Her Sexy Marine Valentine(7)

Her entire body was warm from the top of her head to her toes. It had  been a long time since she'd been this turned on. "Fine. I'm fine. So  explain it again. Sorry, I'm a little out of sorts. I was working in the  bathroom and then you showed up. And you want me to do this  because...?"

His eyebrows drew together as if he was trying to determine if she was sane.

Right now, I'm not sure. Back away, handsome man. Back away.

"Anyway. I don't want a real girlfriend. I'm not good with that kind of  long-term relationship. There are always too many expectations. And  I...that is, I don't need complications right now. I need to focus on  work and make sure my team is as strong as possible before they're  deployed. So I was hoping that I could help you with your house, and  maybe you could go as my ‘friend' to these required outings the boss has  put together." He air-quoted the friend bit.

She wasn't sure what to think. Why couldn't he form attachments? Do a  long-term gig? Then again, she was in no shape for any kind of  relationship, either. She was seriously off men for good.

No, for real. You are off men. No more. Ever. Well, at least until the house was finished.

And he's free labor.

And, oh, yes, she deserved a little man candy to look at. Every woman  did. He could put up the drywall and she could stare at those powerful  muscles of his.

There was that.

"What exactly would I have to do on these dates?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. Whatever women do. Can I be honest?"

"Sure."

"I'm up for a promotion. The CO wants to see that I'm settled. Stable.  For some reason, having a woman in my life would make him think that  I'll be more focused, which is not exactly how I see things, but he  won't see reason. So, yeah. I just need you to act like you're into me,  and be polite and stuff."                       
       
           



       

"All right, but so we're clear," she said, having a brief, rare moment  of clarity. "I think this is a superbad idea. Someone will probably find  out. And then we're both going to look foolish."

"Ten-four. I couldn't agree more. And if I could manage to tell him  without him reading me the riot act for the fifth time this week, I  would. But this will be more of a business relationship between us,  right? You need a handyman and I need a girlfriend. We fix up your  place, go to a couple of events and chill out, and then we break up,  like most couples do."

Hmm. "Can I be the one to break up with you?" She didn't know why, but that was a deal breaker.

He shrugged. "Fine by me."

"Can you tile a floor?"

"Yes."

"How good are you with a paintbrush?"

"Better than most."

"How about drywall?"

He peeked around her into the dining room behind her. "I could have those walls up in less than an hour."

Really? He would save her countless days and all she had to do was go out on a couple of dates with a good-looking guy?

And we're questioning this because...?

"Okay. I'll do it."

He smiled then, and her heart tugged. She suddenly remembered why this was a bad idea.

Danger. Danger. Danger.

"Really?" He stared at her as if he expected her to take it back or something. What? Were they in second grade?

Why not torture yourself? At least you get the eye candy up close.  "Yes. It's a win-win. You'll be forcing me to get out of my house once  in a while and I get free labor. I might even cook for you, as long as  you don't mind simple food. I can't do much more than tacos on the hot  plate."

He thumbed some dirt off her nose.

Great. So attractive. Should have washed her face or at least looked in  a mirror before she opened the door. She'd caught a glimpse of him  running up the street and had stood staring until he'd jarred her to her  senses by approaching her house.

Well, at least she wouldn't have to worry about him making moves on her, given her messed-up appearance.

He was staring at her again as if she were crazy. Had he been saying something?

"Okay. Deal." She held out her hand and pretended to have been thinking about whether or not she wanted to do this.

His hand swallowed hers. It was so big and rough and she wondered how it would feel on-

"What are you working on?" he asked.

It took a few seconds for her to clue in to what he'd said. No sex. Just friends.

Keep telling yourself that.

"Bathroom fixtures arrived. I'm laying tile so I can put everything together."

"I can help you with that." He glanced down at his sweat-soaked shirt. "Forgot I might need a shower."

She shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. "Seems silly for you to get cleaned up only to get dirty again."

Dirty. Why did everything out of her mouth sound like sexual innuendo?

Because those shorts were tight against his-

Stop it.

She pushed away the idea of stripping that tank off him and running her hands across the tight abs underneath. Far, far away.

Until she was alone, later, in her bed.

He's staring again!

"Right. Tile." She opened the door wider.

"Cool." He stepped past her and into the house. "Is the bathroom on the second floor?"

"Yeah. First door on the right."

The man's backside as he climbed the stairs was a sight to behold.

Free labor. Free labor. Free labor.

No, this wouldn't be torture at all.





4

BRODY USED A rag to clean the last of the grout off the guest bathroom  floor. The black-and-white hexagon tiles were dizzying up close, but  when he stood and backed toward the door it made the bathroom appear  bigger than it was.

"It's an optical illusion," Mari said from behind him. "And you did that so fast. I can't believe it."

"I put down floors in my grandmother's house the last time I was on  leave. She wanted tile and wood, so I learned a lot through trial and  error. Every summer from about the time I was eleven until I went into  the Marines after high school, I worked for my uncle's construction  company."                       
       
           



       

It was one of the final chances he'd had to be with his grandmother,  and he was glad it was a happy memory. She'd died from complications  from a stroke later that year. As her only grandson, and with his mom  gone, his grandmother left him her house, which he'd sold. That place  had nice memories for him, but the offer had been good. And it would be  several more years before he'd be able to pick where he wanted to live.  Probably not until he retired from the military. He missed her-she'd  been the one constant in his life when he was growing up. Well, that and  working with his dad's brother. But his grandmother had been such a  solid female influence, and one of the kindest women he'd ever known. He  rubbed his forehead and closed his eyes. Best not to start thinking  about the past.

"I brought you some water, I didn't know you'd be done so fast." She  handed him the bottle. Her pink bikini top was snug against her breasts  and he had to force himself to look away. She was going to be his fake  girlfriend, not the real one. It wouldn't pay for him to act on his  attraction to her. Keeping it simple was how he made it through each  day. Work, eat and sometimes sleep.

Her head cocked. She was watching him.

"So it needs to dry overnight, and then we can start moving in the  cabinets and stuff. Is there anything else we should get done tonight?"  He chugged down the water.

"You've done so much already, thank you." She handed him another bottle  of water and took the empty from him. But her eyes were on the room  behind him. He stepped around her, so she could have a better view.

"Wow. This is...wow. You really are fantastic at this. I mean, beggars  can't be choosers and all of that, but I wasn't expecting it to look so  professional. I'd hoped, but...this would have taken me at least a week  and it wouldn't have been nearly as good. I feel like I should pay you."

"No," he said quickly. He really needed her to help with his CO  problem. "I mean, we have a deal and I don't mind. To be honest, I like  to stay busy." When you slept only an hour or two a night, it left a  person with a lot of free time. His landlord had been so pleased with  what he'd done to the house he was living in, she'd knocked another  fifty bucks a month off his rent. He still wanted to do the landscaping  for her, but that wasn't possible until spring.

"You didn't answer my question," he said.

She glanced back at him.

"About needing anything else done tonight?"

Her eyebrow rose, and he'd give anything to know what she was thinking.  From the expression on her face, he wondered if she might have taken  his question the wrong way. As in sexually.

Nope. He couldn't let his mind trip down that path, or he'd never survive the next week.