Possessed by a Stranger (19 page)

“Good morning. I brought you coffee. I was
going to give you breakfast in bed but you’re out of cereal.” Her
sparkling eyes sucked the breath right out of him. Damn, he wished
he had more time.

“Coffee’s fine, thank you. I take it cooking
isn’t part of your repertoire.” That man had a significant hold
over her. He easily replaced her need to breathe.

“With a can opener and a microwave, I’m a
world class chef. But, I feel it’s my civic duty to support local
restaurants.”

“I’ll cook you breakfast. You earned it. How
do you like your eggs?” She made a move to leave her bed. He
stopped her with his arm over her waist. Her heart sank knowing he
was leaving.

“I’m headed to the house to spend time with
Pops before I return to the city. I neglected him just like I did
you during the last months. I’ll grab something to eat there. I
didn’t want you to wake up and think I slipped away in the middle
of the night.”

“I thought that was my role.” As much as she
wanted him to stay, she sympathized with his need to spend time
with his grandfather. She found his devotion to Pops an endearing
quality.

Her tousled hair sexily framed her face. He
wiped the curls from the side of her satin cheek with his finger.
“I’ll be back Friday night.” He knew Friday wouldn’t come soon
enough for him.

Her heart raced ecstatically with the promise
of him coming back Friday, to her. “You’re more than welcome to
stay here.” She laughed teasingly.

She felt peaceful, comfortable with partaking
in a casual conversation. There wasn’t any tension between them,
nothing to hide, no ulterior motives to conceal. Sex bound them
together, neither expected more. At least, that was what she told
herself.

Garret chuckled and patted the bed. “I had
already planned on staying here. I’ll hang the picture next week.
Until then, you will have to remember you are my territory.”

He felt an odd clench in his stomach with his
reluctance to leave. In five days he would return and surely he
could go five days without her. He knew he would be thinking,
breathing, dreaming about her. After the memorable night of sexual
activities his interest in her stepped up a notch. He definitely
wanted more of her.

Her busy week flashed across her memory. “Oh
shit, I’ll have to hide the portrait until then. I have the
contractors coming in for the final inspection. We both would be
the talk of the town if any of them saw that. I would have to move
back to the city.”

Her cheeks flushed with a crimson glow. “You
can stick it under the bed for this week only. That way you can
sleep on top of me.” He kissed her tenderly savoring every second
so the memory would last for five long days.

The week flew by for Hannah. The final
inspection of her cottage, two more days of contractors doing odds
and ends, visiting Pops, a trip to her storage buildings, and being
back online conducting business kept her busy. Friday popped up
before she had time to worry, plan or even anticipate Garret’s
arrival. Business occupied the first couple of hours on Friday
morning. She drove to her visit with Pops so she could leave there
and go directly to the grocery store. Her bare cabinets and
refrigerator had yet to be filled. She started a list then just
wrote “everything” on the useless piece of paper.

Stocking up on groceries was more of a chore
than she expected. She was sick of food by the time she finished.
Unfortunately, she was also starving. Shopping for food made you
consume your purchase which started the circle all over again. This
was the reason people preferred take-out. Finally, with all the
groceries stored where they belonged, she prepared the ingredients
for lasagna.

What time he arrived was left in a
noncommittal stage right along with would he be hungry and should
she cook. Whatever the answers, she wished they had been clarified.
These feelings brought on by not knowing were electrifying and yet
terrifying. She needed to get a grip on her rapidly changing
emotions. Lasagna was the perfect solution for dinner. It would be
ready to eat or stuffed into the refrigerator to reheat tomorrow.
With one problem solved and freshly showered she found herself
standing in front of her opened closet facing the same dilemma as
last week. It seemed ridiculous to be in such a tizzy as to what to
wear in her home. She searched for something casual and yet
appealing.

