Read Online River Road (River's End Series, #4) by Leanne Davis - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Leanne Davis
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only white gauze, or so it seemed. Sexier than being naked. His body wanted badly to react to her, but he remained bent over, working hard at not reacting. He hefted up the boulder, a round river rock that was embedded in the sandy soil and tossed it off towards the bank, out of the way.
“Oh, good morning, AJ. I didn’t realize you were there. Hard at work again, I see.”
“Morning, ma’am,” he muttered by rote.
“Kate.” Her tone was insistent and quick to correct him.
He nodded, peeking at her face, then looking back down. “Right. Kate.”
“What is it you’re doing there?”
He’d worked around the cabins since they were built. Mowing, weeding, spreading gravel or fixing miscellaneous repairs or hardware. Never once did one guest say hello to him or ask him what he was doing. He’d give her that, she wasn’t snobby.
“Removing grass from the front and back. They’re landscaping this area.”
“They?” she asked skeptically. “Or do you mean you?” She sipped her coffee and leaned against the railing, her elbows and forearms flat while the coffee cup sat between them. At least, the cup covered the gap in her shirt that exposed her flesh. Her cleavage. Her elegant neck and the smooth, rounded white—
He shook his head, riveting his eyes on the dirt he was removing. “I suppose I mean me.”
She was just slightly above his head. Her gaze skimmed over the view. “I’ll give this place kudos; mornings this nice don’t often come to Seattle. Beautiful morning. Is it often this gorgeous?”
He paused to lean against his shovel. “Yeah. Most of the time. Fall is cooler, and in winter, there’s two feet of snow right here, but even then, the sun often shines.”
“You here all year then?”
“Winter? Yup.” The thrill of that knowledge hadn’t ceased to zing through him yet. A permanent address.
“Kate, where the hell is my shirt?”
AJ froze and his entire body paused. She wasn’t alone? Shock must have registered on his face. A man stood in the open back door, wearing black trousers, but no belt and no shirt. For a city guy, he had a pretty good build. AJ frowned, embarrassed that he hadn’t grasped the situation. He thought she was single. Not that it mattered one way or the other to him. He wasn’t even interested in her. No. No way. But he had assumed wrong.
“I’m wearing it, obviously. Don’t get your tighty-whities in a bunch,” Kate grumbled back, glancing toward AJ and rolling her eyes.
“Can I have it? I need to get back now. I have a meeting at three.”
“Well, I could return it to you now and possibly give AJ here a thrill, but why don’t you just cool your heels until I finish my coffee? I have to prepare the Langenton campaign anyway. And since it’s my company, and the meeting is on my behalf, if I make you late… who’s going to complain?”
“Kate…” The man’s voice trailed off in frustration. “You don’t always to have to remind me who’s boss, do you?”
“Actually, I do. It’s part of the pleasure I get from it.” She finally moved off the railing, crossing her arms under her breasts. AJ chose to face towards the river because he was getting too much of a thrill from staring at a woman wearing another man’s shirt. The same man who also got a thrill from her. Or at least, AJ had to assume that was so. AJ grabbed the squares of grass and started to walk away to stack them, if only to put more distance from her. “Because let me tell you, the insurance premiums I pay are the totally un-fun part of being the boss. Now, Greg… please let me finish my coffee in peace.”
AJ kept walking, but he heard their muttering before the back door slammed shut. He wondered what man would so easily leave a half-naked woman on the porch because she ordered him to? AJ would…
Do nothing . He’d do nothing, because she was a guest, and she had a boyfriend, and Jack said not to mingle with the guests, and because AJ couldn’t remember the last
“Oh, good morning, AJ. I didn’t realize you were there. Hard at work again, I see.”
“Morning, ma’am,” he muttered by rote.
“Kate.” Her tone was insistent and quick to correct him.
He nodded, peeking at her face, then looking back down. “Right. Kate.”
“What is it you’re doing there?”
He’d worked around the cabins since they were built. Mowing, weeding, spreading gravel or fixing miscellaneous repairs or hardware. Never once did one guest say hello to him or ask him what he was doing. He’d give her that, she wasn’t snobby.
“Removing grass from the front and back. They’re landscaping this area.”
“They?” she asked skeptically. “Or do you mean you?” She sipped her coffee and leaned against the railing, her elbows and forearms flat while the coffee cup sat between them. At least, the cup covered the gap in her shirt that exposed her flesh. Her cleavage. Her elegant neck and the smooth, rounded white—
He shook his head, riveting his eyes on the dirt he was removing. “I suppose I mean me.”
She was just slightly above his head. Her gaze skimmed over the view. “I’ll give this place kudos; mornings this nice don’t often come to Seattle. Beautiful morning. Is it often this gorgeous?”
He paused to lean against his shovel. “Yeah. Most of the time. Fall is cooler, and in winter, there’s two feet of snow right here, but even then, the sun often shines.”
“You here all year then?”
“Winter? Yup.” The thrill of that knowledge hadn’t ceased to zing through him yet. A permanent address.
“Kate, where the hell is my shirt?”
AJ froze and his entire body paused. She wasn’t alone? Shock must have registered on his face. A man stood in the open back door, wearing black trousers, but no belt and no shirt. For a city guy, he had a pretty good build. AJ frowned, embarrassed that he hadn’t grasped the situation. He thought she was single. Not that it mattered one way or the other to him. He wasn’t even interested in her. No. No way. But he had assumed wrong.
“I’m wearing it, obviously. Don’t get your tighty-whities in a bunch,” Kate grumbled back, glancing toward AJ and rolling her eyes.
“Can I have it? I need to get back now. I have a meeting at three.”
“Well, I could return it to you now and possibly give AJ here a thrill, but why don’t you just cool your heels until I finish my coffee? I have to prepare the Langenton campaign anyway. And since it’s my company, and the meeting is on my behalf, if I make you late… who’s going to complain?”
“Kate…” The man’s voice trailed off in frustration. “You don’t always to have to remind me who’s boss, do you?”
“Actually, I do. It’s part of the pleasure I get from it.” She finally moved off the railing, crossing her arms under her breasts. AJ chose to face towards the river because he was getting too much of a thrill from staring at a woman wearing another man’s shirt. The same man who also got a thrill from her. Or at least, AJ had to assume that was so. AJ grabbed the squares of grass and started to walk away to stack them, if only to put more distance from her. “Because let me tell you, the insurance premiums I pay are the totally un-fun part of being the boss. Now, Greg… please let me finish my coffee in peace.”
AJ kept walking, but he heard their muttering before the back door slammed shut. He wondered what man would so easily leave a half-naked woman on the porch because she ordered him to? AJ would…
Do nothing . He’d do nothing, because she was a guest, and she had a boyfriend, and Jack said not to mingle with the guests, and because AJ couldn’t remember the last
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