by Katie Reus
Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Kinda late for a lunch break.”
He hadn’t taken a break, but that was beside the point. “I’m the boss. I do what I want.”
She stomped one of her feet. “You’re infuriating.”
“I’m not the one harassing my sibling in the hopes of winning some betting pool.” He could be wrong, but he had a sneaking suspicion that was the only reason his sister was here. There was probably already some bet going on, if not at the salon, then among his family at least. They were shameless—and he included himself in that since he always joined in too.
When her cheeks went crimson, he knew he was right. “Damn it! Fine. I’m going to win this one. Oh, I left a tray of goodies at the front desk for you and the rest of the guys. Even if you are being stingy with information.” She leaned up, gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Love you, dude.”
“Love you, too.” Grinning, he shook his head as his sister hurried out of the garage.
Using the private bathroom attached to his office, he hurriedly cleaned up, taking a quick shower to rinse off the grease and grime of the garage.
Anticipation hummed through him as he headed around to the back of his garage where his Mustang was parked. For years he’d been consumed with work, using it as an outlet to exorcise his demons, and for the first time in forever he didn’t want to put in overtime tonight or this weekend.
He wanted to spend all his free time with the sweet and sexy Samantha.
* * *
Butterflies launched inside Sam at the sight of Maguire pulling up in front of the empty commercial property she’d been showing.
“You’re meeting with Maguire O’Connor?” Ethan Thaxter asked, looking out one of the front windows.
“Yes. You know him?”
“Just by reputation. I was thinking of having my father’s old Morgan restored. Enough people have recommended him that I’ve been leaning toward calling him.”
Samantha nodded politely. “I hear he’s the best. Did you want to do another walk-through?”
He shook his head, not one perfect blond hair out of place as he smiled at her. The man was classically handsome, but did absolutely nothing for her libido. Not that he was interested in her either. No, he was a dream client. Respectful of her time and not looking because he was bored or simply thinking of buying. He was a man on a mission right now and she hoped she was helping him find the right properties.
Her attention was snagged again when she glanced out at Maguire stepping out of his sexy muscle car. Her lower abdomen clenched as a wave of heat rushed through her.
He had on jeans and a simple T-shirt with the sleeves shoved up to his elbows—showing off ropes of muscles she’d kissed more than once, as well as that plethora of intricate tattoos that marked his time in the Marine Corps. She’d never thought of ink as particularly sexy, but on him? Oh yeah. It worked. His dark hair was still damp and a little mussed, as if he’d finger-combed it after taking a shower. Probably more her imagination than anything, but thinking about him naked and wet wasn’t a bad thing. Of course, right now she didn’t need to get hot and flustered in front of another client.
She cleared her throat. “Let’s head out, then. Maybe you can talk to Maguire about car stuff.” Her voice was calm and steady even as her heart was an erratic tattoo at the thought of spending more time with Maguire.
Outside in the sunshine, a cool spring breeze rolled over them, making the hem of her dress flutter slightly. May was one of her favorite times of the year. Not too hot, not too cold. Perfect. Everything was coming back to life; a time for new beginnings.
Maguire had sunglasses on so it was impossible to read his expression as he stepped up onto the sidewalk. “Sorry I’m a little early.”
“It’s okay,” Ethan said before she could respond. He held out a hand for Maguire. “We’re done here, but I was just telling Sam that I was looking for someone to restore an old Morgan. Your name keeps coming up.”
Maguire gave a neutral smile as he nodded. “My team and I do a good job. If you’re interested in a quote feel free to call the office. Harper will set you up with a consult and we’ll see if we’re a fit.”
Ethan nodded and the two men didn’t bother making small talk, just shook hands.
“I’ll call you in the morning,” Ethan said as he turned back to Sam. “I’m pretty sure I want to put in offers on a couple places. Need to run some numbers tonight.”
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow, then.” She’d ended up gaining Ethan as a client because he’d been unhappy with his last Realtor. Called the guy lazy. And considering Sam’s brief interactions with the man, she couldn’t disagree.
“I got your text, and the address you sent me is closer than the places I found so we can start there if you’d like,” she said to Maguire as Ethan slid into the driver’s seat of his car.
Maguire pushed his sunglasses back on his head, and when she locked gazes with him she felt the full force of those beautiful blue eyes. They seemed electric out in the sunlight, pinning her in place. “You look beautiful today.”
She blinked, taken by surprise at his words—both the bluntness and the sweetness of them. “Thank you. You look pretty good yourself.” Oh, boy. This was not business talk, not even close. What the heck was she doing? She should keep this purely professional. For reasons that eluded her right now.
He gave her a slow, wicked grin, completely erasing the business professional mode of his expression when he’d been talking to Ethan. The transformation had another rush of heat surging through her. It didn’t matter that it was spring and cool outside—her internal temperature skyrocketed to about a thousand degrees.
“Is that how you talk to all of your clients?”
“Only the ones who I’ve seen naked—and you’re the only one, for the record.” She tacked on the last part when she realized how it would have sounded. Apparently she’d decided to throw her professional mode out the window along with her sanity. Right now she was pretty certain she was playing with fire.
