Page 15 of Hidden Hearts

“He’s not going to let me get away with that,” I mutter to myself. And truthfully, as dumb as it may be, the idea of transforming this empty shell into a classy office still gets my blood pumping. My Pinterest board waits to be used—not yet deleted and forgotten.

Sighing, my head falls back on my shoulders as I swipe the back of my hand across my forehead.

That's a problem for future Avery.

Mamma Mia starts playing, and I hum along until someone comes up behind me, their large palms settling on my hips.

Jerking forward, a yelp bursts out as visions of being the subject of a serial killer documentary flash before my eyes.

"Relax, it's me." Dominic’s rough voice tickles my ear. His breath warms my skin and a shiver courses down my overheated body.

"Holy shit, Dom.” I place a hand over my pounding heart. “You scared the hell out of me! What are you even doing here? This place isn’t move-in ready yet."

"Is that why you're here? Cleaning it up for me?" His hands roam from my hips down to my thighs, then higher to beneath my breasts.

I shake my head. "Nope." That came out shakier than I'd hoped. Although it’s difficult to stay firm with his broad body behind me, his muscular arms trapping me against the counter.

He needs to stop touching me.

It’s messing with my head.

"Mike asked me to, so I'm cleaning it for him. You know, because he's my boss? Your landlord?" The last word is slightly higher pitched than the rest as he places a kiss below my ear.

"Mmm... That was considerate of him. Sending you my way."

Rallying my defenses, I try one more time to throw him off because I’m not sure how much longer I can resist. My head is screaming at me to move away, but my body has a mind of its own. It likes his attention. "You know I'm a sweaty mess, right? You should move away before you start stinking, too."

His only reaction was to rub his cheek along my neck. Against my better judgment, I tilt my head to give him better access, and the roughness of his beard contrasts with the softness of his light kisses.

I am in major trouble.

"I think you smell good enough to eat, and you look adorable with all these little curls sticking out." He tugs on one of the spirals before letting it spring free. How the heck am I supposed to resist the man when he says things like that?

You don’t. That’s how.

Giving in, I relax against him. Sink into his firm chest and forget about maintaining my distance.

For now, at least.

"There’s my girl," he rumbles in approval.

A hot blush sears my cheeks, my formerly even breaths becoming ragged as we stand together—with me living in the moment and not overthinking whatever’s happening between us, and Dominic holding me captive with gentle touches.

The intimacy is interrupted, though, when the back door slams shut.

Quickly, Dominic puts himself between me and the man who walks in.

"Hey, Dom, I thought…” the stranger pauses. Long, windblown waves graze his shoulder while his green eyes study our situation. I’m guessing this is his elusive partner. “Am I interrupting something?" His gaze bounces between us.

"Is there a reason you're here, Matt?" Dominic grits out.

Someone’s unhappy by this turn of events.

"Thought I'd stop by while you were here and check the place out. I didn't expect you to have company. Have you been holding out on me?" Matt smiles and tries to get a better glimpse of my hidden form.

Stepping out from behind Dominic, I wave. "Hi, I'm..."

"None of your business,” he cuts in. “We can do a walk-through later."

---