tell her that.” Jake laughed again and pushed away from the truck. “I’ll have to meet this Olivia,” he said as they walked back toward the work site.
“Just two ships, man. Two ships.”
“If you say so.” He clapped Connor on the back.
To think that it could be more than temporary was a big mistake. It always was. Dina, Mya, Lynn, Sybil... The list was long and diverse. A different woman for a different city, a different job. It simply went with the territory. Then once they found out who he was, who his family was, the speed of “love” went from zero to one hundred in the blink of an eye.
He almost resented his family name and legacy at times, which only fueled the bad blood between him and his father. So rather than fight what had become the inevitable spiral of his relationships, he kept them brief and emotion-free. Many women thought it was arrogance or privilege that wafted around him like a protective shield. In truth it was self-preservation. When he decided that he was ready to open himself up to the possibility of something real, the woman had to be damned spectacular.
Then along had come Adrienne... He shook the memory away. His thoughts drifted to Olivia Gray.
“What are you grinning about?”
Connor blinked and Jake came into focus. He clapped Jake on the back. “Nothing, man. Let’s get to work.”
Connor soon became immersed in his work and the images and stirring thoughts of Olivia drifted into the backdrop of his day. The team had been working steadily, hauling away debris and shoring up weak foundations, when the roofers finally arrived.
“And not a minute too soon,” Jake said, glancing skyward.
Overstuffed clouds lumbered along the skyline and shifted their appearance from dull white to dove gray. Beyond the crest of the horizon a line of ominous darkness pushed across the water and above the trees.
“Tell the guys to pack it up. Let the roofers do their thing. I’ll stay and make sure that we don’t get a washout,” Connor said.
“My sentiments exactly.” Jake turned to go round up the men.
Connor rolled up the blueprints, but his attention was drawn toward the sound of another car coming their way. He lifted his work goggles from his eyes. The auto summiting the rise came into view. He’d expected that it would be the roofers, but clearly, the Range Rover was not carrying the crew.
The car came to a stop and the driver shut the engine.
“Probably another tourist,” Jake said. “I’ll get rid of them.” He started toward the car. Connor stopped him with a firm grip on his forearm.
Olivia stepped out of the car and gazed around before spotting Connor.
“You go ahead. I’ll take care of it.” He shoved his goggles into his shirt pocket, took off his work gloves and began walking toward Olivia.
As he drew closer he realized that his pulse was racing. He was in excellent physical shape and the short walk up the incline should have had no bearing on his heart rate.
“Hey,” he said, stopping in front of her. “What are you doing here?”
“Hi. We were so busy talking around our current projects I never made the connection that we could possibly be working on the same job.”
Connor frowned in bemusement. “Same job?” He angled his head to the side.
Olivia dug in her carryall and pulled out a sheaf of documents. “Unless there’s another Dayton Village, I’m in the right place.” She flipped through a couple pages and then showed him the paperwork detailing her assignment.
“You’re definitely in the right place.” He handed her back the documents. “I’m just the lowly rehab guy. Why would anyone bother to tell me? You’re the doc.”
Olivia inwardly flinched at the jab. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He flipped her a half grin. “Nothing at all. We were getting ready to wrap up. Storm’s coming.”
Olivia glanced skyward as if she had to confirm what he said for herself.
“Hey, boss,” Jake said, coming up alongside Connor. “We’re done. The roofers can take it from here.” He eyed Olivia.
“Thanks.” He lifted his chin in her direction. “Jake, this is Dr. Olivia Gray.”
Jake’s eyes momentarily widened, but he held his tongue. He extended his hand. “Nice to meet you, Dr. Gray.”
“You, too,” she murmured.
“We’ll be seeing much more of Dr. Gray. Apparently she’s been assigned to research the site.” He shoved his hands into his pants pockets.
A bang of thunder boomed in the heavens, punctuating Connor’s comment.
“Oh. Well, if you have any questions...” Jake let the comment hang in the charged air. “I’m going to head out, boss. See you in the a.m.”
“Yeah. Tomorrow.”
Jake walked away and headed for his car.
The sky grew ominously dark.
Connor faced Olivia just as the first plop of rain fell. “I’m going to wait for the roofers to finish,” he said dismissively.
“You want to tell me what bug got up your ass?” she retorted.
Connor was so stunned that he almost laughed. He never would have thought that Olivia Gray would drop the lady decorum and show this side of herself. She had a spicy tongue. Although he really shouldn’t be surprised. He’d felt it last night. Tasted it. Behind the cultured talk and proper attitude was a woman on simmer, right below the surface. The instant he’d kissed her, he’d known.
Connor flexed his hard jaw. “Bug up my ass? Hmm.” He snorted a laugh. “Let’s say that I don’t like surprises and you...were a surprise.” The last woman who’d been on one of his reno sites had tried to turn his project into her own personal HGTV reality show when she’d shown up on-site with a camera crew. He’d nearly lost his own crew in that fiasco, along with his credibility—since he’d been sleeping with her.
Olivia drew in a breath and slowly exhaled. “I’m as surprised as you are. I had no idea this was the rehab project you were working on.” Her eyes cinched at the corner. “Do you think I was trying to undermine you in some way...because of last night? Some kind of dumb setup?”
She’d read him like an open book. “The thought briefly ran through my head.”
“You have got to be kidding,” she said, enunciating every word.
His right brow flicked but he didn’t respond.
“Let’s get one thing straight, Mr. Lawson. I’m a professional. I don’t need to wheedle my way into any situation to get what I want. And I certainly don’t need the all clear from you to do my job.”
The
