Page 69 of Starry Skies, Stolen Kisses, and My Best Friend's Brother

After several glorious moments, I lean back.“We can’t have sex.”

He frowns.

“Not that I don’t want to,” I continue.“It’s just that after this, we’ll have to go back to pretending we have no feelings for each other, and I don’t think I can do that if we have sex.”

He runs a hand along his face.“You’re probably right.This is torture.”

“You’re telling me.I think about you every second of every day.”

He chuckles.“Same.”

“I probably should go.”

He glances out the window behind me.“The rain isn’t letting up.”He hesitates and swallows.“Stay the night with me.I just want to hold you and wake up to your beautiful face.”

I should say no and walk home in the rain.But I can’t.Instead, I nod, and he leads me up to his room.Deka follows us this time and jumps into the bed.Seth takes off his shirt and then slides off his pants, revealing boxer briefs.I’m not shy in my staring.

He wiggles his finger at me and cocks an eyebrow, and I don’t hesitate.I jump onto the bed.He climbs in after me and gives me a sweet kiss.This is what our life would be like, and my heart aches at the thought that it might never happen.

He pulls my back into his chest, and Deka curls into my front.I thank God for this moment.Seth’s breath becomes steady and even.

And so does mine.

TWENTY-THREE

Seth

“Thanks for meeting with me today,” Eli says.The country club is a hidden gem, a swanky oasis tucked away just twenty minutes from Whisper Springs.I had no idea it even existed, mistaking it for a simple golf course.Eli messaged me yesterday and asked if we could meet for lunch.

“No problem.Nice place.”

“It is.I can get you membership information if you want.You have to own land in the area though.”

“I’m looking into Land.”It’s a lie, but one that will keep Eli talking.Though, now that I know about the country club, I most certainly will be getting a membership.Plus, it might be another place we can add as a perk for our guests.

Eli grins over his gin and tonic.“That’s just what I was hoping to hear.I’m looking for a partner.”

“What kind of partner?”I do want to stay here, and if I do, I’ll need to invest in the area.Not just the resort.But I’m not sure about working with Eli.He still makes me a little nervous because he seems like the kind of guy who won’t tell me the whole story.Plus, I’ve never had a partner before that wasn’t one of my frat brothers.

“To buy land.When Green Bank was being built, the government offered anyone within a five-mile radius a contract for the exclusive rights to buy the landowner’s property if they ever intended to sell.Most landowners jumped on it at the time because they were given ten thousand dollars if they signed, which was a ton of money back then.But there are loopholes in most of the contracts.”

I lean forward, now entirely intrigued.“Tell me more.”I’ve never heard of any loopholes, and David has been looking into it.But he hasn’t managed to get his hands on Keith’s contract yet.

“The contracts can be bought out by private investors for the same amount of money they were given when they signed.Ten grand.”

“What happens to the landowner?”

“Nothing really.They’re still in the same position.They can only sell out to the investors now instead of the government.It basically means we can buy the land when they sell it.The government contracts were written years ago.A lot of the people who own the land are getting older, and their kids have moved away.As soon as they die, the families will want to sell, and we’d be their only option.We can get the land for a third of the actual value, and that includes the cost of the contract, because we can offer them whatever we want, and they have to take it if they want to sell.”

I swallow and try not to show any panic or excitement.I’m not sure what I’m feeling at the moment.I could snatch up Keith’s contract, and then the problem of Mae’s dad would be solved.I want to leave now, but I need to hear more details from Eli and feel him out to see if he might make a good partner.

Over the next hour, I learn more about his plan and what exactly he wants from me.It’s promising, definitely something I’ll look at.But first I have to talk to David and take care of theKeithproblem.

* * *

David grins at me over the Zoom call.“Why did you hire me to do research if you were just going to do it yourself?”

“It wasn’t urgent before.It is now.We need to get that contract.It’s the only way Mae and I can guarantee Keith won’t mess with us.”If Eli is doing a land grab, it’s only a matter of time before he goes after Keith.

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