Even though she specifically told him to stay out of her attic, meaning she wanted him to stay out of the entire situation, he had gone against her wishes. This was not the kind of thing that made her want to continue associating with him.
And what the hell was he thinking, anyway? They had a one-night stand. So what? The self-defense classes at his studio would be finished in a little over a week, and the need for her services would come to an end. She had spent far too much time today reliving the events of the night before. If his intention was to provoke her in such a way as to remind her that she didn’t want anything permanent with him, then he had succeeded.
Time to Pretend
77
“Alaina.”
The familiar, soothing tones of her friend’s voice stilled Alaina’s rising panic and quelled her immediate need for Daniel’s blood.
Alaina stepped on the sidewalk between her car and Camilla’s front lawn. The bright smile on her face was genuine. She had been so busy over the past few weeks, and it had been far too long since she and Camilla had a chance to hang out. Camilla’s son, Mario, was Zach’s best friend.
Camilla hopped down her front steps, practically skipped across the lawn, and came to a halt inches from Alaina. Her brown eyes sparkled with glee. “I wanted to thank you, Alaina.” Alaina shifted the briefcase she had forgotten she was holding to her other hand. Knitting her brows together in confusion, she cocked her head to one side. “For what?”
“Well, first for signing up the boys for karate. Mario is so excited.
He put it on the calendar, and he crosses off each day. When do you have Zach next?”
Alaina lifted her shoulders in a quick shrug. She invariably ended up with Zach when her mother was too tired to deal with him and her father had other things to do. While her father was pleased to have the son he’d always wanted, that didn’t mean he was willing to change his life to spend time with a child. They had been on vacation for the past several weeks, and Alaina missed the little guy horribly.
“What else is going on?”
Camilla’s grin grew. If her lips stretched any wider, Alaina feared they would split open.
Alaina waited impatiently. Camilla never got this excited over anything. She was the quintessential stoic mother, the kind who wandered through life apparently unfazed. Alaina often wished for Camilla’s ability to remain unperturbed at the sight of a bathroom spattered with fluids that should only be found inside a toilet. The last time Zach had thrown up at her house, she had called Camilla to deal with the mess. Alaina’s stomach couldn’t handle that kind of stuff.
78
Michele Zurlo
Curiosity was going to make her snap if she didn’t watch her temper. “Cammy, I have no idea why you would be thanking me.”
“I spent the day in my backyard watching your house. Those guys are hot, Alaina. I can think of a million things I suddenly need fixed.
Thank you so much for hiring based on physical appearance.” Alaina shook her head. “I didn’t hire anybody. I have no idea what is going on at my house. I’m heading down now to find out.” Cammy’s eyes glowed, and she grabbed Alaina’s wrist. “I would love to come and watch, but I have dinner on the stove. You will call later with details, right?”
Alaina sighed. “Don’t worry. I’m sure you’ll hear me yelling just fine.” She squeezed Camilla’s wrist and continued down the street.
As she got closer, Alaina saw that her shingles were completely gone. Chunks of rotted plywood flew over the edge of her roof, landing in the large metal bin with a regular clatter. The lack of a metallic ringing told Alaina that the bin was at least half full.
She approached the first worker she saw. He was tall and skinny.
His T-shirt hung from a belt loop and sweat glistened from his torso.
“Excuse me?”
He looked down at her, meeting her query with a polite raise of the brow. “Yes, ma’am?”
“Who is in charge?”
He pointed behind her to a man wearing jeans, work boots, and a hard hat, studying a clipboard and chewing on a pen cap.
Alaina flashed a smile. “Thank you.” He nodded, dismissing her. Based on the boss’s appearance, Alaina deduced the man was probably used to women headed in his direction. Though Alaina had Daniel firmly entrenched in her head as the ideal male body, this man fit the mold every bit as well. He wasn’t as tall as Danny, but he towered over Alaina’s five-foot frame. Broad shoulders topped a well-defined chest that his work shirt did nothing to hide. A tool belt encircled his slim hips. Alaina’s pussy dripped, triggered by the simple sight of the functional belt.
