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Olivia’s heart tumbled in her chest. “Really,” she said casually.
“Yep. So you must have produced a spark. Anyway, I’ve got to run.”
“Sure, go, go. I wanted to drop in at the spa and see if there were any openings for a quick massage.”
Desiree gave her a knowing look. “Oh, you mean with Connor’s cousin Layla.”
“They’re cousins?” she asked with feigned surprise.
Desiree chuckled. “I’m sure Layla would be happy to tell you anything you wanted to know about her bachelor cousin, except that she and Maurice are in New York for the next two weeks working on Maurice’s foundation for wounded soldiers. That’s why they weren’t at the party last night.”
Olivia’s shoulders drooped.
“But if you can’t wait to find out on your own, Melanie Harte knows all. And she would love to think that once again she was involved in a love connection.” Desiree grinned and patted Olivia’s arm.
“Thanks. I think I’ll wait.”
“Good move. Anyway, gotta go. See you soon. Okay?”
“Sure thing. And thanks.”
Desiree hurried away and Olivia returned to where she’d parked her car. So much for that brilliant idea. But it was just as well. She didn’t want to come across as one of “those women” that did recon work on a man. That wasn’t her style. Mostly, she had a short list of criteria for the attributes of the men she allowed in her life: good looks and intelligence, and not looking for or expecting a commitment. So far, Connor Lawson fit the bill to a T, not to mention that they both had plenty in common from their chosen fields of work. She slid behind the wheel of her car and turned the key. In truth, what else did she need to know? Whatever might happen between them would last only as long as her assignment anyway. It was best that her knowledge remained superficial. The less you knew, the less you could be drawn into the life and wants and dreams and desires of someone else. She didn’t need that, didn’t want it and couldn’t give it. She reserved those energies for her work and that was it.
* * *
Connor had been up before sunrise. Since moving to Sag Harbor he’d become addicted to rising before daybreak and running along the beach until the sun fully crested the horizon. The sensation of one man being that in tune with nature was indescribable. It gave him a rush that was close to orgasmic. It was his time. His alone time when he cleansed his head and his spirit.
But while he was running, for the first time, he wanted to share the experience with someone, and Olivia flashed in his head. He didn’t know why, but he felt deep in his gut that she would appreciate the experience as much as he did, without him having to explain.
Most of the night he’d thought about Olivia, reimagined what she’d felt like when he’d touched her, what she’d tasted like when he’d kissed her. It wasn’t often that a single encounter with an attractive woman kept him in a state of randy heat. It was ridiculous how many times he’d had to think of trucks instead of the hot spot between her legs. And if he didn’t get his head in the game, he would waste an entire morning musing on “what if.”
Today, he and his small crew were working on what had once been the main house in the small settlement. According to documents, the home was the first one built and was the largest, so that it could accommodate the new settlers until they were able to build places of their own.
Connor got out of his truck and trotted down the small incline to where the workers were gathered to talk about the day’s assignment. Jake Thornton was his foreman and closest thing to a best friend. He was explaining to the crew what Connor wanted accomplished when Connor joined them.
“Morning, guys,” Connor greeted the ten-man crew, and adjusted his sunglasses against the morning glare. “I know Jake got you all up to speed. We have a lot to achieve today. Forecast is for a late-afternoon storm. We need to work fast and efficiently.” He turned to Jake. “How’s the roof?”
“I have the roofers coming in about noon. I need them to do as much as they can as fast as they can. We can’t afford water damage at this stage of the reno. Worst case is we’ll use what tarp we have if the rains come before they get here.”
Connor nodded. “Okay.” He turned his intense focus on his team. “Let’s get busy. We’ll break for lunch at noon when the roofers arrive.”
Connor and Jake broke away from the team and walked over to Jake’s Ford truck. “How was that thing up on the hill last night?” Jake asked as he tapped a Newport cigarette from the pack and tucked it between his lips. He dug a lighter from his pocket and lit the end.
“You know how those things are. Lot of fancy.” He chuckled. “Good food, great drinks, long legs.” He laughed again and leaned back against the side of the truck. He crossed his arms. “Met this woman last night.”
Jake gave a side glance, raised his chin and blew a puff of smoke into the air. “And...”
Connor searched around for words. “Nice. She’s an anthropologist working on a research project. Ancestry of the original families here.”
Jake’s brow lifted. “Hmm. Right up your alley.”
Connor shrugged with indifference. “Just business. Two ships passing in the night, as the saying goes.”
“Works for me.” Jake dropped the butt of his cigarette on the ground and crushed it out with the heel of his construction boot.
“Taking her to dinner on Tuesday,” Connor added, not quite ready to let the conversation wind down.
“Oh, now, that’s news.” His friend angled his long frame toward Connor. “She must be impressive if she got you to ask her to dinner.”
“She’s different.” He still couldn’t put his finger on what it was about Olivia that had him rethinking his usual game plan.
“Must be. The waiting line was long. I had my money on Lydia.” Jake laughed.
