Johnny (Connelly Cousins #2) (5 page)

He didn’t see her at first. He walked in a few steps and set what was left of a six-pack on the bench closest to the door. Then he bent over (good Lord the man had a damn fine ass!) and untied his boots. He wasn’t going to...

... oh hell yes he was. After toeing off his boots, he grabbed the hem of his shirt and began to lift. A ripped set of washboard abs was revealed. Once again, Stacey forgot to breathe.

Talk about a dilemma! Carnal instinct warred with logic. Did she keep her mouth shut and enjoy the spectacular show? And it
was
a spectacular show. She’d seen professional strippers that didn’t look as good as he did without even trying. Each movement sent a delicious rippling effect over his upper body as his muscles worked in perfect harmony to remove that pesky cotton and reveal all... of...
that
.

Her other choice, of course, was to break the spell he was unknowingly weaving and announce her presence. 

Beneath the water, she squeezed her thighs together, hard, and tried to rein in her rampant hormones. This was Lina’s brother. She had to do the right thing.

“Um, excuse me?”

He stilled, his faded jeans already halfway down his delectable ass. Those powerful green eyes, trimmed by thick dark lashes, turned her way.

She smiled, or tried to. Her mouth didn’t seem to be working properly. “I’m Stacey.”

He blinked. Once. Twice. Then straightened slowly back into an upright position. Her eyes flicked down to where his fly was open and his zipper was down, a gorgeous trail of dark golden hair disappearing behind a black Hanes waistband. It was impossible to tell for sure, but if pressed, she’d guess boxer briefs.

She licked her lips and forced her eyes back to his face. It wasn’t exactly a hardship. “I guess Lina didn’t tell you I was coming.”

Why was he staring at her like that? Why wasn’t he saying anything?

* * *

J
ohnny blinked once, then twice. Surely he was seeing things, because in real life, gorgeous naked redheads didn’t just suddenly manifest themselves from his fantasies and appear in his hot tub.

At least he
thought
she was naked. It was impossible to see more than vague outlines beneath the turbulent water, but he
wanted
her to be naked.

Huge gray eyes roamed down his body and back up again. He swore he actually felt her gaze as if she’d been skimming her nails along his flesh. A shiver ran down the length of his spine and settled somewhere in his balls. His dick picked that moment to rouse in interest.

“I’m Stacey,” the vision said.
Stacey
. The name rang a bell somewhere in the deepest recesses of his mind, those parts not currently imagining her standing up and revealing herself to him; water would sluice over what were surely generous breasts, dark rose-colored nipples would pebble under his scrutiny... (hey, it was his fantasy).

“I guess Lina didn’t tell you I was coming.”

His gaze narrowed. The vision knew Lina? The copious amount of blood currently rushing down to fill his cock made it difficult to connect the dots.

Lina. Stacey. Lina’s friend Stacey.

Which meant she wasn’t a figment of his lusty imagination and he wasn’t losing it. She was a flesh-and-blood woman, one with soft gray eyes, alabaster skin, and fucking gorgeous long, red hair. Not a flaming, fiery red, but a deep, dark cherry like the finest hardwood. His hands twitched with the need to fist it.

She was staring at him expectantly, waiting for a response. What was it that she had asked? He did a mental rewind.

“Uh, no, she did actually. She just didn’t say when.” Or, more likely, Lina had told him and he hadn’t been paying attention. He loved his sister, but he was the first to admit his mind wandered sometimes when she started talking.

“She’s not here, is she?” He looked around, but the red-haired goddess was the only one he saw. That didn’t mean Lina wasn’t up in her bedroom reading or something.

“No. She and Kyle left this morning. She said I could spend the week here.”

“The week?”

“Yeah. Will that be a problem?”

A week? His brain revved into overdrive, coming up with all kinds of things he could accomplish in a week with this woman. Except she was Lina’s friend. That could be a problem.

So what?
His baser instincts countered.
Kyle is your friend, and Lina didn’t have a problem hooking up with him.

His baser instincts had a valid point.

