Turn Up The Heat: Love Won't Wait / Beach House Beginnings / Strong Enough to Love

Damn. “I’m sorry, Merrily.”

“We managed okay. I mean, until she worsened.” Slowly she freed herself from his touch. “After she passed away, the animals had a hard time adjusting. I figured a change of scenery would be nice, so here I am. With the animals, who, like I said, are family to me.”

“But you need that doggy door.”

“Yes. They’re happier now, but they were used to her being there. Now they’re alone...” She blew out a breath. “I think they’ll enjoy it more if they can get outside and play a little or even just lay in the sun.”

He considered her, wondering how much her mother’s health might have played into her broken engagement. Not many men would sign on for that type of responsibility. “Are you handy around the house?”

She laughed. “Not really, no. But I can read directions.”

Man, she had a nice laugh. Not too girly, not at all fake. Just...nice. “Do you have a good tool set?”

“I have a hammer and a screwdriver.” She bit her bottom lip but ended up shaking her head. “Will I need a lot of other stuff?”

Perfect opening. If it hadn’t been for the heartbreaking story she’d just shared, he’d have grinned in anticipation. But given her reasons for relocating, he managed to hold it together. “Tell you what. Why don’t I put in the doggy door for you?”

He waited for objections, for excuses, or a flat-out no.

She dropped back in her seat. “Seriously? You’d do that? I mean, I’ll pay you, of course, but I—”

“Neighbor to neighbor,” he said, cutting her off. Given what he wanted from her, no way could he let money change hands. “I’m happy to help out.”

Still surprised, she said, “But we’re not neighbors.”

No, but he wanted her bad. “In this town, everyone is a neighbor.”

“You’re sure?”

“It’ll be my pleasure.” He’d find out where she lived, make himself useful and in the end...he’d have her under him, where they’d both have some fun.

Even to him, that sounded like a Grade-A prick move.

But she forestalled any opportunity for him to retrench when she said with heartfelt gratitude, “Thank you. I appreciate it more than I can say.”

CHAPTER TWO

MERRILY LOOKED AROUND the duplex again, saw everything was in order and tried not to listen for Brick’s knock at her front door. The laundry would have to wait for another day. She’d tidied the space as much as she could with five pets underfoot. Like toddlers, they had toys everywhere. And though she’d just vacuumed, fur was a never-ending issue.

Dundee, an Australian shepherd and border collie mix, knew something was happening. He watched her with ears perked up, expression alert. “It’s okay, Dundee. Just be on your best behavior, please.” Because Dundee was always a happy fellow, eager to please, that wasn’t asking too much of him.

Dolly, a smaller bearded collie mix, didn’t really care enough about any visitor to skip her nap. Merrily could hear her low snores and, as always, it made her smile.

The cats kept vigil in different windows, with Union Tom and Stan the Man sticking together against Eloise, who tended to run the show. Ellie was a lovely lady, but as the only female cat, she ruled the dogs and the male cats with little more than a look.

Merrily ran a hand over her loose hair and again wondered if she should contain it in a ponytail. For the longest time, her regimen had included washing, dressing and restraining her hair. She almost felt pretentious for letting it hang loose.

As for her lip gloss, she’d already chewed that off, so it had been a complete waste of time. At least her jeans and yellow T-shirt weren’t much different from what she wore at work.

Chaos erupted with Brick’s first tap on her door. The cats shot off the windows, Dundee started dancing and Dolly awoke with such a barking start she almost fell off the couch. Merrily could barely hear herself as she urged them all to hush, to heel, to try not to appear quite so much like wild animals.

She opened the door and found Brick standing there with a smile.

“I hear them,” he said with amusement. He leaned around her to peek in, and the smile widened to devastating impact.

Oh, God, Merrily thought. If he was an animal lover on top of being so gorgeous and funny and...attentive to her, she’d be a goner in no time.

“Come on in.”

He got one foot in the door and Dundee was on him, his paws on Brick’s chest as he tried to lick his face, pelting him with doggy breath.

Brick laughed outright. He set aside a large toolbox that looked like it weighed a ton and went to one knee.

Big mistake.

Dundee all but took him to the floor. But Brick was stronger than her so he didn’t end up on his tight muscled butt. Instead he seemed to enjoy Dundee’s attention.

