Bound to Them Read Online Free Page B

and dark jeans stepped out. Mirrored sunglasses hid his
eyes as he looked around. He stilled, his attention caught. Crista turned to
see Nash standing by a stacked pile of timber, drinking from a water bottle.
    Weird. Why would he be staring at Nash?
    Crista turned back to the stranger, shocked to find his gaze
now firmly centered on her. He started toward her, his stride determined.
Crista swallowed heavily. This was not a man to be messed with. The closer he
got, the more intimidating he grew.
    He stopped a few feet away. Pulling off his sunglasses, he
ran his amber gaze over her body. Butterflies flew through her stomach as her
nipples hardened. His lips twitched.
    Oh hell.
    “Hello.” His low, deep voice sent shivers through her.
    She stared at him for a long moment, taking in his muscular
frame, his short, dark hair and lightly tanned skin. With a jolt of
embarrassment, she realized he was waiting for her to talk. Blushing, she
rubbed her hand against her thigh. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
    “You must be Crista.” His gaze ran over her and seemed to
find her lacking. Crista threw back her shoulders—no way would she let this man
intimidate her. She’d faced down worse.
    “Your brother sent me. He said to check in with the foreman.
Can you point him out to me?”
    Crista sighed, realizing who he was. “Yeah, look, I’m not
sure what Doug told you, but I’m the person you need to talk to.”
    “You’re in charge?” he asked.
    Great, he was one of those. An idiot male who didn’t think a
woman could run the show. Well, she could. She might hate confrontation but she
stepped up to the challenge anyway. “You got a problem with that?” she asked,
folding her arms over her chest.
    He quirked one eyebrow. Crista held his gaze through sheer
force of will.
    His gaze dropped to her lips and she suddenly realized she
was licking them nervously. She immediately pressed her lips together. She
didn’t owe him any excuses. Although she might hate being in charge, she didn’t
let that stop her from keeping this company going.
    “No, I have no problem with that,” he said smoothly.
    “Our foreman Pete had to leave suddenly. If you have any
questions, come to me or Roger, who I’ll introduce you to. He’s second in charge.”
    Thank God for Pete. He’d worked for them for years and knew
the business inside and out, looking after the men while she concentrated on
the bookwork. But Pete’s wife had been in a car accident and he’d flown home
yesterday to look after her. Until he returned, Crista was on her own.
    “No problem,” he replied easily with a slight grin. “Doug
just never mentioned his foreman wouldn’t be here.”
    “Yeah, well, Doug often doesn’t think of the small things.
Like the fact that we don’t actually need another worker,” she muttered.
    “Well, Doug already hired me. He said he’s the owner. Is he
wrong?” He stared down at her steadily, his voice filled with self-confidence,
almost daring her to turn him away.
    She sighed. “No, he’s not wrong. Okay, I guess you’ve got a
new job. I can’t guarantee you work beyond this job though. We move around a
bit, and I’m not sure where we’re going next, so I can only hire you on
temporarily.”
    “That’s fine.”
    “Well, come on in, we’ll get your paperwork done. Umm, were
you planning to start today?”
    “I thought I might as well. That a problem?”
    “No.” She looked him over. His clothes, while simple, seemed
expensive. And white wasn’t the best color to wear on a building site. Boy, she
hoped he actually did have some experience.
    “I’ve got a change of clothes.” The skin around his eyes
crinkled as he smiled. Wow. Her clit danced a little jig. His smile
changed his face from coldly handsome to downright sexy.
    Blushing again as she realized she’d been staring, Crista
turned to walk into the trailer. “Oh, well, umm, good. After you fill out this
paperwork, I’ll show you around, and then you