Tempted (The Lottery Winners Book 2) Page 8

  Not that she and Rocco were dating, she chided herself as she knocked on the door again. No answer. Nothing? Very strange, she thought since his truck was still in the parking lot. Just thinking about his truck caused her to blush. The things he’d said to her in that truck while they were driving to his place were…she lifted her hand and fanned her face, hoping that she didn’t run into anyone else.

  Knocking again, she waited, wondering if he was in the shower. Glancing at her watch, she was surprised at how late it was already. She’d slipped out of his apartment early this morning, right as dawn was lighting up the sky, but he’d been asleep when she’d left him. Had he woken up and started his day already?

  Did he regret last night?

  She certainly hoped not because…well, she would love a repeat of last night. But this time, start with a bed. And maybe some dinner before? Yeah, that would be nice. Rocco wasn’t a big talker, but she loved watching his facial expressions. He was definitely what others might call the strong, silent type and she lo…

  Daisy stopped, not wanting to use that word. Tony had used it earlier and she’d denied that her feelings for Rocco were that strong. She didn’t think she was in love with Rocco, but couldn’t be sure since she’d never been in love before. She’d cared about other men, but when they’d walked out of her life, she hadn’t cared one way or another. Definitely not love.

  But she’d care if she never saw Rocco again. Daisy wasn’t sure what it was about the man, but he just…well, he got to her. She didn’t know him well enough to say that her feelings were love. But watching him work over the past two weeks, spending so much time with him, she…understood him. She talked and she was pretty sure that he listened. His lips quirked in a slight smile sometimes when she was trying to make him laugh, so she knew that he was listening.

  She knew that he was an excellent boss and all of his crew respected him. They came to him for guidance and Rocco was shockingly good at fixing issues and overcoming challenges. There didn’t seem to be a problem he couldn’t fix. Cabinets didn’t fit? He knew how to adjust things so they worked and didn’t delay the installation. Plumbing bad? Rocco grabbed a wrench and pulled something out of the wall and presto – the plumbing worked again. Foundation cracking? He had a solution to that as well.

  Daisy might not know what his favorite color was, but after sitting with him while eating lunch for the past several days, she knew that he liked turkey over ham, ate more vegetables than she would have thought after that meat sandwich at the diner and he rarely got angry. And he might not talk a whole lot, but his facial expressions spoke volumes. She was starting to understand what he was thinking just by the quirk of an eyebrow or narrowing of his eyes, both of which were subtle, but she enjoyed trying to interpret his reactions.

  Rocco was like a mystery she was slowly figuring out. And after last night, she was more determined than ever to learn more about the man.

  Lifting her cell phone out of her back pocket, she texted him. “I’m outside your door. Are you showering?”

  She waited, trying to hear if there was running water. While she waited, Daisy looked around. This building had been beautiful at one point. She owned this one too, through her foundation, but she hadn’t taken the time to fix it up, putting a priority on the single family homes. She supposed she could ask Rocco to find more men, some that could work on this house as well, get the apartments fixed up and ready to be used. But at this point, there wasn’t a demand for apartments.

  Although…she stepped back and realized that the area in front of Rocco’s door was sanded. The old finish was gone to reveal the beauty of the wood underneath. She stepped back slightly, looking around. He worked all day on the houses in the neighborhood, then came back here to refinish the stairs and hallway? Did the man ever sleep?

  Daisy thought about last night. He’d been completely out when she’d slipped away this morning. Was she pushing him too hard? Were the renovations a problem?

  Looking closer, she realized that the hallway floors had been sanded and re-stained. They looked beautiful! But only on this landing.

  Yes, she thought with a tender smile, Rocco was fixing this place up as well. She’d have to tell her business manager to talk with Rocco to pay for the expenses he’d absorbed so far. She wasn’t going to let him spend his own money, not when she had millions collecting interest.

  Her phone buzzed and Daisy eagerly looked at the response, her heart pounding when she thought of Rocco stepping out of the shower in his apartment…all wet and sleek with every muscle on display.