With high-pitched maniacal barking, Dolly vied for her own share of notice.

Sitting on the floor, Brick laughed some more and struggled to give both dogs the pets they craved.

“Really,” Merrily told them. “You guys will have him thinking you’re neglected, that I’m a terrible pet owner who leaves you starved for crumbs of attention.”

“Nah,” Brick said around his chuckles. “They’re terrific.”

Terrific? Seriously? Maybe he hadn’t noticed the cats yet. Or how dog hair already clung to his dark T-shirt. Or the...oh, no...doggy drool on his shoulder.

She covered her mouth and asked in a horrified whisper, “Should I call them off?”

“Why? I like the enthusiastic greeting.”

Dolly got into his lap, and he let her. Dundee kept snuffling his neck and chest—which was something Merrily wouldn’t mind trying if given half a chance.

Unsure what else to do, she seated herself on the couch. Eloise immediately joined her to watch the display with disdain.

Tom and Stan strode into the fray and with little more than a meow had the dogs backing off enough to sit beside Brick instead of on him.

“Names?” he asked Merrily, as if being accosted by an animal horde was just fine and dandy.

She cleared her throat. “Dundee is the bigger dog, Dolly the smaller. That yellow fellow with the round face is Tom, better known as Union Tom because he was found by Union Terminal. That’s Stan the Man with the adorable yellow eyes. And here in my lap is Eloise.”

“She has beautiful coloring.”

Merrily wanted to melt. “She’s a dilute tortoiseshell, and yes, very beautiful.”

“You said Tom was found by Union Terminal?”

“They’ve all been adopted from shelters. Dolly was...not treated well.”

Brows coming down, Brick reached out to the little dog again.

“Her shaggy gray fur needs a lot of work and her previous owners just didn’t care. They kept her outside, and she was dirty, matted... I’m sure she was miserable.”

Brick said nothing, but his jaw tightened and he cuddled Dolly a little closer.

Well. A telling move, that. So he was breathtakingly gorgeous and kind.

No wonder he had such an amazing reputation with the ladies.

She swallowed back her sigh of longing. “Dundee is seven years old but still acts like a pup. As you already found out, he loves to give doggy kisses.”

In an absurd voice, he said to Dundee, “Yes he does. Don’t you boy? You do. Lots of doggy kisses.”

Merrily gaped at him. And wanted to melt again.

Returning his attention to her, and his voice now normal, Brick said, “I’ll be stopping by my brother’s later. He and his wife have a dog and cat who’ll think I’ve been out cheating on them when they smell your pets on me.” He laughed. “Doug and Cate can be very possessive.”

“Those are the pets?”

“Yeah. Doug the dog and Cate the cat. Love the names, right? They were shelter pets, too. Evan and Cinder weren’t a couple then, just neighbors.” He smiled. “Though Evan had it for her bad, I don’t mind telling you. Anyway, they went to the shelter together. She got Doug, and he got Cate, and later they got married, and now they’re a happy family.”

Her heart swelled. “That sounds like a lovely fairy tale.”

Brick shot her a puzzled look. “Nah. Just real-life love. Happens all the time.” Putting the animals aside, he came back to his feet.

He was so big that it prompted her to stand, too, so he wouldn’t be towering over her. At least not as much as when she sat. Since he stood well over six feet tall, and she was less than five and a half feet, there’d be some towering going on no matter what she did.

But with Brick, she sort of liked it.

The cat squirmed in her arms, so Merrily started to set her down. Eloise had other ideas. She held on while staring at Brick in something akin to challenge.

A small, sexy smile tilted his mouth. He touched Eloise under her chin, and the cat closed her eyes in bliss. “So you’re the boss, huh?”

How did he know that? “It seems the cats are naturally bossier than dogs. And she’s the only female cat, so...”

“Nature’s way, I guess.” His hand went from Eloise’s chin to Merrily’s hair, tucking it behind her ear, then grazing her cheek. “You look nice with your hair loose.”

Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth so all she could do was stare at him. The combo of a casual touch and a compliment packed a wallop to her starved senses.

“But I like the ponytail you usually wear, too.”

“Oh...um...”

That knowing smile of his widened. He ran his big thumb along her jaw...then dropped his hand and looked around her home. “You have a nice place.”

