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The corners of Will’s mouth turned down. “Does he still live there now?”
“Worried about meeting my father?”
Will uncrossed his legs and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. “I haven’t done anything to you yet to be worried about.”
A chill of excitement ran down Zoe’s spine. What kinds of things would he do? Just the thought of his lips on her collarbone steamed her throughout her body. Even with her last official relationship, Zoe never daydreamed about what his lips would do. Shaun Jackson had been sweet, hunky and driven, but never enough for Zoe to get distracted from her own goals. This was a perfect example of why she carried a change of clothes with her in her carry-on bag. Zoe cleared her throat and tried to stay focused on the prize. What she wanted was the Creative Design Director position. She was not going to sleep her way to the top. She’d never had to before, and she wasn’t going to start now.
“Alright, I’ll drop it for now,” Will said, interrupting her thoughts. “Will you be staying at your father’s?”
Zoe shook her head. “Dad is away this summer. But, even so, I won’t be staying there.”
An inquisitive brow rose on Will’s face. “No?”
“I heard that everyone involved with the pageant is going to be at Magnolia Palace.”
“Is it someplace special? My cousins gushed when they told me about it.”
“I am biased,” Zoe began, a smile touching her face at the vast memories. “My folks met there when my mother was on a photo shoot. He proposed there, as well.”
A sad sigh struggled in the back of Zoe’s throat. She wanted what her parents had, minus the not living together. A long-distance relationship worked for them, but not her. As much as work kept Zoe busy, she didn’t have time to nurture a relationship. Soon Zoe was going to want someone she could wake up to every day. Work had always been important and the proverbial someday lurked around the corner. Once she got the position at Ravens Cosmetics, Zoe planned on settling down. There were a few potential men in Miami, but no one worth giving up her goals for. Zoe needed a man as driven as herself.
“Well, I can’t wait to see this place,” Will concluded with a dazzling grin.
“Me, either,” Zoe beamed. “During high school, Magnolia Palace sort of crashed and burned. But recently it was bought and renovated. I’m excited to see the changes and I can’t wait to walk along the pier.”
For a moment, Zoe held her breath. Given her creative job as a makeup artist, she lived in a fast-paced world. People wanted fast-paced things. A walk along a pier on a lake was not fast-paced.
Will nodded his dark head. “Well then, I am excited to see it and take this walk, as well.”
A spark went off in Zoe’s heart and another heat wave of desire coursed through her veins. What she needed more than anything was a splash of cold water across her face. Maybe taking this flight had been a bad idea after all. With a combination of these close quarters, Will’s sexy smiles and not having sex in six months, her senses were on high alert. Still determined to see Will as her future boss, Zoe rose from her seat and started to move around the coffee table. At the most inconvenient time, the small aircraft hit an air pocket, sending Zoe stumbling right into Will’s lap.
Graciously he opened his arms and accommodated her on his lap until the turbulence ceased. One of his hands braced her back and the other secured her thighs against him. Another jolt sent Zoe’s arms flailing and, rather than hit him in the face, she wrapped them around his shoulders, bringing them nose to nose. Zoe inhaled deeply. One millimeter closer and their lips would be touching.
“Ahem.” The flight attendant cleared her throat from her end of the plane. Zoe scrambled out of Will’s lap and headed off to the bathroom. “The captain sends his apologies and wanted to let you know we’ll be landing shortly.”
Zoe closed the door behind her and an overhead light turned on. A deep red tint stained her cheeks. What had she almost done? She wanted the job. But not this way. This really was going to be the longest week ever.
CHAPTER 3
Check-in at the Magnolia Palace started at noon. Thanks to the fact that there had been no more turbulence, Will and Zoe were able to land practically in the backyard of Southwood, Georgia, and arrive in town extra early. Dominic Crowne had moved his business, Crowne Motors Restoration, here because he wanted a quiet place in the country. Dominic restored classic cars and test-drove them on his private track; he imported foreign vehicles, as well. Dominic and Will had pledged together at Stanford. They were friends as freshmen, but brothers by graduation.
