Never Too Much Read online

  “Oh, come on. I’m sure you’re aware of how you look, right? I imagine women throw themselves at you all the time.”

  Ben crossed his arms over his chest and nodded slowly. This game was new, but he was catching on real quick. “Yeah, leaves a horrible mess around the diner. All the fallen bodies, you see.”

  She laughed again. “No doubt. Probably trips up the waitresses, huh?”

  He didn’t answer. He just waited to see what else she’d say.

  She smiled up at him, as if to soften her rejection. “The thing is, I’m plain not interested. In fact, I’m one hundred percent disinterested. So if your offer to feed me is a come-on, I’ll just go home and try to find some cheese crackers or something to eat.”

  Remaining speechless, Ben pondered her. He’d never met a woman who spelled things out so candidly. The jury was still out on whether he liked it. Such honesty in bed would be great. But in the middle of the diner?

  Sierra lifted her shoulders and her expression was apologetic. “Just trying to make sure we start our neighborly association off on the right foot, since my comment out front could be misleading.”

  Well, hell. She sounded too damned sincere. Could she really be that unaffected when he was very affected? He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had captured his attention like this. He felt . . . alive. On the prowl. Anxious and turned on.

  At the moment, she had the verbal upper hand and she knew it. But no way would Ben let any woman, not even a woman who intrigued him this much, keep the upper hand. It wasn’t natural.

  He drew a deep breath and made his move to take control. “Have you seen a mirror lately, Sierra?”

  Her confident smile slipped a notch. “I . . . uh . . .”

  “You’re pretty much a sweaty mess.” His gaze roamed over her. He reached out to flip her bangs with his fingertips, and despite himself he felt a smile tug at his mouth. “And dirty.”

  She ducked her hands under the table and glared at him. “It’s hard to get the ground-in dirt out from under my nails without soaking them. But I did wash, of course.”

  Stung by guilt at her embarrassment, Ben girded himself and continued. “Maybe you clean up real nice, hard to tell, but at the moment you don’t look all that beddable, so I think we’re both safe, don’t you?”

  Her face colored, her sweet mouth opened, then incredibly, she laughed. When Ben frowned at her, she wiped her eyes and chuckled some more. “Oh, you’re right of course. How conceited I must have sounded. It’s just that you have ‘wolf’ pulsing off you. I figured any guy who looked as good as you do had to always be on the make.” She smiled up at him. “Nice to know my new neighbor is more discriminating than that.”

  There was that disconcerting honesty again. Her every word seemed to push Ben closer to the edge. She had him pegged.

  Sierra eased out of her bench seat and saluted him with her half-empty Coke. “Is the offer of sustenance still open?”

  Standing in front of her, Ben realized how petite she was, how delicate regardless of her strength. He had the urge to pull her close and see how she fit him, to feel her against his body.

  Ben forced himself to behave. “Yeah, the offer stands.”

  “Great. Then lead the way. I’m faint with hunger.”

  Ben had expected her to be insulted by his comments on her person, not amused. She wasn’t an average female, to be amused. But then he hadn’t wanted an average female.

  Finding himself at another loss, Ben led.

  A few people looked up as they crossed the floor toward the kitchen, but for the most part no one paid them any mind.

  Ben was very aware of her strolling behind him, physically close but emotionally distant, sexually disinterested. He stepped aside until she’d passed him, then let the doors flap shut behind them. Muted noises from the outer area drifted in, but they were now afforded a small bit of privacy.

  He flipped a wall switch and bright fluorescent lighting flickered on to illuminate the kitchen. Being furtive, he glanced at her and finally saw the color of her eyes.

  Green. But not just green, sort of a soft green with deeper flecks of blue and gold. Nice.

  “Horace, my cook, always leaves something edible in the fridge for me. Let’s see.” Ben opened the gigantic refrigerator and peered inside. “There’s a sub sandwich, pie, soup . . .”

  “The sandwich sounds great if you’re sure you don’t mind sharing. Thanks.”

