Trust by Design (Colorado Trust 2)

Liz sighed. “I wish.”

“So nothing planned with that guy you mentioned you were seeing?”

She shook her head and backed toward the kitchen. “No. In case you’re busy when I leave, have a good weekend.”

“Thanks. You, too.”

Gina hurried upstairs. A few minutes later, as she began pulling Dean’s clothes from the drawers, she didn’t allow herself to think about how intimate it felt to be handling his personal items. Like a wife would—

Oh, God, don’t even go there!

She finished emptying the drawers and carried them to the other room. Back in his bedroom, she found a box of condoms in his nightstand and was ridiculously pleased to discover it was unopened. She knew he could easily have just finished a box, but with the way the man worked, and the fact she and Liz were the only women she’d seen in the house since she’d started working for him, she highly doubted it.

The sound of the doorbell startled her, and she nearly dropped the box. Sheesh. She quickly tucked it out of sight and went down to direct the delivery.

Almost an hour later, all the new furniture was in place, including a slate-tiled table, leather couch, and recliner near the fireplace. The delivery guys had left with a nice tip, and Liz decided to head for home, too. That left Gina alone to grab the new sheets she’d asked his assistant to wash earlier, and carry them upstairs to make the king-sized bed.

As she walked into the room, her cell phone rang and she dumped the sheets on the mattress. A warm rush of heat spread through her when she saw Dean’s name on the ID.

“Hello.”

“Hey,” he greeted.

Just the one word stirred the butterflies in her stomach. She drew up one leg and half-sat on the edge of the bed. Then he was talking again, the low tone of his voice making dozens of wings flutter with excitement.

“We’re in the middle of a quick break, but I wanted to make sure you’re heading back to the ranch soon. I don’t want you out on the roads later.”

“I’m leaving by one,” she assured him, touched by his concern. “Liz left a few minutes ago.”

“Okay, good. Turns out I’ll be stuck into the afternoon, so I’m going to stay at Mike’s here in town. Can you arm the security system there when you leave?”

“Sure.” She hesitated, then added, “It would’ve been nice to see you today.”

“I know,” he agreed.

She could tell her admission made him smile even though he sounded as disappointed as she felt.

“So, what have you been working on?” he asked.

“You really want to know?”

He chuckled. “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t. What room are you in so I can picture it in my head.”

“Yours.” The weighted silence told her she had his complete attention, and being that he was safely in Boulder, she dared to be a little sassy. Payback for the past couple days. “I’m…sitting on your new bed right now. It’s very big.”

His indrawn breath reached across the line. “Damn, Gina, that’s not fair.”

“It’s also very comfortable.” She lowered her voice a notch. “Mmm. In fact, I might just lay down…stretch out…and…”

“And what?” The question was a rough demand.

“Take a nap.”

This time she was rewarded with a low groan, then he spoke in a velvet soft voice. “Gina?”

“Yes, Dean?” she asked, a bit breathless as her heart pounded in her chest.

“You’re going to pay for that.”