His eyes lit up and a smile appeared on his face as he looked around. The dimple in his chin stood out against the stubble surrounding it. Too clearly she remembered how that stubble had left marks on her body everywhere it had touched.Oh, God, stop mooning over the construction guy.What was wrong with her that she got turned on by the smell of sawdustand manly soap?
“What do you have planned up here? Anything different?” Why the heck was her voice all breathy and soft? Where the hell was her rough exterior? The one that had made Scott start calling her Xena, Warrior Princess to begin with? Not that she’d ever tell him she secretly didn’t hate the name. It wasn’t great, but it was far better than what some of her other boyfriends had called her. Sugar Tush. Poochypoo, Scooter Pie.
Whoa! Boyfriend? No, he certainly was not her boyfriend or even anything close.You did sleep with him. Fine, they’d had sex. Un-freakin-believable sex, but that’s all it was. It didn’t mean anything, obviously, since they hadn’t done it again.And whose fault was that? He called you, texted a few times, andgot blown off.
Wiggling in his arms, she tried to get down. Get the voices in her head to stop arguing with her was more like it.
“Hold still,” he scolded and pulled her tighter to his chest. “Now listen up while I give you the run down on the condos up here.”
He walked around the space as if he wasn’t carrying a full-grown woman in his arms. Damn impressive. The pectoral muscles beneath her hand weren’t too shabby either. Continuing on with his description, he seemed to not even realize she was there. At the windows, he set her down and stood behind her looking out, pointing to certain landmarks in the small mill town that you couldsee from here.
Hehadbeen affected by carrying her. The erection digging into her back was evidence enough. Good to know. Not that she wanted anything to happen. They were business partners now. They had to be professional.
“Ready to go?” His gravelly voice sent goose pimples crawling across her arms, and she rubbed them.
“Cold? You should have worn a warmer coat. You’ve lived in New England all your life. You should know April can be chilly. Plus the heat hasn’t been on in this building for years.”
“I’m fine,” she lied. The cold wasn’t getting to her. It was him and his annoyingly sexy presence. She wouldn’t tell him though.
“I’ll make sure to let you know when the permit comes through. If I don’t have it by next week, I’ll call and check on it.”
“Perfect, but remember I’m in on this too. If you need me to do anything, you only need to ask.”
“I will.” His sexy smile was back as he glanced up and down her body. “Ready for your ride down.”
“You don’t have to carry me. I’mfine walking.”
“And killing yourself by falling down three flights of stairs. Then where does my funding for this project go?”
“You already have access. Youdon’t need me.”
“Stealing from a dead woman, though. That just seems…wrong.”
The chuckle escaped before she could stop it. He seriously had a warped sense of humor at times. Moving closer, he placed his hand on her hip.
At her indignant look, he said, “You could always ride piggyback if you don’t like mecarrying you.”
Scanning her slim skirt, she scoffed. “A piggybackride? In this?”
“You could hike up the skirtthen jump on.”
“You’d like that,wouldn’t you?”
His eyebrows went up and down. “Very much.”
Closing her eyes, she sighed then held out her arms. “Fine, come get me, my prince. Rescue me from the dangerous crumbling castle.”
Scott sidled closer then ran his hands down her hips. One hand continued down her leg until it slipped under. His other hand caressed her back then he scooped her up in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on as he trotted back down three flights of stairs. At the bottom he didn’t release her right away. And for some reason she didn’t tell him to.
His eyes roamed over her from head to toe and lingered on those heels. Slowly, he allowed her feet to slide to the floor, her body rubbing against his hardness, sending fluttering sensations through her blood stream. As her shoes touched the ground, he leaned in close, his manly smell assaulting her nostrils. Inhaling the scent, she waited forhis next words.
His breath drifted across her cheek. “Next time, you should think about wearing a sensiblepair of shoes.”
* * * *
“What are you doing here?”
Scott looked at Heather as she paused in the doorway of the municipal office. Her usual sexy business attire in place. Slim skirt, high heels, and today she had on a snug-fitting top that caressed her curves and dipped low in the front, allowing him a peek at her cleavage.
