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“You’re saying that the work we are doing could be considered charity? For tax purposes, I mean.”
“That’s…not exactly where I was going with that.”
He gives me a sly smile.
“I think you’re onto something there, Savannah. I thought that this project would help Cape Simon out, but….”
“Cape Simon doesn’t need any help. It’s one of the wealthiest towns in the state. South Shore is hungry for your money.”
Cole looks thoughtful. “I guess you’re right.”
I lean back, accidentally toppling the pile of blueprints. They roll and fall off the desk, unraveling haphazardly as they fall.
“Oh shoot.”
I bend down and start rolling up the first blueprint I lay my hands on. Cole comes over and does the same.
We both pick up the same blueprint. He tugs on his end. I stand up, tugging back.
Cole smirks and pulls the blueprint his way, eyeing me defiantly. His yank makes me lose my balance and rips the blueprint. I let go but stumble, trying not to step on any of the rolled-up blueprints. He reaches out to steady me, and I step in his direction, balancing myself up on his arms.
When I straighten, we are practically nose to nose.
Cole’s indigo gaze ensnares me. My hands clutch at his shoulders. His scent tickles my nose as I suck in a breath. An expression ripples across his handsome face. If I didn’t know better, I would say it was hunger.
His eyes travel down to my lips. I swipe my tongue across them, my breath shuddering to a halt.
Is Cole about to kiss me?
His eyes sink halfway closed and he moves toward me, his hand snaking up to tangle in my hair. My lips part, and my eyes flutter closed. I can feel his breath fanning over my lips, hot and sweet.
My heartbeat thuds loudly in my ears. I can’t breathe.
Is this the moment when he finally kisses me? Or am I going to be let down again?
Just when I am certain he’s going to pull away, Cole brushes his lips over mine. The touch is teasing, a prelude before he covers my mouth with his.
His kiss is searing, possessive, demanding. It’s better than fireworks. Going off in my brain, better than I remembered. His lips shape mine and draw a tiny mewl from my lungs. I can’t breathe, but it doesn’t matter as I open my mouth to him and let his tongue plunder mine. His fingers in my hair curl to hold me still so that his lips can work against mine.
I push up on my tiptoes, needing more of his heat. My fingers find their way into his silky, dark hair, and all my senses zing at the same time.
I’ve wanted this ever since he first kissed me all those months ago.
Hell, I dreamed about this. And now Cole is bending me backward and gripping my hair while he kisses me like a starving man falls on a crust of bread.
“What in the sweet Lord Jesus’s name am I walking into?” an outraged female voice cries out.
Polarized magnets couldn’t fly apart as fast as Cole and I separate. I run my hands down my dress and look to the door, where the landlady is standing.
Five feet tall, seventy-five years old, and exactly the color of a piece of knotted mahogany, Mrs. Glory Brown scowls at us. Wearing a stylish gray, belted tweed coat, and a plastic rain bonnet to keep her hair from getting wet, the owner of the building looks at Cole and me like she just walked in on something altogether scandalous.
“Is this what y’all plan on renting this office for? Because I don’t rent my space to people who are gonna disrespect it like that,” she scolds us.
I jump in to smooth things out. “Of course not. We just dropped–.”
Mrs. Brown stops my words with a hand.
“I don’t want to hear excuses, Miss Guthrie. I am just saying what I saw, nothing more than that.”
