Tempted in the City Read Online Free PDF Page B

thousand square feet of personal space to be truly comfortable. No, this was Manila close.
    â€œYou’ll have to show me your safety gear. I’ll let you know if everything comes up to code,” he said, those damnable dark eyes capturing her own once more.
    The sentence was benign, the look wasn’t. Seconds ticked by as heat circled through her while he stared. It grew stronger when he let out a breath that reached her, minty fresh. Maybe this whole thing was all about scent, but then why had the swirling heat started the second she’d opened the front door?
    None of this was okay. It was bad enough she couldn’t read him, but now she couldn’t even make sense of herself.
    After he inhaled—something that should have given her a hundred clues—he stepped back. Walked to the other side of the room to inspect the crown molding.
    Great. Now she was making him uncomfortable.
    Catherine shook herself out of her trance. “Would it bother you if I had a glass of wine?”
    â€œNot at all.”
    She made sure she downed half a glass before she rejoined him. She also promised herself that she would focus on learning about her new home, not her general contractor.
    It was an education, walking through each room with him. He welcomed her questions, even though she knew she was going a bit overboard. But with each move, he stepped in closer. First, just their shoulders touched. A brush. Insignificant, but for how aware of it she was. The rooms were small. The physical contact would have happened between any two adults. But by the time they hit the downstairs powder room they squeezed into the tight space as if they were old hands at this touching business.
    â€œI’m pretty sure that if you want to enlarge this bathroom we can keep to the original aesthetic,” Tony said, his voice a couple notches above a whisper. “But I need to know more about the plumbing before we can make any decisions.”
    â€œI don’t mind this bathroom being small, if it allows me to open up the living and dining rooms.”
    Tony continued to look directly into her eyes. His lips parted as if he was going to say something. But he didn’t, and it was all she could do not to lean those few inches forward. Unlock his words with a touch of her tongue.
    A honking horn out on the street brought her back to reality and she gained control quickly and moved out of the powder room. “It’s the bathroom upstairs that has me worried.”
    He added a few more notes to his app before they climbed back up the old staircase. He went to the fireplace and picked up her wineglass. “That covers the big things,” he said. “But there are lots of details that we haven’t cataloged.” His gaze skated over the mess, where before there had at least been chairs. Then he took a sip.
    She cleared her throat, not minding that he’d taken a sip of her wine, but worried he’d feel embarrassed. “Sorry about the accommodations. The only place I seem to have left for company is the staircase or my bedroom.”
    Tony blinked at the wineglass, a brief look of shock on his face. “Uh, it’s no problem,” he said. He put the glass back on the mantel, a slight blush warming his cheeks. “Sorry about that. Look, I’ve got something I have to do tomorrow evening, and I’m sure you’ll want some peace and quiet on Sunday, but I could come back Monday. After the others have left.”
    â€œYou?”
    â€œOr Fred,” he said, taking half a step back.
    â€œNo, that’s... While I’ve got you here, there are a few more pictures I wanted you to see, if you have time...”
    â€œI’ve got a few minutes.”
    She went first to the kitchen area and poured him a glass of his own. Then she handed it to him as she segued into her bedroom. Her queen mattress barely fit in the space, but at least they could sit side by side. She picked up her