Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 115737 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115737 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 579(@200wpm)___ 463(@250wpm)___ 386(@300wpm)
Thud!
I jump and swing around, my hand moving from my head to my chest. What was that? My eyes scan the space, wary. ‘Hello?’
Thud!
And my heart kicks up ten gears.
Thud!
I reach for my mobile, moving warily towards the sound coming from outside.
Thud!
The noise continues, consistent and even, and I pull to a stop, wondering what in heaven’s name I’m doing moving towards it. I should call the police, but just as I start to back up, ready to leave, I hear a light curse. The voice gets me moving back towards the sound, and I round the corner to find the door to the garden open. I lose my breath when I see what the source of the noise is, and I reach for the frame of the door for support.
Thud!
Jack slams the shovel into the ground and wedges his booted foot on top, working it down before heaving the spade up and tossing the dirt aside. My body goes lax and my phone slips from my hand, hitting the floor at my feet. He swings around quickly and I’m nearly knocked to my arse by the sight of him in dirty old jeans, his chest bare and sweating and his muscled torso glimmering in the dusky light. His hair is damp, his face smeared with mud. Oh Lord have mercy.
‘Annie?’ Jack moves forward, squinting, as if he’s not sure he’s seeing right.
I gulp and look away from the enthralling sight of his naked torso and perfectly dirtied face. ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t realise anyone was here.’
‘I’m just . . .’ His words fade, and I look up at him. ‘Digging a trial pit.’
‘Don’t you have employees to do that?’ I ask, thinking I’m sure none of them would look as good as Jack does digging a hole.
He glances down at the pile of dirt he’s built up, wedging his shovel in the ground next to him. ‘I like getting my hands dirty every now and then,’ he tells me quietly.
‘At eight o’clock in the evening?’
He looks up at me as I bend to collect my phone. ‘What are you doing here?’
The scratches on his throat catch my eye again, though they’re fainter than they were yesterday morning. ‘A problem with the roof.’
His gorgeous face furrows in confusion. ‘What problem?’
‘Oh, it’s nothing.’ I dismiss his question and back up, knowing I need to leave. It’s tricky enough being in his company as it is, my willpower and conscience constantly being tested to the limit, but here now, when he’s half naked, sweaty, and his muscles are pulsating, it’s beyond perilous. ‘I just needed to check some measurements.’
‘At eight o’clock in the evening?’ he asks, a small smile on his face. It’s only a hint of the full beam I’ve seen and loved, but it’s still wonderful, nevertheless. Inviting. Reassuring. It makes it all too easy to confide in him.
‘It’s not really nothing.’ I relent on a sigh, silently questioning my need to tell him. I should be leaving. Walking out. Removing myself from this situation. ‘The manufacturers have made a monumental cock-up.’ I shrug. ‘I’m trying to figure out a way around it, and I’m not coming up with much.’
Jack moves forward, and as a consequence I instinctively move back. He stops, regarding me closely. ‘Want to show me?’
‘Yes.’ My answer comes without hesitation, stunning me, and he smiles, this time brighter, getting a little bit closer to the blinding signature Jack Joseph smile. I find myself returning it, unable to stop myself. ‘Please,’ I add.
He drops his shovel and approaches me, and my damn eyes are glued to his the entire way, my stomach doing cartwheels, until he stops a few paces before me. ‘After you,’ he murmurs.
I quickly turn and head back inside, feeling him close behind me. My whole being lights up, and I close my eyes and silently pray for strength. Why did I accept his offer? I glance over my shoulder as we enter the huge back room, meeting his stare again. ‘You should put a T-shirt on,’ I say out of the blue, my thoughts falling out of my mouth.
‘I should?’ He looks down at his chest. ‘Is it distracting you?’ His teasing smile as he looks up through his lashes sets off a carnival of beats in my blood.
I shake my head and return my focus forward, adamant that I won’t feed his playfulness. ‘Very cute.’
‘You’re quite cute yourself.’
His words, a repeat from that night, have my steps faltering too much for him not to notice. Ignore it, I warn myself silently, pulling it together and concentrating on keeping myself that way, arriving at the table where my drawings are laid out and pointing with a shaking finger at the one detailing the roof. ‘They’ve miscalculated the weight of the roof.’
His hand appears and wraps around my wrist, and my whole bloody body bursts into flames. I flick my eyes up to his, tensing every muscle in my body, fighting back the heat. ‘Why are you shaking?’ he asks, squeezing my wrist.