Hard Working Hero Read online

  I shake the thought away, focusing my attention on the cabinets I need to remake . I still can't believe they were destroyed like that. It took me weeks to get them just right. The only saving grace I have is that I know exactly how to recreate them.

  The workshop is quiet and dark as I flip on the lights. I can smell the sawdust, and it relaxes me immediately. I love creating and working with my hands. There's nothing in the world that calms me more than holding raw wood and making something beautiful from it. It fills me with a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction, being able to build something completely unique and from scratch. Taking a client’s vision, sketching it out roughly on a piece of paper, and then delivering it their home, weeks later. One of a kind. Nothing you can buy in a big box store. I offer something special.

  I drop my keys and phone on the long table against the back wall and walk to the stack of wood on the racks across from me. My eyes scan the racks until I find the cherry wood slats I used to make Mr. Thayer’s cabinets.

  I'm really lucky she only ruined six of the nine cabinets I made for his new property. It could have been a lot worse.

  I pull the wood from the rack and lay it on the table. I can smell the sweet scent of the cherry wood as I run my hand across the smooth surface. Grabbing the measuring tape out of my pocket, I hear someone enter the building as the door swings open and closes with a gentle thud.

  “Finally decided to show up?” I say, keeping my eyes on the wood.

  “Sorry man, I thought you knew I was going to finish up that other job and be here a little later than usual?”

  It's not Narissa, it's Hardin. He's my employee and best friend. We met by chance. Hardin was in a tough situation, needing a job desperately, and I needed an extra hand. Four years later and we're as close as brothers. I can’t imagine this place without him. I know when I need something, he's the person I can count on.

  Former military, Hardin is perfect for this line of work. He's dedicated, determined, and has plenty of self-discipline. I never have to track him down to see if he's actually where he should be. I never have to get on his ass about a job and deadline. He's a hard worker, and I'm lucky to have crossed paths with him.

  As for Hardin, well, I know he appreciates the fact I took a chance on him. Something Narissa will never understand, and could never even begin to understand. How could she? She's never had to be responsible for anything.

  A spoiled rich girl will never know the meaning of hard work. She can't separate herself from her money long enough to know what it means to earn a living and work hard for what you have.

  I have no idea why her father would ever think sending her here is going to do shit for her. But he's king of the property world. Bidding for this job and landing it is far too important to stand on any ground and deny him a single request. Even if that request is for his daughter to come work for me. Saying no to him is something I just can't do. This job is going to help my business grow. Exponentially. It's exactly what I've been waiting for, and I'm not going to destroy it by turning down his request.

  Maybe I'll get lucky and she won't show up.

  That would the perfect scenario. I didn't say no, and she didn't show up. I can't control what she does, it's really up to her. It doesn't matter how cute she is, or how much the thought of fucking her makes me hard, I'm not going to be her babysitter.

  Lifting my head, I smile. “Oh, sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

  Hardin cocks a hard brow, staring at me like I'm going crazy. “Someone else? Why the hell would someone else walk through our door?”

  I can hear the sudden worry in his voice. “Don't worry, I'm not replacing you.” Hardin exhales a breath, his muscles relaxing as I say, “Ethan Thayer's daughter is going to be doing an internship with us. I guess that's the best way for me to put it.” That's it, that's what's she's doing, an internship. I'm sure it will serve her well. She gets to learn something she'll never ever use, and I get to waste my time watching her in the process.

  “What the hell are you talking about? Ethan Thayer's daughter is doing what?”

  I let out a soft sigh, standing up straight and turning to face him. “She—” I start to say, when the door opens again, and she steps inside.

  “Morning,” she says, holding up a white paper bag. “I brought doughnuts.”

  My eyes run up and down her body, indulging the tight jeans and sexy pink crop top. Her tits are pushing out of the top, her cleavage almost begging for me to stuff my face inside. Her plump ass is outlined in the light blue jeans, bubbled out and perfect.

  Narissa's hair is pulled back into a messy bun, and she's not really wearing any makeup. Her lashes have a light coat of mascara and that's it. A natural beauty if I've ever seen one, in the purest form.

