Ulterior Designs (House of Evans Book 1) by Ella Dominguez Read Free Book Online Page A

fallout of his actions. When he looked up from his phone, he was shocked to see his favorite brunette standing before him dressed in a tight-fitting ruffled blouse and plaid skirt.
    It seemed everywhere he went Chloe was destined to be in his path. Maybe it was a sign.
    With rounded eyes she stared back at him, speechless.
    “Mr. Evans,” she finally greeted him after several awkward, silent seconds.
    “Ms. Stephens. That’s an interesting uniform,” his gaze roamed over her body. “You wear it well,” he remarked, his lusty eyes taking in every inch of her.
    Visibly taken aback with his statement but still irate, she shifted from foot to foot. Looking past him, she dismissed his statement. “Thank you, but it’s not something I particularly like.”
    “Perhaps under different circumstances, and with a little coaxing, you might enjoy dressing up like that?” he questioned her suggestively, in an attempt to brighten her mood.
    Unmistakably affected by his suggestion, but still looking as if she was holding a grudge, she stammered, “What …what would you like?”
    “Well, since we’re on the subject …,” he decided to take the leap, “… first, I'd like to apologize. I had no idea that what I said to Moriarty caused you to lose your internship. You have to know that I would never intentionally do something to jeopardize your future. But I won’t work with someone who can treat another human being so disrespectfully, no matter what their reputation is."
    A flash of remorse shone in her eyes. "I'm sorry you were put in that position. I know how much you were looking forward to working with him."
    Seeing her irritation wane, he decided to take the next step. "Second, I'd love the opportunity to get to know you better.”
    Logan never was good at subtlety, and there was no sense in beating around the bush.
    Bush .
    Why the hell did his mind always have to go there? He smiled up at her, keeping his inappropriate thoughts to himself.
    She momentarily faltered but kept moving right along. “What would you like to drink?”
    “A double shot energy mocha,” he answered, his building curiosity about her private grooming habits growing with each passing second.
    Chloe disappeared, her hips swaying side-to-side once again and frustrating the hell out of him with her lack of acknowledgment of his comment.
    When she reappeared, she placed his drink in front of him and tried to swiftly withdraw, but his voice stopped her in her tracks.
    “Chloe, please sit.”
     
    *
     
    Unable to resist Logan’s gentle command, Chloe turned to face him and slowly eased herself into the chair across from him. She was still stunned at his heartfelt apology and comment about wanting to get to know her. She couldn’t be sure if she was dreaming and because of that, she didn’t know how to respond, especially after their uncomfortable encounter earlier in the afternoon and her explosive reaction. Not to mention, she was still reeling from the fact that Logan had fired Dimitry over the way he had treated her . Dimitry Friggin' Moriarty. The Big Man in interior design.
    Logan definitely had balls. That or he didn't have a clue as to how influential D-Mo was. On the other hand, maybe Logan did know and he just didn't care. That would be novel. She should try that approach.
    Regardless, she was even more aggravated with herself for not having given the arrogant D-Mo a piece of her mind after he let her go for no good reason, as well as irritated for having allowed Logan to touch her without invitation. Though, in actuality, she had never been touched quite like that before, and the way her body responded to him felt surprisingly incredible.
    “Exactly how many hours a week do you work?” His voice pulled her back to the present.
    Disoriented by his question, she stared at him a moment. How much she worked wasn’t any of his business, but the look on his face compelled her to answer anyway.
    “Sixty, sometimes seventy hours.”
    His