His Sweet Tooth - (Closed for Rayne_Clowd & Firmhanded_Daddy )

Katie Jenkins was 29, and tired. Her life was so busy and so chaotic that it was flying by and she was barely able to enjoy it or even gain any reward from it. She worked for a busy cake shop that specialized in wedding cakes for the stars and the rich and famous. Glamorous work you may think, but it was really anything but, early mornings, rushed changes, the high stress of dealing with frenzied brides and all of it for someone else.

She had watched woman after woman get married and plan their special day topping it off with that dream cake, Katie watched each day flash past in a haze of flour, eggs and icing. She never had time for herself or a social life and to top it off her boss worked her hard and then took all the praise and appreciated very little. Katie finally had enough, this morning she had told Francis that it over, this was her weeks notice and she was taking her holiday time now. Francis had then spent the rest of the day pleading with her, which went some way to make Katie feel better but she was not backing down. Enough was enough she needed a change, she couldn't work here any more.

After finishing off the last batch of rush ordered Personalize Bridal Party cupcakes for some hot singer who was tying the knot. Katie hung her hat and apron up for the last time and said goodbye to the other staff and left the job. She was nervous and worried of what would come next, but she figured she had 2 weeks to figure that out, and she would start looking for idea's as soon as she got back to her tiny cramped noisy apartment. She groaned at the thought, she hated where she lived but it was the cheapest she could get in the city...maybe that was the key, maybe she needed a full change of life. Maybe then she would be happy.


Well some people would say she was crazy that was without a doubt, but Katie had packed up her life into a lot of cardboard boxes, loaded them into a truck and set off for her new life. It was exhilarating and scary but it was what Katie needed and so far she had no regrets.

She was now standing in front of a small little shop, in a small little town. Where she had actually been able to make a down payment on this small little shop with a two bedroom apartment above. It would be hers, the bank had approved her business plan and she had the deposit saved up, so now this was hers.............This was her new beginning.


Katie opened the door and walked in, it was a little run down and needed a coat of paint and some shelves and tables....she knew she would need some help with that but for now she was just so happy to be starting her life in a way that made her happier then she could recall being in along time.

The removalist would have already taken some of the boxes to the apartment, She could hear them above. She was a little concerned with the company she had hired to help her, they had already been late and they did not seem to care about her belongings as she had seen them bash her furniture about as they took it from her apartment. She did not wish to face them right now, so she would unpack later so right now she was going to get a start on the shop, the sooner she got it open the less scared she would feel about this huge change.

She placed her bag in the back of the shop and found herself a broom and began sweeping out the store, there was all sorts of dirt and junk on the floor the whole place was so worn and would need cleaning before she could serve her cakes and cookies in here. She was planing to open a little cake shop that had a place to sit and have a cup of coffee and a chat with friends, she hoped it would become a hang out for the locals.

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A cold hard rain had pushed him on through the night. Most people said that it was suicide to ride a motorcycle in the rain, but Vince never listened to ‘wisdom’ from people who were too fearful to live life. Oh many times had he gotten into trouble learning things the hard way, and the last time… well the last time was why he was riding now. He had to fight his way through three guys just to get to his bike. Amidst shots that rang out in the night he had fled. He was no fool, even if he didn’t always listen to what others would call ‘common sense’. When he was ten miles out of town he back tracked. They wouldn’t figure it out, they would not find him in this weather. Figures. He actually played by the rules, and look where that got him? Running for his life, because some mobster cheated at a poker game.

He had about twenty dollars in his pocket. Not really much room for him to think. He had to get somewhere fast, and find a way to make a quick buck so he could keep going. Who knows? He might not stop running for a while. It seemed like whenever he settled somewhere trouble eventually found him. That twenty dollars In his pocket was pushed for everything it had, but still even his bike ate the gas up mile by mile. He was just coming into the outskirts of nowhere’sville USA. It was then the low gas light came on. He swore and tapped the gauge, as if the futile gesture would actually put more gas in the tank. It wasn’t long before the bike began to sputter, and finally the engine cut. He coasted for as long as the bike would go, squeezing every inch out of the now empty tank. The bike slowed to a near crawl and he set his feet into the ground so that he wouldn’t tip it as inertia no longer was enough to keep the bike vertical.

Looks like someone was moving in.

He stopped in a spot of gravel and kicked down the stand to leave his bike sit. He shed the leather jacket and let it sit on the bike. He didn’t have much, a few changes of clothing and that was really about it. He saw some moving guys hauling boxes, but what really perked his interested was a fine looking dark haired woman who seemed to be staring about with a wistful, yet slightly bewildered expression. He was still wet from the raid that had pounded him well until the sun came up. His brown hair was dripping a little and the white shirt that clung to his chest was damp enough so that she could see sun dark skin underneath. Pectorals strained against the fabric as he pushed the door open, clearing his throat. At the age of 33, he still cut a remarkably fine figure. Most women would consider him handsome, if a bit rough around the edges, that was only furthered today as he had two days worth of stubble on his face. Still, when he spoke there was respect in his voice.

“Excuse me Ma’am, but I couldn’t help but notice your moving in. I’m in sort of a tough spot myself. My bike just ran out of gas and the land is way too flat to just ride down hill. “ He gave a rogueish grin at his small joke. “Any chance you, or your husband needs an extra hand for a few bucks? I’m pretty handy when it comes down to it. My da was carpenter.” He looked her over with a very direct gaze. He took her figure in quickly, and then his gaze fell to her eyes. His look was no confrontational or offensive, just confident and sure. A man in charge of his own destiny.

