Page 8

Chapter Eight

Eva

I check my watch to make sure I have the right time. It’s a quarter to four. I look back down at my laptop to confirm he was on the meeting invite and accepted.

“I’m sorry,” a deep voice breathes heavily behind me.

I turn around toward the door. A very attractive man walks in and grabs a seat at the head of the table, where Roman normally sits.

He has a casual sense about him. Not like he’s trying to assert his dominance to be looked at as powerful, but more like it never occurred to him, and the seat makes the most sense since it’s diagonal from me.

His hair is a lighter brown, mixed with natural blond pieces that have been kissed by the sun.

“Where are my manners?” He stands up and extends his hand. I do the same. “I’m Drew.”

“Hello, Drew. I’m Eva.” I smile.

We both take a seat.

“I apologize for my tardiness. I got caught up at another one of our hotels that had some water damage.”

“Oh, absolutely. I understand.”

I decide I like the guy’s energy. For being late and dealing with something so stressful, he still appears casual and in control, like he doesn’t sweat the small stuff.

“Well, I don’t want to take too much of your time,” I continue as I click on my computer to bring it to life. “I just want to give you an overview of where we stand on the lobby design.”

We spend the next hour going over the details of how we will split the first-floor renovation into phases to keep the hotel open and running during the upgrades.

He has done this before and has so many good ideas that I’m kind of in awe. The confidence he has when he explains what needs to happen to make sure it goes smoothly assures me that the project will be in good hands.

“Thank you so much for your time,” I tell him as we both stand up. “I have no doubt that this project will be a major success now that I’ve met you.”

We walk out of the conference room together as he tells me he is going to go say hi to Roman before he leaves.

Just as we get to Roman’s office before, I cut right to head to mine, we shake hands.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Eva. You are very talented. I look forward to getting to know you better.”

He winks just as our hands break apart. I swear I catch his eyes looking my body up and down with appreciation before he turns to walk into Roman’s office.

Roman’s door happens to be open, and he seems to have caught the entire exchange. I swear I detect a hint of anger that flashes across his face before it’s gone.

He stands and smiles at Drew as they exchange their own handshake.

I take a moment to appreciate just how attractive these two men are, but how polar opposite they are.

One is dressed in an expensive suit, probably worth more than my entire savings account, and the other is dressed in gray work pants with a black polo.

I shake my head and walk to my office, wondering if something is going on with my hormones these days. I’ve never been so affected by men before.

When Roman texted me to tell me he’d be at my place around seven, I decided I had time to get a quick workout in at the gym in our building.

I’d been a mess since his admission yesterday. How could someone as powerful and handsome as Roman be attracted to me—like so attracted to me that he felt out of control from it? It didn’t feel real.

I ran on the treadmill for thirty minutes, trying to make sense of it all.

I make it up to my apartment just minutes before a knock sounds on my door.

My heart flutters. “Cool it, Eva. You’ve established this already. Friends, nothing more.”

I open the door to find several men holding long pieces of wood and tools.

“Delivery for Eva Harlow,” one of them states.

“Oh, yes, of course. Follow me.”

I lead them to my office, where they proceed to stack the wood and set down what looks like a handsaw and other tools I’m not familiar with.

As we walk back to the front door, Roman walks in with a tool chest, sporting old, ripped jeans and a cutoff white shirt with a backward gray hat.

If it were possible to have an orgasm from just looking at someone, I think I would.

He turns to the guys and thanks them as they all pile out of my apartment, then closes the door. When he turns, his eyes twinkle with a gleam of interest as they move along my body. I realize I’m still in my purple sports bra and black shorts.

He puts one of his hands in his pockets and then winces. It almost looked like he pinched himself.

“Hi, Eva,” he says with a smile.

“Hi, Roman,” I respond softly.

“Sorry, I forgot to tell you I was having everything delivered.”

He walks past me toward my office, and I catch the familiar scent of his cologne. It’s woodsy and strong, taking up the space, just like his presence does.

There’s something about the scent of a man. Sometimes, I feel like my sense of smell is directly connected to my vagina.

I roll my eyes at myself. I’m like a fucking nympho now. I’ve never thought about sex this much.

I follow him into the room, where he is standing along the wall, taking measurements with his measuring tape. His biceps flex, and I see his chest and abs through the holes on the side of his cutoff shirt.

Alright. Deep breath. I need to get over this—we’re building a friendship, and that’s what matters.

I take a seat on the floor off to the right as I watch him.

“Do you need any help?” I ask.

He chuckles as he continues. “Do you know how to use a circular saw?”

“No.”

“Do you know how to use a drill to screw the wood to the studs?”

“No,” I repeat.

“I think you can just sit your butt right there and watch.”

I laugh. “Just trying to be nice.”

“I appreciate the offer.”

I lean against the wall and watch him as he gets to work. He spends quite some time just taking measurements and drawing up a plan. I am told he needs to do math, so I need to stop talking.

From what I can gather, he is now cutting wood and putting the base of the bookcase together. He uses the drill and puts several screws into the two-by-four to connect it to the wall.

“You said you learned this from your grandpa?” I ask curiously.

He continues to work as he answers, “Yeah, my mom’s dad was a carpenter. Came over from Italy and worked an honest day’s work until he died.”

