Her gratitude flustered him for a moment, and he didn’t know what to say, so he blurted out the first thing that occurred to him. “Wouldn’t do it for just anyone.”

It was supposed to come out as light, humorous, but when Sierra peered up at him, the lightness failed, and there was only a pulsing tension between them as their eyes met and held for two seconds…three.

Finally, she opened her mouth, as if to say something, but no words came out. Then she laughed lightly on an exhale, lowered her gaze, and dropped his arm. “I better change my clothes so we can go.”

Cole swallowed and nodded, worked at stuffing down his attraction to her yet again, took half a step to the side at the same time she turned toward the private part of the apartment.

He was still leaning for all he was worth against the cabinets when she reached the hallway to her bedroom, paused, and looked back toward him.

She smiled distractedly, and he could swear her eyes narrowed a fraction, as if she’d seen more than he wanted her to see. As if he’d given away too damn much.

Chapter Six

Sierra closed her bathroom door and leaned her back against it. Her head was spinning, and not from the three partial drinks she’d had—and unintentionally abandoned before finishing—over the course of the reception.

What the heck had just happened?

That look from Cole… It had stolen her breath, and God’s truth, if she’d stood there staring into his eyes for one second longer, it would’ve been impossible not to step closer to him and…

She exhaled hard, tried to gather her wits and regain some perspective on the man in the other room.

Cole had worked his way up to foreman quickly, as he had a lot of experience and was unquestionably intelligent. So intelligent that she’d wondered more than once how he’d ended up doing construction, suspected that it was something he’d settled for, but she didn’t question it too hard because she was glad to have him, lucky to keep him. She’d never seen any sign of anything besides boss-employee between them.

But that look out in her kitchen—and if she was honest, it was more than a look, more like crackling sexual tension—that had blindsided her and she didn’t know what to do about it. She tried to wrap her head around the idea that Cole might feel something for her. Might. Or maybe she’d just misread him.

She stepped toward the mirror to take off her jewelry.