AllFreeNovel
Share Us
But now that he was separating himself from Stuart and Lynn and proving to be a much better person than she’d ever dreamed, she wasn’t quite sure what to do.
“And your aunt and uncle?” she asked. “They won’t like you associating with me.”
“Why would they even have to know about it?”
She sank onto the couch. “Have you forgotten that we live in the same small town?”
“We just act normal, casual. No big deal.”
“So...it’s asecretfriendship you’re after.”
“Not secret, no. Just low-key, like I said, in that it’s not disruptive to your life or mine.”
She didn’t believe they could have it both ways, but he seemed convinced of it. Maybe she should let him worry about the Fettermans. “Is this how you’re trying to neutralize the threat I pose to your business?” she asked.
He sat across from her. “What you’re doing to Fetterman Well Services is a pain in the ass, but so far you’re only working in the immediate vicinity. We cover a much wider area, go all over the state, so we’ll get by. I admit it’s annoying to lose jobs that would fall so easily to us otherwise, especially since I’m in charge of sales. But I’m not calling for a truce to get you to stop underbidding us. You should understand that already. I just helped you drill a well for myneighbor. If I wasn’t trying to be a good friend to you, I wouldn’t have bothered, right? Also, I came over tonight to make sure you don’t get hurt by that loser you met online. I’m not out to take advantage of you in any way.”
“It’s the sudden change in your behavior that’s confusing to me,” she said.
“I’m sorry. I was angry over your business tactics. But I’ve apologized about Ben and tried to make it right.”
She cleared her throat. “Okay. Supposing I accept all that. How do you see our separate businesses going forward? How do I know you won’t just...get angry again?”
“I guess you won’t know that. But I’m hoping there’ll be no reason for there to be any more trouble between us. With luck, there should be enough work for both companies. The Fettermans might just have to travel a bit more.”
Which would bite into their bottom line. That wouldn’t make them mad? She couldn’t travel. She wasn’t well established enough to find those jobs, let alone bid on them. She was in a much more precarious situation, living month to month—not that she was willing to admit that to him. “Are you sure? Because if a truce means I can’t compete with you—”
“It has nothing to do with business,” he assured her. “But...could you at least go out to each jobsite and create your own bids instead of simply using mine to undercut my price? That seems predatory to me.”
If she agreed, this friendship was going to cost her time and money—both of which were in short supply. But all she could think about was how he’d come to her rescue with Jordan, how he’d made himself show up and apologize after trying to steal Ben and then helped her drill the well she would’ve lost as a result.
Besides, she could understand why her business practices would upset him. She wouldn’t want anyone using her bids to undercut her, either.
Or maybe those were just excuses to give up the fight. She was tired, she realized, tired of carrying a grudge. She’d been enemies with Hendrix, Lynn and her father since she was eleven years old. Maybe she’d be happier setting all of that aside—at least when it came to him. Just doing that would lighten the emotional load.
“You’re considering it...” he said.
“I’m considering it,” she admitted.
He came to her and crouched at her feet so he could take her hands. “Let’s give it a shot.”
She stared down at his long, tanned fingers. He had a few nicks and cuts—proof of the physical kind of work he did—but his hands were large and warm, and even though he wasn’t trying to be evocative in any way, she found his touch oddly stirring. “Okay,” she said. Then she shocked herself by leaning forward and pressing her mouth to his.
Eighteen
This was the last thing Hendrix had ever expected to happen. Ellen had been so wary and tentative with him. He hadn’t even been sure she’d allow him to stay and look after her tonight. And yet she’d just pressed her lips to his as if...as if she’d been so compelled she couldn’t stop herself?
He certainly didn’t mind. He could smell the shampoo or conditioner she’d used in her hair, which was damp, and feel the warmth emanating from her body only inches away while her hands still gripped his tightly in her lap—and felt slightly intoxicated by it all.
Instead of breaking off the kiss right away, as he feared she might, she opened her mouth for him. That was when he let go of her hands to cup her face and hold it steady as he deepened the kiss. She wasn’t being aggressive. She’d started this, but he’d been eager enough to take the lead the second he felt he could do so without scaring her off, and she seemed just fine with letting him. At least she was willing to explore the spark they both must’ve felt when he kissed her after the barbecue. Despite their history, she seemed as curious and intrigued by what was happening here as he was.
The second their tongues met, he heard himself groan. He couldn’t remember ever having such a strong reaction to a simple kiss, but as he allowed himself to melt into her, he felt her melt into him, as well, and the next thing he knew, her hands were clenched in his hair, holding him right where he was. Thenshegroaned, and he knew they weren’t going to break apart. Not tonight. This kiss was merely the beginning...
He was dying to slip his hands inside her robe. He’d started to crave the feel of her body when she’d answered the door in the same robe a couple of weeks ago. The thought of being able to explore the shape of her breasts and the contours of her stomach and thighs made him hard as a rock. But he didn’t dare move too fast. He wasn’t sure how far she’d be willing to go.
He was hoping she’d take off his shirt or do something else to signal that this was more than just a make-out session. But then she drew back.
The disappointment that welled up proved so acute he almost said, “No!” and pulled her close again. But he wouldn’t pressure her. He knew, as much as he wanted to continue what she’d started—or maybe he’d started it when he kissed her at the barbecue—they’d probably regret it tomorrow. Given the past and who they were to each other, he still couldn’t quite explain how they’d come to be perched on this dangerous precipice in the first place. She was the last person he should be getting so intimate with. He’d just promised Stuart he’d keep everything to do with her low-key and casual. Making love to her hardly fulfilled that promise.
