I check on two job sites and then head to my business office which is located on Main Street in an old brick two story structure that was built in the early nineteen hundreds. I purchased the building last year and the small parking lot next door for a steal. All it needed was a little TLC. I’m not only good with wood, I’m great with my hands too. I redid the inside with the help of a couple of my buddies for cheap labor. I’m really pleased with the way it all turned out.

The large windows on the storefront let in great natural light and the Good Wood Tree Removal Inc. sign was made by another local business.

The second floor is made up of two small one bedroom apartments I fixed up with a little paint and some new floors. I rent both out to local college students.

As I head down the sidewalk and approach the building, I notice Avery sitting with knees up and her back against the building.

“Hey, what are you doing sitting out here?”

“I don’t have a key, so where else would I be?” she answers drolly, in typical Avery fashion with a question directed back at me.

“I guess what I’m wondering is why you’re so early?”

“You never said what time you wanted me to arrive and Lucy had to drop me off on her way to work.”

“You should have called me. I would’ve picked you up on my way back from the job sites. There’s no reason for you to be sitting out here waiting.”

“It was no big deal.” She waves her hand, downplaying the situation.

“Only because I’m here now. What if I didn’t show up? Would you have called me? Or would you have sat outside all day on your stubborn ass just so you wouldn’t have to?”

She chews on her lower lip to contain the smile that wants to break free.

“Yeah that’s what I figured.” I shake my head. “You have a phone Avery. Be a good girl and use it.”

She rises when I step beside her to unlock the door. The spicy scent of her perfume washes over me and I realize how fitting it is for her. Spicy is a word I’d use to describe her personality. She lulls me into thinking she’s going to be nice and then she hits me with her special brand of snark. It’s annoying and a turn on all at the same time. At any moment I’m caught between wanting to spank her tempting ass or kissing her taunting lips.

Once I’m inside, she enters behind me as I punch in the alarm code. She stands there with her hands on her hips while her eyes scan the space like she’s seeing it for the first time. I take advantage of the moment and let my gaze trek over her. I start at the top of her long, shiny dark brown hair. I move down over her gorgeous face watching her green eyes sparkling with interest as she looks around. I skip over her neck to her tits because they’re fucking phenomenal and beat out her neck any day of the week. She’s wearing a tight fitting black t-shirt that hugs them nicely. What the fuck? Her shirt says #TeamMagnus.

My fists clench. “What the fuck, Avery?” I bark out.

Her head snaps in my direction. “What?” she questions with a scowl. “Why are you yelling at me?”

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I remind myself to calm down. She likes to push my buttons and if I don’t react like a neanderthal she’ll be pissed. “I’d prefer if you refrained from wearing clothing to work that promotes our competition,” I say sounding much calmer than I’m feeling.

She glances down at her chest and smiles. “Oh, you mean this old thing?”

Gritting my teeth together, I don’t react. I know enough about my biggest competition to know that this shirt was one of the newer options. They didn’t have this dumbass #TeamMagnus design until a couple months ago. “Yes.”

“It’s my favorite t-shirt. The material is really soft and looks good with my jeans.” She slides her hands over the curves of her hips, palms caressing the denim material that’s painted on like a second skin.

Swallowing over the lump in my throat, I move across the room to a storage closet located on the back wall. Inside there are shelves of supplies and I rummage through a few boxes before I find what I’m looking for. Turning back around, I walk toward her, stopping when we’re almost toe to toe. I hold up the black t-shirt that has my company’s name on it. “Please change into this and it’s yours to keep. I can give you more so you don’t have to keep washing this one.”

“You’re kidding me, right?” She raises an eyebrow.

“No, I’m dead fucking serious. It’s not okay for you to show support to my competition when you’re working here.”

“Fine,” she huffs, her eyes shooting sparks at me. She drops her purse to the ground and grips the bottom of her shirt in both hands. Tugging it slowly up, inch by captivating inch, my mouth goes dry as the perfection of her body is revealed. Her stomach is a smooth, unblemished expanse of skin, my fingers tingle with the desire to touch. Once it’s removed, she stands there with her hands on her hips, challenging me. I’d like nothing better than to rise to the bait. Hell, my dick rose to the bait the minute I saw an inch of her bare skin, but I can’t do what she expects now. If I do, I lose and winning is too fucking important when it comes to her. Gripping the new t-shirt in my hands, I tug it over her head and down her body, covering her banging rack in the sexy red bra. She shoves her arms through the holes, annoyance drips from her every move.

“I’ve got some projects to check on, but I’ll be back later. What do you want me to bring you for lunch?”

“But, you just got here.”

“Yeah, I know. I just came to grab some paperwork to bring with me,” I tell her. I’m just making shit up as I go. All I know is I can’t be in the office with her any longer without both of us coming. Heading into my office, I grab a random folder from my desk and make my way to the front door. “Text me what you want for lunch,” I yell over my shoulder as I make my way outside. Once I’m in my truck, I throw the useless folder on the passenger seat and lean back against the leather headrest. Being around Avery is a lesson in restraint. We pretend we don’t want each other, but one of these days shit’s going to get real when I have my dick in her ass.

I didn’t make it back to the office for lunch. There was a crisis on one of the job sites so I ended up ordering pizza delivery for her. I made sure to get sausage since I know it’s her favorite.

By the time I make it back to pick her up, it’s after five and I know she must be pissed.

When I step inside I’m surprised to find her busy moving furniture around. “What are you doing?” I question, surprising her.

“Eek,” she lets out a cute little shriek and I smile. “What does it look like I’m doing, Einstein?”

“Why are you rearranging my furniture?”

“The flow is all wrong. You walk in and bam a desk. It’s not inviting at all.”

Crossing my arms over my chest, I watch her as she moves things around on her newly situated desk. “You shouldn’t have moved all this without me. It’s too heavy for you to do by yourself.”

She scoffs. “Don’t worry. I didn’t move it by myself.”

“What do you mean?” I question with a frown.

“Daryl helped me.”

“Daryl who rents an apartment upstairs?” Daryl who has a different girl every time I see him.

“Yep, that’s the one. Nice guy too. Did you know he’s in law school?”

“I might remember something about that, but can we just stop talking about Daryl and get back to why the fuck you’re rearranging my office without asking me?”

She blows out a large breath. “I told you the flow was all wrong.”

“Whatever.” I raise my hands in defeat. I’ll pick my battles and I have to admit the way she’s placed everything does make it look a lot bigger. “I’ll leave you to your Sheng Fuey.”

She snorts.

“What?”

“It’s Feng Shui. You’re such a caveman.”

“I can promise you wouldn’t be complaining if I dragged you off by your hair.”