  But the text wasn’t informing her that he was getting out of the shower. His one word response, “Working”, confused her. He was already at the construction site?

  She turned around, wondering why his response seemed…curt. Could a text really convey another person’s feelings? It seemed crazy, and something Marilee might believe, but Daisy was a bit more down to earth.

  Unfortunately, as she made her way out of the building, Daisy struggled to ignore a sense of impending gloom. Something was wrong, but she had no idea what could have happened between last night and this morning.

  Unless…could he be regretting last night?

  Daisy thought back to the soft, gentle kiss he’d given her right before they’d both fallen asleep. The look on his face wasn’t the look of a man who regretted anything. Rocco had looked…if anything, he’d looked content as he slept. Relaxed. His hands had even reached out for her when she left the bed.

  Shaking her head, she hurried down the sidewalk, no longer feeling the warm sunshine as she walked faster, needing to see Rocco and assure herself that there wasn’t anything wrong.

  “Hi guys!” she called as soon as she stepped into the kitchen. The new cabinets had come in yesterday and the crew had already started installing them. As she took in the changes, she realized that everything looked wonderful! “Great job!” she praised and handed Steve the level he’d been reaching for. “Have either of you seen Rocco?”

  “In the bathroom,” Bo called back.

  Daisy waved her thanks and stepped over several empty boxes, making her way towards the back of the house. It was only about a two thousand square foot house with three bedrooms and two full baths, but it was plenty big enough for the family that would move into the house in six weeks. She’d already interviewed the mother and had designed a living space to help the single mom of two to thrive in the house.

  “Rocco?” she called out.

  Silence.

  “Are you back here?” she called louder, stepping around several piles of debris, but confident that her steel toed boots would protect her feet.

  She turned the corner and, there he was, towering over her and looking down into her eyes as if he was…angry?

  “Are you okay?” she asked, reaching out to touch his chest. She’d done that several times last night and he’d grabbed her fingers to hold her fingers there. Today, however, he grabbed her wrist, stopping her fingers just short of touching him.

  “I’m fine. The bathroom is finished, ready for whatever you’re going to do with it.”

  With that, he stepped around her and walked away. For the rest of the day, he worked in whatever area of the house she wasn’t. At first, she tried to dismiss his actions, thinking he was just trying to pretend that nothing had happened between them. By lunchtime, she’d gotten the message loud and clear. Sitting down on a stack of drywall, she unwrapped the wax paper around her sandwich, but she wasn’t really hungry. In fact, she felt almost sick to her stomach, wondering what she’d done to make Rocco treat her so coolly.

  What had happened between dawn and after breakfast? She couldn’t think of anything that she’d said or done that would offend him, unless…was he irritated that she’d left without saying goodbye this morning?

  Before she could ponder that possibility further, her cell phone rang and she pulled it out of her back pocket, panicking when she saw the caller. “Gunner? Are you okay?”

  He
r brother’s deep laugh soothed the part of her that was aching. “Hey there, Brat. What are you working on today?”

  Daisy stood up and walked away, needing more privacy. “Oh, you know. Just painting and installing pillows, like always.” She tried for an upbeat tone because her brother was one of those overly protective types. He had been ever since their parents had died and he’d taken over raising her. Gunner was a good brother and had stayed around LowPoint until she’d graduated from high school and gotten a job at the diner. That’s when he’d taken off to join the Navy. They’d both agreed that he needed to leave in order to find a real job. And he’d always loved the idea of going to see the ocean. When he’d gotten accepted to BUD/S training, which is a six month, intensive training course that all potential SEALs go through, she’d been thrilled for him. But that also meant he would be in areas of the world that were more dangerous than she could imagine.

  Fortunately, Gunner was a big, huge brute, about the same size as Rocco, but her brother was trained to take care of not just himself, but whoever he’d been sent in to rescue or…well, whatever it was that the Navy sent him and the other SEALs in to do. Daisy didn’t think too hard on what her brother’s missions might be. Her brother was an expert at explosives and thought it was hilarious that his name and his specialty matched so well. Daisy wasn’t as excited, but she loved her brother and he loved his job. So she was happy for him, even if it gave her nightmares sometimes.

