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Clutching her phone, she went into the lounge. Hunter was slouched on the sofa, rolling balls of yarn across the floor for the cats to jump at. Fang sat near him—not close, but not hunched out of sight either. Every so often, Hunter reached out to give the old cat a quick, gentle pat on the back. Fang twitched his tail.
One week ago today they’d first stepped over the line together. Aria had no regrets and would do it a thousand times over. But the line was still there.
As she approached the sofa, Fang edged closer to Hunter before leaping off and heading for one of the hideaways.
Hunter gave her a lazy grin. Light shone in from the outdoor streetlamps, burnishing his chest golden-brown in the light. His dark hair was tousled from the grip of her fingers. “Where’s the chocolate mousse?”
She extended the phone to him. A frown creased his forehead. After scanning the message, he let out his breath.
“Well, shit.”
“We knew it was coming.” She studied the agenda for the Mariposa Business Association meeting, which included one major action item. Her and Hunter’s debate, followed by the vote that would determine whether or not the shop owners would sell their properties.
He dragged his hands down his face. “I fucking hate this.”
“So do I.” Aria set her phone aside and edged closer to him. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her against his chest.
“There has to be something I can do.” He spoke almost under his breath, as if he were talking to himself. “Quitting won’t work because Imperial owns the contracts. They’d just send someone else in. But—”
“Hunter.” Resting her hand on his chest, she lifted herself up to look at him. Tenderness flooded her at the distress in his eyes. “I wish…”
She swallowed past a sudden lump in her throat. “I wish things could be different, but they’re not. Theycan’tbe. As much as I love you for wanting to find another angle, I can’t let you do anything that might jeopardize your career or…”
Her voice trailed off. He was staring at her with dawning shock. Only then did Aria realize what she’d just said. What she’d confessed.
“I mean…” She managed to smile weakly. “We have a plan, right? We’re going to stick to the plan. There’s no miraculous revelation where we find some never-before-seen way we can both get what we want. There’s no magic wand. No ruby slippers.”
“Juliette was right.” Deep grooves bracketed his mouth. “We have eight verbal commitments. Possibly nine.”
“I know.”
“I don’t want you to lose this place.”
“I don’t either. But I also don’t want to keep it because of the way we feel about each other.” She put her hand over his. “It took me a long time to learn how to stand my ground. I’m proud of myself for doing it against a company as powerful as Imperial. And against a man like you. No.”
She held up a hand when he opened his mouth to speak. “You’re an opponent like no other. You didn’t go easy on me, even after what happened the first night we met. It’s not in you to back down from a challenge. And I don’t want to win this because you make a concession that you never would have made if we weren’t sleeping together.”
His face darkened with a glare. “We’re doing more than just sleeping together.”
“If you wouldn’t make the exact same concession to Gary or Lois or Annie, then I don’t want it either.”
With a mutter of frustration, he pushed to his feet. “I meant what I said. This isn’t a wall between us. Whatever happens, we’ll figure it out.”
“You said Imperial Properties intends to be a presence in Bliss Cove for years to come.” She suppressed a surge of anxiety at the thought. “What does that mean for you?”
“I’d direct the construction of Oceanview and open a new Imperial office in LA.” He stopped at the window and folded his arms over his chest, his profile rigid. “I could make trips up here when needed. But I’d come more often just to see you.”
Where will I be?
“Aria, I’m telling you we can work this out.” He rubbed his jaw, his eyes dark. “Wewill. We just need a plan.”
Aria stroked her hand through Jumbo’s fur. As much as she appreciated Hunter’s certainty, the only way anything could be worked out was if Imperial lost the vote. Otherwise, she’d be forced to sell her property and move…and she didn’t think she could be with Hunter while he oversaw the destruction of Mariposa Street and the building of Oceanview Plaza.
She couldn’t imagine what that would look like—sleeping with him and cuddling up to him at night, having breakfast together in the morning…and then watching him go off to order one of the construction men to smash a wrecking ball into Meow and Then, Moonbeams, Nico’s…
She tightened her fingers in the cat’s fur. He bounded to the floor and walked away, tail swishing.
What if by some miracle, Hunter and Imperial lost the vote and she got to keep her building? Then he wouldn’t get his promotion, and he might even lose his shot at the CEO position…which meant he’d return to New York and probably go build a complex in Hong Kong.
