Sweet Obsession: Windy City Kink, Book 1 Read Online Free Page A

out here, but he didn’t look it. He looked hot. She swallowed again.
    “Let’s go inside,” he said. “It’s chilly out here. We can talk more in there.”
    She again preceded him through the door. The warmth of the condo wrapped around her, along with a scent, something spicy and masculine. He closed the door behind him and led the way to the couch and chairs in the corner, surrounded by glass and light. He gestured and she took a seat in one of the tub chairs and crossed her legs.
    Jack sat on the curved white couch, and holy hell, he looked dark and dangerous like that. He’d had a heavy beard even as a teenager, and now wore a dark shadow of whiskers on his strong jaw. With his tanned skin, dark hair and eyes and black shirt, he gave off an almost diabolic air. Her pulse fluttered and she fought to stay calm and collected.
    “What’s going on?” Jack repeated her question. “I just bought this condo a few months ago when I moved back to Chicago. I want a garden out on the roof. Your name came up when I was checking out landscape designers. I looked at your website and like the work you’ve done. I want to hire you. That’s what’s going on.”
    Her body continued to vibrate with nerves. She stared at him. So this was just business. Really?
    “So where do we start?” he asked, leaning back and crossing one ankle over the other knee.
    Start. Yes. Business. Her thoughts tumbled over each other and heat climbed up her neck and face. How were they supposed to talk about business when he’d just reappeared in her life after twelve years, after what had happened between them? Were they supposed to ignore that, pretend it never happened? Act like strangers?
    They were strangers. Really. It had been so long they couldn’t know each other. They were no longer teenagers. She went with that thought and took a steadying breath.
    “Well,” she began. “We start with me getting a sense of what you want.” That didn’t sound right. She floundered a little, searching for more words. “Um. Your budget, of course.”
    He waved a hand. “It doesn’t matter what it costs.”
    She gaped at him. “You can’t do that.”
    He smiled. “Sure I can. Money is no object.”
    She knew he’d done well. Who didn’t? He wasn’t exactly a household name, but he’d created quite a stir in the business world when he’d moved his company to Chicago from San Jose about six months ago. A recent magazine article had dubbed him “Tech Boy Wonder”.
    “Um. Okay. Well then, I start with getting ideas of what you want. I do a feasibility study to make sure that structurally your patio can support whatever design elements you want. We talk about a time schedule. You approve that and then I work on concept development and preliminary designs and an estimate, which again you review and approve. We make changes if necessary. And then we start construction.”
    “Okay.”
    Once again she struggled. This was the weirdest business meeting she’d ever had. “So. Um. What do you want to use that space for?”
    He tipped his head. “I’m not sure. I haven’t lived here that long. Possibly entertaining, although I also want it to be a place I can relax. I love the views from up here.”
    “Do you have any pictures of spaces you like? Not even necessarily rooftop gardens, or even landscaping pictures, but interior spaces you like.” She looked around. “The style inside is very clean and modern. Should I assume you want that outside too?”
    He nodded. “Yeah. But comfortable. I want to kick back out there. Hey.” He jumped to his feet with the energy she remembered so well. “Let me show you the rest of the place. Maybe that will help.”
    She rose to her own feet more slowly. “Okay.”
    He spread his arms wide to indicate the big L-shaped space that was living room, dining room and kitchen, which she hadn’t really had a good look at. “This is the main living area. I like all the windows, of course. Come see the