She hadn’t faced the dilemma of trying to
dress to please a man before now, with him. Before him she wore
whatever suited her fancy or the occasion. There wasn’t anyone she
wanted to impress or attract. With Garret it was different. No, she
was different. She slipped into a black pair of running shorts and
a bright blue tank top deciding to be herself. It was better for
both of them if he saw her the way she was, simple and comfortable
with herself. If he hadn’t showed by bedtime, she might be back
here deciding which gown or pajamas to wear.

The lasagna finished baking. She was in the
kitchen reading the directions to her oven, trying to set the timer
on the warm setting. The doorbell, she had anxiously waited to
hear, rang. Giddy as a teenager anticipating a first date, she
hurried barefooted to the door. She pushed open the door. Garret
dressed in his business attire stood holding an overnight bag. Her
heart pounded wildly in her chest. He came directly from work and
planned to stay.

“Well, hello handsome, come in and show me
what you’re selling.” Trying to hide the excitement from her voice
she teased him with a wide smile tugging on her lips.

Damn, she was as gorgeous as he remembered
with her eyes and smile enlightened by her delight to see him. He
closed the door as he stepped inside. The overnight bag dropped to
the floor. Scooping her into his arms his lips found hers eagerly
accepting his kiss. Her arms embraced his neck. He had broken the
speed limit to taste her luscious lips.

She felt warm and seductive in his arms. He
relinquished her lips deciding to pace himself before he threw her
on the floor. This weekend he wanted to learn more about the
mystery lady that had cast him under her spell.

“Lucky for you, I’m giving away free
samples.” He tilted her head to capture the sparkle in her
eyes.

His strong arms holding her close was exactly
where she belonged. She sunk into him feeling the ripples of his
muscles. “Should I place my order now or wait to see what else you
have to offer?”

“I have lots more. If you find something you
particularly favor just let me know. I’m full of freebies.”

He would gladly provide any wish she asked of
him. This woman was as dangerous as she was beautiful. She was
dangerous to him and his nonchalant attitude about sex. He
shouldn’t want her with the desperation he felt every time he laid
eyes on her. It was just sex, a physical need, an involuntary
emotional response.

A giggle bubbled in her throat. “I’ll
remember that. You must have come straight from work. Are you
hungry?”

He hugged her firmly before releasing his
hold. “Starving…I’ll shower first if you don’t mind.” His knees
bent slightly as his hand grabbed the overnight bag off the
floor.

“Go ahead and I’ll finish in the kitchen. You
can choose which bathroom.”

He climbed the stairs to claim the master
bath. It was fitting since he had already mastered her body. If she
didn’t get a grip on her emotions, he would claim more than just
her body. This was a mutual sexual attraction and nothing more. He
wasn’t the type to settle down with anyone let alone her. She had
studied the postings on the internet reporting his every move, it
would seem. His picture appeared from numerous events he had
attended, all with a different woman. The women had common
denominators, classy, elegant, beautiful and fleeting. The same
woman never appeared twice. He was way out of her league with him
in a mansion and her in a cottage positioned at the foot of his
estate. She would enjoy him while she could with a solid barrier of
facts protecting her heart.

She set the table placing the lasagna in the
center. The task to learn how to use her oven was put on hold. She
popped the bread in the oven. Setting the oven’s temperature was
the one thing she had mastered.

The bread was coming out of the oven when he
appeared in the doorway. She breathed in his freshly showered aroma
as he casually walked over to her wearing shorts and t-shirt. He
leaned on the counter beside her, watching her remove the bread
from the pans. His eyes played teasingly with hers.

“Everything smells delicious. You must have
gone to the grocery store.”

“I went today. I was faced with shop or
starve. With all the work going on with the cottage, I didn’t dare
leave long enough to shop. It’s hard to tell what disaster I would
have come back to.”

He took the wooden bread board from her hands
setting it on the table. He pulled out a chair for her to sit
helping her scoot it forward. He joined her at the head of the
table. Garret sliced into the lasagna and filled both their plates.
In between bites they had time to talk.

“I stopped for gas at the store down the
road. I’ve known the owner for years. He asked me if I had met that
pretty little bossy lady. Surely, he wasn’t referring to you?”

