Read Up All Night Long: From Lust to Love (Romance Anthology) Online
Authors: Ali Parker
Martha's voice reached them just before she walked in. "Speaking of. I just got off the phone with Coach Armstrong. She needs one of us to cover the game from a hometown perspective."
Cliff held up his hands. "Not me... the wife is expecting our first little one any day now. I'm not allowed to go anywhere but work and home."
Martha turned to Kari. "What's your weekend look like?"
She smiled and looked from Cliff to Martha. "Looks like I'll be hanging with sweaty boys and lots of balls."
They all laughed, Cliff shaking his head as she quickly grabbed another donut. "Just one more..."
Jake walked to his truck, his hand rubbing absently at the old wound on his left shoulder, his football days rough and still wearing on him years later. He hated that he'd never actually made it by the newspaper earlier, the day getting far too busy due to a few fights and having to talk with the fire department guys about taking his on-call shift on Saturday and Sunday. Getting in his truck, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes for a moment.
The sudden rapping of knuckles on his window caused him to jump. He smiled and started the truck, rolling down the window to talk with the pretty fifth grade math teacher who'd just joined them.
"Hi, coach. Sorry to bother you. A few of us were going to grab a drink and I thought maybe you'd like to join us?" The hopeful look in her eyes almost made him flinch, but he just smiled and shook his head.
"I wish I could. I have to deal with a few rental properties and then need to get to the gym sometime this week." He looked past her at the other three teachers who were giggling and looking his way. "You ladies have fun. Thanks for the invite."
She pouted a little, but moved back as he rolled up the window and headed toward the old Manner property. He'd loved that house the minute he saw it, the upstairs bedrooms wrapped in windows. There was nothing like hovering over the backyard and watching the sun rise and set every day, but he had to rent it out. It was too expensive for his salary, and honestly, the house was made for a family with kids.
He'd leased it to a beautiful redhead, the girl ballsy as hell as she tried to get into his gym shorts the first time he'd met her. She had money and must've had a family or friends, because they cleared his background checks. He’d leased the place with only one stipulation: he'd be the one to do the upkeep on the yard and the maintenance on the house, because he was picky.
Jake pulled into the convenience store, needing to get something to drink and a bag of chips before heading out there. His body screamed for dinner, but it would have to wait. He walked in and grabbed an orange juice and stood in front of the chips, trying to talk himself into a piece of fruit instead. He'd not be fit forever, and keeping himself in the condition he was currently in was taking more and more time in the gym. He growled at himself and reached for a bag of Cheetos, the chips his absolute favorite from childhood.
He paid at the front and climbed in his car, opening the drink and taking half of it down in two large gulps. He looked over to see Kari's camera piece in his passenger seat and smiled. He needed to see her again. He'd make a point to go by the newspaper during lunch the next day, come hell or high water.
*
The rest of the day went by far too quickly to get everything done she'd hoped to get done. Her report was typed up on the interviews and given to Martha by lunch. She had a good laugh at herself at how right Jake had been on her being horrible at interviews. Martha just shook her head, chuckled, and remarked that she would be going with her next time.
Kari stopped by to tell Cliff and Martha that she was heading out, the afternoon coming to a close by the time she got in her car and headed home. Living only a few blocks from work was a huge blessing, as hardly any cars were ever on the street. Ten minutes after buckling up, she was unbuckling, the small, quaint house she was coming to love sitting right in front of her. She climbed out of the car and walked into the house, calling out to see who was home.
No one was.
Bliss.
She pulled her sweater over her head and yanked her pants off and threw them, chucking her heels onto the soft couch like she was throwing a baseball.
"Sweet relief," she purred as she walked to her room and threw on some sweats and a tank top. If she could find a job where she would never had to dress in business casual or professional again, she'd be set forever.
A knock at the door sent her from her bedroom toward the front door, calling out as she did. "Just a sec."
She stopped by the mirror that hung beside the TV and checked her teeth. She pulled her long hair into a ponytail, grabbing a tie from the small coffee table as she jogged to the door. Opening it, she stood for a minute, simply staring.
Jake smiled. "We have to quit meeting like this."
She laughed. "I'm honestly not sure whether you're stalking me or I'm stalking you at this point."
He shrugged. "Either way it's obvious that we should seek professional help."
Kari laughed again, enjoying the casual banter between them. The dark gaze of his eyes made her feel beautiful, the smile playing on his lips something worth coveting. "Why are you here, Coach Isaac?"
