Chapter 1
The devil really shouldn’t be so beautiful.
Gaia stood in the doorway of the man’s office, staring at his broad shoulders, which stretched the material of his tailored shirt. He hadn’t noticed her yet and she had the insane urge to back up slowly, to simply disappear back into the hallway.
Heart racing, body trembling, she stood in the doorway looking at the man standing behind the drawing board. The only thing wrong with him was that his shirt was too small. The sleeves were straining around the bulging biceps.
Was that bad?
It was probably bad.
Or maybe she was just grasping at straws here.
No. It was bad.
So…if it was bad, why was she practically drooling?
Bad. She was bad.
He was bad.
Gaia took a moment to roll her eyes at her ridiculous mental conversation
Good grief, she needed to leave. This was all bad. She’d been wrong to come here, wrong to try and humor her brother, Freddy, and wrong on so many other things. This meeting had been a complete waste of time.
At that precise moment, the handsome devil looked up!
Gaia’s breath caught in her throat as she stared back at the man. She’d thought the man was sexy with all of those muscles, but because of those muscles, she hadn’t bothered to look further. Talk about objectifying a person, Gaia was definitely guilty of that!
Unfortunately, now that he was looking at her, she couldn’t move. Her escape might not be blocked, but she was still trapped. Those green eyes were like emerald lasers, pointing right at her with a sharpness that left her feeling raw. Exposed.
The glasses didn’t help.
Dark rimmed glasses should look geeky, but on this man, they looked hot! Hot and sexy and Gaia was actually angry with him for this betrayal! Yes, she’d seen pictures of the Steele Brothers. The four men were in the news constantly. But no one had warned her of this man’s impact, the way those green eyes could look at her and make her feel like she was naked, exposed!
“You must be Gaia Fisher,” the man’s voice was deep and rich. Then he stood up and Gaia’s heart stopped beating. She couldn’t breathe! He moved around the drawing board and she knew she was going to pass out. With every step, the thought pounded in her head. When he was halfway across the room, she hoped she would pass out. Then she would stop the onslaught of crazy fantasies about the man. About the enemy!
Goodness, Freddy would be furious if he ever found out what was going through her mind.
Her brother could never know. Absolutely! Secrets should be kept secrets. For instance, this man couldn’t ever find out how she’d already thought about him naked, that shirt discarded on the floor so she could peruse all those muscles without….
What in the world? Gaia blinked, forcing her mind to stop thinking about the man and his naked chest. His naked arms. All of those muscles exposed so she could…
Stop it!
She was here for a business meeting. She was here on her brother’s behalf. This had been Freddy’s idea and she was just helping him. Or trying to help him. And trying not to ogle the gorgeous man as he approached.
Goodness, he was tall!
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” the man posing as Lucifer commented, extending his hand.
Logan watched the woman who was still standing in the doorway of his office and had to restrain himself from pulling the delicate looking blonde woman into his arms, to reassure her that everything was going to be okay. He wanted to tell her that she was safe her, that he wasn’t going to do anything to her. But he couldn’t utter those words. The reassurance would be pointless.
Because that would be a lie.
He wanted this woman. He’d looked up from the drawings on his desk and knew…everything inside of him had known that this woman was going to be in his bed.
Soon!
Her sandy blonde hair was pulled back into a twist, pinned to the back of her head somehow, but it still looked like spun gold against her creamy skin. Those golden eyes were a perfect match for her hair and underneath that severe, brown suit he suspected there was a spectacular figure.
He had an instinct for these things. That boring linen suit couldn’t hide the full breasts or the slender hips. The legs sticking out the bottom of the skirt looked to be miles long, although he didn’t think she was very tall. Maybe she’d come up to his chin in her smoking-hot pumps, but not much further.
Normally, he preferred tall women, thinking that they fit him better. But this woman, he’d definitely make an exception for. As he waited for her slender fingers to take his, he suspected he was going to make a lot of exceptions for this woman.
