by Cathryn Fox
“Last I heard you hated Mason Creek, and everything about it. And when you went off to college, you had no intentions of ever coming back.”
He drew back looking a little hurt, like her words had triggered some dark memory. “I’m helping my brothers with their business.”
Anna nodded. She’d completely forgotten that his older brothers had started the town’s only masonry business, very much needed now, thanks to the growth in the housing market and the boom in new home construction. But hadn’t Daniel gone to State college to get a business degree? Not that she was keeping tabs on him. Because she wasn’t. Not really.
“It’s crazy how much they’ve expanded,” he added.
As she listened, she wondered what a guy with a business degree knew about masonry work.
“I take care of the office end of things,” he said, answering her unasked question. Then he grinned and laughed fondly under his breath. “Mike and John have made a mess of the paperwork. Good thing I came back when I did.”
Anna crossed her arms. “If you run the business end, then what do you know about laying marble and bricking around a fireplace?”
“I’m not without my own skills.” He paused, then pitched his voice low. “I can do a good job for you, Anna. I promise. I’ll make it good. Real good.”
She swallowed hard and wondered if he was talking about laying marble or something else entirely.
Lindsay stepped in, probably catching his sexual undertones as well. “I don’t think you’re the man for the job.”
He shrugged. “I’m all you’ve got.” He gestured toward the house. “We’re the only game in town, so if you want the work done…”
“Send someone else from the company.”
“My brothers are on other jobs. Completely buried.” When he turned his mesmerizing hazel eyes on her, it felt like she’d been sucker-punched. “I’m your man, Anna.”
The way he’d said those four simple words caused the blood in her veins to boil. Years ago, she’d really thought he was her man. So sweet, kind, respectful and genuine. Confident, yet always a little shy around her. A real-life Prince Charming. But it was all an act to get her into his bed. She’d learned long ago that beneath that perfect package, Daniel Long was nothing but a bad apple.
And no matter how much he charmed her she would never, ever sleep with him.
She didn’t think.
Daniel watched her—watched the way her telltale opaque blue eyes had raked over his body with heated interest, her flesh moistening from want—only to turn around and see lust give way to anger when their glances collided and recognition hit like a wrecking ball.
What had he ever done to make her hate him?
That question that had plagued him for years. A question that had finally forced him to leave his high-paying job in the city and return home to Mason Creek. With the help of his brothers, he’d kept close tabs on Anna and her family over the years. After all, as teens they’d all been neighbors, and to this day, their parents still shared a backyard.
Truthfully, it was fate that he’d come back when he had. Shortly after arriving, Pamina had contracted their company for a job, which meant Daniel had to learn how to do masonry work and learn how to do it fast. A crash course later, here he was, standing face to face with the woman who’d tormented his soul since he’d moved in next to her during his senior year of high school.
In all the years that he’d been gone, he’d yet to get her out of his mind. And no matter how many women he’d bedded, he couldn’t help but imagine he was holding the sweet girl from next door. The same girl who’d always reduced him to a bumbling idiot whenever she was near.
Many years ago, the first sight of her face had pretty much ruined him for any other woman. Lord knows he’d tried for the distraction. After skipping town he’d slept with anything in a skirt, but all that proved was that his heart belonged at home, with Anna. She was smart, modest and romantic, so unlike the other girls he knew. He grinned, thinking about how many times he’d spied on her from his bedroom window, watching her indulge in one of her romance novels, or put together designs in her sketch book while she lounged on her back deck.
Back in high school, the girls had thrown themselves at him. Daniel had been captain of the football team, and everyone had wanted a piece of him. He could have had any girl he wanted, but the one girl he really longed for, the one who lived next door, was the one girl he couldn’t have.
Now he was back, no longer that nervous young boy he once was, ever determined to prove how good they could be together. She might hate him, for reasons he vowed to unveil, but he’d be damned if she didn’t want him. The desire in her eyes reflected his own and spoke volumes. They both had it bad for each other, and he was hell-bent on doing something about it.