"Well, I own this property, funny enough. I'm your landlord I suppose."
She opened the door and motioned for him to come in. "Of course you are."
He walked in and looked around, his T-shirt fitting a little too well. She watched him closely as he walked into the kitchen, lifting up to his toes and pushing on a part of the ceiling. "I had trouble with a leak here a few weeks before you guys arrived. Just wanted to check on that and I figured I'd do some work on the lawn."
"You're going to cut our grass?" Her mouth dropped open more than she wanted as she quickly righted herself, leaning against the counter as if it weren't a big deal.
He turned to face her, his eyebrow lifting. "Unless you'd like to make a quick buck?"
She swallowed hard, her face turning red. "What?" Did he think she was for-hire? Certainly he was teasing and his sense of humor was jacked sideways.
"You wanna come work for me and cut the grass?"
She sighed and relaxed, her shoulders dropping. "Oh I thought you thought I was a hooker or something."
His eyes went wide and he gave her a look that caused her to laugh. "Um no... I meant that I'd pay you to cut the grass. What do you New Yorkers do to people? Jeez..."
"Ha. Ha." She walked toward the hallway and he followed. "I'm thinking I can get my brother to cut the grass. How about you look at our new swing that he can't seem to get together?"
"I charge for playing handyman." He reached around her to hold the door open, Kari turning a little to see what he looked like up close. Her heart caught in her chest, desire bursting and spreading like wildfire. She moved quickly through the door and out to the patio, breathing in deeply and turning to face him as she pointed to the pile of wood on the deck.
"I'm not sure I can pay you anything, seeing that my job is hinged on making a good impression as an interviewer, but I sure could use help." She tilted her head to the side and pushed out her lip, hating herself for wanting to be found cute by him.
He smiled and shook his head. "Yes well, I feel sorry for you then. Your interviewing skills are comparable to your brother’s building skills, no?"
She swatted at him as he moved to pick up the instructions. Ducking, he winked at her before opening the pamphlet and looking it over. Kari moved to stand by the backside of the porch and turned and looked at the water.
"It's so beautiful out here."
"Yeah, this is by far my favorite property."
She looked over her shoulder. "Why lease it?"
He looked up from his squatted position and smiled. "Too big for one man to keep clean and no reason not to share it until I'm ready to settle down."
She turned back to face him, her knee bending as she lifted her foot and rested it on a crossbar behind her. "You plan on starting a family here in Bar Harbor?"
He stood and looked back at the house before turning his gaze on her. "I plan on starting a family right here. In this house."
She looked up at it and let her eyes catch all the beautiful details in the wood. "And is there a Mrs. Coach Isaac?"
He shook his head and bent over to look at the instructions again, his voice soft and low. "Not yet."
Of all the people in the world to expect to see at his favorite rental house, Kari Martin wasn't one of them. When she opened the door he almost stumbled backwards, her long hair pulled up in a girlish ponytail, her clothes relaxed and feet bare. He'd played it cool the entire time, his voice in his own head constantly reminding him of the danger, forever beating him up at the idea of trying again.
He looked up at her, a little surprised by her question. Did she want to know about a missus because she was interested, or because she was concerned about how long she'd get to stay in the rental? The look on her pretty face said she was interested, but he had to shut it down. She was a heartbreaker, no doubt. Successful and creative, voluptuous and sexy, like a kitten.
Trouble.
“Oh,” was all she said to his comment about a wife. He concentrated on moving various pieces of the swing into piles, counting screws and trying not to look up at her. The pose she stood in accentuated the lithe muscles of her thighs through her thin pants, her perky breasts, and big, innocent eyes. His stomach tightened as he undressed her to her skimpy panties and little white bra, his body aching for the vision he'd created.
She moved closer, kneeling in front of him and sitting back on her heels. "What can I do to help?"
Run far and fast.
Even the sound of her voice made him want to groan. He looked up at her, his facade locked into place as he handed her the instructions. "You, my wayward stalker assistant, can read the instructions to me while I put this beast together."
She laughed. "You sure you have time for this?"
He pulled out his phone and checked, the picture of him and Bethany popping up. He pushed a button to make it disappear, cursing himself internally about getting rid of it again. He slipped his phone in his pocket and nodded.
"Yeah. I need to be at the station in a couple of hours. I'll have to do the grass later this week, unless your brother gets to it first."
