Her knees wobbled. Her heart hammered in her chest. She wanted to stomp her foot in fury. What the hell? How dare he? Her breath came in short staccato puffs. A heartbeat away from being humiliated, she spun around, fumbled with her keys and stomped inside, slamming the door behind her.
Olivia pressed her back against the door and squeezed her eyes shut. “Damn.”
Chapter 5
C
onnor stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He picked up his shot of bourbon from the double sink and padded into his bedroom. It was nearly 3:00 a.m. and he was wide-awake. Sleep was the furthest thing from his mind. What he should to be doing was lying in bed with Olivia Gray beneath him. He tossed back the remnants of his drink and set it down on the nightstand.
He couldn’t wrap his mind around what it was about that woman that had his head so twisted. There was nothing spectacular about her. She was definitely easy on the eyes, smart, good conversationalist, professional. Naw, it was none of those things. Women like that were regular parts of his life. It was something else, something… that he couldn’t put words to. She got under his skin. She turned him on like someone turning on the all the jets on a stove.
Connor shook his head and dropped down on the side of his bed, draped his arms between his thighs. He rubbed his hand across his face as if that would magically wipe away the image of Olivia from his sight.
He could still taste the sweetness of her mouth, tinged with the flavors of dinner and her apple martinis. Thoughts of the feel of her flush against him made him hard with need. His jaw clenched and he jumped up and massaged the rise of his erection.
It was going to be a long night. He tugged the towel from around his waist, tossed the covers back on the bed and got in. He stared up at the ceiling, then at the tepee in the sheets, before he turned out the bedside light. Yeah, it was going to be a long night. The only saving grace was that he’d see her in the morning.
* * *
Olivia wasn’t sure if she’d slept a good three hours. Throughout the night she awoke time and again, stirred by the erotic dreams of her and Connor. She’d turn on her side and the dreams would start again. She flipped on her back, her stomach, her other side. One encounter after the other followed her like a hell-bent stalker. She couldn’t get away, no matter how many detours she took. Finally, when the sun rose she gave up.
She dragged herself to the kitchen and turned on the coffeemaker. Leaning against the counter, listening to the pot drip while the unmistakable aroma wafted in the air, she thought about her evening with Connor and the night without him. Would it have been so awful to have sex on the first date? They both wanted it. Besides, she knew that whatever this thing was between the two of them, it could never be more than temporary. When her job was done, she’d go back to her life and he’d be off to his next adventure. Anyway, every aspect of her life was only temporary. She’d grown to accept that, live with it. It was just the way it was.
She poured her mug of coffee, added two teaspoons of brown sugar and a splash of half-and-half. The first swallow hit the spot and reignited her cylinders. She sighed in satisfaction, then took her coffee into the bathroom and turned on the shower full blast. After her shower she’d go for a run, get her mind right, work off the sexual tension that still pulsed in her veins, then she’d head out to the site. And see Connor.
Olivia wondered what his night had been like. Did he think of her, dream of her? Probably not. Connor came from a lineage of men that could have what and who they wanted. There was no reason for her to spend time even contemplating the notion that he wanted anything more than a night of hot sex. A shiver of desire scooted up the backs of her legs and settled in the pit of her stomach. She turned her face up to the pulsing spray and let the steamy water flow over her. But nothing could wash away the need for Connor Lawson to fill the hot, wet space between her thighs.
* * *
Olivia pulled up to the work site and cut the engine of her car. She took a minute to compose herself, prepare to see Connor. The run had burned off some of the tension but now the anxiousness had returned. How would he treat her? Better question, how would she respond when she saw him? To compound her anxiety, Victor had left her a message insisting that she make certain that Connor used all the proper materials — oak, cedar, mahogany — to rehab the original structures. He wanted her to check everything. She heaved a sigh.
Clearly she couldn’t sit there forever. She gathered her things, got out and trudged down the incline to the homestead. The crew was busy working and didn’t notice her. She looked around for Jake and spotted him getting into one of the trucks. She walked in his direction.