His grin widened even more, making those butterflies go crazy. This man had the most ridiculous effect on her. Chemistry? Whatever it was, she liked it a whole lot. And she’d never met anyone who made her feel the way he did. Years separated from him had done nothing to dim her attraction. If anything, it burned a little brighter now. She knew what they’d had together and desperately wanted another taste. Though one wouldn’t be enough. Not even close. She could drown in this man.
When he didn’t respond, she continued. “Are you ready to head out?”
He nodded, running a subtle gaze over her, though the heat simmering there was hard to miss. She’d worn a simple black cap-sleeve sheath dress that was professional but hugged her figure in the best way possible. It was clear he liked what he saw and she got a thrill from that. Because she certainly enjoyed what she saw when looking at him.
Moving to the passenger side door, he opened it for her. His thoughtfulness wasn’t lost on her, nor did it surprise her, considering how sweet he’d been years ago. And she was glad that part of him hadn’t changed. When she’d been living in Oregon she’d noticed that the door-opening thing wasn’t as prevalent. And she didn’t care what it said about her feminist sensibilities—she loved it when a man opened doors. Her father had always done it for her mother and some things were ingrained deep.
“Thank you,” she murmured, sliding onto the soft leather. There was a fresh spring smell to the car, and the interior was as spotless as the exterior. Clearly he took care of it.
Taking her completely by surprise, he leaned down and strapped her in, his face only inches from hers as he took his time. He smelled fresh, crisp and oh so masculine. All she wanted to do was bury her face against his neck and breathe him in. Okay, she wanted to do more than that, but he smelled—
He brushed his lips over hers. Without hesitation she leaned into it, savoring the feel of his lips against hers and mourning how quickly that brief touch was over.
“Had to taste you again,” he murmured before pulling back and shutting the door.
Slightly dazed, she mentally shook herself as he took a seat next to her and started the engine. So, that just happened. What. The. Heck.
Her lips still tingled from the all-too-brief touch as the car roared to life.
“Was that okay?” he asked as he strapped in. “Me kissing you?”
“Yes.” She half-smiled and nodded, even as she ordered the logical part of her brain off. The man could kiss her anywhere, anytime. She wasn’t going to tell him that just yet. She wasn’t sure where this thing with them was headed and she wanted to be careful. The reason she’d walked away before might have been because of a misunderstanding, but it had sliced her open when their relationship had ended. It had been like she’d lost something intrinsic, special. Over the last three years she’d chalked it up to being young, and the relationship and sex so intense, but deep down she knew that wasn’t true. Her age hadn’t mattered. What they’d shared had been real.
Clearing her throat, she said, “Do you know how to get to the first place or should I pull it up on GPS?” He’d been the one to find it, but it had just been listed that morning.
“I know where it is. Heard about it from one of the guys at work. It’s not too far from my place.”
A little thrill shot up her spine at the thought of seeing where his place was in a few hours. When he’d offered to cook for her it had taken her by surprise, but she also really, really liked the idea of having privacy with him. Even if she was guarding her heart as much as she could, the anticipation of what might happen later had her endorphins out of control. He hadn’t specifically asked her on a date, just to catch up. But it felt more like it might be an actual date now.
“I spoke to Valencia Curtis,” she said. “There’s a key in the lockbox and the owner is out of town for the next four days. He’s selling the house, the work shed and the surrounding seven acres. Apparently he owns another ten acres neighboring the property but isn’t sure he wants to part with it yet.”
Maguire nodded. “Seven acres is more than enough for me, but if he’s interested in selling and I like what I see I might put in an offer.”
“Are you planning on expanding your businesses more? Is that why you want a place to work close to home?” He hadn’t said yesterday and she hadn’t wanted to push.
“Not exactly.” He glanced at her as they came to a stoplight. “I’ve got the auto shops and the restoration business going but I still like to work on vehicles on my own. Separate from work. It’ll be easier to do that close to home. Not having to head into work on the weekends, to just walk out my door and be able to get that kind of work done is something I’ve been wanting to do for a while.”
“Will these be vehicles you restore and sell yourself?”
He nodded. “Yes. It’s not as lucrative as restoring vehicles for others since it’s more out of pocket and the process is longer, but I still make a profit. And it’s something I enjoy.”
“How long did it take you to restore the Mustang?” She ran a hand over the smooth black leather of the seat.
“Longer than it should have, but I took my time, wanted to get everything right.”
Oh, she remembered well how the man took his time, as a sudden flash of him doing just that to her body entered her mind. She glanced out the window, willing herself not to blush. Jeez, what was wrong with her? She’d never been affected by anyone like she was by Maguire.
“What?” he murmured, his low, seductive voice wrapping around her like a silky caress. It was almost as if his fingers were skating over her skin.
“Just going over the list of places we’ll be visiting today.” Thankfully her voice sounded normal when she spoke.
When he turned onto a long, winding road with an explosion of mountain laurels on either side, she wished she was outside, savoring the scents as well as the visual. The pink and white burst of color dominating everything didn’t even look real. It was like something out of a postcard.
