She all but ran around the corner of the big barn, close enough that she could still hear Will’s and Jeremy’s voices as they got to work on the Maserati, but far enough away that she couldn’t make out what they were saying.
And it was a good thing she’d been looking for a big distraction, because the negotiation ended up being a long one. Over an hour, in fact, by the time she’d talked to both the employer and the new hire and achieved agreement on salary, benefits, and bonus.
After she hung up, she spent a few moments working to center herself. She knew she was acting crazy. Which was silly, because crazy was the very last thing Harper had ever let herself be. This time, she decided firmly, she would keep it together. Will was just a guy. She could handle spending a little time around him on the weekends while her brother worked on the car.
Taking a deep breath, she put a smile on her face, then returned to the barn. “How’s the work coming along?”
Jeremy leaped forward to grab her hand. “Look what we got done.” He brought her over to a line of sheet metal parts laid out on a tarp. “We have to number each panel,” he explained. “Then we put the same number on the frame. And then we know where everything will fit.” He pointed to a piece. “See that one?” He raced to the metal carcass. “We put it here.” He stopped, stared. “Wait. I think—” He frowned. “Will?”
Will was there quickly, putting his hand on Jeremy’s shoulder. “It goes there.”
Jeremy’s brightness immediately returned. “Right. There. See, Harper?” Her brother smiled at Will. “Thanks. You’re so cool.”
Will smiled at Jeremy with the light of affection in his eyes as he said, “You’re cool, too.”
Harper instantly melted. Not from the naughty thoughts she’d been having about Will all week...but from the kind, friendly look on his face. And suddenly, in the face of his kindness to her brother—kindness that had been utterly lacking in every man she’d been with before him—all those reasons for distancing herself from Will didn’t seem quite so important anymore.
Because for the first time in her adult life, Harper desperately wanted to take a risk with an incredibly hot guy, one who wanted her in a way no one else ever had. That freedom she’d tasted during their dinner at Cannelli’s and the drive to the aqueduct had her longing to unfurl her wings. Wings that felt as if they’d been clipped long ago.
Somewhere between a deep craving for a few thrilling flights outside her normal life and Will’s whispering those deliciously naughty intentions to her, she couldn’t help but wonder if hot sex with him might not be the end of the world. At least, as long as she didn’t get overly emotional and involved.
Holding onto as much of her sanity as possible—while always remembering that Will was just a short-term pleasure—would be the key to the whole equation. Even if his friends found out, well...she didn’t care what they thought, right? Not if, for once, she was going to do something entirely for herself.
Something totally wild and crazy like seducing Will Franconi.
She wasn’t so far gone that she thought it would mean anything more to him than dinner, drinks, and sex—and she wouldn’t let herself get attached. She’d be cool, calm, and collected. At least, she’d be calm and cool until he touched her...or she touched him.
Then she’d let loose the wild woman inside her.
Only, she couldn’t possibly seduce him in what she was wearing—jeans and a T-shirt with a plain white cotton bra and panties beneath. She needed new lingerie. She needed new clothes.
She needed new everything.
“You guys look like you’re doing great,” she said in an overly bright voice. “You don’t mind if I head out for a bit and let you work, do you?”
“I’m good with Will,” Jeremy said, turning back to the car, clearly having already forgotten her.
But Will didn’t look at all happy about it. “Are you sure you can’t stay?”
“No, I really can’t.” Because if she actually went forward with her plan to seduce him, she was going to do it right. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
His dark eyes held hers for a long moment, somehow seeming to pull her straight to him. “We’ll miss you.”
She almost reached for him then, almost blurted out that she’d made up her mind to give his intentions a whirl. But she still felt like a butterfly wrapped in its safe little cocoon.
By the time she returned to him this afternoon, she planned to have her brightly colored wings unfurled.
* * *