There was a heavy thud and the sound of something fragile shattering. Vince winced slightly and shook his head. “Sounds like your movers are taken to wrestlin’ up there. I’ll wait outside while you go deal with that. Gimmie a shout when your done and we can talk.” He strode outside and lounged out front of the shop door at his ease, though his ears strained. He hadn’t seen any sign of a man of the house, so maybe she was on her own. In that case, this situation might not go so well for her.

Katie was surprised when she heard a male voice behind her, her hand fluttered to the top of her chest, resting at the base of her throat as she turned to face him. She was startled but when her eyes settled on him she took a breath and then gave a pleasant smile "you startled me" she said softly.She tilted her head and looked at the bike outside as he began his tale and then back to the very striking looking wet man in front of her, she couldn't help but blush a little. He was very handsome in a dangerous and sexy sort of way. She could see he had obviously been caught in the rain, either that or took to swimming fully clothed. But it certainly did not detract from his appeal.

Katie smiled at his joke but then winced at the mention of a husband and was about to correct him about his assumption, when she heard something being dropped and then breaking above "oh good grief" she muttered and glanced to the door that led to the steps that then lead up stairs to the apartment. She was grateful he seemed to understand her need to attend to it. Katie left him to show himself out, as she headed up the steps to see what these sham of hired movers had broken now.

She enter the living room and gasped they had totally destroyed a large ornate mirror that had belonged to her mother, glass shards were all over the wooden floor and the two men just stood staring at it as if it was someone else's fault. This was pathetic they only had to carry the items from the truck to the apartment they did not have to place anything they did not have to unpack or pack and yet they still hashed things up. Katie was furious she glanced around and saw a few damaged boxes, some scraps on the wall where they had just rubbed furniture along it without care and then to the shattered mirror at her feet. Add to this chaos that they had been late to picking up her furniture to start with and late delivering it and now this ....

"You have to be kidding" she muttered as she paced over to the window to look and see how much was left in the back of the truck, it seemed to be empty but she could clearly see half a dozen boxes and what looked to be her bed and mattress just dumped on the footpath, she ground her teeth together before she turned on the men "Right thats it, I am not paying for your full service you are fired tell your boss I will pay for your fuel but that is it..Get OUT" she was about to storm out of the room when one of the men grabbed her by the arm halting her in her tracks.

"I don't think so lady, you don't pay and we don't get paid so unless you wanna cause some trouble you will be paying you hear me" he growled at her, Katie glanced to the other man who was looking at her just as angrily. "Let go of me" she yelled and stomped on his foot causing him to curse "You bitch" he snarled and lunged for Katie as she was running for the door.

He lounged against the side of the building and frowned. She winced when he mentioned her husband, and he did not see a man visible standing about. Was it possible that a woman that fine looking was single? He couldn’t fathom it. Women with that look of sophistication she wore like a shawl had men lining up around the block right? Still something about this whole situation tickled his senses. It felt like a storm was brewing on the horizon, but that wasn’t possible, the storm had blown out this morning. Was it a different kind of storm?

He heard her voice from outside, though he could barely make anything out of the conversational tone. Then he heard a deeper, gruff voice. It didn’t sound like a happy voice. He paused on the point of turning. It wasn’t a lick of his business. He had just run out on trouble, with gun shots on his heels. Did he really need to get into it so quickly? He might just have to run again if that were the case. Cops complicated things. Still, he heard at least two sets of foot steps up there before the woman had disappeared upstairs. Those were bad odds, even for a guy like him who hated math.

Go in? Or stay out of it? The question was answered for him.

"Let go of me!"

That was definitely a womanly voice, and she was in some amount of trouble. Now there was no debate. He may have done a lot of bad things, many which he would have just liked to forget, but even he had a line you didn’t cross, and screwing with a woman, hurting a woman, not something he tolerated.

He walked into the shop again and started to move quickly toward the stairs. Just in time to see a flash of movement coming down them with all the haste she could muster. There was terror in the woman’s eyes. It wrenched his heart painfully in his chest. She ran toward him, and then saw him. She looked like she might very well run through him. His arms came up and as she was running and trying to weave around him he scooped her up in a strong embrace. “Hey shh shh shh, it’s ok. I’m not gonna hurt you lady, what’s going on? You in some kinda….”

His words cut off as the bigger of the two men stepped down the stair well. In addition to thrashing the furnature they had already destroyed, it looks like the big man had sent a chair to the grave yard as well, because he was brandishing a solid wooden leg in his thick hands.

There was no time to be nice about this, or to try and calm her down. He fastened his eyes on Katie. His gaze was calm and collected in the midst of the chaos. Something about him spoke of having weathered hard times and not only come out on top, but thriving. His dark brown eyes locked on her own. “You stay behind me, and if things go bad you run, I’ll buy you time if nothing else.” With that he turned toward Katie’s would be assailant.

The man had anger smoldering in his dark eyes, framed by ridges of fat. He was a rather overweight man, though beneath it all was a core of muscle. And he had a weapon. This could be bad. Time to start talking. “Hey man, I don’t know what’s going on, but you need to relax. This isn’t a bar room, and your not dealing with a man here. Your in the woman’s home, and your acting like an ass. Your out of line and you need to find the middle again, or things are not going to end pleasantly.”

Instead of trying to soothe the bigger man he was pointing out the mistakes he was making. Not the most diplomatic of solutions, but there was that strong presence that he gave off to consider, the angry mover was bigger, Vince appeared the much more dangerous of the two.

