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  Olivia had the distinct feeling that Savannah was flirting with her. Savannah’s eyes flickered down to Olivia’s lips for a moment before returning her gaze. Olivia decided to go for it. “Mm. I was just wondering what color lipstick you use—it’s such a unique shade.”

  Savannah quirked an eyebrow, licking her lips before she replied, “Is that so?”

  Her voice was velvety soft with a little more huskiness than usual as she added, “It’s a combination of two colors. I blend them with my finger and apply a gloss to seal in the color.” She brought her index finger to her lips, hovering over them in a mock reproduction of her blending method. Olivia was enchanted. Savannah dropped her hand, breaking the trance and asked in the same quiet tone, “How did you sleep?”

  Now she knew Savannah was flirting with her. Olivia took a half step closer and reached out to brush a bit of plaster dust off Savannah’s shoulder. “Good. Like the dead. The way one does after being taunted into tequila shots.”

  Savannah’s eyes followed Olivia’s hand from her shoulder back down to her side. “Hey, I merely suggested that Reagan might have a higher tolerance for alcohol than you. At no point was that a personal challenge for you to pound ’em down.”

  “Everything sounds like a challenge after a pitcher of margaritas,” Olivia teased before taking a more serious tone. “Thank you for making sure I got to my room in one piece. I appreciate it.”

  There was a hint of a smile on Savannah’s lips as she replied, “Of course, no problem.” She paused and added, “It was my pleasure.”

  Olivia bit her bottom lip and looked past Savannah at her team that was assembling by the drafting table—they were ready for the meeting. She decided this would be her only chance to say what she needed to without someone around listening. She reached out once more and lightly ran her fingertips along the hand holding the tablet in front of Savannah’s chest. She spoke softly. “And thanks for pushing back the meeting.”

  Savannah’s eyes followed her fingers. She fluttered her fingers under Olivia’s tentative touch and gently rubbed her index finger against Olivia’s for a moment. She looked up at Olivia once more and stepped back, just like she had last night. Her smile looked subdued, almost hesitant, when she replied, “Anytime.”

  Olivia got it. They made eye contact briefly, and it occurred to Olivia that there was a silent agreement passing between them: they couldn’t do this. Olivia got the sense that they both knew it. She nodded and sighed. She was already too interested in Savannah. If she didn’t cool things off now, she was doomed. This was just the way things had to be. She couldn’t let an attraction to her colleague get in the way of the biggest professional opportunity of her career. This project had to work. It just had to. And it wasn’t going to if she spent all day dreaming about her coworker. She needed to grow up and tackle this like an adult. A celibate adult who was not kissing Savannah on the cheek to say good night and daydreaming about what might have happened if she’d asked her to stay. Olivia tried not to think about how long it’d been since she’d let off a little steam. She really could use the release right about now.

  She stuffed that feeling down and shook her head as she walked toward her team. There wasn’t time for that kind of thinking. It was time to get back to work.

  Chapter Nine

  Savannah couldn’t remember a busier week. The rest of the time in Denver had flown by. In order for them to get everything done before Olivia and her team had to leave, they all had to put in long days. Randal and Daniel left on Thursday but Reagan stayed behind to make sure the lighting installation was up to spec. She would be departing with Olivia and the rest of the team tomorrow in the early afternoon. Savannah was ready to be back on her own to prepare for their next project site but, admittedly, had mixed feelings about Olivia leaving.

  The space was just about ready and all the materials were in place and picked out. The final coats of paint were being applied and the electrical inspector was scheduled to sign off on the computerized wall panel and water feature later today. All that was left was detail work and testing the space, all of which could be done without Olivia and her team. Savannah would leave a few days later once the project was complete.

  Friday was a sort of free day for them. The local crew would be busy all day, but Olivia and her team didn’t need to be at the project site except for a quick debriefing at the end of the day. Savannah had encouraged them to take off on their own, and they went out to do some sightseeing with Ernesto. They weren’t slated to be back until the late afternoon, which was fine by Savannah. If she was being honest, she needed a little time to herself. The growing tension between her and Olivia hadn’t dissipated with time—it had gotten exponentially worse.

