Ocean of Love (9 page)

Wyatt narrowed his
eyes.
Friend-engineer.
That combination spelled trouble. “Which firm? Maybe I’ve
heard of them.”

“
Hines and Bartlett. James
Bartlett, but he goes by Jimmy. He’s a character, but has projects
all over the nation specializing in ocean-front condominiums in
hurricane-prone areas. I didn’t contract their services yet, if
that’s concerning you?”

He stared back her, disliking the lilting
tone as she described this Bartlett dude. “Bartlett. Where’d he go
to school?”

“
I think up north. But not
recently. He’s kept up with the times, I assure you. Not some
fuddy-duddy just because he’s twenty years your senior. You’re free
to use the structural firms from your projects in Texas and
Alabama. They were experienced with storm water. I’m certain the
issues are relatively similar.”

“
I’m merely curious,
darling. So you and James Barnett are just friends?”

“
Yes, just friends.” Her
brows knitted together.

“
Don’t stare me down like
I’ve done something wrong. I’ve no problem securing any and all
services you deem necessary. I trust you implicitly. But I like to
know whom I work with, that’s all.” He sliced the air with his
hand. Why in the devil was he suddenly jealous of another man? He
turned away, silently glaring at the shore.

She ignored him, snapping pictures. A good
thing. Standing in a down draft from her, he battled snatching her
into his arms. Christ. He shoved his fists into his pockets,
feeling caged. Marissa walked toward him, hips swaying
provocatively, her lips open and inviting. Her hair had come loose,
mirroring his rapidly dissolving resolve to keep their interactions
strictly professional until the end of this project. For the first
time, he wasn’t particularly pleased with his schedule or need to
jump through hoops.

Her luscious mouth had him in a trance. He
glanced away from her in a vain attempt to capture his wayward
self-control. He had come up against hard challenges before and
he’d not caved. Isn’t that how he had gotten his reputation as a
ballbuster? Except this time, failing was all too enticing.

“
Wyatt, take a look at
these images.” She tapped him on the shoulder. “Just for future
marketing alone, the view of the beach up close is
jaw-dropping.”

He wavered on several levels. “The beach
isn’t the only thing that’s astounding.”

He met her gaze. Christ, what was she doing
to him? She made him feel things he’d tried to put aside. Wild and
raw things.

He’d forsaken capricious actions in the past
to carve out a business, a future, and a construction empire. He
should take her back to her car, let her finalize the contracts,
and put Hannah in charge of working out the details. Instead, he
found himself mentally organizing a series of steps to seduce
Marissa.

His pride wasn’t wounded because he’d rather
be wrong than alone. At this moment, all his caveman tendencies
rocketed to the surface. Either he could follow his predatory
instincts or demonstrate to her that he was trustworthy. One choice
or the other. Bouncing back and forth in a mental tennis game left
him in a near-frenzied state. Her face, body, and brains deserved
to be claimed, explored, and savored.

At this moment, he hated the high road, when
all he wanted to do was pull her down on top of him. Feel her body,
taste her mouth. “Well, I’ve seen enough. Did you get those
photographs?”

She held out her camera in one hand. “Yes.
More than enough. Take a look.”

“
Great. Can you put
together a report? I’ll drop by your car or office. We can go over
the report and plans. Tonight, I’ll be ready to commit. Dinner or
your office. You decide.” There. He’d put the ball in her court. If
she wanted to meet him, then game on.

“
Drop me at my car. Yes,
I’ll get going on the report. Dinner? Didn’t we already settle
that? We’ll meet tonight to go over the sites, considering your
need to expedite the closing. I’ve received texts from the
representative for each of the sellers. They’re holding off a
public listing until midnight. Not much time. And if we wait until
tomorrow, then who knows what will happen. So if, you’re ready to
move forward, we’ll need to make an offer, and we can submit as
soon as you decide.”