The bigger man actually hesitated for a second. He measured Vince in his eyes and appeared to count up the odds. Apparently he needed a math lesson, because he charged with the chair leg raised high.

Vince’s entire body tensed, like a spring coiled up. He couldn’t dodge the attack, if he did, it might strike the woman behind him. He did the only other thing he could think of. He dropped the center of gravity, popped his hips and charged forward. His shoulder collided with the bigger man’s padded gut. The big man went down onto his back hard, and Vince staggered a step or two shaking his head to clear it. As he rose to his feet he scooped up the chair leg and glanced down at the big man. He seemed to be dazed, laying there trying to recover himself. The smaller of the two man was just coming down stairs, taking the scene in. Quick as a bullet the skinny man drew a knife and Vince gave a resigned sigh. “Listen man, you really should put that thing away and leave with your partner here. We can forget this all happened, and no one else has to get hurt. If you don’t put that knife down someone is going to be seriously hurt” His hands tightened around the makeshift club and he spared a glance for Katie. He nodded his head and spoke quietly, but firmly. “Ma’am, get outside and close that door. If anyone but me comes through it you run.”

Katie bolted for the stairs like a frightened rabbit with a hungry fox on its tail, she was in such a panic she almost ran straight over the stranger. He had obviously come back into the shop because of the noise. Katie's heart was pounding she couldn't believe this was happening so when he ordered her to stand behind him she did as she was told, without question.

From there it all happened so very fast, she screamed when the removalist charged. She did not want the stranger getting hurt because of her and she was about to tell him so when the second mover appeared at the top of the stairs with a KNIFE!! Katie was so scared she could hear her heart beating in her ears, she didn't know what to do she did not want to get this man killed for protecting her. She heard him trying to reason with the man but Katie just stood frozen on the spot her eyes wide as she glanced from the stranger to the man on the stairs to the man with a knife, this was so surreal she really couldn't believe this could be happening .

The stranger was concentrating on the man with the knife but he spared a glance for Katie. He nodded his head and spoke quietly, but firmly. “Ma’am, get outside and close that door. If anyone but me comes through it you run.” Katie reached for his arm "Please I don't want you hurt...I will just pay them" she swallowed feeling horrible that it had gotten this out of control.

Vince turned and paid the frightened woman another glance as she clung to his arm with strength born of sheer terror. His skin actually bruised from her fingertips. "Please I don't want you hurt...I will just pay them" He was about to turn and tell her no, that they didn’t deserve their money, and if they are willing to assault a defenseless woman to get it, they were in need of a sharp lesson.

He didn’t have to say a word because the man wielding the knife took the decision from the both of them as he charged. Vince tore his arm away from Katie’s grip roughly, feeling her nails lightly tear his skin. What he had not told the man was common sense. He was lunging to attack a man with a knife, while his opponent had a much larger weapon, albeit a bit more of a crude one. The advantage? He had reach.

The mover was quick, but Vince was quicker. He forcefully pushed Katie behind his body, that way if something did go wrong, his body would take the blade, not her own. Then he brought the chair leg down like a lightning bolt. First it struck the hand that wielded the knife. The sound of bone snapping was audible as the small metacarpals in his hand shattered. The knife fell from his broken hand, but Vince was not done yet. Another strike in the abdomen to double the man over, and then a third and final one to the back of the head. This one was not as hard as the others, he very obviously held back. It was enough to fell the man, but not kill him. He crumpled to the floor slowly and Vince gave a heavy sigh. He walked over to the blade and folded it shut with a practiced hand. Then he gave a shrug and stuck it in his pocket. He paid Katie a glance to see if she was hurt, she looked more terrified than anything.

Then he walked over to the two men. Shaking the bigger man he held the makeshift club threateningly. His other hand grabbed a handful of hair and yanked back hard. The man gave a yelp of pain, but his eyes were wide with obvious fear. Vince’s voice was soft, sounding like a blade hissing out of a scabbard. “Listen well. Your going to pick up your buddy here, and your going to make sure nothing else is left in your vehicle. Then your going to leave and never come back. If you ever bother my sister again, I swear that not man, or god will save you from what I will do to you. Your mother will not be able to identify the remains, that’s assuming she can find them first. Are we clear?” The big man nodded, and Vince reached down, pulling the man’s wallet out of his back pocket. He flipped it open and pulled out all the money he had in his pocket, which was about a hundred dollars. Then he tossed it back to the man as he was scooping up his comatose buddy. “That’s for the damages to this beautiful woman’s furniture, Do you have anything to say to her?”

The man looked at her and babbled a hurried apology, then moved out the door as quick as he could with his buddy in tow. Vince turned toward Katie slowly and walked over to her. Not even aware that the only blood on him was from her fingernails. “your not hurt are you Ma’am?” Concern was in his gaze as he looked her over to see if she was hurt. The sound of the truck starting and speeding away made him glance outside with a small smile.

It happened so fast and all Katie could do was stagger down a few steps and watch in shock and amazement, this stranger had not only come to her aid without being asked he had handled the situation with such ease Katie couldn't help but gape as she stood with her back to the wall her eyes wide in shock looking at the two men sprawled on the step. He was so dark dangerous and incredibly sexy that Katie just watched totally paralyzed on the spot, he forced the men to apologize even made them pay for damages, which she smiled a little at, As Katie had expected to just be left with that bill.

The two men hurried out the door and Katie was left staring at the stranger so grateful and yet still so stunned by how it had all happened, she stammered and stuttered a little when she tried to talk " I uh...oh um Thank you" she blushed and looked from him to the door and back to him. She heard him ask if she was okay and she simply nodded that she was, and her eyes fell to his arm and took in the blood "oh no...I am so sorry" she stepped forward and gripped his arm and without hesitation and began dragging him up the steps.."let me get something for that, its the least I can do" she felt so horrible that he had been injured that she barely noticed the truck leaving.

