Hot Property (Kingston Bros.) (2 page)

"And if I don't? What? I'm out on my ass, and one of you Cro-Magnums will smile and kiss up to prospective buyers instead of skulking around in the background?"

"No, nothing like that would ever happen. You're family and I would never choose anyone over family. And even if you weren't kin, there's no one I'd want representing our properties other than you.
You're awesome at what you do."

Serena flushed under Jack's rare praise, but would not be distracted from her mission. "Fine, then get rid of Mark before he takes us down with him. He's a train wreck just waiting to happen and I can't bear to watch what
we've built here be destroyed."

"Serena, you know I can't do that. We've known Mark his whole life and he needs a hand. Besides, he's a great landscaper. His dad taught him everything he knew before the drinking and gambling ruined him. If you could get past your personal feelings where he's concerned you'd see that he's a real asset to the com
pany. Give him a chance, okay?"

They were interrupted by the sound
of solid footsteps in the hall.

Mark Goldsworthy limped into the kitchen with a cold expression on his handsome face and an armful of plans under one thickly muscled arm. Not looking at Serena, he greeted Jack warmly, and then laid the plans out on the island to show his friend the latest design features he was working on to beautify a nearby condo courtyard
.

Serena, not one to be ignored, actually saw red when he had the nerve to grab her purse from one of the bar stools and use it to hold down one curling edge of the plans. Without even asking her. "Mark," she said through gritted teeth. "What are you doing here? I'm showing this place, and you aren't exactly dressed for meeting buyers." She gestured down at his faded jeans, work boots and stained grey T-shirt. Even dressed sloppily, he was still the most devilishly attractive man she'd ever seen. Which just enraged her further. Why couldn't he have gotten bald and fat, so she could reject him outright without her libido crying out in
protest?
It just wasn't fair. She wanted him out of h
er life. Permanently this time.

Mark turned his dark gaze on her for the first time and the look he gave her was not friendly. In fact, it was downright hostile. "What's wrong, Serena?
Do I look like a train wreck?"

Serena felt heat rise in her face when she realized he was referring to what she'd said about him a few minutes ago. Obviously, her raised voice had carried out to him on the front porch. The rational, adult part of her brain told her to acknowledge what she'd said and apologize, but she couldn't do it. She wasn't really sorry and she'd only spoken the truth. He shouldn't have been eavesdropping anyway. What was that expression her mom always used, something about people who listened at keyholes being vexed. Yup, that's what had happened here. He'd gotten himself vexed. Too damn bad if she'd hurt his feelings. He certainly wasn't concerned with hers or he never would have returned and stirred
up all those ancient memories.

She raised her chin a notch and looked down her nose at him. "As a matter of fact, you do look like a train wreck. When exactly did you stop shaving? And a haircut wouldn't hurt, would it? You're a partner in this business, whether I like it or not. You should try to represent the company in a somewhat professional manner. You're not a teenager, Mark. The homeless look isn't cute anymore."

His lips turned up in what should have been a smile, but looked more like a pained grimace. He ran a hand through his shoulder-length, silky dark hair and rubbed at his stubbled jaw with one large hand. "Yeah. You're right. I do need to step up my game a bit. I should be wearing a three-piece suit to dig up plants. That would be way more pro
fessional. And not pretentious
at all." He looked pointedly at her high heels, silk blouse and
long, black
skirt. "No wonder no one's checking out this property. They're clearly offended by my wardrobe. It has nothing to do with your
skills as a real estate agent."

Jack stepped between them just as Serena looked like she was about to launch herself over the kitchen island and tackle Mark. "Whoa. Man. Let's keep this above the belt. Business is slow, but it has nothing to do with Serena. She works like a dog trying to sell our properties, but the market is just saturated with townhouses right now.
This is why we need to try something different to attract buyers.
Last year, Serena, with some help from Lacey, came up with the idea for those cottage-style detached homes down the street. We sold six of them in one day. Now, we need something else innovative like that. I think Mark's community garden might be a step in the right direction. We need to sell a lifestyle,
not just a piece of property."

Serena shook her head. "You're delusional if you think someone is going to buy a home based on whether they can dig in the mud like a farmer or not. People want shiny appliances and granite countertops. Not piles of dirt." She waved towards the stainless
steel fridge
an
d tiled back-splash behind her.

Jack shrugged. "But we've given them that already. And for a reasonable price. It's not working. There's too many others townhouses just like this in this city. Maybe not as high quality or as well-designed, but similar. What we need to do now is set our properties apart from the competition. Make them hot again. And we can do that by dropping our prices, or trying something else. I think we shoul
d try something original"

Mark stepped in. "What if we gave them something really unique. Something they've only read about in books." Sounding excited, he pointed to something on one of the plans. "Have you ever been in a hedge maze? Or seen a topiary garde
n? Or how about a rock lagoon?"

