that she was pretty, painfully thin and always looking sad.
Drake pushed thoughts of the stranger out of his mind. He’d searched for her for so long without any trace of her. At times, he thought she might have been a figment of his imagination. He needed to give up the hope of finding her, especially since he’d found Sierra. And there was no way he was going to lose her.
Yes, his luck at finding this stunningly sensuous woman was proof that it was time for him to move on with his life.
Starting tonight. He chewed on his sandwich while his eyes moved over her tiny waist where his shirt was knotted, her long legs encased in those tight jeans that were now covered in dust. Even her porcelain skin looked dusty and darker with flecks of mud splattering her high cheekbones but he thought she looked delicious!
She stopped before taking her next bite of her sandwich, not sure she understood what he was telling her. “Are you saying that you basically designed the house?”
He focused back on the conversation, pushing the past where it belonged. “Yes.” He winked at her shock. “I’m going to hold you to that marriage proposal earlier.”
She ignored his teasing and stared at him. “So you knew what you wanted to do but no one knew how to create it?”
“Sort of. Everyone kept telling me that it was impossible.”
“But the cantilever. It’s been done before. Decades ago, actually. There’s a house in Pennsylvania by Frank Lloyd Wright that basically does the same thing.”
“I know. I visited the site several times.”
She looked at him with blatant confusion. “So why was it so difficult to find an architect to do the designs?”
“Because no one is as smart as you are about cantilevers and support systems.”
She almost reared back with that compliment, so surprised by the sincerity. “But…”
“Give it up, Sierra. You’re more daring than the others.” He winked at her, enjoying her blush at his sincere compliment.
She looked at the view, her mind racing. “I was still in college when you built the house.”
“Yes. I didn’t catch wind of your work until about a year ago. Which is when I started negotiating on the project you’re on now.”
She bit her lip and looked down, her appetite completely gone with the rush of amazement that washed over her. “That’s very nice of you.”
He looked at her curiously, his eyes squinting slightly in the sunshine. “You don’t take compliments very well, do you? But rest assured, I wanted you on this team from the beginning but my research showed me that you were too loyal to Todd. So I worked it out so that I could get you on the team that will build the next city area, with interesting twists and creative ideas. You’re an original, Sierra. Just accept it.”
“There are other architects out there that are more talented.”
“There are others out there that are just as talented and just as skilled, but I like your preferences. It’s sort of similar to going to a restaurant. Italian food might be extremely good, but if you don’t like Italian, you’re going to dine at the Mexican restaurant. Everyone has their own flair, their own preferences. I think your preferences and mine are similar. So I got you on the team.”
She blushed and had to look away. “I’m flattered.”
He grabbed the bag of chips, eagerly taking one out and tossing it into his mouth. “You should be. I only hire the best. Eat up,” he ordered sternly, changing the subject once again and alleviating some of the tension that had come up with her embarrassment. “I’m not an easy boss. So you might be wishing I’d left Todd’s firm alone.”
She took another bite of her sandwich, feeling enormously better about the whole world. Simply because this man liked her work? That seemed slightly silly. Others had complimented her work before, she’d even been written up in several architectural journals and asked to speak at conferences. She’d turned down the speaking offers, preferring to continue working instead of talking about her work. But nothing compared to the simple statement from Drake.
“So tell me why you wanted to be an architect,” he asked, opening the box of cookies.
“You can’t have cookies now,” she laughed, relieved when he changed the subject.
“Why not?”
“Because you just had chips.”
He shrugged his shoulders. “And?”
She rolled her eyes as if he were being silly. “And…eating a cookie means that you’re finished with lunch. That means I get the bag