Don't Tempt Me

By dinnertime they had everything unloaded and most of the big items reassembled and situated, including mismatched bedroom pieces, a stack washer and dryer and shelving in the small living room.

Her couch, which had been the first thing put in the truck so was the last thing out, still had a secondhand sale tag on it. So she’d bought used furniture? Didn’t matter to him—except that she was clearly stretching her budget, and given the costs inherent in buying a rehab house, that didn’t bode well for anyone.

The fact that she was so attractive didn’t help much, either.

As he and Hogan moved the couch in front of a clean but curtainless window, Jason looked to the kitchen, where he could just see Honor on tiptoe unloading a variety of dishes into a cabinet. Her profile was even more mouthwatering than the head-on view.

Snug, faded jeans hugged a perfectly plump ass. Her stretched-out posture showed the rise of her breasts and the dip of her waist. With every movement she made, her ponytail bounced.

Honor Brown was petite without being skinny, stacked without being flagrant about it and a true natural beauty, though she seemed unaware. Her tawny-blond hair almost exactly matched her golden-brown eyes, eyes shades lighter than his. Eyes that drew him in, especially when she looked at him with a mix of curiosity and awareness.

Several times he’d seen her yawn, but not once had she slowed down. The way she moved, how she blushed...her smile. He liked it all. He liked her. Too much.

She definitely shouldn’t be here.

She must have felt him looking—again—because she went still, then glanced his way. For a second their gazes held before, once more, she looked him over. And damn, he liked that, too. The girl had a hungry way of devouring him with those whiskey-colored eyes.

Hogan stepped between them as he set out a lamp, unwrapped a decorative dish and tossed a throw pillow onto the couch.

That broke the spell. “Oh, you don’t have to do that.” Setting aside a plate and hurrying into her small living room, Honor said, “Just leave everything and I’ll arrange it later.”

“We’re here,” Hogan told her, carrying a box of books to a squat bookcase. “Might as well get it set up where you want it.”

Fluttering around, fretting, she said, “Oh, but...you guys have already done so much and it’s getting late and honestly I can get this all done myself, so—”

“I’m only here temporarily,” Hogan explained. “But for now, we’re neighbors. Besides, we didn’t have anything else to do today.”

“And I brought food,” Colt said as he walked back in the front door with two boxes of pizza and a twelve-pack of Coke.

Honor’s shoulders slumped. “I’ve worked you all through dinnertime.”

That made Colt laugh. “Pretty sure we insisted.”

“They did.” Eyeing the pizzas with greed, Lexie said, “Those are mighty big pies.”

“Yes, ma’am. Enough for all of us.”

“You’re a good boy, Colt.”

The banter between Lexie and Colt only seemed to rattle Honor more. She made a beeline for her purse on the kitchen table. “I’ll pay you for it. How much—”

“No,” Jason said before Colt or Hogan could speak. The firm refusal stopped her in her tracks.

Softening things, his brother explained, “Jason gets a deal because the pizza girl is hung up on him.”

Honor swiveled around and stared. “Pizza girl?”

“True story,” Colt said. “But I’d call her a woman, not a girl.”

“Only because she’s too old for you.” Hogan said to the ladies, “She’s early twenties, and real cute.”

Jason rolled his eyes. The pizza girl—emphasis on girl—was pretty enough, but he wasn’t interested. She might be too old for Colt, but she was definitely too young for him. “Everyone’s hungry, so let’s eat.”

Honor looked around her house. “It was super nice of you to go get food—”

“Because I’m starved,” Lexie said.

“—but there’s nowhere here to sit, much less eat.”

Colt hitched his chin toward the back of the house. “I cleared a path for you over to our backyard. We have a picnic table. Let’s go there.”

She stared at Colt, wanting to refuse but unsure how to deny a seventeen-year-old boy. Using her wrist to brush bangs out of her eyes, she waffled. “But—”

“No buts,” Hogan told her. “You don’t want to be unneighborly, do you?”

Jason didn’t mind Colt urging her, but what was Hogan’s endgame? “You guys go on. Get out some paper plates and stuff. I’ll help her finish in the kitchen and we’ll be right over.”

After a long speculative look, Hogan’s mouth lifted in a sly grin. “Sure.” Then to Lexie, “You coming?”