She kept dragging him until he was in her new small bath room, she sat him on the lid of the toilet and fished around in a small toiletries bag she had brought with her and found some cotton wool she normally used for removing makeup, making it damp under the tap with warm water she began to pat at his arm "I don't have any antiseptic but I hope this will do" she bit into her lower lip and continued to fuss, once the wound was clean she went back to the bag and fished around for some band aids coming back she hesitated trying to decide if one or two would do the job.

He blinked slowly as he watched her recover from the shock of the whole situation. Apparently things had taken her by complete surprise from start to finish. He had to remember not everyone was used to that sort of violent life style. She had more than likely never seen something like that in person before. She was in shock.

When she stuttered over her words he smiled and reached out to place a soothing hand against her shoulder. “It’s ok. You needed help, I wasn’t about to let them hurt you. It’s just not right.” She was suddenly a flurry of apologies and motion when she saw the blood on his arms. The furrows she had rent in his skin with her fingernails. He tried to protest that he was fine, nothing to worry about, but she wouldn’t be moved. He never got a word out.

She drew him upstairs and he took the time to look around. A 2 bedroom loft hmmm? That could be handy. It wasn’t long before he was settled on the toilet seat, and she was dabbing at his wounds with some cotton. She was playing with bandaids, trying to decide how to handle it. He just looked up at her and smiled.

“thank you for the kindness. Really it’s just a few scratches. It could have been much worse. A small price to pay for your safety.”

He stood slowly and looked down at her. His shirt still clung lightly to his chest, as it was still damp with the morning rain. Reaching out with his hand, he brushed his strong calloused hand against her cheek. “I should head out. I need to find some place to get a meal and maybe a bed for tonight before the sun goes down. Is there a homeless shelter around here somewhere?” He wasn’t about to stay here and put this sweet woman in danger in case his trouble did manage to somehow follow him. “thank you for your kindness Ma’am, truly.” He made it sound like that was something he did not receive very often.

Katie blushed a little when she realized she had been fussing over him "I just felt bad..and you were so wonderful" she smiled at him finally feeling a little calmer. "You were amazing, I thought I was in big trouble" she laughed a little but it was more a helpless laugh then one of amusement.

She stopped fussing and stepped back, He was being very sweet. She turned to place the unused band aids back into her cosmetics bag. Katie turned back to him as he stood up slowly and caressed her cheek, she blushed a little more and gave him a little smile "I am ok honest" she heard his comment about needing some food and a place to stay and she knew it was the least she could do, she would actually love to cook for him to say thank you.

She looked at him sincerely and then probably did a very stupid thing, she did not even know his name but she was following the rules of her new lease on life and taking a risk "I will tell you what, You can crash in the spare room...and I would love to cook for you, honestly its the least I can do" she smiled at him "and I won't take no for an answer...and besides you said your bike was out of gas"

Katie brushed past him and went into the living room, she wasn't going to give him a chance to refuse her offer "And if you would like to earn some extra cash ...for gas and what not, I do have some jobs I need doing" she didn't want to take advantage of him, as he had already done enough but he had originally come into the store wanting work, and she did need someone to help her set up.

"It won't take me long to get the kitchen sorted, at least enough to cook you a decent meal and there is a store around the corner." she smiled at him clearly having made up her mind on the mater "and if you like you can give me a hand with those boxes and that left outside and I will head to the store to get some groceries" Katie was cute when she was nervous she tended to babble and flutter about like a little pixie.

He smiled at her sheepishly. There was a look in his eye that said he didn’t mind her fussing over him at all, quite the opposite really, he was enjoying it. Wonderful was he? He shook his head slowly. “I’m not sure about wonderful, but I am just glad I could help. Those men were scum of the earth to think of trying to harm a woman. Judging by the work they did, they were not worth the truck they drove here in.” He shook his head with a hint of disgust. He hated lazy, sloppy work.

He met her gaze as she looked at him. He was enjoying the feel of her skin against his hand. Her cheek was soft and warm. Her eyes were bright and glittering as they looked back up into his own. Man what a catch this woman would be for the right man.

He blinked down at her as she offered him a meal and a room for the night. What was that all about? Just for doing the right thing? That didn’t need any reward. As a matter of fact he opened his mouth to tell her just as much and she just rolled on through like he wasn’t going to say a word.

“Yeah it’s out of gas, but I can push it…” Again she came on, she offered him that arrangement he had asked her about. Did he dare accept it now? Knowing that she was here alone. He wasn’t sure about it now that he found out she was single. He had figured taking the job would be an easy way to earn some money, with little questions asked. Help out the man of the house with some odds and ends, then move on. He couldn’t afford to get tied down, or god forbid get attached to anyone. He never let himself stay one place long enough to get attached. He let his eyes drink her in as she began to rummage through boxes, looking for her cooking supplies.

Wow she really was just an eyeful of gorgeous, wasn’t she? Well what if those guys came back for some revenge? He couldn’t let that happen. Besides he was watching her bounce around the house like an excitable girl. He couldn’t help but laugh. There was a charm about her and he was enjoying just being in the same room as her. He nodded finally and walked toward her. Extending his hand as if to shake hers. “Fair enough Ma’am. I’m not certain I’d be able to tell you no if I wanted to. Beautiful women always have the advantage in these situations after all.” He gave her a grin. “I’m Vince. Nice to meet you.”