Bob had driven her up a wall and he dared to
call her bossy. She should have fired his butt instead of having
his crack flashed at her daily. “I can’t believe they called me
bossy. Mr. Jackson’s son, Bob, and grandson, Seth, did the
electrical work. Every time Bob came looking for me, I cringed. I
knew he had screwed up something else. If I was as bossy as they
seemed to think, he would have listened to me instead of barking
his version of my orders.”

Mr. Jackson and several other men at the gas
station actually referred to her as a slave driving know-it-all
bitch. He was glad he cleaned up the description a tad or she might
have gone storming down to the store to confront the old man.

“There’s no reason to get mad now. Your
renovations are over. I heard Bob was a good electrician.” He loved
seeing the fire in her eyes.

“He was. The electric part went well. It was
when he stepped into other areas that caused the problems. He was
under the impression he was in charge. He kept trying to save me
money by going a cheaper route. By the second month, I couldn’t
even speak to him without gritting my teeth. He’s lucky I didn’t
bury him behind one of these walls.”

She had spent the previous months working
with a group of men and he didn’t care for the sound of that. After
hearing Mr. Jackson’s gossip he was elated the men complained about
her. And they complained vehemently. He would bet money she ran her
contractors ragged.

“I just had my townhouse redecorated. I’ll
never do that again. If it needs updated again, I’ll move
first.”

“Is that why you were in the hotel?”

That would explain her misconception of him
living out of town. She was relieved he had a reason to live at the
hotel and the penthouse wasn’t a love nest. He had a long list of
past women according to her research. The thought of losing her
virginity on a bed of ill repute took away some of the magic.

“Yes, for four long months. The Presley
Corporation has it under contract for out of town business
associates.”

He must have hired idiots. “I’m getting ready
to refurbish a three thousand square foot townhouse. I hate to tell
you but we’ll be in and out of there in two months. It would be
sooner if the kitchen cabinets weren’t being custom made.”

“It’s too bad I didn’t have my townhouse done
in antiques. I could have seen you every day and bossed you
around.”

“Oh no, that’s not how I work. Every detail
is worked out before hand, down to the color and thread count of
the sheets. After the contract was signed, I wouldn’t see you until
the job had been completed. I love antiques but I don’t limit
myself to them. The redecorating thing is a sideline anyway. I only
do them for special clients. If they’re buying all their
furnishings from me, then I hire and supervise the contractors.
It’s easy money since I have such a bossy personality. Believe me,
I make sure the client understands to stay out of my way.”

There was quite a bit of fire stored in that
sexy little lady. He imagined getting in her way would be
comparable to standing in front of a steam roller.

“You can’t get over that bossy comment, can
you? You’re an industrious little lady. How are you going to like
the quiet country life?” Her attitude flipped immediately. She
openly expressed her emotions, which appeared to wash away the
previous emotion.

“I think I’m going to love it. I’m used to
the solitude since I stayed holed up in my apartment to work. I can
scream at the top of my lungs and stomp all I want to without
anyone pounding on the walls. Now, I have more space to move around
and I can bring items here that I need to research. It will take
some planning with my trips to the city to get everything done at
one time but I can handle that. I will miss seeing my friends on a
regular basis but they’re only an hour away. My friend list
dwindled recently anyway.”

There was wistfulness in her voice that
sparked a concern. “Does that mean your ex didn’t take the break-up
very well?”

He had seen how well Jay took the break-up on
the video. Beer bottle upside his head or not, Jay hadn’t answered
to him yet.

“He was more pissed I left the bar with a
stranger than the break-up. It was more about his male ego than me.
I embarrassed him in front of our friends because I wasn’t
devastated. I want to kick myself every time I think about all the
time I wasted with him.”

“How often do you think about him?” This shit
needed to be straightened out now. He wouldn’t play around with any
indecision about another man. That prick had better be out of the
picture. Being too stupid to know what he was throwing away was not
an excuse to be forgiven.