Connor flashed him a look of total disbelief. “Lydia.” He shook his head. “Not in a million years. Definitely not my type.”
“Couldn’t 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 rain had gone from a plop to a sprinkle.
He held his hands up, palms facing her. “If you say so.”
Her shoulders tightened, as did her expression.
“There aren’t many people that I run into that don’t want something. There’s always some agenda.” His dark, haunted eyes moved by degrees across her face.
“Every now and then, Mr. Lawson,” she said softly, “there’s an exception to your rule.”
The rain came down harder.
He shifted his weight to relieve the sudden throb in his pants. “I have to wait for the roofers to finish,” he repeated, as if the statement would send her on her way.
Thunder rumbled like the stomach of a starving man.
“Do you mind if I wait with you? I’d like to take a look around.” She wiped water from her face.
He knew damned good and well that was a very bad idea. But what the hell. If they had to work together they may as well be cordial. “Sure. Come on before we really get drenched.” He took her arm and hustled her down the ridge to the main building. “And maybe you can call me Connor again,” he shouted over the roll of thunder.
“We’ll see, Mr. Lawson,” she teased, as they ran like children chased by the bolts of lightning that lit up the early afternoon sky.
Connor chuckled to himself as he pushed open the door. She would. If he wasn’t sure about anything else today, he was sure of that.
The interior was dark, more so because of the lack of sunlight. Olivia shook off the water while Connor turned on the generator that lit the lights.
“No place like home,” he joked as dirt and dust swirled in the air and settled.
Olivia wiped water from her face and looked around. Immediately she was thrown back in time. She could feel the spirits of the ancestors who had found their new lives and freedom within these walls. The energy was palpable. She wrapped her arms around her body and slowly walked around, taking in as much as she could in the muted light. She ran her hand along the scarred oak mantel of the hearth, the frames of the makeshift windows, the warped wood of the walls.
Connor closely watched the awe move in slow waves across Olivia’s face, the wonder in her eyes. He knew what she was feeling. He’d been there, felt it whenever he worked on a project like this.
She spun toward him. “This place is amazing.” Her eyes were wide as she lifted her gaze to the rafters of the cabin. “The write-ups and diagrams do it no justice. I can’t wait to get started. How many buildings have you worked on so far?”
“We’ve done mostly shoring-up work. The structures are pretty worn and weak from water damage, rot and age. Before we can do any restoration we have to make sure the structures are stable.”
“Of course,” she said in a faraway voice, while she continued to explore. “There’s so much history here that’s not visible to the naked eye.”
Connor leaned casually against the wall. He folded his arms. “What had you planned on doing first?”
Olivia focused on him. She exhaled slowly. “I’d like to examine anything that has been left behind—chairs, boxes, cabinets, bedding, old clothing, photos, papers, draperies, all the artifacts. Pretty much any and everything beyond the actual structures. What I want to do is to begin to build a picture, piece together the story of this community and try to match it up with any written documentation.”
Connor grinned. “My job is so much easier than yours.”
She returned his smile. “This is the fun part—the hunt, the discovery.” She walked to the far side of the room. “Mind if I take some pictures?” She already had her camera out before he had a chance to respond.
“What if I’d said no?”
Olivia peeked at him from above the camera lens and clicked. “And why would you do that?” she teased in a singsong voice.
Connor chuckled to himself. This woman was the real thing. She may have been taking pictures, but so was he. He studied her; visually strolled along the dips and curves of her lithe body, memorized the way the dim light lit a honey-tinged fire in her eyes. The energy that wafted from her was an aphrodisiac that whetted his hunger. He shifted his body weight and shoved his hands into his pockets. She bent down to get a snapshot and he took a picture of her luscious rear end. Deep in his chest he hummed in appreciation, and clenched his jaw to keep from groaning out loud. What he wanted to do was snatch her up in his arms and take her breath away with a real kiss, not like the preliminary one of last night.
The sudden blare of a honking horn brought them both up short.
“Must be my roofers needing something. Be right back.” He brushed by her on the way out and caught a whiff of scent that nearly stopped him in his tracks. He pulled open the door and stepped out into a steady rainfall.
* * *
Once he was gone, Olivia dared to breathe. Her heart pounded and her fingers trembled. She leaned against the wall and momentarily closed her eyes. If there was the slightest thought in her head that working side by side with Connor Lawson was going to be easy, she was dead wrong. Her thoughts were in a jumble when he was in her airspace. It was a wonder she uttered anything that made sense. Crazy. This was so unlike her. But there was something about Connor from the moment she’d laid eyes on him that had unsettled her way down to the essence of her being. Clearly she couldn’t do her job if she didn’t get her head in the game. Maybe she should just go to bed with him and get it out of her system. Both of their systems—because she knew he felt the same way.
She ran her fingers through her damp hair. Yes, that was what she’d do. Screw his brains out and then she could think clearly.
The door pushed open. Connor stood in the doorway with the darkened sky as his backdrop, and the raw, animal energy that pushed out of his pores was palpable. His shirt was soaked and clung to the hard outline of his chest, the concave slope of his belly. She wouldn’t look any farther. She didn’t dare.
