Chapter 10
Isa arrived at work the next morning, her tote on her shoulder, unsure what to expect.
After the sex and shared admiration for one another in Eli’s office, she’d mentioned the construction schedule. Eli had followed her to her desk and they’d sat and reviewed it together. An hour later, she had a better grasp of the construction business as a whole. Eli had stuck a few Post-it notes onto the makeshift calendar, and voila.
Le schedule.
She’d teasingly asked if he’d like her to contact Zach and he’d said no without hesitation. “I’ll do it.” Then he kissed her and told her to pack up.
No wonder she didn’t know what to expect today. Work? Kisses? Work and kisses?
She voted for option C.
The elevator came to a stop, but as she reached for the handle, the door slid aside for her. She was surrounded by the piney scent of Eli, who hooked a hand around her waist, pulled her close, and kissed her gruffly. Her hand went to his chest to steady herself as she rocked on her heels.
He pulled his lips from hers and swept a heated gaze down her body to the low-cut blouse, tight skirt, and stilettos.
“You look like you today,” he said, his voice holding a hint of humor. “Morning.”
Humor. In Eli Crane’s voice. Who’d have thunk?
She wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to the sexy twist of his half-smile or the way it moved the hairs on his face into a path she wanted to follow. A path she could skip down in search of hard, wet kisses and dirty promises.
“I wasn’t sure what I’d walk into today,” she told him, breathless. “Your lips, as it turns out.”
Another kiss had her eyes sliding shut, her fist clutching his shirt. When they parted, he took her tote from her hand and carried it to the table for her. It was such an oddly gentlemanly thing to do she stood stock-still for a moment, watching him move across the room before she followed.
In her defense, it was hard to look away from the back muscles shifting beneath a long-sleeved black cotton shirt or his firm ass in a pair of worn denim…
Hot.
His gait, she noticed as she walked behind him, was less even than usual.
“Are you having any pain today?” she asked as he set her bag down.
“Some. Nothing I can’t handle.” His jaw went tight.
So…probably the wrong thing to ask. Before she could change the subject, he turned and said, “But if you want to put your hands on me, feel free.”
“Same to you.” She accepted his offer, sweeping her hands onto his shoulders as he once again grasped her waist. His blue eyes warmed and Isa felt as if she had stumbled into an alternate realm. One where she was allowed to touch him.
“What’s on the docket for you today?” he asked.
“I work for you, Eli. Shouldn’t you be telling me?”
“You work for Reese, Sable. Do I really need to remind you?” Humor twinkled in his eyes before he gave her a quick smooch and released her.
“I have a few papers for you to review and sign off on. Plus there’s a board meeting later this month and Reese has asked that you attend.”
Eli let out a long, unhappy sigh and she regretted the change in the atmosphere.
“I think you should go to the meeting,” she said.
“Oh, do you?” he asked, not really asking.
“I do.” She crossed her arms defiantly, standing her ground. She sensed that Eli wanted to work for his family but he was worried he might be the monkey wrench in the entire operation. Which was ridiculous. He was no more a bad omen than a black cat or a broken mirror.
His gaze wandered to her cleavage, stayed there for a beat.