Katie looked up from her rummaging and smiled brightly, she was glad he agreed. She took his hand in hers and paused for a moment not shaking it but simply holding it, She had been amazed as his hand just felt so warm. She blushed then shook his hand and added "I'm Katie, its nice to meet you too Vince. You were a real life saver today" she smiled at him.

She let her eyes travel over his body, noticing he was still wet from his ride, she frowned and then without a word she walked past him to the bedroom and rummaged around in one of the boxes. Coming back she handed him an old black band teeshirt from some old college band she had once followed during high school. The shirt was long enough for her to wear as a night shirt so she assumed it would fit him. "I don't have any pants that would fit you, or suit you" she chuckled a little at that thought "but that should warm you a little while your shirt dries" she smiled and nodded to the bathroom "go try it on."

She wasn't meaning to sound bossy she just wanted to look after him, repay him for taking care of her trouble earlier today. She went back to rummaging through the boxes and found a large pot, a fry pan, wooden spoons and her good knife and chopping board she thought she would make pasta tonight...realizing suddenly she didn't know if he would eat it she asked "Do you eat pasta, I mean with like a tomatoe based sauce some herbs, meat and maybe some garlic bread" she asked kind of randomly but her brain was still running fast from the adrenalin.

He noticed that she just sort of held onto his hand for a moment and he looked at her intently, as if he could read her thoughts through a look into her eyes. Finally she shook his hand, even though a faint hint of crimson touched her cheeks. “I am glad to have been able to help you Katie. Your name suits you”

Quickly as that she was throwing clothing at him to put on because his were wet. He gave a quiet chuckle and looked at the band. The wall flowers? Seriously? She wanted him to wear this? He took the shirt with a smile. He wouldn’t offend her. He held the shirt up and examined it. Tipping his head slightly. “I might be able to get this on, but I’d stretch it out pretty bad. I have a couple of shirts in my saddlebags that might have managed to stay dry. Though it was raining pretty hard. I’ll go take a look.” He did not hand her the shirt back just yet, but he really would have rather not destroyed something of hers, just because his own shirt was damp… Plus it was not really his taste.

As she began to dig through some boxes, she recovered cooking items. He smiled watching her. Her cooking items looked to be pretty well cared for, and maybe even on the expensive side. She nodded slowly with a laugh. “Sure Ma’am. I haven’t eaten since… some time after noon yesterday. I’ll eat just about anything at this point. Though Pasta sounds great. Thank you again.” He turned toward her curiously. “So if I may ask, what are you opening up here? I couldn’t tell most everything is boxed up. Speaking of the boxes I’ll just stage them in the store front, and you can tell me where you want them as you need them.” His shirt was pretty soaked. With a sigh he began to walk down the stairs. Reaching down his hands gripped at the hem line of his shirt. Tugging it up his body slowly, the damp fabric clung to bare flesh as it was removed. Turning his head over his shoulder toward her with a smile. “I’ll be right back.”

Katie smiled as he seemed enthusiastic about the pasta, she took the items to the kitchen area (The apartment was open plan) and was about to turn and tell him not to worry if he stretched the shirt, when she saw him descending the stairs and removing his wet teeshirt as he went. She couldn't help it her eyes were glued to him and she licked her lips as she took in his well muscled back.....and of course he would turn and look at her just then, Katie quickly looked away and blushed brightly. He had just caught her checking him out, she just nodded when he said he would be right back, she was too embarrassed to speak.

Katie got everything ready in the kitchen to cook dinner, now she just needed to get some groceries. She thought about heading downstairs but then if he was still half dressed she would burn with embarrassment so she stayed upstairs and fussed around with a few boxes moving them into the rooms they were for.

He had definitely taken notice of her checking out his back. The truth was, he had done it all on purpose. For no other reason than to let her know that while he thought she was beautiful, that he wasn’t going to take lightly to being taken charge of. He was a free spirit in it’s pure form. No one tied him down.

His footsteps echoed loudly as he walked out of the room. He walked to his bike and let his damp shirt hang over the seat. A few moments of rummaging through his saddle bags produce a simple navy blue teeshirt that fit his figure much in the way the white one had. Very snug. He brought both of the shirts, the damp one, and the one she had offered him with him as he walked to the lawn and scooped up a couple of boxes in his arms. Carrying the boxes inside.

His footsteps echoed again, heavier with his burden. He set the boxes aside and began walking up the steps again to find Katie. With a crooked, almost boyish smile he looked at her. “Hey Katie. Do you have a system for the boxes? Which ones are belongings, and which ones are things for the shop?”

Katie was struggling with a box when Vince spoke to her, she almost dropped it and now stood with it awkwardly resting on her jean clad thigh with her knee bent and her arms around it. She blew a strand if hair out of her face and then looked at him with an amused smile. "Yeah..they are marked, shop boxes have red dots on them, the others are labeled on the side" She gave a jerk and picked the box back up and headed to the kitchen and placed it next to the bench her bum facing Vince as she bent to do so.

She then turned and looked around the place was becoming organized but everything was still in boxes, she looked at her watch the store would probably close soon, "I better go grab some groceries or we might not get to eat ....and I don't know about you but I am starved" it was probably the adrenalin waring off but she was famished. She walked toward the stairs and brushed past Vince, stopping just a couple of steps bellow him she smiled up at him and said " I will just sleep on the mattress tonight so just drag the bed frame into the store, we can deal with it tomorrow......then relax I will be right back" with that she turned and headed to the store.

