Jack Hammer: A Blue Collar Alpha Romance Read online

  My mouth drops open. He did not just say what I think he did.

  Jack actually has the audacity to smirk at that comment like he’s won not only the battle but the war.

  “That said,” Mr. Richards continues as he turns toward my newfound nemesis. “I’m concerned to hear your machinery hasn’t been upgraded. Mr. Hall, we can only go with your company if we can be confident in the tools you’re able to bring to the table. Without that, I’m afraid we’ll have to go with a large corporation that has access to the kind of resources we need.”

  “We have some older machines, that’s true.” Jack shoots me a glare that could melt the polar ice caps. “But we recently invested in some newer models that have the capabilities you need.”

  “If I were you, Mr. Richards, I would be concerned that these new models actually exist.” I meet Jack’s glare. “Mr. Hall here has the habit of lying when it suits him.”

  Mr. Richards lets out a heavy sigh and closes his eyes. “This is incredibly tiring. I’m going to put an end to it right now. Miss Austin, I’m going to have to reschedule our meeting for a later date.”

  “But—”

  He holds up a hand. “I understand you’re only in Redwater for the week. I’ll check my calendar and be in touch.”

  My heart begins to pound. I’ve really screwed it up this time. As good as it felt to trade barbs with Jack, I should have kept my cool. Instead, Mr. Richards now views me as an inexperienced bitch who has little interest in her work. My boss is going to kill me when he finds out how badly I’ve botched the meeting.

  “In the meantime, Mr. Hall,” he continues, “I don’t feel confident in your situation either. I’d like to come by your premises tomorrow to check out your machinery, particularly your bulldozer and loader. And do me a favor, the both of you. Next time I see you, please don’t mention the other. Your clear hatred has given me a headache, and it makes me want to go with a third company that isn’t connected to this mess.”

  That shuts both me and Jack right up.

  And before we can argue anymore, I flee the diner and head to the only safe place in this town: my bed and breakfast room covered in a dizzying display of flowers, destined to make the pounding in my skull even worse. But there’s nowhere else to go, especially not with the way my heart squeezes in my chest.

  The wild and sexy man who stole my heart the night before? The magic of the moment when we came together on a patch of dewy grass underneath the stars? The way he stole all the breath from my lungs? The way he sent electric shocks along my skin? It’s all gone.

  But even worse, it feels like it was never even there.

  8

  Jack

  “Jack, my boy!” Noah claps me on the back when I storm back into our shop, one that now looks run-down and dirty to my eyes. “Let me see the sweet, sweet beauty of that signed contract.”

  “There is no signed contract.” I crunch the papers in my fist and toss them onto the dirty, concrete floor. A floor that needs a serious vacuum and a mop. “The meeting was a complete disaster, and I’m not sure there will ever be a signed contract with this developer.”

  Luke frowns and squats down to gather the strewn papers, pressing each paper flat as he does, as if there’s some way to change this nightmare into the dream we all want it to be. “What happened? I thought we had this one in the bag.”

  “Zoe happened. That’s what.” I close my eyes and try to block out her perfect pixie face. I’ve never felt more betrayed in my life. Did she know who I was when I approached her last night? Was it all part of her master plan to steal this contract away from me and my brothers? Seduce me so that I wouldn’t fight against it?

  No. I have to admit that she looked just as shocked to see me as I was her. Her tiny hands were shaking no matter how hard she tried to keep her cool. And she seemed downright enraged by my lies.

  “The city chick you banged last night?” Noah frowns. “What does she have to do with anything?”

  “Chick? Banged? Do you even hear yourself when you speak?” Luke shakes his head at our little brother.

  “Hey, we can’t all be tortured poets, old man.”

  “Maybe I’m only tortured because you’re a pain in the ass.” Luke presses the last sheet flat on the work table and drops a glass paperweight on top, one he shaped himself.

  “Turns out Miss Zoe Austin works for The Wilson Group,” I say with a scowl. “She’s here to put in a bid on the development.”

