She crossed her arms, which only served to highlight her spectacular rack.
“Yes,” she said, jutting her chin out. But she was putting up a brave front. She was really upset, and I found myself feeling bad about it.
“Look,” I started, not sure how to handle this. She’d battled the big guys and lost. And now she was here, on my first day, creating a scene. It was hard to stay mad at her, though, looking the way she did. “We have the permits. I am really sorry we’re disturbing you, but we have the right to be here.”
“How long is this going to go on? All this” —she waved her hand in the air— “hubbub?”
I almost smiled. No wonder the real estate developers had thought she was an old lady. They must have only dealt with her on paper without ever laying eyes on her. She lived alone in the woods and used words like ‘hubbub’ when she was yelling at you. It was damn cute.
But I didn’t much like the thought of her living out here all alone. Especially with the way my guys were looking at her. Not that any of my crew would mess with a woman, but I didn’t know all these guys. And she’d basically announced her location, stomping over here on foot like that.
She had no idea that she was the equivalent of a juicy steak, marching herself into a pack of hungry wolves.
I had a feeling Suzanna did not have a clue how many hard dicks there were at this exact moment with her name written all over them, mine included.
“This section should be completed within the year. The whole site, well . . .” I scratched my chin. “We’re on a five-year plan.”
Her jaw dropped. Literally dropped. Her chest started moving up and down really fast. I was drooling at the sight of those gorgeous tits bobbing when I realized she was hyperventilating. The woman looked like she might faint. I grabbed for her arm, holding her up when she swayed against me. Some girls might do that to be cute or flirtatious. But Suzanna was really on the verge of fainting. It wasn’t an act.
“I’m Mac. Come on, let’s sit down for a minute. We can talk.”
She stared at me distrustfully. I didn’t mention that she was still in my arms. I was enjoying the feel of her against me way too much.
It had been years since I’d held a woman. And I’d never even seen a woman who looked like her, let alone touched one. I wanted to savor it.
“Here?” She looked around. “There are people staring.”
She took a step back, and I let her go, holding my arm out to catch her if she faltered again. She crossed her arms over her chest protectively. I exhaled and asked her if she had walked here, even though I knew the answer.
“Yes. There’s a path… a deer path that comes through this way.”
I nodded. I’d seen it. I knew we were disrupting the wildlife around here. And apparently, the very pretty local inhabitants as well.
“I’ll walk you back,” I said, barely recognizing the gruff sound of my own voice. It wasn’t a question. I took her arm and waited.
She blinked at me and then nodded.
We walked in silence through the crowd. Drake was staring at me with a funny look on his face. As we passed, I growled at him, “Get everyone back to work.” The path disappeared into the woods and we followed it.
“You don’t have to hold me up. I’m fine.”
I ignored her. I wasn’t letting her fall on her ass. Even if she was mad at me, she was a lady, and that wasn’t happening on my watch. Her being beautiful only made touching her more enjoyable.
Yeah. Even her arm was sexy.
We climbed steadily for ten minutes before I saw a clearing at the top of the slope. A storybook cottage sat in the center, with raised flower beds and a rickety old greenhouse. Plants grew everywhere in a wild but somehow cohesive riot of color. It was the kind of place that shouldn’t even exist anymore. It didn’t seem real.
It was beautiful.
Just like her.
I realized I wanted to sketch. Everywhere I looked, there was a story, a moment of beauty. There was nothing kitschy, but she had some old garden trellises and moss-covered stone sculptures that added to the charm.
“It’s beautiful,” I breathed, barely noticing the startled glance she sent me.
Just then, the machines back onsite came back to life. I winced, making eye contact with her. It was loud. And if she worked from home all day, it was probably going to drive her bananas.
I felt like a big old jerk for calling her crazy. And I mentally wanted to punch the developers who had laughed at her behind their shark-like smiles.