Authors: Sabel Simmons
She smiled at the expression on
Jenna’s face.
“It is in the final modernizing stages
at this point with only touchups here and there and the art to be done. I
have been assisting with the finer things. He does not have the patience
finding suppliers, so I have made appointments, made some selections and he
then made the final decisions on tiles, fabric, mirrors, decorations,
etc. He added the swimming pool, Jacuzzi and Spa in the West wing.
He likes his privacy and do not like a lot of people underfoot.”
“Is that why you only wanted us to
start in two months’ time?”
Jenna saw a grumpy older man in her
mind’s eye and hoped he would not be around too much.
“Yes, he is planning an extended
business trip to Australia. He is opening a Branch there.”
“How long would he be gone?”
“Probably a month to six weeks.”
“Ahum … based on the specifications
and the mural in the ballroom alone, I can safely say this is a long term
project. I can identify the major ones that will need a lot of
preparation and start with them. We could bring in additional people during the
time your brother is not here to assist with the re-painting.”
“I was afraid of that. How
long?”
“Until I have actually seen everything
I cannot really commit, but most definitely eight to twelve months at the very
least.”
“Oh goodness! Callum will have a
cadenza!”
“We could always just work on the
murals here and ship the paintings to the Institute and finish them
there. It is up to you.”
“Hmm … I’ll have to chat to him on
that. I don’t think he will allow the removal of any of them. Did
you bring your luggage with? You do know the arrangement included you
living here during the assignment?”
“Do you think that is wise with your
brother’s desire for privacy?”
“Don’t worry, I placed you in a
different wing than him. You might never bump into one another. He
is quite busy during the week.”
Oh, that is a relief. I don’t
want to be underfoot. Of course, I might not be the one to do the actual
work. I am only here to do the time study, but I would love to work on
the murals.”
“Come. He is somewhere in the
castle. Let’s get the introductions behind us, shall we?”
They walked back down the corridor and
Jenna followed her up the stairs. She noticed the carpenter was still
there, busy sanding down the frame. The muscles in his arms bulged with
every swipe of his hands over the frame. She salivated again.
“Callum, I’d like to introduce you to
Jenna Burkes.”
Jenna nearly swallowed her tongue when
Megan stopped next to the ‘carpenter.’
“Oh Lord … he is not the carpenter
then?”
“No, why … oh you thought he was the …
hahaha … no, this is Callum, my twin brother.”
Jenna was mortified and wished the
floor would open and swallow her whole.
“Callum, Jenna is from the Smithsonian
Institute to do the art restoration.”
“I thought the understanding was there
won’t be people underfoot, Megs. She can come back once I am gone.”
“Callum, don’t be such a bore.
She is here now and it is a much bigger project than either of us realized, so
the quicker she can begin, the better.”
He kept sanding the frame and Jenna
could not take her eyes off the rippling muscles on his back with every
movement of his arms. He sighed, put the sander on the ladder stand and
started climbing down. Jenna’s breath was lost somewhere between her lungs and
throat when he turned around and his green eyes slammed into her
champagne-brown ones. She had to look up and felt small next to his tall,
massive frame.
They just stared at each other for
moments. Jenna felt a tiny flutter in her heart. This man was way
beyond temptation … he was sinful. Sinfully gorgeous, sinfully sexy and
oh lord … just looking at him, flooded her panties with liquid heat and she
nearly moaned aloud.
Callum felt as if a block of cement
just slapped against his chest when he turned around and found the most
exquisite, tempting and desirable woman standing next to his sister. He
should not be surprised, her body suited her sultry, husky voice. Megan
expected him to live with this young girl under his roof for a month or
two? She must be out of her mind. He lowered his eyes and pulled
the work gloves from his hands. He looked at Megan and noticed her
sharpened gaze on him. Damn, she was too receptive to his emotions.
He nodded in Jenna’s direction.
“Ms. Burkes. I suggest you place
her on the third floor in the south wing, Megan.”
“Why on the third floor? I was
thinking of the south wing on the second floor.”
His eyes swung to his sister and Jenna
knew he has had the last say. Third floor it was for her, then. At least
she’ll get some good exercise running up and down every day.
She ran her eyes over his face, hardly
hearing their further conversation. He was very tall, probably six feet
three or four, with dark brown hair, worn in a negligent carefree way combed
back. His hooded shaped, pasture green eyes were evenly spaced and
enhanced by long thick black eyelashes, sitting below trim eyebrows that seemed
to curve as a natural extension of his aquiline nose. He kept his wide
mouth closed in a thin, straight line, but his lower lip were slightly fuller
and very, very inviting. He carried his large tall frame with confidence
and stood tall and straight. His tanned skin glittered in the sunrays shining
through the mosaic window.
Suddenly his gaze swung to her,
catching her staring at him and his one eyebrow shot to his strong
hairline. She cleared her throat and asked the first thing that came to
her mind.
“Where do I set up the workshop?”
“You need a whole workshop?”
“Well, at least a room.
Restoring a painting involves cleaning and scrapping before you start the
actual restore painting. I believe all the tools and equipment will be
delivered tomorrow morning.”
He glared at his sister as if it was
her fault and she sighed heavily.
“Callum, you agreed the artwork needed
to be restored. If you’re going to be so stubborn about this whole
process, you need to tell me now if we should just leave it.”
“How long is this going to take?”
He ignored Jenna and kept his eyes on
his sister. She briefly glanced at Jenna and cleared her throat.
