Page 3 of Wolfish Heart
“Oh, any plain office setting would do. Decent light. A desk. They’re tutorial videos, so I don’t need it to look fancy. There’s just not an inch to spare at my cousin’s, where I’m staying right now.”
His smile is slow and hypnotic, drawing my attention to his mouth. I’ve never stared at a man’s lips like this before, it’s crazy. “Pretty sure I’ve got the perfect space. Want to come see it right now?”
Now, normally I wouldn’t take off with some guy I just met on the street. Yet the way people passing by nod to him as if he were the mayor or something – crap,ishe the mayor? – tells me that he’s well respected.
Still, I hold up a finger and pull out my phone to text my cousin.
Hey – do you know Kaden Wolfe? Is he trustworthy?
I must have caught him on a break, since he replies immediately.
Henry: 100%. His whole family is solid. Why?
I’ll explain later. Thanks.
I grin up at Kaden. “No offence, I just had to check you out first.” He flashes a faint, incredulous smile. “What?”
A deep chuckle. “Nothing. It’s fine. I’ve just…never had a security check run on me before.”
I love the way he guides me down the street to his huge pickup truck by gently taking my elbow. And the way he holds my hand as I climb in sends shivers right through me. The guy is so sexy that even the smallest touch makes me hyper-aware of both our bodies.
It’s only a short drive to the edge of town, then he turns onto a side road. After a moment, I realize it’s actually his private driveway. The house that appears from around the curve literally takes my breath away when I see it. It’s the perfect blend of old-world cottage and modern, with massive windows.
As we park in front of the enormous oak door, I do some quick math. Three-car garage. With the number of upstairs windows, there must be at least four or five bedrooms. And given the depth of the house, the living or family room has to be gigantic.
“So… You live here with your family?” I venture.
He rushes around to my side of the truck, taking my hand and helping me down. For one brief, delicious second, his palm skims my waist, then down to my hip. “Nope. Just me.”
Kaden takes me inside, nonchalantly strolling past a vast farmhouse kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances I’ve only seen on decorator websites.
“Here’s the space…” He steps into a huge home office, wrapped in windows on two sides, one of which looks onto a back deck. “I haven’t spent a lot of time in this office, but when I do, I’m working flat out. So I haven’t been able to really set it up properly, you know what I mean?”
I look at the three desks and five chairs jammed into the corner. They give the room serious “defunct office furniture showroom” vibes.
“I guess so. You need to arrange the furniture. Decide on what lighting you want, and whether you’d like to work facing the view or with your back to it.”
He nods, pacing for a moment while I shamelessly admire the way his worn jeans hug his firm ass and muscular thighs.
“Personally, I think I’d want to face the view,” I say. “I mean, when you’re in the middle of something boring or need to thinkfor a moment, staring out at some trees gives you a kick of energy, right?”
He flashes me a saucy grin. “I don’t want to sound anti-progressive or anything, but women are always better at this kind of stuff. I’m thinking if you took over the office for a few months, you’d end up arranging it in the best way.” He points to the far wall. “I’m thinking about bookshelves there, but I can’t decide what color.”
I scan the room again. “You want natural wood for sure. A few tones darker than these floors would create a bridge between the dark wood trim and the light oak.” I turn to examine the desks. “There.” I point at one of them. “If the shelves are pretty much that tone, I think everything will sit nicely together.”
His warm smile lights up his deep eyes, and his rich chuckle makes the bottom of my stomach tighten.
“See? Ten seconds, and you’ve made more progress than I have in weeks. I’ve been travelling a lot the past few years, so everything’s been done piecemeal whenever I have a chunk of time. Mom helped me with some of it.”
“That explains the dish towels with the birds on them in the kitchen.”
He grins, his hand reaching out and drifting along the side of my arm for a nano-second. “Birds are actually part of our business, in a sideways way.”
Kaden takes a half step back, his head cocking to the side and locking his gaze with mine. “I’ll make you a deal. You can use this office completely for free for the next two months. I’ll give you a key – use the kitchen, coffeemaker, whatever you like. I’ll leave you a credit card, too, so you can decorate this office any way you see fit.”
He leans casually on the ugliest of the three desks. “There’s one catch. I’m leaving tomorrow, and I’m not sure when I’ll be back. Probably a week or so. When I’m gone, don’t Google me.”
I blink. “Really? Why?”
