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I sat and waited, listening to the slow, steady trickle of the freshly brewed elixir of the gods. Impatiently counting the drip, drip, drip of the last drops as they fell into the pot.
By the time I had my first sip of the delicious eye-opening liquid, my heartbeat seemed to have returned to normal. I drummed my fingers against the kitchen table, trying to get my mind off Michael and onto something less annoying.What to do? What to do?
Thirty minutes later, I had a frittata ready for breakfast but couldn’t put it in the oven until my grandparents were up.What to do? What to do?I thought again, leaning on the counter. My restlessness was palpable. A good solid workout was all I could think of to do at this hour. I rushed to my room, threw on my running gear, and wrapped my hair into a ponytail.
A run around the perimeter of the property, while the night was just beginning to fade, would be a great way to burn off some steam and repressed energy. Or, in my case, frustration. I made my way quietly back down the stairs and mapped out the route in my head. A twenty-five-minute run would do just fine. It’d allow me to clear my mind, relax, and get back in time to put breakfast in the oven and then shower.
The damage from the fire a year ago brought me to a halting stop. Instead of shrubbery, trees, and other green foliage separating our property from Grayson’s, there was nothing left except a destroyed plot of land. Just dirt, charred debris, and a scorched structure of what used to be the Grayson Inn. I had to admit, it had been rundown and old, but there was something cute and quaint about it. I hadn’t seen the damage up close and personal since I’d been home, unless you counted the other night when Grams and I took Michael dinner. But the darkness had concealed the pathetic and deserted sight of the ruined property.
Seeing everything in the early morning light hit me like a ton of bricks. As I scanned the wreckage, my heart twisting in my chest, I realized how lucky my grandparents were not to have been caught in the crosshairs of the disaster. Some of their vines had been damaged, but overall, they were fortunate. Unlike the Graysons.
Michael’s trailer stood to the right of the dilapidated edifice. It was a bandage slapped over a wound, a superficial cover hardly hiding the ugliness of the blackened structure. When he was finished building, and the wound was healed, what would stand in its place? Images of the other Blaire properties zoomed through my brain. I had to find out what his plan was.
This land had a ton of potential,I thought, mindlessly doing some stretches. It was too bad Allan Blaire was the one who had bought it to develop. He did have beautiful properties, but the Blaire idea for hotels, and their history of ignoring the local ambiance, would hurt something deeply beautiful and serene about our town. Ideas started rushing through my head: a gazebo with a pond, walking paths with lush greenery all around, a beautiful stucco building that wasn’t flashy or outrageous.
A quick movement in Michael’s trailer brought me springing back to attention. The curtains in the window moved as if they’d just been pulled shut.Shit! Oh. My. God.I was standing there right in the open, looking like a goddamn prowler.
Despite knowing I probably wasn’t that lucky, I hoped he hadn’t seen me. I took off down the stretch of road separating our two properties. At least I could honestly say I was out for a run if he asked me what I’d been doing. That was the truth anyway, right? And the only reason I stopped was to see what was what in actual daylight. I wasn’t trying to peek in his windows or anything.
Wild thoughts passed through my head as I jogged away:Does he sleep naked? Was that why he moved the curtains? Because he needed to cover himself? Hmm.
Michael
I’d been up since 5 a.m. I was used to staying up late and waking early, but it was so goddamned quiet out here that it was disturbing. I was used to the noises and lights of New York. But here, the lack of noise was eerie. There was nothing to listen to, nothing to look at. Except darkness. I had to admit the sunsets over the surrounding mountains were breathtaking, but aside from that, once the sun had set, it was just me, alone with my thoughts.
And my thoughts recently were consumed by a doe-eyed brunette with a mean streak.
Having nothing better to do, I called Mosby. I got her voicemail.Probably at the gym working out. I scrolled through my inbox, looking for something to read and take my mind off the gorgeous woman with hazel eyes.
Every time I started thinking about Siena Moretti, I wondered what her mouth would feel like. What her body would feel like. What she would feel like pressed up against me. And then I’d start thinking about what she’d look like as I slowly stripped off her clothing.Don’t go there, Blaire.
I glanced at the clock. “Fuck it!” I threw the blankets off. I wasn’t getting back to sleep now, especially in this lame ass excuse of a bed. All I was going to do was give myself blue balls. As it was, I was already sporting some serious wood.
I looked out the window across the rows of grapevines. The sky was on fire with soft clouds scattered across the electric pinks, yellows, and oranges cascading just above the mountains’ peaks. Just as gorgeous as the sunsets, I noted and completely different than the scene from a New York high rise. I turned away to grab a shirt and shorts, throwing them over my shoulder. I started a pot of coffee and made my way to the other window. If I took a quick run, the coffee would be ready when I got back.
“Holy fuck.” There she was. Bent over, glorious ass in perfect view. Goddamn, she was flexible. Just as I imagined she’d be. I automatically dragged my hand across myself, feeling my hard-on in my grasp. “Shit.” The curtain was open—wide open. And I was standing there stroking myself. I yanked it shut and prayed she hadn’t seen me.What the fuck is she doing out there?I peeked back out the window. Still there.
I dressed quicker than I ever had in my life. Triple-checked to see where she went.Shit! Where’d she go?I ran out the door.
It didn’t take long to catch up, considering I sprinted like a fucking Olympian to find her. “Hey, neighbor,” I called out behind her. My lungs were on fucking fire, but I tried my damnedest to keep my breathing under control.
She stopped abruptly and turned. She brought up her hand to shield her eyes from the morning rays. “H-hey.” She seemed nervous.
“Nice morning for a run, huh?” My words came out in puffs from the chilled morning air.Could I sound any more pathetic?
“I suppose.” Her breaths were coming out in clouds of white too.
“I couldn’t sleep. Woke up at about five. It’s too damn quiet out here.” I was fucking rambling, making small talk.Get your shit together, Blaire.
“It’s one of the perks of Monarch. Quiet. And solitude.”
I could’ve sworn she added the last part just for me. Well, if she wanted to be alone, she shouldn’t have been bending over in front of my window where I could get a perfect view of her perky ass. “Yeah, well . . . the quiet woke me up.” I was aiming for lighthearted conversation, something other than business. That seemed a bit of a touchy subject with us so far.
“What do you want, Michael?”
“What do you mean?”
She shot me a look of amused frustration. “Why are you making small talk?”
