Temporary Partner: Hopeless Heritage, #2

By Nicole Tillman

Claire has made her fair share of mistakes, her biggest being the fling she shared with her best friend's older brother, Rush. Lucky for her, he hopped on a plane the next day bound for California, leaving her to sweep their intimacy under the rug.  But Claire is more than okay with that arrangement. She's happy with the life she's living and doesn't need the complications of a man.  However, when Claire is fired, she finds that scoring a decent job in her backwoods town isn't going to be as easy as she had anticipated.

Enter Rush.

When Rush gets an invitation to return home for his best friend's bachelor party, the first thing he imagines is a spicy reunion with the one girl he hasn't been able to forget. He can't wait to ditch his buddies and slink off to her apartment. So, when he walks through the door of the one-and-only strip club near his hometown, the last person he expects to see is Claire.

Disappointed, and more than a little enraged, he makes her an offer she can't refuse. Before she knows it, Claire is on her way to California, ready to put her culinary degree to work in a big city. Grateful for Rush's connections, she throws caution to the wind in order to make something of herself. She's entrusted her future security to Rush, but in no way intends to entrust him with anything else; not her body and especially not her heart.

Claire blossoms on the West Coast. Life is everything she expected it to be. That is, until she discovers that Rush hasn't been completely up front about their arrangement. In an instant, she's ready to hop on a plane and head home, giving up the glamor and fast-paced life she's been salivating over for years in exchange for the sleepy, backwoods town she finally managed to escape.

Note: All books in the Hopeless Heritage series are stand-alone novels, but characters from other books will make appearances. Also, these books are contemporary romances with strong language and sexual content not intended for readers under the age of 18.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nicole Tillman
• Release date: Feb 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781507018750

Nicole Tillman

Nicole Tillman is an author who hasn't always had a love of reading. As a child, she struggled to string words together and would hide in the back of the classroom with her head down in hopes that the teacher would forget she existed. Eventually, she was introduced to a young adult series by a family friend and her love of reading bloomed. Nicole now weaves her own stories, content to lose sleep in order to write both contemporary romance and thriller/suspense novels. She lives in the Ozarks of Missouri with her husband, two sons, and two dogs. Nicole has an Associates Degree in General Studies though Missouri State University and was on her way to completing her Bachelors in Creative Writing when she decided to take a sabbatical to focus on work and her family. Now a stay at home mother, she dedicates her time to her boys, writing, and photography.

Book preview

Nicole Tillman

Copyright © 2015 Nicole Tillman

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without written permission of the author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, locations, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and registered trademark owners of all branded names referenced without TM, SM, or ® symbols due to formatting constraints, and is not claiming ownership of or collaboration with said trademark brands. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Edited by Lindsey Editing

Photo Credits: Franco E Santos & Melanie Mahin

Cover Design: Nicole Tillman

Printed in the United States of America

Other Books by Nicole Tillman

DUPONT Series

Come Tear Me Down

Don't Make Me Look

Please Let Me Stay

HOPELESS HERITAGE Series

Secondhand Sapphire

Temporary Partner

Crooked Beauty – **Coming Soon**

FORCED HOME Series

Loving the Cult

Taming the Cult

Forgiving the Cult - **Coming 2015**

Note: All books in the Hopeless Heritage series are stand-alone novels, but characters from other books will make appearances. Also, these books are contemporary romances with strong language and sexual content not intended for readers under the age of 18.

Dedicated to Mrs. E.

I can't thank you enough for... well, everything you ever did for me. Thank you for being my teacher, my mentor, and my friend.

Without passion, there is no life.

-Michelle Estes

1943-2011

––––––––

Prologue

––––––––

The bedroom door slammed shut behind Rush. If we were trying to be subtle, it wasn't working. Not that either of us cared, but there were still people milling around downstairs. They were all close friends of Sapphire's, but I still wanted them out of our house. I was tired of exerting every ounce of willpower I possessed trying to keep my hands off Rush. Every time our eyes met, every time he grazed the small of my back with his fingertips, or every time I caught a whiff of his cologne in the air my heart pounded wildly in my chest.

I had an obligation to stay and exchange pleasantries with my best friend's guests, but all I'd wanted to do was drag him up the stairs by the starched, white collar of his shirt.

Luckily, our house guests had started filing out one by one, giving me the perfect opportunity to wish Sapphire a good night and grab onto Rush's hand, ushering him toward my room. Of course, Sapphire didn't object, but she was concerned. After exchanging a meaningful glance with the one person on earth who meant the world to me, I proceeded to pull her brother up the stairs with me, with the most devious of intentions.

It had been too long, we'd exchanged too many flirtatious looks, and throughout the past few hours, I'd been mesmerized by the low rumble that was now his voice. I wondered what his breath would feel like as his lips made a slow burning trail down the slope of my neck. How would his hands feel as they made their way up my thigh?

His attention to my low-cut blouse didn't go unnoticed, and his eyes burned with the same amount of lust as he took in my hourglass figure, slowly starting at my collarbone and ending somewhere below my full, curvacious hips.

