My Kind of Girl (16 page)

“
Just checking. Now you’ll
have time for a dating life. I’m ready for some grandbabies to
spoil.”

“
Let’s just concentrate on
your new career,” Traci said, needing to change the subject. Dating
wasn’t at the forefront of her mind, considering who she wanted to
date would eventually break her heart. She was glad she’d decided
to end things before it became too complicated. Sure, he claimed to
like her now, but she knew from experience it would end
badly.

“
After dinner do you want
to search online with me for some apartments in Vegas?”

“
Sounds like
fun.”

Traci was glad her mother had finally
found her passion and could admit that she did at one time have a
gambling addiction that stemmed from losing her husband and feeling
lonely. Now she could parlay her poker skills into a lucrative
career while she enjoyed life again.

Chapter Ten

Thursday afternoon, Sean drove his
Porsche 911 a little too fast on the interstate, but he needed to
get home. He’d checked his security camera before leaving work and
Traci and an assistant were almost done with planting the rose
bushes. The pillows she’d ordered for the fire pit had arrived, the
outdoor daybed was all set up under the pergola, and the benches
he’d requested were all in place. She’d called earlier to tell him
she probably wouldn’t be there when he arrived home and that she
would leave his key under the purple flower pot outside of the
veranda door. When he’d told her to stay so he could write her a
final check for his balance, she had stated she would email the
invoice and hurriedly hung up before he could say anything
else.

Sean was elated when he pulled into
his driveway to see Traci’s car. He dashed to the gate to the
backyard and was amazed at the beautiful scene before him.
Everything was perfect just as he knew it would be thanks to Traci.
The huge pergola in the center stood out and was flanked with
different sections. The fire pit with the rounded couch accented by
the outdoor toss pillows, which were indeed inviting, and the
outdoor daybed was surrounded by the mosquito net sheers and topped
with a ton of fluffy pillows was exquisite. He could nap outside
all day. He strolled along the walking path that was flanked with
tulips to the pergola. While everything was beautiful, there was
only one thought he had in mind.

Where is Traci?

He took the path that led to the
veranda and peered inside. She was seated at the table with her
laptop, not realizing he was staring at her. Her hair was piled
into a curly ponytail on top of her head, and her radiant skin was
a deep golden-brown thanks to the late April sun. Her whimsical yet
serious facial expression was poised but solemn. She was deep in
thought as her hands raced along the keys. She looked up as if to
contemplate something and her eyes instantly met his. They didn’t
waver nor did she seem ruffled by his presence.

Smiling, he entered the veranda and
sat in the chair across from her.

“
I’m glad you’re still
here.”

“
I was just going over your
invoice, making sure everything was correct before I emailed it to
you. We’ve had some changes along the way from the original design
plans.”

“
Okay, I’ll go grab my
checkbook from the safe, unless you take debit cards or prefer
cash.”

Wrinkling her nose, she glanced at the
screen. “Um … I doubt you have this much in cash on
hand.”

He had to hold back a snicker. “I’m
sure I do,” he stated matter-of-factly.

“
I have a debit card slider
for my cell phone. If you have a printer, I can print the invoice
now since you’re
here
.” She pursed her lips together with a raised
eyebrow.

“
I know you planned on
being gone before I came home, but I had a cancellation.” More like
he’d skipped lunch and had his assistant call his last three
clients to move their appointments up.

“
Yes, I was just about to
leave. My helper left right before you arrived.”

“
The backyard looks
amazing,” he stated sincerely. “You did a fantastic
job.”

“
Thank you.” She placed her
eyes back on the computer screen to avoid him, but he still caught
the slight blush that touched her cheeks.

“
Just turn the computer
around so I can see the invoice. You can email it to me later. No
biggie.”

Traci swirled the computer around, and
he scanned over the invoice. Everything was as they discussed
except for her labor. There was a discount.

“
Why am I getting a
discount?” he asked in a puzzled tone.

“
You assisted
me.”

“
Nonsense, you worked very
hard. Have you seen my backyard? It’s a mini botanical garden. You
designed and implemented it. No, you deserve the full amount that
we discussed in the beginning, so add it back in.”

“
No. When a client helps I
don’t charge the full labor.”

“
Now I’m just a
client?”

“
Yes.”

Sighing, he took his wallet out of his
back pocket to retrieve his debit card and handed it to her. “Fine.
Charge the amount on the invoice. I’ll be right back.”

He went through the French doors that
led to the kitchen and noticed the pots on the stove. It was
Thursday, so his housekeeper had stopped by to prepare his meals
for the next few days and to clean. His stomach growled, but dinner
could wait. Instead, he retreated to his bedroom and into his
closet. Pushing one of the panels on the shoe wall, he entered a
small cedar closet that held his sweaters and winter coats. He
pushed aside some leather coats to a safe, opened it, and pulled
out what he needed.

When he returned, Sean was relieved to
see Traci still seated. For a moment, he thought surely she would
try to hightail it out of there, but she was fumbling around on her
laptop.

“
Hey, it went through?” he
asked, teasingly.

“
Yes, and I emailed you the
invoice and the receipt for your records.” Closing the laptop, she
stood. “Well, I’m going to get going. It will be dark soon, and I
need to stop for gas.”

“
Aren’t you going to give
me a tour of your masterpiece?”

She slid the computer into her tote
bag, avoiding eye contact with him. “There’s nothing new except the
roses and the bed under the pergola.”

“
Are you going to explain
to me how to care for all of the plants and stuff?”

“
All of that is attached to
the email I just sent you, and the koi pond information is in the
brochure that Mr. Hua left. I saw you place it in a drawer in the
kitchen.”

