He barked out a laugh and, without missing a step, buried his nose in the hair at her temple, his whisper deep and velvety smooth, “But you think I have skills.”
“I’m assuming you do since What’s Her Name came back for seconds even when you couldn’t remember her name. But please, tell me now if I’m wasting my time.”
“We’ll see what you have to say after I eat that juicy little peach.” He straightened just in time to shake hands with Lincoln, leaving her mouth hanging open. “What brings you out of your cave?”
“Showing Jo the sites.” Lincoln met her gaze, and she wanted to crawl in a hole.
He might not have heard Avery’s vulgar but very enticing challenge, but he could probably guess by the hot blush that stained every inch of her skin.
“What do you think? A bridal shop on one side.” He pointed next door to the window showcasing several wedding dresses, then to the unit on the other side with wedding bouquets and a multitude of vases filled with various flowers. “A florist on the other.”
Still reeling from Avery’s vulgar euphemism, she couldn’t find her voice but managed a mute nod.
The walk through proved to be a different kind of challenge. She tried to pay attention as Lincoln listed the unit’s features, but all she could think about was her peach and that it was getting juicier by the minute. Avery didn’t help, letting his hands wander every chance he got and whispering naughty inferences in her ear.
Lincoln walked ahead, his back to them. “The façade is new, a combination of stucco and brick.”
As she considered the fact she hadn’t even noticed the storefront, Avery moved in close and growled, “I’ve got a brick for you.”
She shushed him and tried to hide a smile. He was so bad.
“Don’t let the size fool you,” Lincoln went on.
Avery winked. “Don’t worry, Legs. It’ll fit.”
Her eyes went wide, but her pussy contracted around his imaginary dick. She mouthed, “Stop it.”
Lincoln ran through the square footage. “The space is narrow but deep.”
Avery nuzzled her ear. “Just like I like it.”
Lincoln waved a hand at the farthest door. “Lots of room for storage in the back.”
Avery slid a hand to her ass. “Hmm, we haven’t discussed fifth base. Is that an option?”
Jo’s jaw dropped again, and he had the audacity to chuckle. If he hadn’t thrown such a fit about Lincoln being here, she’d swear they scripted the entire conversation and rehearsed it ahead of time just to shock her. Not that anal was shocking. Chase had tried several times to talk her into it, saying it was the perfect solution to keeping her virginity intact.
With an elbow to Avery’s ribs, she broke free and caught up with Lincoln. After that, he hung back, and though she was aware of his heated gaze following her, a different excitement bubbled inside her as she became caught up in the possibilities, verbally laying out where everything would go—display cases, the front counter, the kitchen. The walls were already up, separating the spaces, as if someone had plucked a vision from her dream then abandoned it to pursue their own.
At some point during her imaginings, Lincoln’s phone rang, and he excused himself. A minute later, he called Avery to the front of the unit. Avery seemed intent on whatever it was Lincoln showed him on his phone, which was none of her business, so she wandered into the storeroom before they caught her being nosy.
It was empty except for half a sawhorse, a step ladder propped against the wall, and an extension cord strewn across the floor—and fell back into the fantasy. Shelves for packaging would line one wall. More shelves for dry goods against the other. Bins of flour and sugar there. She’d add a closet for cleaning supplies in the opposite corner.
“What do you think?” Avery asked from behind her.
She’d wanted this for so long, could see it so vividly. She was so close. Could almost touch it. And yet…
“It’s perfect.”For someone else.
It was the wrong time. She wasn’t ready. She was wasting her time and theirs. She could hear her grandma now. “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch. You’ll be disappointed.”
“Linc had to go but he gave me the codes to the other properties. Do you want to look at one more before we break for lunch?”
The weight of an unrealized dream settled heavy in her chest, but she forced a smile and spun to face the fantasy within reach.
“No.” She leaned into him, her hands gliding up the wool lapels of his suit jacket. “I want something else.”
Rising on tiptoe, she pressed her lips to his, but his hands wrapped around her upper arms to stop her ascent. “Wait.”
