Red Hot Obsessions (129 page)

Josh plopped into the chair closest to a huge bank of book shelves, packed from top to bottom with volumes of law books he was sure his brother had read at least twice. Josh, on the other hand, was more interested in the integrity and the craftsmanship of the shelves.

He gave a mental grunt. That Dan would follow in their father’s footsteps had never been a question during their childhood. Neither had Josh’s going off in a completely different direction.

Jack Hudson had still been a prick about the decision when Josh made it official and joined the Corps. His Grandpa Hudson had been a Marine, so one would assume Josh’s joining the Marine Forces Reserve the summer after high school would’ve made his father proud as hell. But instead it earned him a cold shoulder time and time again. Enrolling in a constructional engineering program instead of law school had been the icing on the cake. Or rather the piss in his father’s whiskey. Story of his life, really.

He swung a glance around the room and his attention snagged on a picture of Dan and Maddie on the corner of the desk. He smiled, remembering the exact moment the shot was taken. He’d snapped it himself three years ago, a week or so before he’d left for pre-deployment training. Maddie had gulped down one too many fruity spirits and had insisted on filling up her phone with pictures she could send him overseas. Shortly thereafter, she and Dan took their drunken, horny asses home, leaving him to entertain the friend they’d had in town for the weekend.

His smile faded.

Carissa had been unlike any other woman he’d ever met. So sweet and fun, so sincere and beautiful. From the moment he’d stepped into the pub and their eyes had locked, he knew she was someone special. Someone unforgettable…

“Hello…”

Josh snapped out of his reverie when his brother leaned across the glossy desk and waved a hand in front of his face.

“Sorry.” He cleared his throat. “You say something?”

Dan laughed and rested back in his chair. “I said you look a little lighter on your feet today. I take it your proposal was a hit.”

“Couldn’t have gone any better,” he said confidently, comfortable enough with his brother to gloat a little. “Now I wait for them to realize how stupid they’d be to go with anyone else.”

“I heard they’re looking at five options, two of which are from big-wig companies in Omaha.”

“Good thing I’ve got the hometown loyalty thing going for me then, huh?” he said simply, not the least bit deterred by the competition. He learned a long time ago that worrying about his rivals was pointless—he was good and his work continued to show it.

Dan grinned. “Speaking of loyalty…”

Josh waited for the rest of the sentence, but when it didn’t come, he arched an eyebrow. “What?”

Dan got up, walked around the desk, and sat on the edge just to Josh’s left. He folded his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. “What’s going on with you and Carissa?”

Shit.
“I’m flipping her house. Maybe you don’t remember, but you’re the one who called me…” He let the statement hang, as he made a phone out of his thumb and his pinky in an attempt to appear as calm as possible.

“Since when does flipping her house involve cock blocking her? All I’ve gotta say is, you’re lucky Maddie was too busy being pissed that Carissa’d blown off Andrew to see what was so obvious to me—you’re doing more than business with her, little brother, and that friggin’ hickey on your neck is all the confirmation I need.”

“You know I don’t mess around with clients.” Josh pushed to his feet and ambled to a shelf, feigning interest in the books lined up there. He should’ve known Dan would catch on to his disappearing act. At least he’d managed to get through the last few years undetected.

“Come on, man, she’s no more a client to you than she’s a goddamn friend. What I wanna know is how the hell you’ve managed to keep Fletcher in the dark this long.”

So maybe he
hadn’t
succeeded in sliding beneath his brother’s bullshit radar. He didn’t bother to deny it. But he wasn’t ready to admit to there being anything between him and Carissa either. It was bad enough Tony knew and, frankly, Carissa deserved better than to be tossed around like a piece of trash in macho conversation.

“Okay, fine, you’re doing the honorable thing. I get that. I
respect
that. I even get that you’ve probably got some hang up on the fact that you saw her first. But, seriously, bro, you’ve gotta know you’re only making more trouble for yourself and for Carissa by not telling Fletcher.”

Josh scrubbed both of his hands over his face and exhaled heavily. Reluctantly—and only because he trusted his brother and knew he’d respect Carissa unconditionally—he admitted the truth. “I did more than just see her first.”

With his back to his brother, Josh imagined Dan blinking, his lawyer’s face expressionless, hiding his shock. The man was silent for several long moments before he finally spoke.

“Wow. I shouldn’t be surprised, because, seeing you two together all those years ago, I thought for sure there was something there. But then you never said anything to Fletcher, even after you came home from deployment, so I figured I was wrong…” Dan broke off with a muttered curse. “For such a straight-shooting, no bullshit guy, you fucked this up well and good.”

“No kidding. Definitely not one of my prouder accomplishments, let me tell ya.” Turning on the heel of his boot, Josh leveled with his brother. “I’d appreciate, as I’m sure Carissa would, if you didn’t share this with Maddie.”

