Sin In Blue Jeans Page 4

  The sinking feeling in her stomach returned. That was exactly what she was afraid of. Not that he was gay, but that her damned uncle had turned off one of the hottest guys she'd ever felt a connection with in the past five years.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Mason was sitting behind the foreman's desk when a sharp knock vibrated the side of the trailer. He looked up from the papers in front of him. It'd already been a long day with numerous interruptions. But that wasn't what had his pulse jumping. Today was the day that Ryleigh was supposed to come back to recertify the site. His dick had been half-hard most of the afternoon, just imagining her in the enclosed space of his office. He shifted his seat, then cleared his throat. "Come in."

  He hoped he could keep his cool and not toss her across his desk. It'd taken all of his considerable will power to leave her alone last Friday night. Until this inspection was wrapped up, he couldn't in good conscious give into the strong chemistry simmering between them. It was one of the reasons he hadn't taken her up on the very obvious offer in her eyes the other night when he'd walked her the few short blocks to her quaint little home. But not the only one, Adams.

  And it was because of his need to dominate the feisty redhead, that he hadn't even dared kiss her - knowing that all it would take is the touch of their lips to send them sliding down the slippery slope of temptation - to fully wake the side of him that most modern women couldn’t handle. Even though Sister Mary Agnes had assured him that the right woman could handle his needs, he didn't want there to be even an inkling of impropriety when it came to the inspection.

  He wasn't gonna fuck up either of their jobs, no matter how much he wanted to reveal his inner cave man and give her a spanking for her foolish behavior, followed by a hard fucking. He could only hope that once the follow up inspection was done, he could broach the subject - and see if she was still interested in him, once she faced the reality of what belong to him would entail.

  "Uncle Mason!" Was all the warning he got before his four-year-old niece Lisa scampered into the trailer. She was followed in by his sister who was carrying two-year-old Johnny. "Momma said we could come see where you worked today." Lisa ran towards him, her dark braids bouncing. "If I'm really good, can I see the crane?"

  "Whoa, slow down, Sugar." He pushed back from his desk as she rounded it. He scooped her up in his arms as she threw herself into them.

  "So, can we, can we?" She turned her impish nose up to him. "I promise to be good, Uncle Mason."

  His heart melted at her request. He'd have scaled the Chrysler Building if she'd asked. "Unfortunately, this is the wrong kinda of construction site for a crane, kiddo."

  "Awwwww…no fair. Why don't you have one?"

  He gave her a smile. "Cause Uncle Mason would be greedy if he took a crane from a site that needed it. We only take what we need, sweetheart, not what we want. Understand?"

  She gave him a solemn nod. "Yes, Uncle Mason."

  "Good girl." He brushed a kiss over the crown on her head. "How about I show you the cement mixer instead?"

  She pulled back to look up at him. "Is it big like the crane?"

  He shook his head. "Nope." He was quick to reassure her when disappointment clouded her expression. "It might not be a very big machine, but it's very important. It mixes together the mortar that keeps our building together." He nodded outside towards the half-finished building where several masons were laying brick. "See that sort of gray stuff that they're putting between the bricks?"

  Clambering off his lap, she scurried over to the window. She pressed her nose up against it. "I see it, Uncle." She placed one little hand on the glass. "Is it sticky like peanut butter?"

  He chuckled. "Yep. Then it gets hard like your mom's biscuits."

  "Mason!" His sister scolded, her cheeks pink. "I'll have you know that my biscuits..."

  "...could double for hockey pucks for the Rangers." He finished with a wink.

  Diane just shook her head before shifting a wriggling little Johnny in her arms. "I'll have you know every diet needs a little charcoal."

  Mason grinned as his nephew squirmed against his mom's hold, obviously wanting to get down. "If you say so."

  "I do." She retorted, before sliding Johnny to her other hip.

  He rose from the desk and joined her. "Here, let me take him." He scooped his nephew up, making sure to swing the boy high. His excited giggles sent a flash of warmth through him. He might not have a whole helluva lot of experience in this uncle thing, but he loved both of the little tykes. After settling the boy on his shoulders, where the toddler buried his fingers in Mason's hair, he glanced back at his sister. "Everything okay?"

