Desire by Design - By Paula Altenburg Page 0,13

once they were outside. He sounded amused, but it was hard for Eve to tell in the dark.

“I wasn’t going to punch Bob,” she protested, ninety-nine percent certain she was telling the truth. “I was only going to give him my opinion.”

“That can be just as bloody, sometimes. I thought you might want to think about it for a few moments.” He released her arm as if reluctant to do so, his fingers lingering long enough to make Eve’s mouth go dry. “If you still want to give him your opinion after that, hey, I’ll even hold him down for you.”

“Bob could use a good opinion every once in a while.” Eve pinched the bridge of her nose. “I don’t know why I let him get to me,” she nearly growled.

“I’m sure he gets to a lot of people,” Matt said.

“Now there’s an understatement.”

Eve dropped onto one of the stone benches, the sweet scent from a mock orange bush drifting on the fresh evening air that whispered over her bare skin. Light streamed through large windows, bathing a section of the small patio in a gentle glow. A leafy grape arbor hid them from sight if anyone should happen to glance outside. Matt settled beside her, stretching out his long legs. She leaned forward and propped her chin on her hand, then tilted her head sideways to look up at him. A jolt of awareness tightened her chest in a way that was hard to ignore, but Eve tried her best. She doubted they shared the same sense of humor. He was far from spontaneous. She suspected he was more than a little uptight, in fact.

And they were colleagues. She wasn’t planning to let attraction overrule common sense, not when it came to her work, but being friendly would get her more cooperation than acting crazy. Matt wasn’t to blame for the things his uncle said or did. Or what Claude had done, either.

“Since we’re going to be working together, there’s something you should know about me. I have a quick temper,” she said.

He clapped a hand over his heart. “I would never have guessed.”

That made her laugh. “Hard to believe, isn’t it?”

The last of her anger wafted away. She shouldn’t let Bob’s cavalier attitude irritate her so much. She was, indeed, passionate about her work, and these days, it was all the passion she seemed to possess. She wiggled her toes inside her narrow shoes, keenly aware of the male presence beside her. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been alone in the dark with a man, and just like that, Eve realized the dangerous position she’d put herself in. She wasn’t ready for another man in her life.

And this was most definitely the wrong man for her even if she were. Matt was a rich and famous architect. She’d be nothing more than entertainment to someone like him. She had more self-respect than that, and she’d earned it the hard way.

She eased away from him so that they weren’t sitting so close.

“Uncle Bob’s not so bad once you get to know him,” Matt said.

Eve had known Bob for three years, and so far, she hadn’t seen any real improvement. He could be charming, yes, but he never did anything without a motive. Quite frankly, he made her head tired.

“Why did he insist Sullivan Construction hire you, anyway?” she asked. She couldn’t see what would be in this for Matt. He certainly wasn’t doing it for the glory. Or the money. “You must have more important projects you could be working on.”

“Yes, but this project is important to my uncle.” Eve could feel the affection in his smooth voice. In fact, she felt it all the way to her toes. “He’s been good to my mother and me. I’m grateful to be given the opportunity to do something for him in return.”

She couldn’t argue with that. “But you’re working for the contractor,” Eve felt compelled to remind him.

Matt studied the tips of his shoes with casual disinterest. “So I’ve heard.”

“And I control the budget.”

“I keep hearing that, too.”

“Since those two things are true,” she persisted, “your design will have to meet with my approval before it goes to the client.”

Matt tapped the fingers of one hand against his pant leg. He turned his attention from the tips of his shoes to her face.

“Why didn’t you just come right out and tell me that you did the preliminary design when I introduced myself?” he asked.

The question caught her off