Winning Her Racy Heart [Racy Nights 1] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 2

  She whirled around, a plastering trowel in one hand, a hawk holding wet plaster in the other, and a painter’s apron covering her clothes in front. The huge grin on her face faded when she spotted Noah, and his mouth dried up suddenly. Apparently leaving town for fifteen years hadn’t dimmed her memories of him. Perfect.

  “Dad, I’m fine. I’ve been doing this for weeks now.” She climbed off the ladder, removed her apron, and wiped her hands on a dishrag that looked like she hadn’t washed it since she’d bought the house. “Thanks for coming by so quickly.”

  “You remember Noah Wells?”

  “Of course.” Her smile was too quick. Noah shook her hand, forcing his gaze to stay on her face. “How are you?”

  “Fine, Kari. Just fine.”

  Changed a bit? Buddy had always had a dry sense of humor. Kari Tye had changed, but it was more than just a bit. She’d morphed from a prissy teen into a striking woman with intelligent gray eyes and a body that was too sexy for words. Gone were the braces, the oversized pink and purple sweaters, and the capri pants. The only holdover from her high school days seemed to be her manicured nails, one of which had been torn off.

  Her gaze followed his to the same finger. “Broke it on that.” She pointed toward a large wooden crate in the center of the room. The top had been pried off, and a crowbar lay next to it. Sawdust covered the floor, as well as bright pink splatters of paint.

  “The sign in there?” asked Buddy.

  “Yes. Alexa and I tried to lift it out, but it weighs too much. You might need a winch to lift it over the door.”

  “Reckon we will.”

  Noah raised his eyebrows at her use of the word “winch,” glancing around the room. What he assumed had once been several rooms was now two, separated by a curving archway. Shelves lined several of the walls, and the flooring looked new. Retro lights hung from the ceiling, and a gleaming mahogany counter that would look perfectly in place in any upscale bar ran along another wall. “Have you done all this already?”

  He hadn’t meant to sound shocked, like she was incapable of renovating the house. He was truly impressed, but the glare she fixed him with told him she’d interpreted his tone the wrong way.

  “Alexa and I both have.”

  “She only needed help with the electrical and plumbing,” said her father. “Oh, and the HVAC.”

  Noah’s gaze roamed over the wall she’d been repairing She’d done a remarkable job. “Where did you learn to repair plaster?”

  “The shop where I worked in Chelsea had storm damage last summer. I helped repair it.”

  Buddy chuckled. “Told ya she’s changed a bit.”

  Chapter Two

  Kari wished she could stop her damn heart from hammering so loudly. She didn’t want them to hear it. She also wished Alexa would stop singing in the back room and come out to see what was going on. At least then there would be someone else in the room with her, and she might have a reason to stop staring at Noah.

  Her father hadn’t missed her reaction to Noah, and judging by the twinkle in his eyes, obviously thought it comical. Noah looked at her as if he’d never seen her before. Then again, why shouldn’t he look at her as if he didn’t know her? She most likely had the same look of disbelief on her face.

  She hardly knew the Noah Wells standing before her. Had his eyes always been that blue? Had his hair always been the color of summer wheat? And when had he started standing like that? Maybe it wasn’t the stance. Maybe it was the way those jeans hugged his muscled thighs as if they’d been made just for him.

  He glanced at the crate and then strolled over to take a peek inside. When he removed his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his blue plaid shirt, she had to put down the trowel and hawk because both started to slip from her suddenly damp palms, and she didn’t want either to put a hole in the new floor. The muscles in his forearms bulged, and Kari couldn’t stop staring at his broad shoulders. She also noticed the tattoo on his left forearm.

  “What is that?”

  “Huh?” He’d been about to reach into the crate and looked up, confused.

  “Your tat. What is it?”

  “Oh. It’s a gray wolf against the sky in Idaho.”

  Kari took a few steps closer. The scent of CK One drifted past her nose. That was one of her favorites. She couldn't remember ever smelling cologne on Noah, but then she’d never actually been this physically close to him before.

