Naked Desire: Naked Cowboys, Book 5 Read Online Free PDF Page B

with a hammer in one claw and a screwdriver in the other. Cyn was not a big fan of body ink, but somehow it seemed totally appropriate for Jesse Orosco. As he lifted his arm, the eagle moved, the tools waving.
    She drank in the sight of him, imprinting his image on her brain. She had hoped that spending time with him would help the effect he had on her fade away, but no such luck. If anything, it had only intensified. The day he brought the sketches and his bid, for example, he’d insisted on going over everything in detail with her, and her brain had kept short-circuiting, her gaze straying again and again from the paperwork to his lean, panther-like body. She’d even found herself licking her lips and biting down on the lower one to regain some measure of control.
    After she’d given her approval, he’d insisted on buying her coffee at the Bit and Bite, where she’d been thankful to see only a sparse scattering of people. The last thing she was looking for was more gossip about her. She’d had her fill in Memphis.
    So what? He’s my contractor. I’m allowed to have coffee with him. Right?
    Then he’d taken her along while he selected the different types of wood he’d use so she’d get exactly the effect she was looking for. Somewhere in there, they also stopped for lunch. By the time he’d brought her back to her SUV, her top had stuck to her with perspiration that had nothing to do with the Texas heat and her pulse had done a wicked two-step.
    If she’d thought she could put some space between them and get her brain straightened out, however, she was mistaken. The very next day he’d convinced her it was important for her to be at the store with him while he laid things out and had walked her through the process again. But when they were finished and he’d tried to take her to lunch, she’d begged off as politely as she could. After all, she didn’t want to be rude. But again, she hadn’t been eager to be in the public eye with any man, especially one this hot and good looking. And young.
    Yeah, don’t forget young, Cyn.
    She gave him credit for being perceptive and not forcing the issue. But he had convinced her to let him pick something up, and they’d had a picnic on the floor of the empty store. He’d made her laugh with stories about his family and his friends and growing up in Saddle Wells. Despite her misgivings, she’d found herself relaxing and enjoying the informality of the mood. Frank had certainly never done anything like that. Not even close.
    Perhaps her greatest regret, the thing that made her disgusted with herself, was how long she’d fooled herself that she was content in her marriage. Talk about being a blind idiot.
    After that day, though, she’d made it a point to distance herself from Jesse, arguing she’d only be a distraction while he worked. She’d taken a day to just veg out, hanging out at the B&B. Trying to get both her brain and her hormones under control. Georgie, of course, had plied her with questions that she’d sidestepped as best she could. The other woman had a gleam in her eye that Cyn did her best to tamp down.
    “He’s my contractor, for heaven’s sake,” she’d insisted. “He does excellent work.”
    “I bet he does.” Georgie had laughed.
    Cyn had deliberately turned on her ereader, hoping to signal an end to that conversation. And it had. At least for that day. But Cyn knew before long all the girls would be giving her the third degree. She hoped she could answer them without giving away her unbidden feelings.
    Today, an invisible magnet had drawn her to the place. The battle she’d raged with herself all morning had been a losing one. What could it hurt to casually stop by? She’d stopped at the deli and picked up sandwiches and drinks. Maybe he brought his lunch, maybe he didn’t, but it would give her a good excuse to stop by.
    So here she stood, drooling over a partially naked god, mentally licking her lips and willing her pulse to slow