Page 107 of Irresistibly Wicked

SHAUNA AND MADIGAN bumped the car doors shut with their hips, balancing casserole dishes and bags of side dishes they’d made with Reba, Ginger, and the other girls while the guys were renovating. Shauna had tried to absorb the cooking lessons, but she was having so much fun, she wasn’t sure she’d remember much of them. Leah had brought Junie and Rosie, and Chloe had brought Marybelle. The little girls had been right in the thick of it, helping with every step. Shauna loved how Reba and Ginger hadn’t treated them like they were babies or in the way. They’d given them jobs just like they had Shauna and the others. She was glad those little girls would never know what it was like to feel unwanted.

“What do you think they’re up to in there?” Madigan asked as Shauna came around the front of the car. “Talking about tomorrow’s ride while they pretend to work, or kicking back watching the waves roll in?”

Shauna and Zander had gone riding with Madigan and Tobias and some of the others last weekend, and she’d loved it. She wished she could go tomorrow, but she had to work. “Zan and I watch the waves roll in first thing in the morning while we have our coffee, but I can’t see him doing it at this time of day. He’s always doing something.” Mornings had become one of her favorite times of the day, when it was just the two of them, before real life stepped in.

“He’s never been good at sitting still,” Madigan said.

“I believe it. He’s been working his butt off on this place, so if they are kicking back, good for them. As long as nobody complains about the burned ziti casserole, I don’t care what they do.”

“The way they wolf food down, they won’t even notice,” Madigan said as they climbed the porch steps. “Besides, you didn’t burn it. It’s just a little brown.”

They headed inside, and Shauna couldn’t believe her eyes. When she and Madigan had left earlier, they’d had tarps sealing off the living room from the rest of the cottage to keep the drywall dust confined, and the living room had been stockpiled with stones and tools and tarps. All the tarps and tools were cleaned up, except the tarp between the living room and dining room. The entire living room was drywalled and taped, and gorgeous stonework surrounded the fireplace, climbing all the way up to the ceiling.

She and Zander had spent forever choosing stone, and it was even more beautiful than she’d imagined it would be. Music was blaring, Tobias was coiling an extension cord, joking with Zeke as he put something in a box, and Blaine was wiping down tools. Maverick dried his hands on a rag, then snapped Blaine with it, and in the middle of the room was Zander, dusty from head to boots, pushing a shop vac across the floor. Shauna watched his muscles flexing, remembering how good they’d felt against her last night. He turned, catching her staring, and winked, sending a shiver of heat through her.

“Wow. This place looks amazing!” Madigan exclaimed, startling Shauna from her trance.

Zander chuckled as he turned off the vacuum. The brat never missed a thing, and he was closing the distance between them with a cocky swagger that told her he knew it.

“Hey, Blue Eyes,” Tobias called to Madigan as he set the extension cord down.

Zeke turned off the music and said, “Hope that food is for us. I’m starved.”

As Madigan and the guys talked about food, Zander slid a hand to Shauna’s back and said, “What do you think, Angel? We still have to put in the mantel and do a few coats of mud and sanding, but it should be ready to paint by next weekend.”

“It’s gorgeous. I can’t believe this is the same cottage I walked into and wondered if you were really a serial killer who might bury my body at sea.”

He laughed.

“He’d never risk getting blood on his boat,” Blaine said.

“That’s true,” Maverick hollered.

“Well, it looks incredible,” Shauna said. “You guys must be hungry from all that hard work.”

“Hold on, Angel. Before we eat, I’ve got one more thing to show you.” He walked over to the tarp hanging in front of the dining room.

“Did you paint the dining room?” she asked excitedly. They’d chosen a color a few days ago.

He didn’t answer as he unhooked one side of the tarp and Zeke unhooked the other and yanked it to his side of the entryway.

Shauna’s jaw dropped, the casserole dish wobbling in her hands. “Zan. Is that a pole?” Her cheeks burned, but her heart thudded faster.

“It’s a unique dining room showpiece, don’t you think?” Maverick said, taking the casserole dish and the bag from her.

Shauna couldn’t think at the moment. She could do little more than stare at Zander.

“He said it was for exercise,” Tobias chimed in.

“I bet it is,” Madigan teased, earning a round of laughter.

Zander shrugged, like he hadn’t just shocked the hell out of her. “I thought you might want to have one of your own to practice on. It’s not like Kitty needs the whole dining room for her toys.”

Shauna walked into the dining room and touched the pole as she circled it. “You really are crazy.”

The guys laughed.

“So I’ve heard,” Zander said.