  She shrugged but her eyes spoke volumes. Something was obviously up. Something wrong enough to send his little sister halfway across town to his job site. But he'd told her he didn't care what time it was - if she felt uncomfortable or plain just needed him, to come find him.

  "I thought I saw...the Cadillac drive-by earlier." She shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot while behind her Lisa tried to pull open one of the locked filing cabinets. "I got nervous, so I headed here."

  "Cadillac?" At first, he wasn't sure what a car driving by his house had to do with her being nervous.

  "Yeah, you know the one with the 304 big block - that used to have purple racing stripes - like the one you helped rebuild?"

  Understanding dawned on Mason. She was talking about Randy’s car, without mentioning his name. Probably to not scare the kids. Since they'd arrived at his house, he'd dealt every night with Lisa's night terrors about her daddy coming back to hurt her mommy. So instead of saying her father's name, he followed Diane's lead. "Did you call it in?"

  Even as an ex-Con he hadn't completely lost faith in the system - not a system that had managed to pair him up with Sister Mary Agnes. Rehabilitation worked sometimes - if the guy was willing to work hard.

  She shook her head. "It's not a crime to go out for a drive. He didn't pull into the driveway. "

  Meaning the asshole was reminding Diane that the restraining order wasn't going to stop him. Intimidation 101

  But he wasn't about to voice his concerns with the kids present. He met Diane's worried eyes. His protective instincts kicked in. "We'll talk about this later, okay?"

  She nodded.

  "Good, until then why don't you guys go grab ice cream on me? There's a parlor down the street that serves the best double dipped cones." He glanced at the clock. It was less than an hour ‘til quitting time. And other than the inspection, he pretty much had wrapped up everything.

  "Ice cream, ice cream!" Johnny cried out as he bounced up and down on Mason's shoulders.

  He chuckled. "In just a second, sport." He met his sister's weary gaze. "Relax, sis. I'm not gonna browbeat you about it. Just promise me if he drives by again that you report it. If you let him get away with it, he'll continue trying to intimidate you, sis." He nodded toward Lisa where she avidly watched the masons. "And we can't take any chances with the kids."

  "I know." A renewed look of determination crossed her face. "They deserve better."

  He nodded. "Yes, they do." He wished things were different, that he could take his sister in his arms and hug her, but they weren't at that point yet. He hoped to eventually mend fences but knew even though he'd made his peace with his sister's actions, with a lot of help from Sister Mary Agnes, his sister wasn't at that point yet. Lisa had to learn to forgive herself for her part in his incarceration before they could even begin to fix things between them. It wasn't like she had a person like Sister Mary Agnes on her side. And it still took me five years to make me see the light.

  Tugging his wallet out of his pocket, he handed her a twenty. "The ice cream parlor is two blocks west of here, Sis. It shouldn't be too far a walk if you want to go grab a couple of cones while I wrap up for the day. There's a stroller in the back of my truck if you need it for this little guy. I picked one up this weekend."

  She took the money from him before he swung the little bo
y down off his shoulders. "You didn't have to do that, Mason."

  "I know I didn't." He brushed his hand over the top of Johnny's head, tousling his already messy hair. "But I wanted to. He's getting too big to be carted around - especially at the z-o-o." He carefully spelled out the word. Both of his sister's kids were animal crazy, so a trip to the zoo in Central Park would be a treat for both the kids and his sister. She didn't know it but he had arranged something with Charlie's wife, a beautician, for a little pampering. A new hairdo and maybe a manicure would get her mind off things - while he took the kids out to see the animals. And she'll be safe at Charlie's house for a few hours while I take the kids off her hands.

  "Come on let's go grab that stroller, Sis. I bet these kiddos could use something cold to tide them over ‘til supper. I thought maybe we would grill out tonight. Maybe you can make some of those potato things."

  "You want twice baked potatoes - in this heat?" She stared at him as if he'd grown a second head.