“Thank you.”

He looked up at the cove ceiling. “There’s so much character in an old house like this.”

“I like it.” In a very short time, it had become her home, not just her residence. “The landlord, Tonya Bloom, did a great job in dividing it up for a duplex. In most of the rooms, you can’t even tell that it used to be one house.”

“Who lives next door?”

“She does. The landlord, I mean.” Merrily really didn’t want to talk about Tonya.

“She’s nice?”

“Very nice.” As well as beautiful, incredibly built, smart and successful. The comparisons could depress her, except that Tonya was one of those people who treated everyone like a cherished friend.

She did not want Tonya treating Brick that way.

Time to get him thinking about a different topic. “I was hoping the doggy door could open to the backyard.” Eloise still refused to be put aside, so Merrily carried her in her arms as she went into the kitchen.

Along the way, Brick held silent, and she assumed he was taking in the original high baseboards and the sloping wooden floors. But when she looked back, it was her behind he stared at. She faced forward again and tried not to put any more swing in her walk than necessary.

“Right here would be the ideal spot.” She indicated the thick wooden door that opened to the small fenced yard.

When she turned, Brick was right there, crowded in close behind her in the small confines of the galley kitchen. He was so close, in fact, that Eloise could lean out and rub her head against his shoulder.

A little dumbfounded, Merrily stared up at him while breathing in the amazing scent of hot, hunky male. She’d been around other men and never noticed their scent. Did he smell different? Or just better?

Brick glanced at her with a raised brow and a barely there smile.

She had to get it together or he’d start to wonder at her motives, which, yes, included the desire for more than a doggy door to accommodate her pets.

Sidling around him, Merrily tried to gather her wits. “Would you like anything to eat? Or drink?”

He knelt down to examine the base of the door. His dark T-shirt stretched tight across his broad back and solid shoulders and the denim of his jeans hugged his flexed thighs. “I’ll take a drink, thanks.”

Lord, have mercy. Stalling, Merrily lifted a hand and fanned her face, but it didn’t help with the flash flood of heat.

Maybe she should have started this plan with someone just a little less...everything.

Less macho, less gorgeous, less overwhelming.

Problem was, no one else had appealed to her.

He glanced back. “Merrily?”

Having a big sexy guy around was an aberration and she knew she was bound to trip up occasionally, but still, she wanted to be just a little smoother. “I, ah, don’t have anything alcoholic. I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about it or I could have picked up some beer or something—”

Releasing her from the snare of his dark gaze, he opened the door and asked, “What do you have?”

“Iced tea or coffee. Cola. Maybe some juice...”

“Tea would be great, thanks.” He glanced back at her again, then all over her, before returning his attention to her face. “I’m not a big drinker.”

“Oh. Okay.” Merrily bit her lip at that lame reply. What did okay even mean? Should she admit she wasn’t much of a drinker either? No. Not yet. Not when so many social relationships relied on casual drinking.

After a ridiculous smile, she spun around and almost tripped over Dolly and Dundee. They sat there, staring at Brick with the same fascination she felt.

She put Eloise in a kitchen chair and opened the fridge.

By the time she’d finished filling a glass with ice and pouring the tea, Brick was standing again, his hands on his hips, expression pensive.

She handed him the tea. “Is there a problem?”

“Not a problem, exactly. I can do it. It’s just that I kind of hate to.”

He drank deeply, and she watched the way his throat worked. This late in the day, he had a dark beard shadow. She wanted to touch his throat, to feel the rasp of his stubble, maybe brush over it with her lips...

After finishing half the drink, he frowned at the door. “Your landlord actually agreed to let us do this?”

Merrily had no idea what he was getting at. “I talked with her about it before making any real plans.”

“Well...” He rubbed the back of his neck. “Before I do anything, I’d like to talk to her, too. Do you know when she’ll be around?”

No, no, no. She didn’t want Brick and Tonya in the same room together—with good reason. “You don’t believe me?”

“Sure I do. But I’m guessing neither of you realize the value of that door. Before I start cutting on it, I want to talk to her myself.”

The idea of him meeting Tonya disheartened her, but what could she do? Merrily shrugged. “She’s usually home by now, actually.” Tom stretched up to her leg, so she lifted him. “I don’t understand your concern.”

