The Billionaire's Masquerade Page 0,4

actually move closer to him and explore all of those impressive muscles.

“It’s certainly appropriate when scraping paint. The flecks get everywhere. I don’t want to ruin my shirt,” he replied, grinning down at her. He didn’t mind watching her wiggle since he was having just as much trouble controlling his own reaction to her closeness. He liked knowing he wasn’t the only one in this conversation that was impacted. Besides, he thought as he looked down into her green eyes, she was cute in addition to having a smoking hot body. It had been a very long time since he’d been around a woman like her. And he’d never reacted like this to any woman. “Why do you want to talk to Emerson? I’ve heard people call him some pretty bad names.”

Rachel’s eyes snapped up to his. “Really?” she asked, instantly worried. Then she regained control of herself. Shaking her head, she looked away again. “Never mind. I don’t care if he’s a horrible human being. I want to work for him anyway. So if you would be kind enough to direct me to him, I’d be very much obliged.” She forced a polite smile to her face, still trying to ignore her racing heartbeat.

Emerson almost chuckled at her cute, determined expression that did nothing to hide her nervousness. “There’s a house at the end of this driveway. It’s possible that who you’re looking for is there.”

“Possible?” she asked, hearing the improbability in the way he phrased that question. “So you don’t think he’s there now?”

Emerson shrugged, enjoying her honest reactions. The instant she knew who he was, the façade would go up and he’d get the rehearsed speech, the professional demeanor and she probably had practiced looking like a hard-edged investment broker in front of her mirror. He liked the softer, more insecure woman standing in front of him now. She was beautiful, soft and sexy. Not to mention, he really liked her shoes.

“There’s a ninety percent chance that he’s out and about. Who would spend time indoors on a day like today?”

The woman looked up into the sky as if she were seeing the clear blue sky and bright sunshine for the first time. “I suppose,” she replied, scrunching up her nose. Emerson saw the impatience in her face, and the irritation that her goal for the day was being delayed and suppressed another chuckle.

“Would you like something to drink? You look a bit thirsty.”

Rachel quickly shook her head but the man was already walking over to the beat up truck and reaching his long arm into the rusty trailer. She was so fascinated by the play of muscles over his shoulders and back as he reached in, she forgot to speak. By the time she found her voice again, he already had a bottle of water in each hand and was walking back towards her, extending one of the bottles.

“Thank you,” she said, feeling parched now that she saw the cold-looking water.

He even opened the bottle for her and she carefully took it, not wanting to touch him in the transfer process. But then he lifted his bottle of water to his lips and her mouth fell open as she watched the muscles in his neck while he drank down the water, her lips aching to kiss the tanned skin on that neck, explore the Adam’s apple there and move ever so slowly downwards to touch the ridges in his abdomen.

She jumped when he said, “Not thirsty?”

“Um…” she hesitated for a split second longer, then tore her eyes away and looked at the bottle of water. She hurriedly lifted the water to her lips and took a long, cooling draw, wishing it could cool down her suddenly raging libido.

“Thank you,” she said, carefully wiping her mouth. “I was thirsty and didn’t think to bring any water out here.”

“Most people don’t realize how long the driveway is.”

“Why is it so long?” she asked, more curious about this man standing in front of her than her hopeful employer at the moment. “And why isn’t it wide enough for a car to get through?”

The tall man shrugged slightly, drawing her eyes back to those spectacular, broad shoulders. “It’s more private this way, I suppose. People still find their way down here though.”

She flushed, realizing that she’d come here uninvited herself. “Yes, well…I’m on a mission,” she explained, smiling up at him with a return of her determination. “Emerson Watson is one of the best investment bankers in the industry and