“You don’t seem to mind my jeans and boots.” He shortens the distance between us, and my breath catches. He towers over me, and I suddenly wish I wore my three-inch heels. I’ve never felt so small before in my life. Or so turned on.Why in the hell am I turned on?“But now that I know you like the suit, I’ll reconsider my attire for future meetings.”
My mouth runs dry, and I have to remind myself to breathe. He’s standing close enough that I can feel the warmth radiating from his body. It takes every ounce of my control to not wrap my arms around his waist and press his hard chest against me.
When I realize I am enjoying the feelings he’s invoked, everything goes sour. My late husband’s face flashes before my eyes, and a chill runs down my spine.What the hell am I doing?
My heart aches with guilt, yet I have no reason to feel guilty. My husband died over two years ago, but guilt consumes me, nonetheless. I shouldn’t be thinking like this.
But thisthingbetween Adam and me is much more than thoughts. He’s standing within arm’s reach with the same desire in his eyes that I feel burning through my body. I want to make himmine.
Desperate to increase the space between us and refocus on the reason I’m here, I step back. “This building—this room—is gorgeous. I assume this is your work?”
A hint of excitement sparks in his eyes before he clears his throat. “Yes. After I moved back home, I figured the best way to showcase my skills was to design and build my own office space.”
“It’s beautiful. I particularly love this rock wall. The way you let the natural lines of the mountainside guide and enhance the rest of the design is genius. And choosing a spot with a waterfall is a nice touch.”
He walks over to the wall. With a thoughtful gaze, he gently brushes his hand over the surface disrupting the flow of water. “You’d be amazed at how many people assume I created and carved this wall.”
“Really?” I can’t imagine how anyone could think such a thing. It’s so obvious it’s the mountainside in its natural state. “How disappointing.”
“I agree.” He turns to me and smiles. “Mother Nature is the perfect architect.”
And just like that, Adam is one of my new favorite people. Not only is he hot, he sees the beauty in what’s around him. It’s a romantic notion that I hope filters into other parts of his personality and interests. Seeing the beauty of this room and the light in his eyes makes me more excited than I already am to see the design concepts he’s worked up for my house. If even an ounce of this talent makes it into my house, I’ll be overjoyed.
The look in his eyes turns heated again. He’s watching me stare at him, and whatever look he sees on my face affects him. I turn my attention back to the rock wall and do my best to ignore the butterflies still fluttering around in my stomach.
“Shall we look at your designs?” he asks.
I nod, still looking anywhere but at him. “Lead the way.”
He heads back through the hallway from which he emerged when I arrived. I follow.
I’ve no doubt Adam is the right architect to remodel my chalet, but it might be at a cost to my sanity. It’ll be hard to keep my mind focused on the remodel instead of on his body. It doesn’t help that he’s such a nice man, too.
I just might be screwed.
CHAPTER 5
ADAM
Camille is a woman with class and style and the sweetest personality I’ve ever met.
When I found her standing in the middle of my lobby with her mouth open in awe, I nearly lost control. She’s adorable and sexy and has a smile to live for. It took me all of ten seconds to decide that I’ll do just about anything to keep that smile on her face. It’s fucking gorgeous.
I want to wrap her in my arms and tell her that whatever she’s running from, it’ll be okay. She deserves to be happy, and someone should tell her that more often.
She loves everything I’ve proposed, and that pleases me in more than one way. As an architect, I always want clients to love what I design for them, but her reaction to my work means a hell of a lot more to me than a job well done. I’ve worked harder on this design than any others in years. I spent hours going through the notes and design books she gave me. Her tastes are varied, and I could've gone a couple different directions with this project. I ended up picking the things I liked best from her list of likes and went with it. It worked.
I’m used to clients nitpicking at everything and taking days or even weeks to decide if they like my proposed design. I get it.A remodel is an expensive long-term commitment. It should be a one and done kind of project. Getting it right the first time is important.
But she loves it all.
Since my afternoon meeting is canceled, I offer to drive her the forty minutes to Kalispell to do some shopping. We should be able to order most of the items I need to start the kitchen remodel, but any custom features will require a bit more travel. Regardless, the fact that we’re able to make this trip today means I’ll be able to start sooner rather than later.
I slip into my office and change out of my suit. I always keep a spare change of clothing at the office just in case I get dirty on a job and can’t make it back to my house to clean up. I debate leaving my suit on for about three seconds, then change my mind. She clearly likes how I look in it, and I clearly like how she looks at me in it. All I can say is, thank fuck she didn’t notice my hard-on that hasn’t completely gone away since she arrived. But the suit must go. While not a dirty job, I’ll be much more comfortable shopping for kitchen cabinets, appliances, and flooring in jeans and a button down.
Once I’m changed, I meet Camille in the lobby. “Ready to go?”
She turns to me and frowns. Her shoulders sag and there’s genuine disappointment in her eyes. “Aw, you changed out of the suit.”