As she stood there staring up at him, her blue eyes glistening beneath the early-morning rays, his heart did a little flip. The warmth in her gaze had never failed to affect him and just being this close to her had his brain swirling with need.
She felt that need every bit as much as he did. It was written all over her face; her eyes were full of want, her body full of unrequited longing. But she continued to turn a blind eye to it, ignoring the powerful chemistry between them, just like she had in high school, when she’d suddenly stopped speaking to him.
Sure he’d tried to speak with her, to figure out what had gone wrong, but every time he’d made an attempt, her protective friend Lindsay came between the two. Anna had stopped coming to the backyard fence to chat with him, and had distanced herself by staggering the time she left for school. Daniel had wanted to set things straight, but he was so young and insecure with her, and things had gotten so awkward he’d had no idea how to close the ever-expanding gap.
As he sorted through matters, he reflected on the emotions she brought out in him, the emotions he brought out in her. Oh yeah, it was well past the time to set the wheels into motion and go after what he wanted. He was no longer that shy boy and had every intention of peeling away her layers and discovering the truth, and in the process teaching her how right they were for each other, because he didn’t just want her in his bed, he wanted her in his life.
When he was done with her, not only would she acknowledge the heat between them, she’d willingly act on it, giving herself over to him completely and utterly, body and soul, begging him to fulfill her every need, her every aching desire. Then he’d prove once and for all that they were meant to be together, and they could start making up for lost time.
He stepped closer, close enough that he could feel a tremble move through her body, and dipped his head.
He cleared his throat and lowered his voice for her ears and her ears only. “So what do you say, Anna?”
Simmering blue eyes flitted over him and he could see the torment on her face, the need, the want, the uncertainty. He fisted his hands and resisted the urge to haul her body against his and press his lips to hers, anxious to explore her mouth, her breasts, between her legs, anxious to finally introduce himself to every inch of her body the way he’d longed to do for years.
“Do you want me or not?”
Dark lashes blinked over smoldering blue eyes. “I…want you.”
He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, and his heart settled back into a steady rhythm. He took in her watchful eyes and said, “Then lead the way.”
Chapter Two
With Daniel tight on her heels, Anna could barely walk, let alone breathe. Good Lord, if she couldn’t put one foot in front of the other, how the heck was she supposed to paint walls, sew curtains and stuff down feathers into the throw cushions? She was liable to lose her mind, not to mention her resolve, with Daniel—shirtless, no less—in such confined quarters with her.
Just thinking about him on his knees, bent over that lover’s tub, all hard muscles and sinewy brawn flexing, rippling and relaxing again, had her nipples hardening, pressing against her thin dress and arousing her even more. What she’d do to fill that tub with
bubbles and scented rose petals and haul him inside with her. By small degrees her body tightened and ribbons of pleasure forked through her. Deep between her thighs, her sex moistened, dampening her cotton panties. Anna pulled her sundress around her legs and prayed he couldn’t smell her arousal as it saturated the long hallway.
Okay, so she couldn’t deny that he was handsome, charming and charismatic, and she wasn’t at all immune to his blatant sexuality. But that didn’t mean she was just going to jump into bed with him, even though everything in the way he looked at her, everything in his body language, spoke of physical want and desire. Sure she wanted him to want her, but not because she was the one girl he couldn’t nail. She wanted him to like her for who she was, and for what she was all about.
She cast a glance over her shoulder and he seemed to be lost in his own thoughts.
Trying for casual but failing miserably, she instructed, “Please put your shirt on.” She cringed. Damn she’d blurted that out with much more angst than she meant.
His brow rose a fraction. “Right. My shirt,” he said, his voice distant, obviously distracted. What the heck was he thinking about anyway?
After he pulled his blue, short-sleeved and form-fitting work shirt on, he stepped up beside her and they passed by Candace’s room. Daniel glanced in. He made a face when he spotted the Tantra chair. “What kind of rooms are you designing anyway?”
