More, Please (12 page)

“So, have you heard anything about that
foreclosure?” I ask her, closing my menu after deciding on the salmon for my
entrée.

She smiles. “Anxious for me to move out?”

“Hardly. I’m actually getting pretty used
to having someone next door now. Especially now that I’ve seen your painting
skills.” I send her a wink.

“I haven’t heard anything yet. And God
knows I’ve been touching base with my real estate agent so often I think she’s considered
filing a restraining order.”

“Figures. Banks are slow to move. I take
it the house is vacant now?”

“Oh, it’s not a house.”

My eyebrows hike up an inch. “Not a
house. Well, what is it?”

“It’s an old boarding kennel. It went out
of business a while back and has just been sitting around abandoned.”

“A kennel?”

Her smile is exuberant. “You can see why
I wanted to jump on it now, huh?”

I can see why she would have run away
from it, actually. If it’s been abandoned for a while it will come with a hotbed
of problems. And where does she plan to live in this kennel?

She must have read my mind. “There’s an office
inside and a small kitchen. I figured I could turn that into my living quarters
for a while.”

“Sounds a little sparse.”

She shrugs. “Can’t be worse than dorm
life.”

Actually, it can be worse, I want to tell
her. I’ve fixed up enough homes during my down time in the military to know
first-hand. “Did you get it inspected?”

Nodding, she glances up from her menu and
orders after the waitress approaches. I order too, hoping that I’ll still get
more details from her after our server leaves.

“It’s got a lot of problems. But Nancy
helped me get a nonprofit loan to fix it up. 3200 square feet all on one level.
It’ll house 35 dogs,” she volunteers.

“How much is the loan for?”

I nearly cough when she tells me the
figure, barely enough to cover a modest kitchen renovation. She must see my
hesitation because she quickly adds, “I’ll just fix it up room by room. The
roof needs replacing first, then…”

She continues talking, but my mind is
crunching numbers. With 3200 square feet on one level, that new roof she
mentioned is going to eat up her entire loan. And since she seems pretty smart,
I’m betting she knows it.

What she doesn’t know is that there’s no
way I’m letting her leave my townhome till that place is deemed safe to live
in.

“Sounds like a good plan,” I force out of
my mouth. “A nonprofit loan,” I say, taking a sip of my beer as soon as the
waitress sets it in front of me. “Nancy sounds like a handy kind of boss to
have.”

“She is. She’s been through all this
before, you know, when she started her nonprofit. I’ve learned so much from
her. I’d actually like to go back to school one day and get my Masters in
Nonprofit Management.”

“That’s great.” Looking at her, I see
such ambition. She has a mission and is focused on it. It’s how I used to be. It’s
what I miss most about myself since I left the SEALs.

But most of all, as I look at her right
now, I can’t quite feel that brotherly feeling I’ve been trying out when it comes
to her. I feel attraction. Even worse, I feel respect. Women I respect are sexier
than hell to me.

“So what about you, Logan? What are your
plans for the future?”

It is a completely natural question
considering the way our conversation has been headed. But she couldn’t have
asked me anything that could make me more uncomfortable right now. I take another
sip of my beer. “Just to get these townhomes fixed up and move on to another
project.”

“Do you have your eye on anything?”

Just you, I feel the urge to say, a
harmless flirtation to change the subject. But I think of something more to the
point. “There’s an old kennel that might need some help.”

She laughs.

“I’m dead serious, Allie. I’ll do it for
a lot less than anyone else. I’ve got nothing better to do with my time.”

Shaking her head, she reaches for her
wine. “Sure you do. Like maybe moving on to a project that can pay you what
you’re worth. You really do incredible work. How is it that you know so much
about renovation when you’ve been in the Navy?”

“My family’s worked in construction for
three generations now.”

Her mouth tilts to the side as she
considers. “I’ve met your brother and I can’t really picture him hauling a
bunch of 2 x 4s off a truck. He just doesn’t seem the type.”

I laugh, a little louder than I should in
the quiet restaurant. “And what type do you think he is?”

“I picture him sitting behind a fancy
desk in a slick office with a pretty assistant who runs to get him coffee every
morning.”

“You nailed him completely. But he definitely
gets his own coffee. He’s the acting CEO of JLS Heartland.”

“Seriously? That’s that big development
company that puts up cookie cutter mansions with no backyards, right?”

Ouch
. Glad my family’s not around to hear that. “Yes, that’s the
one.”

“No kidding. I actually applied for a job
there when I first moved here. Got turned down.”

“You’ll have to yell at Ryan about that.”

“Never. It turned out for the best. It’s
a lot easier taking on my dogs with a job that isn’t standard nine to five.”

“Well, seriously, talk to him about it. He
could probably find you something that’s more flexible.”

She shakes her head. “I could never leave
Nancy. She’s been a great boss. And it’s really giving me the insight into
running a nonprofit that I need. I write all her direct mail pieces and grant
proposals. I even write her speeches sometimes.”

My mouth hitches upward. “Yeah, but if
you made more at JLS, you could stop selling sex toys at night.”

Her eyes narrow, but she’s still smiling.
“Maybe I like that job, Logan. It’s nice giving these poor neglected women some
way to satisfy themselves.” Her voice is low and she’s leaning slightly over
the table toward me, giving me a glance at some cleavage that has my
temperature heating up a notch.

Pulling her head back again, she giggles
behind her glass of wine as it touches her lips. “Seriously, though, it’s
actually fun. I essentially get paid to go to parties and hear about everyone
else’s sordid sex lives.”

