Free Ocean of Love by Susan D. Taylor Page A

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