  Long red wisps of hair frame her face, and wild curls wrap and dangle on the top of her head. There's an instant scent of lavender that fills the room, mixing with all the aromas of different types of wood. It creates an air of forest and meadows. Something so different and strange in my shop, and I actually start to like it.

  Hardin gives me a look, shrugs his shoulder, and waves his hand. “I'm Hardin, and I'll absolutely take one of those.” She holds the bag out to him, and he pulls open the top as he looks around inside. “Does it matter which one I take?” he asks. She shakes her head no. Taking out a chocolate glazed doughnut, he pops it in his mouth, grabs his work belt off the table, and gives me a smug grin. “All right, I'll see you later,” he says with a mouthful as he thanks Narissa for breakfast and hightails it out the door.

  As the door closes, Narissa's eyes move to mine. She looks intimidated for a split second. It's a flicker, but I see it before it disappears with a blink.

  “You're late,” I say, turning my back to her and going back to work.

  “I'm here, aren't I? Isn't that better than nothing?”

  “I don't know. You tell me. Do you think showing up late for your first day at the job is a bad look?”

  “I'm here, that's my answer. I'm also bringing a peace offering. You want one?” she asks, holding up the bag. Shaking my head, Narissa casually walks to the counter and sets the bag down. “So, this is your shop, huh?”

  “Yup,” I say. There's no emotion in my voice. I'm not excited by this at all.

  “Well, what can I do?”

  With a soft chuckle, I glance at her over my shoulder. “Yeah, right, like you really want to lift a finger.”

  “I actually do. Why do you think I'm here? I'm not just here because my dad made me. I'm not a freaking kid, I make my own choices. I fucked up your cabinets, let me help you fix them.”

  Is she serious?

  It's hard for me to believe she actually wants to work. Maybe she just wants me to give her something easy. She can sweep, she can restock the nails and do all the tedious things I really hate doing.

  “How about you make sure all my bins are filled in that cabinet over there. Think you can handle that?” I look back down, and run the pencil across the wood slab, measuring for one of the cabinets she crushed.

  She's pretending to care. That's it.

  There's no way she actually expects to do any real work. I already know what she's thinking. Narissa is thinking I'll let her off easy. There's no reason to force the issue, it's easier if I just do it all myself.

  “You know I'm capable of more than that. You can give me a mundane task like refilling those bins, but it's not what I was sent here for. My father wants me to get my hands dirty.”

  “Your father just wants you to do something other than spend his money.”

  I can feel her glaring at me, her eyes are so hot they're burning a hole through my skull. Closing my eyes, I let out a slow breath, turning to face her. Narissa's lips are pursed tight, her arms are folded over her chest, and her leg is kicked out to one side.

  “I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that,” I say, trying to backtrack my shitty attitude. Her father is my client right now, I shouldn't be mean to he
r.

  “Yes you did. You meant every word of it. There's no point in lying, Oliver. I don't want to be here, and you don't want me here, but here we are.” She holds out her arms and leans over slightly, giving me a much better view of her tits.

  My eyes drop, lingering on her chest for a lot longer than I mean to.

  “My eyes are up here, asshole,” she snaps.

  Flicking my eyes up, I smile. “Fine, you want to get your hands dirty, let’s get them dirty. Come here,” I say, jerking my head. “You can help me cut the boxes for the cabinets you broke.”

  “Great, tell me what to do.” She comes to my side, leaning over to see what I'm doing.

  Her perfume is intoxicating, making it hard for me to concentrate as I try to explain the measurements we need. Swallowing hard, I clear my throat as I say, “So, we need to cut these two lines, then do a crosscut vertically. Have you ever used a table saw before?”

  “I took wood shop in high school.”

  “Did you really?” I ask, a little surprised by that. “I figured you would have been a cheerleader or something.”

  “No,” she says with a little chuckle. “Not even close. I kept to myself mostly and took things I'd enjoy. Cheerleader was not one of them, thank God for that. I'm more of a bookworm, anyway.”