“Yes, I’m Gaia Fisher,” she finally responded, her cold fingers securely wrapped in his warm, strong hands. She was stunned by the electric shock of his hand touching hers, holding her fingers captive.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said, moving closer.
Gaia tried to pull away, but somehow, she found herself closer. Closer than she’d thought possible. She could smell him, could breathe in the spicy, masculine scent of him and it sent her senses spiraling out of control. She was almost dizzy with lust that hit her like a tsunami. Staring up into those green eyes, she knew that she was lost. And what was worse, she didn’t want to be found. Gaia knew that she would be perfectly happy to remain lost in this man’s arms, in that green gaze, for the rest of her life.
“I love your work,” he said.
Had the man’s voice deepened? She looked at his lips, wondering what it would be like to be kissed by him. “My work?” she asked, not sure what he was talking about. Work was the farthest thing from her mind right at the moment.
He smiled ever so slightly and her amber eyes lifted higher, trying to understand. “Your drawings of the waterfront factory, I think it’s an ingenious idea to turn that building into condominiums.”
Drawings? What was he talking about? Gaia searched her brain, which wasn’t functioning, and tried to understand what was going on. Drawings. Factory. The plan!
“Right!” she replied, jerking backwards.
Unfortunately, her reality check meant she was backing up too quickly. In her pretty, new shoes, the ones she’d bought to give herself a boost of confidence for this meeting, she stumbled over her own two feet. Suddenly, the world was tilting backwards precariously. Her portfolio fell to the ground, her purse tumbled onto the polished conference room table beside her and, if there had been time, she would have groaned but her mind simply couldn’t function that quickly.
Knowing that she was going to fall painfully at any moment, she reached out and grabbed hold of the only solid thing within reach. At the same time, steel arms grabbed her around her waist, hauling her up against a hard chest. The “oof!” she emitted was inadvertent. Well, the whole debacle was inadvertent.
As was her gaze when she realized she hadn’t fallen into a heap on the floor at this man’s feet. Instead, she was pulled up against his chest. Shockingly, she felt her breasts swell with need, with surprise and…desire licked at her body in a way that was so intensely hot, she wasn’t sure how to deal with it.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, looking up at him and feeling small. She never felt small! She wore the highest heels she could find so that men would take her seriously. So why was she still shorter than this man? Why was he towering over her in a way that made all of her femininity come to life?
His eyes skimmed over her features and a small smile formed on those sexy lips she’d just been contemplating. “I’m not,” he replied.
Gaia realized how tightly he was holding her and tried to back up a step. Unfortunately, she stumbled again and his smile widened as he held her steady. “Relax, Gaia.”
She stood still, embarrassment and…other feelings hitting her hard. “Please. I need some space.”
“Are you sure you are okay now?”
Gaia thought about it for a moment. Was she okay? No. Not with his arms around her like this. And yes, she wanted to stay just like this. Not moving. Not pulling back at all.
But this was the enemy, she reminded herself. She was here on a mission. A false mission, but she couldn’t do this, couldn’t be in his arms. No way could she be attracted to this man.
“I’m fine,” she replied, pushing her palms against his chest. Thankfully, he released her and, even better, she didn’t fall backwards again. Stepping out of his arms, she backed up several steps and looked around. The contents of her purse were scattered all over the place and the pictures she’d drawn were now spread out across the carpet.
Quickly, she dropped down to her knees and gathered up the pictures, shuffling them together and praying that he didn’t see the different drawings. There were two sets, one that she’d drawn just on a whim and another set that she’d created when she’d understood Freddy’s intentions.
“Sorry about this,” she muttered as she grabbed her lipstick, wallet and cell phone, stuffing everything back into her purse. Thankfully, there wasn’t anything too embarrassing in there at the moment. But that really was the only bright spot in this meeting.
“My pleasure,” he replied and they both stood up.
Staring at each other for a long moment, Gaia wasn’t sure what she should do. “The project,” she finally said, her mind grasping at that idea as a life saving – or sanity saving – talking point.