  Ben took it out and unwrapped it, using the time to gather himself, to rethink his position. He’d helped out in the kitchen many times and, in fact, had worked every job in the motel and bar. He liked staying busy.

  He put the sandwich on the large cutting board, cut it in half, and put it on a utilitarian plate. After forking a pickle from the enormous jar on the counter and adding some chips from a large airtight bin, he turned back to Sierra—and caught her staring. At his ass.

  Ah-ha.

  She glanced up, looked startled, and frowned at him, as if it were his fault she’d ogled him.

  Ben was a gentleman, so he didn’t remark where her gaze had strayed, but it was a real relief to know she wasn’t as disinterested as she’d claimed. “This way.”

  He made a point of leading her into the employee lounge, affording her the chance to cop another peek, if she was so inclined. When he looked at her, her expression was blank, so he couldn’t tell if she’d been checking him out or not.

  She took the first chair and dropped into it with a groan of weariness. She stretched out her legs, crossed her booted feet, and blew her bangs from her face. For a moment, her eyes closed tiredly and she looked very vulnerable.

  Ben eyed her limp form, the weariness etched into her bones, and shook his head. He was horny, and she looked ready to pass out. “You’re really exhausted, aren’t you?”

  Her head lifted. “Yeah, but it feels great.” She accepted the plate he handed to her and took a large bite of the sandwich.

  “You like getting dirty, do you?”

  Her nose wrinkled. Around the mouthful of food, she said, “Beats working in a stuffy office any day.”

  “Agreed.” Ben wanted to keep her talking just to hear her. She had a throaty voice that reminded him of a purring kitten. “But any business will have some office hours, too. God knows I put enough of them in here.”

  “True, but right now the paperwork is minimal because we’re doing only on-site jobs, which keeps me out in the sun and fresh air during the day. At night, I do the paperwork.”

  Which would make for long hours. No wonder she looked so tuckered out.

  She ate several chips before continuing. “If I can get ahead in a year or two, I’d like to sell summer flowers and plants, maybe Christmas trees in the winter, mums in the fall . . . You know, have someone always on the lot during business hours. There’s a lot of call for seasonal stuff. If that ever happens, I’ll probably hire someone just to keep the records.”

  If she was doing it all by herself right now, she had a heavy load to handle. “Being your own boss isn’t always easy.”

  “I know, but I’m working for me, not for anyone else. That’s makes the hard work worthwhile.”

  Because he shared those sentiments, Ben nodded. Above the pulsing lust, he was aware of a strange affinity toward her, and a stronger sense of anticipation. His body was tense with basic awareness, and his blood felt hot, pumping thickly through his veins. He was a man on the prowl, and it felt good.

  He wanted her. But he also wanted to sit down and converse with her more because they had a lot in common.

  Strange.

  It was time to get things back on track. He waited until she’d eaten half of the sandwich, ensuring she wouldn’t starve on him, then gave her his full attention.

  She caught him staring and must have seen the heat behind his gaze because she blinked. She looked down at herself, apparently checking that nothing showed, then she looked behind her. Finally she frowned at him. “What’s the matter?”
>
  Ben smiled. “I lied.”

  “Is that right?” As if she didn’t really care one way or the other, she continued to eat with a very healthy appetite. “About what?”

  Ben pulled his own chair close to hers, turned it around, and straddled it. He crossed his arms over the back and propped his chin there, watching Sierra with the sun-kissed skin, the luscious mouth, the smiling eyes.

  Softly, feeling wolfish indeed, he said, “About wanting you.”

  She went still, not even chewing. Suddenly she choked, sputtered. Ben reached around to pat her on the back, but her eyes widened and she leaned out of reach. The rest of her sandwich dropped to the plate and fell open.

  She swallowed hard, wheezed, then choked out, “Uh . . . what do you mean, wanting me?”

  Now this was a reaction he could understand but hadn’t really wanted. “Strange, huh? Part of what I said is true, you are a little on the raw side right now.” He looked at her body again, this time with his thoughts clear on his face. His voice dropped, became husky. “I can smell you, Sierra.”