“
I’ll be ready. Traveling
the high road, I promise. Should we meet somewhere? I can pick you
up, or you can come to my place. There’s a four-star restaurant a
stone’s throw away.
Chateau
Maurice
.”

She lifted her lips seductively, forming an
incredible “O” with her mouth.

“
I take it the Chateau is
an acceptable restaurant?” he asked, trying not to stare at her
mouth.

“
One of the best. Fine.
I’ll come to you. I take it, you’re staying at the hotel. You’ve
run around enough. It’s only fair. We can meet at the restaurant,
say seven o’clock?”

He didn’t have the chance to say he wasn’t
staying at the hotel but right next door. He wasn’t keen on
hotels—the noise and disruptions. Sinclair had pulled in a favor
and had him bedding down in a villa owned by a local interior
designer.

“
I can’t wait,” he
murmured.

Chapter Seven

She’d do the proverbial shooting of two
birds. Tonight would be a full moon. Instead of her dinner being
problematic, her meeting with Wyatt had become an opportunity.
She’d not have to back-track in order to take her swim. It would be
too easy to park at the hotel, and after her business dinner, she’d
slip off down to the beach.

He parked next to her car. “Do you need
anything from me to prepare the reports?” he asked. His tone
sounded cordial, but his eyes spoke another language. “I can’t tell
you how impressed I am with the properties and insider information.
People must trust you to give you so much that could easily be used
to leverage a sale.”

“
That’s why trust is so
vital to me. On both sides. I believe I’ve everything needed. Only
time to compile the information.” She studied his profile, yearning
to run her fingers along his jaw the way she’d done earlier. All
she could think about was his mouth on her face, his body pushed up
against hers.

Whether it was from hormones, or being near
him, her mind and body buzzed with excitement. The pressure of the
full moon pulled at the tides of desire rising within her body.

Every month, she became a bit scattered,
unfocused, and had ended up telling Sinclair she suffered from
migraines just to keep her secret. More than half the people at
Apex had some type of headache syndrome, and Sinclair was a veteran
of the war on migraines. He had offered her each remedy he had
tried, and then wanted to compare notes of what worked for her.

Wyatt held her with a penetrating look in
his blue eyes. His voice turned plate-glass smooth. “Let me give
you a piece of advice. I suppose it would sit well with Sinclair to
see you turn out a brilliant report. Not that what you’ve already
produced isn’t extraordinary. I’ve been around the block with real
estate brokers. If you can, ascertain what properties have been
bought and sold by each buyer. Beginning with listing prices and
all offers, including counter-offers. Include specifics as to why
each seller has the property on the market and define each seller’s
future goal. Pricing considerations are proposed based upon goals.
So, it’s key for your report to detail a determination of the
seller’s future intentions for using the funds obtained in the
sale. Nothing like knowing the players. This is the type of report
I use in my company. You’ll kick some posterior ends at Apex if you
can turn this out.” His gaze took on a look of impatience, as
though he was irritated by his own request.

It took her a moment to consider if he
required all that information to bid on the properties. “I don’t
know that I can get a factual answer as to what each seller is
attempting to do, but we’ll see. I’ve acquired some information but
want to double-check. Don’t worry; I’ve started working on getting
the lowest price possible. So far, the second property has dropped
a hundred thousand for a cash sale.”

He nodded, leaning closer to her. “Not all
brokers grasp the bigger picture. The commission seems to work
against the buyer regardless of what the broker says. I’m not
questioning your ethics. It’s just a reality.” He reached his hand
out and took hold of her arm, sliding his fingers down to her hand.
She thought he might pull her to him; instead, he silently
contemplated her hand before he released her fingers.

Marissa responded huskily, “I understand.
You should be prepared that we might have to deal with a
counteroffer.”

“
I don’t think a
counteroffer is the problem.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
Obviously he was troubled by something. Did he question her ability
to get the best deal? He walked around the front of his car, giving
her the chance to admire him in motion.

