Sexy/Dangerous by Beverly Jenkins Read Free Book Online Page A

carrying paint cans, women carrying lumber, saws going, plaster dust everywhere. He looked around for Blake. He didn’t see her or her dogs but he did see Kaitlin.
    He yelled angrily over the wail of circular saws, “Where is she?”
    “Kitchen!” Kaitlin shouted back. “I tried to stop her!”
    Grim, Adam set out in that direction. He was so intent upon his mission he walked directly into the path of a wheelbarrow. “Hey! Watch out!” the man pushing the thing warned loudly. Adam jumped out of the way just in time. Cutting the man a look, he moved on.
    The state of the kitchen left him speechless. The place was so torn apart it looked like a pipe bomb had gone off. The sink was gone, the stove disconnected and pushed aside. A man with a sledgehammer was knocking holes in the wall. She was on the far side of the room wearing a yellow hard hat and watching the workers removing the countertops. When had he authorized that? More amazing were the dogs. They had on canine versions of hard hats that looked like miniature bike helmets complete with chin straps.
    “You need a hard hat in here, man,” one of the men carrying out the countertop said to him.
    Adam had no intention of putting on a hard hat. Instead he turned to Max and gritted out, “May I speak with you please, Ms. Blake?” Then he added for emphasis, “Now.”
    She met his eyes and shrugged. “Sure.” But before leaving she said to the dogs, “Ruby and Ossie, stay back out of the way.”
    When the dogs backed up, Adam shook his head, latched onto her arm and very gently but pointedly bum-rushed her out onto the patio. Turning her loose, he asked, “Who said you could turn this place into mayhem?”
    “You,” she said firmly. “You said to do whatever I thought necessary, remember?”
    Adam did remember. He also remembered her losing her towel, and that only added to his mood. “I didn’t know it would be all this.”
    “The house is crumbling around your ears, Doc. Weren’t you with me this morning when I starred in Waterworld, or was that a clone?”
    He sighed angrily and looked away. “I can’t work with all this going on.”
    “Then do something else for a while. Watch the news. Take a walk.”
    Max saw Kaitlin on the other side of the glass watching them. She had her clipboard clutched tightly against her chest and her face was grim. Max asked, “Will you please tell me what is the deal on her? Are you two engaged or what?”
    “Not engaged. Although her father would like that.”
    “Who’s her father?”
    “Dr. Sylvester ‘Sly’ Kent. Helped me get my first lab. Now he wants to be my first father-in-law. She’s the bait.”
    Max thought she understood the girl’s attitude now. “She’s cute if you like them young.”
    “I don’t.”
    The eyes staring into hers were frank; male.
    Oh my, Max said to herself. Leaving that alone, she brought the conversation back to more immediate issues. “The electricians need to cut the power so they can do some rewiring. What day is good for you?”
    Adam could smell the faint notes of her perfume, and it was as distracting as she. “None.”
    Max was puzzled. “Don’t you have a backup generator for the lab?”
    “I do.”
    “Then why are you being such a pain in the butt? Pick a day or I’ll pick one for you. Today is Tuesday.”
    He met her eyes, and when she didn’t flinch, he again wondered how such a beauty could be so tough. “Tomorrow,” he mumbled. “Get it over with.”
    “Thank you.” Max wanted to throw up her hands. She’d never had an assignment drive her insane on the first day.
    “When will the dog pen be built?” he asked bluntly.
    Max sighed. “What is it with you and my dogs?”
    “When?” he asked quietly.
    “As soon as possible.”
    “Good.” He stared over at her for a long moment, then said, “I have to get back to work. Try and keep it down.”
    When he was gone, Max shook her head and went back inside.
    Downstairs, Adam surrendered. No way could