The Renovation: A Reverse Harem Romance Page 11

  She did not seem excited.

  “I am. I just can’t say much at this point. But I am.”

  Huh.

  “How’s work going for you?” she asked.

  “I don’t know. I mean, it’s fine. Great, even. My accounts seem happy. But I can’t keep up this pace. It’s nice I’m getting out tonight, but every other night this week, I’ll be working late. I’m getting really burned out.”

  We drove in silence for a minute.

  “You know what? Let’s turn around and go back home. Well, to Carter’s, I mean,” she said.

  “What? I thought you wanted to humiliate me with more swing dancing. Are you letting me off the hook?”

  She swatted my arm, but I turned the car around before she could change her mind. I didn’t care if I never tried swing dancing again in my life. “You’re tired. Forget the dancing.”

  “All right. Hey, how are you feeling about living with a bunch of guys?” I asked her.

  “Well, it’s kind of weird. We’ll see how it goes. I mean, I just don’t know about choosing.”

  I felt for her. I really did. Of course, I hoped she’d choose me. But if she didn’t, hell, we’d still be friends and coworkers. I had no doubt about that. A different guy might freak about being in such a predicament, but I was pretty Zen about it. Work was so insane, I didn’t have time for any other drama. Whatever happened with Jayma would happen, and I’d always be grateful for the time I had with her. I guess I just wanted her to be happy.

  Chapter 21

  JAYMA

  Geez, I felt like crap for dragging Tanner across town to something he didn’t want to do. What had I been thinking?

  Only of myself, apparently.

  He did work his freaking ass off. I saw it every day at work. Constant phone calls from clients, meetings both in and out of the office. And his boss was so bitchy.

  It would be way more fun for him to just go home and chill—let him get settled into the new place.

  Speaking of the new place, how awesome was it that the guys were so cool together? No dick behavior, no puffing their chests out to see who was more of a man. No, just three guys having a sip of some good scotch.

  And Wyatt would be joining us shortly.

  We got back to the house and headed up to Tanner’s room. On the way, we passed the study, where Carter and Dig were arguing over some sports thing. Something about a player and a coach and who was in the right. It was like a foreign language to me.

  “Hey guys, no dancing?” Dig called.

  “Nah. We decided to bag it,” Tanner answered. “We’re headed upstairs.”

  “Okay, you crazy kids. Have a good night.” They returned to their arguing. All I could hear were a lot of “dude” and “douchebag” references. They were in their element.

  “I still can’t believe this place,” Tanner said as we climbed to the second floor. “Carter has done such a good job with it.”

  It was a really cool house, modern and open, but warm and inviting at the same time. Would the team be able to do something similar to my house next door?

  And would they be able to do it fast? Like, really fast? When I thought about it, my future was in their hands. All of their hands.

  And their futures were in mine.

  “I have an idea,” I said to Tanner.

  “What’s that?”

  “Let’s take a hot bubble bath together. That’ll be super relaxing.”

  “All right. I never take baths. Let’s give it a shot.”

  We went to crank the hot water over the tub. I ran and grabbed a tiny bottle of bubble bath from my overnight bag and poured the entire thing in the water. The bubbles began to grow like crazy.

  “C’mon baby, let’s get our clothes off,” he said, removing his steamed-up glasses. He reached for the hem of my dress.

  Before I knew it, I was standing there in my bra, pink lace panties, and high heels.

  “You are fucking gorgeous.” His gaze was like velvet, running up and down my body.

  “Turn around for me, will you?” he said as he began to remove his own clothes.

  I turned my back to him but peeked over my shoulder to catch him eyeing my ass. I backed up so I could rub against him, seeing as he was down to his boxers.

  He wrapped his arms around me from behind, running his hands all over my heated skin. I rested my head back on his chest and relaxed into him, savoring his appreciation. I knew it made no sense, but I felt so very close to him. Our connection was powerful—I could have sworn I was falling for him. Legit crazy talk, wasn’t it?

