“This was different.” Personal. More so than usual with Jack involved.
Speculation filled his friend’s eyes. “Sounds like you had quite the weekend.”
He walked toward his office as he muttered, “You don’t know the half of it.” Because they didn’t even know about the visit from the cops. Not to mention that evening of playing house over at the Morgan ranch.
Footsteps sounded behind him and he stepped into his office as Mike said, “I’m going to ask you one last question, not to piss you off, but just to make sure we consider all the angles.”
He wasn’t going to like what came next, but nodded anyway as he shut the door after Mike entered.
“She seemed awfully nervous when she first started talking to me this morning.”
“Because I’d already said no.”
Mike’s expression said maybe, maybe not. “Is it possible the attack was staged?”
“No.”
At his lack of hesitation, his buddy took a seat at the table and fixed him with a hard look. “And you took the time to consider that answer objectively?”
He sat down opposite him and leaned back in his chair as he reconsidered the question.
“I trust her, Mike.” Honest to God truth, he realized. And he didn’t trust easy, but from the beginning, he’d been easing into it despite all efforts to resist. “We talked a few times over the weekend, and I believe she’s being honest about the whole thing.”
A shrug came from the table. “As long as you’re sure.”
“I am.”
He nodded. “What are your thoughts on her ideas?”
Dean held back a resigned sigh. Despite all his insistence that she not be involved, he reluctantly admitted, “They might actually work.”
“I thought the same thing.” Mike’s dark eyebrows rose again. “So, we’re a go?”
“Only so long as this doesn’t put her back in Jack’s crosshairs.”
“Understood. You want me to get her in here so we can get started?”
“I’ll go.” Dean stood before Mike could, and his friend’s chuckle followed him out the door.
Liz glanced up from her cell phone as he passed through the kitchen. “Hey, just so you know, I’m going to get lunch ready, but then I need to take care of a few things.”
With an absent smile in her direction, he waved a hand and kept walking. He never worried about keeping track of her time as long as the work got done. “That’s fine. We can even handle our own lunch if you want to go now.”
It was a bit disconcerting how much anticipation built as he approached the suite at the end of the hall. He stopped in the doorway to lean one shoulder against the frame while hooking his thumbs in his pockets. Gina stood on her tip-toes on a step-ladder, arms stretched above her head as she worked with a tape measure and pencil. Her jeans were low-rise and her shirt rode up, revealing the sexy hourglass curves at her waist and the small of her back.
The enticing sight of that bare skin made him want to walk across the room, grasp her hips, and run his tongue up along the line of her spine. Then he’d turn her around and do the same in the front. Heat spiraled through him, and centered much too quickly behind the zipper of his jeans.
The tape measure retracted with a metallic snap, and she lowered her arms while twisting to look down at the bottom step. She must’ve caught sight of him in the corner of her eye because she jerked up with a gasp, then grabbed for the curved handle of the ladder.
With her hand to her chest, she faced him, a foot on each step. “Geez, you scared the crap out of me.”
“Sorry.”
He smiled. She smiled back. Both faded just as fast and his heart rate kicked up.
Sonofabitch. All he wanted to do was pick her up off that ladder and make use of the brand new bed just a couple feet to her right.
He stayed where he was, and she climbed down the two steps by herself after clipping the tape measure on the back pocket of her jeans.
“In fact,” he added, “I’ve been kind of an ass the past couple days, and I’m sorry for that, too.”
“Kind of is an understatement.” She tapped her pencil against her palm, then shrugged. “But I did get your text.”
“You didn’t reply.”
Another shrug. Another tap of the pencil. “You weren’t forgiven yet.”
“Past tense…does that mean I am now?”
“Depends.”
His attempt at another smile barely qualified. “On whether or not I let you help.”
“Are you going to let me?”
“Depends,” he echoed. “Would you understand if I still said no?”
She stared at him a long moment, and he suddenly wished he’d just told her to get back to the study and get to work.
“I wouldn’t be happy about it, but yes, I would understand.”
“So, you promise to be careful?”
The resignation in her eyes faded. “Yes.”
“And you will not contact Jack for any reason concerning my company. That is non-negotiable. Mike and I will handle anything to do with him.”
She lifted her hands up, palms out. “Fine with me.”
He straightened and jerked his head toward the hall. “Okay, then. Mike’s waiting to see what we can come up with.”
The tape measure bounced on the bed and she hurried toward him. Then she shocked the hell out of him by grasping his arm on the way past to pull him down and herself up to land a kiss on his lips.
“I promise, you won’t regret this.” She let go, gave him a quick grin, and hurried down the hall.
His lips tingled as he watched her go.
It took him less than two days to regret the decision. Not because the plan they were preparing to put in motion wouldn’t work, but because he hadn’t considered how distracting it would be to work in such close proximity to her for hours each day.
He couldn’t keep his eyes off her when she was in the room, and couldn’t stop thinking about her when she wasn’t.
He was screwed, and the hell of it was, he wasn’t entirely sure he cared anymore.
