Page 18 of Elevating Eve

A feeling of power crackled and buzzed inside her with all the intensity of an imminent thunderstorm. When Frank pulled his hand away and took a step back, it was like lightning striking her heart, charging her, bringing her back to life.

“Don’t contact me again,” she said, striding past him and straight into the Fairford Inn, never once looking back.

CHAPTER 7

Jonathan

Thank fuck for Eve.

It wasn’t the first time the thought crossed Jonathan’s mind. Hell, it probably wasn’t even the hundredth. Everything on the expansion project had turned around, all thanks to her.

True to her word, Eve emailed him with two potential construction companies the morning after the failed consultations with LGF Construction and Faber & Crane. Not only that, but each recommendation also included several paragraphs of information about the owners, the crews, and why she thought they’d do an excellent job.

The month since they hired Cox Construction flew by so fast, he had no idea where the time had gone. He supposed that’s what happened when people did their jobs properly, and he didn’t have to put out fires every three seconds. Lanie Cox, third generation owner of her family’s company, led her team with a precision and skill that impressed him day after day.

Best of all, when it became apparent Eve knew the project inside and out, Lanie offered her a temporary contract. He had several more months of seeing her almost every day before the building would be finished.

A knock he recognized sounded on his office door—four quick beats that made his pulse speed up. Jonathan hurriedly straightened his suit, even though he knew it looked perfect already, then called out, “Come in.”

Eve pushed open the door, and the sight of her took his breath away for a moment. “Oh, wow.” He didn’t mean to speak the words aloud and was damn glad he’d never been prone to blushing. At her surprised expression, he hurried to add, “I love what you’ve done with your hair.”

Her smile lit up the entire room like a beacon, drawing him to her. “Really?” she asked, reaching up to pat a gentle hand over the newly styled locks. “It’s not too much?”

Too much? Christ, it was fucking perfect. Over the weekend, she’d had striking red highlights added to her dark, coffee brown hair. Her usual ponytail nowhere to be seen, her hair tumbled over her shoulders in beautiful waves, coming to a stop over her breasts.

Do. Not. Stare. At. Her. Breasts.

Fuck, this was getting harder and harder every day. Because it wasn’t just the hair—not by a long shot. It was all of her.

Gone were the mom jeans and shapeless old DHFT Construction T-shirts covered in stains. Though she still looked ready to get to work on the new building in her steel-toed work boots, the jeans were much more formfitting. The shirt looked like it was actually made for a woman, accentuating her delicious curves rather than hiding them.

But he couldn’t say any of that. He’d spent the last month doing everything he could tonotobsess over those perfect lips, or stare at the sway of her ass when she walked away from him.

Eve coughed politely, and he realized he’d been silent for way too long. Shit, what had she asked? Oh right—if her new hairstyle was too much.

“Not even remotely,” he said, needing to clear his throat and try again before the words would come out. “The red really suits you.”

That was the understatement of the century. She looked like a siren, beckoning him to abandon his course and aim forevermore in her direction.

If he wasn’t careful, he’d be dashed upon the rocks any second now.

She patted the side of her hair again, like she wasn’t used to the feel of it down yet. “I used to dye my hair all the time when I was younger, but Frank thinks women with unnatural hair colors are trashy. So I wanted to do something drastic, cause fuck him.” She laughed nervously. “That’s probably a stupid reason to do something, isn’t it?”

“No, don’t start doing that,” Jonathan said, voice kind but firm.

Frowning, she asked, “Doing what?”

“Looking to other people for approval. Talley manipulated you into seeking his approval for everything you did, didn’t he?”

Her frown deepened as she considered his words. After several tense seconds, she nodded.

“Fuck that,” he said, startling a small laugh out of her. “You don’t need anyone’s approval but your own. Did you want to dye your hair?”

“Yes,” she said, smiling.

“Then that’s all that matters. Who gives a fuck what your reason was so long as you’re happy.” He found himself mirroring her expression without even meaning to. He hadn’t smiled this much in months, not since he visited home for Christmas.

He’d always been far too serious for his own good, even as a child—something his two younger sisters never missed a chance to remind him of. His family always managed to bring out his lighter side eventually, but few others ever discovered that power. It served him well as a CEO, when he, Mason, and Leo founded HSS Biotech right out of college. His demeanor made him seem older and helped people take him seriously.

---