Dan stared for a beat, then inclined his chin. “Of course. But if your intentions are to keep this from Reed, then you better do yourself a favor and end whatever it is you’re doing before things get any messier.”

Too bad he wasn’t remotely close to ready to end it with Carissa. Not by a long shot.

Still, he nodded. And then his father walked into the office. Looking pissed as hell.

“Are you out of your ever-loving mind?” the old man demanded, stalking forward until he stood in front of Josh, his jaw tense and the line of his mouth straight and hard. “You better hope you don’t get this job, because you’re gonna lose your ass and maybe even your entire company with a lowball bid like that.”

Josh quirked an eyebrow. “Couldn’t resist checking up on me, huh?”

Jack stabbed a finger into the center of his chest. “I didn’t raise you to be such a goddamn do-gooder. This is dog-eat-dog world, boy, and you’re gonna get chewed to shit if you don’t start thinking about yourself.”

Rubbing at the scar on the back of his neck, Josh chuckled. How many times had he heard this same sermon? And how many times had he proven his old man wrong by coming out on top? Joining the Corps, for example, hadn’t only been good for him, but it had been the perfect backing for his business, despite his deployment. Hell, he’d come home from Afghanistan to more work than he knew what to do with. Not to mention accomplishing the obvious of taking on the most prestigious of challenges—serving his country.

But in his father’s eyes, none of it meant anything. And frankly Josh was sick and tired of never measuring up to the man’s impossible standards.

He shouldered past his father and headed for the door, pausing only to glance back at Dan. “Do me a favor and tell Maddie I got her message about the monkey suit. I’ll stop by Lolita’s tonight to get fitted.”

Chapter Fifteen

His garage door
opener. Josh left her his garage door opener.

Just after six o’clock that evening, Carissa sat behind the wheel of her car in the driveway of the flip, contemplating the little box in her hand—an invitation she’d been rolling around in her head since about five seconds after Josh had driven away and she’d sprinted to her car to see the device sitting on her front seat.

At first consideration, taking their affair to Josh’s place seemed like an incredibly bad idea, given the chance Reed could show up any given moment. But then Josh's big truck, with its bright red Hudson Contracting logo in the back window, would never go undetected in her parking lot either. Sure, they could probably chalk up daytime visits to business meetings, but a midnight sighting? There’d be no way to deny the obvious nature of that kind of visit.

If she wanted to continue seeing him for the longest duration possible, it made sense to carry on their fling where they had at least a modicum of discretion. And she definitely wanted to keep seeing him. And sleeping with him. Regardless of the consequences of getting caught, which was a realization that both excited her and scared her to death.

The thing was…she liked Josh. A lot. So much, apparently, that she was going to do the craziest thing she'd ever done and take him up on the invitation.

Her cell rang just as she clipped the remote to her visor. A glance at the caller ID had that fluttery feeling building all over again in her stomach.

“Hey,” she said like some nervous schoolgirl about to plan the big night she gave away her virginity.

“Hey yourself. How was the rest of your afternoon?”

“Hot. And I’m pretty sure I’m sunburned. But it was completely worth it because I finally got all the flower beds planted.”

“Nice. You worked really hard on them. And now you’ll be able to enjoy them for a while, too.”

“Hmm, that’s the only positive aspect of this whole eviction thing,” she chuckled softly.

He gave a light laugh too and then she heard him pull in a breath. “So…”

Ah, so he was nervous, too, was he? “What are you doing right now?”

“I’m sitting in my truck across the street from Lolita’s. Trying to psych myself up for the inevitable violation of her roaming hands.”

“Aaw, come on. She’s an old lady.”

“She’s a seventy-year old cougar.”

Carissa snorted. “You want me to come supervise? Keep her in line?”

He let out a long sigh. “No. With any luck, I’ll be in and out. Then I’ve got a couple quick stops to make and I’m heading home, thank god. Feel like I haven’t been there in weeks.”

No thanks to the long hours he’d been putting in at the flip. And then, of course, the time they’d been puttin’ it in.

She frowned at the reflection in her rearview mirror. He was exhausted. Which meant there’d be no sneaking a visit to his place. Dang. “Well, it sounds like you could use a good night’s sleep,” she said lightly, trying to disguise her disappointment.

There was a long moment of silence, then another sigh. “I came on too strong, didn’t I? Leaving the remote. I just really like spending time with you and I thought maybe you’d wanna come over tonight…”

Her feet stomped giddily against the floorboard of her car.

“Was that a happy dance?”

She stared wide-eyed into the mirror, watching her own face blanch. “Yes?”

His throaty laugh echoed in her ear. “Babe.”

