Yielding for Him (7 page)

Rachel couldn’t keep her eyes off him. He was the stuff of fantasies with his low slung, worn blue jeans and cocky walk. His T-shirt pulled tight across his muscular chest as he moved towards them. How the hell could Lila have a son who looked like a Greek God? And how had she not seen him before?

Mark walked up and kissed his mom on the cheek then turned his attention to Jan. “Hi, Mrs. Collins, how are you doing?”

Rachel bit back a laugh at the look on Jan’s face when Mark called her Mrs Collins. Then she choked on her breath as Mark pinned her with the full force of his blue eyes. “Hi,” he said, smiling.

His gaze roamed over Rachel’s body. His confident smile one of a man who knew exactly how attractive he was to the opposite sex. “I’m Mark.” He stuck out his hand and enclosed hers in his warm grasp. His rough fingers slid across the smooth surface of her skin. A shock of heat raced through her body.

“Hi, I’m Rachel. It’s nice to meet you.” Her voice came out huskier than she had ever heard it.

Jan snorted, drawing Mark’s attention to her. “So, Mark, Rachel here was just admiring your handiwork.”

“Is that right?” He turned back to Rachel and ran his hand through his dark, chocolate brown hair. The action drew her eyes to his biceps as he moved. “You like what you see?” he asked, his mouth quirked up at the edges.

Rachel gulped. Unable to trust her voice, she nodded like an idiot. When Jan laughed, Rachel glared at her then glanced towards Lila who was watching her through narrowed eyes. Shit! Just what she needed, to make an idiot out of herself in front of Lila of all people. Rachel shook her head. She was a grown woman, for God sakes. She could talk to a handsome man without acting like an idiot.

“I definitely like it. I love how you were able to match the moulding on the railing with the house. It looks like it has always been here. And the gazebo is stunning. The details and intricacy of the work are phenomenal. I was interested in having something like this gazebo in my backyard as well as some other stuff done. I don’t know how swamped you are with work, or if you would even have time to give me a quote,” she asked him, rambling like an adolescent schoolgirl.

He looked her up and down, the look of male appreciation so hot and lustful it seared her with heat. “I am sure I could find the time to squeeze you in.”

“Great,” she replied, her voice pitched higher in nervous excitement. God, she was pathetic. She cleared her throat and tried again. “I mean, great.” That was better.

He grinned at her, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement.

Lila linked her arm with her son’s. “Rachel was the first designer I hired when we bought this house.”

Mark looked at his mother, his brow knit in confusion. “First designer? How many did you hire?”

“Oh, Mark, darling,” his mother chided. “You know I have very particular tastes. It took a great deal of trial and error to find a designer who truly understood my vision.”

“Right.” He chuckled and, turning his attention to Rachel, he gave her a lopsided grin. “I guess you didn’t get the vision.”

“Nope. I got the boot,” Rachel replied.

Mark laughed. “That sounds about right.”

“Oh, honestly, Rachel.” Lila gasped. “You didn’t get the boot. I told you that I thought you just needed a bit more culture and experience before you were ready for something like our home.”

Rachel gritted her teeth, remembering how humiliating it had been to be fired by one of her ex-husband’s friends. Catching the look Jan sent her, she smiled. “Of course, my mistake.”

She took a breath, trying to garner her self-control. Her emotions were everywhere this afternoon. She had to get it together; she was forty years old. There was no way someone like Mark would be interested in her. She needed to snap out of it before she made a complete ass out of herself.

Rachel turned her attention back to Mark and bit back a gasp at the intensity of his stare. She resisted the desire to melt into a puddle at his feet. God, the man was gorgeous.

Rachel shook herself out of the sensual fog surrounding Mark. “Right, so, when do you think you would be able to come by and take a look at my yard to give me an estimate?” she asked, pleased at how together she sounded.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card and handed it to her. “Why don’t you look at your schedule and give me a call, and we can set something up?” His blue eyes gleamed with enjoyment at her obvious discomfort. Clearly, she wasn’t as together as she hoped. Damn it! He must think she was some pathetic cougar.

“Shoot, Rach,” Jan said, smacking her forehead. “I forgot I have book club this afternoon, and it’s my turn for wine. I don’t imagine you want to stay.”

Rachel laughed. “Um, no.”

Lila shook her head, disgusted. “It wouldn’t kill you to stay, Rachel.”

“It might,” she replied, batting her eyelashes sweetly.

Mark coughed to cover his laugh.

Jan turned to Mark. “Any chance you have some free time this afternoon? Maybe you could run Rachel home for me since we came together. That way I can run out for wine and be back in time for book club, and you can take a look at her place,” she suggested, her face the picture of innocence.

Mark glanced at his watch then back at Rachel. She wanted to sink into the ground at Jan’s obvious ploys.
God, just kill me now. She could only imagine how desperate she must seem. Ugh.

Get your copy now

About the Author

Lauren has always been a dreamer, weaving stories to keep herself entertained. Through her stories she can travel anywhere in the world and money is not an object. Now who wouldn’t want that?

Unfortunately, the demands of the real world pushed her dreams to the side for a while. After talking to her children about going after what they wanted and not letting fear stand in their way, she realised she needed to lead by example and chase her own dreams. She enjoys going hiking, camping and kayaking with her husband and two daughters.

Email:
[email protected]

Lauren loves to hear from readers. You can find her contact information, website and author biography at
http://www.total-e-bound.com
.

Also by Lauren Fraser

Aged to Perfection

Sharing the Billionaire: Yielding for Him

Total-E-Bound Publishing

www.total-e-bound.com

Take a look at our exciting range of literagasmic™

erotic romance titles and discover pure quality

at Total-E-Bound.