Built For Her Read online

  “Soo…?” The word drags out.

  I can’t come up with anything to say. I set my tea back down onto the table and look around. Fish has to be fast to make, right?

  “Barrett is—” Mark begins. I really don’t want to hear Mark talk about what a ladies’ man Barrett is. It makes my stomach upset. Crap. I’m going to fall for this guy. I’m going to have to avoid him as much as I can so that doesn't happen.

  “Barrett is what?” My eyes shoot up to see Barrett standing beside our table. I stare up at his handsome face, shocked that he’s here. He glances over at me before his eyes go back to Mark. “Barrett is what?” he says again.

  Mark pales before he turns bright red. Until now, I didn't think it was possible for someone to turn redder than me. Though I think Mark’s redness is from anger and not embarrassment.

  “I’m on a date.”

  My eyes travel between the two of them, and I wonder what the heck is going on between them. Why is Barrett even here?

  “Not anymore,” Barrett throws back. Just then the waitress walks up with plates of food in her hand. “Come on, Ginny.”

  He holds his big rough palm out to me and I stare at it for a second. I’m not sure what to do.

  “There’s a problem at the house,” he adds.

  “You can’t handle it?” Mark huffs out.

  That does it. I take Barrett’s hand because I’ll take any reason to get out of here. His fingers lock around mine and I swear a spark fires though my whole body. Barrett gives me a small tug and I stand up from my chair.

  “Sorry, Mark,” I tell him as Barrett pulls out a wallet and tosses a few bills onto the table.

  When we’re walking out of the restaurant, I turn to look over my shoulder. Mark doesn't say anything, but if looks could kill the two of us would be dead.

  “You need to stay away from him,” Barrett grits out as he opens his truck door and helps me in. He mumbles something about needing side steps installed for me. My breath hitches as he grabs my waist and lifts me up.

  “You don’t have to get a side step,” I say, clearing my throat. Jesus, he’s strong.

  He turns to look at me, and his deep blue eyes rake over my body. His lips turn up at one corner, giving me a playful half-smile.

  “Yeah, I do,” he says, leaning close to me.

  He smells like mint and sunshine, and I lick my lips thinking about what it would be like to kiss him.

  He closes his eyes for a moment and mutters something under his breath. He shakes his head then pulls back and shuts the truck door. I take a second to try and get my emotions under control.

  I’m used to being shy around men at times, but with Barrett it’s not only about being shy. I actually care what he might be thinking about me. I don’t even know what just happened back there. All I know is that I really hope that counts as a full date because I’m not doing that again.

  Barrett gets in on the other side off the truck and pulls away from the curb. I glance down and realize he was double parked. I peek over at him, and his hands are clenched on the steering wheel, his knuckles white.

  “I take it you don’t like Mark?” I hedge. I only get a grunt as confirmation.

  “Why do I need to stay away from him?” He glances over at me when he comes to a stoplight. “Wait. Why were you even at the restaurant? Did you know I was there?”

  Chapter 5

  Barrett

  Dammit, I should have just waited until their date was over. But something about her is driving me crazy, and letting her be alone with Mark was not going to happen.

  “How well do you know him?” I ask, not answering her question but asking one of my own.

  She shrugs. “We work together on occasion. He’s based out of the county offices and I’m downtown at City Hall. He comes in sometimes and does inspections for us. I needed my house done, so I asked him for a favor.” She’s silent for a second and I can feel her gaze on me. “Why won’t you answer my questions?”

  “Because I don’t want to scare you.”

  “Jesus, what did he do?” This time there’s real fear in her voice.

  “I’m the middle child with an older sister and a younger sister,” I say, trying to think of a way to ease into this. “My younger sister Steph and I went to high school with Mark. He’s two years younger than me,” I say, as I turn down her street. “He’s the same age as Steph.”

  “Did he go out with her?”

  “I think he knew while I was around he couldn’t get near her. But as soon as I graduated and went off to college, he took his chance.” I park on the street in front of her house because my truck is too big for the driveway. I don’t get out but unbuckle and turn to face her. “One night Steph called me crying saying that he hurt her. She begged me not to call the cops or tell our parents.”

  “Oh god,” Ginny says and puts her hands over her mouth.

  “I went and got her and took her to our older sister Lynn’s house. I waited until she fell asleep and then told Lynn to look after her. Then I went and found Mark.”

  “What did you do?”

  I shake my head and the anger still bubbles inside me. “Nothing. He knew what I’d do to him. His friends called the cops the second I pulled up. I fought them to get to Mark and I was the one taken to jail. Steph wouldn’t press charges because she was afraid he’d come after her. I couldn’t make her do it.”

  It was one of the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, but Steph just wanted to forget it ever happened. She ended up graduating a year early to get away from him and then moved out of the state. It fucked with her for a long time, but she’s got a good husband now who would do anything to protect her. They’re raising their kids and she’s put it all behind her. But I’ll never forget.

  “I don’t know if he’s done it since then or if he preys on people who won’t turn his ass in. But he’s not a good guy, Genevieve.” I look into her pretty green eyes and see the fear mixed with relief. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to scare you, but I just needed you to know the truth about who he is. And why you should stay away.”

