Powertools Complete Series Page 11

  As though he could sense her stare, Joe turned. Their eyes met, and his gaze intensified. A corresponding thrill ran through her veins. Could this be the real thing? A forever-after kind of love?

  How could it not be?

  “You knew Craig all your life. But deep down, you understood it would never last,” Kate whispered. “It’s kind of like that, but opposite. When he’s the one, you know. Time doesn’t matter.”

  Joe winked then held out his hand as though their thirty seconds apart had seemed as long to him as it did to her. She ached to feel his fingers surrounding hers, sheltering her with their calloused strength.

  Without him, she felt incomplete.

  “You’re right.” Morgan hugged Kate one more time. “Congratulations.”

  “Right back at you. Looks like you had a busy weekend.”

  The women laughed as they rejoined the crew in the other room. Joe’s arm came around Morgan’s shoulder, welcoming her into the heat and laughter they all shared.

  It felt perfect.

  And she knew.

  1

  “Oh God, that’s good.”

  “Harder?” Kayla intensified her motion when the man beneath her groaned.

  “Yeah. Right there. Don’t stop, baby.”

  “No worries, I’ll take care of you.”

  “Always do.” Dave sighed. “I look forward to coming inside all damn day. It’s tough to concentrate when your gifted hands are waiting for me.”

  “But if you weren’t aggravating this strained muscle by building my spa, you wouldn’t need my fabulous massages.”

  “Is it any wonder I love my job?”

  Kayla’s fingers drifted from Dave’s sculpted shoulders to tug the silky hair feathering over the nape of his neck. As if she minded his near-constant teasing.

  Her work rocked pretty solid too—at least when it involved touching prime specimens of masculinity like Dave. While she lingered, she rubbed along his spine, eliciting another deep purr. The rumble curled her bare toes in the plush area rug.

  “And here I thought the highlight of your career was your kick-ass partners.” A gruff rebuke from the general direction of the entrance startled Kayla.

  Dave’s gorgeous body had consumed her focus. Bold ridges of sinew tempted her fingers to explore beyond the requirements of his treatment. She’d never seen anatomy so fine outside of her textbooks. Lying on his toned abdomen, the bull of a man threatened to destroy her portable table with his defined bulk.

  She couldn’t wait for the permanent equipment she’d ordered to arrive. Furnishing her new facility would be the final step in bringing her vision to life.

  “You guys aren’t bad, either.” Dave angled his head to face Mike, the construction crew’s foreman, who leaned his hip on the doorjamb. Her patient didn’t scramble for a towel to cover his smoking-hot ass or flinch in the slightest. The muscles she’d worked so hard to relax stayed pliant. “What’s up, boss?”

  “There’s a hell of a storm brewing outside. The snow’s started, and the sky is black as shit. Joe and I are heading back to town. Our girls are worried. Kate’s called twice. Morgan texted enough times to overflow the screen of Joe’s phone. Neither one of them are naggers by nature. The unpaved section of the road turns into a skating rink when all those puddles freeze over. Too much longer and we’ll all be stuck.”

  “They’re forecasting what, a foot and a half, now?”

  Kayla attacked the tension invading Dave.

  “Nah, they upped the projection again. More like two to three.” Mike shook his head. “Plus, the wind is kicking in. Froze my balls off on the roof, but we finished shingling in time.”

  She raised an eyebrow in his direction without faltering in her caresses.

  “Crap, sorry. Anyway, James and Neil are making one last round, lashing tarps over our supplies and Kayla’s firewood while you pamper that knot in your shoulder. Pussy.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” Dave’s broad back flexed beneath her fingers. “Jealous?”

  “Hardly. No offense, Kayla.”

  “None taken.”

  “My Kate is the only woman who can heal me with her touch.”

  Kayla sighed. “Someday I’ll meet a man who adores me, right?”

  “Hell-ooo. Last time I checked, I was a dude.” Dave squinted at her. “Didn’t I tell you how much I love you less than two minutes ago?”

