The squeal jumped out of her before Emmy could call it back. Will’s hands were on her waist, and before she could even begin to process that, she was airborne. He lifted her straight up, and she didn’t hear a single grunt ofeffort. Emmy easily hooked the chime in place, then waited while he slowly—perhaps more slowly than necessary, she thought—lowered her back down. Her body slid against his in the process, and it sent heat shooting from her toes to the roots of her hair. The guy had some seriousmoves. His hands remained on her waist, and he used them to turn her until she faced him. Her heart pounded as she looked up into those warm hazel eyes. Slowly, his gaze never leaving hers, his hand traveled up the side of her body before it came to rest on the side of her face. His skin was warm and rough against her cheek, and she felt her breath catch when he allowed his thumb to slip down and graze her lips in an intimate caress.
When he leaned down, she told herself to step away. She couldn’t let this happen. She couldn’t become entangled with the main character of a romance novel she was trapped in.
Then his lips brushed hers ever so lightly, and she melted. Her resolve simply slipped away as his mouth caressed and tempted. He didn’t deepen the kiss, didn’t up the tempo or the intensity. He simply… lingered on her lips, taking little tastes, changing the angle only slightly to touch one corner of her mouth and then the other. Emmy was on the brink of begging him for more when he pulled back.
“We got interrupted back in Bright’s shop. I like to finish what I start.”
“Uh huh.”
“You alright there?” he asked.
His self-satisfied grin was enough to snap her out of her lust-induced stupor. “I’m great. I’m uh…” She cleared her throat. “I need to see the wind chime. Um… thanks for the lift.”
“Anytime.” He made that one word sound like a sexual promise, and she felt her throat close for a moment.
Turning away from him, she looked up and saw the garden tools dangling above her head. They swayed with the breeze, as they were meant to do, and reminded Emmy that she had successfully reinvigorated the landscaping of this house all by herself. The extent of her accomplishment made her feel warm and fuzzy. Bright had done a great job cleaning up the tools so they were no longer stained with rust, but they still showed signs of age that gave the piece character.
“Done and done,” Emmy said, the kiss momentarily forgotten amid the warm glow of success.
“I guess all that’s left is to check with the client to see if he likes it.” Will smiled and said apologetically, “I’ve been so far up my own ass lately, I don’t think I’ve even looked at what you’ve done with the place.”
Emmy forced herself not to wring her hands while he stepped back and took in the scene before him. He put his hands on his hips as he scanned the plants, the fresh rock accents, the decorative moss. After a moment that stretched to eternity in Emmy’s mind, he let out a long, low whistle.
“Wow.”
That sounded promising. “Wow” was good, wasn’t it? Unless he meant “Wow, I’ve never seen anyone fuck up this badly.”
“You like it?” she asked.
“I love it, Em. You were right about the birdbath. But even more important to me is, I think my grandfather would have loved it, too. He treasured this house, and youenhanced it without taking away from its charm. He’d have gotten a kick out of the wind chime, too.”
Emmy threw up a hand to ward off further praise and covered her eyes. The grandfather comment had done it. She was choking on unshed tears. After a deep breath, she lowered her hand and looked back at Will.
“You really like it? You’re not just saying that?”
Will walked over to her and pulled her into an unexpected hug. He didn’t say a thing for a moment, just let her press her face into his chest and breathe in his scent as she tried to regain her composure. He was so warm. So solid. With his arms around her, she felt safe and cherished. It was a heady experience. Then he bent down so his lips were near her ear, and goosebumps broke out all over her body.
“I really like it, Emmy,” he murmured to her. “You made it look professional but not stuffy. It’s still open and welcoming. Not everyone would have understood that this house needs that.”
“Thank you,” she told his shirt.
“No, thankyou. I know I bullied you into doing this, but I’m grateful to you for letting me.”
“Me, too.”
He pressed his lips against her temple, held them there for a few seconds, allowing both of them to relish the contact. Then Emmy reminded herself she was not supposed to be embracing him or pursuing anything other than friendship. With what she considered admirable self-control, she pulled herself together and stepped back from him.
“So… my turn to cook?” she asked.
“Yep.” He was still smiling at her in that way that said he would be more than happy to pick up their earlier kiss where they left off. She pointed a warning finger at him. “Hands off.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I mean it. The last thing I need is a steamy tryst with a romance novel character.”
Because she was walking past him into the house as she spoke, she didn’t see how her words wiped the grin right off of Will’s face.
Fifteen