  “I’m sick to my stomach,” she says, and there’s a look of disgust on her face.

  Right then a car pulls up in her driveway and I’m on alert. When I see her sister, Gabi, get out with Neal, I feel relieved.

  “What are they doing here?” she asks as she unbuckles and goes to get out of the truck.

  “Hey,” I say, stopping her. “I’ve got to run to the store again, so I’ll just come back tomorrow to start working.”

  She cocks her head to the side and looks me up and down. “You’re going back to find him again, aren’t you?” she says, reading right through me.

  “I’ll see you in the morning,” I say, giving her a wink. “Tell Neal and Gabi I said hey.”

  Ginny hops out of the truck and looks back before she closes the door. “Be careful.”

  It’s all she says before she shuts the door and walks through her front yard to meet her sister. I wave at them before I pull out and point my truck in the direction of the restaurant. I find it funny that she didn’t tell me not to go after Mark, or that I should leave him alone. Maybe I should, but some things can’t remain buried.

  By the time I get back to the restaurant his car is gone. I’d driven to a couple of places when I was looking for Genevieve knowing he wouldn’t go too far. He was too anxious to be with her. I could see it by the way he looked her up and down.

  I make a left out of the parking lot and spot his car at the gas station nearby. I pull in with the front of my truck facing his car, essentially blocking him in. He’s pumping gas and looking away from me, so he doesn’t see when I get out of my truck and walk around and then casually lean against his driver side door.

  When he puts the pump away he walks around, and the reaction he has when he looks up and notices me standing there is almost comical.

  “Hey, Mark,” I say crossing my arms over my chest and standing up straight. “How’s it going?”


  “What do you want, Cooper?” he says, narrowing his eyes.

  “Just a quick chat.”

  “She doesn’t belong to you,” he says defensively.

  “You see, that’s where you're wrong.” I take a step towards him and he presses his back to the car. “You keep your ass on the other side of the county where it belongs and we don’t have a problem.”

  “Why the fuck would I do what you say?”

  “Because if I see you anywhere near Ginny, or anyone else that is important to me, I’ll fucking kill you,” I say, leaning close to him. “The only reason I didn’t finish you off a long time ago was I didn’t know how not to get caught. But you better believe I won’t make that mistake again.” I stoop down so we’re eye to eye. “I’m not saying this as a threat, Mark, this is a solemn vow. You so much as step foot on a blade of her grass and I’ll fucking kill you with my bare hands.”

  He audibly swallows as I lean back. Just then a cop cruiser rolls up to the gas station. I give him a big smile and take a step back.

  “Have a nice day, Mark.” I turn around and walk towards my truck but stop when he shouts out my name.

  “Tell Steph I said hi,” he says just as the cop pulls up on the other side of the gas pump and begins to fill up. Mark slips in his car and gives me a wave as he drives away.

  So that’s how he wants to do things, I think as I get in my truck and set off in the opposite direction.

  Chapter 6

  Barrett

  The next morning, I get to Ginny’s house before the sun comes up. There’s not only a lot that needs to be done, but I want to see her before she goes to work.

  Her car is in the driveway, and Neal sent me a text last night letting me know they installed a security system in her house. He knows about what happened with Steph, so I’m sure he had about the same reaction as I did if Ginny told him about Mark.

  I tossed and turned last night unable to fall asleep. My thoughts were crammed with Ginny and if she was safe. But also, I was bombarded with images of her soaking wet in the kitchen. If my inner thoughts are supposed to say what kind of man I am, I’m ashamed of what they revealed about me last night. I bounced between murderous rage and insatiable want until I just gave up and got out of bed.

  Now I’m here knocking on her door at the crack of dawn.

  I wait a few moments, but there’s no answer and no sound. I pull out the key she left for me yesterday and let myself inside. My guess is she’s probably still sleeping, so I go straight to the kitchen and get to work.

  I’ve got a crew of guys coming later on today to help me, but this much I can do.

  I’m lost in what I’m doing with the plumbing and time goes by. When I finally climb out from under the sink after it’s all fixed I’m greeted with an ear-piercing scream.

  “Shit,” I gasp, and nearly drop my wrench.

  “You scared me to death,” Ginny says as she lowers the bat in her arms. “You told me about Mark and I got all crazy last night. Then I hear noises down here this morning and I didn’t know what to do.” She puts her hand to her chest trying to calm her heartbeat and it’s then I notice what she’s wearing.

  She’s got on a baggy tank top that hangs to her ass, but I can’t tell if she’s got on short shorts or just underwear. One thing I know for sure is that she’s not wearing a bra. Her dark red hair is piled on top of her head, and she’s got the most adorable sleepy expression on her face.

  I move my hands to the front of my jeans to try and cover exactly how much I’m enjoying her presence. I clear my throat and try to look away, but it’s no good. I keep coming back to her body.

  “I made coffee,” I say, pointing at the counter behind me. “Your water is good to go.”