  “It’s beautiful. Is there a story behind it?” She resisted the urge to run her fingers along the animal’s head surrounded by stars and mountains. Whoever had done it was a pro. Did they have an artist in this town who could do work like that?

  “I got it in Boise one summer.”

  “Were you working there, or going to school?”

  “Neither.”

  She stared at his face, unable to process the change in him. But now that she was this close, she also couldn't help notice the same coldness deep in his eyes that she remembered. He might have changed his physical appearance by washing his hair and working out, but it looked like he was the same person inside.

  “You’re not going to tell me the story?”

  “Not today.”

  She didn’t miss the slight softening of his eyes or the lowered timbre of his voice. Maybe that coldness had more to do with the reason behind the tat and less to do with her asking about it? Kari stared at his face a moment longer, trying to get a handle on his emotions, but he wasn’t giving anything away.

  She turned her attention to her father. “Well, Dad, what do you think of the place?” Kari wasn’t about to let Noah Wells slow down her work today. She wanted to finish this wall and get the sign hung.

  “It’s coming along. Will look better with a sign out front so everyone can stop speculating.”

  Kari grinned. “I still think you’ll need a winch to hang it.”

  Her father reached into the crate and ran his hand over the aluminum. “I think you’re right, not that I doubt Noah here can lift it. But balancing it up that high to hang it is something else.” Her father reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell.

  “Who are you calling?” asked Noah. “Don’t you even want to try and hang it up on our own first?”

  Her father ignored him, walking outside to make the call. Even though she had perfectly adequate cell service inside the house, her father still subscribed to the idea that cell signals were better outdoors.

  She faced Noah across the crate, unsure what to say.

  “You look great, Kari.”

  “Thank you.” His eyes looked hopeful for a second, and then the expression was gone so quickly Kari thought she must have imagined it. “You look healthy. Been working out?” She cringed inwardly. What a moronic thing to say. It was worse than a bad line of dialogue from a sitcom.

  “Yeah.”

  “So I hear you work for Notus now.”

  The light in his eyes returned, and the corners of his mouth turned up. “That’s right. I’m supposed to be on vacation this week.”

  “What do you do there?”

  “I’m an R and D—Research and Development—specialist. I worked on the latest string of turbines along US 231.”

  Kari couldn’t help but smile. Just about everyone in this town except her was associated with those wind turbines in one way or another. “That’s great, Noah. I didn’t realize you’d gone to college.” Last she’d heard, Noah Wells had been kicked out of basic training, and had been working for Luke Rodriguez at his bar.

  “I have a master’s in Energy Engineering from UIC.”

  She tried not to look shocked, but really…anyone who had known him as a kid would never have believed such a future was possible.

  His eyes went cold, and a muscle twitched in his jaw. “Thanks a lot, Kari. Nice to know something about you didn’t change.”

  Shit. She hadn’t meant to insult him. He’d taken time from his vacation to help her, after all. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by her fa
ther entering the shop. “Luke is on his way.”

  “Can he just leave his bar in the middle of the day?”

  “Kari, you’re not in New York any longer.” Noah glared at her. “Around here we help our neighbors.”

  * * * *

  Noah’s heart gave a strange lurch at the look of guilt and pain that crossed her face. He hadn’t meant to snap like that, but when he’d told her about his degree she got the same look in her eyes as everyone else in this town did when they found out how much he’d turned his life around, which meant she’d also thought of him as nothing but a fuckup. Not that he was shocked by that, but still…it would have nice if she could have faked it a bit.

  Or was his reaction to her words something more? A desire, perhaps, to run his fingers through those dark brown curls and devour her full mouth in a rough kiss? His dick was rock hard. If he didn’t put his jacket back on she might notice his raging hard-on, and he didn’t want her to know how much she’d affected him.

  “Kari, you gonna offer us a drink of something while we wait for Luke?” The gleam in Buddy’s eyes was meant to be teasing, but inwardly Noah gloated over it. He knew Kari wasn’t being deliberately rude, but it was nice to see her scramble to find her manners at the sound of her father’s voice, as if she were still a child.

