“Which is why I wanted to do this for you. If you won’t accept my money, you can accept my connections. Eloise owes me. She was once one of my tenants and constantly needed me to unclog her shower drain.” He playfully rolls his eyes. “Now I’m glad I helped her so that I could have her return the favor. For you.”
I swallow hard through the tightness in my throat. I have to work hard not to let the tears pooling in my eyes spill over. This is the absolute last thing I expected Callum to do for me, considering his reason for being here in the first place.
“Shouldn’t you be doing something to convince me to sell? Not do something that might make it so I don’t have to?”
“What fun is that if you don’t even have a fighting chance?” With a smile, he drops his hold on me, continuing along the path toward the restored barn. I scramble to catch up, still trying to wrap my head around this. Trying to figure out what game he’s playing.
Or maybe he isn’t.
Maybe this is just the type of person he is.
“Is that the only reason you’re doing this?” I joke, playfully nudging him. “To give me a fighting chance so it feels better when I come up short and finally agree to sell?”
He stops walking, pulling me along with him. The intensity in his stare as it bores into me causes my heart to race, every cell in my body vibrating with an unexpected charge.
When he reaches for my face, I don’t back away, despite being out in the open. He’s leaving in a few days. Who cares if guests see him holding me? After all, this is all part of the magic of the holiday season. We love fiercer. Dream bigger. Hope harder.
“Actually, the idea of you coming up short feels awful,” he admits, his voice heavy with sincerity.
“Even though you’d make millions if I did?”
“What can I say?” He moves his hands to my hips. “You’ve made me realize there are more important things than working all the time. You’d think I would have learned that lesson after—”
“Hey.” I rest my hand on his chest, and my eyes lock with his. “That wasn’t your fault. Do you work too much? Maybe. I’m guilty of that, too. Hell, the other night was the first night I spent away from here since I started running this place.”
“But it was a business meeting,” he teases.
I adjust my stance, dragging my body closer to his. “I don’t know how you run your business meetings, but I typically don’t end up naked in bed at the end of it.”
“I didn’t hear you complaining.” He inches closer, his lips skimming my neck. “In fact, I was wondering if you had some time to spare right now. I do think there’s more to discuss.”
I purse my lips. “Like what?”
“Like updating your property management software.”
“I love when you talk hospitality to me,” I reply breathlessly, and a deep chuckle tumbles from his throat.
“Adding a few in-room amenities, such as mini bars, which will allow you to increase your average room rate.”
“God yes.” I flutter my eyelids, all but moaning the words, feigning to be in the throes of ecstasy. “Now you’re talking.”
His Adam’s apple bobs in a hard swallow, his jaw tightening as he leans closer still, the warmth of his breath hitting my lips, making me salivate for his kiss.
“Working with similar properties to offer some sort of loyalty scheme.”
“Fuck yes,” I whimper. “That’s sounds incredible.”
“Goddamn, Parker,” he growls, looping his arm around my waist and yanking my body flush with his, his need for me pressing into my stomach.
I’ve never been with someone who was so unashamed in displaying his desire for me. Who has no problem telling me how much he craves me. Who looks at me in a way that makes me think I’m the only person in his entire universe who matters.
“You drive me crazy. You know that, right?”
“Ifeelthat,” I tease, with a flirtatious waggle of my brow. “Itisquite hard to miss. And quite hard.”
He throws his head back, his laughter echoing in the winter air. Being with Callum is just so effortless. So easy.
“So… About that meeting?” he prods once his laughter dies down, a single brow arched.
