EVERY BREATH YOU TAKE

by Debby Conrad

  Hollin sat in one of the chairs around the table. She studied the photos, admiring the grace and character of the old house. Outside, it was surrounded by willow trees. She flicked through several of the samples lying there, noticed a legal pad and pen and picked them up. She started making notes. “He really should preserve the old baseboards and trim, if at all possible. But some new windows and doors will dress up the place nicely.” Then she worked silently, as Frannie stood close by her side. Hollin was so engrossed with her work, she didn’t hear Griffin come out of his office and approach them from behind.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  Any other time, Hollin would have been uncomfortable with him standing behind her. But for some reason, she wasn’t. In fact, she liked feeling Griffin this close to her.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “You startled me,” Frannie said, after emitting a loud gasp. “I asked for Ms. Pierce’s help with these samples you threw at me the other day. I’ve been so busy I haven’t had a minute to go through them.” She hurried back to her desk. “In fact, I have a few phone calls to make.”

  Hollin glanced over her shoulder and saw Griffin narrow his eyes as if he were taking in the sketches and notes Hollin had made. He moved next to her, picked up the legal pad and flipped through the rest of the pages. “This is exactly what I had in mind, only it’s hard for me to put it on paper like this. I can’t draw worth a damn either. I sort of just fumble my way through things, and when it doesn’t look right I start over. It costs me plenty sometimes to make all those changes. Thanks.”

  Hollin smiled. “You’re welcome. Any time.”

  “Is this what you went to school for?”

  “Not really. I studied Art History and Literature, but I worked for an antique dealer for the last five years. I watched for the right pieces that would blend with the rest of the current decor of a client’s home. I sort of have an eye for what goes and what doesn’t. At least none of the clients ever complained about my talent.”

  He nodded then shrugged. “So, what brings you here today?”

  “My mother has agreed to sell the property to the east of us. On your terms,” she added. “Mr. Townsend needs some time though. He’s working on having the property subdivided. It may take a few weeks, maybe longer.”

  “No problem. Is your mother okay with this?”

  Hollin pushed her chair back and got to her feet. Griffin looked powerful in his blue jeans and oxford shirt, his chest broad and strong, but he also looked tired, worn out. The tiny age lines around his eyes and mouth stood out against his ruggedly handsome face. She wondered if he’d ever been happy, had ever genuinely laughed at anything in his life.

  She felt the urge to touch him, but she wouldn’t. Not with Frannie a few feet away. Even though the woman had her back to them now and was talking on the phone.

  “No, she’s not okay with it, but she’ll get over it. In time.” She continued to stare at him, taking in every detail of his face. “I wanted to ask a favor of you,” she said finally.

  He lifted his brows, looking at her uncertainly. “Go ahead.”

  She glanced quickly beyond his shoulder to make sure Frannie wasn’t listening. Griffin must have sensed her uneasiness, because he took her by the arm and steered her past Frannie’s desk, into his office. He shut the door with a soft click.

  “What is it, Hollin?” he asked, concern in his deep voice.

  “I didn’t realize Mr. Townsend was going to need so much time to divide the property. The roofers are supposed to start replacing the roof on our house tomorrow, and they’ll naturally want paid once they’re finished.” She chewed at her lip a moment, worried her fingers together. She hadn’t realized how difficult this would be for her. “I don’t have any money. I was wondering if you would mind giving me a deposit on the land, to show good faith and all.” She’d transferred all her personal funds to a local bank in town, but had used it to pay Josephine, who she’d learned hadn’t been paid in months, and a few small household bills that had accumulated.

  Griffin walked to his desk, pulled out a checkbook. “How much do you need?”

  Hollin froze. How much did she need? She needed a ton of cash, but that wasn’t his problem. Once the land was sold and all the debts paid, there would be little left over for repairs and remodeling as it was. But she’d worry about that when the time came. “How much do you think would be fair?”