  “Oh, of course.” She glanced around the shop. “Everything is in the back.”

  “Well then, let’s go and see what you’ve done there.”

  Noah followed Kari and Buddy into the back room, which looked as though it had once been a kitchen. She’d knocked out a few walls here too, because he knew none of these homes had boasted an original kitchen this large. He spotted a tiny bathroom tucked into one corner, complete with a lime-green rug on the floor and some froufrou straw basket with tiny bottles of bath products on top of the tank.

  Next to that room was what he assumed was a closet. The door was too narrow for it to be anything else. A curvy blonde stood next to the door, holding a paintbrush that was getting more paint on the floor and on her clothes than on the walls. She sang along with the music blasting from an impressive set of iPod speakers. Kari reached over and pushed a button on the iPod, and the blonde whirled around with a surprised look on her face as the music stopped.

  “Oh, hi there. I didn’t hear you come in.”

  “Alexa Monahan, this is Noah Wells. Noah and I grew up next door to each other. He and Dad are going to hang the sign out front as soon as more help arrives.”

  Alexa moved to shake hands with Noah but instead sprayed paint from the brush across the tile floor. “Oops. Nice to meet you, Noah. I’ll clean that up, Kari.” Noah now knew where the paint in the other room had come from.

  Kari smiled as she crossed the room and opened the fridge. “We have bottled water, soda, or something stronger if you want it.”

  Noah reached past Kari for a bottle of beer just as she leaned into the fridge, and accidentally rubbed his forearm across her left breast. He braced himself for her expected recoil, but instead he watched a look of raw desire spread across her face. It was gone quickly, but Noah couldn’t pretend he hadn’t seen it. “Something stronger sounds good right about now.”

  Chapter Three

  Adison Kincaid drove slowly past the house Kari Tye had bought three months ago when she suddenly moved back home, just as he’d done each day after leaving his desk at Notus. He’d been following the progress on the home from the anonymity of his car, and he was impressed with how much she’d been able to accomplish.

  Today, there were two trucks parked in front of the house, one of which was on the front lawn. He backed up and parked across the street, hoping they were all too busy to notice him. He was the last person Kari would want to see.

  He recognized Buddy’s truck in the driveway. It was here several times a week. The truck with the winch belonged to Luke Rodriguez. He and Buddy were helping a third man hang a large aluminum sign over the front porch. Adison couldn’t quite see who the third man was until he turned his head, and then he grimaced as hot jealousy raced through his body. How the hell had Noah Wells wormed his way into her inner circle so quickly?

  Kari and Alexa, the woman whom others said had moved from Manhattan with her, stood on the lawn, hands held up to shield the sun. They clapped when the sign was secure. Adison rolled down the window to listen.

  “It’s perfect.” Kari’s sweet voice rang out. The last time he’d heard her voice had been when she’d told him they could still be friends. That had been right after she’d dropped out of college to move in with a Dom she’d met, and he’d impulsively married a woman he’d known for less than three months.

  If only he’d known then what he knew now. Twenty-one years old and he’d been nothing but a smug shit. His marriage hadn’t last long, but then he hadn’t been surprised by that.

  Adison would give his right arm to be able to turn back time. He should have gone straight to New York and begged Kari to come back home. He should have married her like they’d planned in high school. Instead he’d let his stupid pride take over his brain functions.

  He chuckled softly when he read the sign—Tye Me Up. It was absolutely perfect. Had she chosen it? No doubt she had. Kari had always had a well-developed wit, even as far back as middle school. He was glad to see she hadn’t lost it. The people in this town would go nuts when they saw the name of the shop, and he was certain she knew that, but obviously she didn’t give a fuck. Brava, Kari.

  Buddy gave his daughter a quick hug, which was saying a lot. Adison had lived in this town his entire life and could count the number of times on one hand that he’d seen Buddy Tye hug any of his five children in public.

  Luke walked over to talk to Alexa, and Noah hung back for a second, eyeing Kari. Adison suddenly wished he had his Bionic Ear with him, but he rarely carried any of his surveillance equipment with him these days. Perhaps he’d have to start doing so again.