  She looked horrified.

  “You smell good, sort of warm and soft. Hell, maybe that’s even it. Woman à la naturale, ya know?”

  Bright color rushed into her cheeks and spread out. Ben hadn’t thought the little barbarian could blush, not with her confident swagger and outrageous conversation. But boy, did she ever.

  So, he decided, her confidence didn’t extend to sexual matters. How interesting was that? What a little paradox she was proving to be.

  Obviously stunned, Sierra’s gaze moved from his, to her sandwich, and then around the isolated room. It was as if she’d only just then become aware that they were alone.

  Knowing she was about to bolt, Ben pushed to his feet, and Sierra pressed back in her chair, watching him warily.

  Another telling reaction. He lifted one brow. “Not to worry, Sierra. You made yourself real clear. Not interested, right?”

  She looked far from reassured by his words.

  Did she think he planned to attack her? He propped his hands on his hips and stared down at her, more than ready to give her some of his own honesty. Her eyes locked on his, her pupils expanded.

  “The thing is, I’ve been looking for a challenge.” His voice lowered even more. “And guess what?”

  She stared in disgust at the remaining food on her plate. “What?”

  Ben whispered, “You’re it.”

  Chapter Two

  Sierra was hungry damn it, and now he was forcing her to leave. He stood far too close, but still she stood, sighing with annoyance and regret. The sandwich had tasted delicious. Beyond that, Ben had seemed so nice, so easy to be with. “I guess that’s it then.”

  “What’s it?”

  She rolled her eyes. Ben Badwin could be called a lot of things, not all of them complimentary. But not dumb. He knew exactly what she meant—he just wasn’t used to hearing it. He probably expected her to jump at the chance to be with him.

  Strangely enough, it wasn’t a distasteful proposition. But it was totally out of the question all the same. “I’d say pretty much everything.”

  “Everything?” He looked a little more alert now, with determination darkening his sinful eyes. His lashes were thick and girlishly long, but there wasn’t anything girlish about him. The man pulsed with testosterone.

  Not for a single second did Sierra think he really cared if she left or stayed. In the scheme of things, her interest—or lack thereof—wouldn’t matter to him at all.

  When they’d walked through the diner to the kitchen earlier, Sierra had noticed all the females present, from the customers to the waitress, staring after him. She’d be willing to bet he could have his pick, so why bother with her?

  That business about her being a challenge was absurd.

  She snagged a chip off the plate and turned to go. “Everything as in the free meal, the proffered friendship, the neighborliness.” She gave him a look. “You know, I meant it when I said I wasn’t interested. I wasn’t flirting.”

  He caught her arm to halt her retreat. His hand was very warm, very big, his hold gentle. He tipped his head, watching her intently. “Huh. You didn’t strike me as the cowardly type.”

  Ben was a big man, lean but hard, naturally dark. He had an athletic build with long legs, muscular forearms, thick biceps and an extremely sexy butt, which she’d made note of earlier. It still surprised her that she’d noticed because she simply didn’t pay any attention to most guys.

  But there was a big difference between Ben and other men, and it wasn’t just his looks or great physique. He had a sort of throbbing sex appeal, an engaging wit and a concentrated way of giving his attention that no woman could ignore, not even Sierra.

  But while she was aware of it, she wouldn’t spare the time to explore it. She couldn’t.

  And so she stared at his hand on her arm until he released her, then she met his gaze. “I’m not a coward.” Not anymore. “But neither am I an idiot. You’re on the make. I don’t have the time to fend you off. Sticking around would be dumb.”

  He crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back on the edge of the long table. His abdomen was flat, his hips narrow. And beneath his fly . . .

  “Maybe I wasn’t clear. I would never force you.”

  Sierra jerked her gaze up to his face, appalled at herself and her wayward attention. She blushed again and wanted to kick herself. “There’s force, and then there’s force.”

  His eyes narrowed with an intuitiveness that unnerved her. “You know something about that, do you?”