Lexie looked to Honor. “Do you mind? Or was there something else I could do?”

Immediately Honor shooed her away. “Go, sit. I’ll only be five minutes.” Unfortunately, the second the others were gone, she tried to shoo him away, too. “Really, Jason, I’ve got it. There isn’t that much more to do.”

Jason took in all the still-full boxes, the stacked kitchen, and shook his head. “Looks like a lot to me.”

“Everything I need right away is unpacked. I’ll get my bed together and then do the rest of it little by little. I promise, it won’t be a problem.”

He studied her and saw her cheeks go warm again. The woman blushed far too easily. Walking past her without a word, he entered the kitchen and picked up where she’d left off.

And he didn’t have to go on tiptoe to do it.

From behind him, she said low, “This is ridiculous.”

“What’s that?” He didn’t pause in unloading plates to the bottom shelf where she could better reach them, and putting serving bowls and platters toward the top.

“I don’t even know you people.”

Over his shoulder, he took in her disgruntled and confused expression. “Around here, neighbors help neighbors. When Sullivan Dean moved in across the street, we did the same thing. Few months ago Nathan Hawley moved in on the other side of me, and we lent a hand.” He shrugged, broke down the now empty box and put it on the stack of cardboard by the back door.

“I haven’t met them yet.”

“You will.” And though it shouldn’t, that bothered him. Both Sullivan and Nathan were single. Neither seemed to be on the prowl, but with a lady like Honor, who knew? “Clearbrook has a lot of community stuff. Volleyball, barbecues, that sort of thing. You’ll meet everyone in no time.”

Edging back into the kitchen but keeping some distance between them, she started folding dishrags into a drawer. “You’ve had a lot of people moving in?”

“Houses around here stayed empty until the city decided to revamp things.”

“Are you new to the neighborhood?”

“Grew up here, actually.” He found another empty box, and another after that, breaking each one down so the cardboard made a nice flat stack. “The house used to be our dad’s. When the area deteriorated, he saw no reason to keep maintaining the property. About eight years ago he decided he’d enjoy Florida, so I bought it from him.”

“Wow. You must’ve been pretty young.”

“Twenty-four. Old enough to know what I wanted.” He’d always loved the house and the memories that came with it. Before his mom died, it was a home. After that...both his dad and the house fell apart. “It needed some work, so I got a good deal, and Dad got the cash he needed to relocate.” These days, his father rarely visited any memories that reminded him of his deceased wife—including his sons and grandson.

“Win-win,” Honor said.

“Right.” Leaning back on the counter, he watched her close one drawer, then begin filling another with place mats, oven mitts and such. “So...no man in your life to help you get moved in?” Her friend Lexie had already announced neither of them was married, but a woman Honor’s age, looking the way she looked, surely had a guy or two hanging around.

As if the question threw her, she paused, searched for what to say and in the end just shook her head.

Unbelievable. Was that a recent occurrence? A divorce, or a breakup of another kind? Or maybe she was more like the other blonde, Lexie, than he’d first thought. “What about a brother? Your dad?”

She concentrated on the drawer. “No.”

That didn’t feel right. “No one but your friend Lexie?”

Her face flushed, but this time it was with uncertainty. “Why do you ask?”

She thought he was being nosy. Or maybe she thought he was hitting on her.

The truth was probably a mix of both. “You being here alone...it’s not a great idea.”

Like a challenge, she said, “I already had new locks put on the doors.”

His mouth quirked, but he didn’t want her to think he was laughing at her, so he tipped up his chin, scratched the beard stubble underneath and decided on a few facts. “Last week, two blocks from here, some punks broke into an older man’s house. Beat him up, robbed him. Less than a month before that a woman got jumped in her own front yard, middle of the day. Luckily Nathan was around and he stopped them before she was seriously hurt.”

“Nathan, your neighbor?”

That was the part she found interesting? “Yeah, he’s the sheriff.” Continuing, he told her, “In the past two months people around here have had their cars jacked, been robbed, assaulted—”

“Your neighbor—our neighbor—is the sheriff?”

Jason stared at her. “You’re not listening to the important part.”

She waved a hand. “I get it. There are still some criminal activities. But the area is on the upswing, right? They’re fixing up the park, new businesses are moving in and they’re even going to reopen the old neighborhood pool—”

“Which is right across from a cemetery.”