  He had. Damn if the lame joke hadn’t wreaked havoc on her hormones too. She knew better than to imagine his constant flirtations were more than habit. The guys in the crew had “player” stamped all over their hard bodies in between their bold tattoos. She traced an organic swirl of red ink around Dave’s shoulder.

  “Okay, kids. Before you become bicker buddies again, I’m heading out.” Mike’s grin slipped a fraction of an inch. “Are you sure you have everything you need, Kayla? It could be a while before we can make it back. I don’t like the thought of you up here. Alone. My offer stands. Stay with Kate and me. You’d be friends inside a minute, I bet. The two of you could stir up a world of trouble together. Throw Morgan in the mix and…”

  “God help us.” Dave grunted when she pressed her elbow into the base of his spine.

  “Thanks, but no thanks. Kate and Morgan sound like a riot though.” Their respective fiancé and boyfriend talked about the women pretty near constantly.

  “Come home with us and hang out.” Dave tried again. “It’ll be fun, not to mention safe.”

  “No different than here. James and Neil brought a mountain of groceries this morning. You checked the generator at least a thousand times.” Kayla’s lips curved as she contemplated the high potential for peaceful solitude. Her and a world blanketed in white. An occasional deer for company. “Really. I’m fine. Thank you.”

  “All righty then.” Mike crossed to her and dropped a kiss on the top of her head.

  She took advantage of the distraction to adjust her sweater away from her beading nipples, hoping the men couldn’t detect the small hoops in them. An irregular beat of her heart fluttered her chest.

  When any member of the crew stood so near, denying their potent charm became impossible. Wedged between two of the studs, she could hardly breathe. Every one of the guys rocketed straight off her hotness chart, each with his unique twist. Mike’s fraternal care warmed her despite the chill creeping through the giant plate-glass window, which overlooked the mountainside and the lake in the distance. The flash of heat he inspired, though brilliant, was like a match compared to the bonfire Dave’s searing sexuality lit inside her.

  “Stay safe. I’m gone. Dave, you and the dynamic duo better hit the road as soon as they’re finished.” Mike slapped her patient on the ass and called over his retreating shoulder, “Five minutes or less. Start packing this away.”

  Kayla wondered at the easy confidence the crew possessed around each other.

  “Hey, can I ask you something?” She grimaced when the thought flew off her lips. Great, now she’d introduce awkwardness to their light friendship.

  “Anything.”

  She continued to work on Dave, gathering her courage while she kneaded the flushed red handprint Mike had left on Dave’s right cheek. Her fingers trailed to the backs of his powerful thighs before she continued. “Most of my clients freak at the idea of someone spying their naughty bits, especially if my treatment… arouses them.”

  Neither she nor Dave could deny the solid erection he sported every time she touched him. Hiding his impressive equipment would have been near impossible even if he’d bothered to try. The guys who’d helped her bring her dream to life—by constructing a quaint log cabin to house her future lakeside retreat—never once hesitated to drop trou or practiced the floor-tile-meet-laser-beam-stare, which she’d witnessed from others, when she offered to rub them down in the presence of their crewmates.

  “So?”

  “You guys don’t worry about stuff like that. If things get too intimate for one of you, you simply roll over, gather your cloth
es and put your—”

  “Cock.”

  “Yeah.” They’d tuck their junk into their ripped, paint-stained jeans. She shivered. “You zip up with no apologies. No false denials. No shame. More like a polite kiss on the cheek and a thank you.”

  “Why should we be ashamed? You’re sexy as sin and fan-fucking-tastic with your hands.” He grinned up at her. “Does it bother you to know you turn us on?”

  “Hell no! When people act like a natural reaction is some giant secret, they sometimes make me feel like I’ve done something dirty.” The crew’s lack of inhibitions refreshed her, gave her hope her crazy venture could work. “Your honesty is nice. Uncommon.”

  “You could say a lot of our relationship is unique. Me and the rest of the guys in the crew are close. We don’t hide stuff from each other. We share everything without assuming attraction has to lead to action. I’m not gonna lie, though. It’s great when it does.”

  If she hadn’t been so lost in thought, she might have probed for more info.

