He grunts.
“Can I see what you make?”
He pauses, then nods.
He rolls out from under the car and straightens. As he drags his shirt up to wipe the sweat from his brow, I get an unobstructed view of hard muscle and sculpted abs.
Desire hits me fast and sharp.
God.
How does someone just look like that? And how does he do it so casually, like it’s nothing?
I’m not usually the type to stare, but the way the sweat traces the bulge of his muscles as it rolls down his body…
My thoughts slip somewhere dangerous.
He’s already heading toward the shed, and it takes him glancing back and asking, “You coming?” to pull me out of it.
“Yeah,” I manage, jumping up and hurrying after him.
There are a few empty animal cages near the entrance, and he tells me he sometimes takes in injured wildlife. Apparently, the last one was a rabbit with a broken leg. The image ofhim carefully tending to something that small sends a strange warmth through me.
Inside, he shows me a room filled with carved furniture—solid, beautiful pieces that look like they belong in a high-end store.
“These are incredible,” I say, running my fingers over the smooth wood. The space smells like fresh sawdust and pine, my voice echoing softly in the large space. “You sell these?”
He nods.
“For a lot, I bet.”
A shrug. “I don’t need much.”
“Right. From selling the land.”
“Yes.”
“Your grandfather owned all this?”
“Yes. It was in my name.”
“Why sell to Reid? I’m guessing you had other offers.”
He considers that, then shrugs. “I liked him.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes.”
My pulse is still racing, the earlier thoughts refusing to settle. In the quiet of the space, with him this close, it’s hard to ignore what I want.
I move toward him slowly.
“Apart from the land and fixing things, do you do anything else here?”
He shakes his head.
I bite my lip, stepping closer, close enough to catch the scent of him—clean, warm, something wild beneath it.