Only Her Blue-Collar Billionaire (Mystical Lake Resort #4) - Cami Checketts Page 0,2

the nine to five weekday schedule which was an incredible blessing getting a regular schedule for her and Dax with daycare.

His brow squiggled. “They started a cleaning company?”

She laughed self-consciously. “No. I work at the front desk of the resort from nine to five. Cleaning’s my side gig for some extra dough.”

His eyebrows went up. “Impressive. You’re a hard worker.”

“Mostly desperate but thanks for the compliment anyway.” She backed into the shower. “I’d better finish so I can get out of your hair.”

He looked her over and she felt a warm flush go through her. “I don’t mind you in my hair.”

She froze. He was hitting on her, absolutely without a doubt. It felt … lovely. Which was surprising in and of itself. Many men hit on her at the resort but she’d never enjoyed it or rose to the bait. Five years ago she would’ve been in heaven to have a man like this flirting with her. Now she had Dax to love, raise, and protect; trust issues bigger than the mountains surrounding this valley; and too much emotional junk in the head to even think about a casual date. She gave a very awkward laugh.

“Sorry. I’ve made you uncomfortable.” He flicked his thumb against his jean-clad leg and said, “I’m not very good with women. I prefer a hammer and nails.”

She tilted her head and smiled, liking that he’d admit that and really liking him despite herself. She needed to tread carefully but could not resist flirting. “I don’t think a hammer and nails would be very good company.”

He grinned. “You’d be surprised. Very therapeutic to just hammer away and nails don’t talk back.”

“Oh, so you like your women silent?” She gave him an imperious look.

He chuckled. “I didn’t mean it like that. I like hearing you talk … or sing.”

She blushed. “But I am not ‘forever your-ours’.” She sang it off-key to try to keep things light. She was nobody’s but Dax’s, forever.

“Could we remedy that?”

“Absolutely not!” Her voice squeaked as if she were trying to hit a high pitch, and an unfamiliar warmth raced through her. This sexy contractor’s forever? No! But oh my, she’d never had an offer as appealing as that one. “You crazy man,” she tried to hammer in her refusal and remind herself as well as him that she was off-limits. How had this conversation gone here so quickly? “I don’t even know you.”

He nodded quickly and had the grace to look chagrined. “Sorry, you’re right. I feel this odd … connection to you and it made me more comfortable than I should be.” He brushed at his longish hair.

She turned away so she didn’t fall into the very effective trap he was setting. He seemed confident yet humble and it was very, very tempting. Yet was any man what they seemed? No one but her dad, Pastor Brent, and Jay Chadwick in her experience. Connection? Ooh, he was good, obviously trying to reel her in by claiming he felt some connection.

“I need to get back to work,” she said, “so I can make it to the resort on time.”

He took a cautious step closer and the huge bathroom suddenly felt tiny. She hadn’t felt threatened by him but cautious was now her middle name.

“I’ll let you work,” he said softly, “and I apologize if I came on too strong. Like I told you, I’m not very good around women.”

She would like that about him, if it was the truth. He’d seemed pretty adept at flirting with her. She’d been lied to so thoroughly by Ramon that it was no surprise she had trouble trusting men. It wasn’t fair to judge an entire gender, but who said life was fair? Hers sure hadn’t been. Ramon had even lied to the extent that their marriage wasn’t even a legal marriage. Well, that one had turned out to be a blessing as she’d still be married to the butthead if he hadn’t. No way could she have risked sending divorce papers and allowing him to find her and Dax.

“But please,” he continued in a sexy, deep voice that might prove her undoing. “You never told me your name.”

She stared up into his clear blue eyes, those eyes of his were far too alluring, and admitted, “Chelsea Dar … I mean Panther,” she corrected. When they’d escaped Ramon she’d had to come up with an alibi. Dax loved the Black Panther, and she thought Chadwick Boseman was irresistibly perfect, so she’d used that last name