Night Heat (Forged of Steele 2)

“You don’t mind living this far from town alone?”

“Nope. I’m surrounded by so many people during the day that a secluded lifestyle pretty much suits me in the evenings and at night. Besides, Reese’s brother and his wife live on the other side of the lake.”

Bas didn’t relish the thought of her living up here alone. His cousin Vanessa had bought a house in a rural section of Charlotte and it was awhile before he or his brothers got used to the idea. They still took turns checking on her every so often.

“Come on inside. I’ll fix a pot of coffee and we can talk. I need to get clothes for the rest of the week anyway,” she said as she started up the walkway.

Watching her stride toward the door was giving him a generous view of some very serious curves in her jeans, just like he’d gotten last night. But this time those curves were in motion and he could only stand and appreciate the sway of her hips. The sight was definitely holding him captive and he couldn’t help but take the time to admire her. Not for the first time he thought that Jocelyn Mason was a very beautiful woman. Beautiful and tempting. And he quickly reminded himself that she was feisty. Too feisty for her own good…as well as for his.

Evidently noticing that he wasn’t following meekly behind her, she stopped and turned around. “You got a problem?”

He recalled that was the same question he had tossed out at her last night. “No, I don’t have a problem.”

She nodded and began walking again. It was only then that he decided to follow. At least she had left that damn screwdriver in the car. For some reason he believed that if she got mad enough, she was a woman who made good on her threats.

Inside, Bas noted that the house was spacious, allowing a view of most of the rooms from the foyer, including a massive eat-in kitchen.

All the ceilings were vaulted and in the living room a brick fireplace was flanked by built-in bookcases. The furnishings were elegant, traditional, with the leather sofa, love seat, wingback chair and table lamps strategically placed facing the window to get a good view of the mountains. Every item in the room seemed to have a place and the beautiful splashes of earth-tone colors blended well with everything else, including the two oil paintings on the wall.

The dignified furnishings in this house, he noted, reflected a side of Jocelyn he hadn’t seen a lot of yet—her prim and proper side. It showed a woman who had good taste and who liked beautiful things. Even the polished wood floors had character.

He reached out and traced a finger along a mahogany curio, noting the intricate detail and the fine craftsmanship. “Nice place and super-nice furniture,” Bas said, glancing beyond the foyer and living room to the dining room where the furnishings there was just as elegant, traditional, sturdy.

“Thanks. Reese built all the furniture,” Jocelyn said as she shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans and leaned back against the wet bar that separated the dining room from the kitchen.

Bas’s gaze shifted back to her, surprised. “He did?”

“Yes. He has a gift when it comes to using his hands on wood.”

That, Bas thought, was an understatement. The man was definitely gifted. No wonder Jim had left him a tidy sum to start up his own business. He was wasting his talent at Mason Construction.

“This place was really too big for what I had in mind but like I said, I didn’t want Reese to get rid of it,” Jocelyn said, reclaiming Bas’s attention.

The late-afternoon sunlight was shining through the huge kitchen window and the view of the lake from where they were standing was wonderful. But he thought the picture of Jocelyn standing in front of that window was even more so. She was a picture of refined elegance, just like her home.

“I can make us some coffee if—”

“No, I don’t want anything,” he said, interrupting what she was about to say. He thought it was safe to remember why they were there and not let other thoughts filter through his mind.

“I just want my question answered, Jocelyn. Why didn’t you tell me about your meeting with Cody?” he asked, deciding to get down to business.

Jocelyn sighed as she stared at him. “The reason I didn’t tell you was not because of some sinister plot on my part to keep you out of the loop about anything. I had honestly assumed you would accept my offer of a buy-out like Leah’s doing. Why wouldn’t I assume that? You and your brothers own a major corporation, the largest minority-owned one in North Carolina. You employ over a thousand people so I’m sure you’re busy most of the time. To be quite frank with you, I’m surprised you’re even here now. Not too many people would just up and drop everything and leave the running of a corporation even on a temporary basis to spend six to eight weeks supervising a construction company.”