She gives her hand a breezy flip. “No prob, sweetie. Us girls gotta look out for each other, right?”
“Hey, lady,” a burly moving guy says, interrupting us. He’s standing next to us with a medium-sized box under his arm. His eyes aren’t focused even remotely near our faces. “What room you want this in?”
With my pencil, I point at the huge capital letters written in black marker on the side of the box. “The label says ‘bathroom,’ so it goes in the bathroom. Anywhere is fine.” I cross my arms over my cleavage and raise my eyebrows, letting him know he’s been caught. “The next time you want to get a closer peek at a woman’s chest, try to come up with a better excuse.”
He gives me a serious dirty look. But I just stare up at him as coolly as possible until he wanders off again.
Roxy chuckles behind her hand. “I think that’s my cue. I’ll let you get done moving in, but you should totally come over for a glass of wine sometime. Or we can do lunch. Have some girl talk.”
“Sure, that sounds nice,” I reply with a smile. And it really does. I don’t know anyone in this big, strange city, so I sure could use a friend.
She waves as she walks away, then disappears toward the parking lot.
Hopefully I’ll actually have time to hang out with her. In law school, I was no stranger to eighty-hour weeks, and my professors all said that practicing law in the real world is even more grueling. But I know I can take whatever this internship throws at me. Bring it the fuck on, I say silently.
I go back to checking off items on my clipboard and directing the movers. Despite the butterflies in my stomach whenever I think about my new life, I’m not looking forward to the long, grimy weekend of unpacking boxes that lies ahead of me. And then I have to get settled into my job, knuckle down on studying for my bar exam next month . . .
Footsteps approach, quiet crunches on the asphalt. I look up to see Hayden The Playboy standing right in front of me.
Chapter Three
Hayden
My first thought is that she’s not from around here. Her skin is pale and creamy, not bronzed with the golden tan most of us natives maintain year-round without any effort. Long dark hair hangs down her back, and she pushes it out of the way as she takes another look at the clipboard she’s holding.
I can’t help but introduce myself, even though there’s no purpose for it. I merely own the building; I’m not involved in the day-to-day of running it. If Emery needs help or has questions about her new condo, she’ll work with our building manager in the office just around the corner.
The truth is I just wanted to see those curves up close. And holy hell, the view just gets better the closer I get.
That firm, round ass needs a good spanking for making my dick so hard. Generously sized tits, smooth and shapely shoulders, and now that I can really see her features, my gaze focuses on her face. A small, pert nose, high cheekbones, full lips, and thick black eyelashes that rest on her cheeks as she looks down. I tower over her petite frame, but nothing about her is diminutive. I suspect there’s a robust self-confidence just beneath the surface. Her shoulders are pulled back, and she stands tall and proud. I notice that she doesn’t have any problem telling that moving guy to keep his eyes off her tits. My kind of woman.
As if sensing my presence, Emery glances up when I get near. Her eyes are captivating, two wide-set pools of blue filled with curiosity. She’s a deep thinker. A thoughtful girl, if my hunches are correct.
“You’re new here,” I say, my tone confident and direct as I treat her to full-on eye contact. Women love that shit. And I couldn’t look away right now, even if I wanted to. Jesus, she’s pretty. Like spring an awkward erection and come way too soon pretty. I’m in deep shit here. Momentarily speechless, I tuck my hands into my pockets and wait for her to respond.
“What gave me away?”
I expect a friendly smile or at least a sly grin, but Emery is watching me with a wary expression and guarded eyes. Her tone is flat and emotionless. Damn, that stings more than it should.
Extending one hand toward her, I attempt a warm smile. “I’m Hayden Oliver. I own the building, and I live upstairs. I just wanted to introduce myself and see if you needed anything.”
“I’m Emery. And I’m a little busy, if you’ll excuse me.” She looks down at her clipboard once again.
No way, sweetheart. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.
I hold up both hands, my smile widening. “I’m harmless.”
“That’s not what Roxy said.” Emery looks up at me as she says this with no warmth in her features.
That’s what I was afraid of. “I’m a *cat. I promise.” I treat her to a wink, and Emery dissolves into a fit of laughter. It’s not the reaction I was expecting.