Page 28 of The Darkest Knight

CHAPTER SEVEN

Feeling like she had a game of ‘kick the can’ going on in her chest, Reese sighed heavily. Never having the best of luck, she shouldn’t be surprised that nothing had changed. The one man she was attracted to was the one person she should steer clear of. She thought she’d convinced herself back at the cabin that two flawed people with the inability to trust would only create chaos.

As she stepped into Seth’s arms, her face warmed and her body struggled against the desire to lean in closer and inhale his exotic scent. Although he probably didn’t think so, he had pretty good moves, yet she would have considered a dog a good dancer if she was this attracted.

Stupid.

Couldn’t she just concentrate on business and not the flittering sparks between her legs?

“That frown is making me self-conscious,” he whispered next to her ear.

“You? Self-conscious?” She lifted a brow. “I think you know just how smooth your moves are.”

Desire darkened his features. A warning that they were nearing a danger zone. Shutting up would be best, but she had a hard time pulling back.

“Now that you put it that way…”

She lifted her chin. “Dancing. I’m talking dancing.” She almost believed he could look directly inside of her to when she’d touched herself while thinking of him.

“So was I. You certainly do have a precocious mind.” He winked. The man was a charmer. Simple fact. “By the way, if I haven’t told you already, you look lovely tonight.”

Yeah, she walked right into that charm like a snake to a charmer. “I had a bit of a crisis. I tugged a loose thread, entirely unaware that one thread would unravel the hem like dominoes. So I had to do some creative sewing. I hope it’s okay that I used the ribbon I found in the cabin.”

He stepped back and skimmed his heated gaze down her legs. She couldn’t deny the heat that flowed through her belly knowing his tight expression was all her doing.

“You did this with scrap ribbon? I wouldn’t call that a crisis, but a genius move,” he drawled.

The butterflies went crazy inside of her. Damn him! She couldn’t afford to screw up this situation. This was her future, not the sexy, attractive man standing before her. “I’ve learned to make nothing into something.”

“Then I can’t wait to see what you do with the cabins.”

“Oh, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see that I have a flair for decorating.”

Big and so tall that he hovered over her, he stepped closer and his scent of masculinity swirled in her nostrils like a pleasant dose of smelling salts. Those butterflies fluttered inside of her chest now. Pressing against him, her hips brushed against the obvious bulge behind his zipper. She gasped sharply and felt slightly woozy. If she wasn’t careful, she’d have a seizure brought on by a brawny, sexy male.

“I don’t doubt your capabilities, not one bit.” His smooth voice made it hard to wrap her brain around his meaning. But when his gaze lingered on her lips, there was no doubt that he was flirting with her. For a long second, she wondered if he would draw her into his arms and kiss her.

No, it didn’t happen and disappointment skittered through her.

Kissing would only make things more difficult. Hell, who was she kidding. Things were off-the-charts senseless. Her body was on board for not only kisses, but having his callused hands on parts of her that craved attention. As if he could read her thoughts, he pressed his palm into her lower back and heat spread through the thin material of her clothing. Some things just felt so good that resistance was lost—this certainly could be categorized as top of the list.

Suddenly, he dropped his hands and took a short step back. “The song has ended.”

Reese hadn’t even realized the slow song had faded and an upbeat tune played from the speakers. “I guess we should step off the dance floor then.”

He smiled. “I’d have to be drunk to dance to this song. I’m afraid I’ll have to show you my moves in other forms of entertainment.”

Her toes curled. She resisted the urge to jump up and down and do a silly dance, but then she reminded herself their project hadn’t even gotten off the ground. Staying in touch with reality and the path ahead must come before the urgency of her physical needs.

Unfortunately…

*****

Seth leaned against his truck that was hooked to a trailer loaded with supplies, and waited. Reese was supposed to meet him this morning to start on the first cabin. He’d overslept. Damn engaging dreams of a petite ebony haired beauty kept him snoozing longer. The Howard boys and their crew were already pounding away on the renovations, and the hammers hitting nails echoed through the quiet.

Agitation scrambled through his veins. He’d never known sexual tension like what he was feeling now. He couldn’t think, eat, concentrate, or do anything but think about Reese. After they’d come back from Mountain Mug last night, he’d dropped her off at her door, came home and took a long, cold shower. He didn’t bother jacking off because even that pleasure seemed unpleasable these days.

He was broken. The sturdy track he’d built over the years had a hitch and he wasn’t sure how to get the train chugging again.

---