The look on her face was easily recognizable. She'd seen the picture on his phone and she wanted to know more. He wasn't willing to tell. He didn't even know her and yet he wanted to. He tapped the page. "Alright... let's do this."
She seemed to get ahold of herself as she started to read the instructions, much like someone might read the ad at the end of a used car commercial. He stopped and simply looked up at her, tilting his head and giving her a look his mother used to give him when he was being a smart ass.
"What?" She laughed and stopped reading.
"You want me to read those instructions like that and see how much you can do?"
She laughed again. "Touché. Alright I'll behave."
I wish you wouldn't.
He winked at her and started to work as she read through them slowly, the pattern quite easy when following the instructions. He worked for an hour or so, their conversation very surface level. He finished up and wiped his hands on his black pants, stretching and reaching to rub that shoulder again. Something like concern swept across her face, her amber eyes moving to watch his movements.
"Are you hurt?" She walked toward him, reaching up and pulling her hair tie out. Long silky-looking strands of black hair cascaded down her shoulders and brushed by her breasts as his eyes followed the movement. He stood his ground, wanting to step back, but knowing how ridiculous he might look.
"No, just an old football injury. Had too much fun in my younger years and I'm paying for it now." He smirked and turned from her, walking toward the door and moving back to hold it open for her. She started to walk past him, but stopped in front of him, turning and putting her hand on his chest. He looked down at her perfectly manicured fingernails and smiled. She was stunning in every way he might imagine. How beautiful would she look beneath him as he pleased her?
"Thank you," she said softly, her finger brushing back her hair. Was she playing with him? Did she know how little it might take for him to move in and sweep her off her feet? How long would they last? How hard would he fall when she cheated on him? They all did. It was just a matter of time.
"Of course." He waited until she moved into the house, his heart almost beating out of his chest as he moved in behind her. He loved a woman with long dark hair, the silkiness of it wrapped around his fingers, the smell of it as he buried his face in it. He swallowed hard, his body betraying his need.
He moved toward the door, pulling his shirt from his waistband and making sure it covered him as he stopped just before leaving. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. "I think you're up next on the stalk-o-meter."
She laughed and nodded. "Got it. I'll outdo you for sure."
He shook his head, loving the sound of her voice, her laugh, needing her to smile again. "Showing up at my place with the false claim that you're my maid might do it. Hell, I don't even own this place."
He winked and walked out of the house, closing the door behind him at the sound of her cute yelp. He walked to the truck and got in, looking over at the camera piece and shaking his head.
"Nope. I need that to see her again tomorrow." He pulled out onto the quiet street, the sun starting to set behind the water. "Damn... I really am turning into a stalker."
*
Kari pressed her back against the front door, her heart beating furiously in her chest as she tried to catch her breath. He was everything she might imagine finding if she could construct the perfect man. Devilishly good looking, dark hair and big muscles, and tanned skin. He was a firefighter for god sakes and a coach to little kids. Teacher of the year and he read instructions? She slid down to the floor, her arms wrapping around her legs as she beat her forehead against her knees. She was going to fall in love with him if she saw him too many more times.
Something about him was so right and yet... how many other women had fallen for him? He had to be a player, had to use women by the dozen. His looks alone demanded it and he was from Texas. Weren't guys in the South known for making their women cook and clean and ride horses and shit? She shook her head, chuckling sardonically to herself.
"Run away from this." Sighing, she lifted her head, the door pushing open and shoving her across the floor as she yelled. "Hold on. Dang!"
"Why are you in front of the door?" Sicily peeked her head in as she looked down at Kari.
Kari got up and dusted her butt off. "Our new landlord came by and tried to mow the yard."
"What do you mean tried?" Sicily walked in and handed Kari a few bags on her arm after Kari stood up. She took them and walked into the kitchen, working to help unload the few items from the grocery store.
"Well, I figured that he could help with the swing instead, seeing that I can mow, but I can't read instructions to save my life."
Sicily yelped with delight and ran to the small window in the kitchen that looked out over the porch. "Oh yeah! He put the swing together? That's awesome."
Kari laughed and opened the fridge. "Yes, and we read the directions together."
"Oh..." Sicily put her hand on her hip and waggled her eyebrows. "What else did you guys do? Details, please. Is he a good-looking guy at least?"
Kari walked toward the table, sitting down and pulling a banana free from the bunch, unpeeling it and shoving a third of it in her mouth before answering. "Yeah. He's crazy hot and that's all we did. It's all we'll ever do."