“How’d you end up with Thaxter as a client?” Maguire suddenly asked, drawing her gaze back to him.
“What?” The question was so random.
“Ethan Thaxter.”
“I know who you’re talking about,” she said, laughing lightly and definitely not answering his question. “Do you not like him?”
He lifted an unapologetic shoulder. “I don’t like any good-looking, single jackass who spends time with you.”
She blinked at his blunt words, watching the way his muscles flexed as he turned the steering wheel and they started down another side street. “That’s…totally Neanderthal.” And she couldn’t believe he’d admitted it out loud. It wasn’t like she was even dating Maguire.
“I know. Just being honest.”
She couldn’t bite back a laugh. “Ethan isn’t a jackass.” He was a surprisingly decent guy. Surprisingly, because he was all business. Which wasn’t always the case with her male clients, married or not. When she’d been living in Oregon she’d dealt with more than her fair share of jerks who couldn’t pass up the opportunity for sexual harassment. Sometimes it was as if they’d thought she was too stupid to understand their innuendos. But she’d held her own and had been successful—and refused to work with anyone who creeped her out.
Maguire let out an annoyed snort.
Which made her smile widen. She really shouldn’t like this Neanderthal attitude, but she definitely did. “And I’m pretty sure he’s interested in Mary Pierce.” The owner of Pierce’s Athletics. They sold sports equipment and clothing and did a lot of business with the tourists who came to snow ski. Normally she wouldn’t talk about her clients, but she was fairly certain Maguire wouldn’t be repeating any of this.
And after the way she’d bailed on him years ago, she had a need to ease whatever weird possessiveness he was feeling. The thought was almost laughable, considering how incredible the man was. But of all people she understood insecurity. It still felt a little surreal to be having this conversation with him, however. They hadn’t even been on a date and he was basically admitting he didn’t want anyone else to make a move on her. And the reason why was clear.
“We visited a commercial property today and he insisted we stop in to see her.” And the man had stared at Mary as if she’d hung the moon. It had been ridiculously adorable.
“So?”
“So, just trust me. He’s into her.”
It had been so obvious to Sam, but clearly not to Mary. Either that or the woman had been just ignoring him.
“Huh,” he said after a long moment. “Mary’s my cousin, by the way.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Through marriage.”
“I didn’t realize that. Please don’t say anything to her. I don’t generally talk about my clients.”
“I’m not my mother,” he muttered, which drew another unexpected laugh.
According to Sam’s mom, Maguire’s mother seemed to know everything about everyone. “Man, she’s something else.”
He looked as if he might say something, but nodded instead. “This should be it,” he said a few minutes later as they pulled down a quiet road on the outskirts of town.
She loved the city of Holly, but out here on the outskirts, everything was greener and brighter, especially this time of year. It was a feast for the senses. The other homes they were looking at today were on the outskirts of Holly as well. With the kind of acreage and a work shed with at least fifteen hundred square feet that Maguire was looking for, all the places were on the outskirts. It would be pretty much impossible to find a home and land in the city limits.
“After living in such a huge city the last few years, I can seriously appreciate the quiet out here,” she murmured, soaking in the peacefulness of their surroundings. A three-foot-high white fence, more for show than anything, lined the front of the property. The style was similar to a lot of places in the country and fit with the oversized brick homes as well
.
“Me too. When I first got back from Afghanistan it was hard to be around too many people at once. It’s why I started working on my Mustang in all my spare time. I needed the space.”
She was surprised at the unexpected admission, but liked that he was opening up to her. Everything about Maguire was so damn honest, something she should have realized years ago. If she could, she’d go back in time and knock some sense into her insecure twenty-one-year-old self.
“Even from your family?” she asked.
He put the car in park. “Yeah. Nolan went through the same thing so at least I knew it was normal. Jackson did too, but later, after I’d gotten out.”
Samantha wanted to ask more, but didn’t want to pry, especially since things were so new and fragile between them. It touched her that he was opening up to her though.
He looked as if he’d say more, but his phone rang, the jingle jarring and over-pronounced in the sudden quiet of the car.
Gritting his teeth, he glanced at the caller ID, frowned. “This is one of the shops. I’ve gotta take this. You want to unlock the house?”
She nodded, sliding out of the car as he answered his phone. Once she stepped out into the sunlight, the scent of blooming magnolias and freshly cut grass filled the air—and she could breathe steadily again. She hadn’t even realized how fast her heart had been racing, how damp her palms were or how consumed she’d been in his presence until she got a little space.
If she wasn’t careful, she was going to fall even harder for Maguire this time around. And she was pretty sure it would break her heart if things didn’t work out.
Chapter 4
“What do you think so far?” Samantha asked as they stepped out of the kitchen and into the hallway.
“I like it.” Maguire tried and failed to not stare at her toned calves—or higher—as she made her way up the wood stairs. She was in pure professional mode now, looking at notes she’d made on her cell phone earlier. Seeing her like this was sexy. Of course, everything she did was sexy. “But I keep going back to the first place,” he continued. The first one he’d probably have to put time, money and energy into renovating the kitchen and updating the bathrooms, but he liked working with his hands.