  "Maybe?" He ushered them out of the trailer toward his truck while bickering good naturedly with his sister about food.

  * * * *

  Ryleigh froze in the driver's seat of her work vehicle as Mason came out of the foreman's trailer with a petite brunette and two dark haired kids. Her little pep talk with Emily and Lola was all for nothing. No, the man wasn't holding a grudge. He simply wasn't available. Tears pricked the back of her eyes as she watched them walk over to his truck. The affection between him in the kids was obvious, even as pain settled in her chest. It had never crossed her mind to ask Mason if he was single. He hadn't worn a wedding ring, so she'd just assumed he was. But it would explain why he didn't kiss me on Friday. He’s taken. At least he didn’t cheat on her. The very idea that she’d never know how it felt to make love with him stung, but she was a big girl. It wouldn't be the first time she'd swung and missed. She'd get over it.

  Grabbing her tablet off the seat next to her, she took a deep breath and vowed to be professional. She'd get through this inspection, even if it killed her. Then she'd go home and take a cold shower and try to forget Mason Adams ever existed. She was halfway to the foreman trailer when he obviously spotted her.

  "Ryleigh! Over here." He waved in her direction as he pulled out an umbrella stroller for his wife.

  She sighed, then steeled herself against the temptation to punch him in the face. It wasn’t his fault that she’d been lusting after a married man. He may not have kissed her, but a few of the dances they'd shared Friday night were not necessarily appropriate for a married man. As she drew closer, Mason snapped open the stroller, then secured the safety clip. "I can wait in the trailer if you're busy with your family, Mr. Adams."

  He stiffened at the use of his last name. "I thought we agreed you’d call me Mason, sweet pea."

  Smoke almost came out of her ears as her Irish temper flared. Screw being a nice gal. How dare he use what was obviously a throw away endearment in front of his wife? "Excuse me? You have...." she was about to say a set of balls then tempered her words in deference to his kids. "...some nerve to call me that in front of your kids. Have you no shame? Children look up to their parents. You should be leading by example - not flirting with some strange woman in front of their mother." She gripped her tablet between her fingers, tempted beyond belief to smack him upside his arrogant head - especially when he started to chuckle. "What the hell are you laughing at! I should've let my uncle throw your ass back in jail. Lousy two-timing piece of shit...."

  Instead of trying to defuse the situation he merely blinked twice, then looked at her with an unreadable face. "You obviously think Johnny and Lisa are mine."

  Out of all the stuff she'd just spewed at him, that's the one thing he focused on? Unbelievable! "You can't deny they're yours. They look just like you."

  "Uncle Mason, that lady looks like she needs an ice cream cone too." The little girl spoke up as she tugged on Mason's pant leg.

  The girl's words broke through her anger and replaced it with embarrassment. Now she’d gone and done it. Put her foot in her mouth in front of his niece and nephew. "Crap. Uncle?"

  He nodded. "Yep." He tugged the woman forward. "Sweet pea, I'd like you to meet my twin sister, Diane. These two rascals are hers. Lisa..." he pointed at the little girl. "And of course, the lady killer himself, Johnny."

  "Ah...hi." She covered her lips with her fingers, wishing the ground would open up under her and swallow her whole. "I guess I should apologize."

  "For what? That's the most, maybe even the best entertainment I've had in ages." Diane smiled. "My brother needs a strong woman to keep him on his toes. "

  "Is that nice lady Uncle Mason's girl-friend, momma?" Lisa looked from her mom, then to her uncle. "Are you gonna marry her, Uncle Mason. I think she'd make a good aunt."

  Forget waiting for the ground to open up and swallow her. She was gonna go find a hole to crawl in and die - as soon as she made it to her car. "I gotta go. Another inspector will be in touch." She spun on her heels and darted towards her car - as if the hounds of hell were chasing her.

  "Wait!" Mason hollered behind her.

  Not even the warning note in his command slowed her. Reaching for her keys, she hit the unlock button. It’d be a pain in the ass but she'd get one of the other inspectors to follow up on DeLuca's site. She wasn't doing this. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. If a person could die from embarrassment, she’d be pushing up daisies already.