Serena's eyes widened in shock. "Jack, this is crazy. The community garden is bad enough. You can't be considering these other money-pits. They'll ea
t up our profits like piranha."

Jack smiled at her expression. "Not necessarily. Those are just a few ideas we're thinking about. Besides, we'll inflate the property amenity fees to cover upkeep costs. And Mark is willing to do all the work with a very small crew. And all of us are willing to help out where we can." He tapped the plans with one hand. "I think one or two of these ideas, along with the community garden will really draw buyers. If you give it some thought, I think you'll agree."

"I'm sorry, Jack. But I can't get behind this." She shook her head woefully. "It seems too radical to me. I don't see any other property developers going to this extent. Phil Benjamin certainly isn't doing this." She said, referring to their arch rival at Pinehurst Homes. Phil was known throughout the real estate community as the typical shady builder, willing to cut corners and inflate building costs whenever possible to make a buck. Mentioning his name was usually enough to cause Jack to go berserk, but her cousin needed a reality check. They were in this business to make money, and wasting time and land building castles in the air was guaranteed to ensure that Phil had more opportunity to ex
ploit people looking for homes.

"Do you think I give a damn what that dick-head does?" J
ack said through gritted teeth.

"Serena," Mark said, interrupting before Jack could go off on a rant about Phil the Shill and his inferior building practices. "Don't you see? That's exactly why this will work. We're willing to take a risk, and actually give people something new and different. When did you lose your imagination and become so conservative? You're way to
o young to be so close-minded."

Serena bristled and turned her blazing gaze on him. "This has nothing to do with being close-minded, Mark. I feel like I'm the only voice of reason here. I'm just not willing to gamble everything we've worked for on a whim." She pointed to Jack and herself. "Unlike you, we have a lot at stake here. If this turns out badly, you can just take off again. While we're stuck here to clean up the mess." She had to bite her tongue, but she managed not to say 'again.' Hot pokers wouldn't force her to admit how betrayed she'd felt when he'd left last time. He couldn't know how she'd cried and waited and generally ma
de a fool or herself over him.

Mark gave her a puzzled look. "I'm not going anywhere. Where would I go exactly? My football career is over. And all my family is gone. This is where I belong. And I'm doing my best to make up for the past with the only people who've ever really cared about me. I'm here to stay. No one will be
cleaning up after me. I swear."

Serena's heart leaped at his statement, but she controlled herself and gave him a doubtful look. "We'll see. But pardon me if I don't get excited about sinking a bunch of money into what sounds like a hare-brained scheme to
me."

Jack clapped one hand on Mark's shoulder. "See? I told y
ou she could be reasoned with."

Serena snorted. "Didn't they have a hedge maze in
The Shining
? Let's hope this t
urns out better than that did."

"Just the movie. Not the book." Mark said, surprising everyo
ne with his literary knowledge.

Serena massaged her temples as if trying to relieve the pressure from a headache. "I can't believe I'm agreeing to this. But mark my
words;
no one is making me dig in the dirt. No one." Giving them both one last glare, she turned her back and smiled brightly at the prospective buyer standing in the hallway, watching them warily.

Chapter Two

Mark glanced down at the plans and tried to pretend he was listening to what Jack was saying, but it was useless. He was too busy fighting to keep down a growl. Out of his peripheral vision he watched Serena smile and flirt with the pretty boy who had just entered the Show Home kitchen. What kind of weenie wore a suit on a Saturday exactly? And yet Serena seemed downright excited to be talking to him. If she laughed and touched that blonde weasel's arm one more time, he was going to
get violent. No doubt about it.

He knew he deserved this torture. He'd been such a complete and utter ass. Ten years ago he'd thought he was doing the right thing by rejecting Serena. She'd been six years younger, his best friend's cousin, and the niece of his dad's business partner. A recipe for romantic napalm. He'd wanted her with a disturbing and constant hunger, but she'd been too young and innocent for someone as jaded as him. When the opportunity to play professional football had come his way, he'd
run
like he was being chased by wolves. Anything to get away from her and
the temptation she represented.

Escape had been the answer to all his problems. Not just the permanent hard-on he sported for Serena despite her being a completely inappropriate target for his lust. His dad's rapid decline into alcoholism was just too hard to watch. Edward "Eddie" Goldsworthy had always been a drinker. After Mark's mom left him he finally gave into his true love and immersed himself in booze. His few beers every nig
ht turned into twelve, or more.

