THE BOTTOM LINE by Sandy James (May 6, 2014; Forever Yours E-Book)
After a year of upheaval, Mallory has had her fill of change-with one exception. Her house is a disaster, and she wants it fixed. Hiring a contractor to finish the projects her ex-husband started will help her banish the past so she can return to the life she had before everything went awry. But her contractor is sexy, sweet, and single, which threatens the peaceful, solitary life Mallory has planned for herself.
Ben Carpenter has had a hard time raising his daughter without his ex-wife's help. His new client's projects will give him the extra income he needs, not to mention afternoons alone with a gorgeous woman. Though their attraction is undeniable, Ben sees the fear and pain hiding in Mallory's beautiful eyes. But how can he help her if she won't let him in? Ben can fix just about anything-but can he fix Mallory's broken heart?
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“I need to go.” She tried to walk
toward her friend.
His hand snaked around her upper
arm. “Wait. What’s wrong?”
Her responding yawn was as phony as
the ones Amber gave him when she wanted to skip school and faked exhaustion. “I
told you, I’m tired. Need to catch up on my sleep on the weekends.”
He glanced over to Juliana and saw
she was engrossed with a man. “If you came with your friend, you’re out of
luck. She’s gonna be busy for a while. Maybe I could drive you home? You won’t
even have to give me directions.”
She didn’t rise to his teasing this
time, which made him even more convinced he’d done something wrong. The problem
was he didn’t have a clue what it was.
“No, thanks. I drove myself.”
“Then let me walk you to your car.”
“You don’t have to do that. This is
a mixer, remember?” She shooed him away with the back of her hand. “Go mix.”
“I’ve mixed with the only woman I
care to mix with.”
At least Mallory smiled. “That
sounded kinda dirty.”
A small crack in the wall. He’d try
his best to crawl through. “Only kinda dirty? I’ll have to try harder next
time.”
Reaching for her hand, he hoped
she’d let him lead her to the dark parking lot—the perfect place for a test
kiss.
He’d always believed in finding out
if there was any chemistry before taking the next step with a woman. This time,
he’d reversed the order, getting to know Mallory before checking to see if they
were compatible physically. Since they’d clicked, Ben was dying of curiosity to
see if that connection extended to the physical.
“C’mon, Mallory. Let me walk you to
your car. It’s dark out there. I need to know you’re safe.”
“Fine.” Her gaze found her friend.
“Juliana’s obviously not ready to go.”
“Obviously,” he drawled.
“You don’t have to bother, you
know.”
“No bother.” He swept his hand
toward the door. “Lead the way.”
Her SUV was about as far away from
his truck as she could’ve parked.
Mallory stood at the driver’s door
and gave him a hesitant smile. “I should go.”
“I had fun, Mallory.”
“Me, too.”
Her face lifted when she smiled at
him. The moonlight bathed her skin, making her glow. The crickets’ song broke
the silence that had descended upon them.
The perfect scene for a first kiss.
Leaning in, Ben gave her time to
pull away if she didn’t welcome his attention. Her eyes widened then her lids
lowered to half-mast. He was smiling when his mouth found hers.
The softness of her lips against
his was painfully sweet. Moving slowly, he put his hands to her waist and
pulled her closer, close enough her body pressed against his.
She tasted
sweet, like wine, and he wanted more. Tickling the seam of her lips, he took
quick advantage when she opened to his tongue.
Chemistry.
He’d wanted to know if they had
any. The first brush of her tongue across his told him everything he needed to
know.
They had enough chemistry to blow
up a laboratory.
Mallory rose on tiptoes, so he held
her closer, wrapping his arms around her, and finally lifting until her feet
dangled. He wanted to devour her, to drink in all her sweetness. Her response
was heated, frantic. She looped her arms around his neck and laced her fingers
through his hair, tugging as though she couldn’t get enough of him.
They were playing with fire, one
that could quickly flare out of control if he didn’t call a stop to it. But…
damn. He loved kissing her.
He turned, leaning his back against
her Escape while he ravaged her mouth. She shifted, rubbing against his
erection. He groaned, hugging her tighter. Everything inside him screamed to
take her home, to beg her to let him make love to her.
Ben finally found the strength to
drag his mouth away, and he let Mallory slide down his body. She stopped when
her small feet were on top of his. She weighed next to nothing.
He had to smile at her bemused
expression. The woman looked thoroughly kissed.
He had to stop this now or he
wasn’t sure he’d be able to regain any control.
“I—I should go,” Mallory whispered.
“Yeah.” If he tried to say anything
more, he’d probably sound like a blabbering fool.
“See you Monday?”
Ben nodded while she chirped off
her alarm. He opened her door and waited until she slid behind the wheel.
“Okay, then. Bye.”
He couldn’t help himself and leaned
back in to brush one more kiss over her lips. Then he closed her door.
As she drove away, he noticed the
magnetic pink ribbon—the one for breast cancer awareness he’d seen on lots of
other cars. After hearing about her mother, he understood its significance.
He went to his truck, ready to
leave. There was no sense in going back inside since the woman he wanted to
spend time with was on her way home.
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About Sandy James:
Sandy James lives in a quiet suburb of Indianapolis with her husband. She's a high school social studies teacher who especially loves psychology and United States history. Since she and her husband own a small stable of harness racehorses, they often spend time together at the two Indiana racetracks.
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