Crap
. “Listen, I like spending time with you too, but you’ve had a lot on your plate lately and if you want a night alone—”

“What I want is for you to use the garage door opener in about an hour and a half, okay?” His blatant declaration had her grinning so big, her cheeks hurt.

“I can make that happen. If you’re sure.”

“I’m positive. Hit the button as soon as you turn into the driveway and you’ll be able to pull right in without waiting. Come in through the door in the garage. It’s always unlocked.”

It was one thing to have a secret one-off with a forbidden man. It was something entirely different to enter into a hush-hush affair. And it did downright naughty things to her naughty parts. Good girl be damned. “I’ll see you in an hour and a half.”

“Great. And bring your appetite—I’m cooking for you this time.”

***

Josh's house was located outside of River Bend, on a short, dead-end road, just off the highway. The rear of the home butted up against a narrow cluster of trees that allowed a scant amount of privacy in comparison to the other three sides, which were bordered by far-stretching wheat fields.

As Carissa approached the property, she remembered the first time she’d been there, three years earlier. That house had been a white, clapboard bungalow, but this one was resided in rich, log planking that gave it a cabin-esque feel. The soft glow of interior lights in the growing darkness only added to the cozy effect.

Of course, since Josh had returned from Afghanistan, she’d visited several times with a variety of friends for a variety of reasons. Josh put a lot of work into the place, making it his own, instead of the elderly couple’s he’d bought it from shortly after starting up Hudson Contracting. Her familiarity with the house didn’t make this visit any less nerve-wracking.

After driving past his truck and parking in the garage, she took a few deep breaths and made her way to the door, barely lifting her fist to knock before it swung open.

“You’re just in time,” Josh greeted her. Dressed in a pair of black and white basketball shorts, a black t-shirt, and bare feet, he stepped to the side and extended his arm, waving her in. “Come on in.”

His cool ease belied the pulse she saw beating rapidly in his throat and she gave an internal sigh of relief that, yep, he was indeed as nervous as she was.

She moved past him into the kitchen, clutching her purse in her hands. Immediately, she was assaulted by the delicious aroma of something simmering on the stove and a spicy, homey scent that reminded her of autumn and a chilly afternoon, sipping apple cider. Definitely not the bachelor pad she remembered.

Noticing the new, travertine flooring, she took care to kick off her flip-flops as she gave him an anxious smile. “You’ve completely redone the kitchen. It’s gorgeous. I especially love the dark cabinets. Maple?”

He nodded. “Yes, and thanks. You look beautiful, by the way.” He leaned down and pressed a quick but exhilarating kiss to her lips. She felt the soft caress of his hand from her shoulder, all the way down her arm, and then back over her hip. The delicate touch, which had the cotton of her white sundress teasing against her skin, made her shiver in anticipation.

He must have noticed, because he pulled away with a grin that made him look boyish and feral at the same time. “I’ve gotta stir the cream sauce before it scorches. Why don’t you grab yourself something to drink? Everything’s in the fridge.”

She did as he suggested, then found a cozy spot against the counter near the stove. Watching him cook, she twisted off the top of a bottle of fruity, seasonal beer from a local brewery. “You didn’t have to go through all of this trouble,” she said, even though her stomach growled at the sight of wilted greens, mashed potatoes—with garlic and butter, if her nose was right—and a cream sauce that made her salivate.

“After the phenomenal meal you shared with me last night, I owe you. There’s no dessert though. I can’t bake to save my life.” He shot her an apologetic frown and she giggled.

“That’s okay. I still feel special.”

“You should. I haven’t had more than frozen pizza and take-out burgers in this house in a month.” He gave her playful nudge with his elbow, turned the sauce off, and went to the fridge to retrieve a plate with two steaks. “Let’s head out to the patio, shall we?”

Carissa couldn’t help but smile. “You’re killing me, you know that? How am I supposed to think straight, let alone keep my hands off of you when you’re being all sexy like this?”

“Don’t tell me you’re getting all worked up because I’m about to grill you a steak.”

“There’s something inherently hot about a man who cooks.”

“Let’s just hope it’s actually as good as it smells.” He flashed that bright white grin as he slid open the patio door and let her slip past first.

They stepped out onto the small deck and Carissa sucked in a deep breath of the cool night air. A dim light glowed from an outdoor fixture and a candle flickered in the center of a glass-topped table. To add to the ambiance, the low beat of a classic Journey song played from an iPod on a docking station set on the patio railing. The calming music of crickets and frogs filled in softly in the background.

“This is nice.” Carissa took a seat in one of the four chairs at the table, sipped her beer, and enjoyed the amazing view. The clear night sky, the wide expanse of serene golden fields surrounding the property… “I’ve always loved it out here. This part of town, I mean.”

