Night Heat (Forged of Steele 2)

He held her gaze. “What if I told you that I had nothing to do with it? Jim’s decision was as much a surprise to me as it was to you and your sister.”

Jocelyn considered his words. Leah hadn’t been surprised. Nor had she been concerned. To Leah’s way of thinking it had made perfect sense since she couldn’t imagine Jocelyn running the male-dominated company alone. And as for Leah’s share of the company, she had no problem with Jocelyn buying her out. She had other plans for her inheritance.

“Now that introductions have been made, can we all take a seat and get down to business?” Jason Kilgore said, halting any further conversation between Jocelyn and Bas. “I’m sure Mr. Steele would like to check into Sadie’s Bed and Breakfast in time to take advantage of whatever she’s fixed for lunch today. You know what a wonderful cook Sadie is, Jocelyn.”

If Jocelyn did know she wasn’t saying, Bas noted as he took his seat next to her in front of Jason Kilgore’s desk. Her mouth was set in a tight line and he could tell she wasn’t happy with his presence. Furious would probably be a better word.

He continued to study her, her cute perky nose and beautifully shaped mouth. He’d always been a sucker for a woman with sensuously curved lips. They were kissable lips, the kind that could easily mold to his.

“I was explaining to Jocelyn before you arrived just what your function will be for the next couple of months, Mr. Steele.” Jason Kilgore yanked Bas out of his reverie.

“And I was telling Jason that I thought Dad got you involved prematurely,” Jocelyn quickly interjected.

“Do you?” Bas asked, noting just how dark her irises were.

“Yes. Dad taught me everything I know growing up and then he sent me to college to get a degree as a structural engineer. It was always meant for me to run the company.”

“And you think I’m standing in the way of you doing that?”

“For a short while, yes, and as I said, it’s all for nothing. When it comes to construction work, I can handle things.”

A dimple appeared in the corner of Bas’s mouth. For some reason he couldn’t imagine her on a construction site, wearing a hard hat and jeans and wielding a hammer and saw while standing anywhere near a steel beam.

“And you find all this amusing, Bas?”

In a way he did, but he’d cut out his tongue before admitting it to her. There was no need to get her any more riled up than she already was. “No, Jocelyn, I don’t.”

“Good, then I hope you’ll hear me out. I think it will save us a lot of time if you do.”

Bas nodded. “All right. I’m interested in whatever you have to say.”

“So, Bas, I hope you can see why you being here, keeping an eye on things, won’t work.”

Bas’s lips curved into a smile. Although she had spent the last twenty minutes stating her case, trying to explain why his services weren’t needed, he didn’t see any such thing.

He glanced over at Jason Kilgore. The man had stopped fighting sleep—or boredom, whichever the case—and was leaning back in his chair and dozing quietly. Unlike Kilgore, Bas had given Jocelyn his full attention. It was hard to do otherwise.

First she had paced in front of him a few times, as if she’d needed to collect her thoughts. He, on the other hand, had needed to rein in his. The sunlight filtering through Kilgore’s window had hit her at an angle that made her dark skin look creamier, her hair shinier and her lips even more tempting.

The woman had legs that seemed endless and the skirt she was wearing was perfect to show them off. Each time she paced the room, her hem would swish around those legs, making him appreciate his twenty-twenty vision. He loved what that skirt was doing for her small waist and curvy hips. And he couldn’t help but notice the gracefulness of her walk. Her strides were a perfect display of good posture in motion and the fluid precision of a body that was faultlessly aligned.

“Bas, are you listening to what I’m saying?”

He heard the frustration in her voice and with a sigh he leaned back in his chair. “Yes, but it changes nothing. Your father asked me to return a favor. I owe Jim big-time and I believe in paying back any debts.”