Chapter 3
“What’s the hold up? You wanted access to my money so you could get started. Why haven’t you started?”
Heather placed her hands on her hips, staring at Scott’s gorgeous ass in nicely fitting olive Carhartt’s as they walked up the stairs inside the mill building. Stopping abruptly, he turned and she plowed into him, her face close to the waistband of those pants. Seeing where her eyes lingered he moved down a step and glared at her.
“Listen, Xena, this is why real estate agents shouldn’t try to renovate buildings. Stick with selling them.”
“Can we go up to the third floor before we debate our merits?” Staring at the snug gray T-shirt covering his broad chest wouldn’t help keep her mind on business. “It might be too tempting to push me down the stairs.”
His eyebrow rose as he glanced at the three-inch heels she wore. Okay, not the smartest footwear for construction work but he’d said they made her legs look amazing. Score one for vanity.
Sighing, he walked the rest of the way up and into the center of the large dilapidated space. Looking around her heart fell, fears of failure filling her mind. No, you can do this. You only need Scott to start doing what he said he’d be doing.
Straightening her shoulders, she cocked her head. “So, my question?”
His eyes roamed the room, his mind seemingly elsewhere. “There’s this little issue of a building permit. You can’t start doing any kind of renovations until it’s been issued.”
“You took the money out of the account for it. Why don’t we have it yet?”
Moving closer, perhaps too close, he narrowed his eyes at her. “Did you research at all what’s needed for a building renovation of this size?”
“Yes, I did.” All right, she could have done more. “I was planning on hiring a contractor and figured they’d walk me through most of the red tape stuff.”
Scott slipped his hands into his front pockets and rocked back on the heels of his steel-toed work boots. “Let me take you for a walk then. First, when you apply for the permit, you need to submit three sets of the plans by an architect or engineer.”
“But you already had plans drawn up. You showed them to me weeks ago when we decided to do this.”
“When you decided to do this and dragged me in with you.”
“You were dragging yourself in. I only joined the fun.”
His crooked smile drove her crazy and his blue eyes grew intense. “The plans I had aren’t accurate anymore. Not since you wanted to put retail space on the first floor. The walls are all different, the front windows needed adjusting, plumbing, electric, you name it. Everything is different.”
“Yes, I know. We sat together for almost a week getting the details right.” And her vibrator had gotten a good workout each night they’d been together. Shit, the man got her lady parts singing.
“I needed to work with my architect, have him draft the official blueprints. It takes a while to draw up plans of this magnitude. I submitted the plans and the application two weeks ago. It can take up to thirty days for the permit to be issued.”
Damn, that sounded familiar. Probably read it while she’d been researching the project. “Sorry, I’m just anxious to get these renovations going and finished.”
“Did you need this completed by a specific date?”
Kind of. “Not really, but there is a fund-raiser in a few months where I thought I could entice investors or business owners. I can’t very well get them interested if the building still looks like this.” She waved her hand around the neglected room.
Scott’s expression softened and he slung his arm over her shoulder. “It’s going to be outstanding, you’ll see. It’ll take time though. You need to be patient.”
Rolling her eyes, she pointed to the pile of rubble in the corner. “Okay, tell me all about the great transformation that will take place.”
As they walked through the space, Scott highlighted where each condo would start, end, and how he envisioned the final product. It came to life as his excited voice described the woodwork, cabinetry, and fixtures.
“Let’s go upstairs. The fourth floor condos will have cathedral ceilings and we may be able to put a few loft spaces in as well.”
As they entered the stairwell, her heel stuck on a loose board and she stumbled. In barely a second, Scott had her in his arms, her feet off the floor.
“What are you doing?” she squealed as he trotted up the stairs, her arms around his neck for balance.
“You’re going to kill yourself in these shoes. I’m merely protecting my investment.”
He was also copping a feel on the side of her breast. Not that she’d complain. A girl had to get her thrills someplace. Scott Holland was definitely thrilling. The strong arms that held her were the result of years of hard labor. It was like she weighed nothing as his muscled legs jogged up the stairs. At the top floor he didn’t put her down, simply gazed at the space.
His eyes lit up and a smile appeared on his face as he looked around. The dimple in his chin stood out against the stubble surrounding it. Too clearly she remembered how that stubble had left marks on her body everywhere it had touched. Oh, God, stop mooning over the construction guy. What was wrong with her that she got turned on by the smell of sawdust and manly soap?
“What do you have planned up here? Anything different?” Why the heck was her voice all breathy and soft? Where the hell was her rough exterior? The one that had made Scott start calling her Xena, Warrior Princess to begin with? Not that she’d ever tell him she secretly didn’t hate the name. It wasn’t great, but it was far better than what some of her other boyfriends had called her. Sugar Tush. Poochypoo, Scooter Pie.
Whoa! Boyfriend? No, he certainly was not her boyfriend or even anything close. You did sleep with him. Fine, they’d had sex. Un-freakin-believable sex, but that’s all it was. It didn’t mean anything, obviously, since they hadn’t done it again. And whose fault was that? He called you, texted a few times, and got blown off.
