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She hesitated another moment before speaking. “The contract isn’t contingent on the resort proposal. I wrote it that way.”
I exhaled as relief thrummed through my veins. “What does Phil Markham think of that?”
She easily could have written that the sale was contingent upon the property being rezoned, which would have made more business sense. Yet she hadn’t. Based on how desperate the Zooks were, they would have signed either way.
She shrugged. “He told me to secure the property, so I secured it. Land is never a bad investment.” While that was true, I couldn’t imagine what Markham would do with another piece of property if they couldn’t build the resort.
It was my turn to step closer. “You offered them three times what the place is worth.”
She wrapped her arms around herself. “So?”
“And you’re paying to move them to Norfolk.”
Saying nothing, she watched me, no doubt waiting for me to lash out at her, like I’d done every time we talked. I still vehemently objected to the resort, but I could no longer question Claire’s intentions. Yes, she was here to do a job, but she’d leveraged her position to help the Zook family when I hadn’t even known they needed help. She was exactly the person I’d known she was, deep down, and that scared the hell out of me.
I needed to keep her at arm’s length. I needed to keep thinking she was the enemy. But what I needed wasn’t what I wanted.
She shivered and rubbed her arms, which were covered in goose bumps. It was only thirty-seven degrees outside, and she was wearing a T-shirt. The thin fabric did nothing to conceal her rock-hard nipples.
Fuck me.I was done fighting my attraction to this woman. Circling her wrist with my hand, I pulled her against me. I cupped the back of her head with my hand and lowered my mouth to hers. She tasted like minty toothpaste, which shouldn’t have been as much of a turn-on as it was, but my cock strained against my zipper.
Hell, who was I kidding? Everything about this woman, from her intelligence to her curves to her sassy mouth, got to me. Suddenly I felt like a fool for using the resort as an excuse to keep her at arm’s length. She was an outsider, but for the first time, I was willing to risk my inevitable heartbreak.
Claire broke free from the kiss, and with wide eyes, she examined my face. “What are you doing?”
I exhaled a shaky breath because the answer was that I had no fucking clue. All I knew was that I no longer had the strength to fight what I felt for her. “I owed you one. After the other night.”
She cocked her head. “Are you referring to the kiss we agreed was a mistake?” Though her tone was perfectly neutral, her eyes told a different story. She was hurt, and I hated that I’d caused it.
Her question gave me an out if I wanted it. After this, there would be no turning back. I swallowed thickly. “What if it wasn’t?”
She closed her eyes and didn’t answer. I was willing to take a chance, but I had no idea what she was thinking. Finally, she opened her eyes and looked at me squarely. “I can’t do this with you unless we know it won’t be a mistake.” Her gaze didn’t waver—this was her line in the sand. But I wouldn’t lie to her.
“I can’t guarantee that, but I know I’ll regret letting you leave the islands again without tasting you, without feeling what it’s like to move inside you.” That was my truth.God help me.
Her breath caught, and damn if her nipples didn’t harden further against my chest. Her expression was conflicted, but I saw the moment she gave in to what we’d both been feeling ever since she returned.
“Okay.” With that one word, my remaining defenses crumbled. She took my hand and led me into the house.
***
Claire
THE MOMENT Iclosed and locked the front door, Bennett pushed me against it, caging me with his strong arms. In the driveway, I’d felt bold leading him inside, but now hesitation set in. I might very well be about to make the biggest mistake of my life—even bigger than Reg. My ex hadn’t been right for me—I could see that now. But I couldn’t say the same for this man in front of me. I’d always had a thing for him, but over the past week, I’d come to admire him even while he was fighting against me. He might be stubborn and narrow-minded at times, but I couldn’t fault his deep-seated need to protect those he considered his.
Bennett must have sensed my change in demeanor. “Should I leave? We can pretend you never invited me in.”
He was giving me an out, and the fact that he did so sealed the deal. Like him, I had no idea if this would end up being a mistake, but I would regret not taking the chance.
“Stay.”
I’d barely gotten the word out when his mouth crashed into mine. He hungrily sucked my lower lip. I tugged at his jacket, trying to pull it off him. He took the hint and shed it.
I made quick work of the buttons on his flannel shirt, only to be rewarded with yet another layer of fabric.Argh.I wanted to feel his skin. I yanked his T-shirt up and splayed my fingers over his tights abs.Good God.His six-pack was so well-defined I could count the ripples by touch.One, two, three…
He sucked in a breath, making me bold. I undid the top bottom on his jeans, and he groaned in anticipation. I traced the line of his V muscle and shivered.
He immediately wrapped his arms around me. “It’s cold here by the door. Where’s your bedroom?”
