When I went to bed last night, I could still feel her lips on my fingers and envision her tongue sweeping the crumbs from her face.How was I going to live with this woman?
She didn't feel like a sister, and she certainly didn't act like one.Aspen was always irritating me, giving me a hard time, teasing, and generally being a pain in my butt.But this woman was something else entirely.
My heart tended to squeeze whenever I saw her, and my skin was overheated from that brief touch.I wanted to chase her bite of my cookie with a kiss.I wanted to see if she tasted as good as her sweets.
I'd have to work longer hours and avoid her somehow, or I was going to do something I'd regret.Tomorrow, I'd talk to Cooper about my schedule.
I couldn't stay at my house, not with her here.The worst-case scenarios piled up in my head.I'd run into her in nothing but a towel, hair wet, and skin damp from a shower.She'd work out in my gym in nothing but a sports bra and shorts that revealed her ass cheeks.
I felt hot all over.
Was she taunting me on purpose?Did she want me to want her?
No, that couldn't be it.Why would she be trying to seduce me?She was nothing like the women I'd met over the years in bars.She didn't have a hidden agenda.She just wanted her bakery to be successful.She wanted to prove herself to her brother and her parents.
I was the one who insisted she move in with me.She was against the idea from the start.
She'd never come onto me before.Not once.Even when I was at their house, growing up, I never saw her looking at me in any kind of way that indicated she had a crush on me.She usually ignored us, her focus on whatever concoction she was making in the kitchen.
I wasn't getting any kind of vibes that she was interested in me either.
She probably thought of me as a brother.An annoying guy that hung around her brother.Not a man she could see herself with.That meant that I was the problem in this situation.This attraction was one-sided, and I needed to ignore it.
Then there was the not-so-small issue of promising her brother I'd take care of his sister, not take advantage of her.She had lost her home and her business.She was in a vulnerable state.
Once her shop was open again, she could move back to her apartment, and I could ignore this ridiculous attraction.It had to be the proximity that was the other problem.She felt like she could eat cookies out of my hand, not realizing that it made my blood heat.
I'd have to stay away from the house and out of the kitchen while she was baking.This was pure self-preservation.I had to uphold my vow to her brother, not break it.
The only way I could do that was to bury myself in work and get her bakery running as quickly as possible.
I'd gotten up early, showered, and went into work, determined to do something that didn't involve spending time with Reina.
Cooper came in around eight and did a double take when he saw me in my rarely used office."What are you doing here?"
"I thought we could go over the schedule."
He leaned against the door jam."I thought we were waiting on the fire investigation before you could start on Sweet Dreams Bakery."
"Yeah, but we need to talk about how we're going to shift the schedule when that happens.I thought I'd work longer hours now, to get ahead on the current project.You think the crew is up for more hours?"
"One of the guys just had a baby, so he might not want to, but most of them like working overtime.But are you sure that's what you want to do?"
I rolled my shoulders back.I couldn't be at home, but I also couldn't tell him that.
He raised a brow."Does this have something to do with your new house guest?"
My eyes widened."What?No."
"All of a sudden you want to work more hours.Are you avoiding her for some reason?"
"We're under contract on all these projects.I want to make sure we're not breaking any of them.Can we just go over the timeline?"
He sighed at my curt tone."Of course.Give me a few minutes to make coffee, then come into my office.I'll have the schedule pulled up on my computer."
"Good."My jaw felt tight, and I tried to unclench my teeth.I needed to chill out if I didn't want people to think something was going on between Reina and me.
When I walked into Cooper's office, he handed me a mug of coffee."Drink this."
