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"We should definitely talk to Pippa," I whisper to Christopher.
***
After about an hour, I make a quick trip to my car to bring the second Tupperware container of cookies. When I return, Christopher is alone. Peering past him, I see his brothers entering the house. I observe him in silence. Wearing rugged jeans and a simple shirt, he's a damn sight to behold. Strong hands grip the hammer, expertly maneuvering it. As he turns his head slightly to the side, I admire his three-day beard, perfectly groomed, as always. There's something distinctly manly about him today, and his occasional grunt reminds me of the delicious sounds he makes when loving me. Almost involuntarily, my mind slides toward dangerous—or shall I say dirty—territory, wondering if jumping his bones here is a possibility. Then I remember his brothers are around. The inside of the house later, though…?
"Hey, beautiful," he says, snapping me out of my dirty dream. "What are you doing over there?"
I shrug, interlacing my fingers behind my back. "I wanted to admire you in silence. And then my thoughts spiraled into dirty territory, and I ended up weighing the pros and cons of trying to seduce you here or in the house."
Christopher nods, then he turns back to his work as if I wasn't here at all.
"What are you doing?" I ask, confused.
"Waiting for you to finish weighing those pros and cons and decide
. Personally, I'd add my car as an option too. Plenty of space."
We both burst out laughing, and then I close the distance between us, walking with quick steps until I'm a breath away from him.
"You're unbelievable," I inform him.
"You started it." His grin stretches wider. "I was just trying to be helpful."
Hooking an arm around my waist, he pulls me in for a kiss. His lips move over mine gently, his tongue exploring my mouth expertly until he coaxes a whimper of pleasure out of me. I cup his face with my hands, his rough stubble grazing lightly against the sensitive skin of my palms. He makes it so easy for me to lose myself in him. By the time we pull apart to breathe, my entire body is humming.
"In all fairness," he says in a low, gruff voice, "I'll have to ask you to wait with those dirty plans until we leave."
Disentangling myself from his arms, I take a step back, putting some distance between us, and also assessing the amount of work still necessary. My guess is we'll be here for dinner too.
"Did you grow up here? It's a beautiful house."
"Nah. We grew up on a ranch. My parents sold it and gave the capital to Sebastian to start Bennett Enterprises. Three years ago, it came up for sale, and Sebastian bought it back for them. They turned it into a B&B and spend a lot of time there."
"Wow. You all have a nice relationship with your parents. It reminds me of mine, though my surprises were on the low-end variety. I miss them so much," I find myself saying, and realize I haven't said those words out loud to anyone since they passed away. I was afraid I'd break down if I did, but right now, I just feel an immense sadness engulfing me.
"They'd be really proud of you," he murmurs against my hair, pulling me into his arms again. He simply holds me, and it's perfect, his strength and warmth chasing away the sadness. I love this about him. How strong and stable he is, as if nothing could uproot him.
When I step back, I decide it's time to lighten the mood. "So are you going to work on this, or are you waiting for your brothers to do all the work?"
"I could build the whole thing by myself. At the risk of sounding cocky—"
"No risk. You do sound cocky very often," I state.
He pinches my ass, which has the unexpected effect of turning me on. To hell with it all. Is there anything this man can do that wouldn't set my hormones haywire? I school my features, trying to hide the slightly dubious side effect of his pinching.
"Well, I know what I'm doing."
"I want to help. I can do more than explain the instructions to you guys."
"Are you any good with a hammer and a nail?" He wiggles his eyebrows.
"Are you dirty talking to me right now?" I inquire, just to be sure. His smirk is my answer. I rehearse my reply in my mind, shooting for sexy vixen. "I can learn to use any tools of yours if you show me what to do, Mr. Bennett."
Christopher exhales sharply. Holy bejeezus. My attempt at sexy vixen actually worked.
“I know how to assemble furniture, Christopher. I’ve had to do it for my clients on countless occasions when the people who were supposed to do it botched their job.”
He clears his throat, clearly still thrown off by my sexy vixen moment. "Okay."