  Their workdays went on forever, and it was impossible for her to avoid interacting with Olivia. After their nondiscussion about the kiss at the end of the night of drinking, Savannah had tried to steer clear of contact. But it seemed like the gods were against her. First, there was the afternoon meeting where Olivia’s leg brushed against Savannah’s, eliciting an involuntary shudder from her. And as soon as the touch happened, Olivia pulled away. Olivia had glanced over at her anxiously, and they made just enough eye contact that Savannah had missed a question from Daniel and had to ask him to repeat himself.

  She changed her seat at the conference table for the next meeting. She sat off to the side so as to resist the urge to watch Olivia chew on the end of her glasses in that cute way she did when she was thinking. That worked out well for about fifteen minutes until Randal tripped over his untied shoes and dumped the contents of his drink in Savannah’s lap. Luckily the drink was cold, but unluckily, Olivia came to help her pat her skirt dry. Which just led to awkward contact and strained smiles between the two of them.

  So having Olivia off the premises today was exactly what Savannah needed.

  Savannah excused herself from the design space and informed the general contractor that she was going to hit up the pool for a midday workout before their afternoon meetings. She let him know he could come find her if absolutely necessary, but she made it pretty clear that she was hoping to be left alone. He seemed to understand, and she was grateful he didn’t try to make small talk. All she wanted to do was work out a little of this buzzing energy and try to calm the overwhelmed feeling that was settling over her. It wasn’t that the project was too much; truthfully it had come together rather nicely. No, she had this sort of looming sense that something wasn’t quite right. She chalked it up to lots of late nights bent over drafting tables with an attractive female colleague for long periods of time and no real expenditure of pent-up energy, sexual or otherwise.

  The pool was quiet, except for a few older ladies laughing and gossiping in the shallow end. The lanes were open for laps and that was all Savannah really cared about. She wasn’t here for leisure. She was here to help herself focus and get some clarity. And that clarity, she had learned, only came to her with a little hard work.

  As she slipped off the terry cloth robe at the edge of the indoor pool she thought about how things had changed in the past few weeks. She’d been so immersed in this project that the little progress she had made on settling into her Chicago apartment had all but ceased. Her apartment was still barely unpacked. She’d spent so much time traveling that there didn’t seem to be time to add knickknacks and personalization to the clean off-white walls of her one-bedroom condo. Gwen had been the one who added things like picture frames and candleholders to the background. Savannah had gotten rid of everything they had shared as a couple when she moved out of their place. She had no need for things that would collect dust.

  She lowered herself into the water and cleared her lungs, taking in deep breaths as her body adjusted to the temperature. Her life hadn’t always been this way, the way of the traveling wind without roots. She’d had a plan once, a steady, comforting life plan that involved settling down and starting a family with Gwen. But that was a distant memory now.

  She let the s
ad memory wash over her as she sucked in a sharp breath and turned underwater in the pool, finishing her ninth lap. Her strokes were long and confident. Her years of swimming in high school and college took over and guided her through the motions in a rehearsed, automatic way. Around her fourteenth lap she felt a gentle fatigue settle in her chest, and her arms began to burn as she turned into the final leg. She had pushed herself harder than she’d anticipated, but it felt good to feel her body strain and struggle to maintain its grace in the water. When she emerged from her final lap, she pulled in a few deep breaths before she noticed someone clapping nearby. She pulled off her swim cap and looked up to find Olivia perched on a lounger nearby. She was smiling and holding a towel in her lap.

  “I had no idea you were a swimmer,” Olivia said with a look of glee.

