Page 13 of Trust

“You have bought into your own legend, haven’t you?”

Taking two long strides, Asher caught up. “Not really, but as an older brother, I’m duty-bound to blow as much smoke as possible.”

“If you say so.” Calling out Olivia’s name loudly, he got no response, so he moved in and hoped she didn’t lose her grip on the machine of death. “Olivia!” He watched her gaze slide up. “Whatcha doing?”

“What?” she shouted back.

He reached over, flipped the switch, and cut off the whining sound. “Did the plant do something to you?”

“No, why?”

“You’re attacking it like it did.”

“Maybe she’s trying to free the Ferris wheel,” Asher commented.

“That’s exactly what I’m doing!” She pushed her sunglasses on top of her head. “I took a break from drawing and decided to come out here and…”

“Attack the ivy,” he finished. “What were you drawing?”

“I’m a medical illustrator and am in the middle of a project for a client. I’m knee-deep in illustrations of atrial septal defects in newborn hearts, and I have to get up every couple of hours and stretch my back.”

“No way,” Asher commented. “That’s so cool.”

He rolled his eyes at his brother’s attempt to ingratiate himself and then turned back to Olivia. “How did you get into that line of work?”

Stepping closer, she blinked several times. “Oh, my goodness, Zane, that’s the second question you’ve asked me today. You better be careful because I may get the idea that you want to become friends.”

Deciding her lack of respect for personal boundaries wasn’t all that annoying. He looked down and licked his bottom lip as a tiny bead of sweat rolled slowly from her neck to her collarbone and then blessedly down the sweet valley of her cleavage.

Had there ever been a more erotic sight?

Tipping his head, he watched it disappear into the shadows of her shirt and swallowed loudly.

“You okay there, bro?”

“He’s fine,” Olivia answered quietly, moving closer.

“What?” he barked in a rough voice.

Resting her hand lightly on his forearm, she smiled. “You wanted to know about my career.”

He realized his brain was nothing more than a plate of scrambled eggs and decided the blame should sit squarely on her shoulders. How dare she be so irresistible, intelligent, and weirdly entertaining. There wasn’t a defense for something like that, even for a man with zero interest in human connection, friendship, and if the pictures filling his mind were accurate: filthy, soul-satisfying sex.

Good God, what the hell was happening? Sucking in a long breath, he told himself to get it together. “So drawing…”

“Yes, I’ve always loved it and decided that creating visual imagery to help advance medical science’s knowledge wasn’t a bad way to spend my day.”

“That’s impressive,” he said, using every ounce of discipline not to let his eyes fall away from her face.

No need to make a bad situation worse.

He may be physically falling head over heels for the woman, but that didn’t mean he should get involved. Mental health was necessary for any successful pairing, and he didn’t have enough to give in to whatever was simmering.

Taking another step closer, she looked up. “I’m more than a crazy lady who attacks wild bushes on random Thursday afternoons.”

“Never thought otherwise,” he replied, inhaling the scent of her lemon shampoo. “I’ve also pegged you as the nosy neighbor who makes the best chocolate banana bread in the…”

“World,” Olivia finished.

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