Mark always felt that if he'd been stronger, or smarter, or better in some way, maybe he could have done something, and convinced his dad to want more out of life than his next bottle. After years of trying, and failing miserably, Mark just needed it to stop. He decided to be selfish for a change. So he left, and his dad quickly imploded. Within two years of Mark's departure Eddie ruined his professional reputation to such a degree that no one in town would let him near their landscaping. Not even to mow a lawn. Add to that a penchant for gambling away funds embezzled from the business he shared with Jack's father, and Eddie very efficiently rui
ned his life in record time.  

Now Mark was back and wanted to make restitution for his mistakes, not to mention his father's, but witnessing this little mating ritual between Serena and this jerk was too much to ask of him. Especially when he was pretty sure Serena would rather see him dead than consider giving him another chance. Not that he deserved one. But it hadn't always been that way. Once she'd wanted him with all the passion and misguided trust of a teenage girl in love. And he'd been sorely tempted to take advantage of her. If only to experience something pure, something sweet, just once. 

Ten years ago...

"Dance with me," Serena said, holding out her hands to him and swaying her hips in invitation. She was a little unsteady on her feet, and her coquettish glance was a bit cross-eyed after her fifth glass of champagne, but she was still the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. And the most off limits.

They were at Jack's wedding, and it
was
by far the
grimmest
affair he’d ever had the misfortune to attend. It felt more like funeral than a party. Everyone, except Jack, seemed certain this particular wedding was a huge mistake. It was awful. Like watching a train heading for a derailment but being powerless to stop it. Only Serena seemed to be having a grand time. Everyone was so focused on Jack and his unsuitable
bride;
no one was keepin
g tabs on Serena for a change.

Being the only girl in a family of overprotective male cousins usually meant her fun was rated PG. Tonight, however, all her chaperones were distracted and she was cutting loose for maybe the first time in her life. She was clearly reveling in it, though he was pretty sure she was going to pay dearly f
or her overindulgence tomorrow.

Mark felt a bit like a pervert for noticing, but she looked incredible in the strapless, lavender bridesmaid gown she was currently wearing. He had been watching her all evening, holding his breath and waiting hungrily for a wardrobe malfunction, but it had never happened. Somehow, despite all the laws of physics, her bod
ice remained decently in place.

Uncomfortably hot in his stiff tuxedo collar, Mark shook his head and grabbed Serena’s hands before she could trail them down his white shirt front. “Serena, you’ve had too much to drink,” he said, attempting to sound stern rather than amused. He wasn’t entirely successful. He could feel his lips pulling up into a smile as he watched her lean to one side on her skyscraper high heels and nearly topple directly into the nearby punchbowl. If he hadn’t been holding her hands, she would have been we
aring the evil pink concoction.

Serena looked up at him with reproachful eyes. “Am I a disgusting drunk, Mark? Am I grossing you out with my repulsive drunky drunkenness?” She
hiccupped
once and leaned to the other side. Mark had to let go of her hands and grab her by the waist to
prevent a complete face plant.

He should have lied and agreed that she was indeed a disgusting drunk. Encouraging her was a huge mistake. After all, she was barely 18 and he was almost 26. There was a huge gap in both their age and experience. And even if there wasn’t, Jack would kill him for even thinking of Serena in a sexual way. Jack took his responsibilities very seriously, and keeping Serena safe from predatory males was one of them. Mark couldn’t betray him like that. He respected jack and desperately wanted to retain his friendship. Violating his cousin was a surefire way to get a sold fist in the gut, a kick or two in the nuts, and complete ostracism from the family he loved like
his own.

Besides, he was leaving. Just as soon as he could get out of this damn tuxedo and grab his things, he was out of here. It would be unfair to let Serena believe there could be anything real between them. She was so innocent she probably still equated sex with love. He’d had a lot of sex and very little love, so he knew how rare it was for those two items to actually coincide. But she was so damned hard to resist. Especially when her inhibitions were missing in action like this. Who would it really harm if he flirted with her this one time? Maybe he could scare her off and she would realize that trying to tempt him was the romanti
c equivalent of baiting a bear.

It was fairly obvious to him that she was practicing her feminine wiles on him because she thought he was safe. She was wrong. He wasn’t some horny teenage boy intent on feeling her up at the movies. She couldn’t toy with him and walk away, leaving him at the end of the night with a boner and aching balls. He was a man, and he would stay firmly in
control. Even if it killed him.

