I think my mouth dropped open from the shock. And my dog was lounging in the shade, completely at ease and as happy as could be. After finding a spot to place the bottles, I stood back, shielding my eyes from the late afternoon sun.
Not only did I have a bird’s-eye view of his pectoral muscles as he flexed both massive, tanned arms in maneuvering the wooden board, but I was also granted a solid look at his butt. His very muscular butt that filled out his jeans to perfection.
After finishing nailing the board, he took a breath, pulling away and studying the placement. I could not believe he’d managed to fix the entire side. Of course there were the rotten windowsills and trim that had been gnawed on by squirrels, but I’d never felt so grateful in my life.
Or so sad that it had taken a stranger to repair something I should have made a priority.
“A little to the right,” I said, unable to resist.
With the slowest turn of his head I’d ever seen on a person, when he finally looked down at me, I was certain he was ready to share his true feelings. But he didn’t. He was ultra quiet, providing a suggestive, heated onceover while rubbing his arm across his face.
Whew, I was suddenly hot all over.
When he started to climb down, I backed away and just as I’d done around him before, I was holding my breath.
He hopped off the last two rungs, yanking his shirt from the sawhorses he’d set up.
Also something I hadn’t noticed in the barn. Maybe I needed to inventory my father’s tools. What else had he found, hopefully gold.
When Viper started to walk closer, his gait more like a swagger, I quickly adjusted and grabbed the two beers, using them asprops. As soon as I took a giant step toward him, I knew it was a mistake. A huge mistake.
My foot caught on a dense object and I went flying toward him.
And directly into his arms.
* * *
Viper
I didn’t know what the hell I was doing. Either in taking Grace’s handouts or agreeing to stay for dinner. If that wasn’t bad enough, she’d worn a dress instead of jeans.
A dress.
A fucking slip of material that floated across her full breasts and ample hips in a way that had my mouth watering and my mind filtering filth. The way the light had shown through the thin cotton, allowing me to see the outline of her long, shapely legs had kept my cock harboring a dull ache.
I was extremely grateful she hadn’t judged me too harshly for asking about the money, creating a way to allow me to crawl out of a hole I’d dug myself. That didn’t mean I wasn’t still furious that I could use some help.
Fuck. The last thing I needed was to feel sorry for myself.
The woman I hadn’t expected. I had been planning on becoming a hermit and ignoring the world. Then the dog had drifted into my life. Then the woman with the luminous eyes had railroaded her way into my existence. Hell. Nothing was going as I’d planned it.
Every time she opened her mouth, she’d shot words of sarcasm in my direction and while she aggravated the hell out of me, I also longed to fill that sassy mouth with something long and thick.
What kind of man did it make me that she was being so generous, even in her bouts of sarcasm while all I could think about was ripping off her clothes?
Some would call that being a typical guy, a horny male with no conscience.
Okay, so I was. So what? I’d known enough about myself to realize hard labor always helped. That’s one reason when I’d found the tools and the materials, I’d decided to make good use of my time. After all, she was taking care of the little monster I’d decided to adopt on some crazy ass whim.
It had worked too. I’d felt like some sort of a decent human being while repairing the more broken-down parts of the ranch. In the two and a half hours that I’d been working, my less than chivalrous thoughts had slowly started to fade.
Even when she’d teased me about my work.
Not any longer.
All bets were off now that she was in my arms.
Instinctively, I wrapped one arm around her, keeping her steady. With the other, I gripped her arm and even my joints reacted from the shock of touching her. Much like before. I’d heard all about chemical reactions when two people were attracted to each other, but she wasn’t my type.