  “The Wilson Group?” Noah lets out a low whistle. “How’d you miss that little tidbit when you two were knocking boots last night?”

  “Knocking boots?” Luke crosses his arms. “Really, Noah.”

  “She told me she was here on business,” I continue, ignoring the extra commentary. No need to relive the way her tight little body felt underneath mine, the way she gazed up at me with those gorgeous blue eyes. I blink out those thoughts and shake my head. “Unfortunately, she didn’t mention what kind of business.”

  “Or maybe fortunately,” Noah says. “You probably wouldn’t have screwed her if you knew.”

  “I definitely wouldn’t have. It makes this whole situation a lot more complicated, and it may have lost us the fucking contract. She was at the diner when I showed up, scheduled to meet with the developer just after me. She wasn’t particularly pleased when she realized I lied to her about who I am.”

  “Oh shit,” Luke says with a frown. “Noah’s stupid fucking bet.”

  “Hey, don’t blame this on me,” Noah says. “I’m not the one who decided to fuck her.”

  “Can you two stop bickering for one goddamn minute?” I throw up my hands and fight the urge to storm out of the room. All I want to do is hole up with a bottle of Wilde’s Whiskey and sulk for the rest of the night, but we need to come up with a game plan if we want to turn this thing around. “Zoe and I really went at it in the diner when we found out the truth. I ended up making things worse for her, but she did the same for us. The developer wants to come by tomorrow to take a look at our operation here and check out the machinery. If we want to land this gig, we need to make sure everything is in top form. But as long as we can show we’re serious, organized, and on top of our game, then the contract is ours.”

  I’m not going to let Zoe Austin steal this gig out from under me. She may have been the best fuck of my life, but I won’t let that stop me from doing what it takes to keep my business from drowning in debt. Besides, this job won’t matter to her the way it matters to us. It’s a tiny little contract for a big corporation like that. She’ll move on with her life no matter what happens.

  Not that I care what happens to her.

  I don’t.

  No way in hell.

  She’s nothing to me.

  And I’ll keep repeating that to myself until it sticks.

  9

  Zoe

  “Zoe, is everything okay?”

  I look up from the magazine I’ve been staring at for the past half hour. There’s some article about shedding ten pounds in ten days, but I don’t think I’ve read a single word of it, my mind too distracted by the day’s earlier events. The owner of the bed and breakfast—Harper, I think is her name—smiles down at me and hands me a steaming cup of something that smells unmistakably of chocolate and cinnamon.

  My stomach growls. I haven’t managed to eat all day.

  I shift in the stiff armchair in the front room, having settled in for the afternoon downstairs after getting bored out of my mind in my room. “Just a rough day is all. The meeting didn’t go well.”

  “So I heard.” She gives me a slight smile. “Jack Hall can be pretty stubborn, but he’s a good guy.”

  I raise my eyebrows.

  “Word spreads fast in Redwater.” She pushes the cinnamon drink into my hands. “Have some of this. My grandmother’s recipe. She passed it on to me the same day she handed over the keys to this business. Said it would help keep me sane during tough times. I promise it always does the trick when I’ve
had a shitty day.”

  “Thank you.” I take the cup from her and cock my head, surprised at her generosity after how I behaved in the diner. I don’t know what got into me, and I’m embarrassed to know that the entire town has apparently heard about it. “I’m surprised you’re being so nice to me. I made a pretty big ass out of myself.”

  “Oh, don’t be silly,” she says, sinking into the armchair across from me. “You’re just doing the job you came here to do. It’s hard to fault a woman trying to make her own way in life, especially when I know what it’s like myself.”

  She waves at the bed and breakfast, the crazy explosion of flowers she inherited from her grandmother.

  “Just keep in mind that Jack’s only trying to do the same himself. And they really are good guys. Well, I take that back. Noah Hall is the most infuriating man on the face of this planet, but Luke and Jack aren’t so bad when you get to know them,” she continues. “And word has it that business isn’t booming, so to speak. I think they really need this job.”