“You,” he said softly. “Are an adorable drunk.” He squeezed her waist and leaned down, just touching the tip of her upturned nose with his lips. She was almost six feet tall in her heels, but at 6’4 he still had to hunch down a few inches to kiss her. He pulled away and nearly laughed at her befuddled expression. In the 15 years he’d known her, he’d neve
r willingly touched her before.

“Really?” She asked, biting her delectable lower lip and looking up at him doubtfull
y thr
ough lowered lashes.

Mark s
tared at that lip and
thought about biting it himself.
He wondered if she would taste as sweet as he’d always imagined. Right then he decided he was going to find out. Shitty behavior or not, he couldn’t leave town without knowin
g.

“Really. Totally adorable.” He removed one hand from her waist and brushed back an errant strand of c
orn-silk hair off her forehead.

“Then dance with me,” she cried, and flung her arms around his neck, nearly
choking him in her enthusiasm.

“Alright. Alright. Just one song.” Mark loosened her hold slightly and placed her hands on his shoulders. He wasn’t much of a dancer, but he began slowly swaying in time to the music with his hands on her shapely hips, holding her at a distance so they looked like an old couple learning the box s
tep at a retirement home mixer.

Serena glared up at him. “Not like that. Like this.” She said, and yanked him gracelessly into her embrace until he was forced to capitulate or wrestle with her, drawing unwanted attention to their
dark corner near the bandstand.

Three things happened all at once. Her high, firm breasts came into contact with his lower
chest;
the cool fingers of one delicate hand threaded through the hair at the back of his neck, and his cock became instantly and painfully rock hard against her stomach. Within the rented tuxedo pants, his erection felt like it was straining to get at her like an impatient dog on a leash.
So much for staying in control.

“Serena,” he whispered against her temple. “C’mon. Let’s do this properly.” He attempted to put some distance between them so she wouldn’t notice his raging hard-on, but she held on tightly, and nestled her soft stomach against his groin. He nearly groaned as she swiveled her pelvis in time with the music, brushing cruelly against his erection until he was forced to grab her hi
ps to keep her still or go mad.

“Don’t want to do it properly,” she sighed against his shoulder. “I want to do it like this.” Her breath tickled his neck and the image of all the improper things he wanted to do to her flashed through his mind. God, what he would do to spend one night between her creamy thighs. Not even a whole night. Just an hour would be worth almost anything.
But that was his dick talking. He couldn’t have her. Not even once. She deserved so muc
h better than someone like him.

She sighed again, and mumbled. “Oh, Mark. Isn’t this better? I wish we
could stay like this forever.”

Forever? Like this? Could she actually be oblivious to how aroused he was? Apparently she was. The gap in their sexual knowledge seemed to widen to
Grand Canyon
proportions. He was pretty sure he had never been this innocent. Or at
least not for a very long time.

Unlike Serena, who he
suspected
was
probably
still a
virgin;
Mark’d had his first sexual experience at fourteen. With a much older woman. The first of many, many such encounters. So many, in fact, that he
was certain
Serena would be disgusted if she
ever found out about his past.

It had started out like a wet dream come true. He had worked for his dad since he was twelve. Just mowing lawns at first, but eventually he'd be sent out to some properties regularly to maintain the shrubbery and keep the yards of a few chosen clients looking lush and beautiful. Mark didn’t have the interest or the green thumb his dad possessed, but he knew the basics and wanted to help out. Besides, his dad paid a decent wage. Enough to pay for foot
ball equipment and video-games.

By the age of fourteen, he was working most days after school and on weekends when he wasn’t at football practice. His dad was on the job less and less, and spending more and more time of his time at the bar and the race track. Mark was exhausted, but he picked up the slack because he didn’t want the Kingstons to realize what was happening. He was ashamed and angry, but did what he thought was his duty. At the time he’d thought he was being a good son, and hadn’t realized that he was actually ena
bling his dad to self-destruct.

His first time had been with one of his dad’s clients. She was a bubbly blonde divorcee in her mid-twenties named Cherry. She’d been sunbathing in a black string bikini beside her pool and had blatantly removed her top in front of him as he trimmed her nearby hedges. He’d nearly dropped the shears at the unexpected sight of her tight brown nipples and large pale breasts. She was built exactly like one of the centerfolds he gawked at in the privacy of his bedroom at night.
He’d been completely awestruck.

Cherry had beckoned him over and asked him in her little-girlish voice to spread some lotion on her breasts. Sitting on the edge of the lounge chair, he’d done so gingerly, his penis rising to painful proportions in his cut-offs, and his mouth dry. She’d watched him with a knowing smile on her pretty face and told him to be sure to pay close attention to her nipp
les because they burned easily.