She crossed her legs, trying to look the
part of relaxed take-charge realtor. A farce. Her skin burned at
the places where his fingers had touched her. Inside of her body,
desire rippled again and again, as though a pebble had been tossed
into her liquid center. This sensation sharpened her yearning for
him, knowing he’d always be just beyond her reach.

He opened his car door, slipped inside
smiling across at her. Just the curl of his lips sent a shiver up
her spine. She absorbed his fluid movement, pressing her legs
tighter together. How would his mouth feel against her naked
skin?

“
I unquestionably
appreciate the work required in delivering these properties. I
understand it hasn’t been a walk in the best of parks. I’ve got
sky-high expectations. So far, you’ve come through, and I’ve no
doubt you’re not one to disappoint in anything.” His balmy voice
thawed her reservations.

“
I hope you get what you
want.” She whispered, melting under his gaze.

She vacillated between bliss and tension,
blazing back and forth, and so unlike the glib ice veneer she’d
polished and employed with other clients.

His phone rang. He clenched his jaw. “This
is my staff. Give me one second.” He motioned for her to wait, and
his arched brow crept into the foreground of her attention when
she’d realized she must have been staring at him.

He smiled down at her, and his fingers
picked up a strand of her hair. This time, she wanted him to keep
ahold of her. Her nipples hardened while her breath shortened.
Dazed, she almost missed him say goodbye to his office and hang
up.

“
The bank is ready to
finalize the construction loans based on the communications they’ve
received from the sellers. I was informed you offered to donate
part of your commission, as well as time, to a pet project of the
bank’s president. Why’d you do it?”

“
I’ve only done my job. I
volunteer my time when I’m not working. This was mere
coincidence.”

“
I don’t come across many
people who aggressively seek to earn less, so her client saves a
boatload of money. I’ll make certain you’ll be rewarded. I know
plenty of developers needing property. Thank you for your time
today. I’m delighted with the progress. If you reconsider, I’m only
too happy to come and pick you up.”

“
Nonsense. You’ll already
be at the restaurant. I can’t accept. Until tonight,
Wyatt.”

He raised his arm to the back of her seat.
Slowly, his fingers toyed with the edge of her neck. She didn’t
pull away, instead she held her breath while the insides of her
legs tightened. The feeling was maddening and left her wondering
what he’d do next.

“
Marissa, I await your
presence.”

“
All right. I’ve much to
get done.”

Heat billowed over her
face. She’d essentially mumbled a goodbye trying to get away from
the temptation he represented. She watched him drive off, her pulse
thrashed, and her chest tightened.
In a
couple of days, he’d be gone forever.

She drove away from Ocean Drive empty-handed
as to how she could manage to spend the evening with Wyatt and
refrain from imploding. All she had to do was hang on. After
dinner, she’d be grounded by a return to the ocean.

Instead of going back to Apex, she went
home. Inside the doorway of her apartment, she kicked off her shoes
and removed her jacket on the way to her laptop. In the quiet of
her living room, she began uploading the photographs. After she’d
prepared the first part of the report Wyatt had requested, she gave
in to the ache to be free. Peeling away her rough wool skirt, she
walked into her bedroom.

She called Sinclair. “I’m home and preparing
the site review reports. Wyatt likes the second property, away from
the hubbub.”

“
I’m surprised. Floored
actually. Based upon his past building sites, I was ready to lay
easy money on the site closer to the beach nightlife. I wonder what
changed his mind.”

She sucked in a breath. “I’ll need to get
him the engineer’s recommendations and the City’s permits. He wants
to make certain about the restoration to the shoreline. I’ve pulled
their plans for him to review.”

“
Well, you certainly work
quickly. I’m not surprised. When do you think he’ll make an
offer?”

“
I’m thinking
tonight.”

“
Sweetie, you’re lighting
fast. You arrange that and I’ll up your commission nicely. We’re
all set on the financials thanks to your connections. Wyatt was
emailed the entire proposal included closing. I’ll have a file
prepared and emailed to him. Where are you meeting?”