The Hot List Read online

  “Alright, alright.” I move between them. “Let’s go over here.” Careful not to touch Emma again, I corral her with my body to the left and back to the entrance of the room. Joe follows behind, still a little ruffled. I figure he’s just still cranky from the morning, and also jumpy ahead of the wedding.

  But Emma seems rattled too. She keeps looking at me and I catch her eye. Keeping my hands up in full view for Emma to see, I ask, “Are you hurt, by the way? I know we scared you.”

  “No, no, I’m sorry I came up behind you like that,” she says, and she looks down at her feet, then up again in a sweet and innocent way that strikes a nerve. “Really. It was all reaction—I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  I have this strange urge to put my arms around her again.

  At the entrance to the room, Emma turns and points to the floors for us. “We have leather panels set as covering over the marble with the bride’s wing design.”

  “Wing design?” Joe repeats.

  “Mmhmm,” Emma nods, adjusting her glasses. A muscle in my leg twitches when she does that. A little thing, but it’s sexy as hell. “The bride asked for an enchanted library theme for the week, and floors in the leather panels are inlaid with a gold hummingbird and fairy wing design. They’re dry, but they need to set.”

  Joe and I look at each other. “Enchanted library theme?”

  Emma nods again. “For the wedding. Renaissance Events is a fantasy event design company. We specialize in dream and fantasy design for weddings, parties and other special events.”

  She says all this without a hint of irony, in that way women do when they explain fashion and weddings to men. I don’t understand what all of this means, but instinct tells me it’s ok I don’t know because I have testicles.

  When Joe looks back at me again, all I can do is throw up my hands. “You’re the one marrying her.” His fiancée, Lena, is what folks like to call ‘artsy.’

  Emma seems to have pulled herself together, but she’s dead serious. She faces Joe. “I am so very sorry about earlier. If you have any questions, or if you want to talk to my boss, Justine, I will get her for you immediately. Please accept my sincere apology.”

  Joe holds his hands up and nods. “It’s fine, it’s fine. I’m, you know, getting married this week. Everything’s an emergency.” He looks out over the foyer. “It looks great. Enchanting even.”

  I nudge him for being sarcastic, but Emma smiles brightly, and that thing in my chest flips again.

  Joe walks to the edge of the entrance before the panels begin on the floor, and looks around at the decorations. As he wanders away, I step close to Emma.

  “Beautiful,” I say, looking at her. When she turns to me, I correct, “The room. You guys are doing an excellent job, Emma. Emma—?”

  “Whitman.” She ducks her head and seems genuinely pleased by the compliment. “Thank you. R.E. works hard to make things perfect for clients. Especially brides.” She looks out over the ‘enchanted library’ and says, “And the house is pretty special, too. That helps.”

  “Will you be here all week?” I ask. I realize I’m holding my breath.

  She doesn’t answer for a beat, but then she nods. And then offers, teasingly, “If they don’t fire me for yelling at the groom, sure.”

  Crisis averted, we stand together another moment. It’s not awkward, exactly, it’s… this close to her, I find it hard to keep my eyes where they belong and not on her body. I can still smell a light vanilla and cream scent, and remember the feel of her skin in my palm. We’re standing close enough that if I lean forward a little bit more, I’d brush the edge of her chest. I’ve never stood next to a woman like this, someone I just met and had to literally remind myself not to touch her.

  But I don’t think I’m imagining it when she turns in my direction and seems to sway, too. It’s slight, a moment, but we keep catching each other’s glance and the longer it lasts, I notice her eyes crinkle, the corner of her lips turn up. She breaks off the glance, but steps closer to me rather than away when she turns to talk to Joe.

  “If you want to follow me, I can show you which door to use to head upstairs.”

  Joe turns to follow her, but Emma’s eyes lower one more time as she walks past me, and it’s all the confirmation I need to know that this attraction is mutual.

  I might have been a little worried about what we had in store this week, but things are definitely looking up.

  Dirty in Charge on Amazon

  Also by Luke Steel

  Hard Boss

  Hungry Boss

  Dirty in Charge

  Wicked Billionaire

  Filthy in a Suit

  Single Dad Boss

  Last Hookup

  Alpha Bodyguard