  He bent to remove my heels, then unsnapped my bra and peeled my panties over down my legs. He held my hand as I stepped into the filling tub, where there was plenty of room for both of us, and climbed in after me. He leaned against the back, and I nestled into the space between his legs.

  I was enveloped in a blanket of warm comfort. Like I’d died and gone to heaven.

  “Hey. I’ve been meaning to ask you. Why do you have musical notes tattooed on your neck?” I asked.

  “Oh, I never told you? I used to play in a band. Guitar.”

  “No way! I had no idea.”

  He ran his fingers through my hair, slowly getting it wet like the rest of me.

  “Yeah. I planned to become a big rock star.”

  It was funny to think of him that way when I saw him in a suit and his nerdy glasses every day. But when I thought about it more, I could see it. He was, after all, very hunky and handsome. If he lost the suits and grew his hair out…yeah, I could picture him on a stage making ear-splitting music.

  “That’s kind of hot,” I said.

  “Well, I think you’re kind of hot,” he replied, running his hands over my breasts and pulling on my nipples until they stood at rock-hard attention. His powerful erection pushed against my back, and I squirmed into it just for fun.

  “You think you’re clever, don’t you?” he asked, nibbling my ear.

  “Why? Just because I’m rubbing your hard cock?”

  “Mmmm. Yeah.”

  He reached down between my legs.

  “You’re so wet. Even in the water, you’re slippery as hell down there.”

  I closed my eyes and relaxed into him. “I guess that’s what you do to me.”

  “You like it, baby?” he growled.

  “Mmmm,” was all I could manage.

  He dragged his fingers up and down my lips, settling on my hard clit. It caused me to suck my breath in small gasps. A tingling sensation shot through me, leaving chilly goose bumps in its wake, even though I was submerged in steamy bathwater.

  He abandoned my clit for my aching pussy, where he buried two fingers and started pumping. I braced myself against his rocky chest, my hands on the sides of the tub, and pushed against his hand to deepen the penetration.

  “Oh, oh…” I moaned.

  “I want to feel you come for me, baby. I want to feel your pussy contract around my fingers. C’mon baby, squeeze me…”

  I shook uncontrollably as he pummeled my pussy. He left me gasping, and when I exploded into screams, I didn’t care in the least what the rest of the house might have been hearing. My orgasm thundered through me, leaving me shuddering and splashing bathwater all over the place.

  Then everything faded to black.

  “Baby? You okay?”

  “Hmmm? Wha…?”

  Tanner was shaking me, gently, by the arms.

  “I think you conked out,” he said. “C’mon, let’s get you out of the water. It’s getting cold.”

  I looked down and found my precious bubbles had dissolved and the water was no longer warm. He helped me to my feet, and holding my hand, reached for a towel. I awkwardly climbed out of the tub, beginning to shiver from the cold. He grabbed another towel and began rubbing my arms in a vigorous effort to warm me.

  “Mmmm. That feels nice,” I said.

  “I know. Now let’s go to bed.”

  We stumbled into his bed and burrowed beneath a
fluffy down comforter. It was like landing in heaven.

  “You know what’s funny?” I asked.

  “What?”

  “Well, I was supposed to take care of you tonight. Help you relax.”

  He wrapped his arms around me and placed a kiss on my forehead.

  “Making you feel good makes me feel good,” he said.

  How did I get this lucky?

  I could not believe anything about my crazy situation. I was soaring but also scared to death. Who knew what would happen with my house? Who knew what would happen with the guys? Who knew what would happen with work?

  But I did know that I was exhausted and spent, and oh so grateful to be snuggling for the night with my amazing ad man.

  Chapter 22

  WYATT

  I was all too happy to pitch in on Jayma’s house when I got the call from her neighbor, Carter, and when I was invited to move in, I didn’t even have to think about it.

  I’d be next door to my jobsite.

  I’d be under the same roof as my girl.

  And I’d get to know the other guys who knocked Jayma’s socks off.

