Page 36 of Trouble Me
He was going to have to double down his efforts to find a way to get this desire that was beginning to rule him out of his system. Shane had a contact list in his phone with several willing and able women who could help him satisfy his needs.
The thought of any of those women, women he’d slept with before, left him cold. He had no desire to contact any of them. There was only one woman who would truly work the need out of his system. But Shane couldn’t have her.
To make matters worse, his suspicions were confirmed. Emma’s house was indeed the property the brokers had found for KVN to buy. He had no idea how in the hell he was going to handle this when they moved forward with the acquisition. For now, he figured it best to not tell her any more than she needed to know. Emma would find out soon enough.
But it was risky. His heart had sunk when she’d told him of her plans for the place. How fucking ironic was it that the job he’d hired her for had put into motion a set of complications he hadn’t seen coming?
He ran a hand through his hair and leaned back in the chair, staring at the laptop screen in front of him as if it held all the answers. Lost in thought about a potentially dicey situation, the words on the screen blurred. Hell, now he was hearing alarms in his head.
It took a minute for it to penetrate his thoughts that the dinging sound he heard was the doorbell. And whoever was on the other side of it was insistent, judging by the continuous noise.
“I’m coming, I’m coming” he called out, winding his way through the living area and into the foyer.
Shane swung open the door to find the object of his desire standing on his front porch. And from the glare she was giving him, she was not happy.
Jesus, she was beautiful. He cleared his throat before he could speak. While the sparks in her eyes were awesome to watch, Shane also knew that he was probably the reason for said sparks. And not in a good way. How had he managed to get himself in trouble? He’d worked from home to stayoutof trouble.
“Emma. I didn’t expect to see you here.” He stepped back and opened the door further. “Please come in.”
She didn’t cross the threshold, just waved a piece of paper in his face. “What is this?”
He caught the paper from her hand before he ended up with a paper cut on the end of his nose. It was an invoice from Henderson’s Automotive. Impressive. They’d done a fair amount of work in a tight timeframe. He would have to keep that in mind.
Shane nodded and handed back the paper to Emma. “Looks to be an invoice of the work the repair shop did on your SUV.”
“An invoice with no pricing on it I might add,” Emma said tightly. She jutted out her chin. “I’m paying you back. How much was it?”
“Why? It needed work, Emma. It is a better vehicle for the area, but only if it’s reliable.”
“Shane—”
“Emma, I’m not going to talk about this with the door wide open. It’s cold. Come inside.” He realized his tone was a bit demanding, and tempered it with, “Please.”
She lifted her chin and straightened her spine. The movement pressed her breasts against the dark green fabric of the sweater she wore. When she walked past him, vanilla and citrus wafted to him. At that moment, Shane was grateful he’d left his shirt untucked earlier. His crotch was beginning to feel a bit tight.
When he turned to her after shutting the door, Emma walked farther into the house, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor, toward the open living area that included the dining area and kitchen. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Shane did his best to keep his eyes from watching her ass in the black form-fitting slacks. Combined with the heels, her legs looked a million miles long.
Son of a bitch. Being in close quarters with her was not a good idea. Time to find out what she needed and get her moving along.
“Nice place,” she murmured, running a hand over the granite countertop of the kitchen island. Turning to face him, she pinned him with a stare. “Shane, you really shouldn’t have done that with my car.”
He sighed, his patience fraying. “Look, Emma. Your car needed to be fixed, and I could help. KVN is a family and we like to help our employees. It really was just a friendly gesture. I expect nothing in return for it.”
“I could have handled it myself. I didn’t need you to pay for it.” Her mouth was set in a hard line. “I’m not helpless. I know how to make my own way.”
She wasn’t happy. Well, neither was he, truth be told. Frustration began to build in his blood. Frustration that he couldn’t have her. Frustration that while he wanted to run from her, he also wanted to be near her. His sanity held on by a thin thread.
Shane shoved both hands through his hair, growling. “I know that! Jesus, Emma. I was trying to be nice.” He held out his arms at his sides. “What’s the big fucking deal?”
“The big fucking deal is that I don’t need to be rescued. Now, how much do I owe you?” Emma crossed her arms over her chest, her voice low, each syllable moderated.
He dropped his arms, hands slapping his thighs. “I have no idea how much it cost. But don’t worry. I promise I won’t do anything nice for you again.” Shane couldn’t help it. His eyes went to her breasts that moved up and down with her slow measured breaths. Damn it all to hell, the woman was distracting.
Emma lifted her chin. “What is your problem with me?” she asked.
His brow furrowed. Where was she going with this? “What are you talking about? I don’t have a problem with you.”
“Bullshit.” She dropped the invoice to the counter and advanced on him, her eyes nearly glowing with anger. “I can’t tell from one time to the next how to act around you. One minute, we talk like normal people, you make jokes. The next, you shut down and dismiss me.”
