie whimpered loudly as her hands tugged at the cool sheets on the bed underneath her body. Holding her hips down on the mattress, Nash flicked his tongue against her clit, working the highly sensitive bud with his mouth until Shauntie was fighting against the hold his hands had on her body. A soft gasp escaped from between her lips as his teeth gently nipped at her, working her body into an even bigger frenzy. Nash loved how eager and responsive Shauntie was to his touch. He was the man making her feel like this...not any of her past lovers ...but him! Yes, a while ago. Shauntie had tried to find numerous way to push him away because she was scared to admit how she felt about him. In his mind, this was a huge step in their relationship. Nash still sensed Shauntie might not be ready to embrace the feelings he sensed between them. However, with a little encouragement on his part; Shauntie would ultimately come around to see things his way, he was certain. Shauntie twisted beneath his body as he tasted and teased her before he thrust his tongue inside of her. Her body would have shot straight up off the bed if he hadn’t been holding her down. Moving his tongue back and forth, he made love to his woman with his mouth showing what she was going to get in a few minutes with his cock. He was so hard that he could barely think straight, but he wanted, no needed, Shauntie to feel how much he cared about her. “This is so good,” Shauntie cried. “I’ve never had it like this before.” The sudden thought of another man doing this to Shauntie made his blood race through his veins making him see red. Pulling her legs over his shoulders, he gripped her ass holding her even closer to his mouth as he licked, sucked and tasted. “Oh my God!” Her thighs shook against his shoulders as he didn’t let up, devouring the sweet taste of her.

Nash loved the taste of Shauntie. He wasn’t ever going to give her up. This was meant for them only and no one else. He would kill any man that tried to come between them. Nash moaned when Shauntie slid her fingers through his hair holding him against her. She didn’t have to worry about him leaving her. He wasn’t about to go anywhere until he was good and satisfied. He wasn’t going to be able to hold on much longer and he didn’t want Shauntie to come inside his mouth. She needed to come all over his cock while it was buried deep inside of her. His tongue slowed down until he was only licking at her every few seconds and he felt Shauntie’s disappointment in her body as he removed her legs from his shoulders and lowered them back down to the bed. “What are you doing? Don’t stop,” she begged when his head moved from between her shaking thighs. “Baby, I’m not about to stop anything at all, but I need to be inside of you.” Nash moved back up her body so he was on top of her. “You taste so good. I love being with you like that, but it doesn’t compare to how it feels to be inside of you.” Opening the drawer by the side of his bed, Nash grabbed a condom, tore it open and rolled it over his aching cock. “You’re just so breathtaking,” he told Shauntie as he brushed her damp hair away from her cheek. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted this?” “We’ve made love before,” Shauntie pointed out to him as he pushed his hips forward, easing his cock inside of her. “I know but it was at your house and not mine. Every man wants to make love to his woman in his own bed, so he can replay it over and over in his mind when she isn’t here with him.” He wanted to surge forward and be buried as deep as he could, but Shauntie was so tight that he didn’t want to hurt her. So Nash took his time working all of his nine inches into Shauntie until she took all of him without any problem. Grabbing her hands, he pulled them above her head linking their fingers together as he lowered his head and kissed her. He slipped his tongue between her lips stroking it over her tongue as he pumped into her. “God, Nash,” Shauntie moaned as she tore her mouth away wrapping her legs around his waist. Nash’s bedroom was filled with the sounds of their mingled breathing as he made love to Shauntie. He wanted to imprint the moment in her mind, so when she wasn’t with him she would think about it. The sooner he captured her heart, the easier it would be for her to accept his secret.

Shauntie couldn’t ever leave him for any reason. Suddenly, Shauntie ran her nails down his back as she threw her head back against the pillow. The sight of her totally lost in her own pleasure pushed Nash over the edge. He knew he had to find the way to have her screaming his name until she couldn’t think about doing anything else. He sped up his thrusts until he set a rhythm that had Shauntie meeting him thrust for thrust against the tangled sheets around their bodies. Nash grabbed Shauntie by her hips so he could control their movements. Shauntie was too used to being in control. He had to show her that in the bedroom especially in his bed that he was the only one giving the orders. “Baby, you feel so good wrapped around my cock,” Nash whispered into Shauntie’s ear. “I think you should be like this with me seven days a week. I need it as much as you do.” Her hips moved in tempo with his and Nash could tell she was fighting not to lose control, but he was going to make her see things his way instead of hers this time. Her entire body was ready to come; Nash could feel how her inner muscles were tightening against his cock. “Stop fighting it,” he said, speaking softly into her ear. “Give into it. We both know that it’s what you want to do.” Nash pulled Shauntie’s legs apart angling his body, so he could hit the spot he wanted to send his woman over the edge. “Oh God yes!” she screamed out as her orgasm ripped through her body. Shauntie continued to whimper and plead with him as he hit her G-spot over and over The bed started moving under them from the thrust of his hips, but Nash didn’t let it take him away from the moment. Shauntie was his main and only focus tonight. All of this was for her. “Sweetheart... you are so unbelievable,” Nash praised as his head dropped against her shoulder. The feel of her hard nipples brushing against his chest made him swell even more inside of her. Sweat poured off his body as he tried not to come. All of this was way too good to let it come to an end. Nash wanted this to last forever. In his mind, he knew that he couldn’t but that didn’t keep him from trying his best to make it happen. Pulling out, Nash shoved his cock back into Shauntie again sending another orgasm raking through her body which finally pushed him over the brink. Nash hollered deep in his throat as his release tore through the length of his body. Minutes later, Nash collapsed onto Shauntie’s body reclaiming her

