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The three of them stared, waiting for an explanation. But Jack wasn’t in the mood to explain Sterling. Or what his plans were for her.
“I need some sleep.” Jack headed for the back door.
“Are you going to use all of these vegetables?” Finn asked.
“Hands off,” Cole snapped.
“Don’t be stingy,” Finn said. “Let me at least have the string beans.”
Jack chuckled. He had missed his brothers. Sticking around to help out his family gave Jack the opportunity to spend more time with them, something he hadn’t done a lot of since he’d taken off to pursue his own ambition. Which had pissed his brothers off. And they’d probably be just as angry when he took off again. Not that pissing off his brothers had stopped him from doing things before. No, it was something else this time—someone that made the thought of staying tolerable…for a short while longer.
Sterling Andrews.
Their promise of one night had been interrupted. They had agreed it was just a one-night thing, but she was an itch left unscratched. And with the little knowledge he had, if she was going to be in his home, close enough that he could place his hands anywhere on her body, he knew without a doubt that one night wasn’t going to be enough.
Chapter Six
Sterling pulled into the long driveway that led to Vivian Madewood’s house. When she emerged through a tunnel of trees, the home in front of her took her breath away.
It wasn’t a home, it was a compound. Gray brick, white shutters. Two pillars flanked the front door. Behind the house, and on either side, were buildings with the same façade. Maybe a guesthouse or a garage—or both.
The rolling front lawn, lush and green, continued to the edge of the property, where it was fenced off from the rest of the street. Purple, pink, and white flowers grew over two oversized pots by the front door.
She came to a stop at the top of the roundabout and threw her gearshift into park. While turn
ing off the engine, she got a tickle in her stomach at the thought of seeing Jack. She couldn’t stop from triple-checking herself in the rearview mirror. What she looked like shouldn’t matter. She was just here on business. Purely professional, nothing else.
She glanced at her watch—it was five, but she didn’t see any other cars in the driveway. She stepped out of her practical compact car and smoothed down the front of her khaki skirt, grabbed her purse and files from the back seat, and trotted up the front steps. The singsong chime of the doorbell sounded. When it finally opened, she fully expected an employee to answer, a maid or butler, or someone of that nature. Instead Jack stared back at her, looking as though he’d just woken up. His feet were bare, and for some reason, she felt as if she were intruding. But when he realized it was her, he smiled wide.
In the light of day the man was no less sinful, dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt that showed off his tattoos—and there were a lot of them. This was the first time she’d gotten a glimpse of most of his arm. He was sex on a stick and she wanted to lick him like a lollipop.
Focus! You’re here to do a job. But she couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away from his biceps. Oh god, Boring Sterling didn’t ogle client biceps. But Penn’s voice took over her brain, coaxing her to bring out her exciting side. She tamped down her desire. Only Boring Sterling from here on forward.
He ducked his head and caught her stare. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she squeaked. She cleared her throat, fought her rising blush, and tried again. “Hi.”
“Come in.” He waved his hand behind him and she walked across the threshold.
The sweet scent of cookies and fresh flowers filled her nostrils. A beautiful summer arrangement sat in a large glass vase on a hallway table to her right—white lilies the star of the display.
She inhaled deeply. “It smells wonderful in here.”
“Ginger cookies. They’re almost done.”
“Those are beautiful flowers.” A woman would pick those flowers. There must be a maid—or he wasn’t unattached, as she’d originally thought.
“My mother loved having fresh flowers in the house. I just got into the habit of buying an arrangement every week.”
“You live here?” This unexpected and surprising opportunity was looking more complicated by the minute.
“For the moment.”
She nodded. He’d moved back in after his mother died. Sadness settled in his eyes but he shook it off with a swipe of his hand through his dark hair.
As if his gesture washed away his emotion, he smiled, a satisfied grin that traveled all the way to his eyes.
Heaven help me. She wasn’t supposed to get involved, but doing her job, in this house, where Jack Vaughn lived, was going to be difficult. “I feel like I’m intruding on family business. Believe me, I know how insane that can get.”