  “Twenty-five percent?” he asked, waiting, pen in hand, for her to respond.

  “That sounds more than fair. I hate having to ask you. My mother would probably never forgive me if she finds out.”

  “It’ll be our little secret,” he said, tearing the check from the packet and walking toward her. He offered her the tiny blue rectangle of paper.

  “Thank you.” She folded it neatly in half, and stuck it in her purse. “I won’t keep you any longer. I know you’re busy.”

  “Hollin, wait.”

  Turning around to face him, she noticed his neck move up and down as he swallowed. She remembered kissing that neck only days ago. She knew his skin would be warm, almost to the point of hot. And she wanted so badly to touch him again, run her tongue along his neck, her hands up and down his hard body. “What is it?” she asked, her voice uneven.

  “Have you had any success finding a job?”

  “No. I seem to be overqualified for the positions that are currently open.”

  “What if I asked you to come work for me?”

  She blinked. “Are you asking?” And if he was, could she possibly work next to him, day in and day out, without thinking about how badly she wanted him to make love to her?

  “Yes. I’m asking. You seem to like working with colors and design. I have the condo project going on now, and then I’ll be starting a new project. I bought a chunk of land, twenty-two acres, just outside of town. I’d like to put in a subdivision. I could use someone I trust to make decisions. Someone who knows what the hell they’re doing.”

  I could use someone I trust, he’d said. She thought about it for a nanosecond. “Yes, I’d love to work for you.”

  He gave a short laugh, ran a hand through his too long hair that brushed his collar in the back. “You know people are going to talk, don’t you?”

  “Let ‘em,” she said. She was more worried about her and Griffin. Would he be able to keep his mind on work?

  He smiled. “Can you start tomorrow?”

  “I can start right now.”

  His smile faded, and she wondered if he was suddenly having second thoughts. He sighed noisily. “This is going to be awkward.”

  “If you’ve already changed your mind, forget it. It’s okay.” She forced herself to smile even though she was extremely disappointed.

  “I haven’t changed my mind.” He shifted his weight to one leg. “It’s just that I haven’t been getting much sleep since you’ve been back in town, especially since the last day you were in my office. I can’t get you out of my mind.” He slanted his gaze toward his desk. “If Frannie wouldn’t have interrupted us that day, I would have been inside you.”

  Something like warm honey flowed freely within her. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t need to. He knew she was remembering that day too.

  “I don’t want you to think I hired you just because I want in your pants. And I don’t want you to think that every time you’re in my office, behind closed doors, that I’m thinking about jumping your bones.”

  She swallowed thickly. “Those thoughts never crossed my mind.”

  “You’re not a very good liar. And I would be lying to you by saying that isn’t exactly what I’ll be thinking about.” He smiled crookedly. Her gaze followed his hands as he pushed them into his jeans pockets. She quickly raised her gaze, not wanting to stare at the front of his jeans or anywhere below the belt.

  “Should we call the whole thing off then?” she asked, afraid he might say yes. She dug her fingertips into her palms.

  “That depends. Can y
ou work for a sexually deprived man who can’t wait to get you beneath him? Can you work for a man who you know will be constantly thinking about how it will feel to be inside you? A man who wants to teach you how to please him with your hands, your mouth?”

  Hollin’s knees nearly buckled at the erotic things coming from his mouth, but she managed to keep her feet planted firmly on the floor. Was he trying to change her mind? Scare her away? She didn’t think so. She decided he was only being brutally honest with her, and he was giving her the opportunity to walk out the door and never look back. By staying, she was acknowledging his need for her, and somehow her need for him as well. She opened her mouth slowly, letting the words swirl in her brain for a moment. “Yes. I can’t think of anything I’d like more.”

  #

  Griffin was shocked when Hollin accepted his offer to work for him, as blatant as it was, but in the few days since she’d first joined GW Construction, she’d been a tremendous help. It would have taken him weeks to make the selections that she seemed able to make in a matter of hours. And instead of looking aggravated, the way he always felt as he agonized over his choices, she looked excited, energized in fact.