mouth with his while his heart rate worked hard trying to get back down to its normal rate, but he didn’t care if he died like this because it would be the best way to go. Easing his mouth away from hers, Nash stared down into the sated eyes of the woman he knew he loved. “I forgot to answer your question earlier,” he said. Rolling onto his back, Nash pulled Shauntie on the top of him liking how their bodies fit so well together. Yawning, Shauntie snuggled closer to him surrounding him in their scent. “What question?” “What present do I already have that I don’t have to ask Santa for?” he reminded her, running his fingers up and down her spine. “Do you remember now?” Shauntie raised her eyes from his chest and looked at him. “I do now.” “The perfect gift I have is you,” Nash answered. “How could I possibly have the need or desire for anything else?” Wide awake now, Shauntie watched him closely like she was trying to figure out if he was telling her the truth. “You really mean that, don’t you?” “With everything I have in me. I couldn’t want any more in my life than I already have with you. I know we could have something good if we work at it. I could tell when I first asked you out on a date that you were completely against the idea,” Nash confessed. “I don’t know what changed your mind about giving me a chance, but I’m glad you did.” Moving off his chest, Shauntie eased away from him. She reached over the edge of the bed and grabbed a sheet off the floor. She wrapped it around her body holding it against her breasts. Sighing softly, she brushed her hair away from her face and over her shoulders. “I wasn’t hesitant to go out with you at first because of something you had done. I just didn’t want to get involved with another guy like you after the last one I had in my life.” “What happened?” Nash asked as a tiny bit of fear settled in the center of his chest. He wondered if Shauntie was getting ready to tell him about her relationship with J.T. and if she did, would he be able to come clean with her as well. “I don’t want to get into all of the details, but I dated this guy for a little while. I thought he might have been the one until I found out he was only using me for my money and still seeing his ex-girlfriend behind my back. I vowed after that not to date any more men who weren’t on the same level as me.” “You didn’t want to go out with me because you thought I was beneath

you?” Nash asked. Shauntie shook her head causing her hair to swing around her bare shoulders. “No, I didn’t want to go out with you because you scared me. I wasn’t attracted to J.T. the way I am to you. I knew if I got involved with you and it didn’t work out, I could end up getting hurt worse and I wasn’t going to allow it. Something about you pulled me towards you and as much as I tried to fight it or pretend it wasn’t there, I couldn’t anymore.” “It’s called chemistry.” Grabbing Shauntie by the shoulders, he pulled her back across the bed to him. If he wasn’t sure about what he was going to do before, Nash undoubtedly had his answer now. He wasn’t going to lose Shauntie by telling her the truth now. Shauntie wouldn’t believe a word that came out of his mouth. “I promise you that I’m not going to use or hurt you the way your ex did. We’re building something good here. I can see us going great places. I want everyone to know who I have in my life now. Do you think you’d be interested in meeting my friends?” Pushing him down on the bed, Shauntie folded her arms on his chest and grinned at him. “Are you sure that you’re ready to introduce me to your friends? I mean this is still pretty new between us. I know how my girlfriends are about me when it comes to my dating life. They have an opinion about everything and don’t mind giving their advice. It doesn’t matter if I want it or not.” Nash chuckled at Shauntie. “Sweetheart, I don’t think guys are the same as girls when it comes to their buddies’ girlfriends. Brian and Chance are going to love you because you make me happy.” “I have to check my schedule first to make sure I’m free. I do have this persistent man working on my roof who doesn’t know how to take no for an answer. I’m not sure if he’ll be willing to let me have a day to myself.” “I really don’t think he’ll be a problem. He just has to take one look into your beautiful brown eyes and agree to anything that comes out of that beautiful mouth of yours.” Cupping Shauntie’s cheek in his hand, Nash planted a kiss on her mouth loving how she instantly responded to him. Moaning softly, Shauntie kissed him back with all of the passion he felt for her. Nash flipped them over, so Shauntie’s back was against the bed and he was staring down into her beautiful face. He loved how it felt being here with her like this. Everything about this moment was perfect, but his deceit was hanging above them and Shauntie knew nothing about it. What in the hell was he going to do? Could he toughen up and tell her the truth which meant he risked losing her? Or should the truth stay hidden

until he felt it was the right time to tell her everything? Nash already knew his answer and he prayed he’d chosen the right one.

