Sanctuary(85)

she wandered closer to the cottage, then looked up with a friendly smile. "Why, hello there, Nathan."

He'd brought his computer out on the picnic table on the porch to enjoy the breeze while he worked. The design he was tinkering with was nearly perfected. At the interruption, he looked up distractedly. And realized his neck had stiffened up again.

"Hello, Lexy." He rubbed at the ache.

"Don't tell me you're working on such a beautiful morning."

"just fiddling with final details."

"Why, is that one of those little computers? How in the world do you draw whole buildings on that?"

"Painstakingly."

she laughed and, cocking her head, skimmed a finger down her throat. "Oh, now I've interrupted you, and you probably wish I'd scoot."

"Not at all. It gives me an excuse to take a break."

"Really? Would you just hate me if I asked to come up and take a peek? Or are you temperamental and don't like to show your work in progress? "

"My work's just the beginning of progress, so it's tough to be temperamental about it. Sure, come on up."

He glanced at his watch as she turned to go to the steps. He really wanted a couple of hours more to refine the plans. And he had a date at one. A drive up to the north end of the island, a picnic lunch. And some more time to get to know Jo Ellen Hathaway.

Still, he smiled at Lexy-it was impossible not to. she was pretty as a picture, smelled fresher than the spring breeze teasing through the screens. And the short white skirt she wore hinted that she had legs approximately up to her ears.

"Want something cold?"

"Mmm, I'll just have a sip of yours, okay? " she picked up the large insulated glass on the table and sipped slowly. "Iced coffee. Perfect."

she detested iced coffee and had never understood why people chilled a perfectly nice hot drink.

she ran her tongue over her top lip and sat companionably beside him. Not too close. A woman didn't want to be obvious. she glanced at the monitor and was so surprised by the complex and detailed floor plan that she nearly forgot the point of the visit.

"Why, isn't that fantastic? How in the world do you do all that with a computer? I thought architects used pencils and slide rules and calculators."

"Not as much as we used to. CAD makes our lives easier. Computer-assisted drawing," he explained. "You can take out walls, change angles and pitch, widen doorways, lengthen rooms, then change your mind and put it all back the way it was. And you don't wear out erasers."

"It's just amazing. Is this going to be someone's house?"

"Eventually. A vacation home on the west coast of Mexico."

"A villa." Images of hot music, exotic flowers, and white-suited servants popped into her mind. "Bri's been to Mexico. I've never been anywhere." she slanted him a look under her lashes. "You've been all over the world, haven't you?"

"I wouldn't say all over, but here and there." A little alarm bell rang in his brain, but he ignored it as foolish and egocentric. "Wonderful cliffs on the west coast, great vistas. This place will look out over the Pacific."

"I've never seen the Pacific Ocean."

"It can be wild down this way. This area here"-he tapped the monitor-"It'll be the solarium. Arched glass, sides and roof-motorized roof. They'll be able to open it for parties or whatever when the weather's right. The pool goes there. We're keeping it free-form and building up the west side with native rock and flora. Small waterfall trickling down here. It'll look like a lagoon."

"A swimming pool, right inside the house." she gave a long, wistful sigh. "Isn't that something. They must be millionaires."

"And then some."

she filled her eyes with dreamy admiration and stared deeply into his. "You must be the very best, then. So important. So successful. Designing Mexican villas for millionaires." she laid her hand on his thigh. "I can't even imagine what it would be like, being able to build such beautiful things."

Uh-oh. The second alarm bell was louder and impossible to ignore. He considered himself a fairly intelligent man. An intelligent man knew when a woman was hitting on him. "A lot of people work on a project like this. Engineers, landscapers, contractors."

Wasn't he sweet? she thought, and slid a little closer. "But without you, they wouldn't have anything to work on. You're the one who makes it happen, Nathan."

Retreat was often the intelligent man's choice, Nathan decided. He shifted, managed to put the best part of an inch between them. "Not ifI don't get these plans done." He gave her a quick smile that he hoped wasn't as nervous as it felt. "And I'm running a bit behind on them, so-"