“Whatever we want. Pamina left it up to each of us. I’m pretty excited about it actually.”
“What kind of room has a Tantra chair and a floor-to-ceiling pole?”
“The kind that combines sex and exercise.”
He chuckled and the sound went right though her. “Ah, I should have known. Candace always was into fitness.”
“Lindsay’s designing a BDSM room.” She shot him a glance to gauge his reaction, fully expecting the wild and wicked Daniel, a big alpha male who enjoyed the conquest, to be intrigued by such a thing.
“I guess I can see her into that kind of thing.” He shrugged and seemed less impressed than she’d thought he’d be. A slow grin curled his mouth when he added, “And I see she’s still overly protective of you.”
Anna returned his smile. “That’s my Lindsay.” As she pushed open her bedroom door, his words sank in. “You seem to remember an awful lot about my friends.”
Not that she’d forgotten anything about him. She recalled it all, in fact. From their private backyard conversations, their long walks to school, to the sweet-sixteen party that she’d purposely excluded him from. And of course, she’d never forget the eye-opening conversation she’d heard between him and his friends the week before said party.
Instead of answering, he probed, “So we have an athletic room, a BDSM room…” He paused, giving her an opening.
“For my room—”
He cut her off. “Let me guess. A room for the romantically inclined.”
Anna studied him, and for a brief second she thought she spotted a little-boy-lost look. Something inside her stomach tightened. She remembered that look of vulnerability, had witnessed it many times when they were teens and had spoken to one another over the backyard fence, when he would stumble over his words and make her feel all weird and special inside. But it had all been an act, right? He was simply the confident quarterback out to win at all costs.
One strong hand slipped around her side and came to rest on the small of her back as he guided her to the door. At first touch sexual energy arced between them. The feel of his warm palm on her flesh did the most delicious things to her insides, and she bit down on her bottom lip, trying to fight off the overwhelming desire she had for him.
He dipped his head and positioned it close to her ear. “After you,” he murmured.
As she moved through the doorway, he gave her a smile so sweet and genuine her insides twisted, and she took a moment to consider things longer. Time had changed him outwardly, for the better, could it have changed him inwardly as well? Did he remember things about her and her friends because he’d grown up, changed his ways? Taking an interest in more than just his next conquest?
“So how’d you guess I was designing a romantic room for lovers?”
He cocked a brow. “A Jacuzzi tub. A fireplace. It’s pretty obvious.”
Okay, so it was pretty obvious, proving he didn’t really know her or her desires at all.
“Right. Of course.” She rolled her eyes and berated herself for her wishful thinking.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Then why did you roll your eyes?”
“I was just thinking some things never change.”
His voice was a low, strained whisper when he countered, “And here I was just thinking some things should.”
Anna gulped. She didn’t miss the sexual undertones or his undisguised need, nor was she unaffected by the deep-seated desire she heard in his voice. But she was not going to sleep with him, no matter how hard he tried to seduce his way into her panties. Decision made, she pushed back her lust, stepped away from him and his warm body, and waved her hand around the room.
Daniel followed her gaze, and she watched him take in the big bay window overlooking the pond, as well as the old fireplace that was in need of an updated design. She grabbed her sketchbook off the nightstand and stepped toward the bathroom door.
“The Jacuzzi tub is in here.”
Daniel moved in behind her and pressed his chest to her back. He glanced over her shoulder and looked at the sketchpad. “These are your ideas?”
She angled her head to see him and when he gave a low side-to-side shake of his head, she tilted her chin, ready to defend her artistic designs. “Yes. They’re my ideas.”
“They’re fantastic.” He scrubbed a hand over his jaw and a look of genuine respect crossed his face. “This room is going to be spectacular. I can’t wait to see the end product.”
She felt pride well up inside her. She’d worked hard on her designs, and although she appreciated his enthusiasm and confidence in her, she mostly hated that it meant so much to her.