“
Sooooo …”

“
You’re all set.” She slid
the bag onto her shoulder and glanced out at his yard. “I did take
some pictures. Is it okay if I put them in my virtual
portfolio?”

“
Of course.” He handed her
an envelope. “This is for you.”

Puzzled, she looked down at the
envelope in her hand. “What’s this?” she asked, opening it and
pulling out twenty crisp one-hundred dollar bills.

“
Your tip. I always tip
people that have done a service for me. Thank you. My backyard is
immaculate. You created the vision I had in mind, so now when I sit
out on the veranda and do paperwork or relax, I’ll have a beautiful
view … heck, I can sit out there under the pergola. Chillax at the
fire pit or take a nap in the outdoor bed.”

“
Well, I’m glad you’re
pleased with the end result and thank you for my tip even though
it’s not necessary.”

“
You know, speaking of the
fire pit, how do we know it works?”

She gave him her are-you-kidding-me
look. “I’m sure it works. You just light it.”

“
And it will come
on?”

Tilting her head to the side, she
stepped toward him. “You do know how to light a fireplace,
right?”

“
I have a gas
fireplace.”

“
Oh …”

“
Can we go look at it
before you leave?” He stepped into her personal space. “I just want
to make sure it works.”

“
Okay,” she answered
uneasily.

“
I’ll meet you out there.
Gonna grab the lighter from the kitchen.”

*****

Traci sat on the rounded couch in
front of the fire pit, not believing that she’d agreed to stay. Her
goal was to be done and gone by the time he arrived home, but she’d
wasted an hour chatting with the housekeeper, Sadie, about how to
make the perfect beef stew in a Crockpot and had sampled the dinner
she’d cooked for Sean. It was a succulent roasted chicken with
cabbage and spicy rosemary corn along with peach cobbler. She
couldn’t say no when Sadie offered.

Now here she sat, mad at herself for
giving into his request. He was a grown man who should be able to
light a fire pit without her help. She knew he had to be lying,
especially when his smoldering gaze had landed on her when he
stepped into her personal space. Now she was kicking herself for
letting his smooth-talking and sexy charm make her forget she was
supposed to take her money and jet before he convinced her to
stay.

Her eyes spotted him strolling along
the walkway. He’d taken off his suit jacket and tie. His blue shirt
was unbuttoned to expose a peek of his smooth, chocolate chest. Her
mouth watered at the thought of placing kisses on his skin, and she
had to remind herself there couldn’t be anything between them. Her
eyes zoomed into what he was carrying. In his right hand was a
bottle of champagne and a bag of marshmallows, and in the other
hand two champagne flutes with the lighter wedged in-between. Under
his arm were two long, bamboo-like sticks.

“
What’s all this?” she
asked as he approached the pergola.

“
Just a toast to
celebrate.” He sat everything down on the table next to the couch.
“So let’s get the fire going first.” He grabbed the lighter and lit
the wood. “Cool. It works.”

“
Yeah, I figured it
would.”

He reached back to the table, popped
the cork on the bottle, and proceeded to pour the champagne into
the two flutes. He handed her one and sat on the couch next to her
with his glass pointed toward hers.

“
You want to make a toast?”
she asked.

“
To you, of course. Thanks
to you my dull backyard is now an oasis of peace and tranquility. I
sincerely appreciate all of your hard work in creating a refuge for
me to enjoy after a long day at work.”

“
You’re welcome.” She
clinked his glass, and they both sipped on the
champagne.

“
So, how does this roasting
marshmallows work.” He grabbed the bag and opened it.

“
Just put it on a stick and
set it over the fire for a few seconds.”

“
All right. Let’s try
it.”

After about ten minutes, they’d both
gone through three marshmallows before getting it just right. Some
had fallen right into the fire and some were too burnt to
eat.

“
I think this one is
perfect,” Traci said, pulling it out of the flame. She blew on it
before biting into it. “Mmm … this is good. Do you want the
rest?”

“
Certainly.” He leaned over
and slid it off of the stick with his teeth.

Traci licked her lips at the sight of
his teeth pulling on the marshmallow just as he’d pulled on her
panties during the massage.

“
Okay, let me try to get
this one right.” He slid a marshmallow on his stick and set it over
the fire. Traci raised his arm some so the gooey treat wouldn’t
burn.

“
That looks good,” she said
as he lifted it out and blew on it.

“
You can have it,” he said,
placing it to her mouth. She bit into it, and dragged the rest off
of the stick and into her mouth. “Delicious, huh?” He reached out
with his finger and wiped the side of her mouth; at the same time
she swished her tongue over to lick a piece that she felt on the
corner of her lip. Instead, she licked his finger and she froze.
They stared at each for a few seconds while his finger still
lingered in her mouth. She kissed it lightly, and in one swoop he
grabbed her up on his lap and sunk his lips on hers, showing no
mercy as he ravished her senseless.

Moans of relief and her pent up desire
for him rushed through her as his sweet tongue met with hers. She
knew this was wrong, but he felt so damn good as their kissing
intensified with every touch of his lips on hers. He tugged the
scrunchie out and raked his fingers through her hair, pulling her
further into his mouth. Holding unto his neck for support, she
wrapped her legs around his waist. His lips left hers, awakening a
frustrated sigh to escape her throat. She wanted him to continue
kissing her, and yet she wanted his heated lips on her neck,
breasts, and anywhere else he sought. Sean was sending her on a
whirlwind of pure ecstasy. What the heck was she thinking when
she’d told him she didn’t want to see him again. And miss out on
his long tongue stroking and tantalizing her to the point of
vaguely remembering where she was?