That slowed her down, but only for a heartbeat. “That’s just because the cemetery expanded, right? And now it’d be too expensive to move the pool. I’m sure it won’t bother most people. Definitely won’t bother me.”

She’d done her research. Or maybe Realtors had their pitches down. “The key point here is that it’s a work in progress. They’re still fixing up the park, too many businesses are pending and the pool probably won’t be ready until mid-July, if then.” He took a step closer. “Right now, this week, the area is not safe for a woman alone.”

Agitated, she glared at him. “So I should what? Not stay in my own house? My first house? Should I put it right back on the market? Lose the opportunity of a lifetime?” She took a step closer, too. “Rhetorical questions, because I can assure you, I’m here to stay.”

Jason stared at her earnest face, taking in each appealing feature. On top of soulful eyes, a lush mouth and a fine body, she had guts. And damn it, he liked that, too. “Get a dog. And a shotgun.” He reached into his back pocket, pulled out his wallet, then found a business card. “And if anything spooks you, anything at all, call.”

“I’m not helpless. I can take care of myself.”

She said that so defiantly that he almost smiled. “Sure. But if you just need a hand with something, any heavy lifting, we’re right next door.”

“Muscle for hire?”

The smile cracked, and from that came a laugh. “You do seem to pick and choose what you hear and don’t hear.”

She looked at his mouth, and sighed. “I heard all of it. I’ll consider the dog once I have the yard ready. I don’t know enough about guns to get one.”

“I imagine Nathan could teach you.”

“Three guys right next door, and a sheriff next door to them. How much safer could it get?”

She was cute when she teased. Maybe he should tell her about Sullivan across the street. Talk about a badass...but no. He wasn’t going to do Sullivan’s work for him.

“The other side of your property butts up to woods. No lights. Wild animals.”

She scoffed. “Wild animals, huh?”

“Middle of the night, when you hear noises you don’t recognize, or maybe even gunfire nearby, no one is going to seem close enough.”

“Now you’re just trying to scare me.”

True. She needed to stay alert. Because he watched her, he could almost see her thinking as she put the business card on the refrigerator with a flower-shaped magnet. She turned pensive, too quiet.

“I mean it,” he said, drawing her out again. “If you need anything—”

“No.” All too serious, she laced her fingers together and looked up at him. “You’re really nice. I mean...really nice. All of you are. And I appreciate it. What we got done today would have taken me at least a week on my own. I’d been hopeful of just getting unloaded and getting my bed together so I’d have a place to sleep tonight.”

His thoughts veered in directions that they shouldn’t, thoughts that included her and a bed. Fewer clothes. Less talk.

“Before buying the house, I lived with roommates. Four of us in a small apartment. And before that I lived with a relative.”

Relative—not parents? He wondered about that, but then she continued explaining.

“I’m happy to be on my own. You don’t have to worry that I’ll impose on you, not for any reason.” She rocked to her heels a little, her fingers laced tightly, looking uncertain, self-conscious. “I’m grateful for the offer of a helping hand, and as reassuring as it is to know there’s backup so close by, I want to do this, the rest of it, on my own. It’s important to me.”

Yeah, it had been important to him, too, so he understood. But understanding and believing she could do it were two different things. She lacked muscles, yet much of what needed to be done would be labor intensive, work that included heavy lifting, pulling and endurance. Given her clumsiness with the dolly, he doubted she knew her way around the toolshed. What her house needed would require more than a hammer or a screwdriver.

To be sure, he asked, “You have experience with remodeling?”

“No. But I’m not dumb. I can read instructions.”

Instructions wouldn’t really cut it, but rather than belabor the point, he merely nodded. “Let’s go eat.” He’d be glad to get that part of it over with. Whether his brother or nephew realized it, Honor Brown was going to be trouble. With her next door, their peaceful bachelor existence would soon be shot to hell.

Honor bit her lip. Her gaze dipped down to his chest, then shot back to his face. Her eyes were big and innocent when she said, “Only if you put on a shirt. Because otherwise, I just can’t do it.”

Jason sighed. And so it began.

2

HONOR WASN’T USED to eating with three men. It astounded her how fast the pizza got devoured. But then, she’d pretty much inhaled her own slice, too. Working up a hunger, it seemed, overshadowed other concerns—like feeling self-conscious and knowing she was an intruder despite their efforts to put her at ease.

