Reckless In Love(4)

She could read the look in his too-sexy brown eyes; he thought she lived  in a dump. She knew she should renovate the old garage, but she  couldn't waste money on something that worked, even if it wasn't  perfect. "I know the garage doesn't look like much, but-"

"There's a barn on my property in the Hayward Hills that I've never  used. It'll work great as a workshop for you, especially if you decide  to construct something larger."

A part of her resisted the idea of leaving the studio she'd always  worked in. But she'd be stupid to turn down his offer for that reason.  "I'd like to check it out first," she said. "It's opposite the commute,  which is good. Although-" She looked over at her dusty old truck sitting  by the garage. "I'm not so sure about my truck holding out for too many  daily commutes." These days it was practically held together by rubber  bands.

"There's a guest bungalow on my property. You can stay there and avoid  driving back and forth." He paused before adding, "Unless you have a  husband or boyfriend who might object to my whisking you away."         

     



 

She'd had a few serious boyfriends. Serious, at least, until they'd  eventually come clean about expecting her to do "normal" things like  clean up the yard and throw out all the broken pieces of instruments and  gates and tools that she'd so carefully collected over the years. At  first a man might tell her she was a breath of fresh air. But in the  end, it turned out that none of them actually appreciated all the  mixed-up, jumbled pieces that made Charlie who she was any more than  they appreciated the mixed-up, jumbled pieces that would become her  sculptures.

"There's no one to object to a little whisking." She hoped he didn't  catch the slight edge to her voice. She was happy being alone, of  course. But sometimes it still stung a little bit to know that she  hadn't been enough just the way she was for any of the guys she'd been  serious with.

"Good." Sebastian was clearly pleased to hear that she was single.  Pleased enough that she had to wonder if the attraction she'd felt  between them was more than just a figment of her overactive imagination.  "Then the bungalow is yours to stay in and the RV barn is your studio."

Every need a girl had, he provided an answer for. He made her want to  throw caution to the winds, to just be reckless and say yes. Yes even to  the things he didn't say, but that she felt simmering between them as  they negotiated the details of the commission.

There was something about him. Not just his over-the-top good looks or  his self-possession and command, but the way her body reacted to his  nearness and her skin overheated-and not from the hot afternoon. He made  her heart beat faster and harder than usual. She'd never paid attention  to a man's smell, but Sebastian smelled incredible.

But as sorely tempted as she was by her reckless urges-and how badly she  needed his hundred grand-she'd never respect herself if she just fell  at his feet the way she guessed plenty of women already had. "How far  from your house is this guest bungalow and workspace?"

He held her a moment with those deliciously cocoa-brown eyes. "Down the hill. Maybe a quarter of a mile."

Okay, so the buildings weren't exactly next door. Still, she could never  take his money if it were tied to anything but her art. And there was  only one way to know for sure. She had to ask the hard question. "You're  not expecting anything from me other than a sculpture, are you?"

"I'm expecting nothing more than the unexpected." She appreciated the  way he tossed the Zanti Misfits back at her. "The commission is yours.  The house and the barn are there simply to make it easier for you. I'll  pay for all the materials you need as well. I want whatever it is you're  going to create for me and my building. Nothing else is expected." He  emphasized the word.

But anything can be given. She heard that loud and clear.

No question, this man had the charm to talk anyone into anything. He'd  just dealt her all the good cards. She'd be closer to her mom's nursing  home, at least until she could get her moved. She wouldn't have to fork  out for materials-not that the stuff she got from junkyards cost a lot  of money, but the tools were expensive-and she'd get to stay in a  bungalow where the plumbing probably worked a heck of a lot better than  hers. She'd have a huge workspace at her disposal. This commission could  open doors for her so that she could actually be an earning artist.

Yet there was more. So much more, considering that she could actually  feel the heat of his body and the touch of his eyes in the simmering  sensation that flowed between them. Wanting him had seemed natural from  the moment she'd seen him silhouetted in the sunlight outside her  garage. And, if she wanted him for the summer weeks that they were near  each other, something told her she could have some very sexy fun with  this gorgeous man too. Charlie didn't have weird hang-ups about sex, and  she definitely didn't have expectations anymore when it came to men  ever appreciating her idiosyncrasies in the long run. If it happened  with him, it happened.

She might decide to be reckless when it came to pleasure, but she'd make  sure to be careful about letting herself fall in love with the  beautiful man who had just changed her life.

Charlie folded the check and shoved it into the front pocket of her overalls, close to her heart. "You've got yourself a deal."





CHAPTER THREE


At eleven on the dot the next morning, Sebastian picked Charlie up in a  limousine that quickly became covered in the dust of her yard. Rather  than overalls and steel-toes, she'd chosen a pair of dark-wash, slim-fit  jeans, a peasant blouse, and sandals. She'd been pleased to find one  pair of jeans that didn't sport burn holes from stray sparks off her arc  welder.         

     



 

Sebastian seemed to approve of her outfit as she slid in beside him and  he said, "Good morning," in a deep voice that was enough to raise her  temperature several degrees, turning the air-conditioned interior of the  car positively sultry.

"Nice ride," she told him as she appreciated the soft leather with the  slide of her palm over the seat. The limo was over the top, true, but he  was a rich man and she could already tell that he did everything with  style. And clearly enjoyed every second of it. "Although you didn't have  a driver with you yesterday, did you?"

"I didn't want to split my attention between you and the road today."

Her breath caught at the simple way he'd just told her that she mattered  to him, both as an artist and as a woman. He always had just the right  words. The fact that it was also his job didn't make their impact any  less.

"You've probably been working all morning and didn't take the time to  eat. So I brought you brunch." He waved a hand over the spread he'd  provided. "Bagels, cream cheese, and lox." Sebastian tapped the coffee  carafe. "And this is a special Arabian coffee imported by a friend of  mine."

She didn't know which smelled better, him or the coffee. Both made her  mouth water. He looked seriously scrumptious in another suit. She wasn't  necessarily partial to the executive type, but Sebastian Montgomery was  rapidly changing her preferences on a lot of things.

"Sit back," he told her as he poured her a cup of coffee. "I'll serve you."

A blush crept into her cheeks as she was instantly hit with an explicit  image of him serving her breakfast in bed. He set her cup on the  console, then slathered cream cheese on half of a sliced bagel, topped  it with lox, and passed her the plate.

"You're too good to be true."

He fixed her with a gaze that was as sultry as she felt. "No. I am that good."

"And cocky about it too." She couldn't hold back her smile-couldn't see a reason to.

He laughed, and she felt the sound rumble through her. "So I've been told."

A certain amount of cockiness was probably good in his business. And the  truth was she didn't find it at all unattractive. Not on him, anyway.  Somehow, it only added to his charm.

She dumped a pile of sugar and cream into her cup, but he took his  coffee black and didn't make a bagel for himself. "Aren't you eating?"

"Like I said, I want to concentrate on you." When he sat back and asked  her, "Why welding?" the full force of his concentration felt like a warm  stroke of heat along her body. "From the research I've done, it's not  something a woman usually gets into."

He'd done research? Only on her profession? Or had he tried to find out  more about her too? "My dad was a welder by trade. I was an only kid and  he didn't have a son, so I was it." She'd loved that father-daughter  bonding in his workshop. "He was a patient teacher."

"I'm sure you are too." Sebastian caressed her with his gaze, moving  from her eyes to her cheeks to her lips, as if he were memorizing every  feature.