  Our eyes connect, and I study her for a moment. This girl is starting to intrigue me. She took wood shop in school, likes books, hates cheerleaders. I expected she'd come in and whine about everything, from the color of the walls to the thin layer of sawdust covering the floor.

  “Okay, let’s see what you got then.” I turn on the saw, then step behind her. Narissa's entire body stiffens, causing me to grin. I can feel the tension that fills her body as I wrap my arms around her.

  She's nervous, nervous I'm here, nervous I'm so close. Nervous that she has no place else to go because I'm boxing her in.

  My hands slip over hers, helping her guide the wood safely through the cut. Sawdust billows out like a tan cloud. Narissa coughs lightly, but she stays strong, following through the cut to the end.

  Her hair is in my face, and it smells so damn good. Coconut and ginger, that's what I smell as I inhale a long deep breath. The scent sends a crusade of tingles through my body. Each one as intense as a firework exploding in the sky.

  My stomach is on fire, my lungs burn for more, my lips and hands desperately begging to touch her and taste her. It's crazy the effect she's having on me. I can't stop the feral desire as it pushes through my body, blocking out everything and anything that isn't her.

  I'm highly aware of her every move. The way her nose twitches from the dust in the air. The way her legs spread slightly to get better balance as we push the long board against the saw. The way she stretches her arms out but doesn't lean forward. Her back brushes my chest, her ass bumps against my dick, and all of it seems intentional.

  Every inch of my body is reacting to her being right here. And I'm enjoying it. I won't fight it, I won't force it away, because I don't want to. She feels good here like this, too good to let go.

  Narissa inhales a timid breath and holds it as if she senses the change in me. My eyes drop to her chest from above, peering down at her cleavage as her chest swells.

  The second the wood breaks free, she turns her head away and sneezes. “I'm sorry, the dust is tickling my nose.”

  “Yeah, that happens, but you get used to it. I have a mask if you want one.”

  “No, I'm fine. I'm here to get dirty, remember?”

  “Remember. . . how could I forget?” I ask, taking a small step forward and closing the gap between us. “If you want to get dirty, you came to the right place.”

  “Is that right?” she asks, glancing back at me over her shoulder. “You're king of getting dirty?” Her lids hood as she gently lays her head back against my chest. Batting her lashes, she bites her bottom lip. “Is that what you're trying to say?”

  Narissa tilts her head slightly, parting her lips as if she's inviting me in for a kiss. My eyes are on her lips as my fingers begin to softly tickle up and down her arms. Her tongue tempts the opening, the very edge gently dragging across her bottom lip.

  God damn she's so fucking sexy.

  The look in her eyes says fuck me. The way her ass pushes against my hard-on says take me. And the way she chews the inside of her cheek as her eyes dance back and forth between mine say I'm all yours.

  She's the boss's daughter! Don't be a fucking idiot!

  It's dangerous to dance with the devil, and that's exactly what I'm doing. I'm being tempted by a woman who has the face of an angel and the body of a temptress. I know better than this, but my brain isn't in charge right now.

  She exhales, rolling her head against my chest, and pushing her forehead up under my chin. I can feel her relax back, rolling her hips lightly against my dick. I'm fucking hard as steel and I haven't even touched her yet.

  Her hips keep moving, rocking harder, rubbing me to the point I'm painfully swollen. My cock is throbbing, angrily pushing against my zipper, trying to bust free.

  Narissa's head tilts back further, her lips coming up and brushing mine lightly. But I feel them so strongly it's like she kissed me. Growling, I slip my hand up her arm, then down her ribs, causing her to shiver.

  “Mm,” she groans, her warm, minty breath rolling across my face.

  That's it, that little coo, that small moan, it sends me over the edge. Fisting her hair, I rip her head back and kiss her. She doesn't resist, she settles in easily, kissing me back just as hard, with just as much passion and just as much intensity.

  I've known the girl for a minute in time, and yet I can't control myself.

