Page 90 of On One Condition

He’s struggling enough with loving and idolizing a man who hurt him. Do I want to add to that pain, or do I want to keep it to myself?

Both options are wrong.

Now I need to decide which one is the lesser of two evils.

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Ledger

“Napa’s a crapshoot,” Ford mutters. “You think there’s red tape in Cedar Falls? It’s got nothing on Napa.”

“Great. Then maybe we abort that project and just focus on the ones we have for a while,” I say. The three of us are on one of our weekly conference calls to make sure the right hand knows what the left hand is doing.

“Did I just hear Ledger say he’s taking a break from his quest for world domination?” Callahan teases. “Is the air too fresh there? Is it messing with your brain cells? Abort the project?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard those words fall from his mouth before,” Ford says.

“It must be all the sex,” Callahan says. “It’s rotting his brain.”

“Either that or he’s getting none, and it’s all the jacking off that’s causing his lapse in judgment.”

“Are you two done?” I ask, glancing toward my office door, expecting Asher any second. “I have shit to do. Clearly, you’re both in dereliction of your duties while I’m gone if this is the shit you’re worried about.”

“Oh. Are you puffing your chest right now? Trying to show us you’re the boss?” Callahan chides as if we were twelve. “One hundred bucks Asher just walked in.”

“One thousand,” Ford says and, sure enough, when I glance back to the door, Asher’s standing in its opening.

All thoughts leave my head. Instead of her usual jeans and tank top, she’s standing there in a pale-yellow sundress. It hugs her chest and then flows to above her knees, showcasing one shapely pair of legs. White strappy sandals only add to the sexiness of the look.

“Earth to Ledger,” Ford says.

“He’s too busy picturing how he’s going to fuck her on the desk after everyone leaves.” Callahan laughs.

“Fuck off. I’m going now.”

I end the call to their dramatic protests and kissing sounds.

Such assholes.

Assholes, though, with a really good idea.

I glance at the desk, then up to Asher, and smile.

Definitely a good idea, but one that will have to wait.

Who knew when I asked her if she wanted to come see the resort’s work in progress, I’d be preoccupied during the entire tour by the swing of her ass? By her cleavage on display? And by the feedback she is giving?

Who knew that could be sexy? Intelligent suggestions, realistic questions about how things will work, and thought-provoking inquiries I don’t know the answers to just yet.

“So this really is going to be finished in a month? That feels like not enough time with so much left to do.” Asher turns to look at me, and there is something about her question that has my feet faltering.

Finished in a month.

“What?” she asks when I just stand there and stare at her.

“Nothing. I just lost my train of thought,” I say and shake the thought away. “The last month is always chaotic. The big stuff is typically done by then, but it’s the many tiny odds and ends that need to be tied up all at once.”

She runs a hand over the quartz countertop in the spa as she walks through it. “Do you ever miss your end date?”