They all chatted easily, except for Jason, who seemed introspective. He’d gone from staring to teasing, to warning, and now quiet.

At first she’d worried that she might have offended him. But how? Not by asking that he wear a shirt, because that was a request he’d ignored.

The man was still half-naked.

And it couldn’t have been from accepting his help, because he was the one who’d bullied his way in and insisted on...being wonderful.

She rubbed at her temples. When she’d thought about neighbors, she never imagined any like these.

“You okay?” Colt asked.

A fast smile, meant to reassure him, only amplified the headache. “Yes. Just a little tired.”

“She works too much.” Lexie shoulder-bumped her. “I’ve tried to get her to play a little, too, but she’s the original party pooper.”

Lexie, at least, seemed right at home. But then she always did. Confident, beautiful and fun—that described Honor’s best friend.

They were polar opposites.

As if she’d known the guys forever, Lexie had heckled Hogan, teased Colt and praised Jason. She also repeatedly put her head back and drew in deep breaths, closing her eyes as she did so. With the scents of freshly mowed lawn, earth, flowers and trees all around them, Honor understood her reaction. Jason’s backyard was a half acre, same as hers. But while hers was nearly impassable with weeds, his was park perfect.

A gigantic elm kept them shaded, and with the help of an occasional gentle breeze, the summer day became more comfortable. Honor glanced around at the neatly mulched flower beds, the velvet green grass and the well-maintained outdoor furniture. His garage was spectacular, matching his house. Every so often she caught the faint scent of oil, gasoline and sawdust.

She also smelled sun-warmed, hardworking male. Not at all unpleasant.

“Where do you work?” Colt asked.

“She’s a stylist,” Lexie offered. With a nod at Jason, she said, “Honor could do all sorts of amazing things with your hair.”

Honor choked on her last drink of Coke.

Unaffected, Jason ran a hand through the dark waves. “I have a barber but don’t make it there as often as I should.”

“He’s always working,” Colt said. “He’s usually out there in the garage before Dad and I even get out of bed.”

“Good thing messy looks so sexy on him, then, huh?”

Colt laughed. “If you say so.”

“I do.” Lexie half turned to face the garage. “You guys have a lot of vehicles.”

“The blue truck is mine,” Colt told her. “Dad drives the motorcycle. Or when it rains, he takes the Escort. Uncle Jason has his own truck, the red newer one, and the gray SUV. The flatbed truck he uses for deliveries.”

Wow. Honor glanced over and saw that the two-story garage also housed a fishing boat on a trailer and another, older truck parked front and center.

“Who drives that one?” Lexie asked.

With something close to hero worship, Colt said, “Uncle Jason was hired to work on it.”

“Hired?”

“Yeah, that’s what he does. He fixes things. He’s really good, too. All these old houses? They’re always needing something repaired and usually Uncle Jason can do it. Everyone around here hires him for stuff.”

“Sounds like it keeps him busy.”

Colt snorted. “Yeah, sometimes too busy.”

“I don’t mind.” Jason’s gaze cut to Honor, and his voice deepened. “I enjoy working with my hands.”

Honor felt like he’d just stroked her. She caught her breath, shifted in her seat and tried to think of something to say.

Clearly tickled, Lexie looked back and forth between them. “So you’re a handyman?”

Again, Colt bragged. “More like a contractor. He can build things from the ground up, including the plumbing and electrical. Or make stuff like custom gates or stylized shutters, or repair just about anything.”

“Nice,” Lexie praised.

“He’s a jack-of-all-trades.” Hogan toasted Jason with his Coke. “Whatever’s broke, Jason can fix it.”

Jason gave him a long look. “Maybe not everything.”

“Right. Can’t fix big brothers, can you?”

Tipping his head slightly back, as if he’d taken that on the chin, Jason replied, “I only have one older brother, and far as I’m concerned, he’s not broken.”

Colt went silent, and God, Honor felt for him. Too many times she, too, had been caught up in the middle of family squabbles.

“So, with the truck,” Lexie said, interrupting the heavy tension, “are you doing engine or body work?”

Before Jason could answer, Hogan said, “Why are you so curious, anyway?”

Lexie leveled him with a direct stare. “I was making conversation.”