Dusting her hands on her jeans she straighted her blue shirt and made sure her hair was not to messy and headed out of the shop and up the street, She took her time to look around smiling to the locals that nodded to her in greeting as she passed. It was a very quiet little town, a bank, hardware store, a dinner, doctors, a clothing store, a few other little shops but they all lined the main street that curved around a beautiful park in the middle that was obviously used for community events and at the end of the street was the grocery store. It was so different to what Katie was use to but she thought it was beautiful just the same and she already felt more relaxed...even after what had happened today.

He saw her startle as he spoke to her and couldn’t help but chuckle as she gave him an amused smile. She blow strands of hair away from her face and spoke. He nodded to her slowly, listening to her explanation. Then she walked past him into the kitchen. He watched her go and she bent her frame slowly, giving him a perfect view of her rear as it pressed against the well fitting jeans she wore. He had to stop himself from giving an appreciative whistle. He would have done that for a normal female, but she was his employer, that drew a very strong line in his mind. Such a shame, she had a nice, tight bum. The temptation to walk over and touch her grew.

She looked at her watch, and it was her turn to catch him staring. As she looked to him, his eyes flicked up from the sight she had given him to her face. He gave a smile, and seemed unruffled by being caught. After all, they were both adults right? “I’m absolutely famished. I’ll hold down the fort until you get back.” She gave him some directions about not bothering to set up the bed and then walked out. Pffft. Yeah, right. He wasn’t about to let her sleep on a mattress just sitting on the floor. Quickly he got to work. Digging the bed rails and frame out from one of the corners in the room.

It was a quick assembly job really, and he got it together with a few nuts and bolts placed at the joins. Now that the frame was done he had to get the mattress and box spring upstairs. He took the mattress first. Gripping it with strong hands he heaved. His muscles strained against the weight, and the bulkiness of the object. He struggled a little, but he managed to get it upstairs. He let it settle down near the frame and then walked down to get the box spring.

The box spring was much more difficult, it was not flexible and supple, like the other part, he had to actually lace the frame against the stairs at an angle, and then he just dragged it up the stairs.

By the time she walked back inside, he was putting the Mattress on the frame, sweat was a sheen over his face, dampening his shirt lightly. Hadn’t he just changed out of a wet shirt? He smiled at her slowly, his chest heaving as he caught his breath. He had quite obviously just finished as she came home.

“Welcome back, do you need a hand?” He was tired, he looked tired, and a bit sore. He hadn’t had much sleep in the past two nights. Maybe racking up five hours, this was day three with five hours of sleep and he was starting to flag under the physical effort. Still he didn’t voice a complaint, he stood up and held out his hands to take a bag from her.

Katie blushed a little thinking about how Vince had caught her checking him out, but she was mostly amused by it, kind of an only fair thing to have happen. She strolled around the isles of the grocery store completely charmed by how quaint it was, with only a few isles, and only a few different brands, it was nothing like she was use to. But it did have a fantastic fresh food section. Katie selected her fresh herbs, some plump ripe tomatoes, pasta and some salad ingredients, bread to make fresh garlic bread and on whim picked up a bottle of wine.

It all took her about an hour total by the time she walked to the store, did the shopping and walked back. She noticed Vince had moved everything inside and smiled, she carried the bags up the steps and was astonished he had assembled her bed for her "oh thank you Vince, I didn't expect you to do that" it was very kind of him. Katie bashed his hands away playfully when he tried to take the groceries from her "I got it, you take a rest" she smiled at him and made her way to the kitchen. Looking at him closely he looked tired and she felt bad for asking him to carry boxes after all he had already done for her today "Why don't you go have a shower, there are towels in the box in the hall and soap in the make up bag in there." she smiled sweetly and nodded toward the bathroom.

She then began preparing dinner, moving about the kitchen confidently and quickly. It was were she was most comfortable and secure in her abilities and who she was. She had made big changes of late, walked away from her old life and started again....and right now she was so happy about it she began to hum to herself as she cooked.

He blinked slowly as she popped his hand playfully as he tried to take a bag from her. He perked a brow at her and mockingly rubbed at his hand. His tone was full of amusement as he spoke. “Where was that when those men were causing trouble? You didn’t even need my help. A couple of right hooks would have had them running out the door with tails between their legs because they were stomped by a woman.” He laughed and let the sound echo against the still bare walls of the loft.

She told him to take a shower and he grinned again. “What do I really smell that badly?” Then he raised his arm and sniffed himself. He nodded. “Ok..maybe a shower is a good idea.” He nodded as she pointed him in the direction of the towels and the soap. He retrived them and then walked into the bathroom. Reaching over to turn on the water, he let it come to temperature as he shed his clothing. He drew a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. It felt good to be in a place where he could relax somewhat. He was getting too old for this nomadic life style he led. Maybe after he managed to build up some cash he could find a steady job and a place to settle down.

Well no point in thinking ahead, when the present was so unsteady. He stepped into the stream of the water and sighed feeling the droplets beat against his skin. Sucking in a hissing breath as the water suddenly became hotter, he stepped out of the stream. It returned back to normal and he let himself relax again. She must have turned on the water. Suddenly he gave a yelp as the water went ice cold instead! He hadn’t even started lathering himself yet. That wasn’t normal. He killed the water and stepped out, drying off a bit. He wrapped the towel around his hips and tied it at the front.

Pulling the door of the bathroom open he strode out slowly. Looking around until he found where the kitchen was he walked to it. “Hey Katie, do you know where the water heater is yet? I just lost all the hot water. I think the pilot might have gone out.” He watched her curiously, totally unconcerned that he was standing there in front of her in nothing but a towel, water trailing down his body slowly.