“Me, too. Wish I was a little closer to the river though.” Josh tossed a rueful glance over his shoulder as he turned on the gas grill and gave it a moment to warm up.

“Oh, yes. I’d love a beautiful spot near the water someday. Not sure why, but I’ve always had a fascination with water. Rivers, lakes, the ocean… So peaceful and centering.”

“Then why’d you buy a fixer-upper and not a nice piece of land?”

Carissa smiled softly, her thumb swiping over the condensation forming on the bottle in her hand. “Good question. I probably could have bought a decent waterfront plot with my cut of my mom’s life insurance, but that seemed too easy. There’d be no work in that, you know? In a twisted way, it felt like cheating. Plus, I’ve wanted to flip a house since I was ten. Two birds and all that.”

Closing the lid over the steaks, Josh turned, eyebrows high. “Since you were ten? You’re kidding.”

She nodded and shifted her legs to give him room when he dropped down into the chair angled in front of her. “You know my dad was a builder. And you saw how tightly I held onto that hammer. Whether or not I like it, construction seems to be in my blood.”

Reclined back in the seat, his elbows propped on each arm and his knees spread wide, he nodded slowly. From the soft, appraising look in his eyes, she could tell he was carefully absorbing her confession. Just a small bit of information about a subject she never spoke of. She blamed the few texts with Cade for her reminiscent mood tonight, and she appreciated that Josh didn’t push her for more. And, ironically, by simply listening, he made her
want
to tell him more.

“Cade and I used to hang out with my dad at some of his less complicated job sites. Of course, he never took on the kinds of projects you do. He was content with mostly residential work. Remodels, repairs, the occasional flip. I suppose he liked seeing the old become new again.” She pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly through pursed lips.

Another baby step achieved.

“Anyway, I’d like to build from scratch someday. Don’t get me wrong—you’ve done an amazing job turning this place around—but I want the home I spend the rest of my life in to be mine in every way.” She glanced up at Josh and the soft, uneven tilt of his mouth had her pulse kicking up a bit. She’d let him in on a secret and she’d shared more about her dad than she’d shared with anyone else in River Bend, Maddie aside. And, from the satisfied way he was watching her, he knew it.

“We have something in common then,” he said quietly. “I’ve enjoyed the challenge of this house and I’ve added enough of my own touches that it doesn’t feel like the same house I first moved into anymore. But it’s not entirely me either.”

“No?”

He gave an effortless laugh. “For one, it’s way too small. I want a big, two story number with floor to ceiling windows. And a loft. With a hot tub.”

Carissa rolled her eyes and pushed at his bare leg with her toes. “You’re such a guy.”

“Well, I’d hope so.” He squeezed her big toe when he stood and went back to the grill. “So, do you have a five-year plan or something? For this house of yours? I mean, it might be in your best interest to start talking to your intended contractor now. Make sure the plot you pick out is the best fit for the home you want.”

“Are you hinting?” She stood and moved up beside him, watching him check the char on the steaks. Standing so close, she could smell him. His fresh, sport-scented deodorant. The laundry detergent clinging to his t-shirt. A masculine aroma that was all his own. She inhaled a slow, discreet breath, letting it warm her insides and ignite a longing deep in her belly. A strange heaviness also began to creep into her chest.

“I’m booking up, you know.” He winked down at her. “So, if you’re hoping to get the friends and family discount
and
the early bird special, you’d best let me know now.”

“Yeah? Do you offer a lovers’ discount, too?”

He chuckled and closed the grill. “Since I don’t usually sleep with my clients, it’s not on the list of budget friendly options.”

She twisted her lips to one side and rocked back on her heels. “Ah, I see. No sex-on-the-side deal. Bummer.”

He angled toward her, but kept his distance, his dark blue eyes reflecting the flickering candle and his amusement. “Babe, by the time you build, you’ll have had your fill of me. And you’ll probably be hitched to some suit.”

A stab of disappointment pierced through Carissa’s chest. He clearly had no misconceptions about the brevity of their affair. Or his ability to make a clean, uncomplicated break.

“A suit, huh?” She ignored the sense of impending loss and, instead, rolled her eyes.
Take a lesson from his book, chica, and keep this simple.
Walking backwards until she felt the patio railing at her spine, she brought her beer to her lips and said huskily, “
Someone
hasn’t been paying attention.”

“No?” Josh cocked his head to the side and folded his arms over his chest, showing off all of those thick, sexy muscles.

Okay, so maybe he
had
tuned in…

“I’m not really a suit kind of girl,” she whispered like it was some deep, dark secret. “But I think you know that.”

The slightest of grins played on his lips, pairing well with the devious glint in his eyes. “I might have an idea. Though you should probably refresh my memory later.”