Time to Pretend
79
What was it about a man wearing a leather belt laden with tools that turned her on so much? It couldn’t be just the memory of Daniel.
Other workers in the area had belts, but none of them made her imagine what it would be like to be sandwiched between him and the wall with nothing between them but shared desire.
But this man definitely triggered those kinds of carnal thoughts.
She skittered to a halt in front of the man in charge and checked her breathing. A vision of her naked, sweaty body pressed between Daniel and this stranger danced in front of her eyes until she shook it away.
He lifted his eyes from the clipboard, a hearty smile lifting his lips into a wide grin. “You must be Alaina.” He stuck out a hand. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”
Faced with such an outward display of friendliness, Alaina had no choice but to take his hand. “Finally?” His grin grew. “I’m Evan Carrico. I carry the titles of general contractor, builder, and Dan’s best friend.” Her eyes widened in understanding, and her foot took an unwitting half step backward as she recognized him. “You nearly dropped roofing materials on me.”
The grin faltered a bit, and heat ruddied his cheeks. “Sorry about that. Nobody was supposed to be there. We had the sidewalk blocked off.” He massaged her palm before releasing her hand. “I wanted to thank you for giving us this opportunity. We do good work, but we’re a newer company, so our reputation isn’t quite built. This means a lot.”
In her mind’s eye, Alaina watched her figurative sails deflate. Had Daniel arranged all of this to help his friend or to show Alaina he had no problem taking the reins in her life? Both thoughts were disturbing and curiously soothing. She couldn’t be too mad at him for being loyal to his friend, but at the same time, why wouldn’t he have just given her the contact information and a recommendation? She would have called this man based on Daniel’s word.
80
Michele Zurlo
“I know this is a lot backwards,” he continued as if Alaina wasn’t standing before him waging a battle with uncertainty. “But I have the bid and all the paperwork finished. I talked with your insurance company. We’re licensed and bonded, so they’ll accept us if you do.” Alaina shook her head, not believing the speed at which he worked. None of the other companies had been able to fit her into their schedule so quickly. Even the one who had managed to come by the house hadn’t yet prepared their bid. “But why would you start this when you have no contract, no right to be here?” Evan grinned and winked. “I have faith in a higher power, little lady.”
Before Alaina could do more than inhale sharply, a large, brown paper grocery bag dropped into Evan’s arms.
“Hold this.”
The voice sent a flutter of desire coursing through Alaina’s body when it should have triggered every nerve ending that was currently annoyed with Daniel. She glanced up to find Daniel smiling at her as if he hadn’t seen her in a really long time. Only nine hours had elapsed since she had shaken his shoulder and asked him if he needed the alarm set. She could still feel the heat and softness of his bare skin against the palm of her hand. The memory had tugged at her consciousness all day, leaving her with a longing to have that contact again.
She hadn’t thought to see Daniel until class the following evening.
She had planned to be polite and friendly, but not overly so. Their dalliance was finished, and she expected nothing more from him.
He said nothing, and he didn’t give her the chance to say anything, either. Without asking permission, he snaked his arms around her waist, pulled her close, and laid a long, open-mouthed kiss on her. Alaina felt her bones melting as her body softened to fit against his.
He released her too soon, and she felt special for all of two seconds before she remembered his three-date rule. She wondered if
Time to Pretend
81
their disastrous date from earlier in the summer counted. There was no way she was going to turn down another night or two in Daniel’s arms. These were memories she fully intended to cherish.
Alaina shoved all of those thoughts away. No doubt he was just there to smooth things over so that Alaina would hire Evan to complete the repairs on her house.
Daniel slung his free arm around her waist. “I brought dinner.
Chinese.” He smacked a kiss against her cheek. “I didn’t know what you like, so I got a lot of different stuff. I figure you can eat first and yell at me after.”
“Or we could take this food inside and kick him out.” Evan evaded Daniel’s attempt to take back the sack that smelled so sumptuous. The smile he leveled at her was cocky and knowing.
“That’ll teach him to mind his manners better, and then you and I can get better acquainted.”