  To say the body language between Noah and Kari was awkward was an understatement, and the sight of Noah in discomfort made Adison grin. But he also caught the way Kari suddenly bit her bottom lip, and his heart sank. He knew that gesture. It was the same one she’d used the first time he’d asked if he could spank her. It said, “I’m afraid of you but turned on at the same time.” It indicated she was seriously considering it.

  Had he waited all these years for a chance to redeem himself with her only to lose her to Mr. Loser Turned Big Shot Engineer? It couldn’t be true. He had to do something or he might lose his chance forever.

  “Adison? That you over there?”

  Buddy’s big mouth snapped Adison back to the present. Fuck. He’d been spotted.

  “Don’t sit there in the street. Come on over.”

  If he lived to be one hundred years old he’d never understand the need in this town for people to acknowledge every fucking thing the others did, even when it should have been obvious they didn’t want to be seen doing it.

  Adison sighed and turned off the ignition. With any luck, they all would think he’d just pulled over a moment ago. Kari watched his progress with a wary eye. He didn’t want to look into her face, but it was impossible not to. She’d always been pretty—no doubt about that—but the woman standing between Buddy and Noah was downright beautiful.

  Her body was as curvy as it had been in high school. It wouldn't be considered supermodel thin, but he didn’t give a rat’s ass about that. He’d always loved it just the way it was. Her hair was as wild as he’d remembered it, and she wore it loose. His dick grew hard as he remembered what it looked like spread out on a pillow. As he crossed the street, his mind wandered from her hair to her full breasts. Would he ever caress them again? Would he taste her dusky nipples once more?

  As soon as he got close enough to clearly see her beautiful gray eyes, the confidence in them shocked him. Instead of the scared, unsure young woman he’d left behind, before him stood someone who projected an aura of independence and determination. It was sexy as hell, and he hoped
his coat adequately hid his raging hard on.

  “How ya doin’?” Buddy shook his hand warmly. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

  “I’ve been working a lot of overtime.” Buddy saw him at least once a week in Luke’s Bar. Why did he have to pretend in front of his daughter?

  “Oh yeah. Heard about that.” He glanced at Kari. “Someone tried to break into a turbine.”

  “Do you work in security?”

  Adison swallowed hard at the sound of her voice. It, too had grown up. For one thing, it no longer trembled when she spoke to him. He longed to hear it in the dark again while he held her close. “I’m in charge of security at Notus for the turbine projects in this area.” He tried to keep his voice neutral so it didn’t sound like he was bragging. No doubt she’d already heard enough of that from Noah. “It’s good to see again you, Kari. You look great.”

  He was an idiot. She’d never swallow a glib comment like that. He turned his attention toward the house. “I love the name of the shop.”

  She gave him a half smile. “Alexa and I came up with it together.” Kari introduced Alexa, and Adison shook hands with her, only to stare at the dabs of bright pink paint on his palm afterwards.

  “Jeez.” She rolled her eyes. “I’m sorry. I got that shit everywhere, didn’t I?”

  “It’ll come off.” He looked into Kari’s eyes. “That’s quite a color.”

  “I’m going with the neon look. Pink, lime green, turquoise, and some purple just for fun.”

  “I like it.”

  “Thanks.”

  “We should catch up sometime, now that you’re back.” Adison cut his glance to Noah, wondering if they were involved yet. Noah was standing close, like a jealous boyfriend would, but Kari’s body language gave no indication she was with him.

  “Sure, Adison.” Kari’s tone of voice suggested she’d rather eat ground glass. How could he have been so stupid? He never should have let her go.

  Was this shop an indication she was still into kinky stuff? Had she stayed in the lifestyle all these years? Had that Dom she’d moved in with treated her right? Of course, if he had, what was she doing back home, and under such mysterious circumstances? The look in her eyes gave him no clear answers, but one thing was certain above all else. He still regretted losing Kari Tye, and he longed for the chance to win her back.