Good Lord, talk about logical reasoning at its worst.
Needing to keep her mind off sex before she jumped up, threw herself at him and begged him for some hot loving, she abandoned her thoughts and decided to engage him in conversation. They’d been making idle chitchat for days now but being the nosey…er…inquisitive woman that she was, she wanted to know more about the real Brad Caldwell. Who was he and what made him tick?
She worked to keep her tone light. No need to let him know she’d been sitting there drooling over him all morning. Then again, the saliva pooling at the corners of her mouth was likely a dead giveaway.
Lindsay wiped her mouth. “Need any help?”
“Nope, I’m getting there,” he said. “And then you can start your painting.”
She crinkled her nose, admiring the job. “It’s looking good so far.” When he tossed her a smile she asked, “So tell me, Brad. How did you become a handyman?”
He dropped a piece of plaster onto the growing pile and angled his body to face her. “Family business. My father taught me everything I know. I had a hammer in my hand even before I could walk.”
Hmmm, that must be how he got all those scrumptious muscles.
He gave a soft chuckle. “Apparently bang bang were my first words,” he added, mimicking the actions of a hammer hitting a nail. “Or so my mother says.”
She grinned, loving his playful tone and easy demeanor. As she pictured Brad as a toddler, lugging a hammer around everywhere he went, it occurred to her how easy he was to be with these last few days and how easy he was to talk to.
Lindsay leaned back against the wall and glanced at his work. “The men I attract wouldn’t know a hard day’s work if it jumped up and bit them on their asses.”
Brad laughed out loud, which, for some strange reason, pleased her immensely.
Lindsay tossed her notepad aside, pulled her knees to her chest and hugged her legs. “I think it’s great that you’re a handyman.”
He shot her a skeptical glance. “Really?”
“Yeah, there is nothing wrong with hard labor. My father is a plumber. When I was a kid, I went with him on a few calls. Now that’s a labor-intensive job too.” She got quiet for a moment as she thought about her father. She really needed to spend more time with him. “I think you two would really hit it off.” She lowered her voice to mimic her father’s deep, raspy tone. “As he would always say, ‘a hard day’s work never killed anyone and there is nothing wrong with a respectable blue-collar job’.” The sudden image of introducing Brad to her parents rushed through her mind. Whoa…where the heck had that thought come from?
With the back of his hand, Brad brushed dust from his forehead. “Most women I attract don’t see my job that way.”
She slanted her head and stretched out her legs. “Well I’m not most women.”
He nodded, arched one brow and stared at her for a long moment. “I guess not.”
Something about the way he was looking at her had her thinking of naked bodies, exploring hands and sexy bedroom noises. Lust settled deep between her legs and it was all she could do not to quiver.
He turned the questions on to her and she was thankful for the reprieve. “How did you get into interior decoration?”
Just then Abra came sauntering back into the room and eased himself onto her lap. Without conscious thought, she stroked his soft fur. “I always loved to decorate or, as my parents put it, destroy my bedroom and then put it back together at least once a week. Candace and Anna were my accomplices. When we finished my room, we’d do theirs. So it was only natural that the three of us would go into business together.”
When Brad grinned, her insides turned to mush.
With a nod of his head, he gestured toward her lap. “It looks like you made a new friend.”
Rolling her shoulders, she continued to stroke Abra’s fur. “And to think I don’t even like cats, let alone want one cuddling up with me. Obviously Abra doesn’t care about what I want.” She shook her head and under her breath said, “Typical male.”
Brad gave her an odd look. “You can always put him out of the room.”
“Nah, he’s not really bothering me. He’s just looking for a little loving.”
Something in Brad’s eyes softened. He cocked his head and gave her a warm smile. He dropped his tools and sat down next to her on the floor, the proximity creating an instant intimacy. For the second time Lindsay felt all gooey inside, like a warm chocolate-chip cookie straight out of the oven.
“Well he sure seems to like you,” Brad said, his voice whispery soft. Abra, being the ornery cat that he was, turned away from him, and snuggled tighter into Lindsay’s lap.
“Lucky me. It must be my charm,” she said easily, waving her hand through the air.
Brad pitched his voice low, his eyes darkened. The air around them charged with sexual energy. “I guess you have that effect on all males, Lindsay. Feline or human.” His gaze brushed over her face, his blatant flirting and bold, uncensored words letting her know that he too felt a strong pull toward her.
Oh boy!
A burst of sexual awareness arced between them and set her loins on fire. She fought the urge to squirm—right onto his lap. The provocative mental image of straddling him sent heat spiraling onward and upward through her body. Liquid desire pooled between her thighs. She pulled in a fortifying breath and tried to remind
