“It’s not the beauty of a building you should look at; it’s the construction of the foundation that will stand the test of time.”—David Allan Coe
Her gaze ate up the gorgeous build before her. Oh, this one was hot. Her hands ached to touch, stroke, enjoy. Immerse herself in the dirty, sweaty actions that would fulfill them both.
No.
She paused, pressing a hand to her mouth. What was wrong with her? Why was she always attracted to the ones needing so much damn work? It was like she craved to be the savior, restoring all the broken parts to achieve wholeness and beauty. How many times had she been bitterly disappointed by the result? By her investment in time and energy that never seemed to be enough?
Could she stand to take another risk?
Charlotte Grayson squeezed her eyes shut and struggled with the raw lust shooting through her body, competing with her sensible, overworked brain that screamed for her to walk away.
“Earth to Charlie.”
Her lids flew open. And once again, she succumbed to bad-boy charm and the lure of the challenge. “I want him.”
Her contact lifted a brow. Gage was a bit cutthroat in business but held a soft spot for her. No one ever took him as a serious competitor. His uniform was a backward red baseball cap, jeans with holes in the knees that weren’t fashionable, nerdy white sneakers, and a T-shirt that declared BEER IS GOOD. With his nondescript features, unshaven jaw, and casual attitude, he looked like he’d rather be smoking weed in the garage than flipping dilapidated properties for a profit. Another reason Charlie liked him. People had been misjudging her forever, and it was nice to meet another of her kind. “How come you always call them he?” he asked curiously, scratching his head.
She shrugged. “Probably my warped way of controlling men?” she suggested. “I get to do what I want, when I want. Give them a makeover. Be their one and only for a while.” She shot him a mischievous grin. “And I also get to be the one to break up with them. Kind of poetic, right?”
“Kind of weird, but you’ve always been a bit quirky.” Gage grinned back and they both surveyed the house. “We’ll need to close quick. I had a few other contacts interested but I showed this to you first.”
“Always knew you had a crush on me, Gage.” She batted her lashes, confident their relationship was on solid ground from any sexual minefields. His partner, Tom, would kick her ass if she tried to lure Gage to the land of women.
He snorted. “I just knew you’d be loony enough to grab it.”
The sweet sizzle of foreplay flowed rich in her veins. The house was a horror show. From the sagging porch, broken shingles, cracked windows, and weed-clogged lot, it was tucked down the back end of a street in a crappy neighborhood. Most flippers would stay far away, but they didn’t have her vision. Already, her hands itched to begin to restore and see how she could transform the brokenness into something truly beautiful.
Finally, she had her own project. She’d been saving money furiously in the past year for this very moment. Her first house to renovate on her own. It was a heady thrill that rivaled the feel of drinking too much champagne.
“Wait till you see him when I’m done.”
He glanced around the deserted neighborhood. “Trapps isn’t the best area. Don’t make me regret selling you this by working out here alone.”
She sniffed. “I’m not stupid, Gage.”
“I know. They had a drug bust a few blocks over last week. Just want you to be careful.”
“Land is getting scarce in Harrington, though. I like the idea of working within the outskirts of town before some billionaire beats me to it. There’s tons of investors looking to scoop up property. I intend to be one of the first they buy.”
His brown eyes lit with admiration. “You’re too cool for a girl, Charlie.”
She sighed. “I know. It’s hard to find friends who want to spend their spare time ripping apart houses instead of doing their nails.”
“Still at Pierce Brothers?” he asked.
“Yeah. I really like it.” Her job at the customized builders had morphed to full time, and she was finally beginning to carve out a name for herself. This project would give her the extra push for her career. If she did this right, and Pierce approved, she’d get more opportunities, and maybe even a raise.
“Good. Maybe they’ll help you out with this atrocity.” He winked, taking the sting from his words, and pivoted on his sneakered heel. “Let’s go sign some paperwork so I can get home in time for dinner. Tom’s making Irish stew.”
Her stomach grumbled on cue. Damn, she was always forgetting to eat. “How’d you get so lucky to hook up with a chef?”
“I date actual people. Not houses who are pretend boyfriends.”
She laughed, not taking offense.
After all, he was right. Not that she had any issues with real men. She even liked sex, when she was able to tear her gaze away from a renovation long enough to satisfy her physical needs. The main problem was the quality, not quantity. She’d never had a problem securing dates, compliments, or interest from the opposite sex. It was keeping her attention that was the issue. Most men she dated seemed…flat. Once any physical chemistry faded, she was left with an itch to move on. Of course, men seemed to love the whole challenge aspect and immediately gave chase until she ended up having to either lie to spare their feelings, or hand out brutal honesty that sucked. She hated hurting people. Hell, she didn’t even know what she wanted in a man anymore, so maybe that’s why they got confused. She wouldn’t mind a steady relationship, as long as it wasn’t serious. Or boring. Or demanding. Or draining.
Ah, hell, it was so much easier to stick with houses.
She followed Gage back to the office, pushing away her thoughts, and concentrated on the new boy toy that would soon be all hers.