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Chapter Six
Tessa
Tempted? Pfft, he’s so damn full of himself. If anything, I was tempted to leave because holy shit, that house is too nice for me to be sleeping in his extra bedroom not knowing what the hell he did to make all that money.
Drugs. It’s got to be drugs. Guns, maybe? He does have a ridiculously hot body, so I guess it could be some kind of underground cage fighting thing. The tattoos, the washboard abs, the rough hands…oh my fucking god, my head immediately can’t stop picturing him naked, wanting to run my tongue over his skin and explore his body with my hands.
This is out of control.
I’m supposed to be working, instead of focusing on Dylan and what he looks like shirtless, although it is really damn hard because right now, he’s standing in front of me, his shirt clinging to his muscled body, casually flirting with me.
“What are you thinking about over there?” Dylan asks, interrupting my porno fantasy that at one time was a reality. Now, I may not have had mind-blowing orgasms with him, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the ride.
“Nothing,” I quickly reply with far too much enthusiasm, making it obvious I was thinking about something other than the blueprints in front of us. “I gotta get back to work.”
“Remember, Jack, my boss and now I guess, your boss, too, just told me to look after you,” Dylan hits back, smirking at me in a way that is somehow both equally infuriating and sexy.
“Look after me?” I question, slightly affronted by the insinuation that I need a man to watch over me. “I’m not a toddler. I can look after myself just fine, and I should really be getting back to work.”
“He’s always saying weird shit, like calling us mate and throwing another shrimp on the barbie,” Dylan says, trying to mimic Jack’s accent and it makes me laugh. “But, hey, you wanna get together tomorrow? I’m off work.”
“I don’t think they call it shrimp, but whatever,” I say, attempting to bide some time before I have to answer his question about going on another date with him.
The hesitancy is still there. I don’t want to get into a full-blown relationship with him only to find out he was giving it a try and it’s not really for him. I know what I want, but I’m not sure he does. It feels like maybe he’s pushing this whole thing as sort of a quest to get me into bed, or maybe I’m just being paranoid. People do change though.
Hell, I don’t even know what’s going on anymore.
“What do you say, Tessa?” Dylan prompts, when I don’t answer after a few seconds, my head lost in the idea that Dylan might just be worth the risk.
“Yeah, okay,” I answer, nodding to add a little more certainty to my response. “I do have to work tomorrow because unlike you, the self-employed rarely take the day off, but I’m free after five.”
“Pick you up at your place at six?” Dylan asks, and I don’t miss the thoughtfulness behind his gesture. He really is trying to make this into something more and I should be less hesitant, especially since I never gave him a chance to make it right in the first place.
“I would love that,” I say, realizing how over the top it sounds. I’m not desperate, but fuck my life if I sound like I am. And could I be anymore wishy-washy. I really need to get my shit together. My professional life is flourishing while my personal life is like a computer with a million tabs open.
“See you tomorrow at six then,” Dylan says as he’s walking away, Lauren and Jack coming up right at the tail end of the conversation.
“A date?” Jack asks, and Lauren immediately hits him with a glare that basically screams for him to mind his own business.
“Jack,” Lauren admonishes, narrowing her eyes at him. “No more playing matchmaker. Just because it worked for Tommy and Penny doesn’t mean you need to try to partner up every one of the single people who work here.
“I’ll have you know, I’m pretty good at this whole thing. I was the one to set Dylan and Tessa up too,” he announces, and Lauren lets out a hoot of a laugh.
“You are so damn arrogant sometimes,” Lauren says, shaking her head. “Ignore him,” she adds, looking at me now. “He thinks he’s like some professional matchmaker now that Tommy and Penny got married. He really should stick to wine and cider. He’s very good at that.”
“It’s fine,” I say, letting it go. He doesn’t mean any harm and I’m sure Dylan told him we used to hook up and even if he didn’t, it was pretty obvious to everyone. Neither of us hid our emotions well. “I’m sure everyone is aware that we used to, um…date.” The word date comes out awkwardly because we didn’t do any such thing but admitting that to clients feels like crossing the line. “And things ended, but you know…”
I kind of just stop talking, not really sure how to describe what’s going on between Dylan and me now. Dating, I guess? But seriously, I need to shut up and get down to what it is that I’m here for. This is a huge job, one that could lead to more and I need to be as professional as possible. I’m already teetering on the edge of being unprofessional by dating someone at a job site and now discussing it.
“I am good at wine and cider making, but I’m also—”
“Nope, no more. Either be here and help make decisions about our house or go make some wine. Those are your only two choices.”
Jack chuckles at Lauren’s assertiveness, and I seriously love the banter between these two. Always giving each other shit, keeping things fun and playful; it’s exactly what I want in a relationship.
“Don’t let her fool you, she loves me and all my craziness,” Jack says, leaning in to kiss Lauren and she smiles, basking in what they have together.
Happiness basically radiates off them, and now that Lauren is pregnant, Jack can’t dote on her enough. The house they’re expanding is going to be one of the greatest projects I’ve ever taken on, and I can’t wait to see the finished product.