  “Daisy? Is everything okay?”

  There was silence for a moment and Daisy blinked back the tears, not wanting to let loose with her brother. They had so little time to talk lately and she didn’t want to waste a moment of it. “Everything is great! So, what are you blowing up today? Anything interesting?”

  There was a moment of silence and Daisy’s hand squeezed her cell phone. “What’s wrong, Brat?” her brother demanded gently.

  Darn it! “Nothing!” she replied, trying to infuse her voice with enthusiasm. “Did you do anything illegal on your last vacation?” she asked, teasing him in an effort to distract him.

  Unfortunately, her brother wasn’t the kind to be easily distracted. “Daisy, what’s wrong? Why are you about to cry?”

  Daisy closed her eyes, one hand reaching up to wipe away an errant tear. “I’m fine, Gunner. I promise! Please, tell me what you and the guys are up to, okay? I’m bored and I’d love to hear what adventures you’ve gotten into lately.”

  There was a heavy sigh and Daisy silently prayed that her older brother wouldn’t badger her. As a Navy SEAL, she knew that he could fly out to a dangerous, global hot spot at any moment. And being a SEAL was a perfect match for him. Everything would be perfect if only he would let her send him money every month. But the jerk didn’t want her money, even though he’d sent her whatever he could spare before she’d won the lottery. Even the small amounts that he could spare from his military income had helped enormously and she’d loved him for his sacrifices. But now, she had millions and he wouldn’t let her reciprocate.

  For the next ten minutes, they talked about the training he’d just returned from and she laughed at stories of the new ways he’d learned to blow things up. He was really good at his job, but she’d known that from the first time he’d called. Gunner and the Navy were made for each other, she thought.

  “Hey Brat, I gotta go. But the next time I call, you’re going to tell me what’s bothering you, okay?”

  She sighed and wiped another tear away. “Okay. Hey, be safe, okay?”

  “Always am,” he agreed, and the call ended.

  Daisy’s hand fell and she stared off into nothing. Her brother wasn’t “always safe”, she thought with helpless anger. He and his team put themselves in danger all the time. She never knew where he was or what he was doing, but he checked in with her as often as he could. Thankfully, he also came home for Thanksgiving and Christmas when he wasn’t on a mission, even bringing several of his SEAL team members with him when they could get away together. She loved all of the guys and made sure that they stayed at Marilee’s old Victorian house so they didn’t spend their money on a hotel in Louisville. Tony always cooked an extravagant meal and it was fun. Wonderful, actually. The other SEALs had sort of adopted Daisy, Marilee, and Ivy as honorary sisters. Even Tony was a part of the group, heading out to the high school football field to play football with them after the meals, working out with them in the mornings and training with them.

  And every time the guys came into town, they tested Daisy, Ivy, and Marilee on their self-defense moves, giving them additional ways to get out of a difficult situation.

  Not that there was a whole lot of danger here in LowPoint, Kentucky! Good grief, the town didn’t even have its own police force! Although, the town’s board of directors had been talking about hiring a team. With the increased tourism that Ivy’s studio and Tony’s restaurants brought in, not to mention the latest artisans that Daisy had found, there were some minor issues that a small police force could solve.

  And LowPoint finally had enough tax income to pay for a police force, although not a huge team. Nor did they need a lot of officers. The state had allocated additional money towards hiring a small team of sheriffs and deputies, which would help a lot, especially since the officers would be patrolling not just the town, but also the surrounding woodlands and mountains.

  Daisy sighed as she heard the others clean up from their lunch break, heading back into the house for the afternoon’s tasks. She knew what was on the schedule for her to accomplish and knew that she’d have to keep up her end of the project, even though she’d rather head over to her house and hide under a blanket for the rest of the afternoon.

  Lifting her chin higher, she ignored Rocco, just as he’d been doing to her all morning. If he was finished with her then fine! She could handle this. She would never beg a man to be with her!