“Slightly longer than we thought.”
“How long, Megs?”
“Anything from eight months to a
year.”
“A year! Are you bloody
crazy? I am not living with this little painter girl underfoot for a
year!”
Jenna gasped and glowered at him.
“Nor I you! And I am not a girl!”
His eyes slanted down to her straining
breasts. She felt their immediate reaction to his eyes on them. She
quickly crossed her arms over her chest to hide them pebbling into tight pointy
nubs. Megan’s eyes widened at the electrifying charge around the two
scowling people in front of her.
Well, well, well … she never thought
to see the day!
Jenna glanced at Megan. “I still
think my suggestion to stay in town is the best. The workshop can even be
set up outside the house, thereby I will never be UNDERFOOT. At least until the
team arrives.”
“From a practical point of view that
just does not make sense. Jenna also suggested to cut her presence short, she
only work on the murals here and we ship the rest to the Institute and the
finish them there.”
“Nothing is leaving this house!”
Megan spread her arms, fully
exasperated with her brother.
“Then what do you suggest, dear brother?”
He glared at her and scowled at
Jenna. He started gathering his tools with irritated, short
movements. Megan hid a smile behind her hand. She has never seen
her brother react so strongly towards a woman. She was going to keep her here,
come what may. Maybe then she would be able to prevent him from making
the biggest mistake of his life.
“You don’t seem to leave me with many
options, Megan. I want a detailed report on everything that is required
to be done in every room and an exact timeframe for each of them. I want
to know exactly when I will be free of your little painter girl! By
tomorrow morning before I leave for work.”
“Do you have any idea how much work it
is to draw up such a report?”
He did not bother to look at
Jenna. His muffled response was barely heard as he started down the
stairs.
“Best you get started then, little
painter girl.”
“If you call me a little girl one more
time, I will …”
“You’re wasting time. A minute wasted
is a minute lost …” He disappeared down a corridor.
“Urghhh! He is such a
jerk! Oh, I’m sorry! I should not have said it out loud.”
“Oh no! Please, you are quite
right. He is a very demanding man, but it would be the best to have the
report ready for him in the morning. I will show you to your room.
Ronan has already taken your suitcases upstairs and I am sure Emily had them
unpacked. You can work there or use the den where we met. Callum
usually spends most of his time playing carpenter or in his study when he is
around, so you won’t be bothering him.”
They went up the set of stairs from
the mid-level they were on to the second story, where Megan turned left and
entered the first door facing the back of the house.
“Ehm … I thought your brother said I
should stay on the third floor?”
“Tsk … I already had them prepare this
room for you. I’ll let him know anyway. I will sent Ronan with the
detailed list and pictures of all the artwork to be restored. I’ll email
the file to you as well. At least then you can use it to develop a progress
report, which I am sure Callum is going to expect on a weekly basis.”
Jenna felt like the little girl Callum
McGregor kept calling her, walking into her room. Scrap that, her
suite. It was a massive room with a small lounge area with a couch and
two wingback chairs and a large flat screen TV on the wall. There was a
beautiful chandelier that left sparkles all over the room from catching the
sunrays. The room was decorated in soft hues of beiges and apricot.
The bed was large and covered with a beautiful beige duvet and covered with a
combination of apricot scatter pillows. The windows were floor height
doors and opened onto a balcony. The curtains were made from heavy
brocade material in a swirly beige and apricot motive. On the balcony
there were a set of wrought iron chairs and a table and look out onto the
massive pool and open mountains.
The bathroom was probably larger than
her lounge in her apartment and her mouth gaped open. The walls and floor
was covered with apricot colored marble tiles. There was a massive oval
marble bath in the center of the room and a shower that was as large as her
whole bathroom at home. Large beautifully framed mirrors on all the
walls, and there were candles on large marble stands on either side of the bath
and on the vanity table. There was even a big plush ottoman in the one
corner.
I am going to spend a lot of time in
here! This is absolutely beautiful!
She wondered just what Callum McGregor
did to be able to afford the castle in the first place, let alone encase it in
such luxury. Maybe it was family money, but he most definitely had
fantastic taste.
Such a pity he was not the carpenter
though … he could really have been the one to make her scream!
Irritated
that she ignored his knock on the door, Callum opened the door and walked
towards the bed. His breath wheezed through his teeth when he switched on
the bedside lamp and light softly lit the room. She was naked with the sheet
only covering her buttocks. She was lying on her stomach with her one arm
stretched behind her and the other beneath the pillow. Her legs were shapely,
curved beautifully and ended in small feet and toes with bright purple painted
toenails. Her face was turned his way and she looked even younger than
she did the day before.
Her hair was ebony-black and
gloriously tumbled to her waist. Her hair hid the elegant swan’s neck the day
before. Her ears were whorled like a sea nymph’s over prominent
cheekbones that complimented her pert nose and strawberry-pink lips. They
were pouty and so damn succulent, sultry and tempting. Her long languid
eyelashes of velvet-black and arched eyebrows hid effervescent, champagne-brown
colored eyes. She had a flawless, bronzed complexion and a curvaceous figure
than would easily drive a man insane.
He swallowed and realized with anger
that he stood salivating over the damn girl sleeping on the bed. This had
to stop, she could not be a day older than twenty. He was no damn cradle
snatcher! He leaned down and growled close to her ear.
“Wake up, little painter girl!”