Chapter Twenty-Two Shauntie glanced at Nash from the corner of her eye as he drove them to the nightclub where she was going to meet his friends Brian and Chance for the first time. She already felt like she knew them from the numerous times he had brought them up to her. “Why are you so quiet?” Nash asked placing his hand on her thigh. “You haven’t said much since we left my house.” “I’m just wondering if your friends will like me,” she admitted. “I know how close you are to them.” “Sweetheart, you don’t have to worry about your first meeting with them. If I survived meeting Sapphire and Emerald, my two best friends won’t be a problem for you at all. Just flash them that winning smile of yours and everything will be fine.” Placing her hand on top of Nash’s, Shauntie squeezed it. “Have I told you how much I like that I let you into my life? You’re good for me. I don’t worry about the small things like I used to.” “Baby, that’s what I’m here for,” Nash told her as he glanced away from the street. “Stay with me and you’ll learn what else I can do for you.” He took his attention off her and gave it back to the road. Shauntie allowed the last of her tension she was experiencing to leave her body. She wasn’t going to go back to her old ways and prejudge anyone else before she got to meet them. Chance and Brian were probably good guys just like Nash. She didn’t see him forming a friendship with anyone who wasn’t as open as he was. **** “Shauntie, Nash has told us so much about you. It finally nice to put a face with the name,” Chance told her as he stood up and shook her hand then retook his seat. “You’re very beautiful.” “Thank you.” Shauntie smiled. “It’s finally good to meet you too.” Sitting down, she glanced over at who she assumed was Brian. “I guess you’re Brian.”

“Yes, I am,” Brian answered as he shook her hand. “Sorry, I didn’t introduce myself. I was waiting until Chance stopped trying to charm you right in front of Nash.” “I’m not worried at all about Chance flirting with my girlfriend. I know Shauntie is only into me,” Nash said as he pulled his seat closer to hers. Placing his arm around the back of her chair, he rubbed his hand up and down her bare arm. Turning her head, Shauntie stared at Nash knowing right at that very moment he was telling the truth. “I have to say that Nash has become a very important part of my life. I know that we haven’t been together long, but I feel like we’ve been together for a while.” “Nash is a great guy and we’ve been waiting a while for him to find someone. Before meeting you, he spent most of his time working on building up the roofing business,” Brian told her. “I’m hoping you’re really the woman he’s been waiting for. Neither one of us wants our buddy to be with the wrong woman.” Shauntie was so taken back by Brian’s bluntness that she wasn’t sure how to answer him. Was he questioning her motives? Did he think she was the one up to something? “I’m not thinking about hurting Nash. The thought never crossed my mind,” she admitted. “Brian, stop,” Nash jumped in. “I brought Shauntie here to meet you, not to answer all of your questions. “Sorry man, I apologize,” Brian said, looking at her and then Nash. “I guess I’ve been hanging around Chance too long. The cop side of him is rubbing off on me. I wasn’t trying to make her feel uncomfortable.” “Alright, just don’t let it happen again,” Nash replied. “Nash, Brian didn’t mean any harm and you should know that he didn’t,” Chance cut in. “Why are you acting like he was being mean to Shauntie? Don’t we always question each other’s girlfriends when we first meet them? It’s like a ritual with us. Why was it fine for you to do it to us and not vice versa?” The sudden tension around the table was making Shauntie uncomfortable. She hadn’t been expecting any of this to happen when Nash walked her up to the table. Maybe she should get away for a minute or two while things cooled off. Something more was going on with Nash’s friends then the two of them meeting her for the first time. “I’m going over to the bar to order something to drink,” Shauntie whispered into Nash’s ear as music boomed loudly around them in the

background. She needed time away from the table to get herself back under control. Shauntie knew she wouldn’t be able do that with Brian and Chance. Right now, they were staring a hole in her like both of them were trying to figure out if she was really good enough for their best friend. “Baby, we can get a waitress to come over and take your order,” Nash said, looking over at her. She saw the concern in his eyes. Shauntie sensed that Nash saw she was upset, but she wasn’t going to get into it with his friends right in front of them. “No, that’s okay. I don’t mind going to get it. I need a little air away from the table,” she admitted. Leaning closer, Nash placed his hand on her thigh. A worried expression was etched across his attractive face. “Shauntie are you okay?” he whispered against the side of her ear. “I know the guys weren’t all that welcoming, but they don’t mean any harm. You’ll like them once you get to know them better.” Shauntie was touched by the concern in Nash’s voice. It affected her that Nash wanted to fix what was wrong, but he couldn’t right now. She hadn’t meant to fall for him so fast and this hard, but it was too late to turn off her feelings for him now. She was already there when it came to her emotions. “I’m fine,” Shauntie assured Nash, placing her hand on top of his giving it a light squeeze. “I only want a few minutes to myself. That’s all. It has nothing to do with Chance or Brian. I’ll be right back. I promise.” Shauntie kissed Nash on the mouth and then got up from the table. She felt Brian and Chance staring at her as she left their table, but she didn’t look back. Working her way through the crowd, Shauntie finally made it to the front of the bar. She leaned over the bar and smiled at the bartender standing there grinning at her. “What can I get for you, beautiful?” The tall, dirty blond bartender flirted as he moved closer across the bar counter so he could hear her above the noise. “A ginger ale,” Shauntie replied, noticing how the guy’s hazel eyes glanced down at her breasts then back up into her eyes. “One ginger ale, coming up,” he replied and then winked at her before walking away. While she waited for her drink, Shauntie played with the empty nut bowl in front of her. A minute or two later the bartender returned placing her drink down in front of her.