  She almost made it into her vehicle when Mason caught up with her. He caught her elbow in his grasp and stopped her from sliding behind the wheel. “I don’t think so, little girl.”

  She opened her mouth to demand he release her, when he shot a warning look her way.

  “I suggest you think twice, before pushing me any further, Ryleigh. Running from me is not acceptable,” was the last thing he said before he frog marched her to the foreman’s trailer.

  She swallowed hard, when he shut the door behind them and flipped the lock, before resting his large frame against it - effectively blocking off the only exit of escape.

  "You can't keep me here -" she began, a cold sweat breaking out under her clothes.

  "Sweet pea, I'll keep you here as long as it takes." He crossed his arms over his chest.

  "As long as what takes?" She clutched her tablet against her breasts.

  "As it takes for us to come to an agreement." He let his arms drop as he pushed off the door. "I had planned on waiting until after the inspection was over – just for propriety’s sake, but your little tantrum out there just fast-forwarded the timeline a bit."

  CHAPTER SIX

  If he were any other man, Mason would've worried about the fact that he'd basically just locked a woman in the foreman's trailer. But after Ryleigh's little display of pique, he was pretty sure that she wouldn't be screaming for help - let alone calling one of her family members down on him. At least that’s what he hoped.

  “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but I think it’s best if I leave now.” She tried to keep her composure, he’d give her kudos for that. But they were going to have a ‘come to Jesus’ talk - and if he ended up warming her backside, so be it.

  “Not happening ‘til we talk.”

  Her eyes widened comically as he crossed the short distance between them. He would have chuckled if he wasn’t so intent on his purpose, because for each step he moved forward, she retreated until she'd backed herself up against his desk. Stopping just inches from her, he reached out and tucked a stray piece of hair that had escaped the French twist she'd plaited it in. "This can go one of two ways - the way I see it."

  "I...still think I should just leave..." She wet her lower lip, and looked at the door behind him, obviously gauging the distance between him and the door.

  “Once we talk.” As close as he was, there wasn't a chance she'd make it, before he caught her. But he had to warn her. It was only fair. "Go ahead and try - if it makes you feel better.”

  “You want me to…” she seeme
d surprised.

  “Not really. But it’s your choice - just realize whichever one you pick won't result in you leaving any sooner.”

  “It won’t? What kinda of choice is that? The easy way, we talk - the hard way, we talk.” She glared up at him.

  “One will be painless while the other will result in you having a warm bottom, Ryleigh. So far, other than running when I told you to stop, you haven’t racked up any swats. I’m gonna overlook your outburst - since my sister actually got a laugh out of it. However, you could’ve been hurt running across the site. Which is something I won’t tolerate, sweet pea. "

  “It was foolish of me. I won’t do it again.” Her cheeks flushed. "But honestly, could you quit calling me that? I’m trying to do my job. None of the guys will take me seriously if they catch wind of it. ” She eased to the side, as if she could lure him into a false sense of security.

  “Fine. I won’t use it around the guys.” Matching her move for move, he kept his body between her and the door. “But last I checked there isn’t anyone here but us, sweet pea.”

  “Damn it, Mason. I just want to do my job.”

  He nodded slowly. “I know you do. Which is the first option. We talk, agree to act like civilized adults to get this inspection out of the way, then I pick you up Friday at eight."

  She made a strangled noise in the back of her throat. "You're asking me on a date?"

  "I mean, I'm a bit out of practice, but yeah, that's exactly what I'm doing." He lifted his hand to touch her cheek. "I don't care that your uncle is a cop. I've been a law-abiding citizen for the past five years. Not even a single speeding ticket. He'd be hard pressed to find anything to charge me with - especially considering I'm not gonna jump your bones where he might see."

  "You don't get it. I don’t date. I hook up, have a good time, and then go my separate way." She squeezed the bridge of her nose.

  “Not this time.” He countered. There wasn’t a chance in hell they were just hooking up. “Not with me.”