Wiggling in his arms, she tried to get down. Get the voices in her head to stop arguing with her was more like it.
“Hold still,” he scolded and pulled her tighter to his chest. “Now listen up while I give you the run down on the condos up here.”
He walked around the space as if he wasn’t carrying a full-grown woman in his arms. Damn impressive. The pectoral muscles beneath her hand weren’t too shabby either. Continuing on with his description, he seemed to not even realize she was there. At the windows, he set her down and stood behind her looking out, pointing to certain landmarks in the small mill town that you could see from here.
He had been affected by carrying her. The erection digging into her back was evidence enough. Good to know. Not that she wanted anything to happen. They were business partners now. They had to be professional.
“Ready to go?” His gravelly voice sent goose pimples crawling across her arms, and she rubbed them.
“Cold? You should have worn a warmer coat. You’ve lived in New England all your life. You should know April can be chilly. Plus the heat hasn’t been on in this building for years.”
“I’m fine,” she lied. The cold wasn’t getting to her. It was him and his annoyingly sexy presence. She wouldn’t tell him though.
“I’ll make sure to let you know when the permit comes through. If I don’t have it by next week, I’ll call and check on it.”
“Perfect, but remember I’m in on this too. If you need me to do anything, you only need to ask.”
“I will.” His sexy smile was back as he glanced up and down her body. “Ready for your ride down.”
“You don’t have to carry me. I’m fine walking.”
“And killing yourself by falling down three flights of stairs. Then where does my funding for this project go?”
“You already have access. You don’t need me.”
“Stealing from a dead woman, though. That just seems…wrong.”
The chuckle escaped before she could stop it. He seriously had a warped sense of humor at times. Moving closer, he placed his hand on her hip.
At her indignant look, he said, “You could always ride piggyback if you don’t like me carrying you.”
Scanning her slim skirt, she scoffed. “A piggyback ride? In this?”
“You could hike up the skirt then jump on.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
His eyebrows went up and down. “Very much.”
Closing her eyes, she sighed then held out her arms. “Fine, come get me, my prince. Rescue me from the dangerous crumbling castle.”
Scott sidled closer then ran his hands down her hips. One hand continued down her leg until it slipped under. His other hand caressed her back then he scooped her up in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on as he trotted back down three flights of stairs. At the bottom he didn’t release her right away. And for some reason she didn’t tell him to.
His eyes roamed over her from head to toe and lingered on those heels. Slowly, he allowed her feet to slide to the floor, her body rubbing against his hardness, sending fluttering sensations through her blood stream. As her shoes touched the ground, he leaned in close, his manly smell assaulting her nostrils. Inhaling the scent, she waited for his next words.
His breath drifted across her cheek. “Next time, you should think about wearing a sensible pair of shoes.”
* * * *
“What are you doing here?”
Scott looked at Heather as she paused in the doorway of the municipal office. Her usual sexy business attire in place. Slim skirt, high heels, and today she had on a snug-fitting top that caressed her curves and dipped low in the front, allowing him a peek at her cleavage.
Raising one elegantly plucked eyebrow, she replied, “You said you still hadn’t heard about the building permit so I decided to come check on it.”
Shuffling the extra blueprints into one arm, he planted his hands on his hips. Here she was taking charge again without discussing it with him. “I told you because you wanted to be kept informed. But I also told you I’d be taking care of it. There’s no reason for you to miss your weekly tennis game for menial labor.”
Her eyes drilled holes in him.
“What? Not tennis today? The nails and hair look great so I figured it wasn’t them.” He stepped closer, right into her space then glanced down at her skirt. “Waxing.”
“I don’t…”
It was his turn for the raised eyebrow. He’d been downtown with her and she most certainly did. Had she forgotten what they’d done already? Her cheeks tinged a lovely shade of pink and she took a deep breath.
“Why don’t we simply do this together and get it over with? The sooner we get the permit, the sooner the building renovations get started.”
“After you.” He swept his hand out to indicate she should go in first. He was a gentleman. And he liked to watch her sweet ass in the tight skirt sway from side to side. It was pure poetry.
The young man behind the counter looked up as they walked in and his face lit up. Yeah, Heather had a way of making people take notice. Maybe she could get further than he’d been able to. He’d already spent over an hour on the phone with someone, and they hadn’t told him anything about what had happened to the permit application.
“Hi, I’m Heather Silva. My partner and I have been waiting on a building permit, but it seems to have gotten misplaced. Perhaps you could help us.”
Scott pulled out his receipt then handed it over. “This is a copy of the application.”
The man frowned. “That would have been sent to the Division of Building Codes. It’s down a flight in the basement. Room Twenty-Seven. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
His expression said he hoped there was. But it was directed exclusively at Heather.
Moving forward, Scott leaned against the counter. “I talked to someone in that office earlier and they have no record of it ever being there. They said it might still be here.”
“I sent everything we got to the appropriate offices. There’s nothing here.”
Heather leaned over the counter. “Room Twenty-Seven, you said?”
He merely nodded, his eyes slipping lower. Scott grabbed her elbow and muttered a “thanks” as they walked out the door.