  They had no idea she planned more than an ordinary sanctuary surrounded by the wilderness outside. Not yet, anyway. She’d considered sharing her dream once she discovered how open-minded they were, but the opportunity hadn’t arisen during the lunch breaks she shared with them or the massage sessions she supplied to discount her bill. They were usually too busy—pulling pranks, telling her wild stories or raising hell—to sit and chat.

  She loved every minute of their company. Still, she’d fork over her autographed copy of Walt Whitman’s A Sun-Bath—Nakedness, or at least grant a peek at the rare document, for a sounding board.

  Kayla intended to open a nudist getaway. A spa where people could roam free of clothes and recriminating glares. Naked was her style. After her impulsive purchase of the acreage surrounding them, she’d spent loads of time on the mountain by herself. She’d indulged in both the luxury and the wildness of shucking her trappings plenty before hiring the five sexy men who comprised the crew to bring her vision to reality.

  Her family and friends had called the venture everything from ridiculous to a poor manifestation of her free spirit. The team of professionals—two lawyers, a doctor and an accountant—her parents had bred couldn’t comprehend the whims of their odd little sister.

  “Hey, you okay?”

  She blinked. When had Dave moved? He dragged faded denim over his lean hips. Damn it. She licked her lips as he tugged on a thin gray T-shirt, which obscured his firm pecs, then his six-pack and finally the ridge caused by his inguinal ligament—her absolute favorite spot on a man’s body. She could lick the crest it created from his hip straight to his…

  “Kayla?” Dave rested his broad hand on her elbow, shaking her from the daydream.

  Shit! For a woman considering founding a naturist haven, she certainly had a hard time separating this man’s form from his radiant attractiveness. A problem she’d never had before.

  “Change your mind about staying? You can bunk with me if you’re not interested in plugging your ears to block out the soundtrack accompanying all the sex rocking Mike and Kate’s apartment.”

  She laughed. “Nah, I’m good. Ready for a couple quiet days, that’s all.”

  “You’re not sleeping enough.”

  No kidding. If she didn’t order supplies, build a website, draft design concepts and secure the funding remaining to fill the gap after her sibling’s generous contributions, who would?

  “Yes, Dad.”

  “Fuck. Sorry. It’s none of my business—”

  “If her friends can’t tell it like it is, who can?” Another heckler waltzed in on their conversation.

  “James.” She hugged Dave in a quick, silent apology as the slighter man neared. “You’re right. Both of you. I promise to take a little time off to enjoy the season. You know, frolic in the snow and crap.”

  “Damn straight you will.” Neil joined them in the suddenly cramped area. How had it seemed spacious to her before? “Not much else you’ll be able to accomplish anyway. It’s turning nasty.”

  Kayla ushered them out of her living room and onto the front porch, crossing her arms over her chest to ward off the intense chill. It could be a hundred below yet she’d rather endure the sting of the wind for a couple seconds than add another layer of clothing to her frame.

  The more she went nude, the more it stifled her to be dressed. The holidays she’d spent with her family had driven her insane with discomfort. A few moments longer and she could retreat to the bliss of her fireplace.

  Dave tugged on his leather jacket while the other two men piled into their beast of a truck.

  “Drive safe.”

  Now that the guys prepared to pull out of her yard, a rebellious fraction of her mind wished she’d accepted Dave’s offer. Several days without their easy company seemed like an awfully long time. How could that be when she’d only met them six weeks earlier?

  “We will.” He buttoned the flattering coat, inspiring a gulp.

  She’d never seen him wear the thing before, never mind fasten it to the neck. Sporting something so constricting would suffocate her. Still, she wouldn’t complain about the extra time his actions granted them.

  “Call if you need anything, baby.”

  Like a hot construction worker to keep me toasty? Hopping from foot to foot to prevent her toes from numbing—still preferable than stuffing them into the prison of heavy shoes—she indulged her stubborn streak, which refused to abandon the porch until he’d vanished from sight. She chaffed her arms. Snowflakes swirled around them, drifting onto her hair. When one landed on her bottom lip, she licked the miniature puddle it left behind.

