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“I’m not certain you mean to censor anything you say.” He shook his head. “I figured that out last night.”

“My mouth has a tendency to get me into trouble.” I couldn’t stop taking in the brilliance of this house. “But if I’m thinking it, I usually say it.”

“I could use the distraction because I’m in the middle of a very stressful deal, and I need to secure one more property before I can solicit investors.”

“Sounds like quite the dilemma.”

“I’m not too worried.” He inched toward me, backing me against the banister. “It’s only a matter of time before I get what I want.”

“I already told you, I’m not ready to sell.”

“It’s not your house I’m interested in right now.” He trapped me against his chest, his arm like iron around my waist. Honey, cinnamon, and a hint of vanilla filled the air, flooding my mind with memories of the suite I’d slipped out of this morning.

“It isn’t?”

“No.” He snatched the hat from my head and smoothed out my hair. “Not at all.”

“What do you want?” My knees gave out, so I clamped his biceps to stay upright.

“Right now?” He leaned down, his breath brushing my ear. “You.”

NINE

Huxley

I needed her house to proceed with my plans, but I could wait her out. Ivy would need a little persuading, but I could deal with that later. Right now, I had a more pressing matter to deal with.

When I reached out to touch the corner of her bottom lip, she squeezed my biceps.

“You have chocolate on your face,” I said. “I could wipe it off with my finger, or should I lick it off?”

“Oh,” she whispered. “I ate a cookie on my way over.”

“Hmm…” I swiped the mark from her skin with the pad of my thumb, licking the chocolate from it. “Delicious.”

“I should get going.” She focused on my lips. “I have to go to work.”

“The diner?”

“How did you know that?” she asked.

“I’ve done my research.” Not as well as I should have or else I would have known who she was before I invited her to share a bed with me last night. Although, even if I knew who she was, I still would have ended up in bed with her. “Your little inn isn’t as profitable as you thought it would be. There’s no shame in working at the diner.”

“I’m not ashamed.” She wiggled around me and created some distance between us. “My grandmother left me the house.”

“I know.”

“I had to make a few repairs on it. Not as many as I would have liked, but I’m doing the best I can. The upkeep is expensive.” She stuck out her hand. “Can I have my hat back?”

Normally, her sob story would do nothing for me, but because I had the opportunity to get to know her last night, I had developed a soft spot for her. Not a significant one, but I was willing to let her hold on to her property through the holiday season.

This was why I never allowed business and pleasure to blur lines. In this case, the situation couldn’t be helped. I had a taste of her now. But that sampling wasn’t enough. I wanted more.

“I’ll give your hat back if you agree to accompany me to a holiday party on Wednesday night.”

“You want me to go out with you?”

“After last night, I think we should explore a little more, don’t you?”