Katie had just been about to test the pasta, when she heard Vick's voice. Looking towards him she paused, it was like she was frozen in time. Her mind went to mush and she didn't even finish her spoonful of Pasta she broke of the tiny end piece and put the fork down. He was breath taking, she had never seen a man look so sexy. She felt the heath climbing through her body and she tried really heard to break free of the sexual fog that was crowding her brain.

"oh water heater...right..umm.......no" she shrugged and absently bumped the fork onto the floor, bending to pick it up she was about to suggest under the stairs when she brought her eyes up level with his legs and his towel and as she stood her eyes traveled up her body, she blushed brightly and turned away towards the sink.... "maybe under the stairs" she whispered without turning around. Good god get a grip Katie, she scolded herself mentally. she was practically trembling just from the sight of a sexy man. Sure it had been along time since she had even dated let alone anything else but was she really that needing she couldn't control herself.

He looked at Katie with a slight hint of bemusement. She was all sorts of flustered at seeing him in a towel. He was watching her take the noodles off that fork with surprisingly agile lips, and tongue. A process he had interrupted with his arrival. She seemed nervous. Perhaps it was his half naked state? He was pretty sure that was it. She turned around after having dropped the fork and mumbled something about the stairs. He smiled sheepishly toward her. He had not meant to effect her so. He was not used to having a woman around. Most places he lived was with other guys, or by himself. He hadn’t taken female sensibilities into account. He opened his mouth and spoke in a soft tone. “Thanks, I’ll go get dressed and check it out. Sorry about uh.. this. I’m not used to having a woman around. It might take some adjusting. I’m not trying to be offensive.” He turned around and walked away, a faint color could be seen running down the back of his neck. Yep, he was embarrassed.

He went back to the bathroom and began to towel himself off quickly. He slipped back into his clothing and ran his fingers through his short hair. He felt sorta foolish for putting this nice lady through all that grief. The least he could do was fix the water heater. He walked out of the bathroom and paid a few glances around the upstairs. Not finding what he was looking for he walked to the stairwell and went down. Off to one side was the breaker box. He popped it open and looked it over. The writing was old, old enough to be nearly undecipherable. Wow this place needed some work.

He shut the door on the breaker box and looked along the stair well. She had a good guess. There was a hide away door that led to a small area that he had to crouch to get into. He cast a frown into the dark area and reached up, trying to find a light switch or something. He felt a string, and he gave it a tug. A dull yellow light exploded into the darkness, banishing it to just the corners of the small hide away space. Wow, the water heater was older than dirt. He looked it over and then got down on his knees. He drew in a breath, sniffing. His eyes went wide, he cast a frantic gaze around and quickly grabbed ahold of a valve and turned it flush with the pipe. He felt the ball slide into place, and the pipes rattled a bit. He stood up and turned off the light slowly. He left the hide away open and walked up the stairs with a worried frown.

As he came back up he searched out Katie again. “Hey Katie, do you have a box fan or something? I figured out why I lost the hot water. The light was out, but I can’t relight it right now. The water heater is so old that it has no safety shut off, it nearly flooded your hide away with natural gas. I’ve gotta let it air out before I can relight it. That was a close call, it could have turned this shop into a charred piece of dirt.”

Katie looked up at him clearly confused as to why he would want a fan to fix the water or to have a shower, but as he explained she turned white and spun around and turned off the gas on the stove quickly extinguishing the flame and looked at him with eyes wide "no way, are you serious?" of cause he was why would he joke about that, closed her mouth and tried to think..fan fan fan "I only have a little pedestal fan, you know the rotating ones" she arched a brow "would that work"

The dinner was cooked, so at least she knew she wasn't going to blow up the building doing that but she was a little freaked out by the thought of what could have happened if he had not been the one to check it out, she would have just had a cold shower and called a repairman the next morning....if she had of been here. " The fan's in the bed room, I am so glad you checked the water heater. I am just sick thinking what could have happened" she swallowed and gestured for him to follow her to the bedroom to get the fan. "are you sure this will work? I mean should we go to a motel or something?"

Katie walked down the narrow hall and climbed around a few boxes, she glanced at the bed so grateful he had assembled it for her, it seemed he was saving her ass all the way around today. As she found the fan she turned and looked at him and smiled shyly, she leaned towards him and brushed her lips against his cheek pulling back she blushed and looked at the fan mumbling "I just felt I owed you that, You have just done so much for me...and possibly saved my life twice now" she glanced up to him meaning it "thank you" she then quickly wound up the cable for the fan and picked it up by the stand and handed it to him "hopefully it helps"

She was looking at him with pure terror in her beautiful eyes and was she shaking? Wow she was really shook up. He watched her turn off the gas to the stone with quick, jerky motions. Yeah, she was really spooked now. So far he was batting 0/2 for trying to make her feel comfortable with him. Reaching out he placed his strong hands on her shoulders firmly and gave them a light, soothing squeeze. His voice was steady and sure, very much like it always was, it seemed as if nothing ever did phase the man.

“It’s alright Katie, The gas is off. It was a small leak because I caught it quickly. It could have been worse, and I was in the most danger by going down there and turning on the light. The reason I want the fan is to help it air out faster, it would do it on it’s own, but moving air out of the hide away will expedite things so you can have a shower later tonight without freezing to death.”