Sometime throughout the night, he'd gone from being my best friend's annoying older brother to being a real, bonafide man A man who was educated, successful, funny, and could charm the pants off any woman in the room. I wanted to be that woman...

As soon as we stepped foot in my dimly lit room, our bodies exploded. Shoes were kicked off in all different directions. Buttons went skittering across my hardwood floor. Shirts and pants were flung over furniture and lamps. As soon as we were down to our skivvies and his heated touch claimed my bare shoulder, we were both goners.

Lips, tongues, fingertips, everything was a scorching hot blur as we pressed our heated bodies against each other.

Sit. Rush held my shoulders as he backed me up against the bed.

As the back of my knees hit the mattress, a soft gasp escaped my lips as I fell backwards. I barely had time to bounce before his bare torso was pressed against mine.

God, you taste so good, he said as he dipped his head, eagerly running his tongue along the valley between my breasts.

My nails dug into his sculpted back in an attempt to pull him closer, to pull him into me, but he resisted.

Slow down. He whispered.

Though my breathing was labored and my eyebrows furrowed at his command, I softened my grip, letting him take the lead as I settled for pulling his earlobe between my teeth and tugging hard enough to let him know that I wanted to do anything but slow down.

Rush reared back, quickly reaching over the foot of the bed to retrieve what he probably always carried in his back pocket. In the few seconds his body was absent, a chill ran through me at the thought of what we were about to do. But as he lowered himself back between my thighs, every kiss, every touch, every low moan that escaped his lips told me everything I needed to know.

Rush wanted me. And even though I knew I was a glutton for punishment, I gave him everything I had.

CHAPTER 1

––––––––

The neighbor's mailboxes rushed by as my sneakers hit the pavement. Each lungful of air burned but every breath was steady and in sync with my footfalls. With a heavy metal mix blasting through my earbuds, I pushed myself along the last stretch of flat asphalt leading to my apartment. It was just me, the barren street, and one lonely dog picking through an upturned garbage can.

I prided myself on my will and determination to get in shape. After putting on a few extra pounds, I decided it was best if I put the one hour before sunrise to good use and work off the pudge that was settling around my midsection.

The morning was the perfect time for me to run. I'd always been an early riser, but those waking hours had never been very productive. Mostly just trash television and scrolling through social media.

I thought I'd miss my 'me time', but as it turns out, the exercise was therapeutic, both for my body and my mind. I wasn't fat per se, but I knew getting in shape would be easier in my mid-twenties than it would be after I hit the dreaded 3-0. I was at my peak and needed everything to be tight and resting where it should be before it decided to head south.

I kicked it down a notch, content to power walk the distance between the parking lot and our front door. Penny would still be asleep, so I couldn't just charge inside, chest heaving and sneakers squeaking against the tile entryway.

As I reached our door, I all but collapsed onto the stoop, stretching while my breathing returned to normal. I leaned forward, spreading my legs as far to my sides as I could manage, enjoying the pull of my newly exercised muscles as they strained beneath my yoga pants.

After letting my legs rest for a few minutes, I pulled my earbuds out, hopped off the step, and headed inside. To my surprise, Penny was awake and banging around in the kitchen.

Morning.

Gah! She screamed, dropping the spoon she was about to put in her coffee. Son of a bitch, Claire! You scared the hell outta me! Make some noise when you walk, would you?

As she stood in the kitchen, face flushed and hand resting over her heart, I tried not to laugh. Penny was so easy to scare. I grabbed her spoon off the floor and flung it into the sink.

Sorry. Next time I'll wear a bell.

That's not such a bad idea, she grumbled, reaching for another spoon.

Why are you up so early anyway?

Penny let out an annoyed sigh as she blew on her steaming coffee. She still had her glasses on, so I knew she was having a rough time getting around. Normally, the first thing she did in the mornings was put in her contacts to avoid looking 'dorky' as she called it.

I got called in to do inventory.

Inventory? You work at a doctor's office.

Yeah, so I'll be counting syringes and alcohol pads all morning.

Fun times.

She rolled her head forward, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingers. Oh yeah, should be great.

Stretching my hands over my head, I cringed as I realized I was standing in the middle of our squeaky clean kitchen while sweat trickled down my arms. I took a few steps back toward the hall, knowing Penny would have my head if I dripped or smeared any rebellious perspiration on any of our belongings.

Well, I'm hittin' the shower. Don't have too much fun banging your boyfriend in the supply closet.

I tossed a wave over my shoulder while she grumbled something about that being my MO, not hers. She was right of course. I'd always been the exhibitionist while Penny was the reserved and level-headed of our trio. Our third gal-pal (who had just moved out) was Sapphire, who, until recently, was a hot mess. But she'd gone and gotten married and popped out a kid, so her wild days were far behind her.

So, with Sapphire married and Penny in a serious, committed relationship, I was the odd ball. Of course, the girls still thought I went bar-hoppin' at night and flirted with guys on Facebook, but little did they know, I'd grown tired of the game. I wanted something real, something like my best friends had managed to find.