Chapter 19
The week proved to be nothing short of pure torture.
By Friday morning, Gina had completed most of the great room decorating in between helping Dean and Mike lay the groundwork for their offensive against Jackson. It wasn’t the work of transforming the empty echoing cavern into a warm, welcoming place for family and friends to congregate around the fireplace that had been so trying. Nor was it the labor of diving back into software design.
Nope. It was all Dean.
She sat at the conference table in his office, thinking about the time they’d spent together over the past week when she should’ve been focused on the computer work in front of her.
He’d reverted back to the guy who’d dared her to fix that first kiss. In his office, he’d lean over her shoulder to look at her notes, giving her a lungful of heaven while the mere touch of his hand on her shoulder sent tingles to her toes. Then there were the long, leisurely, hot looks he didn’t even bother to hide—like his sensual perusal during his trip to the kitchen for more coffee while she hung Serena’s mountain landscape on the tall wall by the stairs. She’d swear she felt his eyes tracing the line of her body.
All those light, teasing finger grazes and countless heated glances built her level of anticipation to a nearly unbearable level.
She was ready to combust, primed for physical contact in a way she’d never imagined possible, and what did he do?
Nothing.
Nada.
Not one move to kiss her, or fan the smoldering embers into a full-blown explosion—not even when she decided to fight fire with fire.
Since she’d initiated a couple of her own ‘chance’ touches yesterday, things had gotten so intense, she was actually relieved he and Mike were gone this morning. With the two of them at the company offices in Boulder for the day, she could work at the conference table without the coiled knot of awaren
ess tightening her muscles whenever he was in the room.
Especially since she’d be working in his bedroom later this morning. His new furniture was scheduled to arrive, and she needed to pack up his clothes so she could bribe the delivery guys to move the old bed and dresser to the room down the hall before moving the new stuff in.
Lord knew if Dean showed up to see how things were going, she’d probably tear off his clothes and toss him on the bed herself.
No, she wouldn’t dare. She was too chicken.
But it was fun to imagine the look on his face if she did. And what would happen after. She paused, propped her chin on her palm, and closed her eyes as she let her imagination have a little fun. When her body started thrumming with anticipation, she opened her eyes and pressed her hands to her heated cheeks.
Liz appeared in the doorway of Dean’s home office, making Gina jump at the conference table as if she’d been caught naked.
“What time did you say the delivery truck is coming?” the redhead asked.
“Ten.” Gina glanced at the clock and closed her laptop. “Shoot, that gives me a half an hour. I better get upstairs.”
“At least it’s before the storm is supposed to hit.”
A national weather advisory had been issued that morning. With a cold front pushing the temperatures down, freezing rain and sleet were predicted, with up to a half-inch of ice accumulation. Power outages were likely, and they’d warned everyone to get where they needed to be and stay off the roads after three. She planned on leaving by no later than one, just to be on the safe side.
“Are you going home early?”
“Probably by noon. I don’t have a lot to do today, so maybe even sooner.”
“Any fun weekend plans if the ice allows?” Gina asked as she grabbed her water bottle and started for the stairs.
Liz sighed. “I wish.”
“So nothing planned with that guy you mentioned you were seeing?”
She shook her head and backed toward the kitchen. “No. In case you’re busy when I leave, have a good weekend.”
“Thanks. You, too.”
Gina hurried upstairs. A few minutes later, as she began pulling Dean’s clothes from the drawers, she didn’t allow herself to think about how intimate it felt to be handling his personal items. Like a wife would—
Oh, God, don’t even go there!
She finished emptying the drawers and carried them to the other room. Back in his bedroom, she found a box of condoms in his nightstand and was ridiculously pleased to discover it was unopened. She knew he could easily have just finished a box, but with the way the man worked, and the fact she and Liz were the only women she’d seen in the house since she’d started working for him, she highly doubted it.
The sound of the doorbell startled her, and she nearly dropped the box. Sheesh. She quickly tucked it out of sight and went down to direct the delivery.
Almost an hour later, all the new furniture was in place, including a slate-tiled table, leather couch, and recliner near the fireplace. The delivery guys had left with a nice tip, and Liz decided to head for home, too. That left Gina alone to grab the new sheets she’d asked his assistant to wash earlier, and carry them upstairs to make the king-sized bed.
As she walked into the room, her cell phone rang and she dumped the sheets on the mattress. A warm rush of heat spread through her when she saw Dean’s name on the ID.
“Hello.”
“Hey,” he greeted.
Just the one word stirred the butterflies in her stomach. She drew up one leg and half-sat on the edge of the bed. Then he was talking again, the low tone of his voice making dozens of wings flutter with excitement.
“We’re in the middle of a quick break, but I wanted to make sure you’re heading back to the ranch soon. I don’t want you out on the roads later.”
“I’m leaving by one,” she assured him, touched by his concern. “Liz left a few minutes ago.”
“Okay, good. Turns out I’ll be stuck into the afternoon, so I’m going to stay at Mike’s here in town. Can you arm the security system there when you leave?”