  “I want to see the kitchen,” Hollin said.

  Taking her by the arm, Griffin led her to the back of the old Meyers house, the wood floor squeaking as they walked. “Careful,” he said, steering her past an old splintered door lying in the hall on its side.

  “Oh, Griffin, I love the tin ceiling,” she said, her gaze pointed skyward as she entered the kitchen, or what used to be the kitchen. His crew had already been through and had started to gut the place. She leveled her gaze on him. “I think we should try to preserve it if we can.”

  Griffin made a note on his legal pad. “Sure. It shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll talk to my foreman.”

  “I’d like to use stainless steel appliances to set the ceiling off. I’m thinking distressed wood cupboards, pewter fixtures, coffee colored walls with white trim and granite countertops with splashes of browns, blacks and grays.” Her hand flew across her own legal pad, making notes.

  Griffin only stared at her with his mouth open. The afternoon sun flowed through the windows, accentuating the dust and dirt. At the same time it created a halo effect around her. He couldn’t explain it, but he only had to look at her and he grew hard instantaneously.

  She looked up, caught him staring and smiled. “What?”

  “You’re amazing.”

  “That’s why you hired me.”

  Yeah, that was one reason. He supposed the other reason was so he could have her around. He loved seeing her smile, laugh, the way she smelled. And he was bound and determined to get her into his bed. The last time was for her. The next time would be for the both of them.

  He closed the distance between them and dipped his head to kiss her, but she managed to duck under his arm and out of his reach.

  Griffin turned in her direction just as she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I told you yesterday I want to keep our business relationship professional. And you agreed.”

  Yes, he had agreed. But what was he thinking? Keeping his hands off her could be the biggest challenge he’d ever face. “I was only to going to kiss you.”

  “Not at the office.”

  “We’re not at the office,” he argued, moving toward her again.

  “And not at the job sites. We agreed,” she reminded him.

  Griffin stopped in his tracks and raised a hand in surrender. “Okay, okay. What do you care that I’ve been walking around with a hard-on the past few days?”

  He saw her gaze flick toward his fly and he did nothing to hide his semi-erect state. Trying to pretend she hadn’t noticed, she went back to making notes. “I find that subject matter totally inappropriate for an employer and employee.”

  “Which subject matter is that?”

  She bit back a grin as she glanced up at him. “It’s not going to work, Griffin. You’re trying to get me to talk about something I have no intention of discussing. All I care about right now is this project.”

  “But you looked at my fly.”

  “I did not.”

  “The hell you didn’t. You want me as badly as I want you, and don’t try to pretend otherwise.” And if he didn’t get some relief soon he was going to explode. Not that she seemed to care. He’d invited her over to his place the last two nights, but she’d turned him down flat, saying that now that she worked for him it wasn’t a good idea.

  “While that may be true, I value my job too much to get involved with you. Can we please get back to work now?” She implored him with those turquoise eyes. She was dressed in gray slacks and a prim white blouse, and yet she looked sexy as hell.

  Griffin kept his eyes trained on her cute round ass while she bent down to set her legal pad and purse on the floor. She pulled out a tape measure and went to work.

  “What if I fired you?”

  “I’d sue the pants off you for sexual harassment.”

  She was bluffing. He was sure of it.

  “And stop staring at my butt.”

  He shook his head and frowned. “Hollin, I told you when I hired you what I would be thinking about day in and day out, and you didn’t seem to mind then. In fact, I think your exact words were--”

  “I know what I said.”

  “So, you lied to me.”

  “No. It’s just that I’ve had a chance to think more clearly about the situation, and I can’t get involved with you. And don’t look at me like that. You know I’m right.”

  He took a step toward her. “Just one kiss. Please.”

  “No.”