Taking the stairs two at a time, I bounced toward the bathroom, ready to wash the salty sweat trails from my body and get on with my day. I hummed as I threw my makeup bag on the counter, bending down to retrieve a new bottle of shampoo from beneath the sink. Squatting down, I enjoyed the soft ache in my calves that was beginning to set in. I'd run farther than I'd had in a long time, and I knew I'd be paying for it by the end of the day, but dammit, the push and strain had felt so good, I didn't want to stop.

While pulling out my work uniform, my phone chimed, alerting me of a message. I pulled the phone from my pocket and swiped my thumb across the screen, bringing it to life.

There it was. The name of the only person I'd been thinking of for the last month. Hell, the last year really. Memories of our time together had been flitting through my brain like a viral vine on Youtube.

But even as I opened the message, that same old feeling clenched my gut, telling me that talking to him, flirting with him, or even thinking about him was dangerous. Because it was. I knew better.

For one, Rush was Sapphire's older brother. I know that my bestie would have no qualms with me dating anyone in her family, but I did. Anything that could potentially tear a hole in what we had as friends was something I went out of my way to avoid.

For another, Rush lived halfway across the country. He'd finished some exclusive internship at a law firm in California and had immediately been offered a job. He was moving up in the world, making something of himself.

I was damn proud of everything he'd accomplished, especially after the crap hand him and his sister had been dealt, but my current life paled in comparison to the life he was building on the west coast.

Those two reasons forced me to wrap Rush up in a tiny little box, label it 'Don't Even Go There', and shove it to the very back of my emotional closet.

But even though he was completely off limits, our flirtatious banter via text was something I wasn't entirely ready to give up.

Rush: Morning beautiful.

My heart did that sickening pitter-patter thing it always did when Rush's name showed up. That certain organ had yet to get the memo from my brain that I needed to move on and forget about him. So, of course, I did what I always did. Instead of ignoring him, I sprawled out on the floor wearing the cheesiest of grins as I typed out a reply. I geared up for what I hoped would be a long conversation that I would have to cut short in order to make it to work on time.

Me: Morning yourself. What are you doing up so early? Isn't it... 5am there?

I only had to wait a few seconds for the ping of his response.

Rush: Got a busy day ahead of me. Thought I'd start with a run.

Me: What a coincidence. I just got back from a run. How's that Cali weather this morning?

Rush: Wouldn't know. I'm at the gym in my building. Haven't even gone outside yet.

Me: Spoiled, are we?

Rush: Hey, I work hard. I deserve the perks that come along with being a lawyer in a big city.

Me: Don't start thinking too highly of yourself. It'll hurt that much more when you realize you're not that special.

Rush: I'll show you special...

My cheeks heated at the thought. Rush could definitely do special. We hadn't even laid eyes on each other in over a month and I still couldn't get the 'special' that we shared a year ago out of my head.

Me: I'll bet you can.

Rush: Can I call you later?

My heart stopped pitter-pattering and instead took a swan dive into my stomach. Texting I could do, it was harmless enough. But talking on the phone? That was something else entirely. Emotions could be heard, words couldn't be deleted before hitting send, and there wasn't proper time to pick apart his words before opening my big mouth. Nope. Bad idea.

Me: Nope. Busy.

Rush: Liar. Why won't you take my calls?

Because you're thousands of miles away and totally out of my league? I thought. Because if I hear your voice, I'll miss your touch even more than I do now? Because I hate the fact that I can't have you?

Yeah, all of the above. But instead of actually answering, I did what I do best. I avoided the question altogether.

Me: Text ya later.

A few minutes ticked by and I was sure he wasn't going to reply. Until...

Rush: I'm sure you will.

I sighed and buried my head in the sheets. I knew we shouldn't have been flirting like we did, and I knew the longer we talked the farther we'd tread into dangerous waters, but I couldn't not talk to him. With careful maneuvering, we could get back to the way things were before. 

Hopefully.

Probably.

Maybe...

No... I didn't see that happening. But I'd officially arrived at the intersection of 'Who Cares' and 'Don't Give a Damn'.

Rush was just so easy to talk to. When I felt like no one else would listen, Rush always made time for me. Even though we rarely talked on a daily basis, the longest we'd gone without contact was five days. After all, we both led fairly busy lives. But Rush always made time for me and I always made time for him. Even if both of us knew it wasn't headed anywhere, we were willing to be an open ear for the other in times of need.

After a minute, I tossed my phone next to my work uniform and headed to the shower where I continued to mull over our conversation. Things would have been so much easier if distance wasn't a factor. But geography wasn't my only problem.

Rush was emotionally distant.  I'd known him long enough to know that he was a closed off and affectionately unavailable person. Yes, he could spill his guts in a text, but getting him to open up in person was close to impossible.

After our one night fling, Rush couldn't even look at me without his bedroom eyes. Every time he glanced at me there was this heat emanating from his hooded baby blues. When he turned that fire my direction, I was a lost cause. I'm sure everyone else noticed as well, since I could practically feel my whole body igniting in flames. Which, coincidentally, all gathered at my face resulting in a rather unattractive and tell-tale blush.

As I let the water run over my face, thoughts of 'that night' embedded themselves in my brain and wouldn't let go. I recalled just how softly he stroked his hand across my hip, how his lips lingered at my neck, how his chest pressed against my