“Here you go. Are you sure there isn’t anything else I can do for you?” he flirted again. “No, this is it.” Shauntie smiled. “Alright, but if you change your mind I’m working until twelve o’clock.” He grinned at her then moved away to take an order at the end of the bar. Taking a sip of her drink, Shauntie glanced around the nightclub trying to shake off the experience of meeting Nash’s friends for the first time. All of their questions had come out of left field; she wasn’t expecting them to literally attack her from both directions. As she raised the glass back to her mouth for another drink, Shauntie got the eerie feeling someone was watching her. The hairs on the back of her neck started to stand up. She decided maybe it was time for her to head back to her table. Just as Shauntie turned to walk away from the bar hoping the leave the unsettling feeling behind her, a male voice whispered into her right ear. “Hello beautiful Shauntie. It’s been a while since I laid eyes on you. I’m rather shocked to see the little princess decided to grace the locals with her presence.” Closing her eyes, Shauntie counted to ten as J.T.’s familiar voice filled her ears. Out of all the people she expected to run into tonight and never wanted to see again, her no good lying ex-boyfriend had to top both of those lists. Why her? Why now? Shauntie took a deep breath, he promised herself not to lose her cool as she slowly turned around and faced her past. She wasn’t going to allow him to get underneath her skin. She had grown since she fell for his convincing lies. “J.T., what do you want?” Shauntie hated the fact that J.T. looked the same. He was a good looking guy when he dated her and his looks hadn’t suffered at all. He didn’t seem like he ever spent a day regretting the way he manipulated her to get what he wanted. “Oh, Shauntie,” J.T. grinned. “Is that any way to greet me?” He reached out to touch her on the arm, but she knocked his hand away. The mere thought of his hands anywhere on her body now made Shauntie’s skin crawl. “Don’t you dare touch me,” she hissed taking a step back. “Really...you didn’t use to feel that way about me, darling,” J.T. said as his eyes roamed over her body stripping away her shirt and skirt. “If

I remember correctly, you couldn’t get enough of me when were dating. Remember the time we almost made love on your kitchen table? You were so hot! I still think about it sometimes.” Shauntie swallowed down her nausea at the unwanted memory. “I recall how I was intelligent enough to never sleep with you. It would have been the biggest mistake of my life.” J.T.’s eyes narrowed as his hand shot out and wrapped around her upper arm. His fingers dug into her skin as he gave her a little shake. “You bitch! You always did have a mouth on you and not the kind I’m fond of either.” “Let go of me,” Shauntie snapped, jerking on her arm, but J.T. only tightened his grip. “No, I think I’ll keep a hold of you a little while longer. My old lady left me again. How about we hook up? I bet I can give it to you better than any guy you have in your life. What do you say?” “J.T. Let go of Shauntie before I make you do it,” a voice threatened behind her. Looking over her shoulder, Shauntie breathed a sigh of relief when she found Nash standing behind her with a hard gleam in his green eyes. He looked like he was boiling for a fight and he would find one if J.T. didn’t release her. Dropping his hand, J.T. took a step back from Nash. “Hey Nash, how’s it going old buddy.” He looked at her and then at Nash. A half smile tilted the corner of his mouth. “Don’t tell me you’re hooking up with my ex-girlfriend. I always knew you had a thing for her back when we were roommates. I saw how you would drool over her anytime she came to see me at the construction site. I guess you’re finally getting a piece of her.” “Shut up J.T.,” Nash yelled. Shauntie cringed as heaviness settled in the bottom of her stomach. She couldn’t be hearing what she thought she was. No. It wasn’t possible. This couldn’t happen to her twice in her life. No one in the world was this unlucky. She pushed J.T. out of her mind as she turned around and glanced up at Nash. “You’re friends with J.T. You knew who I was before I hired you for the roofing job at my house?” Shauntie could barely control her reaction as thought after thought raced through her head as J.T.’s words started to settle in. “Of course, good old Nash Wentworth knew who you were. How could he have not known?” J.T. taunted in her ear, but she didn’t even bother to acknowledge him. “He never took his eyes off you anytime you were within

touching distance of him.” The only man Shauntie wanted to hear from was Nash. He had some questions to answer and she better get the answers she wanted from him. “Shut up J.T. I don’t need you buzzing around my ear. This is between me and Nash, not you. Go away!” Groaning, Nash ran the palm of his hand down the front of his face like he was trying to figure out what in the hell he was going to confess to her. God...he was thinking of a lie to tell her. Shauntie couldn’t believe it. She felt the lie as it formed inside of his head. She was tired of being deceived and it would end tonight. Nash wouldn’t pull a stunt like J.T. had on her. She wouldn’t allow it. “Answer me!” The words seemed like they were being ripped from her throat. “Shauntie, yes, I knew who you were after you took off your sunglasses that first day at your house,” Nash admitted. “I was attracted to you when you dated J.T. I couldn’t help but wonder how someone as gorgeous as you picked such an asshole to be with. I thought I got blessed when I saw it was you standing in front of me.” What a load of crap. Did Nash really think she would believe any of the words coming out of his mouth? Shauntie shook her head. She promised herself she wouldn’t ever go down this road again. Emerald and Sapphire wondered why she kept her heart so heavily guarded. Well this was the major reason why. She couldn’t pick a good decent man to save her soul. She would have better luck at winning a million dollars at the lottery. It had taken her a while not to think Nash would hurt her like J.T. She didn’t want to cut him out of the same cloth as a man he’d never met, but she was so wrong there. Nash and J.T. knew each other. No...it was so much worst. They’d been roommates at one time. She hadn’t wanted to be judgmental and look where it had gotten her. “Nash, I don’t want to hear it,” she snapped. “I can’t believe this happened to me again.” Brushing past Nash, Shauntie headed for the exit sign; she couldn’t lose her cool inside of a nightclub full of people. She had to think about her career since it was the only thing she had left now to care about. “Baby, wait,” Nash implored, wrapping his fingers around her wrist. “Don’t go. Let me explain. I was going to tell you about knowing J.T. Sweetheart, please don’t push me away because of this guy. We aren’t anything alike. I won’t hurt you like he did.”

