Night Heat (Forged of Steele 2)

Jocelyn knew her father’s reasoning. Although twenty-six-year-old Reese had worked as the foreman for Mason Construction for years, everyone in town knew of Reese’s gift with his hands. It was legendary what he could do with a block of wood, and her father always thought he was wasting his talent building houses instead of making furniture.

“Well, all your questions about Steele will be answered shortly,” Jason said, breaking into Jocelyn’s thoughts. “He’s due to show up any minute.”

Jocelyn sneered. “And I can’t wait for the illustrious Sebastian Steele to arrive.”

Jason loosened his tie a little. He didn’t envy the man one bit.

“Mr. Kilgore is expecting you, Mr. Steele. Just go right on in,” Jason Kilgore’s secretary said in a friendly voice.

Bas returned the older woman’s smile. “Thanks.”

He opened the door and glanced first at the older man sitting behind the desk who stood when he entered. Then out of the corner of his eye he saw that someone else was in the room and his gaze automatically shifted.

It was a woman and she didn’t look too happy. She was definitely a beauty, with a mass of shoulder-length dark-brown curls that framed an oval honey-brown face with chocolate-brown eyes. Then there was the tantalizing fragrance of her perfume that was drifting across the room to him.

“Mr. Steele, I’m glad you made it. Welcome to Newton Grove,” Jason Kilgore was saying.

Bas switched his attention from the woman and back to the man. “Thank you.”

“So you’re Sebastian Steele?”

Bas turned and met the woman’s frown. “Yes, I’m Sebastian Steele,” he answered smoothly. “And who are you?” he asked, although he had an idea. He could see Jim’s likeness in her features, especially in the eyes. They were dark, sharp and assessing.

She crossed the room to stand directly in front of him, in full view, and he thought that she looked even better up close. She tipped her head, angled it back as if to get a real good look at his six-foot-three-inch form. And when she finally got around to answering his question, her voice was as cool as a day on top of the Smoky Mountains, and as unfriendly as a black bear encountering trespassers in his den.

“I’m Jocelyn Mason, and I want to know how you talked my father into leaving you a fourth of Mason Construction.”

Jocelyn felt a tightness in her throat and couldn’t help but stare at the man standing in front of her. No man should look this good, especially when he was someone she didn’t want to like. And that darn sexy cleft in his chin really wasn’t helping matters. Standing tall, he had thick brows that were slanted to perfection over dark-brown eyes that made you feel you were about to take a dive into a sea of scrumptious chocolate.

His cheeks were high with incredible dimples and his jaw was clearly defined in an angular shape. Then there was his hair—black, cut low and neatly trimmed around his head. And his lean masculine body had broad shoulders, the kind you would want to rest your head on.

Even with all those eye-catching qualities, there was just something captivating about him, something that showed signs of more than just a handsome face. His look—even the one studying her intently—had caught her off guard and she didn’t like the way her heart was pounding wildly against her ribs or the immediate attraction she felt toward him.

Jocelyn took a quick reality check to put that attraction out of her mind and brought her thoughts back to the business at hand—Mason Construction Company.

“Well, aren’t you going to answer, Mr. Steele?” she finally asked, her eyes narrowing fractionally. Inwardly she congratulated herself for getting the words past the tightness in her throat without choking on them.

He lifted a brow and said, “Yes, but first I must say that I’m very pleased to meet you, Jocelyn, and please call me Bas.” He extended his hand. The moment she placed hers in his he liked the feel of it. How could a woman who worked in construction have such soft hands?

She pulled her hand away. “Now that we’ve dispensed with formalities, will you answer my question. Why did my father leave you part of Mason Construction?”