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“Maybe I am,” she whispered, and when her finger barely tapped his belt clasp, he stifled a breath. For an innocent, upper-class woman, she had a commanding presence. “And I want to start with…” those lips came closer… “the light fixtures.”
She stepped away just as he leaned in, causing him to barely miss her lips.
“These two in here—” she pointed above her head at the lights “—need to go. I have the replacements in the back. So if you could change those out for me, that’d be great.”
“Hold up,” he said, half shocked and half pissed that he’d been so close to her mouth, yet she’d denied him. “I’m not changing the lighting in here, princess. I’m not a damn handyman at your beck and call.”
“Oh? I’m so sorry!” she said with mock southern charm obviously put on just for him, because this woman was from the East Coast. Likely New York. “I thought you came to me demanding my time. Well, this is the time I can give you, and I’m a busy woman. So you can either help me and I’ll trade my time for yours, or you can let yourself out.”
He looked her over. She was a wily one. Stubborn. And didn’t give up. Something he should have known from last night.
“Changing your light fixtures isn’t survival or wilderness training.”
She shrugged. “Well, it’s not skydiving, either. But it’s an hour, which is what you need, right? While you change the light, you can tell me about bear safety or something.”
He laughed. She was good, but he was better. “All right, princess, I’ll play. Because yes, I need the hours. But when I’m done with the lights, I get to train you in survivor awareness.”
“I’m not going back out to the woods tonight.”
“I’ll train you right here. In your shop.”
She frowned, thinking over his offer, so he sweetened the deal. “My time for yours, right? It’s only fair.” Not to mention that list of hers, but he wouldn’t bring that up now.
With a roll of her eyes, she said, “Fine.”
Adrenaline rushed through him at her agreement.
When she stomped back to get the fixtures and small toolbox, he smiled to himself and set to his task. One hour was enough time to teach her a thing or two. And he knew exactly where to start.
Chapter Six
&n
bsp; Michelle was pretty proud of herself. She sat behind the small counter and filed receipts while Dex was up on a step stool, putting in the last screw of the light fixture. She was all about independence, but she’d tried changing the light fixture herself last week and wasn’t tall enough to maneuver all the parts. She’d called for a contractor, but it would take another week to get someone there.
Dex was perfect. And in this case, delegating was a part of independence, so it all worked out. He fixed her light, and she got to catalog her paperwork. Win, win.
Her pulse raced just from looking at him. Man, he was attractive. When he’d come in earlier and she’d seen him looking at her lingerie designs, her heart had leapt into her throat. She was self-conscious about her designs. She’d been making them for a while, but she’d just put a few samples out on the floor to see the reaction of the customers. While Dex wasn’t exactly a customer, he seemed to like them. Not that she would ever tell him, or anyone else, she’d made them. She was still working on confidence in that department.
She glanced up for the millionth time that hour and watched Dex work. His shirt was riding up as he reached, giving sight to some seriously impressive abs. His jeans hung low¸ and that black leather belt weighted them down a bit more, enough for her to see the deep V of his hips…and it didn’t appear that he was wearing any underwear.
She licked her lips.
“Staring at the help, princess?” he called, not taking his eyes from his task. He caught her looking, and she averted her eyes quickly. The low chuckle coming from his chest was becoming familiar to her, and she wanted to reach out and feel that hum against her skin.
He was so casual. So easy. So laid back.
“Just wondering when you were going to be finished,” she said in her best bored tone. Truth was, she wasn’t bored at all. For almost an hour, she’d looked up and down the sexy man she’d fantasized about the other night. How he moved. Her only wish was that she’d seen more of him. They both had the majority of their clothes on and based on the glimpses she was getting, it was shame because Dex was a work of chiseled art.
“Maybe it’s your turn to thank me?” she added. “I’m giving you the hours you want, so this is a success for both of us.”
He stepped down off the stool, stuffed the screwdriver in his back pocket, and dusted his hands.
“It won’t be a success until I get what I want,” he said. While a small grin accompanied his statement, he was serious, and she found herself taking a deep breath before he reached the counter. She had to stay strong. Play this game and keep focus. Especially since he made her life hell when she was in his outdoor realm.
She walked around the counter to face him.
“Well, we’re in my wilderness now.” She looked around and smiled. “Finding an item to use as a weapon is tough, isn’t it?”