Little thrills ran down Alaina’s spine at the suggestive tone Evan used. This was a dangerous pair of men to be around. She wasn’t sure how to take Evan’s blatant flirting, and she wasn’t sure how to handle the fact his flirting affected her far more than it should, especially with Daniel’s hand covering most of her hip. Her time with Daniel was temporary. She would play the role of the older lover for as long as he would let this farce continue. When he decided to walk away, she would remember him fondly.
She wouldn’t, however, miss the way he continually tried to take over her life, as if she couldn’t handle it all on her own.
Facing the issue head-on, Alaina decided to respond with an equally suggestive tone to her banter. “That sounds like fun.” Evan grinned until Daniel wrestled the bag of food away from him. With the gentle pressure of his fingertips on her back, Daniel guided her up the driveway and around to the back door.
She knew it was wrong to like the way this gesture made her feel protected, so she chalked it up to the anticipation of his touch in other places once they were alone. Unless he didn’t plan to stay.
82
Michele Zurlo
At the door, Daniel handed her the heavy bag. “I’m going to help Evan finish up, and then we’ll be in. Why don’t you go ahead and get things ready?”
“I see,” Alaina said. “The woman will take care of the sphere of domesticity while the men handle the sphere of adventure.” Daniel grinned, not taking the bait. Perhaps he didn’t understand her reference. After all, he ran a martial arts studio. He planted another loud kiss on her cheek. “Works for me, Lainie, but don’t forget who cooked. I’m just asking you to lay it out on the table and get the plates down.”
He disappeared around the side of the house, dragging Evan in his wake. Evan looked back over his shoulder and threw a wink at Alaina. She smiled, the tension washing from her shoulders in response to his easy charm.
Slinging her bag on the floor near the door and her purse on the table, Alaina put the brown bag on the counter. The contents were hot, the heat seeping through the bag to scald the tender skin of her forearm. She headed to the bathroom to freshen up.
The woman in the mirror looked a lot like the person who usually appeared there. The pale green blouse was the same one she’d put on that morning. A matching layered necklace, a birthday gift from Zach, lent a splash of personality and color. Small emerald studs brought a sparkle to her ears.
Her face was mostly the same. The day had taken its toll on her makeup. Eyeliner blurred the edges of her eyes instead of sharpening them. She used a tissue to clean up those lines. The French braid into which she had wrestled her hair showed worse for the wear. Frizzled strands had pulled free. She loosened her hair and ran a brush through it.
The result brought a frown to her face. She massaged some product into it to tame the worst of the frizz. Leave-in conditioner only worked for so long, but she reasoned Evan would be leaving soon. If Danny stayed, he was going to leave her hair looking wild no
Time to Pretend
83
matter what. He seemed to enjoy it that way. She had no idea why. It looked so heathen and untamed, completely wanton and lacking in sophistication.
At last, she accepted facts. There was nothing else she could do to improve her appearance. Doors slammed, and the sounds of engines flaring to life let her know the workers were leaving. She hurried to the kitchen to set out plates and drinks for her unexpected dinner guests.
* * * *
“That smells so good.”
Alaina turned to see Evan padding across her laminate floor in sock-covered feet. She smiled to thank him for remembering to remove his boots so they wouldn’t scuff her floor. It wasn’t the highest quality flooring, but it was all she could afford. She wanted to keep it looking nice for as long as she could.
He set a folder on the counter. His presence filled the kitchen, making her very aware of him, even though he no longer wore the tool belt. He returned her smile, drawing her attention to his soft, kissable lips. “The estimate and all the paperwork is in here. I thought maybe we could eat first, then I could go through it with you. I’m starving.”
How could she be so attracted to Evan when Daniel was only a few feet away? What kind of fickle woman was she? Alaina nodded and set the roll of paper towels on the table near the plates. “That’s fine.”
The bulk of her attention centered on Daniel, who had headed straight for the sink and was now washing his hands. Evan joined him. Alaina watched. Her breath caught, and her pulse rate soared, and Daniel hadn’t even looked her way. Conflicting emotions churned in her stomach. The food did smell good, but there was no way she could eat it, not when her brain kept flashing images of her body
84