  Her hand sweeps up through my hair, her nails digging into my scalp as she pulls my head into our kiss. Her tongue slips inside my mouth, twisting and circling with wanton need. She tastes amazing, but tasting her mouth isn't enough. I want to taste more.

  There's so much animal inside me. An endless need to know what every inch of her body tastes like. Every flavor. Every layer of sweetness. Every layer of her that is new to me.

  I can't control myself anymore. I kiss under her chin and down the side of her neck. She releases another moan, her fingers tightening around my hair and tugging hard. My lips keep moving, across the top of her shoulder. I pull the collar of her shirt away, exposing more skin to taste.

  I can taste the lotion she put on. I can taste the saltiness of sweat, and still it isn't enough. I need more. I need so much more.

  Growling, I spin her around, causing her to wobble on her feet as I slip my hands under ass and lift her off the ground. Narissa giggles lightly, wrapping her arms around my neck and holding on as I walk her to the workbench.

  I try to set her down, but she laughs and cringes. “Ouch, there's a wrench or something under my ass.” She leans to one side, and I swipe my hand under her, moving it the rest of the way down the bench, knocking everything to the floor.

  “There, now it's time for you to really get dirty.” My fingers pop the button on her jeans.

  “Good, because leaving clean isn't an option.” She grabs the zipper and lifts her ass, gesturing for me to take over with her eyes.

  I grab her jeans and work them off her legs as she kicks her shoes off. Dropping her pants to the floor, our eyes meet, and she gives me a little smirk. A dangerously, sexy little smirk as she leans back against the wall and spreads her legs open.

  My eyes drop to her pussy, hidden behind baby blue panties with a dark wet spot in the center. Narissa's smile thickens as she runs her hands down her thighs and grabs her knees, pressing her legs open as wide as they can go.

  Her body is rolling, tempting me with each arch of her back and thrust of her hips. I softly press my finger against the wet bulls-eye, causing her entire body to quiver. Her stomach shakes, her thighs tremble, and her eyes roll back in her head.

  It's the sexiest fucking thing I've ever seen.

  “I didn't expect this,” I say, pushing the pad of
my finger against her heat.

  She bites down on her bottom lip, her hips jerking slightly from the pressure. “Expect what?”

  “This.” My fingertips curl under the seam of her panties, but I don't go all the way in. I let them ride the thin hem up and down. “But I like it.”

  “We all have a naughty side, Oliver.” She takes my hand and slips it inside her panties. Moving my hand to her clit, she pushes her pussy against me. “You just happened to bring it out easily.”

  She's so fucking wet I can't stop the groan that spills out of my mouth. With a sultry look, her lips pull taut as I run my finger down her slit, rubbing her juice all over her folds. Gliding back up, I circle her clit, flicking the tender bud.

  Narissa drops her head back and closes her eyes as I work her body. I'm barely touching her, but she's so damn tender, so turned on that every little movement of my hand causes her body to jolt.

  My dick is hard, so I pull it free and start to stroke myself. I have to relieve the tension. My balls are starting to hurt and my cock is swollen. I'm super sensitive to the touch. Palming my shaft, I move my hand up and down as I slip two fingers in her heat.

  “Mm, yeah,” she moans as she clutches the edge of the workbench.

  Her walls squeeze around my fingers as I fuck her with my fingers. Every stroke of my hand matches the pace of my fingers. I start off slow and gentle, pushing in as I move down my length, pulling out as I glide back to the tip.

  My fingers are slick with her arousal. Pulling them free, I let my eyes connect with hers as I suck her off my fingers. She tastes like fucking ecstasy.

  “Mm,” I groan, licking my fingers clean. “You taste so good,” I say. Pushing her panties to the side, my eyes drop to her pussy. She's glistening, sparkling like champagne. “I need more.”

  She spreads her legs as she grabs the edge of her panties and holds them out of the way. “You can have as much of me as you want.” Her voice is airy. It sounds like she's been running and needs to catch her breath.

  Her chest is rising and falling rapidly, her lips are parted, and her eyes are fixed on mine. I can feel the need radiating off her like hot air.