Shauntie glanced down at Nash’s tanned fingers on her skin. Her eyes shot back up to his pleading ones and she almost softened at the look until she heard J.T. snickering in the background and the sound sobered her up instantly. “Nash, you shoved me away by not telling me the truth. None of this is my fault,” Shauntie told him as her heart broke into a tiny million pieces like fine china. “Let go of me. I’m not going to ask you twice.” Nash didn’t do it. Instead, he pulled her back against his hard, warm chest. “I’ll drop it for now, but this conversation is far from over. You will listen to me. I won’t let J.T.’s stupidity ruin what we have built with each other.” The second Nash released her wrist. Shauntie made a mad dash for the door and went out without looking back

Chapter Twenty-Three Standing by the bar, Nash watched in pure agony as Shauntie ran from him like he was the worst person she had ever encountered in her life. Why had he allowed her to go over to the bar in the first place? He’d had a bad feeling about it. The entire night had gone wrong. Brian and Chance grilled his woman like she wasn’t good enough for him making her run away from him, placing her right in the path of J.T. and all of the destruction he usually got pleasure causing in other people’s lives. Why hadn’t he told her before about his relationship with J.T.? Everything was going so perfect between them. Last night and this morning were better than anything he had experienced with a woman in a very long time. Now, everything he ever wanted just stormed out the door away from him and if he didn’t make amends soon, Shauntie might not ever take him back. “Aren’t you going after her?” J.T. questioned behind him. “Shauntie always did have a way of overreacting about stuff. However, I found ways to overlook it because she was one fine ass woman. I’m a little sad I let all of that get away before I got a piece of it in the bedroom. She looks like the type who would want it hard and fast in the morning. Does she like it like that?” “You son of a bitch!” Nash spun back around to punch J.T., but he was grabbed from behind by a pair of arms. “Nash, stop!” Brian hollered at him. “This jackass isn’t worth a night in jail.” “You’re wrong,” Nash corrected. “I would get a lot of pleasure watching his smug ass hit the floor.” “You would never be able to get Shauntie back if you ended up in jail because of him,” Chance said, standing between him and the guy who deserved to meet the end of his fist. The adrenaline rushing through his system still was driving him to shove Chance out of the way and finish what he was dying to do, but his buddies were right. He had too much going on with his life to have it ruined

by J.T. “Brian, I’m calm. You can let go of me. I won’t hit J.T. He isn’t worth me spending the night in jail on assault charges. I need to see Shauntie and explain all of this. She needs to know the complete truth about J .T.” “She’s done with you,” J.T. taunted, “but if she isn’t I bet she will be when you tell her about us being cousins. Are you going to tell your precious Shauntie that I’m the black sheep of the family everyone hates talking about?” “J.T. is related to you?” Brian said shocked, moving from his back to his side. “You never told me this.” “Would you admit to it if he was a part of your family? Why do you think I had him move in with us? My dad made me feel guilty enough to take him in and it turned out to be a huge mistake on my part. J.T. has been a problem in our family since he turned sixteen years old and it hasn’t stopped.” “Shauntie loved how I was. How do you think I got her in the first place?” J.T. snapped, glaring at him. “Everyone can’t be the perfect little ‘yes man’ like Nash Wentworth. I have a mind of my own and I use it every chance I get. “I know if Shauntie hadn’t walked up on me with Kelly, I could have gotten her to do anything I wanted. She was just that into me. You messed up big time thinking you could follow behind me. I was the one who made an impact on Shauntie’s perfect sheltered life, not you.” Nash charged towards J.T. only to have Chance hold him back by placing his hand in the center of his chest. “Enough Nash,” he warned. “Stop letting him push your buttons. I don’t want to give you a ride down to the station for losing your cool. Just leave. Fix things with Shauntie. She’s more important than fighting with your cousin.” Nash pointed his index finger in his ungrateful cousin’s direction. “If I ever see you talking to Shauntie again, it will be the last time you will ever open your mouth. Do you understand me?” he threatened and pushed Chance’s hand off his chest then spun on his heel heading towards the exit. He had to get to Shauntie and make her listen to him. J.T.’s sudden appearance might have ruined all of the progress he’d finally made with her. Nash knew it was crazy, but he had fallen in love with her from the first second he saw her with J.T. He’d wanted his cousin’s girlfriend because he knew back then Shauntie wasn’t with the right man. Pushing the door, Nash rushed outside to his truck. Tonight wasn’t turning out at all like he expected it to when he brought Shauntie here

tonight. Shauntie should still be inside having fun with him and his friends. Getting inside his vehicle, Nash slammed the door shut cursing underneath his breath. He wasn’t going to let Shauntie go back into her battle armor anymore. J.T. might have shown up at the bar and put some doubts in her head about them but he would make her see what they shared with each other had nothing to do with her former relationship with his cousin. Shauntie stormed out the club so fast that he couldn’t help but be worried about her. Nash regretted it even more now that he hadn’t come clean with her, but everything was still so new between them. He didn’t want to take the chance of her backing away from him when she found out the truth. Starting his truck, Nash pulled out of the parking lot. He had to get to Shauntie before someone else told her the rest of the truth about J.T. She needed to hear from him that they were related. If she found out from anyone but him there was no way in hell that he would be able to fix things between them.

