tone let on.
She chuckled and stepped around him to retrieve her bottle of water from the kitchen counter. “Come on, Josh. I think the course of events over the last few days says it all, don’t you? Not to mention the obvious.”
“That was a long time ago. And we’re both adults, aren’t we?” He crossed his arms over his chest and she blinked against the sight of all that delicious, bulging flesh.
“Oh, you were thinking that ?” she teased, unable to resist. “I was referring to your pigheadedness.”
That earned her a smile. “Do you enjoy being difficult?”
“When it comes to you, most definitely.”
“Well, you might want to reconsider your strategy, because it looks like we’re gonna be business partners.”
“It won’t work, Josh.” She gave her head a sharp shake. “I appreciate the offer, but...” I’m not sure I’m desperate enough just yet to subject myself to that kind of torture.
“I don’t think you have a choice.”
She ran her hand over her forehead. Of course, she didn’t. But that didn’t mean she could just give in. “Why would you even want to do this? You’re so busy.”
He lifted his palms. “I think I’ve made it pretty clear I don’t want to see this house go down the crapper for you. I have a crew ready to start first thing in the morning. The only hang up here is you, Car. How bad do you want this?”
Carissa ventured a look directly into his eyes, watching sincerity storm in them. Ugh, why did he have to be so virtuous? “I want it. You know I do.”
“Then let’s do this.” He stuck out his hand and Carissa stared at it for a long beat, taking in his long fingers, his big, calloused palm, the scars on his knuckles...
The man seriously needed to get a grip on his nobility issues. But he was right—she wasn’t in a place to refuse the help he offered.
“Are you sure?” Because I really don’t want this to be another mistake you regret.
“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.”
“I’m sorry I slapped you.”
He chuckled. “You’ll probably want to do it again before all is said and done.”
“I will?”
He scrubbed a hand over his bristled jaw, but it didn’t hide the faint blush that had crept there and across his high cheekbones. “I mean, with us working together.”
“In that case, I’ll try to refrain.” With that, she slid her hand into his, fairly certain she’d just taken a leap she might not be able to climb up from.
She’d just have to hope her rope held.
***
H e needed a beer.
Josh drove from Carissa’s straight to McCauley’s Pub, an indulgence he rarely allowed himself these days. But then a guy could only take so much shit in one week without needing a beer back-up. Officially calling it a day, something he didn’t do often enough either, he pulled his cell from his pocket, turned it off, and tossed it onto the passenger seat.
He stalked toward the entrance of the bar, not at all surprised to see Fletcher’s flashy red Camaro parked at the front of the lot. For the last several months, the Wednesday night shift belonged to Heather, the stacked redhead his best friend had been eyeing up like a juicy steak.
Considering the primary source of his tension, Josh would have preferred to numb his brain cells without his best friend’s presence, but he wouldn’t get too picky about the company he shared as long as the beer was cold and plentiful.
He pushed through the clover-embossed door, immediately greeted by the bluesy sound of Johnny Cash. The strain quickly began to slide from his shoulders, as he surveyed the bar for Fletcher. The preppy SOB was nowhere to be seen. Given the bar was also left unattended, he quickly deduced the most likely location of his friend to be somewhere in the vicinity of a splayed pair of thighs.
“What’s it, self-serve tonight?” he asked the old timers engrossed in a game of bar dice, before he helped himself to a bottle of Budweiser and a beef jerky.
George, one of his
She chuckled and stepped around him to retrieve her bottle of water from the kitchen counter. “Come on, Josh. I think the course of events over the last few days says it all, don’t you? Not to mention the obvious.”
“That was a long time ago. And we’re both adults, aren’t we?” He crossed his arms over his chest and she blinked against the sight of all that delicious, bulging flesh.
“Oh, you were thinking that ?” she teased, unable to resist. “I was referring to your pigheadedness.”
That earned her a smile. “Do you enjoy being difficult?”
“When it comes to you, most definitely.”
“Well, you might want to reconsider your strategy, because it looks like we’re gonna be business partners.”
“It won’t work, Josh.” She gave her head a sharp shake. “I appreciate the offer, but...” I’m not sure I’m desperate enough just yet to subject myself to that kind of torture.
“I don’t think you have a choice.”
She ran her hand over her forehead. Of course, she didn’t. But that didn’t mean she could just give in. “Why would you even want to do this? You’re so busy.”
He lifted his palms. “I think I’ve made it pretty clear I don’t want to see this house go down the crapper for you. I have a crew ready to start first thing in the morning. The only hang up here is you, Car. How bad do you want this?”
Carissa ventured a look directly into his eyes, watching sincerity storm in them. Ugh, why did he have to be so virtuous? “I want it. You know I do.”
“Then let’s do this.” He stuck out his hand and Carissa stared at it for a long beat, taking in his long fingers, his big, calloused palm, the scars on his knuckles...
The man seriously needed to get a grip on his nobility issues. But he was right—she wasn’t in a place to refuse the help he offered.
“Are you sure?” Because I really don’t want this to be another mistake you regret.
“I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t.”
“I’m sorry I slapped you.”
He chuckled. “You’ll probably want to do it again before all is said and done.”
“I will?”
He scrubbed a hand over his bristled jaw, but it didn’t hide the faint blush that had crept there and across his high cheekbones. “I mean, with us working together.”
“In that case, I’ll try to refrain.” With that, she slid her hand into his, fairly certain she’d just taken a leap she might not be able to climb up from.
She’d just have to hope her rope held.
***
H e needed a beer.
Josh drove from Carissa’s straight to McCauley’s Pub, an indulgence he rarely allowed himself these days. But then a guy could only take so much shit in one week without needing a beer back-up. Officially calling it a day, something he didn’t do often enough either, he pulled his cell from his pocket, turned it off, and tossed it onto the passenger seat.
He stalked toward the entrance of the bar, not at all surprised to see Fletcher’s flashy red Camaro parked at the front of the lot. For the last several months, the Wednesday night shift belonged to Heather, the stacked redhead his best friend had been eyeing up like a juicy steak.
Considering the primary source of his tension, Josh would have preferred to numb his brain cells without his best friend’s presence, but he wouldn’t get too picky about the company he shared as long as the beer was cold and plentiful.
He pushed through the clover-embossed door, immediately greeted by the bluesy sound of Johnny Cash. The strain quickly began to slide from his shoulders, as he surveyed the bar for Fletcher. The preppy SOB was nowhere to be seen. Given the bar was also left unattended, he quickly deduced the most likely location of his friend to be somewhere in the vicinity of a splayed pair of thighs.
“What’s it, self-serve tonight?” he asked the old timers engrossed in a game of bar dice, before he helped himself to a bottle of Budweiser and a beef jerky.
George, one of his
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