“Morning.”
He turned, cupped his hands over his eyes to block out the sun. A half smile lifted his lips. “Good morning.”
“I was going to get started today. Did Connor — Mr. Lawson — tell you?”
“No. He hasn’t come in yet. But you do what you need to. Can I help you with anything in particular?”
“Um, I’d like to start on the outskirts of the homestead and work my way back to the buildings.” She cleared her throat. “I will be checking on the materials being used to ensure that they meet our criteria for restoration.”
Jake’s brow knitted. “We
always
follow the specs,” he said, his warm tone turning cool. “You need me to go with you?”
“No. I’ll be fine. I’m used to working alone.” She offered a tight-lipped smile.
He extended his arm. “Take that trail. It leads to the other side.”
“Thanks.” She started toward the trail.
“I’ll let Connor know you’re here when he shows up.”
She waved her hand in acknowledgment.
* * *
Olivia began by taking photographs and then collected soil, rock and plant samples. She needed to put together as much empirical data as possible. Often something as minute as a tiny plant could provide clues to the past and the people. She worked diligently for more than an hour, becoming totally absorbed in what she was doing. And then she felt him. Behind her. She turned and gazed upward. All the air stilled in the center of her chest.
“Hey.” He slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans. His warm, dark eyes moved over her.
“Hey,” she whispered back. She brushed the dirt from her hands.
Connor walked down the short incline and knelt beside her. “What are you doing?”
She explained her goal and the process, while Connor studied her samples.
“So these pebbles and soil can tell you things, huh?”
She grinned. “You sound a bit cynical, Mr. Lawson.”
“Not really.” He twirled a blade of grass between his fingers. “I guess I never thought much about the smaller pieces of the puzzle. My focus has always been on rebuilding, re-creating, not what it took to make it.” He turned to her. “Guess that’s where you come in.”
Her eyes crinkled at the corners. “We all have a purpose.”
“And we all know our roles and responsibilities.”
Olivia flinched at the edge in his tone and knew instantly that it was a result of her conversation with Jake.
“And one of mine is verifying, at
every
stage of the reno, that
all
of the materials that I use on a project are the original materials, from glass to shingles and every cut of wood. I built my business
and
my reputation on authenticity.” His dark eyes bored into hers. He pushed out a breath and softened his tone. “How about we both accept the fact that we know what we’re doing.”
Olivia pressed her lips together and the knot in her chest loosened. She could read that so many ways. “I could agree to that.”
He watched her for a moment before he reached out and brushed a stray hair away from her face. His fingers lingered on her cheek. “I thought about you all night.”
Her throat clenched. “So did I… about you.”
Connor leaned closer. His hand drifted down from her cheek to rest for a moment on her shoulder before slowly tracing the rise of her breast beneath her white cotton shirt.
Her breath caught. For a moment her eyelids fluttered.
She heard his deep groan an instant before his mouth covered hers. This kiss was no kiss of invitation, or one that asked permission. It was immediately raw and demanding and insistent on having its way with her.
Connor cupped the back of her head, threaded his fingers through the wild tangle of her hair and pulled her close. His tongue dipped into her mouth, explored it, made it his own.
Olivia gave in, gave all. Her fingers pressed into the hard muscle of his arms to keep from floating away.
“I could make love to you right here, right now,” he groaned against her mouth. He pulled away, stared into her eyes. “But I’ll wait.” He pushed to his feet and extended his hand to her. She took it and he pulled her up. “I’ll let you get back to work.” He turned and walked away.
“Damn,” she whispered, as she memorized the way his jeans hung on his waist, and that easy swagger that made you say, “Hmm.” How was she supposed to concentrate on her work after that? She touched her fingers to her lips. “You better not wait long, Mr. Lawson.”
* * *
Connor strode down the hill and along the trail that led back to the homestead. He lifted his chin in greeting to several of the crew that he passed. He went straight to the office, and shut the door behind him. The heels of his work boots cracked across the wood floor. He banged his fist against the desk and uttered an expletive.
