“We’re not in trouble,” she assured him. “Just talking about personal issues.”
“I can come back later if you want to continue your private talk.” He was giving her a half smile beneath his beard that was really quite appealing.
“No need. We can continue our talk any time. I’m glad you’re here.”
“It’s nice that someone thinks that, since every time your sister sees me, I swear she’s on the verge of shoving me out the door.”
Ria couldn’t help but laugh. “She doesn’t really mean it.”
“Oh yes, she does. But that’s okay. I’m used to not being to everyone’s taste.”
“Well, you’re to my taste, and I always appreciate your help. Here are the arrangements I need delivered today.”
RIA WAS IN A GOOD MOOD all day and even more so as she headed over to the Worth house that evening since she’d promised Jacob she’d come back over to help him finish painting the basement with waterproof paint after he’d worked on stopping all the leaks.
She wore a pair of old shorts and an oversized T-shirt since she didn’t want to get her nice clothes messed up. She’d pulled her hair into two braids and taken out her contacts and put on her glasses because the fumes irritated her eyes.
She wasn’t at her most attractive as she parked and walked to the front door. In fact, she didn’t look good at all.
And it was just as well. She was going to pretend she wasn’t attracted to Jacob until the inconvenient lust just went away.
Martha let her in and told her Jacob was already working in the basement, so Ria headed downstairs.
“Hey there,” she called as she descended, figuring it was best to give warning after the debacle that had occurred when she’d surprised him in the basement a couple of weeks ago. “I’m here.”
“Come on down!” Jacob was dressed in his work trousers and a white T-shirt with spatters of paint all over it. He was bent over, dipping his roller in a paint tray, so the first thing she saw was his ass.
His very fine, very firm, very tight ass. Molded by the thin fabric of his trousers.
Ria experienced an immediate and ridiculously intense wave of lust as she gaped at him.
“Everything okay?” he asked, straightening up and looking at her behind him, paint dripping from his roller.
“Yes. Of course.” She remembered her plan. Fake it. Keep faking it. Until one day she would finally make it. “I’m here to work.”
“Thanks for coming. Grab a roller. I’d love to get this finished today if we can. It’s nice of you to help.” He smiled at her endearingly.
Her heart did a silly gallop, but she ignored it.
They worked for about an hour or two, chatting in a friendly, casual manner and occasionally falling into companionable silence. The work helped. She could focus on her painting. She didn’t have to keep noticing the breadth of Jacob’s shoulders. The thickness of his thighs. The size of his hands. The masculine line of his jaw. The dark bristles on his jaw and neck.
She didn’t have to notice any of that. In fact, she wasn’t noticing it at all.
She was focusing so intently on not noticing things about Jacob she shouldn’t notice that she was surprised when she turned to scan the basement and realized they were almost done with the walls. There was only one corner left unpainted. Jacob wanted to paint the floor too, but he had to wait until he got rid of some of the junk.
“We’re doing good,” she said, coming over to the unfinished corner so she could help him with it.
“Yep.” He wiped some perspiration from his face with his forearm, ending up with a small smear of paint on his temple.
It did nothing to dampen her attraction. She wanted him even more now that he looked all hot and sweaty and carnal.
It was ridiculous. She wasn’t used to feeling this way. Her body was usually quite nicely under control. And now it kept urging her to rub up against Jacob and feel all his firm muscles and hard lines and hot flesh.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, peering at her with both curiosity and concern.
She gave him the bright smile that helped her pretend she wasn’t currently overwhelmed with the need to touch him. “Nothing. Just pleased with our progress.”
He didn’t appear to believe her, but he didn’t argue. They worked in silence for fifteen more minutes until the last of the bare walls were painted.
Then they admired their handiwork. It was never going to be an attractive basement, but the gray paint helped a lot to unify the uneven walls and cover the water stains.
Ria bent over to put down her roller and grabbed a rag to wipe her hands with. When she straightened up, Jacob was standing right beside her. Less than two inches away.
She really didn’t need that. “What?” she demanded.
“Tell me what’s going on,” he said, a gruff authority to his tone that really turned her on.
“Nothing’s going on.”
“Are you mad at me?”
“Why would I be mad at you?”
“I don’t know. I thought we were doing good. But today it’s like you’re mad or something and pretending not to be. How many of those fake smiles are you going to give me until you just tell me what’s wrong?”
She gaped at him. “You think I’m mad?”
“I don’t know. If you’re not mad, why are you faking it?” He looked grumpy, but not in a mean way. In a gruff, confused way.
“I’m not faking it.”
“Yes, you are. You think I can’t see it? Tell me what the hell is wrong so I can fix it.”
She was getting annoyed now too. There was no reason for him to be quite so bossy. “I don’t have to do everything you say. If I want to fake it, then I can.”
“But what are you faking? Have I done something? Do you not like me anymore?” For just a moment he sounded genuinely