“No problem at all,” he said, grinning wolfishly as the reality of the situation sunk in. He was alone in his secluded mountain cabin with a hot, gorgeous redhead. The night was definitely looking up.

“Mind if I join you?” he asked.

Her eyes widened and her teeth scraped over a luscious, full bottom lip. “Join me?”

“Yeah. It’s been a long day, and I could use a good soak.” He lifted his arms and stretched. Just as he’d hoped, her eyes widened further and followed the movement. Oh yeah. She liked what she saw.

“Oh, um, sure. I guess so. I mean, it is your place, right?”

“Right.”

Johnny shucked off his jeans and set them on the bench. He briefly considered peeling off the skivvies as well, but decided to save that for later. His cock was already at half-staff, and if she ogled it, it would become a full-on salute in no time flat. She seemed a bit nervous, and besides, a little anticipation was a good thing. Or so he’d been told.

He eased into the tub, angling his semi away from her. He knew he’d made a good decision when she scooted skittishly to the far side.

Now that he was closer, he could see flashes of white beneath the water. At first he thought it might have been a bathing suit, but a closer look suggested it was one of the towels Lina kept stocked in here. Given the way she had her arms plastered against her body, Stacey had been hot tubbing in her birthday suit.

Naughty girl
. Johnny had a special appreciation for naughty girls.

“I’m Johnny, by the way. Lina’s older brother.”

“Yeah, I got that.”

“And you’re Stacey.”

“Yep.”

“Lina’s friend.”

“Yep.”

“From college.”

“Ah-ha.”

She was so cute, the way she tried looking everywhere but at him. He shifted on the contoured seat, extending his long legs. He deliberately bumped her foot with his, but she pretended not to notice. “Where are you from, Stacey?”

“Um, originally, Denver.”

“And now?”

“California.”

“You’re a long way from home, Stacey.”

“Yep.”

If he hadn’t seen the flashes of heat in those pretty gray eyes every time she chanced a glance his way, he might think she wasn’t interested. She was, but either she didn’t want to be or she was embarrassed by it. Little did she know, the unexpected challenge was turning him on even more.

He was kind of surprised by that. Usually, if a woman didn’t act on her interest, neither did he, but this was kind of fun.

Johnny extracted a beer from the cardboard carrier and twisted off the cap. Her eyes flicked to his biceps. “Want one?”

“No thanks.”

He shrugged and tilted his head back slightly, bringing the bottle to his lips. From beneath half-lidded eyes, he saw her follow the bob of his Adam’s apple and swallow herself.

“So tell me, Stacey,” he said, letting her name linger on his lips a bit longer than necessary, “why would a beautiful woman fly all the way across the country to stay in a mountain cabin all by herself?”

She bit her plump bottom lip and looked at the door before settling her gaze back on him. “It’s kind of a working vacation.”

“Lina said you’re a writer?” He vaguely remembered Lina mentioning something to that effect, wishing now he’d paid closer attention.

“Yes.”

“What kind of books do you write?” A lovely dark rose color blossomed in her cheeks, adding to the pretty flush from the hot water. 

Ah, so that’s it. Romance.
He should have known. Anyone with hair the color of summer-ripe bing cherries half-dipped in chocolate and eyes that glowed silver in the moonlight couldn’t write about anything else. His shaft lengthened considerably, threatening to breach past the upper limits of his waistband.

Her eyes lifted to the skylight. “Um, fictional stories for women, mostly.” He bit back another grin.
Not just romance. Erotica
.

His cock throbbed with the possibilities. “And how do you do the research for your books, Stacey?”

N
ot only did her lungs seize, but her heart stopped beating for several long seconds as well. Johnny’s beautiful green eyes were practically glowing, those insanely kissable lips tilted in a knowing smirk. Either he already knew exactly what kind of books she wrote, or he was incredibly perceptive.

And when, exactly, was the last time a man made her blush with nothing but flirty banter and a crooked smile?

He was flirting, wasn’t he? Flexing those lovely muscles, wrapping his mouth around the rim of that bottle like it was a female’s ...

“You know what? I think I will take that beer, thanks.”