  His tone had altered, gone soft and gentle, and if she didn’t know better, she might have thought it was concern that brought the change. Ridiculous. He didn’t even know her.

  Sierra dredged up a dose of nonchalance and shrugged. “I’m twenty-four, so yeah, I know about pushy men. You, Ben, with your good looks and better body, are probably pushier than most.”

  “Thank you.” He didn’t smile, but satisfaction oozed from him at her compliments. “I like to think I’m not so predictable, though. Besides, I was being up-front with you, letting you know my intentions—since you’d been so up-front yourself.”

  Was he mocking her? Sierra wasn’t sure, and she stiffened. These days, she refused to let any man intimidate her in any way. Ben had been bold, so she’d paid him back in kind. Maybe he hadn’t liked it, but that was his problem, not hers. “I appreciate the warning, really I do.”

  “It wasn’t a warning, just a little notice. You don’t know me yet, so I wanted to reassure you.”

  She felt far from reassured.

  “I believe in being fair.” He smiled. “So now you know what I want. But you don’t ever have to worry about force from me, of any kind. Okay?”

  She’d believe that when pigs flew. Not that she thought he would physically harm her—as he’d said, she didn’t know him well enough to make a judgment like that. But Ben had already tried to force his will on her, and that just naturally made her rebel.

  “Where’s the harm, Sierra? Sit down, eat your sandwich, chat with me. You’ll see I’m harmless.”

  She gave him an incredulous look, and he laughed. But calling him harmless was too funny.

  “I own a reputable business, Sierra. Everyone in the area knows me. I can’t be too bad or I wouldn’t have any customers, right?”

  He made her feel foolish, as if she’d overreacted. And perhaps she had. There were still customers in the diner, within shouting distance—not that she expected to shout. But still . . . she’d spent so much time avoiding situations like this one, she’d forgotten how to handle it.

  “I’m not going to harangue you, I promise. Stay, please.”

  Oh, he personified appeal with that seductive voice. Sierra would be willing to bet he could coax a woman right out of her shorts with very little effort. That image almost made her laugh.

  After a long day of working outdoors, her shorts were so dusty and dirty she was amazed
that he had any interest in them at all. Amazed and . . . beguiled. Much as she’d like to deny it, the woman in her was very complimented by his persistence.

  And that might prove dangerous.

  She sighed. They would be neighbors, so she couldn’t avoid him forever. It might be better to get things straightened out now. She glanced back at her plate, where food still waited.

  She could almost hear that thick sandwich calling her name. Her belly rumbled, and to her embarrassment, he heard.

  He pulled out her chair again. “C’mon, Sierra. Be neighborly.” His smile teased. “Let me feed you.”

  “You expect me to just eat, knowing you’ll try to seduce me?”

  His mouth curled at the old-fashioned term. “Seduce? Yeah, I’ll try to seduce you. By showing you what a nice guy I am, by letting you see how good it’d be. But I won’t push, I promise. And since you’re forewarned of my interest, and you have no interest yourself—well then, there’s no problem, right?”

  If she’d truly been uninterested, she might have agreed. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. It was beyond stupid, and not something she was used to anymore, but she could feel herself reacting to him.

  Her stomach rumbled again, making up her mind for her. “Oh, all right.” She pulled the chair out of his hand and plopped down. “Fine, but the second you get pushy, I’m outta here.”

  He laughed at her ill temper, as if she amused him. “Agreed.” Ben reseated himself, a man at his leisure now that he’d won. “So why landscaping?”

  Sierra took another big bite before answering. She was so hungry she shook.

  Or maybe she was shaking because she’d just given in to a devastating man who claimed to want her. Gads. She finished chewing and swallowed.

  Talking about work would keep him from talking about seduction. She thought about it a moment, tried to remember all the reasons she’d wanted to become a landscaper. “Fresh air, physical labor, nature. I like digging in the dirt, mixing soils, and then seeing things grow. I have a green thumb, an eye for color and textures.”

  “Is it something you always wanted to do?”