  “Why not? Are you afraid you won’t be able to stop at just one?” He took another step.

  “This isn’t working. And don’t come any closer. I’m warning you.”

  She’d barely finished her sentence when Griffin dropped his legal pad on the floor and scooped her up in his arms. “Gotcha.” He smiled down at her.

  “Griffin, put me down.”

  “Not until you kiss me.”

  She blew out a long, frustrated sounding breath. “Oh, all right.” Pursing her lips together, she lifted her chin for his kiss.

  “Open your mouth.”

  She didn’t budge.

  “You look like a guppy. And I’ve never been very fond of guppies.”

  That statement had her mouth dropping open, and he quickly went in for the kill. Her mouth was warm, and her tongue instantly joined his. One kiss turned into another, until he was aching with need. It was a good thing he was holding her or his hands would have been all over her. Touching her breasts and her ass.

  His senses reeled as if they’d been short circuited, and he had no choice but to set her on her feet. The metal tape measure dropped to the floor with a crashing sound. Their mouths stayed fused, however, and it was Hollin’s hands that began to roam. Up and down his chest, along his back and neck, pulling him into her.

  Griffin took advantage, easing his knee between her legs and then fitting her against his erection. He smiled, hearing her moan of satisfaction, and reluctantly broke contact with her mouth. “I want you so badly I ache,” he whispered, squeezing the cheeks of her ass.

  “I know, but--”

  “No buts, Hollin. Come back to my place with me. I promise you won’t have any regrets in the morning.”

  Her face was flush with heat, and he could see the desire in her eyes. “I can’t,” she said, breathless. She tried to push him away, but he refused to be pushed.

  “Yes, you can. Let me show you how good we can be together, how good it will feel. Tell me you honestly don’t want me, that you don’t want this.” He guided her hand to his erection and molded her fingers around him. She let her hand linger for a moment, grazing. “Oh, baby.”

  Hollin jerked her hand away as if she’d been scalded, and with all her force, pushed against his chest. “Oh, all right.”

  He’d been about to argue with her when he realized she’d given i
n to his pleas. “All right?” he repeated, just to make certain he hadn’t been hearing things.

  She nodded.

  Griffin smiled, grabbed her purse and the legal pads, and took her by the hand. Outside, he helped her inside the truck then ran around to the driver’s side.

  He started the engine and flew out of the drive without bothering with his seatbelt. Since he only lived a short distance down the road, they were in his drive in less than a minute. But when he went to climb out of the truck, it finally struck him that Hollin hadn’t moved a muscle since they’d taken off.

  She’d changed her mind, was all he could think.

  “Hollin?”

  “Are you sure we’re doing the right thing?”

  Griffin took a deep breath, paused to think over the situation for a moment, and then looked her in the eye. “Absolutely. I’ve never wanted a woman more than I want you right now.”

  He watched as she swallowed, and he worried she’d say she couldn’t

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Once inside the house, Griffin led her to his bedroom, stopping only long enough to kick his boots free. Then he fused his mouth with hers, and practically tore her clothes off. Yet standing in front of him stark naked didn’t inhibit her in the least.

  Hollin had thought for years she would never be able to give herself completely to any man. But this was Griffin, she reminded herself. She wanted to let go of her fears and reservations, and it seemed like he was the only man she could trust.

  But was she doing the right thing by sleeping with him? Would she regret it tomorrow? Would he? There were so many unanswered questions, but her thoughts quickly began to fragment. She could no longer think clearly. Not with Griffin’s hands on her body, his mouth trailing hot, steamy kisses along her neck and jaw, her shoulder, the slope of her breast.

  She sucked in her breath when his mouth greedily fastened on her nipple, tugging and pulling until she thought she would die with pleasure. Hot tides of passion raged through her, and she thought surely she might explode.

  To her disappointment, he released her, moving back an inch. He looked down and gazed into her eyes, and it was all she could do to stand on her shaky legs without him to lean on for support.