LUKE TOOK A SWALLOW OF his Kona coffee and watched the waves crash against the rocky beach. He was going to have to give his PA a bonus. Colin had outdone himself finding this place on such short notice. The minimalist design of the beach house hanging on the side of the cliff made nature the focus. The glass-meets-glass sections of wall showcased the lush vegetation and the ocean just beyond. He couldn’t wait to show Claire. It had been too dark when they arrived to see the power and beauty of the water right outside the glass doors.
Despite how much he wanted to roll over and slide into her sweet body, he’d slipped out of bed without waking her. She’d blown him away, waking him with her mouth and her willingness while they were on the plane, but he knew how tired she was. He wouldn’t be the one to cut short her sleep. Even with the extra sleep on the plane, he was still on East Coast time, as was most of his business. Settling deeper into the deck chair, he pulled out his tablet and thumbed through his never ending stack of emails, answering what he needed to and shuttling requests to the appropriate departments. By the time he heard the glass door slide open behind him, the sun had risen completely over the water, and he’d managed to whittle his inbox down to a more reasonable—or rather, less insane—size.
“You’re awake.” He turned in his chair to see a sleepy-eyed Claire staring breathlessly at the view.
“Thanks for letting me sleep.” She let her hand rest on his shoulder and he reached up to catch her fingers with his. He brushed a kiss over her knuckles before he tugged her around to the front of the chair and into his lap.
“Hey! I’ll squish you.” She yelped, trying to wriggle off his lap. He caught her around the waist and held her firmly in place, exactly where he wanted her
“Please,” he said, making sure she saw his eye roll. “The only danger I’m in is not making it to my meeting on time if you keep squirming around on my lap like that.”
“Is that so?”
She snuggled against him, nuzzling his neck and kissing his jaw. His cock had already taken notice of the soft press of her butt against his groin and the gentle swell of her curves in his arms. He could have her every day for the rest of his life and he’d never get enough of her. He loved that she seemed to be feeling rested enough to want him too. He’d been careful not to say anything—she didn’t need him adding to her stress—but he’d missed making love to his wife. Hell, he’d missed fucking his wife.
When emotions came too hard to him, sex was the one thing he could count on to cut through the bullshit and bring them closer together. She grounded him, and even though he’d gotten a hell of a lot better at telling her how he felt, old habits died hard. Cupping the back of her head, he threaded his fingers through her auburn hair, anchoring her in place so he could kiss her senseless. He pulled back to look at her and got a jolt of satisfaction at seeing her eyes as dazed as they’d been looking at the view. He loved that she reacted so quickly and completely to his touch. For a man like Luke, the surrender of a strong woman like Claire was a drug so addictive, he’d never break free.
“Wow,” she said, blinking hard.
“Wow is right.” He pulled her tighter into his arms, tucking her head under his chin so they could watch the waves together. “Are you feeling better?”
“Much, thank you. I can’t remember when I slept that long and woke up on my own.”
He watched her, waiting for any sign of the guilt that always seemed so close to the surface. She took a deep breath, exhaling deliberately and softening in his arms, and something relaxed deep in his chest. She might not see herself the way he did or believe him yet when he assured her she was a great mother, but like everything else his wife did, she seemed determined to give it all her effort.
That’s part of the reason she was having trouble in the first place—she was a perfectionist and a damn good one. When Claire set a goal for herself, she didn’t miss it. She just kept ignoring the fact that she wasn’t the only parent in this equation and that no one, no matter how diligent, believed they did enough. Or maybe that was at the heart of being a good parent: knowing how much there still was to learn. It didn’t matter. They’d find their way through it together and if he had to, he’d keep reminding her that she wasn’t alone. As long as he drew breath, she’d never be alone again.
“It’s so beautiful,” she said.
“Mmm hmm.” He murmured his agreement, keeping his eyes on her instead of the view.
“Can we go swimming later?”
“We can do anything you want, sweetheart, as long as it includes a significant amount of time with you in my arms.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. “Why don’t we go grab a shower before we have to leave for the site? We have a couple of hours, right?”
She gave him a look that spoke volumes about what she thought they should do with those hours and his body woke up with a vengeance. Still holding her in his arms, he stood and took off for the room-sized shower with its dozens of jets.
“Damn straight, sweetheart.”
––––––––
CLAIRE STEPPED INTO the outdated lobby and breathed in the scent of old cooking grease and tropical air freshener. In a place where the actual air carried the heady scent of fresh flowers, masking it with a canned spray felt especially offensive. They weren’t there for the ambience, she reminded herself. If Luke bought the building, it would be a tear-down, and they’d start from scratch. The land the hotel stood on made it more than worth considering. They were only a few blocks from the ocean, and she’d bet when they got to the higher floors, there’d be a spectacular view of the water.
“As you can see, it’s been awhile since anyone paid attention to the property,” said the agent. “That combined with the motivated seller means you should be able to walk into this at a very nice price point. Let me show you the view from a couple of the floors and then we can walk the lot if you’d like.”
Unlike so many of the women who came in contact with her husband, the pretty agent seemed immune to Luke. She noticed the wedding band and engagement ring on the woman’s hand and smiled, wondering what her husband was like and whether she was happy in her marriage. Not that being married had stopped other women from losing their minds and mentally drooling around Luke. She used to call it theyour wish is my commandcomplex.
Between his money and his looks, Luke rarely had trouble getting people, especially women, to do what he wanted. It was one of the biggest hurdles they’d faced when they first got together. He was so used to getting his way without thinking about it. He’d just assumed she’d fall in line too. It had taken every bit of her will to disabuse him of the notion. In his defense, he’d grown exponentially from the selfish billionaire playboy she’d fallen in love with. The man beside her had proved himself to be an exceptional father and husband. In lots of ways, she felt as though he’d turned into the more evolved of the two of them. It was another thing that didn’t sit well.
The elevator doors slid open onto a dark, narrow hallway. If they did the project, she’d want to pay extra attention to the lighting in the common areas on the condo floors. It might not make sense to maximize the views in the spaces people passed through, but she could use the lighting plan to enhance the open natural feel she already envisioned for the building.
The agent opened the door to one of the unoccupied units and Claire sucked in a breath. A long, dark hallway ended with a standard sliding glass door, but on the other side of the five-foot opening stretched the Pacific Ocean in all its unadulterated glory. Ignoring the tiny boxes of rooms stacked along the right side of the unit, she headed straight for the tiny balcony barely large enough for a plastic lawn chair but with a view that would make anyone who owned the place lucky to live there. If they were doing a tear-down, the ways to maximize the floor plan were almost limitless and her mind raced with images of big, airy rooms that moved seamlessly between inside and out. Her fingers practically itched to start sketching and she felt an excitement for work she hadn’t experienced in months.
“What do you think?” Luke rested his hands on her shoulders as they watched the palm trees sway below.
“I want it.”
