I shrug and then run a hand through my rain soaked hair. “I do little things in the evenings after work if I feel like it. But most of it I do on the weekends.”
She nods. “Ah, I see. So, what are you looking for then?” She steps forward and grabs a sample tile, a desert sand sort of color that would hide dirt well and actually brighten up the house a bit against the dark paint and hardwood floors I chose. “Something like this?”
I accept the tile as she hands it out to me and study it under the light, tilting it from side to side. I hate to say it, but Sydney found almost exactly what I had in mind. “Yeah, actually. This is right along the lines of what I was looking for.”
She smiles proudly, her face still slightly wet from the storm she got caught in. In that moment I realize she’s completely devoid of makeup and more stunning that I initially realized. Her natural beauty is shining through at the moment, especially because her smile seems genuine and lighthearted, which isn’t something I’ve experienced from her yet. Most of our interactions have been laced with annoyance and sarcasm.
I shake off those thoughts and lean forward, checking to see if there’s anything comparable to the tile I’m holding. I find another brand that’s slightly darker, but it’s more expensive. And since I’m splitting the cost with Andre, we’re going with the cheaper one.
“Hey, excuse me?” Sydney flags down one of the employees as they’re walking by. “Do you mind helping my friend here? He needs some tile.”
“Sydney …” I interrupt, but she continues without acknowledging me.
“He already knows what he wants. Can you just bag up as much as he needs please?” She turns to me with the cutest fucking grin on her face like she just saved the day, but all I want to do is laugh at her right now. She may have stepped into a Home Depot before, but obviously she doesn’t know things work.
The employee darts his eyes over to me and I barely shake my head, letting him know I have it handled. I’ve actually seen this guy around here numerous times and he knows I’m a regular.
“Why are you just standing there?” I can sense her starting to get frustrated, but Clyde just looks past her at me, nods his head, and starts to walk away. “What the heck?” She says with a raised voice, drawing attention to us. Before she can say another word, I grab hold of her forearm and pull her closer to me, our bodies bumping together slightly. And boy the friction ignites my need for her again.
“Sydney. I don’t need his help to get tile. All I have to do is go down that aisle there,” I point behind me, “and find the brand I want. The tiles come in boxes and I load them into the cart. No help needed.”
Her shoulders fall and her mouth drops open slightly, giving me a view of the pink of her tongue. I release my grip on her as she smooths down her hair, trying to act like she’s not embarrassed. “Oh. Okay then. Let’s get this done. I need to get to work.” She storms pass me and I fight desperately to hide the chuckle that’s rocking my body. Damn, that was funny.
Once I get what I need and pay, Sydney helps me load it into the cab of the truck since the bed is still sopping wet, and I head for the other side of town to her condo. She gives me directions, but other than that, we stay in silence during the drive.
When we approach her place, I get smacked in the face by the wrought iron gate and guard stationed in front. Like a knife to the gut, the difference in where we live is just another reason to remind me to squash this interest I’ve developed for her. We obviously live two very different lives and even though there’s a simmering physical connection, nothing good could come from the two of us crossing that line.
“Well, thanks for saving me and kidnapping me,” she teases as she turns to me in her seat.
“Just me being in the right place at the right time.” I shrug and then give her a tight-lipped smile.
“Oh my gosh! Did Javier Montes just smile at me?”
“Ha. No.” I direct my eyes away from her as I fight my lips from spreading wider, but I can hear her chuckling behind me.
“If you say so. See you tomorrow then, Javi. Enjoy laying your tile.” The innuendo in her words is easy to hear as I turn back to face her and watch her slide out of the truck with a smirk on her face. She gives me a small wave, slams the door shut and turns to walk through the gate, greeting the guard as she passes. The sway of her hips mesmerizes me for a moment, torturing me with the curves of a woman that clearly needs to be handled in a certain way. I just can’t be the man for the job.
“You need to move,” the guard says through the window, averting my attention from Sydney’s ass to his face.
“Oh, yeah. Sorry.” I shift the truck in drive and then pull back onto the road to return to my side of town—the only clear indication that the crazy thoughts bouncing around in my brain have failed to remember the boundaries drawn between our lives.
The good girl and the bad boy.
The innocent and the damaged.
The lawyer and the criminal.
Sometimes lines are clearly defined and there’s no changing them, no matter how badly you might want a taste of the other side.
Chapter 11
Sydney
Once I finally made it into the office after being held prisoner by Javier, our interaction got pushed to the wayside as reality set back in.