  Just breathe, she thought silently. Breathe and focus on work. She’d been fine before last night, she’d be perfectly fine without Rocco in her life in the future. He was an excellent construction manager. That’s where their relationship would end.

  Gunner got off the phone and looked out the window, wondering what was going on with his little sister. “Hey, you ready for the obstacle course?” Bulldog asked. His real name was Nathan, but no one called him that. Just as no one called Gunner by his name. The team had nicknamed him Madman and both nicknames fit perfectly.

  Gunner looked over at his friend, shaking his head. “I’ll catch up. I have a phone call to make real fast.”

  Bulldog stopped and looked at Gunner carefully. As a brother himself, he understood. “What’s wrong with your sister? Is she okay?” he demanded, his big shoulders bracing as if ready for a battle. Bulldog was big and scary with short dark hair and the ugliest face one could imagine. He was built like a bulldog too, with big shoulders and arms that needed extra large sizes so he didn’t lose circulation to his hands. He was the engineering genius of the group, able to build them anything that they might need in order to accomplish the mission. Bulldog could fly anything, drive anything, and build anything.

  He was also a big puppy dog, always championing the underdog. If there was a victim out there, Bulldog was going to save him or her. Or it. He loved animals, loved the ladies too and the ladies loved him right back.

  Gunner looked at his friend, shaking his head. “No. Something is going on with Daisy, but she won’t tell me what it is.”

  Bulldog’s chest puffed up a bit more and his eyes hardened to a dangerous glint. “Daisy is…” he stopped, emotion stopping him as he thought about Gunner’s little sister. The team protected their own! “Give me a name,” Bulldog growled with a lethal voice.

  Gunner chuckled, patting his friend on the shoulder. “Down boy,” he teased. “I have no idea what’s going on. She doesn’t want me to interfere.”

  Bulldog shook his head. “Not happening. Daisy’s too nice. She’ll get hurt.”

  Gunner laughed. “You don’t know my sister well en
ough then. She doesn’t take crap from anyone!”

  Bulldog’s body language shifted slightly, but he was still ready for battle. “I’m not talking about her physically. We’ve taught her to defend herself and she’ll be fine if someone tries to hurt her physically. But she’s…” Bulldog struggled for words. “Her heart is soft.”

  Gunner nodded, all amusement gone from his own face. “I know,” he replied in full agreement. Running a hand over his face, he tried to think through the issue, needing to hurt whoever was hurting his sister. “I’ll give Tony a call. He’ll know what’s going on.”

  Bulldog crossed his arms over his chest, watching Gunner carefully as a knowing smile formed in the other man’s eyes. “Why not call Ivy? She’d know just as much.”

  Gunner’s gaze sharpened and he glared at his friend. “Ivy’s probably not even around,” he grumbled, thinking of the incredibly sexy, hot, annoying woman who…well, he pushed that irritating but entrancing woman out of his mind. The famous photographer had shown him over and over again that she wasn’t interested. It was time to move on and leave the woman alone.

  Bulldog laughed. “You keep telling yourself that.” Slapping his friend on the shoulder, he turned and headed out the door. “Better hurry if you’re going to make that call. LT is on a rampage today for some reason.”

  Gunner laughed, but Nathan was right. The LT was pissed at something and he relished taking his frustrations out on the team. Better not be late. Walking out, he dialed as he walked over to the obstacle course.

  “Hey Tony!” he greeted as soon as the younger man answered the phone. They exchanged insults for several moments, Gunner impressed with the man’s creativity.

  “What’s on your mind?” Tony finally asked.

  Gunner picked up his pace when he noticed that the rest of the team was already lined up and the LT was assigning teams for the obstacle course. Teams meant that the LT had something special in mind instead of just running through the grueling obstacle course like normal people would endure. On its own, the obstacle course was brutal and Gunner loved it. But with the LT’s special ideas, the obstacle course could be an exercise in hell. It was rough, but Gunner didn’t mind. It kept them on their toes, ready for whatever meddlesome predicament the world’s terrorists might toss their way on the next mission.