He really should stick around Houston and prevent Emma from having uninterrupted access to her equipment and supplies at his condo.
“Set up the meeting,” Nathan said. “Let’s see what Lucas has to say.”
“Earth to Emma.”
Distantly she heard her name and blinked to redirect her focus from the necklace on the worktable. Nathan lounged in the doorway, his shoulder propped against the frame. Dressed in a navy suit, pale blue shirt and red tie, he looked every inch the powerful executive in his prime. Emma’s traitorous pulse lunged like a racehorse from the starting gate.
She’d been very careful to avoid him, keeping the hours she spent at the condo short to leave for Addison’s before he arrived home. At first she hadn’t wanted to run into him because she was still furious over the way he’d tricked her into moving out of her loft. Then, as her anger faded and the night she’d spent in his arms played repeatedly in her mind like a steamy foreign film, she’d steered clear of him out of a desire for sheer self-preservation.
She didn’t trust herself to be alone in the condo with him and not succumb to his sizzling kisses again. Just the thought of him and her and an empty condo got her hot and bothered. He needed to believe that she wasn’t going to fall for his winning charms and let him boss her around anymore.
Sifting through a pile of sapphires, she did her best to ignore the throb of awareness pulsing through her. If only he’d stop eyeing her as if she was a juicy apple he was dying to sink his teeth into. She almost groaned at her body’s sharp reaction to the notion of his mouth on any part of her.
With the back of her hand, she brushed her bangs off her face. “How long have you been standing there?”
“A couple of minutes. You certainly seem preoccupied by what you were doing.” He gestured with the long tube he carried.
“I have a lot to do and only ten days to get it done.” She held up a half-finished necklace for his inspection, pleased by how well her design looked in gold. The light clipped to the side of her worktable made the diamonds sparkle. “But I’m doing some of my best work ever.”
He cocked his head as he surveyed the necklace. “I’m glad to hear that.”
Her insides twisted into an uncomfortable knot. To her dismay, she realized that she’d expected his eyes to light up with pride at her accomplishments. She wanted him to appreciate her craft and to understand how important this show was to her, not just because she needed to restore the money to her account, but also because it would prove that she could take care of herself by doing something she was great at.
What an idiot she was. Bad enough that he whipped her into a sexual frenzy with his lazy smiles. She’d really be setting herself up for heartache if his opinion of her started to matter.
Nathan tapped a roll of blueprints out of the tube he was holding and spread them across her worktable, using pliers, the box that held her loose stones, and the necklace she’d shown him to weigh down the corners.
“I brought you some sketches for the remodel on your loft.”
She shook her head. Exhaustion dragged at her shoulders. “I don’t have the money or the time to think about remodeling my loft right now.”
“Let me do it.”
“No.” Emma bristled. He wanted to fix up her place to sell it. “Why won’t you listen to me?”
Instead of reacting negatively to her sharp tone, Nathan left the sketches and circled her worktable. He’d come within reach before she caught the intent in his eye. Back against the wall, surrounded by equipment, she had no place to flee. She held up her tweezers.
Ignoring her defensive stance, he spun her around on her stool. His hands settled on her shoulders, thumbs rolling deep pressure into her muscles. Rather than feeling sexual, his touch pleasured her on a whole different level. She groaned her appreciation and let her head drop forward.
“You should take some time off,” he told her, massaging his strong fingers down either side of her spine. “You’re working too hard.”
“I have to get ready for the show.”
“You’ll concentrate better if you’re not so tired.”
Did he know she wasn’t sleeping? Crashing on Addison’s couch wasn’t ideal. Between staying up late to sketch new designs and her best friend’s early-rising brood, she was
lucky to snag four hours of shut-eye. The first few nights it hadn’t been bad, but now, in the second week, she was feeling the effects of weariness. She’d messed up an important piece yesterday afternoon for that very reason, but she couldn’t stop, much less slow down.
“I’ll sleep when the show’s over,” she said, pulling away from his invigorating massage before he convinced her to take a break. His hands on her back made her long for him to apply that healing touch to other parts of her body, parts that were achy for reasons having nothing to do with jewelry-making. She fussed with the gems on her worktable. “Until then, I intend to work until I drop.”
“Take five minutes and look at what my architect came up with.”
Exhausted and awash with conflicting desires, she gave him a taste of her frustration. “What part of ‘I’m not going to sell my condo’ aren’t you getting?” she muttered crossly. “Did it ever occur to you that I don’t like being told what to do? You bullied me into moving out of my loft and now you tell me that you’re going to remodel it so I can sell it because we’re getting married. You’ve never once thought about what’s best for me.” Emma’s chest heaved as she drew breath for her next onslaught of temper. “Go away, Nathan, and take your plans with you.”
She indicated the ones he’d spread over the table, but really meant all his plans—the ones for her loft, the ones for her future and, most important, the ones for her heart. She moved the weights that held the floor plans flat and they curled up on themselves.
Emma returned to sorting sapphires, her hands shaking hard enough that she could barely pick up the pink gem she intended to place into the gold setting. Although Nathan was a difficult man to ignore, she put her heart and soul into it. He stood beside her for a long moment, impatience rolling off him, before he dropped a perfunctory kiss on the top of her head and walked out of the room.