Night Heat. Brenda Jackson

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СКАЧАТЬ good in a pair of jeans. He scrubbed one hand across his jaw, pondering that phenomenon, as he continued to stare at her. He had found her utterly attractive earlier that day in a skirt and blouse, but seeing her dressed in work wear was having a more potent effect on him.

      Well-worn jeans clung to her body like another layer of skin, but then gave a little with each step she took, providing a comfortable fit. Then there was her T-shirt, the one that boldly advertised Mason Construction across her chest, that made him appreciate, as he always did, a woman with a nice set of breasts.

      The work boots and the bandana she wore around her head did nothing to detract from her femininity, and he had to concede that no matter what kind of clothes Jocelyn Mason wore, she was one of the sexiest-looking women he’d ever seen.

      “I gather you’re Sebastian Steele.”

      The man’s words pulled Bas’s attention back into focus and he shot him a curious glance. He had seen Jocelyn talking to him when he’d arrived, and the conversation had seemed pretty tense. Did the two of them have something going on more personal than business? “Yes, I’m Sebastian Steele.”

      The man studied him a moment and then said, “And I’m Reese Singleton, Mason Construction’s foreman.”

      Bas remembered the name and everything Sadie had scooped him on earlier that day. This was the man who had gotten his heart broken by the other Mason female. He offered his hand. “Nice meeting you.”

      “The same here. I heard a lot about you from Jim.”

      “All good I hope,” Bas said, returning his gaze to Jocelyn. He could tell from her body language that she was mad, from the way she was slapping the paintbrush against that wall as if she was brandishing a sword instead.

      “She’ll be fine. Jocelyn has a tendency not to stay mad for long.”

      Bas switched his gaze off Jocelyn and back to the man standing beside him—someone whose presence he had momentarily forgotten. Reese was grinning, his dark eyes flashing amusement behind the lenses of his safety glasses. “Is that right?” Bas asked, not liking the fact that Reese thought he knew Jocelyn so well.

      “Yes, that’s right,” Reese said, hooking a thumb beneath his tool belt and leaning back against a solid wall. “I’ve known Jocelyn for almost six years now and her bark is worse than her bite. She’s upset that her dad left you in charge of things for a while, and also that you got part of a company she felt was rightfully hers. But like I said, she’ll get over it.”

      He studied the younger man and suddenly felt something he usually didn’t experience with men other than his brothers—trust. For some reason, though, Bas knew that Reese Singleton was a man who could be trusted.

      “I hope she gets over it because I have a job to do, one Jim left for me, and whether I want it or not, I plan to see it through. I owe him that much and more.”

      “Me, too,” Reese said, following Bas’s gaze as it moved to Jocelyn once more. “My family moved to the area when I was nineteen. I worked for Jim in the day and took college classes at the university at night. He replaced the father I lost at sixteen. He was my voice of reason when I didn’t have one, my mentor and a good friend. At one point he stopped me from making a grave mistake, one that could have cost me my life.”

      Bas nodded. It sounded as if at one point he and Reese had been tortured by similar inner demons and in both situations it had been Jim who had helped to take them out of the dark and lead them into the light.

      “How about if I introduce you to everyone?” Reese said, breaking into Bas’s thoughts. “The sooner you know what’s going on, the better. Right now everything’s running smoothly but we can’t expect things to stay that way since this is Marcella Jones’s house we’re presently working on and she’s known to change her mind a lot. This is the third house we’ve built for her and her husband, and with this place she decided almost at the last minute that she wanted to add a huge lanai off her living room and bedroom. If nothing else changes, we’ll be wrapping up things here in about three weeks.”

      “Thanks and yes, I’d like to meet everyone.”

      Bas glanced around as they made their way over to a group of men who were working on the cooking island that was part of the summer kitchen. Marcella Jones wasn’t just getting a glass-enclosed lanai; she was getting a huge area that would be well suited for any and all her entertainment needs. He had to admit he liked the layout of the house and had admired each and every detail while passing through earlier.

      The open-beam cathedral ceilings and the floor-to-ceiling windows would make the home light and airy, and provide a full mountain view no matter where you looked. In his mind he could see the finished product decorated with the finest of furnishings and beautiful art work.

      Bas glanced over at Jocelyn and caught her staring at him. In that quick instance, something passed between them, and he felt it all the way to his gut. He frowned and told himself silently that the last thing he needed was to get interested in any woman, especially Jim’s oldest daughter, no matter how tempting she was.

      He had a job to do and he needed to get his mind on doing it and not on doing Jocelyn Mason.

      Jocelyn swallowed back the knot that threatened to block her throat. Why did Sebastian Steele have to look so damn good? And those jeans he had on weren’t helping matters one bit.

      She gritted her teeth, wondering why she found him so attractive, then quickly decided his good looks and well-built body definitely had something to do with it. She jumped when she felt the mobile phone in her back pocket vibrate. Putting aside the paintbrush, she pulled the phone out. A quick check of the caller ID indicated it was Leah.

      For the past five days, ever since the funeral, her sister had mostly spent her time going through their father’s belongings and packing things up to give away. At first they had started doing the task together and then the memories had gotten too much for Jocelyn and she’d asked Leah to finish without her. Her sister had agreed. That was the one thing Jocelyn noticed about Leah since she’d been back. She was a lot more agreeable and less argumentative these days. There was a time when the two of them would disagree about almost anything, including the weather.

      “Yes, Leah?”

      “Just wanted you to know I cooked dinner and I thought it would be nice if we invited a guest.”

      Jocelyn moved her shoulders in a nonchalant shrug. She definitely didn’t have a problem with Leah preparing dinner since her sister was a pretty good cook, but she did have a problem with the suggestion of a guest. She couldn’t help wondering if Leah was finally going to come out of hiding and face Reese by inviting him to dinner. She had done a pretty good job of avoiding him the few times she’d returned home over the past five years.

      “And just who will this dinner guest be?” she asked, curious as to how many languages Reese would say the words hell no in when he got the invitation from Leah.

      “Jason called for you a short while ago and happened to mention that Mr. Steele arrived in town today.”

      “And what of it?” Jocelyn asked, leaning back against a wall she hadn’t started painting yet.

      “I think it would be a good idea to invite him to dinner. After all, he was Dad’s friend.”

      “But that doesn’t make him ours,” she snapped, looking СКАЧАТЬ