Chapter Twenty-Four “Go away,” Shauntie yelled through the door at Nash. He was standing on the other side refusing to leave her alone. “I don’t have anything to say to you. We said it all to each other at the club, so go back there and hang out with your friend J.T.” “Sweetheart, I’m not going any-damn-where. Either open this door, or I’ll kick it down. The choice is yours. Don’t make me prove that I’m not kidding with you,” Nash warned. Stepping back from the door, Shauntie stared at it like she was one of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf was about to blow it down at any second. She wouldn’t put it past Nash to live up to his threats. He would probably try to break it down and then blame it on her. “This is your last chance,” he told her. “Either open it or have it removed from the frame.” Shauntie stormed over to the door and unlocked it, but blocked the doorway from Nash, so he couldn’t get inside. “What do you want?” she demanded, with a hard glare in his direction. “Baby, let me in and I’ll tell you,” Nash pleaded with her as he stared down into her eyes. “We have a lot to discuss and I don’t want your neighbors hearing our business.” Planting her body more firmly in front of Nash, she crossed her arms over her chest. “You are no longer welcome in my house. Why would I ever think about allowing you back in here?” Nash reached out touch her, but Shauntie leaned her body away from him. “Don’t.” Sighing, Nash dropped his hand. “I know you’re hurt and confused right now, but I know I can fix things. However, you have to let me in... please,” he whispered, pulling at her heart strings. Dropping her arms, Shauntie took a step back into her house. Nash was right. She might not have that many close neighbors, but the ones she did have had no business knowing what was going on in her life. “You have five minutes and not a minute longer,” she warned him. She waved Nash into her house, but quickly stepped to the side to make

sure his body didn’t come into contact with hers. She closed the door and turned towards Nash. “I let you inside. Now tell me what you want. I’m busy and don’t have much time to waste on you and your continuous lies. “I want you to calm down, so I can explain why I didn’t tell you about J.T. Will you allow me to do that?” Nash asked as he ran his hand across the back of his neck. An excuse wasn’t what Shauntie was concerned about getting from Nash. He probably thought of a good enough lie to tell her on the drive to her house from the club. She’d heard everything she needed to back at Peppers. J.T. had been very forthright when he was in her face earlier. Nash wouldn’t be able to deny anything that happened tonight. He would tell her all of the truth whether he wanted to do it or not. “What can you tell me that J.T. didn’t get pleasure from already tossing in my face? I mean you knew about my relationship with him and never told me about it,” Shauntie pointed out. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. “Shauntie, there was a reason for me not telling you,” Nash confessed as he took a step towards her and she moved a step back keeping the space between them. “I can hear you just fine from where you’re standing. There’s no need for you to move any closer to me.” Raking his fingers through his thick black hair, Nash didn’t argue with her as he took a step back. Shauntie tried to ignore the hurt look that passed over his face before it quickly disappeared. “Fine, sweetheart, I won’t touch you as long as you listen to what I have to say.” “I’m listening, but you aren’t telling me too much,” she pointed out. “Maybe I shouldn’t have allowed you into my house. This was a mistake on my part.” Shauntie turned back in the direction of the front door, but stopped when Nash grabbed her by the arm. “Don’t. My five minutes aren’t up yet. Didn’t you promise me five? Give them to me.” Closing her eyes, Shauntie got her hurt under control then shook off Nash’s hand. She wouldn’t be able to keep up her anger with him touching her. His touch bothered her way too much making it even harder for her mind to stay on track. “Finish anything you have left to tell me and then get out. I’m tired and I want to go to bed. As you know, it has been a very long day for me and I need to get some rest.” “I can give up all of my secrets, but can you at least look at me when

I’m about to do it. I don’t want to talk to the back of your beautiful head,” Nash said. Pivoting, Shauntie looked at Nash arching her right eyebrow and then moved away until she was sure enough space was between them. She didn’t need him touching her again. “Can you please just get this over with? I know whatever you will tell me won’t change my mind about you or what occurred tonight.” “Shauntie, I was wrong,” he apologized, surprising her. “I knew I should have been honest with you before I asked you out, but seeing you again shocked me. I didn’t want to ruin my chance with you by telling you I had a connection with J.T.” “Keeping that from me was wrong. I opened up to you about him and you had nothing to say...absolutely nothing at all. It just makes me wonder what other kind of things you’re hiding from me. Should I be worried you’re the kind of man who wouldn’t know how to tell the truth if it bit him on the ass?” Without waiting a second for her to continue, Nash rushed up to her and grabbed her by the arms making her stand still. “I wasn’t trying to keep how I knew him a secret from you, but after the way he tore at your confidence I was afraid to tell you that I knew J.T. Plus, I couldn’t risk the horrible chance of you finding out the rest of the story about us. I wasn’t going to lose you. I know it sounds crazy, but I can’t help it. I care about you so much and I wasn’t willing to risk it.” Shauntie listened to Nash with bewilderment. She felt the screams of frustrations scratching at the back of her throat. “What else are you keeping from me?” she snapped. “Be honest with me. Stop hiding things. Secrets have a way of coming out in the end. Everyone knows this.” “He’s my cousin.” She breathed in shallow, quick gasps as a cold knot formed in her stomach. An anxious look passed over Nash’s face like he was fearful of what she might do and then all of a sudden her shock yielded quickly to unmasked fury. Placing her hands in the center of Nash’s chest, she shoved him away from her. “Get the hell out of my house! Don’t come back here. I don’t want to see your face again.” Storming over to the door, she opened it hard, making it slam against the wall knocking a picture down. “Nash leave...the sight of you is making me sick.” All of a sudden Nash’s green eyes narrowed as he shot her a look of contempt from across the room. He closed the distance between them in a

