"Hey.”

That simple greeting and the sound of her voice had Luke tied in knots. He was so fucking mesmerized by everything about her. Dammit. He shouldn't feel this way. Not for Cassie. Not for his friend's sister. But he couldn't resist. He couldn't pretend he wasn't into her.

Ever since Neil had left his little sister on the premises, he'd fought the urge to have any kind of conversation with her because he knew there was no way around him losing his shit or his dick getting hard in the process.

Shit! This had been a bad idea. How was he going to keep his mind out of the gutter when she came to him looking like this?

He gulped down the last of his beer and tried to focus on something other than her tantalizing scent. She smelled like a thicket of honeysuckle flowers. He would give up everything he owned to lick the sweet nectar right off her body. Even the complexion of her skin reminded him of a jar of the purest honey.

"Hey yourself," he replied. She was so close he could almost taste her.

Cassie's smile was like a bright ray of sunlight. Her rose petal colored lips were full and plump. The little dainty shorts she had on wasn't even appropriate for this weather. Had she worn them to taunt him?

"Um…so I wanted to ask you something but I've completely forgotten what it was," she said, her dark lashes brushing the tops her cheeks.

She wasn't the only one who had completely forgotten the meaning of words. All he could do was look at her.

She assessed him with eyes that could have seduced any man to do her bidding. Suddenly, he felt unclean standing next to her perfection. Grease and dirt were spread across his chests, arms, and hands.

Cassie came up onto the porch with him, her painted nails gliding along the wood banister that he had just sanded yesterday in preparation of re-finishing the surface.

"Looks like you've been working really hard," she said, sitting down on the bench swing.

Her gaze moved away from the broken down generator lying on the porch up to his hands.

"Uh…yeah. You could say that." He grabbed the towel he'd used to wipe his sweat earlier and attempted to scrub the grease and oil from his hands. "I like to have a few of these on hand just in case we have a storm. I get guests that aren't too keen on spending their time here in the dark."

"Makes sense."

Her eyes dropped to his belt, or at least to what he thought was his belt. He hoped to God that she didn't notice the hard-on she caused.

"I noticed that you have a tattoo," she commented.

"Oh, that…" Luke breathed a sigh of relief. "It's actually not a tattoo. It's like a birthmark." He hooked his thumbs into his waistband and tugged his pants upward a bit to conceal the mating mark. Too bad he couldn't hide the fact that he was hard as fuck for her.

She swallowed hard and blushed noticeably. "Well, anyway…so is this what you do for a living now? Running this lodging business?"

Luke had never really thought of taking care of the family lodging business something he did for a living.

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to pry," she said.

"No, it's fine. I took over the business when my brother passed away. He was always the businessman and I was the one who liked to build things, so yes, I run the business in addition to freelancing as an architect."

"Right. You and Neil graduated with the same degree. That's why you have all those building sketches all over your home."

He laughed. "I try not to let that part take over my whole life."

"I completely understand. I get teased a lot when I invite friends over and they ask when I'm going to open up my own library. I work on articles more than I read these days, though."

"Do your articles always involve stories of the dangerous sort?" he asked.

She pressed her lips together and narrowed her gaze. "Hmmm…well…kinda sorta. When I was little I always wanted to be a police detective like my dad, but then things happened and I had a change of heart, but I still love to solve a good puzzle."

"Let me guess? You love novels in the crime and mystery genre?"

She nodded. "Legal thrillers. Suspense. And a little fantasy."

"I didn't think you'd grow up to be the bookworm type," he commented.

"Well, why not?"

"Weren't you involved in your cheer and dance team plus modeling and all that stuff?"

"How'd you know that?"

"Your brother talked a lot about his family. He talks a lot period."

Cassie laughed. He hadn't noticed up until now, but she had small dimples on both cheeks.

"At least we can agree on that, but like I said, I grew up. I'm not a little innocent girl anymore. The death of my parents really changed my whole outlook on life," she said.

Luke frowned. "I can understand that."

"So what was it like raising your niece and nephew in your twenties? I mean, I can't imagine raising teenagers right now at this age. I'm a complete wreck as it is now and on a daily basis I wonder if I'm coming or going."

He shrugged. "It was hard at first, but they're my blood and it was my responsibility. If no one had taken them in, they would've been orphans. I became a parent quicker than I wanted to."

"I bet," she said. "Teenagers are rebellious."

"In the beginning, I tried to be more of a friend to them than a legal guardian. I had to set rules and boundaries that I had never followed myself. I thought I could never be the parent that my brother Avery was. I wasn't the responsible brother, and I got into all kinds of trouble while we were growing up. I guess it makes sense that our old man left the lodging business to Avery instead of me. I learned to respect my old man's decision, but only after the tragedy of my brother's death and realizing just how much work and dedication it required."

"Well, I think you're doing really well. Your business has been in numerous magazines and newspapers across the country for being a top spot for lodging," she told him. "And not to mention, you just sent two teenagers off to college. Two…at the same time."

He chuckled nervously. "I think they were more hesitant about leaving the nest than I was about letting them go."

Cassie smiled. "Then they must really look up to you."

"Who me?" he asked, jokingly.

"Before Neil graduated he told my parents that both of you had been contacted by the same firm with an employment offer. He was so excited about accepting and that he'd be moving on and working with his best friend. He's not too fond of change and he gets really anxious. He was a little discouraged when you turned down the offer."

"I did. The travel the company required would've been bad for the twins."

"You chose family over your career."

He nodded. "I knew there would be other opportunities. I don't regret turning down the job offer. I'm a free agent and I only accept the jobs that I'm most interested in."

"Sounds like the best of both worlds. Something smells really good," Cassie said, lifting her nose to the breeze.

"There's fresh trout grilling out back. Which reminds me…it's time to call it a day. I have a full schedule ahead of me tomorrow."

"If you're not too busy, I'm ready to start work. I looked through some of the instructions Nessa left behind."

"What about a tour of the property?" he asked. "I think that's what happens on the first day of any normal corporate job, right?"

"Sounds better than the online research I was going to do for an article. Just in case you haven't noticed yet, I don't have a car. I totaled mine about a month ago and was saving up a down payment for something else. I've been taking the bus in the meantime." She laughed. "And of course, the bus service doesn't exactly run through here."

"That's no problem. We get around just fine around here without buses. The trails are marked clearly. On any given day, there's always someone going into town for one thing or another.”

“Then that’s great,” she exclaimed.

"Alright…so uh…do you have any dinner plans, by any chance? I caught more than enough for both of us. I know you just got settled in and all and I…"

"I thought you'd never ask. Grilled trout sounds better than canned chicken noodle soup and I worked up quite an appetite putting all my stuff away."

"Well then…" He smiled. "Let me get cleaned up so we can eat."