Connor wiped water from his face. “It’s getting pretty messy out there. I need to hang around until they’re done with the emergency work. You should probably head on out.”
To Olivia’s ears he didn’t sound very convincing about why she should leave. Her heart thumped and thumped. “Um, how long do you think they’ll be?”
“An hour, maybe less. They’re working fast. Fortunately they got started just before it really started coming down. Now it’s a matter of securing what they’ve put up.”
“I’m not really in a hurry.” She gave a slight shrug of her left shoulder.
He hesitated for a moment, weighed the options. “I guess I could show you some of the other structures if you don’t mind getting wet.”
“Not at all.”
“Come on. I’ll show you where the property begins...at least where we think it does.” He walked to the door and held it open.
Olivia gathered her things, stuck her camera back in her bag and walked toward him. She stopped in the doorway and was reminded once again of the pure virility of the man when the top of her head brushed beneath his chin and her shoulder came in contact with the rock hard chest. Tremors skittered along her spine and made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
Connor snatched up an umbrella that was leaning against the wall, stepped out and popped it open. “Don’t want you to get too wet.”
Olivia licked away the retort with a swipe of her tongue. She was already wet in ways that he could only imagine. “Thanks,” she said instead, and ducked under the offered shelter, closing the space between them.
Connor guided her along the roughed-out path that led to a row of what could barely be called buildings. They were the equivalent of children’s drawings, sitting at odd angles due to years of the makeshift foundations sinking into the ground. Doors were askew or missing altogether. Some structures reminded her of Halloween jack-o-lanterns, with dark cutouts for the missing windows and gouged-out ragged steps that appeared to laugh at the observers. But Olivia knew that the exterior was only the pathway to hidden treasures beyond the weather-beaten walls.
They stopped at the roofers’ truck.
“We should be done in about another twenty minutes or so, Mr. Lawson,” the foreman said. “Your men did a good job of getting the temporary tarp up. We’re finishing with the sealing and checking for leaks. When you’re ready we’ll be back for something more permanent.”
“Thanks, Bobby. Oh, this is Dr. Olivia Gray. She’s doing some research so you may run into her again.”
Bobby tugged off his glove and stuck out his hand. “Pleasure. What kind of doctor?”
“Anthropologist.”
A cloud of confusion moved across his face, which was crisscrossed with lines from years of working under the beating sun. “Sounds important.”
Olivia smiled. “Nice to meet you.”
Connor cupped Olivia’s elbow and guided her toward another of the buildings.
“Watch yourself coming up the steps,” he warned. He extended his hand to help her and sent a jolt of something tingly racing up her arm when his fingers wrapped around hers.
Olivia sidestepped a gaping hole and hopped up the last step. Connor opened the door.
The interior was dim, the barest hint of light inching through a sliver of space between the slatted wood walls. The odd shapes of old furnishings draped in sheets and dust cast cartoonish images on the walls and hard-packed dirt floor.
Connor flipped a switch and the portable floodlight pushed soft white light into the space, throwing every object into sharp relief.
Olivia’s eyes adjusted and she was instantly taken back hundreds of years. In the corner, the old wood-burning stove still held the huge cast-iron pot waiting to be filled. Spectral images moved around the square room, carrying wood, sweeping the floors, laughing, kissing, arguing. Children played and babies cried.
Olivia jumped when Connor touched her arm. She blinked and it was only the two of them.
“You okay?”
She swallowed and focused on his expression of concern, the way his sleek dark brows drew close. That was when she realized that her heart was racing. “Yes. Fine. This all feels a bit surreal.”
He pushed out a breath. “I know exactly what you mean. I felt the same way the first time I came into this room. I felt a presence, a warmth.”
“Exactly!” She wouldn’t tell him that she swore she’d seen images of the former inhabitants. She didn’t what him to think that she was crazy. She didn’t want to think that she was crazy. “It’s all so amazing.” She walked around the space, ran her hand along the knobby wood, stooped down to get a better look at the stone hearth.
Connor stepped back into the shadows of the room to better watch her movements. He leaned against the wall, studied the precision and economy of everything that she did and wondered what she would be like under his touch. Would she forego her efficiency and take her time, let him take his time? He didn’t want her perfect. He wanted her raw and real, no holds barred.
The sound of clicking and soft flashes of light snapped him to attention.
“Hope you don’t mind,” Olivia said, as she moved fluidly around the space, snapping photos. “Couldn’t resist.” She swung around in his direction and took three pictures in rapid succession. She lowered the camera and smiled at him. “Now you’re a part of history.”
Connor chuckled. He took a step toward her. The shout of his name, along with the sound of knocking, stopped him. His jaw reflexively tightened. He turned to the door and pulled it open.
The roofer stepped in out of the rain. “All done, Mr. Lawson.” He wiped the water from his face. “Sealed everything. It should hold you until we can get in and do the real work that’s needed.”