It suddenly occurred to her he was waiting for a handshake. With little finesse, she thrust her arm forward and slipped her hand inside his. His huge palm practically swallowed hers up. As her flesh absorbed his heat, her libido roared to life in a way it never had before. Christ, she knew she had a healthy sexual appetite, but the sudden cravings for this man both frightened and excited her.
She schooled her features into polite interest while her hormones danced to the beat of that eighties AC/DC song “You Shook Me All Night Long”.
“I’m Lindsay,” she said.
He grinned and shot her a wolfish look. Assuring her, that with a huff and a puff he could blow her house down. Except it wasn’t a house Lindsay was interested in him blowing. Damn, this celibacy thing was definitely playing havoc with her body…and her mind. She needed to get her thoughts off sex and on to the conversation at hand.
“I’m Lindsay,” she repeated.
“I know,” he said. “Lindsay Bell.”
“How do you know my name?” Looking for a distraction, anything to get her mind off Mr. Sexy Pants, Lindsay grabbed the overstuffed chair and began to slide it toward the doorway. Damn, the thing was heavy.
“Pamina already introduced you.” His slow smile licked over her thighs and filled her mind with wild and wicked images.
Right! Damn. She was making a total ass of herself, which was something she never did. Christ, no man had ever had that effect on her before. She’d always maintained a cool, in-charge demeanor.
She strived for normalcy and tried not to stumble over her words. “And you are?” she asked, expecting his name to begin with big and end in wolf. Expecting? Okay, okay, maybe hoping was a better choice of words.
“I’m Brad Caldwell.”
Damn.
His gaze roamed over her and his deep, big-bad-wolf tone sent shivers skittering down her spine, making her suddenly wish she was draped in a red cape and covered in icing.
“Pamina asked me to stop by to chat with you.”
“Oh?” Lindsay turned to face Pamina, heavy chair forgotten.
Pamina waved one delicate hand through the air. “I thought Brad could take down that wall and open this room up for you.”
Lindsay glanced at the papered wall and considered that option. Not a bad idea. “That would certainly beat the hell out of peeling all that paper off.”
Face locked in concentration, Brad stepped up to the wall and ran his fingers over the aged paper. Lindsay’s stomach tightened and her knees weakened as she envisioned him running his hands over her body just like that.
Oh my!
Common sense dictated that she decline the offer and make do with the small room. Yeah, that’s exactly what she’d do. Decline Pamina’s suggestion to take down the wall and just make the best out of the cramped quarters. Because having him around for the next week or so would simply distract her and play havoc with her hormones. And since she’d sworn off men, it was a distraction she didn’t want or need. No way. No how.
Brad turned to face her. “So, what do you say, Lindsay? Would you like me to hang around and take down that wall for you?”
Hang around.
Take down the wall.
Strip her naked.
Have his wicked way with her.
With casual nonchalance, he rolled one broad shoulder. “I could even help you out with the bondage equipment, if you’d like.”
Help her out? As in try it out with her?
Hell yeah, she liked.
Brad picked up the overstuffed chair and with little effort moved it into the hallway. “You know, in case you need a strong arm to lift things.” His words said one thing but the heat in his eyes told an entirely different story. One that could easily get her into trouble with another bad boy. She quickly reminded herself why she’d sworn off sweet-talking playboys in the first place.
“So what do you say?” he asked again as her mind reeled.
Say no, say no.
“Yes.”
Damn!
Brad blew out a breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding. Sure he was relieved Lindsay had hired him. The extra funds would come in handy to help pay for his medical-school prep classes. But, he had to admit, there was one other big reason he was pleased he’d gotten the job.
And that reason was Lindsay Bell.
There was something about her. The minute their eyes met and locked, heat simmered between them. It was a heat unlike anything he’d experienced before. A heat that he was definitely interested in exploring further. He suspected she felt it too. In fact, the way her eyes devoured him with hunger, he was most certain of it.
Lindsay Bell, smart and beautiful, with her curvaceous body, sassy outfit, and desire to create a lovers BDSM room, had bad girl written all over her.
He knew her type all too well. She was the kind of girl who’d undoubtedly see him as someone she’d be interested in delving into a brief, no-strings affair with. He’d come to expect that from women.
He knew people were quick to judge him and dub him a go-nowhere kind of guy just because he worked as a handyman in the family business—a steady, respectable business that had been handed down in the Caldwell family from generation to generation. People really had no idea what went into running such a successful operation.
Even though Brad enjoyed the labor-intensive work, he’d always had a yearning to break away from the pack and do something different with his life. Unfortunately no one in his family, or in his community, had supported his dream to become a doctor. They all thought it was ridiculous really, and even the night classes and correspondence courses he’d taken over the years to get his science degree didn’t seem to sway their minds. The women he knew assumed because he swung a hammer, he was all brawn and no brains. They saw him as a great
