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My thumbs moved to the center of her cheeks. “No, you didn’t.”
“You could have rolled me over.”
I gave her a light kiss. “Don’t tell me that now.”
“I’m just telling you, in the future, if it happens again, roll me toward you. Force me to talk—or don’t—but please at least touch me. I want that, Cooper. I need that.” She slid her hand out of her pocket and put it on my chest. “I’ve learned a lot about you, and one thing I know is that you’re the most intimate and passionate when we’re both naked. Dare I even say, the most loving. So, being with you in that way is something I’ll always want. Whether I’m upset, angry, or in the mood to strangle my brother, it doesn’t matter. I just want to feel that with you.”
And what I felt from her made my fucking dick hard.
I scanned her eyes before my hand lowered to her chin. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me right now.”
“I think I do.”
“No.” I mashed my lips together. “You couldn’t possibly.”
There were so many thoughts running through my head; I couldn’t compartmentalize any of them. “I’m about to dosomething that you’re either going to love or fucking hate me for.”
She laughed. “What?”
I took another glance at the contractor, who was making his way over to us. “You’re going to find out soon.” My hands dropped from her face, and I turned toward the guy. “Do you have good news for us?”
“Yes, and no.” He held out his tablet, showing us the screen and the photos he’d taken of the land. “The back end of the lot can handle the weight. There’s no question about that. It’s the front end I’m really concerned about.” He flipped to the next picture, which was the shoreline. “You mentioned the soil is being tested. That’s a good start. But I’m going to recommend that if you want to build a hotel as large as we spoke about, then you’re going to have to stabilize the ground, and that means”—he pointed at a spot about fifteen feet from where we stood—“starting there and digging twenty, maybe thirty feet down. I’d have to run the numbers, there’s a chance it could be even more. But from there, you’d have to build a foundation and possibly even a new seawall. And that seawall might have to be rebuilt every five or so years—I don’t know, that’s something I can’t predict. But I can tell you that you’re gambling with the weight.”
“Will the foundation hold?” I asked.
He shrugged. “It should. Do I know for sure? Absolutely not. When it comes to nature, there are just too many factors at play. And here, you’re also dealing with water, and that makes things even more temperamental.”
“If it were you, what would you do?” Rowan asked him.
He hugged the tablet against his chest. “I like money too much to gamble. If I knew there was a chance I was going to lose hundreds of millions over something environmental, I wouldn’t even consider it.”
I wasn’t surprised by anything he said. I’d had a feeling this was going to be the result.
And last night, while I’d watched Rowan fake sleep, I’d confirmed plan B in my head.
“And a hotel in the normal size that we discussed, as in the same height and weight that already exists around the lake, that’s doable, yes?” I asked.
“I don’t see that being a problem at all.” He glanced toward the water and back. “I’m going to write this all up in a report. Do you have any questions for me?”
I didn’t want his presence to be here any longer than it needed to be.
“I think we’re good,” I told him.
He adjusted the top of his coat. “Your assistant gave me your information. I’ll email everything over in the next few days.”
He shook my hand and Rowan’s, and then turned to walk to his car.
“What are we going to do?” she asked me the second he was gone.
I couldn’t hide the smile on my face. “We’re going to get well acquainted with the snow.”
It took a moment before her brows shot up. “We’re …what?”
“Don’t move,” I instructed, and I pointed at the ground so she knew I meant for her to stay still.
Once I was sure she would, I went to the SUV that was parked at the base of the lot, where the driver was waiting for us behind the wheel. He rolled down his window as I approached, stalling just long enough for me to say, “We’re not going to need a ride back. Thank you for waiting.”
“You sure?”
