Drive Me Crazy

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.“I think Rose’s taking care of her little sister all by herself.No one’s seen their mom in a while.”“Poor kid,” she said, popping a grape into her mouth.“You’re not much older,” he pointed out, earning a look of annoyance from her.“I’m twenty-four.” She leaned forward to snag one of his grapes, once again flashing her bra and amazing cleavage.He choked down a half-eaten cracker.Grabbing the bottle of water she’d brought, he drank down a third of it before he came up for air.“Yeah, I saw pictures on Facebook of your drunk tail celebrating your twenty-fourth birthday at Poor Boys.My sister’s, too.”“Why, Carter Ambrose, I can’t believe you’ve been looking at my tail.” She unscrewed the cap of her water bottle.“What would your momma say?”His momma would tell him to get the hell away from a woman like Melanie.Then again, Leah Ambrose warned all of her sons about staying away from every woman that didn’t meet her standards.So far that had meant all of them, but one—his ex-fiancée.“Are you looking for another job?” he asked, trying to steer their conversation away from her ass and his mother.Two things that would never be in the same sentence ever again.“Yes.” Lowering her eyes, she stared at the ground for a moment, and then peered up at him through long black lashes.“Zoe said you needed a temporary assistant.”“No, absolutely not.” He couldn’t get the words out fast enough.Yes, he needed someone to organize his office, answer emails and a slew of other tasks that he didn’t have the time or inclination to attempt to do or finish.But there was just so much temptation a man could take.“Oh come on, Carter.You’ve been here for almost three weeks and haven’t hired one person.” She held up her hand and began to tick off her fingers.“Not Kelsey Greggs, Maisey Perry, Bernice Waters or—”“How in the—”“Evangeline told Zoe, who then told me,” she said, gathering their trash and placing it in the bag she’d brought.“Where did you move the recycling bins?”“Over by the door.” He watched her hips sway enticingly as she walked over to the bins.He hadn’t hired any of those women, because they had been looking for a man, and by man he meant a groom.Bernice had even brought a bridal magazine with her to the interview.“Did Zoe also tell you not to repeat what you heard to anyone?”“I didn’t repeat it.”Crossing his arms over his chest, he said, “You just told me, honey.”“You don’t count, baby doll.” Glancing over her shoulder, she gave him a look that made his cock start to harden.“What are your office hours?”Still stunned by that heated look, he blurted, “Nine to five.Except on Fridays.”“Great! See you tomorrow.” With a backwards wave, she left his garage.What the hell had just happened? Oh right, he’d just hired Melanie to be his new assistant.Glancing at the clock, he uncrossed his arms and ambled over to the fridge.Opening it, he grabbed the first bottle and twisted off the cap.“It’s five o’clock somewhere,” he muttered, then toasted the framed print of The Intimidator.“Cheers, Dale.”Chapter Two‡“He hired you? Just like that?” Zoe Ambrose asked with a snap of her fingers.Astonishment shone in her dark green eyes.Pleased with herself, Melanie nodded.“Just like that.”A grin curved the corners of her best friend’s mouth.“Good for you.” Zoe’s grin fell.“Carter wasn’t mad at me for telling you, was he?”“Nope,” Melanie lied.Well, it wasn’t exactly a lie.Carter hadn’t looked mad.He’d looked like he normally did when she talked to him—sexy as hell.Lately, that look had turned into sexy as hell and oh-crap-she’s-here-again.For a woman who’d been in love with him for as long she could remember, it stung.“Anyway, I report for duty at nine o’clock sharp.”“Then you’d better be there at 8:45,” Zoe said, snagging a breadstick and tearing it in half.“He’s a stickler for punctuality.”“You sure you’re related to him, because I don’t remember you being on time for anything.Ever.Not even Mrs.Johnson’s class.” Everyone had been afraid of their ninety-year-old English teacher, except Zoe.Then again, Zoe had been her star pupil while Melanie had barely passed.Giggling, Zoe said, “Fairly certain.Anyway, will it interfere with taking care of Mr.Henry’s dog and house?”Shaking her head, Melanie dipped her own breadstick into marinara sauce.“I’ll let Cody out at seven, then check the plants, tidy up the kitchen, and be back home in time to get a shower and be at Carter’s by 8:50 at the latest.”“It’s so sweet of you to help Mr.Henry out like you do,” Zoe said.“Cody is a menace to society.”Cody was a yippy, two-pound Chihuahua that thought himself to be a one hundred and fifty-pound attack dog.“You mean it’s so sweet to let eighty-five-year-old Mr.Henry ogle my butt for twenty bucks a day?” Melanie asked, innocently batting her lashes.“Well, when you put it that way…”Melanie snorted.“I swear, you should hear the beeps of his heart monitor when I walk in.One day, I’m going to forget to not bend at the waist to pick up Cody and the man’s gonna keel over from a heart attack.”“At least he’ll die with a smile on his face.” Zoe pulled out her phone, then looked at the screen and sighed.“Another rejection.Maybe I should give up this writing thing?”“I’m sorry, Z.One day you will get a yes.” Melanie pushed Zoe’s wine glass closer.“But in the meantime, have another drink.”After taking another sip, her best friend eyed her.“Is that what you hope will happen with Carter?”“No.”Zoe’s face fell.“But I thought—”Melanie snorted, then wriggled her eyebrows.“I want more than one yes from him.In fact, I want a lot of yeses followed by ‘oh God’ and ‘more.’ ” Really, who wouldn’t want six foot two and two hundred pounds worth of a man on top of them? Who wouldn’t want to run their fingers through dark brown hair and stare into sexy emerald-colored eyes? A man with a gorgeous face and a hot body that filled out jeans as well as he did boxer briefs in major ad campaigns.“Despite being majorly squicked out at the thought of my brother saying those words to anyone, I totally support your efforts.”“You’ve always supported my efforts.” Melanie laughed, brushing a loose chunk of hair over her ear.“It’s why we get along so well.”“When we were little, it was the only time I got in trouble,” Zoe reminded her, tucking her phone back into her purse.“Yeah, yeah.Melanie Ann Smith, Troublemaker Extraordinaire.That’s me,” she grumbled.“I’m surprised your momma ever let us be friends in the first place.”Zoe rolled her eyes.“She’d hoped I would be a good influence on you.”“Bless your momma’s heart.” Melanie sighed dramatically, placing her hand on her chest [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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