Sleepless in Savannah Read Online Free PDF Page A

yourself until I get finished."
    Chase chuckled and leaned back against the pillows, but one hand snaked out to knead her breast. How had he gotten so lucky? Not only was he in the bed with a beautiful, delicious woman who loved him, but he had the remote in one hand and her naked breast in the other—what more could a man want?
    * * *
    "Tell me what you want," Lance said to Sophie.
    You. Sophie bit her tongue and rubbed her hand along her cat's back, taking refuge in the fact that at least she had a live-in friend, even if it was a feline.
    "Sophie? I need to know exactly what you have in mind."
    A long, slow, lazy afternoon in bed with the ceiling fan swirling above us to cool us off.
    Thirsty from the heat, or maybe her mouth was dry from looking at Lance, she grabbed a diet Coke to occupy her mouth. Tell me what you want. Lance was referring to the renovations to the Victorian house she'd purchased in the historic district, not making love to her—which was all she could think about. He'd shown up five minutes after she'd arrived home from the show, primed and ready to discuss her house while she had less than an hour to gather her suitcase and head to the airport. She'd packed ahead of time, choosing a silver bikini, strapless sundresses, slingback sandals, and thong underwear, all of which she'd planned to use to lure him into loving her.
    But now she'd be wearing those things for another man. And if her first impressions were true, she'd be fending off Rory's thirteen hands.
    Worse, Lance had made the choice; he'd rather clean out rusty pipes than be with her.
    The irony of the situation and his timing didn't escape her. He'd chosen to work this weekend because she would be gone, meaning he wouldn't have to see her. The message had come through loud and clear, and although she was hardheaded, she had finally gotten it. Even her cat seemed to sense Lance was trouble. He'd snarled and hissed ever since Lance had walked in the door. Protective of his mistress. At least somebody was.
    "Since when did you get a pet?" Lance asked.
    "Maddie brought him over. He was homeless."
    "Sounds like Maddie, always trying to pair up orphaned creatures."
    She winced. Had Maddie told him about her past? "Maddie's going to drop by and feed her. Be sure not to let her outside," Sophie warned. "She's been declawed and can't protect herself."
    Lance frowned as the cat hissed at him. "She certainly looks like she can take care of herself."
    "Looks can be deceiving."
    His gaze caught hers, tension rippling between them. But Sophie quickly broke the moment. "I've made a list," she said, resorting to what she hoped was a professional tone as she handed him the clipboard where she'd detailed her plans for the house. "I may not be able to swing everything I'd like right away, but I want an estimate anyway. The basics have to be done first, the kitchen needs updating, the bathrooms repaired, retiled, and painted, and if I can afford it, I want to add a breakfast bar in the kitchen."
    Lance paced across the room, examining the space as he ran a finger over the original wood molding. "All right. I'll put together an estimate while you're gone; then I'll start on the bathroom. You'll want the necessities taken care of before you do any cosmetic work."
    "Right." She flicked her bangs from her eyes. "I thought you had work crews to do this kind of thing."
    "They're finishing that subdivision on Skidaway now. While Reid is overseeing them, I thought I'd start here."
    "Great." The man could be in love with the wood grain, but not her.
    "Okeydokey. I guess I'll leave you to it, then."
    Lance paused and looked up at her. "You don't want to sit down and go over things? I'll need to know what type of fixtures you have in mind, if you want tile in the bathroom, and what kind of wood you'd like to use if you want to redo the flooring in here and the rest of the downstairs—"
    "Just look at what I've noted and do the basics for now. I'll decide about those