Nevada grinned. “You should be. Until recently, we’ve had a man shortage. The ladies will be all over you. A strong, rich, construction guy.” She blinked her eyes several times.
Tucker laughed. “I can handle myself.”
Nevada turned to her brother. “Just think. In a couple of weeks, you’ll get to say, ‘I told you so.’”
“I’m looking forward to it.” Ethan laughed.
Tucker shifted uneasily. “It can’t be that bad.”
“Keep telling yourself that,” Nevada said, before heading to the kitchen to help her mom.
“I KNOW THE WAY HOME,” she said four hours later, after a huge dinner.
“I’m not walking you home,” Tucker told her. “You’re walking me. If what you and Ethan said is true, I need the protection.”
“Oh, please. I think you can handle a few love-starved women.”
“Not at the same time.” He leaned toward her and lowered his voice. “I’ve never been into the group thing. After the first five or six times, it’s not all that fun.”
“You’re not impressing me with stories like that.”
“What kind of stories do impress you?”
“Move across time like Kyle Reese in the first Terminator movie. That will get my attention.”
“I’ll work on it.”
The night was warm and clear, stars dotting the sky. There were still plenty of people walking around, so nothing about walking next to Tucker should have felt intimate. Still, she was aware of him close to her, of the breadth of his shoulders and the sound of his voice.
“Your family is great,” he said. “Your mom really has it together.”
“She’s good at managing a crowd.”
“She’s been alone a long time. Does she date?”
“She started this year. I can’t believe my dad’s been gone over ten years. That’s a long time for her to be by herself.” She glanced at Tucker. “Your dad never remarried.”
“True, but he wasn’t alone. He’s a big believer in the concept of a girl in every port. Or in his case, a woman at every job site. The man’s made a fool of himself over more women than I can count.”
“Does that bother you?”
Tucker shrugged. “I don’t get the volume. He never takes a break. But he loves to keep them coming. He’s pushing sixty and acting like he’s seventeen. Like I said, he’s acting the fool. But love does that.”
“Love doesn’t make people foolish.”
“It can.”
She knew who he was thinking about. “Only if you pick crazy artists.”
“She didn’t change my opinion.”
They rounded a corner and Nevada realized they were on her block. “I thought I was walking you home.”
“I’ll hide in the shadows,” he said.
They crossed the street and walked toward her front door.
Lights were on in both apartments, but there weren’t any sounds.
“Whoever invented headphones deserves to be made a saint,” she said. “Both my tenants are college guys. They don’t make a move without listening to something, but I don’t have to hear it.”
“Lucky you.”
They were standing by her porch. The moon had barely cleared the horizon and she could see it over Tucker’s shoulder. One would think a big white object hanging in the sky would capture her attention, but all she seemed to see was the man in front of her.
“Thanks for walking me home,” she said, prepared to turn and go inside. Quickly, she thought. Because if she didn’t, she was in danger of wanting what wasn’t sensible. “You’re welcome.”
His gaze was intense, seeking something in her face. She stared back, not sure what he was thinking or how best to protect herself. Actually she knew how. The truth was she didn’t want to.
He cupped her jaw with one hand and put the other on her waist, then kissed her.
She’d seen the kiss coming, could have stepped away. But she didn’t and then his mouth pressed against hers and nothing else mattered.
The heat was back, all sticky and sweet, and when it engulfed her, she surrendered. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in, letting herself fall into the madness of bad judgment and great kissing.
He claimed her lips with a confidence that made her tremble. She was aware of nothing but the man holding her and the way his touch made her feel.
He shifted his hands so they were both at her waist, then swept his tongue against her bottom lip. She parted instinctively, welcoming his gentle invasion.
He tasted faintly of the brandy they’d had after dinner. Each stroke aroused her until she lost what little will she’d had left. When he pulled her closer, she went willingly, letting her body press against his.
Her br**sts found comfort against his chest. Her belly nestled against the hardness of his erection. He drew back enough to kiss his way down her jaw to her neck. He nipped at her earlobe, before licking the sensitive skin below. Goose bumps broke out on her arms.
Then they were kissing again, his tongue teasing and exciting her. She moved her hands up and down his back. Her br**sts ached, wanting their share of his attention. Between her legs, she felt the first erotic ache of swollen flesh, hungry to be claimed.
Somewhere in the distance she heard a car engine and crickets. Unwelcome awareness forced her to acknowledge the reality of standing on her front porch, kissing the man she worked for.
Inviting him in would be the easy choice, she thought, aware his eyes were bright with wanting. This time he would be choosing her, not taking what was offered. But ha**g s*x with Tucker was a long way to go to prove something, and she was tired of having regrets in her life.
“I really like my job,” she said quietly, then had to clear her throat. “I don’t want to screw that up by sleeping with the boss.”
Tucker nodded once, then swore under his breath. She recognized the frustration and told herself at least this hadn’t been a party for one.
“Nevada,” he began.
She cut him off with a shake of her head. “That time before? It wasn’t all you messing up. I knew you were in love with Cat. She told me it was over, and I wanted to believe her. But I knew it would take you a long time to get over her.”
“Don’t. It wasn’t your fault and it wasn’t mine. Cat believed in manipulation as a form of entertainment. We were just ordinary mortals. We didn’t stand a chance.”
She wondered if that was true. “She was so beautiful.”“She was a drug,” he said flatly. “And I was her fool. I thought losing her would kill me, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Nevada wasn’t sure how things had ended with Cat and decided she didn’t need to know.
“About tonight,” she began.
He cupped her face in his hands. “I get it. We work together. We will for a while. I’m only on-site for a year. So we’ll pretend it never happened.” His mouth curved into a wicked smile. “Until I’m leaving. That’s going to be a hell of a weekend.”
