Jesus, what else could go wrong today?
“Allie?” The woman demanded.
“It’s... it’s just...”
A loud sound came from the ceiling, making Allie jump. Pausing at the unfamiliar noise, she listened to the patter and creak coming from above. It got louder, like something rolling or running from one side of the ceiling to another. A sinking feeling welled in her middle. Holy shit, what was that?
Suddenly, a loud pop burst through the air. Allie cried out as the sprinkler system let loose and cold water rained down. Her arms went out in shock, her mouth a frozen, “O.” Marybeth screamed and ran out the door, hollering something about her silk blouse and a lawsuit.
Still in shock, Allie slowly covered her head with her hands as if to stave off the torrent. Water pooled on the floor and bounced off the display cases. The walls began to darken with moisture.
Anger welled in her chest and bubbled out her throat in a garbled cry. “Great! Just one more thing to add to the Loser Allie List, damn it!”
That’s it. She couldn’t take another complication. Wiping her face, she tried to remember where the control was for the sprinkler system when a shadow blocked the doorway that Marybeth’s panicked exit had left wide open.
Allie blinked. Once. Twice.
A man large enough to take up nearly the entire doorframe stood inside getting pelted by the spray. Instead of consternation, he had a look of pure enjoyment on his face as if he were out frolicking in the rain instead of standing under a torrent. Dark hair slicked against his head and curled at the base of his neck. His red tee shirt slowly plastered by degrees to his body, revealing dips and lines of muscle and perfectly structured anatomy, inch by inch.
Her mouth fell open, suddenly glad for the cold water to cool the flush that heated skin.
Allie forgot to breathe.
He smiled and ran a hand over his forehead to push back his hair. Sky-blue eyes bored into hers, their corners crinkled with humor, his smile falling to a cocky grin.
“Staring costs extra, sweetheart.”
Chapter Two
Well, well, well. Thisjob just might not suck ass after all.
Dax Mitchell roved the hot little blonde with an eager gaze. His heart did an odd flip-flop thing and banged hard against his chest. Huh. Must be the coolness of the water beating down on him, making his adrenaline surge.
She had a pin-up body if he ever saw one. The tie of the apron around her waist gave her a perfect hourglass figure, the rise of her plump breasts pushing against the top. The water? Hell, yeah, it soaked the thin fabric, making it cling to those perfect mounds even more. Her left upper arm was covered with a tattoo of orange hibiscus flowers and silvery stars, and a tiny nose piercing glittered in the light.
The shifter in him couldn’t look away. Both his bear and his human sides thought she was stunning.