His smirk turned into a full-fledged grin. With one arm holding the towel securely in place, Stacey leaned forward to accept the beer. His fingers brushed hers in the exchange, sending a tingle of awareness into her girly parts.
Rough. Calloused. Big. Dangerous
. Her author’s mind searched for the right adjectives to describe his hands, based on that one extremely brief touch.

She took a long pull from the bottle. The icy cold beer slid down her throat in contrast to her overheated body. It was exactly what she needed.

“Internet,” she deadpanned.

“Excuse me?”

“The internet. That’s where I do my research. You’d be amazed at what one can find on the web.”

“I would love to get a look at your search history,” he murmured.

“So would the FBI, I imagine. Doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.”

He laughed, a full, rumbling sound that made her smile, too. Some of her initial anxiety began to fade. For as easy as he was on the eyes, he was pretty easy to be around, too. She might as well make the best of it. She wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon and he didn’t seem to be in a hurry to leave.

“So you work construction, huh? What’s that like?”

“It’s good, honest work.” One of those lovely bronzed shoulders lifted slightly, bringing her attention to the tattoos extending halfway down his upper arms. He sported them on both sides. Stacey silently appreciated the symmetry and balance of the Celtic symbols.

“Lina says you own the company but you’re out there every day, busting your ass. Why?”

A boyish grin. “I like working with my hands.”

She’d bet he was damn good with them, too. She went to take another drink of her beer, frowning when she discovered it was empty. Johnny reached across the water, took the bottle, and replaced it with a fresh one.

“You’re not trying to get me drunk, are you?” she teased.

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“Your level of inhibitions.”

She laughed, and it felt wonderful. There was a time when she’d been more interested in having a good time and less worried about things like consequences and repercussions, but she’d been a different woman then.

Stacey kept the smile on her face, but inside, her good spirits plummeted. Little did he know that this trip had been the most impulsive, risky thing she’d done in years, or that her sex life was non-existent except for the solos made possible by battery-operated technology. Most men took one look at her these days and left skid marks in their haste to flee.

So why was he still here?

The truth dawned.
Because he didn’t know
. Lina probably hadn’t told him she was disabled, and from where he was sitting, her chair wouldn’t be easily visible. As far as he was concerned, she was no different from any other woman he might have come across soaking naked in his hot tub. .

Should she tell him? And if so, what would she say? “Hey, Johnny, before you invest too much time and effort trying to get me into your bed, you should know that I’m confined to a wheelchair and have only sporadic, unpredictable control of my legs.”

That would definitely kill the mood.

She could picture it so easily. His eyes would widen slightly, and the desire she saw there would quickly cool. His features would slip into a neutral mask and he’d shift uncomfortably. Maybe he’d try to continue the conversation for a while longer, but it would become strained and awkward. Eventually, he’d figure he’d put in enough effort to be polite, he’d say goodnight, and that would be the end of it.

Perhaps it was unfair to predict his reaction, but her experiences over the last five years provided overwhelming support in favor of that particular outcome.

“Hey, where’d you go?” he asked, breaking into her musings. He was looking at her, his laughing eyes more serious than they had been only moments earlier.

“Nowhere,” she said. “Just thinking.”

“About me, I hope?”

“Yes,” she answered honestly.

His eyes twinkled devilishly, those lips curved into a smug grin. It was hard not to respond to that level of confidence. The sexy bastard knew exactly how appealing he was.

How long had it been since a man looked at her like that, with lust and hunger in his eyes? And, more importantly, when was the last time her core ached so sweetly? Maybe it was wrong of her, false pretenses and all that, but she wasn’t ready for it to end. Not yet.

“I’m wondering how it is you’re not floating in this water with that overinflated ego you seem to have.”

Far from offending him, her quip only made him grin wider. “That’s not ego, baby. That’s confidence.”

“Sure of yourself, are you?”

“Very. Especially when it comes to pleasing a beautiful woman.”

She snorted.

“Ah, a doubter. My favorite kind of woman.”

“Yeah? Why is that?”

“Because it will be so much sweeter when you become a believer.”

Silky wet heat seeped between her thighs, and it had nothing to do with the Jacuzzi.