Read Online Flirting with Disaster by Sherryl Woods - Free Book Online Page A

had on him was downright dangerous.
    She was a picture of pure femininity, he thought, but he doubted she’d planned it that way. In fact, it was clear she’d set out to prove just the opposite in her blue chambray work shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the tails knotted at her tiny waist. Her jeans were well worn and her shoes were dotted with paint spatters. She’d pulled her long hair up into some sort of knot and secured it to the top of her head.
    But none of that took away from her flushed cheeks, shiny lips or the very feminine curls that had escaped to brush the delicate nape of her neck. Some women were simply born sexy, and Maggie was one of them. She could have worn a burlap sack and she’d still have set his pulse racing.
    Didn’t matter, he told himself sternly. After what Cord and Caleb had told him about her determination, he knew he couldn’t afford to lose focus around her, not for a second.
    â€œI thought you wanted to talk,” he said, aware that her gaze seemed to be locked on his chest. On another occasion he might have considered her expression flattering or interpreted it as an invitation to something more interesting than conversation.
    Her head snapped up and the flush in her cheeks deepened.
    â€œI don’t like you, Mr. Parker.”
    Josh bit back a grin. “You’re breaking my heart.”
    Undaunted, she went on. “But that’s beside the point. I came here to help and you’re wasting my skills.”
    â€œReally? I thought lunch was fairly good.”
    She immediately rose to the bait. “Fairly good? Have you ever had anything better on a construction site?”
    He shrugged. “Maybe not. Those little fruit things were a nice touch. What do you call that?”
    She rolled her eyes. “Garnish. Do you really care about that?”
    â€œNot especially, but you seem to be fishing for compliments on your cooking.”
    â€œI was not fishing for compliments,” she snapped. “Anybody can make sandwiches and slice up some fruit. I was trying to have a serious discussion about how you should be using me.”
    â€œWell, now that you mention it,” he began, giving her a slow once-over, “a few ideas have crossed my mind on that score. But just so we don’t get our wires crossed, what exactly are you offering, Miss Maggie?”
    The fire in her eyes flared into a full-fledged inferno. “I’m offering to help you frame this house, you idiot, but you are sorely testing my patience.”
    Josh looked into all that heat in her eyes and absorbed the scathing note in her voice and concluded he might have made the tiniest miscalculation about Maggie. “You’re serious? You actually want to get your hands dirty?”
    â€œYes, I’m serious.”
    â€œYou’ve worked construction?”
    â€œNot the way you mean,” she admitted. “I’ve never built a house before, but I have renovated an entire building.”
    His gaze narrowed. “Meaning slapping a few coats of paint on the walls?”
    She gave him a scathing look. “Meaning tearing out plaster and replacing it with drywall, reinstalling crown molding and matching up baseboards, installing track lighting, switching out electrical boxes and, yes, painting the whole damn thing when I was done.”
    He didn’t even try to hide his skepticism. Maybe she’d supervised a professional crew but done the work herself? Not a chance. “Really?”
    â€œHave you ever been in Images?”
    Josh stared at her blankly.
    â€œOf course not. It’s an art and antiques gallery. What was I thinking?” she said sarcastically. “At any rate, it’s mine. The building was a disaster when I bought it. I did all the renovations. Did a damn good job of them, too. Ask Cord, if you don’t believe me.”
    He regarded her with disbelief. “You did the work