His words made her insides melt. “You’re assuming I’ll still be interested.”
“You will be,” he said confidently, then kissed her lightly. He dropped his hands and stepped back.
“If I change my mind?”
“I’ll convince you otherwise.”
Something to look forward to, she thought, waving at him. She went inside, still caught up in the kisses and the past. Tucker was a complication. But one she could handle, she thought. Now that there were rules in place, it would be easier at work. She wouldn’t be thinking about him all the time.
She climbed the stairs to her apartment and unlocked the door. When she opened it, she reached to the right and flipped on the lights.
They came on, but instead of seeing her familiar living room, she saw another place and time. Cat standing in the doorway of her dorm room.
“It’s over,” the other woman had said, her dark eyes bright with mischief. “Tucker and I. It’s done. I know you’re in love with him. He needs you tonight, Nevada. You should go to him.”
Being around Cat was like looking at the sun. It was difficult to see anything else, to focus. The rest of the world blurred.
It took Nevada a second to process what she was saying. Embarrassment poured through her as she frantically wondered who else had guessed her secret. Did Tucker know? Did he pity her? Because that would be the worst.
“I don’t understand,” she whispered.
Cat grabbed her arms and shook her. “He needs you. Go to him. He’s at home right now.”
“I…”
Before she could say anything else, Cat was gone, leaving a trail of exotic perfume fading at the door.
Nevada spent the next twenty minutes trying to figure out what to do. Go to Tucker? Could she? He loved Cat. He couldn’t see anyone or anything else. But if they’d broken up, then he was available. And hurting.
In the end, her heart had won the battle. She’d grabbed her car keys and fled down the stairs to the parking lot by her door. Sooner than she would have thought possible, she was at Tucker’s door, knocking.
He opened it almost immediately, as if he’d been waiting for her. But when he saw her, the expectation on his face faded to disappointment.
“I thought you were Cat,” he said, his words slurred.
“I heard what happened.” She followed him inside.
“She left me.”
He collapsed on the sofa, rested his elbows on his knees and dropped his head into his hands.
“She left me,” he repeated, as if he couldn’t believe the words.
Nevada had never been to his place before. She knew where he lived, as she had picked him up here a couple of times, but she hadn’t gotten past the parking lot.
Now she quickly took in the leather sofas, the carved tables. The room was elegant. More GQ than bachelor pad. The artwork looked original and expensive. There was a metal sculpture in the corner, and she had a feeling it had been done by Cat.
In fact, the whole apartment screamed Cat’s name. Not just in the pale gray walls or the textured drapes, but in the stack of books in French and Italian. The London Times resting on the coffee table.
Jealousy twisted Nevada’s stomach. Had the other woman lived here? She didn’t want to believe it was true, but couldn’t ignore the evidence. If Cat wasn’t here permanently, she had spent enough time to leave her mark.
“I can’t do this,” Tucker muttered.
Nevada crossed to the sofa and sat next to him.
“I can’t live without her.” He turned to stare at Nevada, his eyes bloodshot. “She’s my world. Without her…” Pain tightened his features. “I never want to feel this way again. Love blows. But I couldn’t help myself, you know? Not with her.”
“It’s okay,” she told him, tentatively touching his shoulder. “I know it hurts now, but you’ll find someone else.”
“No. Never. There’s only her.”
His pain ripped at Nevada, leaving her desperately wanting to fix him. She ignored her own ache, hearing the man she loved declare his feelings for someone else.
“There isn’t.” She put her hand on his face and turned him toward her. “There isn’t just her.” She drew in a breath, dug deep for courage and blurted, “There’s me.”
His brows drew together in confusion.
“I love you,” she said quickly, before she lost her nerve. “I have for a long time. Cat doesn’t care about you. She can’t care about anyone. But I do care, Tucker. So much.”
She kissed him, her mouth bumping his awkwardly.
He didn’t respond. He didn’t pull away, but he didn’t kiss her back. Instead he sat there, immobile. She ignored the humiliation, the voice screaming at her to run while she still had some pride left.
“Tucker, please,” she whispered against his lips, then grabbed his hand and placed it on her breast.
She’d never done anything like that before in her life. Part of it was that she’d never had sex before. While she’d dated in high school, the farthest she’d ever gone had been a boy lightly stroking her breast over clothes.
But this was different. This was Tucker and he was her world. As much as he thought he loved Cat, Nevada knew she loved him more. Her love was great, bigger and stronger. It would survive anything.
Suddenly he started kissing her back. His hand closed over her breast, squeezing so hard it hurt. His tongue pushed into her mouth as he shoved up her shirt and fumbled with her bra.
He never got it unfastened. Instead he pulled her breast out of the cup and rubbed the nipple.
Everything was so strange, she thought, trying to figure out what to pay attention to. He tasted and smelled of Scotch, which wasn’t exactly what she was used to. And while the hand on her breast no longer hurt, she didn’t have time to decide if she enjoyed it or not. Because just when she thought she might have felt a tingle, he was grabbing her around the waist and sliding her down on the sofa. His hands moved between them.
She felt fingers on her belly, then her jeans and panties were being lowered. He pushed one pant leg off, taking her sandal with it, but left the other on.
It was everything she wanted and it was happening too fast. A voice in her head whispered she hadn’t imagined it like this. Not on a sofa with him drunk and her…
“Tucker, I…”
Even as she tried to figure out what she wanted to say, he shifted back on the sofa and bent between her legs, pressing his mouth against her intimately. Before she could figure out what was happening, he was kissing her down there!