  “Thank god,” she says, with her eyes half closed. She walks right past me and to the pot as she grabs a mug out of the cabinet.

  I’m a little confused that she’s not more concerned about being nearly naked in front of me. After getting soaked yesterday and giving me spank bank material for a year, I thought she was a little shy when it comes to her body. But I guess I was wrong. Because right now I can see nothing but skin and sex as she moves around the kitchen.

  She pours the coffee into the mug and brings it to her lips. She closes her eyes and inhales the dark aroma before she takes a sip. First one then another. Once she’s had about half her mug she sets it down and looks over at me. Then, as if suddenly realizing that I’m here, her eyes widen in panic.

  “Oh my god,” she whispers, looking down at herself and then trying to use an arm to cover everything I’ve already seen.

  “Good morning,” I say, trying to hide my smile as I lean against the counter next to her and make a show of looking her up and down. “Sleep well?”

  “Why do I keep embarrassing myself in front of you?” She puts her coffee down and scoots by me as she nearly runs from the room.

  “Don’t stop on my account!” I shout to her from the kitchen as she scampers up the stairs.

  I wait until I hear the shower running before I go outside and grab my big tool bag. I’ve got a lot of work to do today and I brought everything I need.

  Just when I’ve finished getting everything set up, Ginny comes down the stairs. This time she’s wearing jeans and a collared shirt with the city’s logo on it. Her hair’s down, and I think she might be just as beautiful now as she was when she came downstairs earlier.

  “Good morning, Genevieve,” I tease, and I love it when she bites her lip.

  “Listen,” she says, like she’s had a long time to think about what she’s going to say before she came down here. “I need this work done on the house, and my sister trusts you. Let’s just try and keep this professional from here on out. I don’t even need to be here when you are.” She says all of it quickly as if to rip the Band-Aid off.

  I take a few steps toward her and she leans her head back to look up at me. “Did I do something wrong?”

  “N-no,” she says, then licks her lips.

  “Then I’d like to see you as much as possible,” I say, reaching out and brushing my knuckles along her jaw. “Maybe you can come back at lunch time and see what I’ve been working on.”

  She blinks a few times and then walks around me to grab a to-go mug for her coffee. She fills it up while she talks with her back to me. “Like I said, let’s just keep this professional.”

  “All right then. If that’s the way you want it,” I say, fighting a smile. I have no intentions of letting her off the hook so easily, but I can be a very patient man.

  She spins around, and her expression tells me she didn’t expect me to give up so easily. Then she straightens as if remembering this is what she asked for. “Yes. Okay then.” She’s all business now. “Just fix the things we went over and that’s it. Leave your bill tonight and I’ll mail you a check.”

  “Sounds good,” I say, and don’t try to hide my smile.

  Ginny grabs her purse and nearly stomps past me on her way out the door.

  “Have a great day,” I say, and she looks back at me one last time before she closes the door behind her.

  Now the fun begins.

  Chapter 7

  Genevieve

  I flip through one of the books, glancing over the pages but not really taking anything in. I still can’t believe how I walked around in front of Barrett this morning. It wasn't until I’d gotten the coffee into my system that I realized that I was standing in front of him almost naked. His eyes roamed over me and I felt my body heat.

  I’m blaming the incident on my restless sleep from last night. From nightmares about Mark to fantasies about Barrett, my mind couldn't focus on one thing, so I ended up tossing and turning. It wasn't until my mind decided Barrett was a knight in shining armor that I finally drifted off into dreamland. Then I proceeded to have some of the dirtiest dreams I’ve ever had in my life.

  My mind flashes back to one part in particular and I have to cross my legs. My favorite was him pinning
me to the bed then kissing his way down between my thighs. Good lord, I’d woken up covered in sweat.

  I’m blushing like a crazy person while I sit here all alone.

  This is why I kept pushing for professional with him this morning. It was more for me because I know that at any moment I might launch myself into his arms. I can’t handle not having control of my body. Especially with someone I don’t even really know.

  I still can't explain this attraction that developed so quickly, but it’s there and I can’t stop thinking about it. My great idea is, out of sight out of mind, but as I sit here and daydream about him, I can already see the effort to push him away was futile. I’ve read this page ten times and still have no idea what it’s about.

  I shut the book, letting out a long sigh. Maybe I’ll grab some lunch and try to refocus. I jerk my head towards the door when I hear a knock. I freeze when I look up and see Mark standing there.

  “Hey.” He steps into my office and starts to shut the door.

  “Leave it open. It’s hot in here.” I surprise myself with how quickly the lie comes out.

  He pauses, his eyes narrowing for a moment before he does as I ask. Then he walks into my office and takes a seat in front of my desk.

  “Is there a reason you're not responding to my texts?”

  I want to tell him it's because I blocked his slimy ass but then remember I have to work with him occasionally. Which reminds me I need to talk to the mayor about that. I really don’t like the idea of him being alone with women in empty houses while he’s inspecting them. I’m not sure there’s much anyone can do without proof, but I have to do what I can for other women out there.

  “I’m terrible with my phone. Everyone knows that.” I shake my head and give him a fake smile.