Page 105 of The Fixer

After a mumbled apology, he stalked to the new electrical panel at the back of the building and was stunned to see that the inspector’s report was correct. He picked up his jaw and showed her where breakers that had been there before were now missing, confirming the impossible to himself as he explained the deficiencies to her. Of course the panel wouldn’t pass! Someone had deliberately removed them. He kept going, getting hotter by the second as he eyeballed other defects until she held up her hands in surrender.

“Okay, so maybe I don’t need all those details. What’s the bottom line?”

“The bottom line is that this is a brand-new installation by a licensed electrician. He and I went over it together, and I saw the finished work—including the breakers—myselfafter he was done.” He jabbed a thumb into his chest. “It was perfect.”

Movement caught Charlie’s attention, and when he glanced over, Cully was clambering into his truck. The engine turned over, and Cully pulled away, his tires squealing. “Shit. I wanted to talk to him.”

“Well, I’d like to talk toyouabout something he pointed out. But first, you might want to know that he told me earlier he was working on the electrical to get it ready for the inspection.”

Charlie rocked backward. “When was this?”

“First thing this morning, only I didn’t see him working at all. He spent most of the morning in his truck. When he was out of it, he was smoking or standing around.”

Charlie ground his back molars. “Noted. Now what else did you need to talk to me about?”

She motioned for him to follow her to the corner of the yard where a new lumber delivery lay. He turned over in his mind how he could prove Cully had tampered with the panel. He was temporarily distracted by her perfect ass in her snug, faded jeans—the ass he’d been gripping in his hands when he’d fucked her against the bedroom wall last night. He hadn’t lasted long. A need he’d kept under control for the last year had burst its dam because of her, and that need had translated to insatiable hunger. Urgency. And man, he couldn’t get the episode out of his mind.

He was so lost in his lustful thoughts that he didn’t see Felix crouched beside the lumber pile. The guy jumped as they approached.

Focus, dumbass!When had Charlie ever let his dick pull him off course so easily? Okay, maybe when he was in high school, before he’d started the construction company, but he’d been a testosterone-ridden idiot back then with a vivid imagination and not much opportunity to act on it. That imagination had been revived by the willowy form in front of him, and now that it was combined with opportunity and a very adventurous partner … Yeah, he was verging on obsessed.

Felix bobbed his head repeatedly. “Yes, boss. I help?”

“Nah, Miss Joy is showing me something. Why don’t you get started on clean-up so we can button things up for the day?”

“Yes, boss, yes.” Felix’s eyes ricocheted between him and Joy, and little beads of sweat framed his forehead. Charlie gave him an encouraging chin lift, and Felix spun and jogged toward the back door.

Joy’s gaze trailed him. “He seems a little jumpy.”

“He knows I’m pissed about something, and he’s hoping it’s not because of somethinghedid. He needs this job. Bad.”

She pointed a sneakered toe at the pile of lumber they were about to break into for framing the new great room and kitchen space in the store’s apartment. The minute his eyes landed on it, he knew something was off.

“What the …? This isn’t what I ordered.”

“I was hoping you’d say that. Cully was telling me this is something called utility grade and that it’s inferior?”

Charlie crouched down to check a tag fluttering from where it was stapled to one end of a board. “Ineverorder this shit. I only get select structural.”

“He said you’re responsible for all the ordering, and that only you could swap inferior for superior wood.” Her expression gave nothing away.

He craned his head to look up at her. “I sure as hell hope you’re not accusing me of trying to pull a fast one.”

“I’m not, but …”

Oh hell. He did not like that “but.”

He popped to his feet. “But what, Joy? Spit it out. We’re equal partners here.” He threw her words right back at her.

“I’m not saying you did a switch.”

“Thank fuck that’s not what you’re saying.” His tone was pure sarcasm.

She shifted from foot to foot.

He crammed a hand on his hip and looked down at her. “Let me guess. You’re thinking how easy it would be for me to pull something like this behind your back, and if not for Cully, you’d be completely in the dark.”

“I didn’t say that,” she gritted out.

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