“That’s one hell of a vintage door to chop up. Solid, probably original to the house, and still in great shape. They don’t make them like that anymore, not unless someone wants to spend a small fortune. People refurbishing old homes would go nuts over it. Seems a shame to mess it up. Once I cut it for the pet door, it’ll never be the same, and replacing it later with another door like it wouldn’t be easy.”

“Oh.” Merrily looked at the door, but to her, it was just...a door. “So I guess a pet entry is out.”

“No, we can still do it. But if your landlord agrees, I’d rather take that door down and store it so it can be put back in if you ever move. In the meantime we can throw up a cheaper door and use it for the pet entry. It’d still look nice, and it’d be plenty secure. What do you think?”

“Won’t that be more work for you?”

“Not a lot. As long as you don’t mind having me around an extra day or so, it’s not a big deal.”

Mind having him around? He had to be joking. “There’s a shed out back where you could store it or maybe in the basement or attic.” She hated to sound unsympathetic to the old house, and she loved the idea of prolonging his visit, but... “How much would a new door cost me?”

“Nothing. Jesse probably has something lying around that would fit.”

“Jesse?”

“My friend from lunch today.” He tipped his head. “You don’t remember him?”

“I do.” Jesse had an engaging smile, blond hair and green eyes, but sitting across from Brick, he’d been almost invisible—at least to her. Without thinking it through, she admitted, “I heard a few of the other waitresses talking about him.”

“Yeah? Saying what?”

She cleared her throat. “Just...girl talk.”

At her show of discomfort, his gaze brightened and a smile played over his mouth. “Tell me.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I couldn’t.”

He set his drink aside and, with teasing intent, stalked closer. “C’mon, Merrily. Out with it.”

She back-stepped until her backside bumped into the counter. Heat rushed into her face. This was a new game to her, but she didn’t want him to know that.

He got so close that her heart hammered and a strange tingling spread out to her limbs.

It wasn’t at all an unpleasant feeling. Not with Brick.

“Now don’t faint on me.”

“No. I won’t.” She might jump him, but she wouldn’t pass out and miss any of this. She cleared her throat. “They, ah, said that Jesse was so sexy, he...”

“He what?”

To get it over with, she blurted, “Made panties drop.”

Brick didn’t put any space between them. In fact, he brushed her cheek with the backs of his knuckles. “And what about you?”

“What about me?”

“You think Jesse is all that?”

“What? No.” She shook her head hard. “I mean, I’m sure he’s nice enough.”

“He is.”

But he wasn’t Brick. She shrugged. “That’s it. He’s nice.”

Brick’s slow smile said a whole lot of stuff—but she wasn’t sure what exactly. “He’s a carpenter, so he always has extra materials on hand. If he doesn’t have a door that fits exactly, he can cut it down to make it work. Piece of cake for him.”

He was still too darned close for coherent thought, but she muddled through. “I’d have to insist on paying him.”

Slowly, his gaze warm and intimate, Brick tucked her hair behind her ear—and finally gave her some space. “You can take that up with Jesse, but either way, it wouldn’t be much. So what do you say? Why don’t we go discuss it with the landlord right now so I can get to work on this for you?”

Darn it. She didn’t want to. If she had her way, Tonya Bloom would never be within smiling distance of Brick. Tonya smiled and men went stupid—she was that beautiful. But with Tonya living next door, the idea of them never running into each other was unrealistic and she knew it. “I could just talk with her and then let you know what she says.”

Brick studied her. She knew he studied her, that he wondered at her motives, and it made her want to squirm.

After a few nerve-racking seconds of scrutiny, he seemed to come to a conclusion. He nodded at her kitchen table. “Mind if I sit down while I finish my tea?”

Oh. “That’d be fine.” She followed him to the table, but when Brick pulled out a chair, he found Eloise curled up in it. The cat gave him a “do not disturb” look and settled again.

“Sorry, old girl.” He pulled out another chair, and there was Tom draped over the seat. In the next chair was Stan, one leg in the air while he “groomed” himself.

Feeling foolish, she explained, “They like to be where I am.”

“Can’t say as I blame them.” Instead of acting put out, he smiled at the cats. “The couch, then?”

“I could move them.” It was a lame, unenthusiastic offer. She hated to disturb her pets when they slept. So often, she would inconvenience herself first.

