Page 30 of Her Property

Cat’s eyes flickered, but it was the only sign she gave that she might be considering not telling him the truth.

“You have a good poker face,” he said.

Her cheeks flushed further. “I’m not hiding anything from you,” she said. That awkward version of her vanished, the fierce lawyer's voice taking its place.

Something stirred in his chest, dipping down low. She knew how to stand up for herself. He wondered when she’d honed that skill. Was it when she became a lawyer? Before?

“I didn’t tell him about yesterday,” she said. “It’s none of his business. He’s my boss, not my father.”

“Nice boss to let you stay up at his place,” Jake said. He hated the way his voice sounded, but he hated the way they were being with each other right now even more. Last night was so tender and close, and this was just… nothing like the fantasies he’d played on repeat in his mind over the last 24 hours.

“I told you it wasn’t my idea, I—” she said, then gave a little harrumph. “Never mind. I don’t have to explain myself to you.”

Jake nodded. “No. You don’t. You’re an adult, with your own mind and your own ideas. Your own sense of what’s right and what’s wrong.”

She pinched her lips, eyes narrowing. She knew what he was doing, and he knew she did. She said she’d been naïve when she was younger. But she wasn’t now.

“I don’t know what the story is between you andmy boss,” she emphasized the two words. “But I like my job, and I’d like to keep it.”

Suddenly Jake felt very tired. The last thing he wanted to do was sabotage whatever tiny fragment of a relationship they had. He put his hands up. “I’m sorry. You’re absolutely right. I’m an adult too, and you don’t need to be dragged into this absurdthingwe have going on.”

She gave him a curt nod. “Well, I didn’t mean to interrupt your work. Take care.” Then she spun on her heel and headed back for the road, going in quick strides.

“Wait,” Jake said.

Catherine paused.

What the hell was he doing? Sheshouldgo. He needed to concentrate on getting these cabins ready before the weather turned. Being with her was the worst idea for both of their interests.

But when she turned around, looking him dead in the eye, his stomach swung low. Keeping her there was all he wanted. He fumbled for something to say. Anything.

“What’s the camera for?”

She looked down at the camera strapped to her shoulder as if she’d forgotten it was there. “Oh—it’s Alfred’s. It was in the closet…”

“Can I see it?”

“Do you know anything about old cameras?” Her voice had a note of hope in it. That’s when he noticed the back of the camera was slightly ajar.

“I know that part isn’t supposed to be open. Your film is probably exposed.”

“What?” She held the camera out and pressed on the opening. It clicked shut. “Don’t suppose that’ll fix it,” she said, looking up at him sheepishly. God, she was cute in that little outfit. Dangerously cute. More than cute. The vest was open, and her breasts pressed at her sweater. He had a vision of unsnapping her bra, the little gasp she’d given.

He took the camera from her outstretched hand, willing his dick not to act up again.

“If Alfred had just left me my phone, I could have taken photos with it like a normal person. But everything up here is old school analog. The camera, the phone. The record player.”

“I have a record player,” he said, as he turned the camera around in his hand.

“Well…” she began, “lots of people do. But not as their only method of listening to music.”

“Don’t knock it,” he said. Then lifted the camera up and pointed the lens at a gnarled log next to the road. It was layered in yellow and orange leaves like a blanket. “Mind if I take a photo to see if it’s loaded properly?”

Cat nodded.

He held it up, pointing it to the log. “I can do a lot of things,” she said as he adjusted the focus. “Anything, really, if I watch a video tutorial first. I changed the fan in my laptop when the repair guy said it would cost three hundred dollars and take him twenty minutes. It’s easy, did you know that? You just need a tiny screwdriver and the right parts.”

Jake lifted an eyebrow, lowering the camera to look at her. “Impressive.”

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