Worth the Trouble(33)

“It’s not what I expected.” I want you so much.

“How so?” Cat crossed her arms as if preparing to be insulted. He could be misreading her, but he didn’t think so. The contrast between her invincible persona and her peculiar moments of self-doubt intrigued him.

“Well, based on what little I know of you—your clothes, your ‘image’—I expected something more colorful, maybe even a little wild.” He noticed her frown. “I like this much better. It’s peaceful. A sanctuary, I guess.”

This time her crimson lips broke open to reveal her perfect smile. Making her smile that broadly satisfied him beyond belief. “It is a sanctuary. This is where I relax.”

“I’m glad.” He shoved his hands in his pockets to keep himself from reaching for her. Her spellbinding gaze rendered him speechless. When his chest tightened a little, he had to cough so he could speak. “How about you show me the closet?”

She groaned and pointed to the set of bifold doors. “Stand back,” she warned before opening them.

Good God, her stuff consumed every square inch of space. Miraculously, nothing tumbled onto their heads. Hank clamped his hand across his mouth to keep from laughing. Once he collected himself, he studied the closet, then turned to mull over the wall with the single window.

“I know.” Cat slumped her shoulders. “It’s hopeless.”

“Not if you’re willing to give up the floor space running along this wall.” Hank pointed at the window.

“What do you mean?”

“Well, you could build two armoire-style built-in units on either side of the window, and even put a storage drawer beneath the window.”

“Hmmm . . .” She crossed the room to stand next to him and stare at the wall, trying to picture what he’d described.

Her perfume instantly danced across his nerves like fingers on a fret board, making his body resonate like guitar strings. Feeding his insatiable hunger for her. He needed to get out of her apartment soon or he might forget about why she was all wrong for him.

“But that would look generic.” She turned to him, the scheming look back in her eyes. “I love what you made for Vivi. Could what you’re describing be handcrafted as a single piece of furniture?”

“Possibly.” He intentionally placed distance between them to escape temptation. Refocusing on the task at hand, he eyed the length of the wall, which he guessed to be roughly fourteen feet long. “It’d be massive, though, and you couldn’t take it elsewhere unless your new place had this same wall configuration and measurements.”

He noticed her dark brown eyes narrow in thought, so he continued with his description. “Either way, you’d have lots of extra hanging or shelf space, and the bench seat could house shoe shelves or drawers. It would also free up the old closet for your out-of-season stuff, especially if you install an organization system.”

“That’s true!” Her hand gripped his forearm, immediately heightening his awareness of her again. She looked around the room as if trying to envision what he’d described, utterly unaware of the effect of her touch on his skin. Wide-eyed and smiling, she asked, “Could you really build it for me?”

No way.

“Cat, I can’t do this work for you.” Even if he wanted to—and parts of him sure did—he didn’t have the time. “I thought you needed help with ideas.”

“But this could be perfect for both of us.” She released his arm, leaving him stripped of her touch. “Once it’s finished, I could show it off, introduce you to wealthy friends. To the world! We could turn this hobby of yours into a career.”

He didn’t want to think about how she’d homed in on his dreams, because he couldn’t afford to start a risky new venture at this point in his life. Not while his family still depended on him and his income, and definitely not with a woman who’d proven so fickle since they’d first met.

He forced himself to shake his head. “Can’t.”

“Why not?”

“For starters, I’ve got a full-time job with Jackson. Secondly, you live an hour’s drive from me in good traffic conditions. I need to stick closer to home.” He withheld the details of his mother’s health to avoid seeing pity reflected in her eyes.

“Jackson would give you time off if I asked him.”

“Don’t be so sure about that, Cat. We’re seriously short-staffed now, and he’s made promises we can’t possibly keep. He needs me on-site unless he plans to irritate his clients. Besides, I’m getting lots of overtime working for him. I need the extra money.”