His grin was slow, if not a little wicked, and arousal edged his voice. “A woman doesn’t stand a chance if a guy brings her here.”
“What do you mean?” Trying to see the room from his eyes, she perused the large space, taking in the king-sized bed with the unfinished white down duvet still haphazardly thrown over it, the jasmine-scented candles which she’d yet to strategically position for romance and ambiance, and the maroon-colored walls used to enhance passion and imagination, and awaken the romantic spirit in one’s lover.
“With this romantic ambiance, a woman will easily fall under her man’s spell, don’t you think?”
“That’s what I’m going for. Romance and Prince Charming might not be in the cards for me, but I’m hoping it will inspire it for someone else.” When she caught the odd look on his face she knew she’d said too much and immediately began to backpedal, stumbling over her words. “I…uh…I…mean—”
“I always knew you had talent, Anna.” He gave her a way out and she appreciated the gesture more than he knew.
She wrinkled her nose, unprepared for the mix of emotions she suddenly felt. “You did. How?”
A sheepish look crossed his face—a sweet innocent look she’d only ever seen him give her—and it knotted her all up inside and affected her in the most bizarre ways. What the heck was it about that unguarded expression of his that always got to her, anyway? Not wanting him to know her true feelings, she pinched herself, a quick reminder that it was all an act. Right?
Anna pressed. “How, Daniel? How did you know I had talent?”
“Back in high school, I saw some of your designs.” He rolled on the balls of his feet, swaying back and forth like a schoolboy who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
She furrowed her brow in thought. “I never showed you any of my designs.”
“I used to see them when you sat in the backyard with your sketchbook,” he confessed.
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Her lids widened, and she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You were spying on me.”
“Well technically it wasn’t spying.” He gave her a half-smile and continued. “My bedroom window overlooked—”
“You were. You were spying on me.” Probably so he could learn things about her and sweet-talk his way into her pants.
Penetrating eyes full of desire and seduction met hers. His tongue snaked out to moisten his lips and in a swift move, he grabbed her hips and pulled her close. The warmth of his touch traveled all the way to the tips of her toes, igniting her flesh along the way. Her body turned to mush and she could feel herself blushing. Hazel eyes smoldered with passion, and something else. Something dark and intense that Anna couldn’t quite put a name to.
His gaze fixed on her mouth. “Anna, I—”
She wanted him. God, how she wanted him. On the bed, up against the wall, down on the floor and inside the tub. She ached to feel those strong arms around her waist. To have that warm wet mouth on her body, and to finally experience what so many other women before her had—the pleasure of his cock moving in and out of her and bringing her joy beyond anything she’d ever known. Oh bloody hell, she needed this so badly her entire body shuddered in anticipation. A fire she knew better than to let burn free ignited between her legs. A reminder that she was a woman and standing before her was a red-blooded man who could undoubtedly satisfy all her unsatiated needs.
So what was she going to do about it?
Just then Abra came sauntering into the room. His loud purr had her mind reeling back to reality. With trembling fingers, she pressed the sketchpad into Daniel’s stomach and pushed past him, desperate for a reprieve. It was time to get to her head on straight and start concentrating on the job at hand. “We have a schedule to follow so it’s time to get to work. Pamina wants to open the inn as soon as possible and I’m falling behind. I’ll leave you to look over the plans and if you have any questions, I’ll be downstairs.”
Or in a cold shower trying to take the edge off.
With that Anna left the room. Once outside she sagged against the wall and clutched her stomach as she drew a rejuvenating breath. Goodness, the man still got to her in a way no other man could, stirring things deep inside her and leaving her warm and wanting. Spending a week in the same room with him was going to play havoc with her libido. If she didn’t soon pull herself together she just might do something she’d regret later—like go back in there, rip his clothes off, and answer the demands of her body once and for all. But since she wasn’t into casual sex, and “wham bam thank you, ma’am” wasn’t her style, she had to find another way to tamp down her desires—heartbreak wasn’t an option.