  “Really?” I stare hard at the cup in my hands. “I didn’t know that.”

  “Of course you wouldn’t.” She pats my hand and stands. “Enjoy your drink. And just remember that he didn’t meant to cause any offense. Not really. Just like I’m sure you didn’t.”

  Her words cut a hole of guilt into my heart. Truth is, I did mean to cause offense when I threw my words of anger into his face. I was trying to take him down, trying to make him fail. But that wasn’t fair, even if he had lied to me about who he was. He’s only trying to make a living, same as me.

  Maybe it’s time to approach this differently.

  I’m not going to back down from the contract, not when my job depends on it, but maybe I can try to handle this like an actual professional instead of a schoolgirl angry at her crush.

  Sighing, I set my cup on the coffee table and stand from the creaky old chair. “Wait. Do you know how I could get ahold of Jack? I think I owe him an apology.”

  “I’ll do one better than that.” She grabs her jacket from the coat rack and smiles. “I’ll take you straight to him.”

  And that’s how I end up in a place called Bar Wilde for the second time in two days.

  Unlike last night, it’s packed to the brim, bodies clustering around the curving oak bar. Several bartenders flitter about the room, and eighties rock ballads blast from speakers mounted from the overhead wooden beams. It’s like the place has come alive, and sure enough, Jack and his two brothers crowd the same booth, sipping at glasses that look full of what I’m sure is Wilde’s Whiskey. Only tonight, they look down-and-out instead of jovial.

  My eyes get caught on Jack’s tall and commanding frame. As much as I hate to admit it, he looks really freaking good. His navy t-shirt clings to his biceps, and I can’t help but notice how his faded jeans hang perfectly off his hips. Hips I touched. Hips I licked. Hips that pounded against mine as he took me so sensually on the soft grass.

  “So,” Harper says while nudging my side. “Rumor also has it that you two left here together last night. Did something happen between you two? Is that why you got so pissed off with him in the diner?”

  I swallow hard and drag my eyes away from Jack. It’s not fair he has to look so good.

  It’s not fair I can’t forget how good he felt inside me.

  “You could say that.” I drop my voice to a whisper and glance around as I fill her in on what happened. Now that I know just how much people like to talk in this town, I don’t want to risk anyone overhearing what I have to say. I mean, they probably all know what happened between me and Jack anyway, but I’d prefer to keep as much of my humiliation to myself as I can.

  “He told you his name was Jamie?” Her eyelids flutter shut as she lets out a long, exasperated sigh. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I thought those assholes were done with that.”

  I frown. “What are you talking about?”

  Instead of answering, she grabs my arm and starts pulling me toward the packed bar and away from the brothers. “You know what? Forget about what I said, and let me buy you a drink. Jack doesn’t deserve your apology, and you should do whatever it takes to get that contract.”

  “Harper,” I say, unease settling into my bones. “What’s going on? What are you not telling me?”

  She turns to me then, her eyes flashing. “It was a bet. Did he use a lame pick-up line on you? He did, didn’t he? They used to do this all the time, mostly back in high school. I can’t believe they’re still playing this stupid game.”

  A bet. A game. Blood rushes into my ears at the implication of it all.

  “What are you doing here?” I hear a deep voice rumble from behind me.

  Whirling, I turn to find Jack and his smug, stupid face. Behind him, his two brothers hover with concerned frowns pulling down their lips. But all I can focus on is Harper’s words. A bet. A game. A joke. He was never truly interested in me at all. He had sex with me because of a dare. And he had the nerve to act angry when he found out I kept some details of my own life to myself? What he’s done is far, far worse than anything I could have dared to do myself.

  “Is it true?” I ask, blinking rapidly to keep the tears inside my eyes. I can’t let him see just how much this hurts. “Was it a bet?”

  “For fuck’s sake, Harper,” one of his brothers practically shouts at my newfound friend. Based on what she’s told me, I decide that one is Noah. “You had to go and make things worse.”

