“Yup,” he said between bites. “My secret’s out.”
“I think that is fabulous.”
His head came up. “Really? You do?”
“Sure I do. Of course I never thought there was anything wrong with being a handyman, but being a doctor rocks too.”
He gave her a genuine smile and her insides turned to meringue. Oh boy. She had it bad for him.
She winked. “Hey, do you need any help studying? I could go over the male anatomy section with you if you’d like.”
Brad laughed out loud. “You really are something else, Lindsay. Quite different from any other woman I’ve met.”
She rolled her eyes. “I know, I know, we’ve been over that already.” She squinted and studied him for a minute. “Seriously though, Brad, how come you never mentioned it when we were chatting? How come you kept it a secret?”
He shrugged. “Like I said, most people laugh. No one has ever supported my dream. Even though I’ve got a science degree behind me, most people don’t think I’m going to do anything with it, and that I’m going to stay a handyman forever. They figure I’m great to have sex with and nothing more,” he admitted honestly.
She suspected it took a considerable amount of trust on his part to tell her something so personal. She suddenly recalled their conversation, just before they had sex. Her stomach lurched remembering how she told him there could only be sex between them, proving she was no different from any other woman he’d been with. “Well, I wouldn’t laugh. I think it’s wonderful, Brad.”
He leaned back on his elbows. His voice was low, soft, barely audible. “Thank you.”
It suddenly occurred to her why he’d come all the way to Mason Creek to work. “I’m guessing you took this job way out of town to make extra money to help pay for MCAT prep classes.”
“Pretty perceptive, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I pride myself on that,” she teased. “So tell me, do you have enough money?” Not that it was any of her business, but she really wanted to know. It mattered to her. He mattered to her.
He shook his head and she could tell he wasn’t all that comfortable talking money with her. She narrowed her eyes and studied him. There were fine lines around his eyes and she wondered for a minute if he even slept last night.
“Did you get any sleep after you left here?”
“No, I had another job to go to. The pay was too good to turn down.”
“Can you ask your family to help?”
“My dad died when I was in high school, and mom is sick. So with her expenses, and taking care of my two younger siblings, I don’t think I’m going to take the prep classes this year. I’m still a couple thousand short.” She could hear the sincerity, the love and the responsibility in his voice.
Mind sorting through everything, Lindsay leaned in next to his warm body and snuggled in tight. He turned until they were face to face, chest to chest and hip to hip. He touched her cheek and in no time at all, desire overtook them. Their lips met in a frenzied kiss and in that instant she knew she wanted more from him. He was everything she’d ever wanted in a man, and she had no doubt that she wanted something a little more permanent.
God, she’d told him this was just about sex, but in the span of a few short hours, things had changed for her. She cared for him. A lot. And she needed to show him how much. She knew of only one way to do that. By showing support where others hadn’t. She was going to do something she’d sworn she’d never, ever do again.
7
Less than two hours later, Brad had Lindsay’s room all cleaned up. He’d swept, cleared out all his supplies and had taken the plaster to the dump for disposal.
Now that his job was completed, he needed to talk to Lindsay, to tell her how he felt. To see if she wanted to explore their relationship further and see where it led. Like he hoped she did.
He stood back and admired the wide open space. Lindsay’s voice gained his attention. Just her sultry tone alone had his body reacting with heated anticipation. Desire twisted inside him as she stepped closer.
“It looks fabulous, Brad. It really opens the room up.”
He turned to face her and smiled at the endorsement. “Thanks.”
He held his arms out to her and she moved into them. He wove his fingers through hers and tugged until their bodies collided. God, her heat scorched him and made him wild with need. He brushed a wayward chestnut lock from her face and put his mouth close to her ear.
“Lindsay, we need to talk.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he mentally kicked himself. He hadn’t meant to approach her that way. He knew firsthand that those words were usually the kiss of death. He’d heard them himself a time or two, women letting him know they wanted sex, not emotional commitment from him.
She removed herself from the circle of his arms and stepped back, her lips thinned to a fine line. Her voice tight, edgy. “Brad, wait.”
Everything in him reached out to her. Damn she must have read him wrong, either that or she was about to give him the brush-off. Shit, either way, this wasn’t good. “Lindsay—”
She held an envelope out to him. “I want you to have this.”
“What is it?”
Looking a bit unsettled, she shoved it at him. “Just take it, please.”
“What’s going on, Lindsay?” As he read her body language, his gut churned, he had a bad feeling. Her face was anxious, her stance antsy. Brad accepted the envelope and ripped it open. When he peered inside, his stomach hit the ground like a felled wall.
Jesus H. Christ.
Nausea welled up inside him but quickly segued to
