“Ticks?” she screeched. “Shit!” She ran, brushing frantically at her legs. “Fucking hate those things. This is why I don’t go out into the woods.”
I couldn’t hide my smile as she leapt forward, hopping and swiping at her clothes. An outdoors woman, she clearly was not. She was so concerned with the possibility of a tick she hadn’t realized she now stood a foot from me.
She froze the second she realized her mistake.
And so did I.
This beautiful stranger, her wide hips clad in denim, was only wearing a bra. A black lace one that barely covered her ample chest.
I was a sucker for lace. A pretty present for me to unwrap.
She dove back behind the unruly grass and the nearby bush. When she re-emerged, she wore a light colored t-shirt and carried a large tote bag on her shoulder.
I swallowed hard as I handed her the bottle of water, which she reluctantly took after sliding her keys into the pocket of her jeans. Jeans that showed off beautifully thick thighs.Shit.I averted my eyes and pulled out my phone. “I’m going to call my cousin.”
She gulped the water, wiped a hand across her mouth, then pointed at my phone. “Put it on speaker.”
I tapped the number out and complied with her request. The phone rang twice. “Ruby River Repair.” An unfamiliar voice answered. It must be the new guy, Levi.
“Hey. Is Adam around?” I asked.
“He’s working on a car. Who’s calling?”Damn.I hadn’t thought this through. I just assumed Adam would answer this late at night.
Shit.
This is not how I wanted to inform her that her “pretend” boyfriend was standing right in front of her.
“Dude. I need to tell him something. Otherwise he won’t answer,” Levi grumbled, interrupting my thoughts.
The stranger’s eyes narrowed, her earlier distrust shining through. With a subtle shift, she moved a foot away, her body tensing.
She was going to bolt.
I cleared my throat again, hating how tight it sounded and looked straight at my so-called girlfriend. “Tell him it’s his cousin, Drew.”
He chuckled in my ear as her eyes went wide. “Kingsley! Bruh, why didn’t you just say that? I’ll go get him.”
The water bottle fell from her hand as she stumbled back. Even in the dim light, I was pretty sure her face paled. “Well, shit,” she whispered.
Iknewthat voice. It’d been ruling my days and haunting my nights for the last three months.
Chapter Two
ELLIE
Fuck, fuck, fuck!
I coughed and sputtered, choking on my last sip of water as I realized my mistake. This couldn’t be happening!
This wasn’t just any man in front of me.
This was my boss.
All of our communication had been through email or phone calls. I’d told Drew I had spotty reception any time he mentioned using an online video service. Even though I’d also convinced myself we didn’t need face-to-face contact, the reality was I’d been scared. I’d felt a connection to him right away and I wondered if we took that extra step, some of that magic would be lost.
I loved my job. It was easy to get along with Drew. He worked nonstop, and no matter how often I told him to take a break or slow down, he ignored me. I often teased him that his workaholic attitude was due to his oldest child's syndrome and drive for perfection.
Each workday started with Drew sending me a list with what he needed me to do and at the end of it I updated him on what was accomplished. And throughout the morning, afternoon, and many evenings we messaged each other jokes, talked about our weekend plans, and just got to know each other.