“Right,” he said, nodding in agreement. “The project. Renovating the warehouse,” and his hands slid into his pockets. “I’m intrigued by the idea. I’ll admit, I’ve driven by that place almost every day for several years and never saw the potential. I’m impressed with what you’ve come up with.”
Logan walked over to his drawing board and picked up a file folder containing the information Tommy had forwarded to him. Tommy was their foreman at the Queen Anne construction site and one of his guys had shown him the sketches.
“So your brother works for Tommy, right?” Logan asked as he brought everything over to the conference table, indicating she should sit down there for this meeting.
“Yes. Thank you for giving him a job. I understand he’s enjoying the work.”
Logan nodded again. “Tommy says he’s a good worker. I was surprised when I discovered that you were an interior designer while your brother is a construction worker. How did the two of you end up in those areas?”
Gaia lowered her lashes, unable to maintain eye contact with this man. The subject was sort of a sore spot between her and her brother. “Freddy works hard, but he didn’t like school. He didn’t want to go to college, so…” she left the rest of that explanation hanging. The truth was, Freddy was lazy, had never applied himself in high school, and didn’t want to use the money their parents had left each of them for college. It couldn’t be used for anything but education, so it was just sitting in a bank collecting interest. Gaia couldn’t count the number of arguments she and Freddy had endured over the years because of Freddy’s drinking and lack of ambition. Or maybe it was Gaia’s ambition that caused the friction. Gaia loved her job and Freddy resented her success. He would be much happier if Gaia was struggling to make ends meet each month, just as he was.
“I looked up several of your designs. You’re good,” he commented, leaning back in the plush, leather chair as he watched her nervously fiddle with the papers.
Gaia felt the unwanted heat creep up her neck at his praise but couldn’t look directly at him. “Thank you. I love helping people create spaces that are livable and comfortable.”
“And finding old buildings that need a bit of care, right?” he gently teased, referring to the project and the subject of their meeting.
Gaia’s shoulders tensed. “That old factory…” she hesitated, trying to figure out the best way to handle this. Biting her lip, she struggled to play this part correctly. She wasn’t used to trying to discourage someone from moving forward with a project, so this was a new challenge. “I drew those sketches just for myself, not really thinking that renovating the old building was possible. Freddy showed them to Tommy on a whim, without my knowledge.” She shrugged as if to apologize for wasting his time with this meeting. “I doubt that the building is strong enough to handle any sort of renovation.”
Logan smiled, trying to reassure her. “That’s why you’re meeting with me. I’m pretty good at determining the strength of materials and the durability of steel and concrete.” He understood her nervousness, but wasn’t sure how to allay her fears. “Why don’t you talk me through your idea and then we’ll go from there?
He was trying to reassure her, sensing her nervousness. But there was something else, something that turned on his warning bells.
Damn, she was beautiful. All that golden hair seemed to be trying to slip from the clip on the back of her head after her almost-tumble and her soft skin looked more than touchable with just a tinge of sun to it. Not to mention her cat eyes, which repeatedly drew his attention away from those soft, red lips of hers. Her golden eyes only made her hair look even more gorgeous. He wanted to pull all the pins out of her hair and run his fingers through the strands. There were about ten different colors of gold in that hair and he wanted to feel every one of them, to find out if it was as soft as it looked.
Admittedly, her golden beauty distracted him, but he listened attentively to her explaination and was amazed when he realized that this beautiful woman was actually trying to discourage him to move forward with the project! Every word she said was a carefully phrased caution, a subtle warning against moving forward with the renovation. The materials would cost too much, the concrete was probably deteriorating, the bricks weren’t strong enough, the steel beams had degraded over time from exposure to the ocean air…on and on, she went, cautiously telling him why this project was a seriously bad idea. He almost laughed out loud at some of her warnings since they didn’t make any sense.
But he didn’t. First, he didn’t want to hurt her feelings. And secondly, he wanted to understand why she was trying to discourage him. His curiosity was piqued and he suspected that comprehending her motivation was the first step to understanding her and how her mind worked.
