“Are you OK?” The worry in her voice pokes at the nasty creature living in the back of my head who wants to yell at everybody to back off.
I wave her off and to my relief, the back door snaps shut.
Good. I don’t want her to see me so weak.
But the door swings open again and a moment later, the scent of her lavender shower gel puts me on edge. I open my eyes to her bending over to place a cold cloth on my forehead.
Eliza dabs my forehead with the concentration and seriousness of a seasoned nurse. She slides the cloth over my temple and neck, lips slightly parted.
When our eyes meet her cheeks turn rosier and she wants to retreat but in a display of pure selfishness, I gently cover her wrist keeping her hand in place.
Her delicate throat moves in a hypnotic ripple with each nervous swallow.
“You looked overheated. I thought this might help,” she says breathlessly.
“Thank you.” I squeeze her arm lightly. “I feel much better now.”
I should let go. The urge to bring her closer burns under my skin, a rippling wave of electricity. To set herin my lap and bury my head in the crook of her slender neck. Kiss the back of her ear, down her jaw and—
The direction of the fantasies snaps me out of the moment, and I drop my hand abruptly.
Eliza registers the change in my posture because she backs away, wrangling the wet cloth. She’s getting too close for comfort. She might seem innocent, but I can’t take that bet. I can’t afford to.
“I brought you some cold lemonade with honey. It’ll give you a boost.” She’s looking anywhere but at me.
I have to break this fragile connection before I cross the line.
“Thank you, Eliza,” my father’s voice speaks through me. The flattest master-of-the-manor tone I could manage to conjure. “I’d appreciate it if you stopped invading my personal space. We’re far from that type of familiarity.” She needs to stop looking at me like she wants me. “You can go now.”
She draws back as if I’ve slapped her and that blush, making my fingers itch to touch her, spreads like wildfire.
The usual mantra of reasons I should stay away does nothing to temper the unease pulsing in the back of my ribs.
Chapter Fifteen
ELIZA
If he thanks or dismisses me one more time like I’m one of his employees, I’ll end up on the evening news. In the moment, the onslaught of embarrassment swallowed any retort.
Then it faded away, leaving a bitter taste of sadness.
I overstepped with my blatant interest and it’s the first time he has taken such an obvious step back.
“Thank you, Eliza,” Carter says flatly while grabbing the plate I made for him on his way to the table outside, on the porch. He doesn’t even look at me, I might as well be a Live, Laugh, Love sign on the wall.
He’s been doing that every morning since the fence incident.
Things between us are back to being frosty, a throwback to the first week of living together and I have better things to do than embarrass myself further.
I’m tired of being humiliated. I won’t allow Carter to root me back into that dark place I’m too painfully familiar with.
What am I doing anyway? Drooling over the first man I stumble upon when I’m still reeling, watching Jared and Caroline build the family I was begging him for.
The days pass with as little air exchanged between us as possible. In a stroke of luck, things start picking up at the little cabin and I’m out of the door at the crack of dawn, talking with Finn and his crew and driving to Thomas’s store for missing materials. They’re vaulting the ceilings this week and I’m more excited than a bear in a berry patch.
There are still things around the house I need to do for Carter and usually I don’t have to check in with him, but I can’t delay the inevitable today. He’s been holed up in his bedroom for hours and I’ve reached my limit.
The first knock is polite because this is a business agreement, nothing more, and I’m the epitome of professionalism.
