Page 60 of Out on a Limb
The kitchen, dining area, and family room were all open, forming one big space. Large windows at the back of each end let in enough light to keep the palms and figs tucked into the corners happy. I’d spent a decent amount of money on the kitchen, adding new cabinets and a sizable island.
But the real showpiece of the house was the addition found through another set of French doors.
Collette went right for it, dropping her phone into her purse as she walked through the open doors toward the sound of moving water.
A few lights illuminated the water feature, brightening up the set of waterfalls that added humidity to the space, keeping the tropical plants happy.
I switched on the main lights and the whole area was bathed in a soft glow. It wasn’t a big space, but the room was my favorite in the house.
“You have a conservatory.” Collette ran her fingers along the leaves of the plants all around her. “My grandmother always wanted one of these.”
I watched from the doorway as she moved from plant to plant, stroking each one as she went. “Why didn’t she have one?”
“My granddad refused to add one to their house. He said she already had a place for her plants.” Collette’s eyes dipped to the jute rug covering the tiled floor. “I wanted one added to my house and he told me I was being stupid.”
“You’re the farthest thing from stupid I can imagine.”
She huffed out a little laugh. “I don’t know. I’m still letting my granddad control my life.” One side of her mouth lifted in a little smile. “I’m pretty sure that’s the definition of stupid.”
“If I remember correctly, you dumped a pile of chickens into a trailer a few hours ago.” I stepped into the room with her. “And you broke into Alan’s office to find out what in the hell he’s up to.” I shook my head. “Seems like you’re not letting anyone control you anymore.”
The other side of Collette’s mouth lifted, completing a smile as she stood a little straighter. “Maybe I’ll put a conservatory on my house too.”
I smiled back at her, genuinely happy at the thought of her having what she wanted. “I’ll build it for you.” I pointed to the plants edging the space around us. “And I’ll make sure it gets filled with all your grandmother’s plants.”
I wanted to be nice to this woman.
I liked seeing her smile. Liked knowing she was happy and that I might have something to do with it.
Only the look of happiness on Collette’s face was gone in a flash, replaced by something I barely had time to register before her body slammed into mine.
She had me before I knew what was happening, arms laced around my neck, soft curves pressed tight to my front, mouth hot and hungry.
I thought I’d be able to get ahead of her at some point.
Thought I’d eventually figure out how to be the one initiating what happened between us.
Looked like I was wrong.
Because while I had managed to calm things down a handful of times already tonight, this time I was lacking the initiative.
The motivation.
The desire to stop what kept happening.
Her hands fisted in my hair, in my shirt. She grabbed at all of me with a level of assertiveness I didn’t completely hate.
But couldn’t allow to continue.
Not if I wanted this to go differently than it had in the past.
I snagged her wrists, holding them together with one hand in an effort to manage the damage she was doing to my self-control. I tried to back away from her, but Collette kept coming for me, forcing my feet to move faster.
My back hit the wall of the family room, stopping my retreat. The second she was pressed to me I rolled us down the drywall, stretching her arms up and over her head until she was stuck in place. I pointed her way, the tip of my finger almost touching her nose as she looked up at me from under her lashes.
“You are going to be a problem.”
Chapter Thirteen