It’s an unexpected admission. Roman exudes so much power and confidence; I would have thought he came from money.

“Were you two close?”

“Yeah. He was my role model. Always wanted to be like him.” There’s a sadness in his voice.

“How long has he been gone?”

“He died when I was nineteen.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I’m sure he would be very proud of the man you are today.”

There’s a bitterness to his laugh. “I doubt it.”

I don’t want to push the conversation further in this direction, where I imagine there are some deep wounds, and luckily, the doorbell rings. It’s probably for the best.

“That’s the pizza,” I announce. “I’ll be right back.”

After I pay the delivery guy, I grab the six-pack of beer and walk back into the room, holding up the food and drinks.

“Break time,” I announce as I take a seat.

He puts down his drill and joins me on the floor as I open the pizza box. The aroma of cheese and pizza sauce instantly floods my nose.

“Ugh, I’ve been craving carbs all day,” I admit. “I even worked out so I could eat as much as I wanted without guilt.”

He grabs a slice of pizza and leans against the wall. “Is that why you’re wearing next to nothing right now?”

I look down at my attire. “I wouldn’t call it next to nothing.”

While he chews his food, his eyes scan my body, which makes the hairs all over my skin stand on end. “Close enough.”

“Well, we’re friends now, so you can’t complain,” I say as I take a huge bite of my own slice.

He cracks a smile. “I see. Friends who are still attracted to one another?”

“Did I say I was attracted to you?” I ask.

Honestly, some of that conversation is a blur to me. I was so caught off guard.

He gives me a stern look that makes me laugh. “You know you did.”

“Fine,” I admit between bites. “But I believe you said you were extremely attracted to me.”

“Is it a competition now?” he asks with amusement.

“Hey, you brought it up. I’m merely pointing out facts.”

He shakes his head. “You’re not going to let me live this down.”

I’m surprised by how light and easy it is to be around him now that everything is out in the open. He’s, like, a totally different person, but he obviously has a brooding side to him if he’s feeling out of control.

Too bad I find that side just as sexy as this laid-back one.

“I’ll go easy on you,” I reply, then look over at the wall. “How long is this going to take you? I really wish I could help.”

“I can probably have it done in five days. I’ll hire someone to come over and paint it.” He takes a swig of his beer. “I’ll finish some of the cuts after this beer, then call it a night.”

“Sounds like a plan.” I grab my beer and lean back against the wall. “So, how did you and Walker meet exactly?”

He chuckles to himself. “Freshman year of college. We were waiting in line for a cart at our dorm to bring our stuff in. Bonded over how much we couldn’t wait to get rid of our dads, who were helping us move in.”

“Ah, I know Walker’s reason for wanting our dad to scram. What’s yours?”

There’s a sadness reflected in his eyes.

It’s enough to make me want to grab his hand and give it a squeeze, but I refrain.

“My father wasn’t the man I’d thought he was as a kid.

He cheated on my mom, left her for someone twenty years younger than him, then neglected his alimony to take care of his new wife’s kids. ”

I wince. “That’s terrible. Why didn’t your mom bring him to court? Surely, they would have sided with her.”

“She said she didn’t want to deal with the hassle. She just wanted to live her life without him in it anymore. It doesn’t matter now. She’s retired, and I have more than enough money to make sure she is comfortable.”

“That’s sweet of you to take care of her.”

“I owe her everything. She deserves every last dime that I make.”

It feels like I’m talking to a different person from the one I have known for weeks. He’s a contradiction of so many competing characteristics, all bundled up in a much-too-easy-on-the-eye package.

He takes the final sip of his beer, then stands up and stretches. I divert my eyes so as not to ogle the man in front of me.

I try not to bother him while he does his cuts because I can see there’s measuring involved, and I don’t want to mess him up.

He uses the handsaw one last time, then reaches for the cord and unplugs it. We both survey the sawdust scattered around the floor in the area he was making his cuts.

“Do you have a dustpan I can use to clean some of this up?” he asks.

I wave my hand at him. “I can do that. You don’t need to worry about cleaning anything up.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind. It won’t take long.”

I walk toward the door as he follows me. “It’s a job that I’m finally capable of doing. Let me do the cleaning. It’ll make me feel better.”

“If you insist.” He nudges me with his arm. “I’m not going to fight for that job.”

I smile. “Good. I’m a master at arguing. My brother is a lawyer after all. I learned from the best.”

“He’s cocky too. Sounds like you also got that from him.”

I feign offense. “Well, if that isn’t the pot calling the kettle black.”

I can see him trying to hide his smile.

“All right, you got me there.” He turns to me at the front door. “I have a dinner at my ma’s house tomorrow, but I can be back on Thursday, if that works for you.”

I reach for the knob and pull the door open for him. “I’ll be here with food and drinks.”

We stand in a moment of silence for a few beats.

“I’ll see you at work tomorrow?”

“See you tomorrow,” I reply with a small smile.

“Good night, Eva,” he says as he walks out the door.

“Good night, Roman,” I reply as I shut the door softly behind him, then lock up.

That wasn’t so bad. We can do this friends thing. There were a couple of hiccups along the way, a few too many times of me checking him out, but that’s not so bad.