Just One Scandal (The Kingston Family #2) -Carly Phillips Page 0,35

on her own.

Picking up her cell, she called a friend who was a Realtor and explained the type of place she wanted. Amelia promised to send listings to look at later today.

Chloe had to admit she hated the idea of moving out of Beck’s loft. Not only did she love the space and décor, she enjoyed his company. He’d been a good friend and source of support, but he’d revealed why she couldn’t rely on him long-term, and hearing his reasons why? She knew she’d better believe him.

A couple of hours passed during which Chloe, despite her internal warning, perfected her writing portion even more. Her Realtor friend sent rental openings along with some condominiums for her to check out. She printed the ones that looked the most promising because she wanted to see the layouts in larger format.

Then she headed to the break room, took one look at the Keurig, and decided she’d much rather have a Starbucks instead. She’d seen one across the street, and she just needed to get her phone that had her app so she could pay.

She walked into the conference room to find Beck staring at her screen, the 3D model of the studio she was designing open for him to see.

“Beck?”

He turned to face her. If she thought the man had been sexy prior to her sleeping with him, she found him even more so now. Ignoring the tug of attraction wasn’t easy, but she’d made herself a promise to pull back.

“This is a phenomenal transformation,” he said, his gaze never returning to the screen. “You turned a bland, open room into a multifunctional living space.” He leaned in closer. “Love the glass panel partition,” he mused. “It lets natural light illuminate the whole apartment.”

She warmed at his enthusiasm. She couldn’t remember the last time Linc had been excited by her designs or work. Not because he didn’t like the job she did. He never hesitated to compliment her, but this kind of exhilaration was different.

“Yes.” She stepped up beside Beck. “The average studio apartment is five hundred and fourteen square feet, so I needed to make use of every last inch without leaving it cluttered. Look.” She pointed her finger without touching the screen. “I hid a foldaway Murphy bed that has shelf storage when closed, and I used mirrors to give the illusion of more room,” she said.

“Is that wall a deep purple?” he asked.

“A dark violet accent wall.”

“Hmm.”

She was unable to get a read on whether or not he liked the color she’d chosen. Suddenly, something she’d kept secret for so long was in the open, and it felt like she was exposing her heart and soul.

“I like it,” he said at last.

And with his approval, she realized how much she’d wanted him to admire her designs. His validation mattered because she’d had so little in her life. Oh, her brothers wanted what was best for her, in that big-brother-knows-what-that-is sort of way. But Beck was separate and apart from her family. Not only did his opinion matter, he mattered.

So much for emotional distance, she thought, frustrated with herself.

“Who is this for? Because it can’t be Linc. Not with the ultramodern accents.” He turned to face her, curiosity in his gaze.

She drew a deep breath. “Do you remember when we talked about reaching for what we want? And I asked about fear?”

A knowing smile lifted his sensual lips. “Yes. And I said to go out, grab the world by the balls, and go after it, anyway.”

She nodded. “I did. Have you heard of Elevate’s Online Interior Design Professionals Contest?”

He nodded. “Our in-house interior designer has mentioned it along with the perks that come with winning. I didn’t want to lose her, so I paid her more to stay and not compete.” He shrugged. “In case she won and ended up with a job that would take her away from us. Couldn’t let that happen.”

Chloe laughed, admiring his cocky attitude and business sense. “Well, I already sent in my entry form. And this is my planned submission,” she said, waving a hand toward the laptop, heart pounding in her chest at the admission.

For some people, submitting wasn’t a big deal. For Chloe it meant taking that huge step toward independence.

“You did? That’s fantastic!” He turned toward her, lifted her off her feet, and spun her around in celebration. “Congratulations!”

As he lowered her, their bodies rubbed together, and awareness shot through her, causing her nipples to harden beneath her shirt. Thank God