What was he thinking? Anyone could have walked up on them. Forget about what they may have thought about him. He’d put her reputation in jeopardy. He wasn’t thinking with his head, at least not the one sitting on his neck.
He blew out a breath. He needed to get with Olivia and have her put out this fire so that he could go on with his life as if he had some sense.
* * *
By one o’clock, Olivia was hot, sweaty and hungry. She’d collected several bags of samples, took numerous photos and made her notes. She arched her back and stretched. She was done for now.
She gathered her things and began the walk back to her car. The hum and bang of construction had quieted, as the men were on their lunch break. Several groups sat on hoods of trucks or on crates, chowing down on thick hero sandwiches and guzzling cool drinks. Connor was not among them. A distant rumble thundered in her stomach. She pressed her hand against her empty belly and kept going.
Olivia opened the driver’s-side door and tossed her bag inside. When she came around to the other side she stopped short. “Connor.”
“You were going to leave without saying goodbye.” It wasn’t a question.
“I didn’t see you on my way back.”
He opened her door. “What are you doing tonight?”
Her pulse quickened. “Um, I didn’t have any plans. Why?”
“I’ll pick you up at seven, treat you to my famous jambalaya.” He grinned and her knees weakened.
She rested her weight on her right side and looked into his eyes, which seemed to sparkle with bad-boy mischief.
“I’m sure I’ll be hungry by then.” She slid into the car and stuck the key into the ignition. She turned to him.
“What do you like for breakfast?”
Her nostrils flared. She pulled the door shut and slowly pulled away. “Wow.”
* * *
Connor watched her drive away with a self-satisfied look on his face. Tonight couldn’t get here fast enough.
Chapter 6
O
livia returned to her cottage and dropped her bag on the foyer table. She spun around in circles, ran her fingers through her hair, then let out a whoop of giddy delight. She did her own version of twerking, then skipped over to the fridge to find something to eat.
No sooner had she sat down with her lunch of cream-of-mushroom soup and a three-inch-thick grilled chicken sandwich than her cell phone rang. She picked it up and frowned at the number on the face.
“Hi, Victor.”
“I thought I’d call first this time. I was hoping we could get together sometime today.”
Olivia stifled a groan. “Did you have a time in mind? I was just having my lunch.”
“I could stop by now, or maybe we could talk over dinner. I spotted some pretty nice places here in town.”
Dinner was definitely out. “You can stop by now if you want.”
“Great. I’ll be there in about a half hour or so.”
“Sure,” she answered halfheartedly. “See you then.” She set the phone down. The call from Victor took the icing off her cake. Well, there was nothing to be done about it now. They’d talk, she’d bring him up to date and he’d be on his way so that she could focus her energies on the home-cooked dinner with Connor.
Olivia finished her lunch and set up her laptop on the coffee table to be able to show Victor the images that she’d shot so far, along with her notes and samples. She was in the middle of pouring a glass of iced tea when her bell rang. She crossed through the open living room to the front. Preparing herself, she drew in a breath of resignation and pulled the door open. She put on her best smile. “Victor. Hi. Come in.”
As always, Victor was impeccable. He was the kind of man that you could never imagine getting dirt under his fingernails. Until he’d met Olivia and they’d launched into their brief though passionate affair, he’d never owned a pair of jeans. He had some on now, perfectly cut, just the right color, and looking as if they’d come right off the shelf. He’d opted for a pair of chocolate Italian loafers, an open-collared pale blue shirt and designer sports jacket. This was as casual as Victor Randall got, and of course he smelled divine.
Olivia stepped aside to let him pass, but not before he bussed her cheek with a light kiss.
“Looking well, as always,” he said as he walked inside. He gave the space the once-over, then turned to her. “Nice. Better than a hotel.”
“It has its perks. I set everything up in the living room. Can I get you something to drink, coffee, tea, juice?”