Since understanding was the first step to convincing her to have an affair with him, he was completely focused on her ruminations and cautions.
When she finally stopped her latest recitation on the perils of renovating such an old, abandoned building that had been exposed to the dubious mercies of the salt air, he tossed out a bit of enticement, wanting to know how she would react to the promise of wealth. “You know there’s a ten percent finder’s fee on any profits when we take on a project like this from an outsider, right?” he asked, filling in the silence when her warnings finally petered out.
He would have chuckled at the slight widening of her eyes in reaction, but she still shook her head, her body actually pulling away once again, almost as if he’d just slapped her. “I don’t want any finder’s fee. This wasn’t something that I did to make money. I was sitting in the coffee shop drawing, just pondering the possibilities.” She looked down at the drawings, her fingers unconsciously sliding lovingly over the designs like she might touch something precious to her. The gesture was revealing and Logan took it all in. Her expressions and gestures were all just more pieces to the puzzle that was Gaia.
“Doesn’t matter. Company policy,” he replied, more fascinated when she appeared to reject the potentially significant income. He didn’t know anyone who would turn down money like that. “And the profits could be substantial,” he warned, wanting her to fully understand what she was rejecting.
Gaia’s lips pressed together, drawing his eyes to those full lips. She wore rose colored lipstick and that made him wonder what color they were without anything on them. And what they might taste like.
“That’s all very interesting,” she replied in a tone of voice that implied it wasn’t interesting in any way. “But….” Once again, she began listing the supplies that would be needed and the additional costs that would be incurred on a renovation project versus just starting from scratch, but he wasn’t really paying attention any longer. He’d already seen the numbers she’d given to Tommy earlier and knew they were completely bogus. It was all part of the mystery he was determined to solve.
This woman fascinated him and he wanted to get to know her. Intimately.
When she paused for a breath, obviously looking through her notes to try and come up with something more to discourage him, he stepped in to stop whatever it was she was going to say next. “I think we should head over to the site and check it out,” he suggested during a pause.
Gaia looked right into those intense, green eyes for the first time since she’d started talking. “Go over where?” she asked, but she knew. Her stomach muscles tightened with dread at what his next words might be. Sure enough, he didn’t disappoint her.
“To the old factory. Let’s head over there and I can take a look at what you’re trying to describe. From what I’ve seen at a distance, I doubt things are as bad as what you’re saying, but you’ve been inside the building. So let’s just go take a look.”
Logan stood up and was just about to take her hand when his office door burst open. Luke walked in, his head looking down at some papers in his hand. “Logan, this doesn’t…” his voice stopped when he looked up. Instantly, his eyes changed from serious to appreciative, his lips curling slightly as his green gaze shifted up and down Gaia’s figure. “I’m interrupting,” he observed but there wasn’t even a tinge of regret in his voice.
Instantly, Logan felt the green haze of jealousy rear up and he stepped closer to Gaia. That haze cleared ever so slightly when Gaia moved closer to him, her body shifting as she wordlessly indicated that Logan was her preference. Moving a hand to the small of her back, he silently indicated that he would protect her. Words were not spoken, but the messages were loud and clear. Even to Luke, who shifted his gaze back and forth between the two of them, understood what was being communicated.
Logan looked at his twin brother, warning him to back off. Immediately, the look in Luke’s eyes changed. The charm was still there, but it was tempered by the knowledge that Logan wouldn’t allow him to tread closer.
“I’m Luke, the fun brother. You must be Gaia Fisher,” he said, his eyes flipping quickly to his twin. “I looked at your calendar,” Luke quickly offered as explanation when Logan’s shoulders tightened in reaction.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Gaia said, politely offering her hand to the equally handsome man standing in front of her.
Her eyes moved back and forth between the two men, narrowing as she tried to understand something. The men looked identical but…they weren’t. Somehow, the man who had just entered the office…he was different. He wasn’t Logan. Not even close.