Confusion crossed her friend’s face before realization dawned on her. "No way. It was the guy from the grocery store? The coach?"
Kari let her head drop in defeat as Sicily danced around the kitchen, yelling and singing like a lunatic. She finally stopped and Kari looked up, swallowing her ridiculously large bite of banana. "It was him."
"Fate! I told you. He's going to be your prince and you his wicked hot lover."
Kari laughed and took another bite. "I'm scared."
Sicily's smile faded as she moved to sit in front of Kari, reaching out and taking her hand. "Oh... don't be scared. Life is about loving and losing. Wouldn't you rather have loved a million times and walked across the finish line bruised and beaten from the wound of loving than to be fine and never have felt the intense highs?"
Kari let her friend’s words sink in before nodding. "I guess I would rather love, but he's so perfect. I don't think he's interested. He seems to be, and then it's like he closes it down."
Sicily let Kari's hand go and reached to pinch off a piece of the banana. "He's been hurt too then. That's what guys do. They get hurt like we do and they shut down too."
Kari nodded. "Or maybe he's just not interested."
Sicily scoffed, getting up and moving back to the stove. "You're dumb and I'm not responding to that at all. We're having pasta for dinner, so I hope you have your fat pants on."
Kari looked down and nodded. "I'm good to go. You want help?"
Sicily looked over her shoulder. "You in the kitchen is a bad omen. How about you just sit here and talk to me about Mr. Handsome?"
Kari stood up and walked to the trash, shoving the rest of her banana in her mouth and tossing the peel. "How about I tell you about the best donut I've ever had in my life."
"How about you finish that banana as I'm getting grossed out."
Kari nodded, moved to the counter and hopped up, waiting until she finally swallowed to talk to her friend. "Done."
Sicily turned over her shoulder, a big pot of something milky-looking being stirred in front of her. "Alright. Tell me who we need to murder. We can't have someone around here with pastries better than mine."
Kari reached for a small glass, leaning over to fill it up at the faucet. "I agree. I didn't think you made donuts though."
"Girl, I make everything, and in a small town like this, you really have to stick to the basics until you get a good following of customers. Spill... who's the pastry queen of Bar Harbor and how are we going to take her out?"
Kari laughed. "Well, her name is Judy and I'm thinking she's our age or maybe a little older. She has a small shop on the square downtown and from what I could gather she's been baking forever. Actually, she might not do the baking at all in the shop. She probably has assistants, and she's supposedly wealthy and quite the bitch."
Sicily stopped stirring and turned around. "Dang. Did you go into her shop and interview her directly?"
The front door opened and Lisa walked through, a loud sigh leaving her as she dropped her purse in a nearby chair.
Kari shook her head and kept her focus on Sicily. "No, I was just listening to the office chatter about her."
"About who?" Lisa asked, kicking off her two inch heels as she walked into the kitchen.
"The pastry queen of Bar Harbor," Sicily muttered, turning back to the stove.
"Bitch has to die." Lisa moved to the stove and stuck her finger in the milky substance, licking at it and grimacing. "Ewww... what is this."
Sicily swatted at her. "Get outta here. It's Alfredo, but it takes a little while to make."
"Tastes like hot milk." Lisa moved and nodded toward Kari. "Tastes like hot milk to me."
"It
is
hot milk." Sicily turned back to Kari. "Have you been in the shop?"
"No, but I'm being honest when I tell you that the donuts are melt-in-your-mouth good."
Sicily nodded, her milky white spoon being jerked around in the air. The kitchen was sure to need a good cleaning after the mess Sicily was making. Kari jumped down and walked to the front door, opening it to look out. "Where's my brother?"
Lisa walked back in the living room wearing a white cotton dress, her long coppery hair pulled up high on her head. "He went to check out the local gym. I had to work today, so he stayed here most of the morning, we met for lunch and then he's been checking out the town and the gym I guess. He should be back soon I would think."
Sicily called from the kitchen. "Kari, can you go by the bakery in the morning and check it out for real?"
"Judy’s?" Kari responded.
"Who's Judy?" Lisa asked.
"Yeah," Sicily yelled back.
Kari moved to the couch and sunk into the softness of the cushions. "The bakery queen who has to die."
"Shame really... I love a good donut," Lisa muttered.
"I heard that!" Sicily called to them as they broke into laughter.