Page 5 of Betrayal

“Leasing.We’ll need the owner’s agreement to make changes.But we’re looking long-term—five to ten years—so that would give the owner a guaranteed income.”She took another sip, just to feel his gaze on her mouth.A captive architect and hot chocolate—her day had improved.

“Possibly.Rents can fluctuate over a long period.”He drained his cup, and it was her turn to watch his throat while he swallowed.“A locked-in lease might deny the owner future profits.”

“Not everything is about money.”

Bea was right.He could be an architect turned marketing entrepreneur.Ridiculous to be disappointed.Time to stop flirting and focus on her reason for being here.

“Almost everything.”His baritone had dropped to a purr, but his focus on profits and returns had broken her mood.

“I’m not asking you about the lease but about modifications to the building.”Anna lassoed her soaring imagination and set her empty mug on the glass tabletop.Her body had naturally responded to him.Melting wouldn’t do.And she hadn’t been tempted on such short acquaintance since her bad-girl teens.“We want to provide a sense of being outdoors in a multi-story property.”

“Can I get you another drink?”

“One’s my limit.”Although I was considering a second until thirty seconds ago.

“Have you worked out your wish list?Does it have windows that open?Does it have balconies?Does it have access to a roof space?Are you looking at the top floor?I’m assuming you want the highest standards for accessibility—mobility and sensory-impaired children?”He rattled off questions with the urgency of a man who was genuinely interested in the topic, or her.“You said you’d found a suitable site.Have you closed the deal?”

“Not at this stage.”She crossed her fingers in the folds of her jacket.

“But?”He looked at her.“There has to be a ‘but.’A serious ‘but’ since you were edging toward the door before I approached you upstairs.Professional politeness demanded you give me a minute of your time.That’s all you were going to give me until you discovered I was an architect.”

“Youareobservant.”Anna Turner, where are your usual protective instincts?

“And lucky.”His lips quirked in unmistakable invitation.“A shared interest in architecture got me some time alone with you.”

“As you deduced, tonight’s not a good time.”Never on a first date, and much more rarely than people assumed.“I’ve been negotiating on the perfect building for weeks.I was gazumped.”

“Name a time.And we can talk about your questions and lots more.”His answers had been concise, his scent alluring, and while his body had subtly shifted closer to her during their conversation, he’d played by her unspoken rules.

“Do you like fish and chips?”she asked.The beach was another neutral location, and she wanted to hear his answers to the questions he’d posed.

“That works.Can I see you home?”

“I brought my car.”She rose, and he stood with her.

He packed enough appeal to tempt her to leave her ride share parked downstairs and accept a lift home.Caution is your friend.

He recited his number, and she sent hers.

Her phone pinged with the incoming message.She smiled, then looked down.“Hunter S.Thompson?”

“The S is for Samuel, not Stockton.”He braced, legs apart, and answered carefully.“Although my mother chose Hunter S.for the American journalist and author.She was a fan.”

“You!” She backed away, disgust surging through her even while the sane part of her mind was telling her to get out before she did something Antonio would regret.Her boss had said to sleep on it, not launch herself bodily at the man they hoped to negotiate with.“You knew who I was when you were watching me, you conniving bastard.What are you playing at?”

“My parents were married and, to my knowledge, faithful when I was born.”

“Not funny.”She shoved her phone into her pocket.“You know who I am, who I work for, and you had the nerve to flirt with me, to coax me into sharing my dreams when you’re the sneaky wheeler-dealer who cancelled my impending lease without notice today.”

“What’s the address of the building you want?”He’d shifted from friend to foe in seconds.

“You know the address,” she hissed.

“I asked a friend at the party who you were.I’ve never heard of Changing Minds.”He scowled patiently.

How was that even possible?

“The managing agent told me H.S.Thompson insisted on vacant possession even though we were hours from signing the lease.”She tugged her jacket more tightly around herself.“Do you enjoy lording it over people you’ve crushed?”

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