He gave her a reassuring smile, but it didn’t seem to be helping, she was still clipping along with nervous energy. He had nothing for it, he just followed her to the bedroom. The connotations that could have flow through the mind of a man walking into a woman’s bedroom didn’t even skitter across his thoughts. She was gorgeous, that was for sure, but she was a kind woman who had given him a roof and a meal for a few days. He had to treat her with the respect she deserved. That was all very easy to run through his mind before she leaned up and kissed his cheek.

It apparently was one of the last things he had expected to happen. He looked surprised for a moment, and then a faint touch of crimson flooded to his sun darken cheeks, deepening the color. Her lips left a tingle on his skin, and he felt it spreading to his neck and shoulders. It had been a long time since he had a woman. He choose not to take female companions due to the way he lived his life. Nomads made for bad husbands, and even worse fathers. He could attest to that one from experience. His mother said he had caught the itchy feet from his father whom he never met.

He cleared his throat and smiled, truly pleased with her gesture. He even went so far as to touch his cheek lightly before he could stop his hand. He ran it through his hair awkwardly, trying to pretend that was his intent all along, but it didn’t take. “Really you don’t owe me anything. The first bit was just doing the right thing, and this is doing the job you hired me for. What kind of man would I be if I let some thugs rough up a pretty woman? The shop should be safe, but I would recommend staying away from the down stairs for a couple of hours. You are welcome to go to a hotel if it would put you at ease, but I don’t believe it is a necessary precaution. If you want however you can go, and I can stay here and make sure the place is all right.”

Owed him? Heh not likely. He wasn’t the sort of man who racked up many good deeds, he was just trying to balance the scales a little. It was time for a change. “If anything you have done me far too much kindness in giving me the opportunity to have a real meal, and a warm dry place to sleep. I will work very hard to try and balance things, but I’m fairly certain there is nothing I can do that will show you just how grateful I am for your kindness.”

Katie was a little more relieved when he said that it should be perfectly safe, at first she had been so terrified by what she thought would have happened without him being here she had not listened to much else. She smiled slightly and honestly said "Thank you Vince, If you say its fine to stay then I won't waste the money" she laughed a little "It seems I am going to need it to fix this place up" she looked around her bedroom and her new adventure was seeming a little more tarnished right now, paint flaked from the walls and the floor boards were worn and she wasn't quite sure what the brown mark was half way up the wall.

His words of appreciation touched her, he seemed like a decent guy. She waved off his silliness with a smile and her hand. Vince had done so much already, he really had nothing to thank her for, Katie had simply returned his kindness. After giving him the fan she smiled brightly "while you take that down I will dish up dinner, I hope your hungry" she then walked past him stepping around the boxes and headed back to the kitchen to plate up dinner.

Katie had already found the plates, knives, forks and wine glasses needed to serve up dinner, but she had only unpacked what they would need for tonight. The rest could wait until tomorrow when she would get stuck in and try to make this place livable. She set the table for two and placed the large dish of spaghetti, tomato and beef sauce in the middle of the table, the garlic bread to the side and the open bottle of red wine to share. She hoped Vince would enjoy the meal smiling she called out "DINNERS READY" and she then went to the bathroom quickly to fix herself up....she didn't know why she just felt she should, silly really it wasn't like this was a date.

He saw relief sink in to her slender shoulders slowly, then he saw disappointment. She was just seeing how much work this place needed and apparently she did not like the sums. He gave her a soothing smile and his eyes brightened. “It’s not that bad. The water heater seems to be the worst of it, and you will be saving money in the long haul replacing that beast. That thing is enough for a full family and it’s just you and me right now, plus unless you plan to go through a million dishes, you won’t run out while doing day to day duties of the shop. I’m sure we can find a high efficiency, safer model for pretty cheap. If we take a step down in capacity. I’ll put it in so you can save on the extra charges. It will save you on gas every month. It will pay for itself in less than a year.” He smiled brighter at her, he was so full of confidence that he could help her out. The idea was very appealing.

"while you take that down I will dish up dinner, I hope your hungry"

She shot him a winning smile as she said that. How could he argue? His smile turned to a full grin. “Been a while since you have said that to a man hasn’t it? Men are always hungry, Katie.” A soft chuckle followed as she zipped around him like a busy little bee. With nothing left to do he turned on his heels and walked down into the shop area. It took him a few moments to find an outlet that was close enough, but safe enough to use. In a moment the small fan was humming, pushing air out of the hide away area at full power. He set it up on a couple of boxes and then made his way upstairs.

She was there, looking dazzling. There was something in her eyes he had not seen before. She was calm, sure of herself and happy. She must really enjoy cooking, because the pleasure was radiating off her like heat from the stove. Her mood infected him and he just smiled at her. Standing across the room from her he met her eyes and stared into them unwaveringly. After a moment he cleared his throat and looked at the food. His cheeks were touched lightly with a hint of color and he spoke softly. “It looks delicious.”

In the bathroom Katie washed her face, brushed her hair really quick and just applied some light lip gloss, she was not over doing it but she wanted to at least appear decent for Vince, she doubted he would even notice but it made her feel better. She went back to the table and was just straightening things a little more when she heard him behind her, she turned and smiled.

Katie met his eyes and her stomach filled with butterflies, she was being silly she knew but this was the first meal she had shared with a handsome man in along time and, the way he looked at her then was almost ......she smiled brushing it aside as she heard him speak "I hope you like it" she gestured to the other chair an then lifted the wine bottle "would you like some?" she poured some in her glass.

She looked at him and smiled "So do you think we are safe from exploding now?" she was only teasing he had made her realizes they were not in danger. She was just wondering if the fan would do the trick. She looked at him and raised an eyebrow holding the wine bottle over his glass "Wine or would you prefer water or juice or something?"