"There's always something to do around here, but it's almost nine. If you have time tomorrow night, maybe you could help me replace those fixtures. Meanwhile, the plumbing should be finished in the kitchen by Friday, until then I'm going to paint the bedrooms up here."
"I could paint one of the bedrooms tonight."
She put a hand on his arm. "You have to be exhausted. You worked all day. It can wait, and honestly, painting is the one thing I do fairly well. I'd rather use your help on some of the more difficult projects like the drywall." While still holding onto his arm with one hand, she reached back to point downstairs with the other. Her bikini top slipped just a bit. Her luscious tan globes were absolutely mouth-watering. A little farther and he'd see-
No. He forced himself to look away again.
That didn't keep her touch on his arm from sending heat to his groin. When he glanced at her hand on his forearm, she lifted it away as if he was hot to the touch.
"Sorry," she said. "I-I know some people don't like to be touched. I wasn't thinking."
He shrugged. "Not a big deal."
Except when you do it. What was that? The urge to pull her close and kiss her senseless was overwhelming.
Have to get out of here now.
"Okay. Right. It's late. You probably need your rest. I'll be back tomorrow to give you a hand," he said quickly. Then he was down the stairs and out the door before she could say anthing else. He hoped she hadn't seen the erection tenting his shorts.
Jerk. She probably thought he couldn't handle the soft touch of a woman.
You are a jerk and you can't handle her touch.
Her hand had been so fragile and small against his arm. What would it be like to feel her hands on his- If he had to spend time with her over the next several weeks, he couldn't let his thoughts get away from him. She needed a friend, not some sex-starved Marine who wanted in her bed more than he'd wanted anything in a really long time.
Damn. This was going to be difficult.
Friends. A means to an end. No way could he allow himself to think about her like that. She was too, too...
His front door slammed behind him. He'd been so preoccupied he hadn't realized he'd crossed the street.
That's what happened when you thought about women. They were a distraction. Definitely one he couldn't afford.
He stripped as he approached the shower, and a few seconds later he stood under the cold blast of water.
It didn't help.
His cock hardened and he wrapped his fist around it. He imagined it was Mari's small, delicate hand satisfying him, and wondered what it would be like to strip that bikini top off her and kiss those breasts. Even better, to suck and squeeze those beautiful globes.
He pounded the wall with his other hand. The marble rattled.
The next few weeks were going to be hell.
* * *
WHAT DO YOU wear to your fake boyfriend's work event?
Mari picked at the paint under her nails while she stared at her closet full of clothes. No matter how hard she scrubbed, she could never quite get all the paint off her nails. And using turpentine at this point would only make her smell rank.
Brody had helped her paint the last of the upstairs bedrooms the night before. They'd also installed the new fixtures. The man was a champion. For the first time she'd been able to take a hot bath thanks to him replacing the hot water heater. She'd been showering in the closet-size downstairs bathroom, where the hot water only worked when it wanted to.
In the past few days-well, nights, really-he'd made her rambling money pit more of a home. When she'd showed him the plan she had devised on how to tackle the massive project, he'd given her a sweet smile. Then he'd revised it. What he'd come up with made a lot more sense. Maybe it was his Marine training, but he was extremely disciplined and organized. He put her to shame, but in a good way.
And once he started a job, he didn't finish until it was done. He was like a machine. He prioritized and completed the projects that had an immediate benefit to her, and it had made a world of difference to her life.
The toughest part was the ogling. She tried so hard not to stare at his muscles when he was on the job, but it was tough.
Really tough.
Who wouldn't stare? The man was an Adonis. Not a very chatty one, but he did like music. They agreed on most bands, which was surprising. Gary had hated her indie music. But not Brody. Every once in a while, his head would nod to the beat. Sexiest thing ever.
Who was she kidding? Everything about the guy was sexy.
That she hadn't kissed him yet was nothing less than a miracle. Every night he filled her dreams. But she refused to act on any of them. He'd made it clear, more than once, that she was just a good friend. And frankly, she needed every friend she could get. In fact, she'd done everything she could to make their time together as pleasurable...no, not pleasurable, as nice and relaxed as possible.
And today was her chance to show him how much she appreciated everything he'd done for her.
She picked up another top and held it in front of her.
Not this one.
This was exasperating. She had nothing to wear, and she hadn't had time to shop.
The new bath had been heavenly, but she'd stayed in too long and now Brody would be at her door any minute now.
When the sun was out, the temperature would reach seventy-five, but she didn't want to wear shorts. First, while her top half was somewhat tanned from working out in the backyard clearing out brush, her lower half was as white as white could be. And second, she hadn't shed the ten pounds she'd gained after her breakup with Gary.
Even with all the exercise while working on the house, those pounds of chocolate sea-salt caramels she'd eaten had added up. That was the main culprit responsible for the wardrobe problem she was currently having. A lot of her casual clothes were a bit tight. She found a pair of jeans and laid down on the bed to zip them up.
When she tried to sit up, they cut into her a bit.
Oh, well. I hear breathing is highly overrated.
"Hey, Mari, you ready? Where are you? Please tell me you aren't still painting the-" Brody paused. "I...oh, sorry."
Her hands flew to her not-so-covered breasts as he turned away.
The surprise on his face, and then the quick appreciation he'd shown, had her feeling a little better about her supertight jeans. Over the last few days she'd caught him checking her out as if he were interested, but he never tried anything.
Silly girl, you don't want him to try anything. At least she kept telling herself that.
No more men.
She had to get through repairing this house. Then selling it. And maybe after that she could think about dating again.
Maybe. Probably never.
Back to the situation at hand. He'd seen her half-naked.
That's not embarrassing at all.
"I didn't realize you'd moved into this room. I thought you were staying downstairs," Brody said as he trailed down the hallway.
"Since we finished the master bath," she called out, "I decided I'd just move up here." She found a bra and a vintage T-shirt. "And don't leave. Give me two seconds. I want to make sure you think I look all right."
Brody cleared his throat, but didn't say anything. She stepped into the hallway and spied him staring over the banister, looking down at the foyer.
"It's okay. I'm dressed," she said. "You can come back in."
He looked everywhere but at her.
"How is this outfit? It's a picnic, so casual, right? But do you think this is how the other women will dress?"
"You're beautiful," he said without ever laying eyes on her. He gazed up at the ceiling as if he was on the hunt for cracks in the plaster. There weren't any-he'd fixed them all. He'd put her new bed together a few hours ago, while she'd been downstairs making them sandwiches. Later, when she'd gone upstairs she'd found the bed made with clean sheets and the Pottery Barn comforter she'd bought.
It was those thoughtful things he did that made her heart skip a beat. Even though she was trying her best to ignore it.
His hands were behind his back and he was still staring at the ceiling.
She laughed.
"They were just boobs, Brody. You can look at me now."
"They were very nice boobs," he said. His eyes narrowed and she had a feeling he was having a tough time looking at her. "You should be proud."
She laughed again. "I think there might be a compliment in there somewhere. I wasn't feeling so great about myself as I was getting dressed, so thank you."
His brow furrowed. "But you're incredible. How could you be down on yourself?"
She sucked in a breath, unable to breathe out. The man had no idea what those words meant to her.
He smiled a big, warm smile and she was momentarily distracted, stunned. Oh yes, he'd said something lovely.