Page 33 of Caught in the Axe
“You’re not stuck.”
I shrugged, “I know that now. It took me a while to realize that being back in Lovewell is an opportunity. To make peace with my past and this town and who I’m becoming.”
“That’s a very positive perspective.”
“It’s all about how you frame it, Owen. Think about it. You weren’t dragged back. You were given an opportunity to come back here and do something positive for your family. A family you’ve grown apart from.” I gave him an expectant look. Sometimes it frustrated me how obtuse he could be about his family. As an only child with just my mom, I couldn’t imagine having all those siblings and not wanting to be close to them.
His lips quirked. “You’re something special, you know that?”
I could feel the blush creeping across my cheeks. “I’m not the one who donated a new roof and freezer to the food pantry.” He thought he could brush this off, but I wasn’t letting him. Beneath that grumpy, corporate exterior was a big squishy heart. And I was determined to make him admit it.
He held my gaze for a moment, those blue eyes shining. “You inspire me.” He said softly.
And I could feel my knees wobble and my stomach clench. This man had shown up here and was steamrolling every attempt I made to be practical and logical. I studied my hands as I tried to breathe through the complex tangle of emotions.
He looked away politely as I composed myself, cleaning his glasses and diving back into the spreadsheet he was creating.
I slipped my earbuds back in and tried to focus on work, but this information continued to swirl in my head.“You inspire me.”God, as if I didn’t already have an inappropriate crush on him.
Focus, Lila. You’re here to do a job.
But he was right there, looking all kinds of good. Sometimes, when he was puzzling through documents, he took his glasses off and rubbed the back of his neck. When he did, I swore I could feel the tension in his body.
I had just gotten control of my hormones and had started to make real headway when something truly awful happened.
Owen unbuttoned his shirt.
Itwaspretty hot in here. We’d had a couple of warm days, which wasn’t uncommon for late April, and the HVAC hadn’t caught up. Usually, the building was freezing, but tonight, it was boiling.
And now Owen was stripping.
I shuffled papers in an exaggerated manner, pretending to be absorbed in my work while fixated on him inmy periphery. He took his time undoing every button, his large hands working deftly.
Sweet Jesus. He was wearing a white undershirt. I forced myself to focus on the papers in my hands. When I did, I blinked. Then I blinked again. Shit, they were upside down.Damn, I’m an idiot.
Despite my best efforts, after I subtly flipped the papers so they were right side up, I snuck another glance.
The shirt was tight, and the thin cotton hugged every muscle in his shoulders. And those weresomemuscles hiding under the designer dress shirts.
My internal temperature rose even more, and a bead of sweat dripped down my spine. Any attempt to work was officially off the table now. Just breathing while remaining standing was hard enough.
“You okay?” With a gentle nudge to my arm to get my attention, he reached for the neat row of folders in front of me where I’d organized all the recent invoices.
“Mm-hmm.” My face flamed. God, I was probably crimson by now. Could he read my thoughts? Had I been mumbling to myself? I did have my earbuds in, but I’d been so deep in my Owen fantasy that he’d probably noticed me staring like a sex-starved weirdo.
To be fair, I absolutely was. But he didn’t need to know that. I’d much prefer being the mysterious and alluring woman who had her shit together. Ha. Like that was even a remote possibility.
White T-shirt.
Shoulders.
Arms.
That long neck and the stubble-covered jaw. I wanted to lick every inch of him.
My thoughts had veered into full porno territory.
Get a hold of yourself, Lila. I’d slap myself out of my stupor if I thought I could get away with it.