“Sure.” She hesitated, then added, “It would’ve been nice to see you today.”
“I know,” he agreed.
She could tell her admission made him smile even though he sounded as disappointed as she felt.
“So, what have you been working on?” he asked.
“You really want to know?”
He chuckled. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t. What room are you in so I can picture it in my head.”
“Yours.” The weighted silence told her she had his complete attention, and being that he was safely in Boulder, she dared to be a little sassy. Payback for the past couple days. “I’m…sitting on your new bed right now. It’s very big.”
His indrawn breath reached across the line. “Damn, Gina, that’s not fair.”
“It’s also very comfortable.” She lowered her voice a notch. “Mmm. In fact, I might just lay down…stretch out…and…”
“And what?” The question was a rough demand.
“Take a nap.”
This time she was rewarded with a low groan, then he spoke in a velvet soft voice. “Gina?”
“Yes, Dean?” she asked, a bit breathless as her heart pounded in her chest.
“You’re going to pay for that.”
The husky promise stole what was left of her breath. He hung up, and she flopped back onto the bed with a grin.
A moment later, her phone chimed for an incoming text: Sonofabitching meetings.
That made her laugh. Unable to wipe the smile from her face, she worked on getting everything just right so that when he came home, his first night in the refurnished room would be perfect. She put all his clothes back in his new dresser and the condoms in his new nightstand. Then she collected the remainder of her purchases for his room from where she’d stashed them down the hall.
Lamps, the curtain rods, drapes with minimal fabric so as not to block the view of the lake and rugged Rocky Mountains. Just like she’d described to him that night in the furniture store, only by the time she was done, it came out twice as beautiful as she’d pictured.
The pièce de résistance was the now-framed cougar painting centered above the iron-accented headboard. As she stepped back to admire the finished product, she couldn’t help but think of how the mountain lion reminded her of the man who would sleep in the bed below.
Powerful. Graceful. Predatory.
She’d love to run her hands over all that sleek, solid muscle.
Letting out a wistful sigh instead, she smoothed out the dents in the comforter where she’d stepped on the bed while hanging the artwork. Then her sass returned, and she hurried downstairs to grab the sample bottle of perfume from her purse. If she was going to pay for her teasing, she might as well make it worth the punishment.
She’d just dented and lightly spritzed one of the pillows when she noticed she needed to plug his alarm clock back in. The numbers flashed at her, so she checked her phone to set the time.
2:41.
Her eyes widened and her stomach dropped. Oh, wow, time had flown by and she hadn’t even realized it. Her gaze shifted to the windows to see that while it was definitely gray and a bit foggy outside, it didn’t appear to be raining yet. She took one more moment to make sure the room was just right, then went down to Dean’s office to collect her laptop and purse.
A cold wind blew though her spring jacket as she opened the door after activating the security alarm. Little tiny beads of moisture wet her face, and she realized the foggy mist was as bad as the rain. She caught the door before it shut and peered at her car. It must’ve started a while ago because a thin layer of ice covered the windshield, and the driveway was a shiny sheet that stretched as far as she could see.
The highway was likely salted, but it was doubtful she’d even make it that far. Figuring she’d be far safer staying put, she backed into the house and shut the door before the alarm w
ent off. She had no problem activating it, but didn’t know the code to shut it off.
Putting her things in the spare bedroom closest to the door, she called Britt so she wouldn’t worry, then texted Dean that she’d be staying the night.
Chapter 20
Dean stared out the window of the third story conference room, listening to the little pings the sleet made as it struck the glass. His final meeting of the day was almost over and thank God. Today was exactly the reminder he needed as to why he let Mike handle most of the corporate stuff. The tie to go with his stuffy, button up shirt didn’t help, either. It felt like a noose around his neck, even though he’d tugged to loosen it a couple times already.
On the notebook in front of him, the screen on his phone lit up, pulling his distracted gaze from the gloom outside. When he saw the notification for a text from Gina, his lips curved. Now, she was a torture he could live with. Her and her hard-on inducing sass talk.
The woman had known exactly what she was doing to him earlier, and he’d loved every minute. He’d also meant every letter of the text he’d sent her after they’d hung up and had grinned at the thought of her reaction. Hell, if he could’ve, he’d have ditched so damn fast and broken speed limits to get home.
Instead, as he’d told her, he was stuck here with the rest of his executive board like a good CEO. Most of those present lived in town where the roads had already been salted, and the few that didn’t would be staying at a hotel within walking distance of their building. The other office staff had been sent home at one. Like Gina.
His imagination had made good use of her earlier teasing during the more boring parts of his afternoon, and now he thumbed the screen with a hot thrill of anticipation.
As he read the message, the blood in his veins turned to ice. His gaze shot to Mike’s, who trailed off in the middle of his sentence.
Dean shoved to his feet and grabbed his suit coat off the back of the chair. “I need to talk to you.”
After a quick nod, his VP wrapped up the meeting and the day. Dean added a brusque thank you to his executives before stalking toward his office with Mike on his heels.
Trust by Design Page 14