It was even more disconcerting that she felt nothing, not a thing, when the twin took her hand. When Logan had grasped her cold fingers an hour ago, she’d felt an electric current zip through her arm. With his brother, she felt only the warmth of his grip and nothing else. No zip. No electricity. No awareness of him as a man. He was just…male. Another human being that existed in the world. Okay – yes, an extraordinarily handsome man, but he didn’t stir her in disconcerting ways.
Not like the man next to her with a chest that was warming her shoulder. There was something about Logan that…
Shoulder?
Her head quickly swiveled up to look at him, then at where her shoulder was almost leaning against his chest. Quickly, she stepped away, but once again, her feet…her darn shoes…her hands tried to stop her fall and…
Darn it! For the third time, Logan reached out with a strong arm, pulling her right back towards him. This time, her breasts were plastered against his chest, her breath caught in her throat and while she looked up into those green eyes, her heart pounded in her chest as she wondered what in the world she was doing.
“Careful,” he cautioned softly and his fingers spread out along her spine. “Or maybe you shouldn’t be too careful,” he said in an even deeper, huskier voice. “I think I like saving you.” His eyes crinkled with humor while awareness, tension, crackled between them. She pulled her eyes away from his, intending to step out of his arms, but her eyes latched onto her hand, which was spread out, bracing against his chest. Her fingers wanted to curl up, to slide against his huge chest and discover more of the feel of those muscles underneath that expensive cotton shirt.
Her fingers started to move, to shift ever so slightly….
“Logan, this project….”
Another male voice stepped into the office and Gaia’s hand whipped away from Logan’s chest while she swung out of his arms. There was another dark haired, green eyed, handsome man standing right behind Logan’s twin brother. As her eyes took in both men’s grinning features, she felt the heat flare up from her neck, enveloping her cheeks and even her ears. “Sorry,” she whispered. Stepping out of his arms, she backed up and moved carefully over to the conference room table, stuffing the papers into her portfolio. Their meeting was over. She was getting out of here.
“Sorry,” the newest voice repeated, but Gaia heard the amusement in his voice as well and she wanted to get out of this office as soon as possible. She didn’t want to speculate on what was so funny to him because she was fairly sure it was her and her stupid attraction to the man she wasn’t supposed to be attracted to. It was wrong and she wasn’t this kind of person. Not in any way.
“Can I check in with both of you later? Gaia and I were having a discussion about that old factory down on the waterfront. You know, the one by the beach that’s been abandoned for years?”
Luke nodded his head and Gaia zipped up her portfolio, opening her mouth to tell them that she was leaving so they could discuss whatever they needed to talk about with their brother.
But the newest man stepped closer. “Tommy showed me those ideas. They’re good. The estimates on cost seem off though.”
“Gaia, I should introduce you to my brothers. This is Luke, who is in charge of marketing for Steele Industries, and this other oaf is my brother Teague. He’s the construction manager, overseeing all of the projects here in Seattle. Teague just got married to…”
“Gabriella Hicks,” Gaia interrupted, extending her hand with a genuine smile for the man all the papers had so recently gushed about. “I saw your pictures in the paper. It looked like a beautiful wedding.”
Gaia had no idea why the man grimaced in that manner, but he seemed like an interesting guy. He was taller than the twins by maybe an inch, but she suspected that he was more laid back than his younger brothers. Although, from the sharp look in his eyes, that might just be a façade. The man was most likely just as sharp as any razor around. Revising her opinion, she decided that he was a force of nature, just in a different way than the two younger men.
“Gabby Steele,” the man corrected. “She never goes by Gabriella now. I’m sure she’ll explain the difference when the two of you meet,” he said.
Gaia was just about to apologize and excuse herself, ignoring the man’s obvious assumption that there would be a reason for her to meet his wife, but Luke spoke first. “I think we need to get out of here. These two obviously have something more important to discuss than numbers or steel tension,” Luke said to his brother Teague.
Teague immediately agreed with a nod of his head and a chuckle. “Catch you later,” and a moment later, both men vanished from Logan’s office.