“My last girlfriend got invited to one
once. They’re really popular these days, I guess.”

She waggles her eyebrows. “And I’m riding
that wave all the way to the bank.”

Our conversation quiets as the waitress
brings our meals.

“So, did she buy anything?” Allie asks
when we’re alone again.

I’ve bitten into my salmon and it’s
everything the reviews have promised. As the flavor saturates my taste buds,
I’m trying to remember what we were talking about. “Who?”

“Your girlfriend. Did she buy anything at
the party?”

“I have no idea.”

She seems almost confused by my answer.

“What?” I ask her.

Giving an awkward shrug, she slices into
her filet. “I thought men always liked it when women pulled out their toys.”

“What gave you that idea?”

“Oh, please. Everyone knows that’s a fact.”

I lower my chin. “Any woman sleeping with
me won’t need a toy to supplement the experience.” I get some pleasure from the
blush that I see creeping up her neck.

“Really?” she sputters.

“Really. Toys might be fine when a woman
is alone, but when a man is there, he shouldn’t need a crutch. It’s a sign of
laziness.”

“You think?”

“I know.” I smile.

“Interesting,” she ponders. “I never
thought of it that way. You know, having you as a friend might give me the
insight into men I need.”

“You’ve never had a male friend?”

Her brow furrows slightly, considering.
“Not really.”

“Well, you do now.” Impulsively, I reach
for her hand, and am struck by the charge that shoots from my fingertips straight
to my dick.

Friend, huh? Who am I kidding? Quickly, I
set her hand back down and change the topic to something safer. “And as your
friend, you’ll have some help getting that place in shape if you get it. Can I
take a look at it? We can stop by tonight before the sun sets.”

***

It’s worse than I thought.

Peering into the window of the old kennel,
I smack my hand against my ear as the high-pitched buzz of a mosquito draws
close to it.

I’m getting eaten alive out here. The lot
obviously hasn’t been maintained at all since the owner left and the structure
itself is a shambles.

I lean back a bit on my heels
thoughtfully, trying to tug out some of the optimism that I must have buried in
me somewhere. I look over at Allie, who is biting her fingernails nervously as
I peruse the place.

With some hard work, it could probably be
everything Allie is hoping for.

With a
lot
of hard work.

Through the window, I spot an office in
the front, and a small kitchenette with beat-down appliances.

I step over an overgrown hydrangea to get
back to what was once the walkway. It’s covered in moss and dirt, and still
moist from heavy rains yesterday, making me slip a little as I take a few steps
toward the street. My eyes fall to the sign that once greeted visitors:

Newton’s Creek Boarding Kennel

R.I.P.
, I can’t help adding the tagline in my head. This place has
definitely seen brighter days.

I walk through the shrubbery toward
another window.

“Should we really be snooping around like
this?” Allie calls over my shoulder, and I hear a slap of her hand against
skin, probably swatting a mosquito.

“Hell, yeah, if you’re planning on buying
the place.”

“But I’ve seen it all.”

“Can’t hurt to keep looking. Listen. If
you’re dating a guy, do you decide to marry him after a couple dates?”

“No.”

“Then why would you commit to buying a place
until you’ve looked it over for a good long time?”

“For your information, I’ve looked plenty
at this place. I’ve driven by it at least four times a week since they put the
sign in front of it.”

I peek into the window and see long rows
of kennels, each a pretty good size, even for the huge German shepherd Allie
has now in her care.

Without thinking, I find myself nodding
at the vision I now share with her. I can see why she wants this place. Anyone
else would just plow it down and start fresh. Maybe build a house or even a
small development of homes on this lot. There aren’t too many opportunities to
actually buy a kennel like this. Even though it’s run-down, it has pretty good
bones. I turn my back to the building and check out the lot. “How many acres
does it come with?”

“Just two. But there are farms on either
side, so it’s not like I’ll have neighbors complaining about the dogs barking.”
She turns away from me and points. “I picture fencing off a couple areas over
there so that the dogs can play outside a bit.”

“That’d work.”

 “So you don’t think I’m crazy?”

I approach her, trying to focus on what
she’s saying. It’s a challenge because somehow seeing her all excited like this
has got my blood stirring.

“Crazy like a fox,” I reply. She turns to
me, and she’s almost too close for comfort. Her eyes shimmer with emotion, and
I’m not sure why, but the sight of it makes my hand edge across her chin and
brush a lock of her hair behind her ear.

“Thanks for saying that. I know Cass and Kim
think I’m nuts. Selling my condo and locking up every dime I have in an offer
for this place.” Her voice is breathless, and I’m way too conscious of the way
her chest rises and falls with every breath.

“I think it’s a great idea, Allie. Don’t
let the world get you jaded.”

“Like you?”

“Like me.” Watching the way the setting
sun reflects on her features, I lean into her, and swear I just meant to brush
my lips against her cheek. A simple kiss. A kiss from a friend. To show
support.

Tell that to my cock that is suddenly
perking up below my zipper.

Then I catch a whiff of her sweet breath
so close to my lips and I can smell the chocolate mousse she ordered for dessert.
And I want a taste. I desperately want a taste.

I feel her sharp intake of breath as my
lips touch hers. Chastely at first—I can barely feel her warmth against
my mouth. Her soft whimper in response rouses my hunger, smothering any control
left in my body.

She draws another breath as my mouth covers
hers, and I’m lost to her, my instincts taking over. Her full lips part and I
trace along the ridge of her teeth, till my tongue meets hers. Her body is
melting and I wrap my arms around her instinctively, wanting to protect her
from falling.