“You didn’t have to be rude,” she said, pulling her arm out of his grasp and marching down the hallway. He whistled, heading in the other direction. Her heels clicked on the linoleum behind him.
At the top of the stairs, he turned and grinned. “Did you want a ride down these? They don’t seem to be as rickety as the mill, but I certainly wouldn’t want you to fall.”
“I think I can manage.” She held tight to the banister as she went down, though. He controlled his tongue. There was only so far he could push her. He knew his limit. For now.
They passed several empty offices and at Room Twenty-Seven, Heather gave a soft knock before she turned the knob. A thin man, approximately in his fifties, sat at one of the desks, his glasses resting low on his nose.
“Hi there.” She went into action. “We’re looking for someone who can help us with some blueprints sent here for a building permit.”
The man waved around the room. “We’re all about blueprints here. I’m Ted Farmer. What can I do for you?”
“Heather Silva.” She extended her slender hand and shook Ted’s. “This is my partner, Scott Holland. We sent some drawings here a few weeks ago with an application for a building permit. They seem to have disappeared.”
“They’d be listed under Holland Construction,” Scott informed him.
Ted scanned down a page in a large book sitting on his desk. He flipped the page and scanned some more. “Nothing with that name in the last month or so. When was the check cashed?”
“It wasn’t. Not yet.”
Ted’s mouth twisted. “Then we must not have gotten them. The check usually gets cashed within a day or two. You sure they came to this office?”
Ted’s eyes stayed on Heather, but Scott answered. “I delivered them upstairs myself.”
Bending over, Heather placed her hands on the desk in front of Ted. “Do you think you could take a look for them? They might have gotten misplaced.” Her voice was soft and sweet. Damn, she knew how to play.
“Sure.” Ted took a few minutes sifting through the stacks of plans then turned back and sat down, his eyes on Heather once more. “Sorry. You’ll probably need to fill out another application and resubmit the plans.”
Pulling the plans from Scott’s arms, she placed them on the desk and leaned over Ted. “Can’t you put them in your system from down here? We’d greatly appreciate it.”
“I really shouldn’t.”
“Please.” Her whisper floated across the desk and Ted visibly swallowed, his eyes skimming her figure. “It’s already been three weeks. I hate the thought of waiting another month to get it going.”
Scott held back the snort that fought to come out.
“I guess I could, but I’d need the application filled out.”
Keeping her body facing Ted, she twisted enough to hold out her hand for the form. Handing it over, Scott stepped back toward the door letting her do her thing. God, he’d never had to stoop so low to get something through. Not that he was doing any of the stooping.
“Here’s a copy of the application and here are the plans. When do you think you could get to them? This project has already taken too long.”
Her voice was still sugar-coated and Ted was buying every ounce of it. Looking around the desk and the overflowing table behind him, he placed the plans in the bin on his right.
“This is tomorrow’s pile. That’s the quickest I can get to them. Will that do?”
“Thank you so much for all your help.” Reaching out, she patted his arm then stood. “I’ll remember this, Ted.”
Ted gave a little smile and stared until Heather exited the room. Scott moved back and started down the hall after her.
“Nice moves there.”
She rounded on him, her eyes flaring. Looking around the hall, he pulled her into a deserted room and kicked at the door.
“I managed to get the job done.” Her voice was low, dangerous.
“Maybe you would have gotten it done even faster if you flashed your tits at him. They’re quite prominent and lovely today.”
“What an ass.”
“I suppose you could have flashed him that too, though he sure did like the view he had.”
“Don’t be crude. I was simply being nice.” If her eyes could shoot flames he’d be cinders.
“You can be nice to me.” Walking closer, he pressed her against the wall. “Then I’ll do things faster.”
Her breath hitched. “You’re fast enough.”
“Too fast? Is that why we haven’t repeated the experience? I didn’t take enough time with you?”
She avoided his eyes.
“I could have sworn you enjoyed it, but I’m not an expert on women, so what do I know?”
Her breathing increased and he pressed closer, sliding his hand down her hip to the edge of her skirt. The skin beneath his fingers was soft as silk as he skimmed his hand up her leg.
“I can go slower if that’s what you want.” Feathering his lips over her cheek, he whispered, “I can take all night pleasing you.”
Her skirt had traveled up her legs. Had he done that? His hands on the outside of her thighs indicated he had. No complaints from her so far. Shit, he wanted to take her right here against the wall. Grinding his arousal against her, he ran his tongue over her ear.
When his hands reached the lace of her panties she shook her head and inhaled sharply.
“We’re in business together. We shouldn’t do this.”
“Great reason for now, but what about before we formed this partnership? What’s your excuse for that time?”
She only stared, her expression unreadable.
Stepping back, he dropped his hands. “I guess everyone’s got to slum it once, huh? You tried the blue-collar thing and got it out of your system. Time to move on.”
Turning away, she straightened her skirt then adjusted the neckline of her shirt. “Let’s go.”
Catching up to her on the stairs, he couldn’t resist one last jab. “Your friend in there was certainly willing. If you gave him the sign, you could have checked municipal worker off your list too.”
He chuckled when she didn’t even glance over her shoulder.