voice, though she wasn’t sure if that didn’t make her more alarmed, albeit in a different way.
Logan was shifting boxes in her storeroom. Looking beyond him, she saw the connecting door he’d mentioned, open now to show the full shelves in his own storage area. He straightened. “Good evening.”
“Can I help you pilfer something? Perhaps a teddy and pair of stilettos in your size?” Her gaze coursed over his work shoes. “We might have a thirteen. I think the teddy’s more flexible, due to the thong style.”
He chuckled at that, but his brow creased as he gazed at the three tiers of shelves. “Alice let me keep things in here when I had overflow, because her inventory fits in a smaller space than mine. I was looking for a case of screws. I always tell Troy to put our stuff in this corner over here, but maybe Alice rearranged it. Or Troy forgot and I’ll have to make him drink motor oil to help him remember in the future.”
Her side of that connecting door had been locked, which meant he had a key to it. She wondered if she needed to set polite but firm new boundaries, but she’d wait until she was sure she wasn’t being pissy because of her first non-event of customers.
“I haven’t had a chance to go through all the dusty back corners yet, but I covered most of the rest of the stock.” She came to stand at his side, bending to look deeper into the lower shelf. “Wait, see behind the pink box? Is that it?”
He bent with her, laying a hand on her back as he did so, a casual gesture that nevertheless spread heat from the point of contact. When he smiled, that heat increased. “Yep, that’s it.” He pushed her gently aside to stretch his longer frame over the wide board, treating her to a view of denim straining over an excellent ass. His broad shoulders shifted as he pulled the box forward and ducked his head to come back out, the thick tail of his hair falling over his shoulder. “Good eye. So, are you done for the day? If you want, you can have that tour of the woodworking area now. I’ll even throw in a quick tour of the hardware store. Alice had a free pass to grab anything she needed whenever. You’re welcome to do the same.”
“Is this your version of a pick-up line? Come check out my wood shop?”
His easy smile kept that liquid heat curling around her vitals, but she noticed his brown eyes became more serious. Something dark and pleasurable lay behind that considering expression when he looked at her. She didn’t know what it was, but like earlier, her subconscious responded to it like metal to a magnet. Fish, hook, metal, magnet. Oh yeah. Being around him was going to be a metaphor grab bag.
“Would it work?” he asked.
“I’ve fallen for worse lines.”
The smile disappeared then. He curled his other hand around her elbow, bringing her with him as they moved out of her room and into his. “I’ll never use a line on you, Madison. I don’t believe in them.”
He put the box down in an empty space in his storeroom, and then took her hand in his, again simple and easy. “Troy will put those out when he gets here tomorrow morning.”
She noticed his shelves were piled much higher than hers, underscoring his need for overflow room. “Did you pay Alice a fee for use of her storage space?”
He sent her an amused look. “No, but I have a feeling her sister the accountant is going to change that.”
“Well, Alice tended to let people take advantage of her.”
He came to a full stop at that, dropping her hand. “Excuse me?”
Jesus, that was uncalled-for. Cursing her tongue and her temperament, she blew out a breath. “I’m really sorry. That was unbelievably rude.”
“Yeah, it was.” He paused a moment, then spoke in a mild tone some part of her recognized as anything but. It stabbed her conscience, making her want to squirm. “I get that you have trust issues with men, Madison. But until I specifically deserve it, I’d prefer you not lash out at me because of
Logan was shifting boxes in her storeroom. Looking beyond him, she saw the connecting door he’d mentioned, open now to show the full shelves in his own storage area. He straightened. “Good evening.”
“Can I help you pilfer something? Perhaps a teddy and pair of stilettos in your size?” Her gaze coursed over his work shoes. “We might have a thirteen. I think the teddy’s more flexible, due to the thong style.”
He chuckled at that, but his brow creased as he gazed at the three tiers of shelves. “Alice let me keep things in here when I had overflow, because her inventory fits in a smaller space than mine. I was looking for a case of screws. I always tell Troy to put our stuff in this corner over here, but maybe Alice rearranged it. Or Troy forgot and I’ll have to make him drink motor oil to help him remember in the future.”
Her side of that connecting door had been locked, which meant he had a key to it. She wondered if she needed to set polite but firm new boundaries, but she’d wait until she was sure she wasn’t being pissy because of her first non-event of customers.
“I haven’t had a chance to go through all the dusty back corners yet, but I covered most of the rest of the stock.” She came to stand at his side, bending to look deeper into the lower shelf. “Wait, see behind the pink box? Is that it?”
He bent with her, laying a hand on her back as he did so, a casual gesture that nevertheless spread heat from the point of contact. When he smiled, that heat increased. “Yep, that’s it.” He pushed her gently aside to stretch his longer frame over the wide board, treating her to a view of denim straining over an excellent ass. His broad shoulders shifted as he pulled the box forward and ducked his head to come back out, the thick tail of his hair falling over his shoulder. “Good eye. So, are you done for the day? If you want, you can have that tour of the woodworking area now. I’ll even throw in a quick tour of the hardware store. Alice had a free pass to grab anything she needed whenever. You’re welcome to do the same.”
“Is this your version of a pick-up line? Come check out my wood shop?”
His easy smile kept that liquid heat curling around her vitals, but she noticed his brown eyes became more serious. Something dark and pleasurable lay behind that considering expression when he looked at her. She didn’t know what it was, but like earlier, her subconscious responded to it like metal to a magnet. Fish, hook, metal, magnet. Oh yeah. Being around him was going to be a metaphor grab bag.
“Would it work?” he asked.
“I’ve fallen for worse lines.”
The smile disappeared then. He curled his other hand around her elbow, bringing her with him as they moved out of her room and into his. “I’ll never use a line on you, Madison. I don’t believe in them.”
He put the box down in an empty space in his storeroom, and then took her hand in his, again simple and easy. “Troy will put those out when he gets here tomorrow morning.”
She noticed his shelves were piled much higher than hers, underscoring his need for overflow room. “Did you pay Alice a fee for use of her storage space?”
He sent her an amused look. “No, but I have a feeling her sister the accountant is going to change that.”
“Well, Alice tended to let people take advantage of her.”
He came to a full stop at that, dropping her hand. “Excuse me?”
Jesus, that was uncalled-for. Cursing her tongue and her temperament, she blew out a breath. “I’m really sorry. That was unbelievably rude.”
“Yeah, it was.” He paused a moment, then spoke in a mild tone some part of her recognized as anything but. It stabbed her conscience, making her want to squirm. “I get that you have trust issues with men, Madison. But until I specifically deserve it, I’d prefer you not lash out at me because of
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