  Since my dad had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, I’d had to work my ass off, yes, but I’d also committed myself to living without society’s expectations. If that meant the woman I cared for had more than one lover, then so be it. I was not a jealous man. My woman’s pleasure, even if it was with another guy, was also my pleasure.

  Sometimes this approach was a challenge, I couldn’t deny it. I knew it wouldn’t be easy to keep a clear head on some nights she was with someone else. But I also knew life was precious, and that “owning” someone was the fastest way to lose them.

  I rang the bell to Carter’s front door. It wasn’t hard to find his place—it was the nice one next to the not-so-nice one that our poor Jayma owned. It was going to feel really good to get in there and begin making some improvements. There was a lot of work, but it was straightforward and didn’t have to take long if we were focused and organized. I was all too happy to help my—or should I say our?—lovely girl.

  The door flew open, and I was greeted by a tall guy with a huge grin.

  “You must be Wyatt. Come in, my friend, come in.”

  “And you must be Carter,” I said.

  “I am. You are correct. C’mon in and meet the other guys. Hey, can I get you something to drink?” he offered.

  “That sounds great. Do you have any beer?”

  “I do. Let’s go.” I followed him through his gorgeous house. Damn, to be a contractor and be able to do anything you want. I mean, being a plumber was certainly useful, but it sure would be handy to know how to do carpentry and everything else, too. But hey, that was why we were teaming up, right?

  “Guys, the fourth member of our tribe has arrived,” Carter said. “This is Wyatt.”

  “Hey. Great to meet you guys,” I said as they each introduced themselves.

  There were handshakes and “cheers” all around. Carter tossed me a cold one.

  “So, Wyatt, you’re bringing plumbing skills to the table, I’ve been told,” Carter said.

  “I am. I look forward to diving in next door.”

  “So do I. I mean—so do we,” Carter said, looking at the other guys.

  Tanner, the one with the glasses, spoke up. “Yeah, I’m ready to pitch in, learn a bit of the trade. It’ll feel good to do something with my hands other than sit on my ass at a desk and type on a computer keyboard all day.”

  Dig, the one with the black hair, nodded. “Me too. I mean, I know a little, having worked summers for Carter’s dad. But I’m rusty and need a refresher. Just put me to work, guys. I’m all yours.”

  Carter laughed. “You might be sorry you offered, dude. We may give you all the shit work, ya know.”

  “Okay. I’m ready,” Dig said, laughing.

  “So, what’s everyone think of our little arrangement?” If I had to be the one to call out the white elephant in the room, I was okay with that.

  The guys all looked around at each other.

  Who was going to go first?

  But we didn’t have to wait long.

  Dig took a swig of his beer. “Well, Carter and I have been in arrangements like this before.”

  Tanner turned to him. “No shit. Seriously?”

  “We realized we both liked the same woman. When we talked about it, we didn’t see why we both couldn’t date her, if that’s what she wanted. And she did.”

  Dig shrugged. “Worked out great.”

  “Yeah,” Carter continued, “some women are into it so they can say they had a threesome. You know, check that off their bucket list. The first woman we dated ended up really falling in love with Dig. I was kind of the third wheel toward the end.”

  “Yes, she did. I mean, we both loved her back. But when she wanted to be exclusive with me, I just wasn’t ready. I was still building my real estate business. Still am, really.”

  Huh. Intriguing.

  “So what do we do when Jayma picks one of us? I mean, isn’t that the point of all this?” I asked.

  “Sort of,” Tanner said. “We all wanted to pitch in and help her with the house. And if one of us ends up with her in the end, we’ll wish that guy well. If not, then we’ll all be friends. And have some great stories to tell.” Everyone laughed.

  Dig spoke up. “I was sort of thinking this could be good for business for us, too. Wyatt, Carter, I can refer business to you. I have homebuyers all the time looking for people to work on their houses. And when you see clients getting ready to sell, you keep me in mind.”

  Carter turned to Tanner. “Sorry dude, but this doesn’t exactly do you a lot of good at your ad agency.”

