Chapter 6
Reese
I must have done something in a previous life to deserve this, except I couldn’t imagine what would have been bad enough to land me in this situation.
I spent the past nights staring at my ceiling, replaying the conversation with the man now standing in front of me.
Was it because of business? Oh no, no it wasn’t.
It was because I was an idiot and couldn’t get his deep and grumbly voice out of my head.
It was because that voice did things to my body that I really preferred it didn’t do. It was because…who knew? AHHHHHHHH.
Then I’d given in and searched for him. Holy Mother of God, that was a bad move. Now I had both his body and his voice in my head telling me the dirtiest things. Things I didn’t even know I wanted.
So what happened instead?
I had Clayton Montgomery, in the flesh, standing in my reception area, grinning at me.
The “in the flesh” part was no joke, as I let my eyes take him in.
The silver-colored watch he sported was probably platinum, costing more than this building.
His dark suit fit him as if it had been made for him, which it probably was.
Henley Falls was a jeans and T-shirt kind of town.
Clay would stand out like a sore thumb, but what a thumb it was.
He towered over me, which in fairness was not hard to do given I barely topped five feet.
Green eyes, the color of Grams’ emerald ring currently residing under the desk, sparkled at me.
They held a hint of steeliness and a whole lot of humor.
He wore his dark hair slicked back, but it curled slightly at the nape of his neck, something that didn’t match the rich businessman archetype in my mind.
My gaze snagged on his mouth. Those full lips curved up into a smile, at my expense no doubt, but I couldn’t refute its dazzling nature.
They made me want to take a bite or feel them travel along my skin.
Glancing at his hands, I watched as he flexed them, and I could practically feel them on my body, touching me and making me come alive under his caress.
Get a grip, Reese. I know it’s been a while, but seriously? Closing my eyes, I took a breath, and opened them.
Was that a goddamn dimple?
He was trying to kill me. That had to be it. Maybe he thought if he killed me, he’d get the property. Joke’s on him because I would haunt his ass.
“Why are you smiling?”
No one in their right mind would say I was in any way meek or calm.
My modus operandi tended to be to go full throttle into something, usually with a side of sarcasm and sass.
It was how I convinced my high school graduating class to camp out on our principal’s lawn before the last day of school.
Mrs. Whitting still brings that up when she sees me, probably because her flower bed got trampled during the night and she was not happy.
It was also how I approached this expansion, because truth be told, I wasn’t exactly sure of what I was doing.
Not only the logistics and execution, but the wisdom of it all.
I doubted myself something fierce in this.
It didn’t help that the parental generation had reservations in abundance.
They didn’t want to give us the go ahead, and to be fair, they didn’t have to.
They own everything, control every business I want to improve.
If they said no and stuck to their guns, I’d have no recourse.
Except they gave in, with only a little pressure from Aunt Martha, and here I was.
I stared at Clay, shaking my head. He had taken over my night, and apparently, was about to ruin my day. I raised my eyebrows, indicating I was still awaiting a response.
“Because, Reese, oddly enough, you’re refreshing. This is quite different from my normal business dealings.”
Yeah, I’m sure it is.
“Normal or not, Clay, I’m not going to fall in line with whatever offer you’re thinking of making.”
“Clayton,” he amended, “and you don’t know that. I think Conti-Montgomery could make a vast difference here, and it would behoove you to listen. Isn’t that why you called?”
“Yeah, we went over who called already.” Ever put me into this situation, and I was not at all happy with her.
I mean, I sort of was because a man who looked like Clay didn’t happen upon my doorstep all that often, or ever really, so I couldn’t fault her for the unintended eye candy.
I could, however, find issue with billion-dollar companies breathing down my neck.
“Remind me to thank her,” he added with a wink.
“You can thank her yourself on your way out of town.” He did weird things to my body and my mind, ones I didn’t really want to consider. It felt like forever since I’d been interested in a man, so of course the one man who I should stay far, far away from had to trigger that attraction.
What a fucking disaster.