  Savannah took a few steadying breaths, trying to slow her heart rate as she looked up at her unexpected audience. Olivia’s hair was down, hanging in loose natural curls past her shoulders. She was in dark jeans and a fitted T-shirt with her sunglasses resting in her hair. She had a sun-kissed glow to her, likely from the hike she’d told Savannah she was going on today. Olivia leaned forward slightly to extend the towel toward Savannah, making the V-neck of her shirt pucker and expose the tops of her breasts to Savannah’s view.

  Savannah’s heart rate picked right back up again.

  She let out a slow exhale as she pulled herself from the pool and accepted the towel with a gracious smile. “I swam in school. It helps me stay fit and clear my head.” She kept her eyes on Olivia and watched as Olivia tried to subtly check her out. She dragged the towel across her abdomen and up her arms for good measure. “How’d you find me?” Savannah would have been lying if she said she wasn’t happy to see Olivia. Or that she was happy to see Olivia checking her out, either.

  Olivia leaned back on the lounger, resting on her elbows. She appeared to be struggling to make eye contact. “Uh, I stopped by the design space and they told me you were taking the morning off. The contractor mentioned you were hitting the gym. So I ventured down to see if you needed a spotter.” Olivia’s expression was playful.

  “Is that so?” Savannah mulled that over before she rested her foot on the lounger next to Olivia. She bent forward, slowly toweling off her legs. She was pleased to catch Olivia’s gaze following the path of her hands. “How was your day trip?”

  “Huh? Good. It was…good.” Olivia seemed distracted.

  Savannah felt a bead of water drip from her hair and begin its descent between her breasts. She brought the towel up to her chest and Olivia’s head jerked up with it.

  “You know,” Savannah teased in a deep velvety tone, “someone with a little less confidence might think you were a stalker. Since you showed up here with a towel and all.”

  Olivia laughed and turned so she was facing Savannah more fully. “Someone a little less confident?”

  Savannah knew they had wandered into flirting territory again and indulged a little. She stood back up and lowered the towel, going out of her way to gently drag her nails across her flat stomach just to see if she could get a rise out of Olivia. So far, she had her audience captivated.

  “Yeah. I happen to be a very graceful swimmer, so drawing a crowd isn’t a new thing for me.” She paused her hand over her navel, slowly circling around it and dragging down a bit until she hit the top of her briefs before she added in a low purr, “Although I’m not always so closely monitored while I dry off. That’s sort of new for me.”

  Olivia licked her lips and raised an eyebrow in Savannah’s direction, almost as if taunting her. She stood and turned before she bent to pick up a nearby water bottle she must have brought with her. Savannah’s gaze dropped downward and she let herself admire the way Olivia’s ass looked in those jeans.

  Olivia paused there and looked over her shoulder at Savannah. “Really? And do you always towel off so seductively? Or is that just for my benefit?”

  “Hmm.” Savannah let her eyes linger a little longer. There was no sense in the unnecessary pretense when such a pleasant view was so close. “Touché.”

  Olivia offered the water bottle to Savannah. She took it and brought it to her mouth before she rolled it along her bottom lip. After taking a sip, she stated quietly, “I like your jeans.”

  “I noticed.” Olivia took the water bottle back and sipped it. Savannah felt wet all over again when Olivia made no attempt to conceal the way her eyes traced over Savannah’s body. “I like your bathing suit.”

  “Thank you.” Savannah reached out and pushed a rogue curl behind Olivia’s ear. Olivia’s eyes fluttered closed in response and Savannah wanted to kiss her in that moment. She had a feeling Olivia’s lips would feel like heaven. She thought about those lips often.

  The sound of water splashing and children laughing shattered Savannah’s reverie. She pulled back her hand and ran it through her damp hair as Olivia’s eyes blinked back open. “This is probably not a good idea.”

  Olivia pouted, and Savannah wondered what she tasted like. “Yeah, probably.”

  They stood there, standing close, not talking, but watching each other for a few moments before Savannah let out a heavy sigh and frowned. “I should probably go shower before our meeting.”

