This push and pull were messing with my mind, and my senses. Winston was looking at me as if I was wearing some sexy lingerie, not dirty overalls. My breath caught. My pulse jackhammered in my ears. I wanted to look away—move away—but I couldn’t.
I had no idea how to navigate this. The tension was all-consuming. I wasn’t just aware of him; I was more aware of myself.
“I knew it,” I said in a teasing tone. “You’re here to make me work.”
He curled his lips in a half smile. Clearly, work was the last thing on his mind. But I clung to this excuse and started talking about the rebranding campaign. It was neutral ground and kept me distracted from the ulterior motive.
Six hours later, my back started to hurt, but I persisted. We’d used coarse sandpaper, then a thin one before applying a coat of paint. We had half a wall left, and we still had to apply a second coat.
I wanted to be done today so I could make it to the Bennett gathering tomorrow.
I must have given my discomfort away somehow, because Winston suddenly asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. My back is a bit sore.”
He pointed to the couch. “Let’s take a break. Sit. Rest.”
“Back to bossy, are we?”
“You haven’t seen bossy yet, Sienna. Sit.”
When I turned around, a bout of dizziness hit me. The room swam in front of my eyes. My vision faded at the corners, and then I couldn’t see at all anymore. I could feel myself losing my balance and expected to hit the floor any second. Instead, a strong arm curled around my waist. Warm fingers splayed on my neck.
“Sienna?”
I blinked a few times, until my vision returned.
“What happened?”
“Whoa. Just some dizziness. I’m fine now.”
He still hadn’t let go of me, but I didn’t mind. Honestly, I still felt a little unsteady. But the more my senses returned, the more aware I became of him.
The soft palm, yet callused fingers. The nearness of his lips. The concern in his eyes.
“Sienna, are you sure you’re okay?”
I nodded, but that just triggered another round of dizziness. I closed my eyes again.
“Fuck, you’re not. Come on, let’s get you to sit.”
He walked me backward to the plastic-covered couch, pushed me down on it. I fell like a stone and nearly made him tumble too. He propped his palms on the headrest, stopping his fall. I was trapped between those muscle-laced arms.
He grinned. I grinned back. Holy shit, he was close. His mouth was hovering just above mine. I barely resisted pulling him closer.
“I didn’t eat anything since this morning. I think my blood sugar just dropped.”
“I’ll get you some water.”
Before I could even open my mouth to tell him it wasn’t necessary, he was in the kitchen already. I liked having this sexy man in my house, fussing around me.
So, when he returned with a glass of water and a piece of chocolate from my stash, I just whistled appreciatively.
“You’ve just earned that upgrade.”
I rose to my feet. Winston frowned, stepping right in front of me.
“What are you doing?”