No Ordinary Joe

“Thanks.” She smiled at him, her gaze settling on his face, then her eyes caught and locked on his, and his heart actually skipped a beat. Beneath the uncompromising defiance and strength of will was a vulnerability and apprehension that yanked at his heartstrings. She wasn’t nearly as tough as she wanted everyone to think, and he felt the strangest urge to pull her into his arms and hold her. To smooth back the long, silky strands of her pale hair brushing her cheeks and tell her not to worry, that everything would be okay.

Hard as he tried to look away, her blue gaze captivated him. It was she who finally lowered her eyes and broke the spell.

“Well,” she said after a brief, awkward silence. “I guess I should get to my training.”

She slid out of the booth and he found himself following her with his eyes as she crossed to the bar, admiring the way her behind swayed beneath a snug pair of faded skinny jeans. She wasn’t voluptuous by any means, but she wasn’t Hollywood-thin either. She had just the right amount of curves for her height. For the briefest of instants he let himself imagine what it would be like to touch her, to tangle his fingers in the long, silky mane that hung down her back. To brush his lips over hers… He realized he was actually getting aroused and peeled his eyes away.

His libido had been safely compartmentalized and locked away for the better part of two years. In all that time he hadn’t felt so much as a twinge of attraction to any woman, yet here he was reeling from a full-blown case of pulse-pounding lust for a virtual stranger. There had to be something seriously wrong with him.

He had the sinking feeling that for the next six weeks, this woman was going to be nothing but trouble.

Chapter Three

Reily stepped behind the bar, poured herself a tall glass of ice-cold water and guzzled it in the vain attempt to douse the flames burning up her insides. The look Joe had given her had been so jam-packed with raw need and pent-up sexual desire, it’s a wonder her panties hadn’t burst into flames. For an emotionally unavailable guy, he wasn’t doing a very good job of hiding his feelings. Honestly, she liked it better when Joe regarded her as an unfortunate inconvenience. She had a defense for that. But the feelings she was having now… holy cow.

She had dated quite a few men, and even felt strong sexual attraction to a couple of them, but never quite like this. Not this heart-pounding, grab-his-shirt-and-haul-him-across-the-table-for-a-kiss lust. And he wasn’t even her type! She preferred men who were easygoing and fun-loving. Someone she could laugh with. Joe didn’t even seem to have the capacity to smile.

She refilled her glass and took another swallow, when what she should have done was dump the darned thing over her head. Was it possible that she had just gotten her first glimpse of the real Joe? Beneath the dark and brooding exterior, was there a warm, sensitive and sexy man? And suppose there was? What then? She was leaving in six weeks. The last thing she had time for was a complicated emotional attachment.

Lindy emerged from the back and joined her behind the bar. “So, are you ready to…” She trailed off, a frown furrowing her brow when her eyes settled on Reily. “Hey, are you all right?”

“Of course,” she said, dumping the rest of the water in the sink and setting her glass in the dirty-dish tub. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Your cheeks are red as apples.”

She reached up to press her palm to her face. Her cheek was furnace-hot. “I guess I’m a little overheated.”

“Do you feel sick, like you might have a fever?”

She felt feverish all right, but not the kind caused by a virus. “I think it’s just been a crazy couple of days, and it’s starting to catch up with me.”

After what she’d been through, who wouldn’t feel a little discombobulated? Maybe this irrational attraction to Joe was just a reaction to the stress of what had been a highly emotional situation.

Lindy clucked sympathetically. “You poor thing. Well, if it helps at all I just got off the phone with my friend Zoey. She’s your size and she has a couple of garbage bags full of clothes she was planning to give to the thrift store. She’s going to give them to you instead. She said she’ll drop them by the bar later this afternoon. Zoey’s dad is not only the mayor, but the most successful businessman in town, and he tends to spoil her. She prides herself on always looking her best, and she gets a whole new wardrobe every season, so I’m sure there’ll be some really good stuff in there.”

“I don’t even know how to thank you.”

Lindy shrugged like it was no big deal. “I believe in karma. What goes around comes around.”

If that was true, then something really awesome was bound to happen to Lindy. “Joe said that you suggested I stay in his garage apartment.”

“It would be way better than living at the Sunrise for six weeks. And a lot cheaper.” She handed Reily an apron and tied hers around her waist. “Are you going to stay there?”

“I’m not sure.”

Lindy looked surprised. “Why not?”

“If you were in a strange town where you didn’t know a soul, would you stay in the garage apartment of some man you’d just met?”

Lindy frowned. “Oh. I guess I hadn’t looked at it that way. For what it’s worth, I’ve known Joe my entire life. He’s one of my best friends. He may be a little cranky at times, but he’s about as noble and trustworthy as they come. He wouldn’t hurt a flea. And there isn’t a man or woman in all of Paradise who will tell you any different.”

She knew she should seriously consider it, but after what had just happened in the booth, maybe it wouldn’t be such a great idea. Not that she’d felt threatened or violated. Quite the opposite. Which was why she couldn’t help thinking it would be best to stay as far away from Joe as possible. On the other hand, the more money she made, the sooner she could be on her way to Tennessee. Six weeks wasn’t much time to save what she needed. Cheap rent could be her ticket out of here.

Besides, as the day progressed and the lunch rush hit, she began to realize that seeing a lot of Joe might not be a problem. He seemed to spend most of his time in the back, either in the kitchen or his office. And when he was around, he more or less ignored her. He was so clearly not interested in her, she began to wonder if what had happened in the booth earlier had been a figment of her imagination.

By two o’clock, when the lunch rush had officially ended, Reily had made up her mind about Joe’s offer. She left Lindy to serve the handful of regulars sitting at the bar watching the wide-screen and went into the back to talk to Joe. He was in his office working at the computer. When she rapped on the door, he motioned her inside.

“Have you got a second?” she asked.

He pushed back from his desk, folding his arms over his chest, looking mildly put out.

“I’ve been thinking about it, and if the offer is still good, I’d like to rent your apartment.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

“If you’d like me to sign a lease—”

“That won’t be necessary.”

She pulled out the cash she had left after paying for the room last night and the essentials she’d picked up at Parson’s General Store on her way in to work. “I can give you the rest after we split up the tips for the lunch shift.”

He looked at the cash, then at her. “Is that all the money you have?”

“It’s fine. I can live off tips until I get my first check.”

He mumbled something under his breath, then said in a voice laced with irritation, “Keep it.”

“But—”

“I’m not leaving you with no cash,” he snapped. “I’ll take the rent out of your first check.”

The guy did nice things, he just did them so… grudgingly. Which left her wondering where the understanding, semi-compassionate man from earlier that day had disappeared to. Maybe she had only been seeing what she wanted to see. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure.”

“In that case, thank you.”

Lindy stepped into Joe’s office with two stuffed black trash bags. “Hey, Reily, Zoey just dropped these by.”

She took the bags from Lindy. They were heavy. “Is she still here?”

“She had to get back to work. She said she’ll try to stop in later tonight. But don’t worry, I thanked her for you.”

Reily had been hoping to meet her, and of course she wanted to thank her personally. Although odds were, in a town this size, she would run into her at some point in the next six weeks.

When Lindy left, Joe looked from the bags to Reily, clearly curious as to what they contained.

“They’re full of clothes,” Reily told him. “Everything I owned was stolen with my car, so Lindy’s friend Zoey dropped some hand-me-downs off for me. Would you mind if I keep these in your office until I’m off tonight? They won’t fit in my locker.”