With a sound halfway between a laugh and a groan, Hogan sat forward. “We already covered that he can do anything.”

“Anything is a big word. I mean, can he get the stick out of your butt? Because seriously, you’re being a pill.”

Honor frantically tried to think of a way to hedge the impending storm. Lexie wasn’t reserved. If Hogan chose to be snarky, she wouldn’t hesitate to give back tenfold. Worse, she might well drag Honor into it.

“It’s a fascinating business,” Lexie said, “though apparently you don’t think so?”

“I’m proud of my brother.”

“Yes,” Lexie quipped, her tone dry. “That was so obvious.”

Taken off guard, Hogan eyed her.

“But then, who wouldn’t be proud of a handsome, accomplished, well-mannered man?” Lexie smiled with menace. “Speaking of that, I’m a fashion buyer for a boutique. If you ever want to step up your game, I could make some suggestions. And maybe Honor could update your hairstyle. You have the potential to be almost as hot as your brother.”

Hogan’s eyes flared, then narrowed.

“Lighten up.” Jason clapped him on the shoulder. “And, Lexie, thanks, but honestly Hogan already has more dates than he can handle.”

“Now, that is fascinating,” Lexie said.

“He does both,” Colt cut in, clearly not anxious to talk about his father being out on the market. “Uncle Jason, I mean. You asked about the truck?”

Lexie gave Colt a genuine smile. “So I did.”

“He does body and engine work. But this time Uncle Jason’s just tricking it out some.”

Honor watched the back-and-forth conversation, noting the indulgent way Jason looked at his nephew, while also feeling the growing tension from Hogan. But why?

The quiet smothered her, especially with the palpable acrimony now flowing between Hogan and Lexie. After clearing her throat, Honor asked, “Is that what we interrupted? You were working on the truck?”

Jason shook his head. “Tractor.” He nodded toward the side of the garage. “The owner of the truck is making up his mind between two options I gave him. Today I was repairing the tractor, but it needs a part I won’t have until tomorrow. I’m at a standstill on both projects, so you didn’t really interrupt. I was already done for the day.”

Hogan ran a hand over his face, popped his neck and finally worked up a smile. “He built the garage a few years back.”

“You helped,” Jason reminded him.

“By help, he means I followed directions. No idea where Jason got the knack, because our dad wasn’t the handy sort. But if there’s an upside to us staying with him right now, it’s that he’s teaching Colt.”

“And Colt does appear to have the knack,” Jason added.

Both she and Lexie looked at the garage with new eyes. Wow. Just...wow.

Honor said, “It’s unlike any garage I’ve ever seen.”

“You should see the shed he did for Sullivan,” Colt bragged. “And the gazebo for Nathan.”

“Sullivan and Nathan?” Lexie perked up with interest.

“Other neighbors,” Honor said before Lexie could get started. She pushed to her feet while saying, “This was really wonderful. Thank you again, all of you.”

When she started to pick up their paper plates, Colt took over. “I got it.”

Unbelievable. She’d never known such a polite young man. “Are you sure?”

He grinned, looking like a younger version of his uncle. “Positive. It all just goes to the can.” He gathered up everything and walked off.

Honor turned to Hogan. “You did an amazing job with him.”

“Thanks. He’s always been an easy kid. Smart, friendly and self-motivated.”

Again, Honor wondered about Colt’s mother. Had she taken a hand in molding such an impressive young man?

Hogan said, “I need to take off now, too.”

“Big date?” The way Lexie asked that, it was clear to one and all she didn’t expect it to be.

“Actually,” Hogan said, “yes.”

In an effort to stem new hostilities, Honor stepped in front of her friend. “I hope we didn’t hold you up.”

“Nope. I have a few minutes yet.” His frown moved past Honor to Lexie. “Guess I need to go change, though.”

Laughing, Lexie asked, “Need help?”

His dark expression morphed into a reluctant grin. “I think I’ve got it covered.”

She nodded while yawning. “I need to get going, too.”

“Gotta catch up on your beauty sleep?”

Honor almost groaned...until Lexie laughed again.

“Good one,” she said, and then she held up her palm, leaving Hogan no choice but to high-five her. To Jason, she teased, “The differences aren’t just in looks, I take it.”

Jason lifted a brow. “No, they aren’t.”

Without comment, Hogan headed off for the house.