  “Own up to your actions, shit head.” Harper steps close to my side and crosses her arms over her chest. “It’s about time you realize these girls you mess with? They’re real people. What’s funny is Zoe actually wanted to come over here and apologize, but I can’t let her do that when—”

  “No, I wasn’t.” My heartbeat patters in my chest, running wild with the need to save face. I can’t let Jack see that he got the better of me, not when I know this whole thing was a massive joke to him. The flirting, the sex, the sweet words he whispered into my ears. All make-believe in order to win a game. “I was coming over here to tell Jack that I’m going to do whatever it takes to get this contract. You may have the upper hand right now, but it’s not over yet. It’ll take more than a few insults to get me out of the picture.”

  Harper glances to me, her lips lifting slightly. “That’s my girl.”

  Jack stares hard at me. His face is completely blank, making it impossible to read his emotions. For a moment, I swear I spot a flicker of remorse in his eyes, and I think maybe, just maybe, he’s going to apologize for what he’s done. But then his eyes harden into stones, and all the hope of reconciliation flitters away into the night.

  “To answer your question, yes. It was a bet. All I had to do was seduce you without getting slapped, and guess what? It was damn easy to win.” He turns away as a gorgeous, young blonde strides by the tense stand-off we’re having at the corner of the bar. With barely a touch on her arm, he stops her. A smile lights up her face when she sees whose attention she’s caught. Jack’s hot, so of course she likes what she sees. “Can I buy you a drink, gorgeous?”

  “Of course you can, sweetheart.” She smiles and slides up against his chest, her large breasts pressing against his rock hard abs. A new kind of rage shudders through me as I watch him hook his arm around her back, just as he did to me the night before. “Though I sure do hope it’s more than one.”

  “Let’s make a night of it. ‘Cause you know what they say about Bar Wilde, don’t you? Go wild or go home.”

  Go wild or go home?!

  He did not just say that line to some other woman. Pain and anger battle for dominance in my brain, and I end up with a lethal combination that needs a serious outlet or I might explode. I grab Jack’s massive bicep and whirl him around to face me. All he had to do was talk to me without getting slapped? He thinks he won that bet, huh? Well, think again, asshole.

  I raise my hand and smile when I slap his smug, stupid face.

  10

  Ja
ck

  She’s out the door before I can even register what’s happened. I have to admit, there’s a small and totally immature part of me that is thrilled to get such a strong reaction to my blatant attempt at riling her up. Of course I did it on purpose. I repeated the same lines I used on her, lines I’ve never used on anyone before. But she wouldn’t know that. As far as she’s concerned, I try them out on every girl I see.

  I wanted to make her jealous.

  And it worked.

  On the other hand, a part of me wants to take it all back. I could have sworn I saw tears in her eyes, and no matter how pissed off I am, I don’t want to make her cry. That makes me feel like a real shit.

  “Harper.” I reach out and place my hand on Harper’s arm as she moves to follow Zoe out the door.

  She turns, lifting her eyebrows and giving me one of her trademark withering looks. She’s not too pleased by my actions. Can’t blame her really. She was on the receiving end of Noah’s games back in high school, and she’s not one to forgive and forget.

  “You know, I could see him pulling this kind of thing.” She jerks her thumb in Noah’s direction, who only smirks in response at her anger. He’s always known exactly how to get under her skin, and the angrier she gets, the more antagonistic he gets. They’ve been at each other’s throats for years. “But you? I thought you were better than this, Jack. You too, Luke.”

  Luke holds up his hands and steps back. “Hey, don’t lump me in with these two assholes. I had nothing to do with it.”

  Sighing, I run my hand across the thickening stubble on my jaw. She’s right. I should be better than this. I should have said no to Noah’s stupid bet. If I could turn back time, I’d undo it all. Except maybe the scorching hot sex part of the whole ordeal. I wouldn’t get rid of that.