matter of seconds and then snatched the door away from her reclosing it before she had a possibility to do anything about it. “I’m not leaving until I give you a piece of my mind, Shauntie. Yes, I wasn’t completely honest with you, but I did come clean unlike you.” “What are you talking about?” she demanded. “I haven’t been lying to you at all during the short time we’ve been together. How can you call me a liar to my face?” “You’re more of a liar than I am.” Nash moved towards her until he towered over her. “How can you even look at yourself in the mirror every morning?” “I’m not a liar,” Shauntie denied again as she tried to figure out where Nash was going with this little lecture of his. He wasn’t going to be able to cast blame off himself over to her. She had done nothing wrong at all. “Every day you get up is a lie and you are too ashamed to admit to it.”

Chapter Twenty-Five “All you do is act like J.T. was the only one at fault, but you’re just as bad as him maybe even worse in all honesty,” Nash complained. “How can you possibly believe any of this?” Shauntie demanded. “I was the one who went into both relationships with a clean conscience and neither one of you thought about coming clean until it was too late. Don’t you dare tell me anything different.” “Shauntie, J.T. never provided you with what you wanted ever and we both know it. After the first time you gave him money did the thought ever cross your mind to get rid of him? My cousin isn’t capable of ever providing a woman with what she truly needs because he’s selfish as hell. “He will use you until the last drop of money is gone out of your bank account and then he’s off to the next oblivious woman. However, instead of taking what unfortunately happened with him as a life lesson you allowed it to control every single aspect of your life.” “I did no such thing,” Shauntie denied, hating Nash was hitting so close to home with her. She wasn’t going to allow him make her feel bad about the decisions she had made in her life. He was the one who had lied to her not the other way around. “We both know I’m telling you the truth. All I wanted to do since I found out your name was make you take notice of me as a man instead of how I made a living with my hands. Have you really dated so many jerks and assholes in the past that you can’t handle a real man?” Nash asked her, “a man who values the meaning of the word love?” “Unlike my cousin, I wasn’t afraid of commitment and if you had truly thought about giving me half a chance I would have given you my undying love, but Shauntie Kane wasn’t ready for that. No, she was still too busy being caught in her own self-pity.” Shauntie glared at Nash unwilling to admit to anything he was telling her. He was wrong about her. He was saying things about her that weren’t true. She hadn’t allowed her history to control her. He was only bringing up this because his own lying back was cornered and the only thing left was for him to lash out at her.

“You aren’t going to make me back down from my opinion,” Shauntie told Nash. “My first impression of you was correct. I should have left you alone for the good of me; knowing you has only brought more pain and hurt into my life when I was doing pretty well without you in it. “My heart and mind were ready to show you someone who would have been by your side through thick and thin. Nothing about you was ready for what I had to offer.” Nash watched her with surprising sadness in his eyes. “I hope you find what you’re searching so hard for, but I know now it isn’t me.” Moving around her, Nash continued towards the front door. Blinking back tears, Shauntie spun around watching as Nash was about to walk out of her life. Everything he told her was true. She had allowed the former incidents to take over her life because she was scared to move on, but Nash was mistaken she could do it with him. “Nash,” Shauntie called out, hoping he would stop for her. Instead of looking back at her, Nash opened the door and went out without even closing it behind him. Shauntie rushed over to it in time to watch as he climbed into his truck and drove off her property and out of her life unless she found a way to get him back. Fresh tears poured down her cheeks as it suddenly hit her. Nash came rushing to her and apologized for his cousin’s behavior. Only a man in love would do that and she cruelly tossed his love for her back into his face tonight

Chapter Twenty-Six Munching on a Christmas cookie, Shauntie wandered around her living room as Silent Night played softly from the CD player. There would have been a time she would have loved the solitude, but she had grown past being a one woman show when it came to her life. She had already exchanged Christmas gifts with Sapphire and Emerald yesterday because both of them decided at the last minute to attend their office Christmas parties, but she wasn’t in the celebrating mood this year. She was lonely and it was all of her fault. Nash had cared about her and her indifference and inability to be able to move on from her stubborn pride pushed him away from her. Why couldn’t she just have forgiven him for keeping his family connection to J.T. a secret? What person in their right mind would want to admit being connected to him in the first place? But Nash came to her with open arms asking for her to see past his mistake and she didn’t do it. Instead, she took two large steps backwards falling back into her old ways of living her life. How could she have allowed herself to be so stupid? Her wounded pride might have cost her something good that was starting to bloom between her and Nash. Shauntie wondered why it was so hard for her to allow someone else to take control for a little while. She wasn’t giving up her independence at all, but rather gaining insight from another person. All she had to do was open up even more and Nash would have done the rest to pull her the rest of the way out of her shell. The time Shauntie had spent with Nash was the only time she felt truly relaxed and carefree. He never put any pressure on her to be more than she was. Truthfully all he wanted her to do was see him and nothing else. How could she have allowed herself to get so lost in her own head for so long permitting her life to pass by her like this? With the absence of Nash in her world, Shauntie finally recognized the empty person she’d made herself into over the past couple of years. She’d found a way out with Nash and in a blink of an eye, it was over and Nash was gone.