  “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.” Olivia’s shoulders drooped. Savannah felt the same way.

  Savannah wrapped the towel around her trunk and stepped back just enough to clear the fog that had settled over her mind. That same fog was also sending little sparks down into her abdomen. “See you at the meeting?”

  Olivia nodded and Savannah turned to leave before she lost her willpower to resist her colleague. As much as she wanted to see where this would go with Olivia, she knew that the success of the project depended on her remaining unbiased throughout its entirety. These three installations were merely an audition for the bigger contract that New Horizons was dangling in front of Olivia and her team. From what Savannah had observed, Olivia and her team were more than qualified for the job. In fact, they were excelling at it. She’d found herself more and more impressed with every obstacle they overcame. This was a slam dunk for them. And yet, she also knew that her reports and opinions were going to be weighed in her superiors’ decision process at the end. She had to make sure she could separate her professional feelings from her personal ones. But the more time she spent with Olivia, the less confident she felt in her ability to do that.

  Chapter Ten

  Olivia was pleased that the staff meeting was brief. They reviewed the final details and scheduled a videoconference for the unveiling next week, so her team could see the final product. There were a few kinks to work out with the computer, and one of the reflecting walls was on the fritz, but they had been assured that all would be worked out by the Denver crew over the weekend in preparation for Monday’s reveal. Savannah let them know that she would stick around to make sure everything was perfect before jetting back to Chicago for another project that was in the works. The group decided on one last dinner together before they separated. Her team chose an off-site sushi restaurant that had hibachi for Devon and Farrah, who preferred cooked cuisine.

  They sat in a U around the hibachi grill watching as the chef made onion volcanoes and flung shrimp around between his spatulas in artistic displays of agility, then into his hat, before hitting the grill again.

  Olivia loved the group’s dynamic. To her left, Devon and Reagan were sake bombing and high-fiving as they picked at the teriyaki plates in front of them. There might or might not have been dramatic diving catches for bits of lobster or shrimp that the chef tossed to them from the grill. Farrah and Savannah were discussing some celebrity scandal over glasses of plum wine to Olivia’s right. They got along so well outside of work, which was reflected in their professional collaboration.

  Olivia let her eyes settle on the blue and white flame that flickered in front of her, allowing it to pull her into a trance. She had spent the better part of the afternoon not concentrating on anyt
hing. After she had tracked down Savannah at the pool, her head was swimming with all kinds of thoughts. There had been such blatant flirting, and clearly they wanted the same thing. So why couldn’t it happen? An office romance here or there was far from taboo these days. Would it really be such a bad thing?

  A nagging sensation in the back of her mind made her think it might be. This contract was a total game changer for her. The possibilities at the end of these three trial installations were endless. She could write her own ticket if this all worked out. She’d be foolish to risk screwing this all up by getting involved with Savannah. Especially since her track record with women wasn’t nearly as great as she would have liked. For as much shit as she gave Reagan for her constantly changing relationship status, the truth was that Olivia hadn’t managed to keep a serious girlfriend in…forever. More likely than not, this thing with Savannah would blow up in her face and derail this entire project. It wasn’t worth the risk.

  But try as she might, she could not for the life of her ignore Savannah. She had to actively stop herself from watching Savannah eat, her eyes continually drawn back to her lips. It was distracting and enticing all at the same time. She watched as Savannah paused her conversation and reached into her pocket. She frowned, mumbled something about corporate, and left the table to take the call.

  Olivia nodded in agreement to the question Farrah directed toward her, maybe in an attempt to pull her into her conversation, something about the Dancing with the Stars roster. But her gaze followed Savannah’s ass until she was out of the room. Seeing Savannah in next to nothing, dripping wet, did absolutely nothing to quell the aching lust that had been brewing over the past few days. Olivia zoned out whenever Savannah spoke. That voice, it was just so smooth and raspy. She glanced down at her plate, picking up a shrimp with her chopsticks while Devon talked to the other women about going out to party that night.