But Caleb Pierce never had to know.
Those full lips twitched in a half smirk. Almost as if he guessed her thoughts and figured it might be fun to toy with her. Too bad for him she’d gone through tons of confrontations with arrogant billionaires, diva celebrities, and demanding teen pop stars who wanted their way and refused to compromise. Morgan had learned from the best. A simple contractor wouldn’t get in her way.
“You have mud on your skirt.”
She never lost a beat. “I encountered the two Cujos in your foyer and realized they wanted to kill me in a way I wasn’t prepared for. We wrestled, and I won.”
“Never heard Balin and Gandalf called Cujos before. You’d be in more danger of being licked to death.”
“Tolkien fan, huh? Nice. Still, I wouldn’t term them a great welcome committee for new clients.”
“I don’t want any new clients, so they work great for me.”
“You won’t need any other clients after you take the Rosenthal job. You’ll be able to pick and choose to your liking.”
“I’m in a bad mood, princess. Sure you want to take me on now?”
She tilted her head and regarded him thoughtfully. “Why don’t you try me, Charming?”
His gaze narrowed. Oh, yeah, that got his attention. She tried not to get sucked into the depths of those amazing eyes, but she was fascinated at how quickly they could turn from smoke to cold steel. She wondered briefly what they’d look like when he was buried deep inside a woman. Whoa, what was that thought? Was she insane?
“What did you just call me?”
Morgan smiled at his slightly shocked tone. “Charming. If I’m playing the passive princess, you can play the part of the stud with brawn but no brains. Personally, I think the horses were the most interesting part of those stories.”
He shook his head. “Who the hell are you again?”
Morgan decided this was a great time to grab the chair opposite his desk and sit down. Both of her feet wept in relief. “Morgan Raines. I’m a personal interior design artist hired by the Rosenthals. In case you haven’t seen a movie in the past five years, let me remind you they’re the darlings of Hollywood, and Slate was nominated for an Academy Award last year. His wife is the face of Glimmer makeup. Maybe you’ve seen her in half a dozen commercials while you’re watching the Kardashians?”
Was that the grinding of his teeth or just her imagination? Oh, she hoped it wasn’t her imagination. “I’ve heard of them. Why is a design artist trying to hire me to build a house?”
Morgan went to cross her legs, felt his gaze drop to the exposed skin of her thighs, and remained still. She clasped her hands on her dirty white skirt and gave her spiel. “I’m much more than an interior designer, Mr. Pierce. My clients hire me to be their voice and vision and oversee the entire project of their dream home. I work with the contractors while the house is built and am the only one they deal with during the construction. I’m the one involved with every tiny detail, from the faucets and tile all the way to what type of doorknobs I want installed. I’m present every day and work closely with the builder on all aspects to completion.”
He fell back into the chair and let out a humorless laugh. “You gotta be kidding me. Basically, your job is to babysit all the spoiled, wealthy clients so they can show up to a completed house built to spec.”
It was so much more than that, but Morgan knew he wouldn’t understand until they began their project. Better not to mention he wouldn’t be able to breathe without her knowing. “Close enough.”
“You pick out their throw pillows, too? What happens if they’re the wrong color?”
The jab didn’t bother her. Morgan was used to the critics, but with a long trail of success stories and a book full of celebrity clients, she could afford to be gracious. “Yes, I pick out the throw pillows. And I never make a wrong decision.”
“Never?”
She calmly met his gaze and refused to veer off course, even though that strange breathlessness was seizing her lungs again. The man was so very . . . vital. “Never.”
“Must be nice.” He remained silent for a while, but she waited him out, her face smoothed out in a mask of endless patience. Morgan noticed he seemed to have no twitchy habits. She’d studied men in countless confrontation situations, and most of them slipped up, giving her a sign of how they dealt with emotion. Some paced. Others tapped an object or finger. Some shifted in their seats or crossed a leg over an ankle or beat a foot against the floor.
Caleb Pierce never moved. Didn’t blink. Just kept a stillness of thought and body that both fascinated and impressed her. He would be a worthy opponent.
What would he be like as a lover?
Demanding. Patient. Hot.
How sad her career was so important, she’d forgotten to take care of her sex life. Of course, the man was a raw specimen of primitive male, from his rock-hard body to those come-and-let-me-do-very-bad-things-to-you eyes. Wasn’t her fault she hadn’t enjoyed a lover for a long time. She was too busy. And most of the men she met were off-limits as her clients or not worth her energy. Morgan didn’t think she was picky. She just wasn’t one to scratch a physical itch and walk off in the morning, and with her job traveling all over the place, settling down wasn’t in her immediate future. Her rambling thoughts got cut off by his sudden, terse words.
“As interesting as this conversation has been, I must end it. I’m sorry, Ms. Raines, but my original answer of no stands.”
“Why? The pay is quite generous.”
His brow rose in mockery. “Money is nice but not the deciding factor.”
“Tell me what you want to take this job, and I’ll get it for you.”
His gaze heated. “I’m tempted to test your claim.”
She barely managed not to roll her eyes. “Please be original, Mr. Pierce. I’m sure you have much higher demands than me.”
Was that an expression of humor flicking over his face? No, just a shadow thrown by the window behind him. Morgan already figured he’d have a wretched sense of humor. He seemed way too intense and focused for a few light laughs or jokes. “I’m sure you’re right. But you’re not understanding me. You won’t be able to meet my price, because I don’t have one. Pierce Brothers is already overbooked, and I’ve just signed an important client I’ll be involved with for the rest of the year. When I personally oversee a job, I never take another one. I like to concentrate on the one I’m with in all aspects.”
The words drilled at her seemed filled with buckets of meaning, all leading to sex. But Morgan now accepted that Caleb Pierce turned her on, and she’d have to get over it. She had no time for silly weak bodily reactions just because she was hot for him. Their short conversation already confirmed she wasn’t his type anyway.
Morgan sifted through his explanation, probing the holes and what she needed to do so that he’d change his mind. “Who’s your client?” she asked.
“That’s confidential.”
“No, it’s not. You just don’t want to tell me.”
“You have excellent instincts.”
Morgan pursed her lips and thought hard. “You have a large team. You couldn’t shift your assistants to take care of your other client? The Rosenthals will be quite grateful. They’re known for calling in huge favors, so Pierce Brothers will be set up for a long, long time.”