For the past week now, Shauntie tried everything she could think of to find Nash and apologize to him for being so wrong about everything, but it seemed like he had disappeared off the face of the earth. Nash’s work crew showed up the day after their fight informing her they would be the ones taking over for him. Yet, when she had asked about him, every one of his men acted like they were totally clueless to his whereabouts. However, Shauntie knew better than to believe them. Nash was avoiding her on purpose and she was going to put an end to it sooner rather than later. He couldn’t tell her that he wanted to give her the world in one breath and then snatch it away from her without warning. Shauntie wasn’t going to let Nash get away with trying to get rid of the fulfilling life he had shown her. She was going to hunt Nash down and then get back what they had growing between them. Nash was hers! Shauntie made it a point to never give up anything that she considered hers. If he considered her his ultimate Christmas present then she had to do everything in her power to be with him on Christmas morning. Moving over to the CD player, Shauntie turned it off. She could listen to Christmas music later on when she was sitting on her couch wrapped up in Nash’s arms. Right now, she had to drive back out to his house and make him open that damn door for her. He hadn’t left town with the work to her roof still going on. Nash was too much of a professional to do that to her. Shauntie snatched her car keys off the table and then grabbed her purse out of the chair as she rushed for the door. Tonight was going to be her chance to see if her apology could be the thing that brought Nash back to her. Opening the door, Shauntie stopped in her tracks when she found Nash standing on the other side with his hand raised to knock. “What are you doing here?”she asked, stepping back in shock. “One of my men told me you’ve been looking for me,” he answered. “I wanted to make sure everything was going okay with the roof.” “Do you want to come in?” Shauntie asked as her heart pounded away inside of her chest. “I need to talk to you about something.” Nash glanced down at his watch then back at her. “I’m already running late for something. I really don’t have the time.” Was Nash trying to hurry off to be with another woman? Shauntie shook the idea from her head. Nash wasn’t like that. He hadn’t found someone else new that quickly, she wouldn’t believe it. “Nash, please. I only need a few moments to tell you this and then you

can leave.” She was tired of running from what was right in front of her. Nash was perfect for her and she was going to get him back. “I guess I can spare a few minutes,” he answered walking past her into the house. Closing the door, Shauntie rested her back against it as her palms started to sweat. Momentary panic began to settle inside her at what she was about to do tonight. Nash wasn’t acting like he was all that happy to even be in her presence, but she wouldn’t let his body language stop her. She had to say this and he needed to her it as well. “Okay, what do you have to tell me?” Nash asked, spinning around to face her. “I love you.” Once the words were out of her mouth and out there in the open all of the fear Shauntie felt was gone. Walking up to Nash, she placed her hand in the middle of his chest and smiled up at him. “I was so worried about finding out how different we were that I failed to notice our similarities until it was too late,” she admitted. “We both only want the same thing out of life which is someone to love us unconditionally. “I could care less that J.T. is your cousin or that I allowed him to fool me the way he did. All I care about now is finding the words to make you understand and believe how much I truly love you. Do you think that I might be able to fix the problem I caused by being so judgmental?” Nash removed her hand from his chest and Shauntie had never felt such searing pain in her entire life. She was going to lose the man she loved because she’d allowed her opinions about him to shove him away. Cupping her chin in his hand, Nash tilted her head back until she was staring directly into his eyes. “Damn woman, what took you so long to come to your senses?” he demanded. “Do you know how miserable I’ve been without you? I can’t even sleep in my bed anymore because it’s filled with memories of the time we spent there together. I’ve been sleeping on my couch and my body is too big to be doing that. I love you too, Shauntie.” Tears poured down Shauntie’s cheeks as she realized the special man she had found in Nash Wentworth. He didn’t come with the price tag she desired or drive the expensive car that turned heads when it raced down the street. Hell, he might not even have the other superficial things she thought she needed from a man to be happy. All that mattered to her now was he loved her more than anything in the world. THE END

About the Author The Queen of Tease: If you want to read interracial romance stories that leaves you panting for more and turning the pages faster than you can read them. Marie is for you. After reading her first “dirty” book as a teenager, Marie knew she had to become a writer. She started writing a few years ago because she wanted to reach for her dream. She writes her characters so her fans will believe in the Happily Ever After. She loves collecting bear figurines and reading a HOT book when she gets the chance. Find out more about Marie here: Official Site:http://marierochelle.weebly.com/ Official Blog: http://shopdiva28.blogspot.com/ Yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marie_rochelle/ Yahoo discussion group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarieRochelle2/?yguid=289462859