There’s a pause. ‘As opposed to?’
‘Owning it?’
‘Yeah. He owned a chain of them, up the East Coast of the States.’
I let out a low whistle. ‘Quite the property legacy you’ve got there.’
He shrugs. ‘It’s just business.’
I have a million questions but I shelve them for now. Maybe later, when we move into the personal side of our...whatever this is. For now, it’s work.
‘The course is irrigated with a newly installed state-of-the-art Japanese sprinkler system, and maintained every three weeks to ensure peak performance.’
It’s an eighteen-hole golf course and it takes us almost two hours to tour properly. As I pull the buggy up to the clubhouse the sun is still bright in the sky, even though it’s well on its way to the ocean.
‘I’d be more than happy to take you out on the greens again tomorrow, for another tour. I understand you’ll want to think through what you’ve seen today, and that you might have more questions in the morning...’
His smile is a flash in his handsome face. ‘I’m sure I will.’ He lifts his hands in the air, stretching, exposing an inch of tanned midriff, and desire kicks me in the side, swift, so my mouth goes dry and my insides quiver.
‘Join me for a drink?’ he offers, waving towards the clubhouse.
I’m not sure I can speak just yet. My tongue feels thick in my mouth. I shake my head instead.
He lifts his brows and moves ever so slightly closer. ‘But the business part of our day is done...’
I swallow and nod slightly. ‘For you, maybe. I have to go back and do some paperwork.’
‘Paperwork?’
His scepticism annoys me. ‘Yeah. You know, email clients, check on ads, a little something called running a whole business single-handedly.’
He eyes me curiously. Fuck it. I’ve completely overstepped the line. We’re meant to be in our business personas and I’ve just ranted at him and made out that he’s not the be-all and end-all of my life.
‘Besides—’ I try to backpedal ‘—the sun’s still up. That means you’re off limits to me for another hour or so.’ I smile slowly, meaningfully. ‘Why don’t you swing by my room later?’
r />
He grins, and my pulse shimmers. ‘Sure thing, Grace. I’ll see you then.’
* * *
It’s nine o’clock when he comes to my room and I am beyond ready. Okay, I had to work, and I definitely needed to get all my ducks in a row for the morning—I’m not going to risk coming off as anything other than uberprofessional while we’re working this weekend. Still, nine o’clock is a lot later than I expected.
I wrench the door inwards, fighting an urge to say, Where the hell have you been?
He stands there and the world spins a little because I’d almost forgotten how gorgeous he is. He’s changed into beige chinos and a white shirt. I’m disappointed, because he looks more country club than rock star and I liked him the way he was yesterday, all dirty denims and unkempt hair.
Hell, I like him any which way, though.
‘Hungry?’
‘Starving.’ I pull the door wider. He strides in and lifts a bag between us. The unmistakable fragrance of fries wafts towards me. I take the bag from his fingertips and put it on the table behind me.
‘Food can wait.’
He goes to say something but I don’t hear it because I’m launching myself at him, pushing him back towards the wall. He laughs as I kiss him, into my mouth, rumbling humour into my belly, and I hold it there, my hands pushing his shirt up, my nails running over his chest, feeling his ridged abdomen, his hair-roughened nipples, his biceps, as I push the shirt up, over his head, breaking the kiss for the shortest possible time.
I’m still in the same clothes I wore on the plane. He groans as he pushes my shirt out from my skirt, bunching it in his palms and then lifting it up, his mouth finding my shoulder as soon as it’s bare.