Tangled Web: A Small Town Romance (The Cortell Brothers Book 6) by Giulia Lagomarsino (an ebook reader txt) 📕

I walked to the end of the hall and opened the door to the master bedroom. There were so many possibilities with this room. There was another fireplace up here, and I could imagine curling up with a book in front of the fire in the winter. I wanted something warm and inviting for this room, something that made me want to spend all my free time in here.

“Wow, this is a great room. Look at the size of these windows.”

“I know. I think Eric will have to have them custom made.”

“He might not get to this room before the weather turns bad.”

“I know. I was really hoping to have it ready for this winter, but there’s just so much work to be done on the house.”

He nodded to the far wall where a large picture window took up most of the wall. “What do you plan to do there?”

“Um…I was actually thinking about putting in a hot tub.”

His eyes flicked to me in surprise. “Really?”

“Well, the room is big enough to give off the feel of almost two rooms. And I could have one of those foldable room dividers…”

“For privacy,” he nodded. “Except, you’ll be right in front of the window…”

“Yeah, I realize that. But we’re in the country, so it shouldn’t be a problem for now.”

“Until you get married,” he said, his eyes burning into mine. “And if you had kids…”

I nodded, swallowing hard. My eyes dropped to his throat and I watched as his Adam’s apple worked up and down. It was so sexy, the way it stuck out, which I thought was definitely weird. Clearing my throat, I shoved my hair behind my ear and nodded.

“Yeah, if that happened, I’d definitely have to be careful, but it seems so relaxing, you know? To take a nice, hot bath and watch the trees blowing outside.”

I didn’t realize he had moved closer until I felt him press up against my back. I was still staring out the window, but now all I could think about was how close he was to me. He was just a job, that’s what I kept telling myself, but when his hand came to rest on my shoulder and slowly slid down my arm, all I could think about was what it would feel like to have him touch me other places, to have him kiss me.

I slowly turned to meet his eyes, his hands now settling on my hips. My mouth felt so dry as I stared up at him. He was so handsome in such a normal way. He wasn’t beautiful by any means. That would be someone like Arlen, who always wore his classic suits and looked pretty. No, Andrew was ruggedly handsome. The scruff on his face was thick enough for a beard, but he’d been more clean-shaven every other time I’d seen him. And he wore odd clothes, that reminded me of a cross between a lumberjack and a hipster, but it worked for him.

I pressed my hands against his arms, surprised to feel the ripple of muscle under the fabric. My heart started fluttering wildly in my chest, wanting to lean forward and take more. Just a kiss and I knew I would be melting against him, which was what I wanted, right?

My eyes slid down to his lips. I was dying to taste him. It was so wrong. He was my target. I shouldn’t want him as much as I did right now. And what happened if things went sideways and he got wrapped up in my mess? Did I really want that to happen to him? No, not at all. I should step away. I should—

His lips slanted across mine, stealing my breath as he pulled me tight against him. I gasped, letting him slide his tongue inside my mouth. It was unlike any kiss I’d ever had before. It was possessive and dirty, like he already knew my wildest fantasies and he was playing them out, one little bit at a time. I clung to his arms, moaning at how good he felt beneath my fingers.

I barely felt him walking me backward until I was pressed up against the window. The cool air seeping in from the old windows did little to tame my desire for him. I found my hands sliding down his body until I was sliding my fingers along the waistline of his jeans. Just a little tug and I could see what he was really made of.

He broke the kiss suddenly, pulling back and yanking at his beanie on his head. I finally saw the dirty blonde hair that had only been peeking out at other times. It was a little longer than I was used to, but sexy nonetheless. He looked conflicted, like he was trying to make some sort of decision. I just stood there, not sure what to say or do. I felt like I was in the same boat as him. This was wrong. This wasn’t the way it was supposed to work. I was supposed to be seducing him and using him to my advantage, not having these flutterings in my chest. It was too soon for that. I had to complete my job first. I just didn’t know where to go from here, but he made that decision for the both of us.

Looking up at me with pained eyes, he said, “I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have happened. I’m here to help you, not maul you.”

I wanted to laugh, to tell him he could maul me at any time, but I knew this was the best decision. But when he turned and walked out of my bedroom, I knew it wasn’t going to be an easy thing to stay away.

Andrew

What the hell was I thinking, kissing her like that? She was supposed to be someone I was investigating and then I practically mauled her up against the wall. I could