My feet landed on the backyard lawn, which seemed to stretch on endlessly. I glanced around. The fog had lifted, leaving behind a bright blue sky that was dotted with just the right amount of white puffy clouds to make it look as if it belonged in a storybook. None of the scenic surrounding landscape made sense. One turn down an unfamiliar alley could not have taken me this far from the city. And yet, I couldn’t see the outline of buildings or hear the sound of traffic. I was standing in a perfectly bucolic setting.

I decided to take a detour from my walk and rounded the side of the house. I strode past the ladder and an array of tools, including a tool belt that I briefly imagined slung around Grayson’s naked hips like the towel. I shook the disconcerting image from my mind and headed toward the front yard.

A sudden scary thought occurred to me. My borrowed boots hit the ground hard, and I picked up my pace as my heart raced ahead. I stopped and released a sigh of relief. My car was still sitting right where I’d parked it.

I turned back toward the house and the walking path. Now assured that my car was parked just out front, ready to take me back home, I felt relaxed enough to take a stroll. Then I would head in, pack up and drive away from this strange place for good.

Just as my mind went to the notion of leaving the Silk Stocking Inn and never looking back, Grayson walked out of the back door. Leaving here meant never seeing him again, another thought that should have brought me relief. But it didn’t.

Grayson leaned against the side of the house, next to his ladder, and watched me as he ate an apple. I tried to pretend that I hardly noticed him standing there, but his cocksure grin only grew behind the apple. He clearly knew that I was completely flustered by his presence. Unfortunately, my presence didn’t seem to rattle him in the least.

“Come on, Jessica, you’re a damn woman executive in a mostly male world,” I muttered quietly to myself. “Toughen up.” I lifted my shoulders and even added a little tilt to my chin. I marched confidently past him but stumbled the second he spoke.

“I like this casual look even better than that prim and proper business suit you were wearing when you first arrived.”

I stopped and faced him. “You didn’t see me arrive.”

He pointed straight up to the roof and smiled. “Best vantage point on the property.”

He tossed the apple core into the shrubs and walked toward me. My instinct told me to back up, but I ignored my gut feeling and stood my ground, chin still lifted but confidence definitely taking a hit. Especially as he closed the gap between us.

“Although I confess—” His voice had dropped lower, and he spoke with just enough grit in his tone to cause my knees to weaken. He looked down at the hiking boots and then dragged his dark blue gaze up the length of me, stopping decisively on my lips. “—those bossy high heels you were wearing have been giving me some damn dirty daydreams.” Unexpectedly, he reached up to my face. “And that blush is pretty unforgettable too.”

My haughty chin lift collapsed, and the school girl nerves returned. I couldn’t think of one other man in my life who could knock me off balance so quickly. I was still trying to decide if it bothered me or if I liked the idea that he was so darn skilled at it. I needed to shore up my defenses, or I’d end up leaving here without my heart.

I drew in a determined breath. “I’m glad my shoes provided you with some delight. I can tell you that at the end of a long work day, they are nothing but torture. I kick them off the second I walk into my townhouse.”

He stepped back, and I felt it keenly, not having him just a few inches away. “Why do you wear them?”

I was about to spurt out an answer, only no viable explanation came.

“Guess the loud, confident clack of heels on floors lets some of the men you work with know you mean business. Me? I’d take you seriously even in sandals with that haughty chin lift.” He picked up his tool belt. It dangled from his fingers, a gesture that shouldn’t have been the least bit sexual, and yet, all kinds of erotic images floated through my head. Once again he’d knocked me off balance.

“Or maybe you just know how good your legs look when you’re wearing them.”

“That’s right, throw me a bone with the first ‘you mean business’ comment and then snatch it away by ending it with a tawdry comment about my legs. I’m the vice president of a large commercial real estate brokerage. I hardly need to have my choice of shoes analyzed by a man who pounds in roof shingles for a living.” I spun around to leave.

I heard the tool belt drop behind me.

He took a firm grip of my arm and turned me toward him. His gaze was dark and cool, and it sent a spark of thrill through me. “Vice president, huh? Impressive.” His mouth came right next to mine. My lips parted long before I realized that I wanted the damn kiss. “Nothing sexier than a strong, confident woman . . . even if she’s wearing hiking boots instead of heels. In fact, I really don’t give a damn what she’s got on her feet as long as her legs fit just right, wrapped around me when I’m fucking her.”

I flinched from his coarse words at first. Then my body betrayed me. The heat of the previous night came back to me in waves, and moisture pooled in my panties. I swallowed hard as he once again stared down at my lips as if he was going to devour me.

I held my breath as he reached up, and, with a gentleness that was in complete contradiction to the way he was looking at me, he stroked the side of my face. It was a split second of tenderness that made my heart melt. I felt utter disappointment when he dropped his hand.

But it seemed he wasn’t finished toying with me yet. My heart raced again as he leaned his mouth even closer. His long, dark lashes shaded his heavy gaze as he concentrated again on my lips. “What you need, V.P., is someone who makes you lose that uptight attitude. Remember that beautiful naked woman who came with my tongue tucked deep in her pussy last night? Don’t forget to keep her satisfied and happy during your climb to the top.”

My breath was coming in short spurts. The landscape was swirling around me in a green haze. I swayed a bit, almost dizzy with the idea of having Grayson take me right there against the weathered wood siding of the Silk Stocking Inn. As skilled as he may have been with a hammer, he was masterful at the art of teasing.

I swallowed, took a steadying breath and stared back at him, determined to keep up my guard, even though my body was betraying me at every turn. “How do you know what I need? You don’t know anything about me.”

“No? I know you purr like a damn kitten when my tongue is pressed against your pussy. Wonder how many of your friends and coworkers know that.” He straightened, and I nearly fell forward in my attempt to follow his mouth. I’d lost the kiss that I wanted so badly. My usual determination to be in charge had just splintered the hot and tense moment. He was good. Ruthless but good. I’d never had an urge to both kiss a man and slap his face until now.

From the smug expression on his face, Grayson knew he’d gotten to me. “I’ll let you get to that walk.” He turned back to his ladder and picked up his tool belt.

I stood, slightly shaken and more than a little heated by the brief encounter. But the heat had nothing to do with anger. It should have, of course. I should have been ready to stomp off in irritation. Instead, the heat had to do with the warmth that was curling around my body as I thought about him taking full possession of me again. I wanted it. I wanted him. He’d started a craving in me, and there was only one thing that could satisfy it.

I should have been on my way. But I stood like a stunned statue and watched as Grayson buckled his belt low around his narrow hips. He was a perfect V, starting with strong broad shoulders that tapered down to a perfect ass. Long, thick legs carried him up the ladder. My mind swept back to the night before and the incredible size of his erection. It had filled me to capacity and had set every inch of my pussy on fire. His strong, rough hands knew just how to touch me, and just how much attention I needed to come. He was a handyman extraordinaire, I thought with a smile.

Maybe I would stay on just one more night.