“Coffee would be great. I haven’t reached my five-cup quota,” he quipped.
“Be right back. Black with two sugars, right?”
Victor smiled. “You remembered.”
His tone had a bit too much intimacy in it for Olivia’s taste. She wasn’t going to slip down that slope. She went into the kitchen and prepared his coffee and then joined him in the living room. She set the mug down on the table.
Victor was already scrolling through the photos. “Thank you,” he murmured without looking up.
Olivia sat in the club chair.
“These pictures will make great archival documentation, Olivia.”
She watched his expression and body language become energized as the wheels in his great mind spun. It was the thing that had attracted her to him in the beginning — his unbridled passion for his work. Unfortunately, that was where his passion came to an end. He was turned on by work. Work was his aphrodisiac. Beyond that, Victor was a gorgeous shell.
“I started collecting the samples from the surrounding grounds. I’ll begin with the buildings this week.”
“Good. I’d like to see everything firsthand.”
Her stomach jumped. She crossed her legs. “Checking up on me?”
“That’s the second time you asked me that.” He looked across at her, tried to see behind the placid exterior.
“Second time you gave me a reason to.”
He leaned back against the cushions of the sofa, crossed his ankle over his knee and looked at her. “I’m not checking up on you. At least not in the way you think.”
“What way is it that I’m thinking?”
“That my interest is work related.”
“Well, isn’t it?”
“Not entirely.”
She didn’t like the direction of the conversation one bit. She folded her arms. “Meaning?”
“I came down here for more than work. I know that you are perfectly capable of handling this assignment on your own.” He glanced away for a moment as if debating his next words. “I’ve been thinking about us.”
“Victor—”
He held up his hand to stave off her rebuttal. “Listen to me for a moment. That’s all I ask.”
She pushed back into her seat and folded her arms again. “I’m listening.”
“I know that we had a good thing at one time and it was my fault, my selfishness that got us off track. Much of it had to do with my own ambition, my tunnel vision when it came to work. But in the time that we have been apart… I realize how much I miss you and want you in my life.”
Olivia slowly shook her head and said, “Things can’t work between us, Victor. You’re my boss and… we’ve both moved on.”
He leaned forward to press home his point. “That’s what I really came here to tell you. After this assignment is over, I’ll be leaving The Institute.”
“Leaving?” She frowned in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
“I was offered the position of chair at the Center for Archeological Research in DC. I start in a month.”
Her mouth opened, then closed. This didn’t make sense. Out of the blue. “But… I thought you loved what you did at The Institute.”
“I do. But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I’ll have my own team. Pick and choose projects from around the world. I’ll be working with some of the most talented researchers in the field.” He paused. “And I recommended you to take my place.”
Her back straightened. “What!”
He smiled. “I recommended you and the board gave their tentative approval. Your contract will be up after this project. It would be the perfect time to take you from the precarious position as a contract worker to a permanent one with your own department. You’ve earned it.”
“Victor… I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes, and I can make it yours.”
Her heart thumped in warning. “I… I have to at least sleep on it.”
“Of course. But I’ll need your answer before I return.”
“Right… of course,” she said absently, her mind spinning in a million directions.
“So,” he said, then took a long breath. He zeroed in on her face. “We won’t be boss and employee anymore.”
Her gaze flew to his to see the light of invitation hovering around his mouth.
There was the catch
.
“We’ll be free to see where things can go.” He pushed up from his seat and stood. He stared down into her upturned face. “Think about it.
Everything
.” He walked toward the door. Olivia followed.
“I’ll meet you down at the site tomorrow, say about one?”
“Sure.”
He opened the door and stepped outside. He turned to her. “This is a good thing. For everyone. See you in the morning.”
Olivia stood in the doorway and watched him drive away before she returned inside.
Director of The Institute
. It was a dream that always seemed out of reach. But now… However, she had a deep-seated feeling that it wasn’t going to be as easy as signing on the dotted line. Victor did very little out of the kindness of his heart. He would want something in return.
Her
.