locked it. Her heart did gymnastics. This man was born to tempt a woman.
Oh, it's good to look at him again , Vivian thought fervently. He wore old gray sweat pants that sculpted themselves to his rangy legs and hard butt. The thick, khaki 64
Just a little Bit Guilty
by Deborah Smith
sweater that covered what appeared to be several layers of flannel shirts made his long torso look even broader than she remembered. She strained for a glimpse of his wind-burned face in profile.
He twisted around and caught sight of her.
"Viv!" he yelled.
The tool belt landed with a thud at his feet. He leaped to the head of the wrought-iron staircase and came down it three steps at a time. Vivian gasped in surprise at the unexpected reception and lost her composure. She backed away from the gate unsteadily, jerking her gloved hands out of her coat pockets. She held her hands in front of her in a slow-down gesture, to no avail.
He covered the courtyard in a half-dozen touchdown strides and grabbed the locked gate with both hands, smiling through it at her.
"Viv," he said warmly. The pure delight at seeing her poured into his rich baritone. She nearly melted.
"I came to see you ... there's some business." He was hurriedly undoing the padlock, and she eyed him nervously.
"I need your help."
The lock opened, the gate opened, then he snatched her into his arms.
"Coltrane!" she sputtered, as he swung her around full circle. Vivian's arms had no choice but to go around his neck and hold on for dear life. He stopped, his arms snug around her, and tilted his head back. His smile faded into a serious perusal of her face that sent fingers of sensation down her spine.
65
Just a little Bit Guilty
by Deborah Smith
"I'm here on business," she said firmly, her voice carefully neutral. "Now please put me down. It's nice to see you again, too."
He continued to hold her and to look up at her. The mist wet his ruddy face and formed tiny droplets on his brows and his lashes; it flattened his hair a littler and gave him an unkempt, vulnerable look that was too tempting for her emotional good.
Vivian tapped his shoulder, refusing to give into the softness that tugged at her heart. "Down, please. There are three pairs of curious eyes watching this whole scene from my car. You're not going to be very happy when you find out what I want."
He set her down gently, his gaze never leaving her stubborn expression. "Viv, I know I musta seemed kind of, uh, too enthusiastic when I sat in your courtroom all afternoon. I just got carried away watching you work."
"Let's just be calm, let's just be friends. I apologize for avoiding you the past week. But I don't 'do' romance well." She straightened her coat awkwardly. "I'm here on business, and not very pleasant business, either, I'm afraid. Like I said, you're not going to be happy when you find out what I need." Jake hooked his thumbs into the top of his sweatpants and bowed his head thoughtfully. "I'm listening."
"I talked to Roberto. He said you're letting him move into one of the apartments and you gave him some money."
"Enough for him to scrape together a few things. A bed, an old table, a couple of chairs, a fridge, a stove. We scrounged through every salvage shop in town."
66
Just a little Bit Guilty
by Deborah Smith
"I got you into this. I'll pay you back," Vivian assured him.
"No. He works hard. He's good at carpentry, just like you said. I told him I'd give him what I could." Jake slowly looked over at her car. He cleared his throat. "I see a lot of eyeballs looking back at me."
"They're attached to three people who need jobs and homes. Come on, I'll introduce you."
Jake followed her to the car, right on her heels. "Outta the way, Tough Stuff."
Like a human forklift, he picked her up and set her aside, ignoring her undignified squeal of surprise. Jake bent forward, rested one hand on the car's roof and the other on his angled hip then swept her passengers with an appraising gaze.
"How do,
Oh, it's good to look at him again , Vivian thought fervently. He wore old gray sweat pants that sculpted themselves to his rangy legs and hard butt. The thick, khaki 64
Just a little Bit Guilty
by Deborah Smith
sweater that covered what appeared to be several layers of flannel shirts made his long torso look even broader than she remembered. She strained for a glimpse of his wind-burned face in profile.
He twisted around and caught sight of her.
"Viv!" he yelled.
The tool belt landed with a thud at his feet. He leaped to the head of the wrought-iron staircase and came down it three steps at a time. Vivian gasped in surprise at the unexpected reception and lost her composure. She backed away from the gate unsteadily, jerking her gloved hands out of her coat pockets. She held her hands in front of her in a slow-down gesture, to no avail.
He covered the courtyard in a half-dozen touchdown strides and grabbed the locked gate with both hands, smiling through it at her.
"Viv," he said warmly. The pure delight at seeing her poured into his rich baritone. She nearly melted.
"I came to see you ... there's some business." He was hurriedly undoing the padlock, and she eyed him nervously.
"I need your help."
The lock opened, the gate opened, then he snatched her into his arms.
"Coltrane!" she sputtered, as he swung her around full circle. Vivian's arms had no choice but to go around his neck and hold on for dear life. He stopped, his arms snug around her, and tilted his head back. His smile faded into a serious perusal of her face that sent fingers of sensation down her spine.
65
Just a little Bit Guilty
by Deborah Smith
"I'm here on business," she said firmly, her voice carefully neutral. "Now please put me down. It's nice to see you again, too."
He continued to hold her and to look up at her. The mist wet his ruddy face and formed tiny droplets on his brows and his lashes; it flattened his hair a littler and gave him an unkempt, vulnerable look that was too tempting for her emotional good.
Vivian tapped his shoulder, refusing to give into the softness that tugged at her heart. "Down, please. There are three pairs of curious eyes watching this whole scene from my car. You're not going to be very happy when you find out what I want."
He set her down gently, his gaze never leaving her stubborn expression. "Viv, I know I musta seemed kind of, uh, too enthusiastic when I sat in your courtroom all afternoon. I just got carried away watching you work."
"Let's just be calm, let's just be friends. I apologize for avoiding you the past week. But I don't 'do' romance well." She straightened her coat awkwardly. "I'm here on business, and not very pleasant business, either, I'm afraid. Like I said, you're not going to be happy when you find out what I need." Jake hooked his thumbs into the top of his sweatpants and bowed his head thoughtfully. "I'm listening."
"I talked to Roberto. He said you're letting him move into one of the apartments and you gave him some money."
"Enough for him to scrape together a few things. A bed, an old table, a couple of chairs, a fridge, a stove. We scrounged through every salvage shop in town."
66
Just a little Bit Guilty
by Deborah Smith
"I got you into this. I'll pay you back," Vivian assured him.
"No. He works hard. He's good at carpentry, just like you said. I told him I'd give him what I could." Jake slowly looked over at her car. He cleared his throat. "I see a lot of eyeballs looking back at me."
"They're attached to three people who need jobs and homes. Come on, I'll introduce you."
Jake followed her to the car, right on her heels. "Outta the way, Tough Stuff."
Like a human forklift, he picked her up and set her aside, ignoring her undignified squeal of surprise. Jake bent forward, rested one hand on the car's roof and the other on his angled hip then swept her passengers with an appraising gaze.
"How do,
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