Chapter Six

Neither money nor the devil can remain in peace.

She shouldn't have agreed to have dinner with him. Damn Duna and his intuition about good hearts and strangers who sometimes turn out to be our greatest allies. Drawn to him like a bloodsucking tick on a hound, here she was, strolling down the beach with the gorgeous man. Everything about him screamed run, run! Right down to his Porsche, the gold-plated Burberry watch and Balenciaga sneakers. The only generic clothing on that well-honed bod was the short-sleeved, salmon pullover and khaki trousers. No doubt he ditched the Tommy Bahama and Armani to disarm her…before he came in for the kill. Throughout the meal, a little voice in her head taunted her, friend or foe? Wolf in sheep's clothing or knight in shining armor? Her knight in shining armor.

As if he'd found doggy paradise, Rook bounded ahead of them in the sand and then circled back to check on them now and then. Silence reigned while they walked along at an easy pace, a comfortable truce affording her time to pace her breathing and still the erratic beat of her heart. That was another conundrum she'd been dealing with. Every time he came within striking distance, shortness of breath, thumping heartbeat and ripples of heat crawled over her skin.

"What are you thinking about?" the solid mass of male phenoms asked. "Right now, this second?"

Oh, hell no, not going there.

"Wondering about your family. You said I never asked one question about you the first time we met."

"Ask away. I'm an open book."

Yeah, categorized under erotic at Barnes and Noble. "All right. Tell me about your family."

He looked away as if gathering his thoughts first. "Let's see, Dad left when I was fourteen or should I say she drove him away."

"Your mom?"

He nodded.

"You miss him."

"Yeah, but we stay in touch. I also envy him."

"Why's that?"

"He escaped to Costa Rica, tropical beaches, wonders of nature and friendly people."

"How about siblings?"

"Zilch. Like you, I'm an only child and not at all bitter about it." He ran his hands through the hair at the sides of his head. "They shouldn't have had children."

She caught him out of the corner of her eye. "Sounds like a rough childhood."

"No, I wouldn't say rough. Dad is laid back, sort of the hippie type. Mom is…hmm, how to describe her. Domineering, determined and driven." A quiet sigh escaped his sensual mouth. "We're talking Mack truck driven. Once she makes up her mind, she wants something, a rabid badger can't deter her."

"Oh-oh, is that a warning?"

He came up short and faced her, searching her face as if he wanted to commit it to memory. "No, not at all. I'd stop her before it came to that."

"Would she listen?"

"At the risk of driving me away too? I'd like to think she would. She's a good business woman and I'm proud of what she's accomplished but sometimes I wonder about her ethics. I mean, how far would she go to win?" Cupping her cheek, his voice a whisper, he closed the small gap between them. "I don't want you to worry. I'm doing my best to lead her in another direction, convince her to pour her dogged determination into another project."

"I'm not selling out."

"I know and I don't blame you."

Her mouth dried up. She wanted to look away from that kaleidoscope of blue below his eyebrows but someone had severed the wire in her brain that commanded her neck.

"I want to kiss you…want to kiss you so bad I think I'm at the point of no return."

The world stopped. Like her heart. His lips parted. The soft breaths coming from his mouth fanned the bridge of her nose. Heat rolled off him in waves. She wondered if she'd have a permanent palm print on her cheek from his hand.

She realized in that inconvenient moment she wanted him to kiss her. Holy crap, she wanted him to do a whole lot more than kiss her.

When his mouth descended, her mind blared a final alarm. No, no, don't fall down this rabbit hole. Nothing will ever be the same again.

Their lips met in a soft, effortless kiss, fusing like seam-bond and fabric, as if their mouths had been waiting for this moment for centuries.

Of their own volition, her arms drifted up and clasped his shoulders. Dragonflies circled in her stomach when his tongue sought hers. What are you doing, you stupid, stupid girl? A moan battled for release at the back of her throat or had it already escaped?

"Woof! Woof!"

Thank God for Rook. Twice now the dog had saved her from a terrible fate.

Dazed, she broke from the kiss, but he held her against him, his focused gaze drilling into her eyes.

"That shouldn't have happened." At least she could still find her voice.

"Why not?"

Stepping back, she turned around and began walking. "We're at the halfway mark."

He caught her before she took half a dozen steps, his fingers grasping her elbows. "I said why not?"

"You know why not. It will never work."

"Same question."

Resentment surged up from her belly. And a heap of uncertainty. He didn't want her; he wanted her land. She couldn't ditch that thought, allow him to sweet-talk her into a temporary dalliance until he got what he came for.

"Season, forget for a moment how we met, what I was doing on your land and what I do for a living."

She slapped his hand away and kept walking. "I can't."

"Try."

Spinning around on her heels, she faced him. "Okay, I'll tell you. You stink urban snobbery, skyline vistas and desecrated wasteland."

He scratched the back of his head, his brow furrowed. "Can you translate that for me?"

"Sure. Think Gotham City, Trump Tower and Blade Runner, everything I loathe in life."

"Blade Runner…Harrison Ford's old sci-fi?"

"Yeah, did you see a tree when you watched that movie? No, they destroyed every blade of green grass, every proud oak, and every blessed four-legged creature on earth except…except cockroaches."

"They have six legs."

"Oh, you're insufferable, and a jerk to boot." She stormed off again. "You think this is funny? Well not to me, city boy, not to me."

He had to run to catch up to her. "No, I don't think it's funny, and you're wrong about me, so wrong."

"No, I'm not. I care about the animals, the plant life, even the burial mounds."

His long strides struggled to keep up with her frantic gait. "Burial mounds? What burial mounds?"

"See what I mean? Mister hotshot surveyor missed that when he sneaked onto our land and…and, oh, never mind. I want to go home now."

"Sure, no problem." He whistled for Rook and without another word between them, they returned to the car.

Her hand found the handle before the SUV came to a complete halt in the driveway. She had to get away from him and her runaway feelings. When he clicked the unlock button, she cranked the door open and hopped out. "Safe journey home, Rann, and thank you for dinner."

"Yeah, no problem. I'll send the hawk picture when I get back to Chicago, and I'll do my best to convince Martin and my mother to abandon the Pine Bay project.

"Martin?"

"My mother's boyfriend, her lapdog."

"From what you've told me, I won't hold my breath. You need to convince your mother and her boyfriend that elephants will turn into pink frogs before I sell the land."

With that, she turned and scooted toward the house.