  Dave’s eyes slitted a moment before he growled, “Fuck this.”

  Kayla gasped between his parted lips when he swooped in to taste the moisture for himself. The kiss caught her completely off guard. He hadn’t telegraphed a single hint he’d noticed the electricity arcing between them. Not once had he taken their flirtation beyond harmless.

  Until now.

  She sank into his loose hold.

  His tongue stole its first taste of her mouth. The gust of passion he inspired knocked her off balance. She wrapped her arms around his neck to keep from losing her footing. When she thought she might try to crawl up him right there at the top of her stairs, in plain sight of his best friends, he retreated with a sigh.

  Dave stroked wisps of hair from her cheek. “You’d better head in before you catch a chill.”

  “As though I could have a cool molecule left on my body.” She touched her lips with her fingertips. “What was that?”

  “I think it’s called a kiss.” He laughed.

  “Jesus. Not hardly. I’ve kissed plenty of guys before.”

  Dave frowned.

  “None of them fired me up like that. Amazing.”

  “How about we work on it some more after the storm?”

  She couldn’t speak so she nodded instead.

  “Call me, Kayla. Let’s talk.”

  “Promise.”

  Dave pivoted and leapt down the stairs, grinning at her over his shoulder as he loped to the truck. If Neil had pressed his face any closer to the driver’s side window for a peep at the exchange, he’d have left a nose print on the glass. The instant he spotted his friend approaching, he turned the key in his truck’s ignition.

  The powerful engine roared.

  Then it sputtered.

  Right before it died.

  2

  “How could you have checked the spark plugs so fast?”

  “For the fourth time, they’re fine.” Neil knocked Dave away then dropped the hood with a resounding clunk. Six inches reduced visibility to shit considering the giant snowflakes buffeting them all.

  Kayla caught the tail end of the closest thing to a brawl she’d witnessed from the men as she returned to the gathering. She’d scooted inside long enough to slip on her boots and a hoodie when she realized something had gone way wrong.

  “It’s probably the bat
tery.” Neil paced beside his friends. “This frigid weather could have sapped it if it were on the edge. By the time we haul Kayla’s car over and jump it, plus run the engine long enough to guarantee we don’t end up stranded in a snow bank halfway down the mountain, it’ll be too late. This storm is nuts.”

  “Hell, I’m not sure leaving now would be a great idea.” James scratched his chin. “This could be a blessing in disguise. It’s coming harder than we expected. Driving in this would be unwise.”

  The three men faced her as one.

  So much for a peaceful, naked vacation. “Come inside. You’re welcome to stay.”

  “Are you sure…”

  “Yes.” Kayla grabbed Dave’s hand to tug him toward the house. Neil and James shrugged then followed. She shivered despite her recent additions.

  The guys shucked their boots and jackets as she headed for the kitchen. After working nearly twelve hours straight, they had to be starving in addition to cold. “What would you like for dinner? I’m guessing salted-caramel hot chocolate and Morgan’s day-old spice cookies aren’t going to cut it tonight.”

  The crew had fallen in love with her specialty beverage, spurring her to consider making it a staple at the spa. She’d brewed it for them every day at quitting time. Except today, since they’d tried to beat the storm. Tried and failed.

  “You don’t have to wait on us. I know you were hoping for some down time. Why don’t you relax by the fire, read or do whatever it is you do in the evenings? We can fend for ourselves. Stay out of your hair.” Dave approached behind her, inciting another chill.

  When she trembled, he wrapped her in his heat. His strong arms banded around her, tucking her close to the furnace of his chest. She wished their offensive sweaters didn’t create barriers between them. Long, thorough strokes of his broad palms infused her with warmth and dampened her pussy.

  “Don’t be ridiculous. This isn’t exactly a mansion.” She glanced around the log cabin. Open floor plans didn’t allow for much privacy. A low bar separated the kitchen space from the main living area and a steep, narrow staircase led to her loft bedroom. The laundry room and extended pantry sat on the far side of her bathroom, the only truly walled-off space.