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily or quickly. Give me a day or two. We can talk about your plans and how Conti-Montgomery can help you. Then, if you’re still not interested…” He paused, a look I couldn’t decipher passing over his eyes. “I’ll head out.”
I didn’t believe that for a second. Sharks didn’t leave when they smelled blood in the water. They circled until they could attack.
This man in his fancy suit was all shark. I had no intention of providing the blood.
“This is ridiculous. Do you really think I don’t know what you want from this visit?”
He stepped closer to the reception desk and leaned his elbows on top. The move had him invading my space, a woodsy scent coming off him. I refused to move back and allow him to think he could intimidate me.
“I don’t think you have any idea what I want.”
Had the air conditioning shut off? Suddenly it felt as if the early summer heat had permeated the room, because it definitely had gotten hot in here. The way he could drop his voice to a low and deeply sexy rumble did things to my body I didn’t really want to admit to myself.
Or allow him to notice.
Which, of course, he did if the way his gaze dropped to my chest was any indication.
I should have worn a padded bra instead of the lacy one, because I was fairly certain my nipples were putting on quite the show.
I watched as Clay licked his lips before dragging his gaze up to my mouth.
A part of me, the overly stupid and under-sexed part, wanted to climb over the counter and taste him.
Fortunately, I had a sane part too, and that one took control. Stepping back, I turned toward the computer, as much to use it as to get away from the intensity of his presence. I didn’t want or need this man here, especially if I was going to react like this.
“So…” He coughed before rising to his full height and straightening his suit jacket. “Are you going to find me a room and allow me to take up some of your time?”
I stared at the monitor as if it held the answers I wanted. Unfortunately, it didn’t.
“I’ll give you a room.” After punching a few keys, I grabbed a key off the rack on the wall.
I thought it was time for the old-fashioned keys to go.
My parents, however, did not. “For the night. Let me think about more.” I offered him the key before adding, “You’re on the third floor…
” I paused as I caught movement outside the window, before letting the devil take hold one more time, “Clay.”
The front door opening cut off any response we would have made, as a half-dozen women piled through. All of whom stopped dead in their tracks when they saw Clay. Yeah, like that was a surprise; he had that look about him.
“Ladies,” he nodded and gave them a smile, one that did not include the dimple.
When he turned to me, I couldn’t say the same.
The dimple was out in full force. I didn’t want to think about why he reserved it for me.
“You know where to find me when you want me.” He plucked the key out of my hand, gave me a wink, and headed outside, presumably to get his bag.
After taking a deep breath, I took care of my guests and wished I didn’t have an unexpected one to deal with.
I definitely should have stayed in bed today.
“So, what are you going to do?”
I sat across from Logan at the large island in the B&B kitchen. Breaking off a piece of scone, I popped it in my mouth and chewed, while trying to come up with an answer for him and a solution to all my problems. One of which was somewhere in this building.
“No idea, Lo. No fucking clue.”
I took another bite and a sip of the iced coffee my brother had put in front of me when I strolled into what we all considered “his area” a little while ago.
Everyone in my family knew that iced coffee could soothe the savage beast, which was an apt description after my unexpected visitor showed up.
A horny, savage beast, thank you very much.
There was no place in my head for thoughts like that, but somehow it didn’t stop them.
Clay had come back inside while I was talking with the ladies and headed straight for the stairs with barely a glance in my direction.
It didn’t stop my gaze from straying to him though.
I’d watched as he carried his bag upstairs and wished my body wasn’t a traitor.
Except it was, considering I hadn’t been this turned on by a man in forever. Not even the last few I’d dated. What did it say about me that the one man I had no business lusting over was the only one I wanted? Probably that I’m an idiot. I couldn’t fault my inner voice in that assessment.
“What do you want to do?” he asked as he stood and moved to the fridge, pulling out a tub of berries.
That was a loaded question if I ever heard one. There was no way on God’s green Earth I was going to answer him with what I truly wanted to do with Clay. Partly because he’d have a stroke and then charge upstairs in full big brother protective mode.
And partly because I had no intention of admitting it out loud. If I didn’t say it, it wasn’t true.