  “But it does, at least indirectly. If it makes Jayma happy, I’m all over it.”

  “Cheers to that,” everyone said, clinking their beer bottles.

  “You guys know my dad used to work on the plumbing next door. I’d been in the house years ago when a Mr. Wagner lived there,” I said.

  “Wait a minute,” Carter said. “Are you Wyatt Deer from Deer Plumbing? Holy shit, I don’t know why I didn’t put that together. Back in the day, before he passed, my dad and yours referred each other business. How is your dad?”

  Ugh. I’d just seen Dad that afternoon. We were losing him fast. And shit, I was in no shape to talk about it.

  “Um, well, my dad has Alzheimer’s. Pretty bad. I don’t think he’ll be with us for much longer.” I couldn’t look up from the floor.

  Carter patted me on the back. “Geez, I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

  “Thank you.” Time to change the subject. “So, do we think we can get Jayma’s house fixed up before the bank comes for it?”

  “Well, she’s supposed to hear from them this week about the extension she asked for. If she doesn’t get it, we’ll be facing a big challenge. I mean, even if we had a crew of a dozen guys, there’s only so fast we could move,” Carter said.

  “If her dickhead boyfriend hadn’t stopped paying the mortgage, the timeframe for the reno would not be so compressed. But he basically wore out the goodwill of the bank. And Jayma knew nothing about it until it was too late,” Tanner added.

  “Anyone ever meet the guy?” I asked, looking at the others.

  “I’d see him around, going from his car to the house and back. But he was never friendly. Snooty douchebag,” Carter said.

  Tanner chimed in. “I’d met him at a couple work functions. He always seemed impressed with himself, if you asked me. Like he thought he was hot shit because he was a lawyer.”

  “Yeah, real impressive, that one,” Dig said. “He couldn’t change a goddamn light bulb.”

  Everyone laughed at that. I couldn’t stand guys who were so wussified they wouldn’t get their hands dirty. And in my experience, most women felt the same way. If a guy couldn’t keep his home up and running, then what fucking good was he?

  I guess I was old-fashioned that way.

  “Hey guys!”


  Jayma had just arrived home from work, and she looked smoking hot, smiling from ear to ear, wearing her career woman clothes with her hair piled up on top of her head. She slayed that sexy librarian thing.

  “Damn, baby. Look at you,” I said.

  A pink tinge ran over her face starting at her neck and finishing at her forehead. I loved that she was humble and so easily embarrassed. I was so over conceited chicks who had nothing else going for them. If there was one thing I’d learned from watching my parents, you didn’t get to keep your looks forever, but you did get to keep your love—if you were fortunate to find it to begin with.

  “Hear anything from the bank yet?” Dig asked.

  The smile fell from Jayma’s face like a heavy rock. “Nah. I’m not sure I’ll be hearing from them this week.”

  Carter shook his head. “What the fuck are they waiting for? I mean, it’s your goddamn house. You can’t keep people hanging like that.”

  “Dude, they do it all the time,” Dig said. “I see it in my real estate clients. It sucks.”

  Jayma took a deep breath and forced that smile back on her face. I hated to see her preoccupied with such a downer. I was going to do all I could to turn that hellhole next door into a palace.

  “On that note, shall I show you to your room, Wyatt?” she asked.

  “Let’s do it.”

  Chapter 23

  JAYMA

  When I’d gotten home from work—well, not home, but to Carter’s house—and walked in on my guys, I just about fainted. Had I ever seen such a group of perfect men standing together at one time?

  And waiting for me?

  Hell no. Things like that didn’t happen to a girl like me. No, the things that happen to me include shit like getting dumped the very night I thought my boyfriend was going to propose. Getting yelled at by some creepy accountant at work.

  Oh, and don’t forget a bank that could give a shit about me and my housing situation.

  But you know what? I’d come out ahead. I wasn’t sure how, but I’d find a way.

  And I had four very nice guys on my side. It didn’t get much better than that.