“He wanted to lecture me on not screwing up my big chance.” She hated the edge of self-doubt in her voice.
“Oh? What big chance?”
“I bid on a new kind of project with Max London.” She smiled, a little firework going off in her chest. “We landed it.”
“So that’s why he’s bailing on Crowley Construction. To play with Pretty Paloma,” Hope teased. “And congratulations. Is the project local?”
“No, Traverse City. It’s one of the homes of Roy and Linda Sterling.”
Hope straightened. “The Sterlings? No way!”
Paloma’s grin widened. “Yup, them.”
“That’s amazing. Congrats to you and Max.”
“Thanks,” she sighed. “I wish my dad had reacted the same. He spent the whole drive lecturing me on how not to screw this up, how I need to watch Max like a hawk because partnerships can go south fast.” She gulped her wine, hoping to swallow the burn of humiliation crawling up her throat. “Like I hadn’t learned that lesson the hard way.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about Max. He’s hardworking and honest.”
“We do work together well. And he’s got a great eye for detail.” The issue wasn’t his work ethic but her attraction to him. She had the keep her eye on the prize, and not Max’s ass. Lust was temporary; careers were not.
“That’s cool,” Hope said, swirling the wine in her glass. The moonlight glinted off the surface, casting a faint red glow on her hand. A cool breeze rustled through the trees behind them, carrying the scent of pine and lake water.
“I needed this,” Paloma sighed. “A quiet moment with my friend, good wine, and this view. It’s like hitting a reset button on the week’s stress.”
Hope hummed in agreement, then said, “You know, I’ve always thought you and Max would be great together. As a couple.”
Hit by Hope’s out-of-left-field comment, Paloma nearly choked on her wine. “What? Why would you think that?” she sputtered, her pulse quickening. A warm flush crept up her neck, and she hoped the moonlight wouldn’t betray her reaction.
Max had crossed her mind numerous times, usually late at night when her defenses were down—or when he was near, smelling like someone she wanted to lick. Or when he gave her his sunshine smile.
Yet, she couldn’t ignore the persistent ache in her chest, the longing for something more. Working with Max pleased, scared, thrilled, and confused her.
Hope chuckled, setting her glass down on the small table between them. “You’re both creative and passionate about your work. Like Max, you’re playful and sexy. You two would be hot in bed.”
Picturing Max naked, sweaty, and pressed against her, whispering all the ways he’d make her come had heat plummeting south. Pushing that tantalizing treat aside, she smirked. “Are you asking to watch?” She wiggled her brows. “I always suspected you were kinky.”
“Definitely,” Hope agreed. “And I’m also right. You two should mix business with pleasure.”
For a moment, she allowed herself to imagine it—not just the sex but the intimacy. Max’s warm smile directed at her, not as a colleague but as someone more. His strong hands holding her instead of soil and plants. But then she shook her head, pushing the fantasy away.
“Fine, I admit it; I’m attracted to him. I’m certain he feels it too. Or at least he had.” Paloma stared at her wine. Professional distance replaced his usual warmthsince they’d taken on the Sterling project. “But we agreed that keeping things professional is the smart move. This partnership is working so well for both of us. Why risk that for a fleeting physical attraction?”
“Is it fleeting? You seem to admire him. Or at least respect him,” Hope pressed.
“As a work partner,” Paloma clarified. “That doesn’t mean he wants to put up with me as a girlfriend.”
“What’s this, ‘put up with me’? You are a catch. Hot. Driven –”
“Too driven.”
“That’s your ex talking, not you.”
“Maybe,” she conceded. “But I’m not willing to risk losing an amazing business partner for lust.”
“Can’t it be just that, lust?”
That was tempting, but Max wouldn’t go for it, and she wouldn’t risk losing a business partner and her heart when he tired of her. “I’d suggested that before we started working together. He turned me down.”
