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“And that’s admirable, but who are we to judge which motives are right or wrong?” Pastor Braden lets out a patient sigh. “I understand your concerns, Letty, but what those men are doing here is good. I assure you they are doing it for the right reasons, whether you understand those reasons or not.”
I know when I’ve lost a fight, so I nod in defeat. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. If you don’t ask questions, you’ll never get the answers you seek.” His smile is kind and very much like an uncle or older brother. “Have they said or done anything to make you uncomfortable?”
“No. They’re all perfectly nice men. Maybe I’m more like my mother than I realize, wondering how it’ll look to other people having them around.”
Pastor says they’re protecting the church, which means they’re protecting me and all the good things we do for the community, so I guess I have to accept that.
“Thank you for setting me straight.”
“Anytime.” He stands with a grunt and pulls out an envelope, which lands on his desk with a loud thud. “These are cash donations for the high school,” he says excitedly. “We’re more than halfway there, Letty!”
“Really? That’s wonderful!” I ignore the twinge of uncertainty building in my gut and keep my smile in place. “I have a few more ideas on how to help us get there if you’re interested?”
“Always. Email me the ideas, and we can talk about them next week during our staff meeting.”
“Really? I’ll do that right away. Thank you, Pastor Braden.”
I know he’s a Godly man, and his primary focus is the good of the church and the community, so I make the decision to trust him about the bikers. In the meantime, I plan to ignore my inconvenient attraction to one biker in particular.
It's too bad that biker is waiting for me in my office when I get there. I stifle a groan at the sight of Shades, long-limbed and perfectly relaxed as if my office is his own.
“Letty,” he drawls, and the muscles in my core tighten.
“Shades,” I say as casually as I can manage. “Can I help you with something?”
His lips tug into a seductive grin. “So much you can help me with, doll. But you keep telling me not to say it in God’s house, so here I am, exercising restraint. Impressed?”
He’s adorable when he wants to be, which seems like such a mild description for such a masculine creature.
“Some. Good job,” I tell him and rush past him, eager to put my desk as a barrier between us.
“Thanks,” he says, voice thick with amusement.
I roll my eyes. “Are you here for a reason?”
My talk with Pastor Braden went longer than I’d planned, and I still had to update the expense report for the Destiny of Life High School.
“I have work to do.” My hands shake as I tap a few keys to bring the report up on the computer.
“I know.” His smile is all I can see due to the sunglasses covering most of his face. Still, I can feel the heat of his gaze raking over my body, so much so that my nipples harden.
“Marjorie is gone for the day, and Braden is planning a hospital visit soon.”
My brows dip in confusion, but I shake it off and choose to focus on my work instead of the distracting man just a few feet from me. Shades’ presence is impossible to ignore. He takes up so much space, and his scent is swirling the room like a tornado.
“I can feel you staring at me.”
He chuckles. “You’re nice to look at.”
Nice words, no doubt about that. “Thank you for that, but you’re distracting.”
He leans forward across my desk until ignoring him becomes nothing but a fantasy.
“Distracting because you find me irresistible or because you’re afraid of me?”
“I’m not afraid of you,” I tell him quickly and with a hint of bravado, but he does scare me, but not for the reasons he thinks. Or the reasons I should be afraid of him.
