“A man can’t have his own private thoughts?”
He squinted. “He sure can. In his own damn office. Off company time,” he deadpanned.
I rolled my eyes and stood. “Jackass.”
Aaron grunted. “I’ve been called much worse.”
I shook my head. “Yeah, I know. I’ve called you much worse. Anyway, let’s discuss what I came here to talk about.”
Aaron hesitated for another minute but eventually got down to business. “What’s going on with your properties?”
I began to run down all of the issues that’d been coming up in the last three months at my developments around the area. I included the incident in which one of my workers had been injured the previous week, as well as the deposit cancellations. I told Aaron about my suspicion that the tractor had been tampered with but I couldn’t be sure until a full investigation was done. Those weren’t the only incidents that made me feel as if something bigger was going on.
The previous month, at a different division, we’d had trouble getting the zoning paperwork to go through. I’d been in the business since I was a teen, I knew the necessary zoning regulations within each district I built in, but for some reason, it’d taken twice as long to get approval. Things were starting to feel like these seemingly separate incidents weren’t coincidences.
“Keep an eye on it. Now what’s going on with Detroit?” Aaron questioned, switching topics.
When I’m in a business meeting or discussing real estate matters, rarely am I easily distracted. In fact, itneverhappens. I’m typically laser focused on the tasks at hand, and always thinking of the next project. It’s what has kept me a step ahead of my competition. So when I found my eyes wandering off, checking the clock on the wall for the time, I became agitated at myself. Not because I wasn’t focused on work but because I knew my underlying anticipation was of seeing Kayla that night. Not just seeing her, but having her stay with me.
****
My home is my sanctuary. It’s my respite from the world. My place of refuge from working and fighting, when I need a rest. I don’t invite people in that I don’t know or like. Hell, aside from my immediate family, theonlypeople who’ve been invited in were Damon and Connor on the rare occasion. So why I chose to invite Kayla, not only over to my place, but to actuallylivewith me was beyond my comprehension.
She must’ve felt the same apprehension I felt because as soon as I opened my front door she asked, “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
My eyes traveled to her plump bottom lip as she bit down on it, and an urge to pull that lip into my mouth almost overtook all of my good sense. I must’ve needed to get laid. It had been about two months.
“Probably not,” I answered her question while simultaneously reaching for the strap of the duffle bag she had slung over her shoulder. I eyed her up and down in the dark grey button-up shirt she wore paired with the black slacks.
“I can go back to my parents’.”
“You’re here now.” I stepped to the side to allow her entrance into the foyer of my home. I kept my eyes trained on her profile as she stepped inside and her head tilted upwards as she looked around. Not for the first, or the second time, I noted how the red undertones of her skin made it appear as if she was wearing makeup when I could tell she wasn’t. Again, her natural auburn curls had been suppressed by a flatiron and pushed back into a bun at the back of her head. My fingers twitched as if they had a life of their own.
“This is just what I imagined your place would look like.”
I quirked an eyebrow and continued to stare. “How so?”
When she turned toward me, something in my chest tightened as I realized the mischief that had always hung out in her eyes was gone—now replaced with a reserved look.
“When we were kids. It was no secret you loved luxury homes. I pictured the brick siding because it gave the home a traditional look and the inside would be lined with marble floors.” She made a show of staring down at the white and grey coloring of my marble floors. She was also correct about the brick siding.
Unlike my brothers, I’d chosen brick as my siding because I did appreciate the traditional look it gave.
I made a tilting motion with my head, silently stating that she’d discerned correctly.
“Is that all you brought?” I questioned, referring to the duffle bag I held.
She shook her head. “I’ve got more in the trunk but I wanted to wait until we talked. I mean, until I asked again if this was really okay. Don’t feel obligated to let me stay here just because you offered earlier or because we were friends once. If you’ve changed your mind since then, I’d understand. In fact—”
“Feel obligated?” I chuckled. “I don’t do anything out of obligation. The only thing I’m loyal to is my family and Townsend Real Estate. I do what I have to to ensure the success of both. Outside of that, anything I choose to do is because Iwantto. Just so we’re clear,” I affirmed.
Kay looked stunned but she quickly recovered. “We’re clear.”
“And we’ll get to yourused to be friendscomment a little later. For now, let me show you around.”
“You still like to be in charge.”
“Only because very few people are more capable.” I tossed her a cocky wink. “Your room is up the stairs, second door on the right. Give me your keys. I’ll bring in the rest of your stuff and then show you around.”
