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11
Cole
Bright and early Monday morning Lyla comes bouncing down the hall and into my home office. It’s only six a.m. and I’m not showered. I am just checking emails in my sweats. She comes in hips swaying, with two mugs of coffee, already dressed for work in a skintight skirt that ends right below her knee and makes that apple ass of hers incredibly destructing. This was not my best idea.
“Good morning,” Lyla chirps.
“Mornin’. You do realize we don’t actually start work until nine, right?” I ask her, accepting the hot mug of steaming coffee.
“Yes. but I was excited, and I might be a bit of an overachiever.” She shrugs and brings her own coffee to her lips, looking out the office window as the sun continues to rise. It’s a great view of the beach and the main reason I bought the building.
“I just emailed you a link to my calendar, and we have a lunch meeting with a client at one today.”
“Okay. I’ll go get my phone. Breakfast will be done in fifteen minutes.”
“You made me breakfast too? Damn, woman, you’ve outdone yourself. I’ll follow you down,” I say as we head downstairs together.
Calling it breakfast doesn’t do it justice. Lyla went all out in only a way she can. The island is covered in a feast of healthy fresh food and two plates set up with glasses of orange juice.
“Wow, I am impressed, Lyla. This all looks and smells delicious.”
“Thanks. Hope you like egg white omelets stuffed with swiss cheese, fried ham, mushrooms, red and green peppers, plus fresh fruit, buckwheat pancakes with bananas, and a secret maple cream sauce.”
A smug grin stretches across her face when she sees the utter look of shock on my face. I’m beyond impressed right now. She shrugs and sips her coffee, looking away so I don’t notice the blush on her cheeks. I do. It’s beautiful.
She sets her coffee mug down at the same time I reach for mine and the backs of our hands touch on the table. Instant heat rushes up my arm and I know she feels it too. Her eyes snap to mine; her green eyes are dark, and her chest starts to rise and fall faster. I’m frozen in her spell, not wanting to move and break this bubble we’re in. My eyes snap to her lips when she bites her bottom lip into her mouth. After a minute passes and our attraction has only grown stronger, I can feel myself leaning toward her, like a magnetic pull. She leans into me and we meet; her lips are soft and warm against mine. I kiss her softly and slowly, not being able to control this anymore. Not that I want to be anywhere else in the world right now. She feels amazing against me, and her lips taste like marshmallows. I cup her face to bring her closer, wanting to breathe her in; she smells like honey, and instantly I remember being inside her. We break apart. I am not sure which one of us pulled away first, but I regret it already. My cock is hard and waving a tent under the island table. She looks down and sees how much she affects me. I smile and turn back to my omelet and dig in. I feel her hard stare on the side of my face, but she turns toward her breakfast. We finish eating in silence. Not uncomfortable but in an atmosphere still charged with unfilled desires.
* * *
“Jack,this is Lyla Turner, Lyla this is Jack the site’s foreman.” I introduce the team to Lyla and show her the plans for all my projects including an old warehouse that I’ve been hired to remodel into a retail space. I can tell she’s excited about this one because she lights up.
“Cole, what about keeping the inside mostly exposed and bare? Letting all the pipes and beams show and painting them bold colors.”
“You think we should paint them? Not keep them neutral to blend into the ceiling?”
“No, because I was thinking we should do something different to make this warehouse stand out as a retail space and not look like a lot of restaurants and other buildings that keep it neutral. But that’s just my thoughts; what do you think?”
It hits me in this moment how smart and talented Lyla is. The more I learn about her the more I like. I know it’s dangerous, but I think I want her. No, scratch that, I know I want her. We haven’t talked about the kiss at breakfast, but things between us aren’t weird or uncomfortable. It’s been the opposite. I’ve laughed more today than I have all week. And it’s not just me. Lyla bewitched every single colleague, client, and crewman she’s met today.
“I think that’s a great idea,” I say honestly.
“Cool.”
She tucks her dark hair behind her ear and looks away with a blush at my compliment. Which makes me feel ten fucking feet tall. A king among men. I’m actually thankful I’m in a public place with her right now or I would probably snap and take her right here. I’ve lost sleep every night since I last had her, and now, I’m addicted and can’t stop thinking about having her again and again. I know we agreed and made a sort of truce to be friends, so it doesn’t get weird, but we need to draw up a new agreement because I’m going absolutely insane with want for her at this point.
“This is the perfect location for the client, and I love that they want to keep the building, remodeling and not tearing it down. Most retailers would.”
Her voice breaks through my daydream and I blink rapidly, trying to focus. “Yeah, the clients are a really cool couple from upstate New York. You’ll like them; they’ll be in town next week to go over design and budget. They’ve already given me a large deposit so I know the budget won’t ever become an issue, and I’ve worked with them before so I assume if everything goes well, we’ll get to work with them again in the future.”
“Great. I look forward to it. Have you come up with any designs yet?”
“I have but I don’t like any of them. I’ll show them to you, but I’d really love your help coming up with a few different concepts.”
“Yes, of course, I can do that. I don’t know if you’ll like any, but I can come up with a few different looks.”
“Great. I’ll email you the original blueprints and the pictures I’ve taken.” We step out of the warehouse and wave to the crew. Jack nods goodbye with his cell phone against his ear.
I open the passenger door for Lyla and help her into my truck. It’s a bit of a jump for her and difficult in her tight skirt and heels, but it’s been my absolute pleasure helping her in and out all day. I try to be a gentleman about it when she falls back into my arms. I grab her waist with both hands and easily place her on the truck seat. With a cocky grin I reach across her and buckle her seat belt too. Clicking it forces me so close to her I hear her breath catch. I drag my eyes from the belt up to her chest and neck and chin and lips, and landlock on her gaze. Her face is so close it wouldn’t take much to lean in and touch those amazing lips with mine. After a long moment I remember we are still on a job site, and the last thing she needs is attention from these assholes.