Brick curved his big, warm hand around her upper arm. “The couch works.” He led her back through to the living room, Dolly and Dundee following hot on their heels. He sat and urged her down close to him.

But rather than finish off his tea, he set it aside and turned to her, his gaze moving slowly over her face. “So.”

So...what? She waited, uncertain what to say or do, not knowing what he intended.

“Why don’t you want me to meet the landlord?”

Wow, intuitive and straight to the point. She wasn’t used to guys being so up-front.

Actually, she wasn’t all that used to guys, period. But the ones she had known weren’t exactly straight shooters. More like vague with hidden agendas.

By way of an answer, she asked her own question. “What makes you think I don’t?”

His gaze softened in understanding. “Not to brag, Merrily, but I know women.”

She was sort of counting on that.

Casually, he put an arm up along the back of the couch—behind her shoulders. “And I see it in your expression.”

Dolly jumped up to the couch and went into his lap, circled twice, then plopped down with a sigh. As if he barely noticed, Brick scratched the dog’s ears with his free hand and continued to stare at Merrily, waiting for her reaction.

Even after Dundee sat on his foot and leaned into his leg, Brick didn’t pull that unwavering gaze from her face.

A multitude of reasonable excuses tripped through her mind, but she’d always been a terrible fibber. If he could be up-front, maybe she should be, too.

“Tonya is...really pretty.” Lame. Tonya was well beyond merely pretty.

“So?”

“So...” Her face went hot, but she lifted her chin. “I do want a doggy door. As you can see, I need one.”

“Agreed.”

“But I was also hoping...that is...” How did one spell out carnal intent? She met his gaze and went for broke. “I like you.”

The corner of his mouth tilted in a crooked smile. “I’m listening.”

He was, very intently, and it rattled her composure big-time. She cleared her throat. “You know I’m still kind of new to the area. Between school and work, I haven’t had a chance to get to know that many people.” She didn’t really know him either, but not only did she enjoy talking to him at the restaurant, she also found him oh-so physically appealing.

And the other waitresses didn’t talk only about Jesse. They’d had plenty to say about Brick, as well. He had quite a reputation, and it was so scintillating, so exciting, she couldn’t resist the idea of a daring sensual adventure.

That is, if Brick cooperated.

“I was hoping...that is...” For crying out loud, she sounded idiotic. “I don’t want to scare you off or anything. I’m not trying to rope you in. But I think you’re...sexy.”

His smile warmed.

“And you’re nice. And there’s just something about you...” Something raw and appealing and exhilarating. Merrily put her shoulders back. “I’d like to sleep with you.”

Surprise chased off his smile. His eyes widened a little, then narrowed.

Just in case she hadn’t been clear enough, she stated, “For sex.”

There. She’d said it. Not the smoothest come-on, for sure, but under her extenuating circumstances, it would have to do.

She waited on pins and needles to see how the oh-so-awesome Brick Carlisle would react.

* * *

WOMEN RARELY THREW him for a loop, but Brick had to admit that Merrily did it when she wasn’t even trying.

A hungry look, a nervous smile, and he missed a beat. She was just so open, so unguarded in her desire.

It made sense that when she did try—with a straight-shot, spell-it-out confession, no less—he was guaranteed to falter.

No way had he expected her to make it so easy for him. No way had he expected a supposed virgin to state her case so bluntly.

Out of necessity, he lifted the dog away from his lap and set her on the couch between them. He shifted and stretched out one leg, but it didn’t help.

“Well?” Probably as much for comfort as out of habit, Merrily scooped up the dog and hugged her close.

He was saved from trying to reply coherently by a knock on her door.

Looking a little stricken, she closed her eyes and blew out a breath.

“You expecting someone?” Brick asked.

“No.” She opened her eyes to show churning uncertainty. “The only one who visits me is Tonya.”

No guys visiting, then. Good to know.

She’d claimed to like the landlord, so why so glum now? “That’s a problem...because?”

Again she lifted her chin. “I want you.”

“Yeah. Heard that the first time.” If she kept saying it, how the hell did she expect him to show any finesse at all? “I’m on board, honey, trust me. So why don’t we talk to the landlord to clear up the door situation, then we can discuss...” He gestured between them. “You having me.”