Page 43 of Caught in the Axe
“Your words today made me realize that this land means something. This business means something. We have to sell. There’s no getting around that. But it’s important to wait for the right offer. I’ll give them another chance to make a decent offer, but maybe it’s worth waiting.”
I blinked at him, dumbstruck and unable to formulate a response. I needed a moment to process his change of heart first.
“My brothers are already divided. We’re still missing so much information. There’s so much we don’t know.” He blew out a breath. “I’ll have to talk to Gus, but maybe we can stay operational for a bit longer while I shop around for the right buyer.”
“I don’t know,” I mused. “I’m spiraling right now.”
The moment we’d stepped out of the building, he’d yanked off his tie, and now the collar of his dress shirt was open, exposing the column of his neck and his Adam’s apple.I couldn’t say it was an area I’d paid much attention to before, but damn, was it masculine and sexy. I closed my eyes and imagined tracing it with my tongue. Just for a moment.
“Anyway,” he said, pulling me from my fantasy and dousing the heat that had already begun to build low in my belly, “I’m just spit-balling. I’ve got a lot to do before I make any decisions. But,” he hedged, side-eyeing me, “you were amazing in there.”
His praise made my heart soar even higher.
“I think I like being the bad cop,” I admitted, clasping my hands in my lap. “It was fun to let my inner bitch out. For the first time in what feels like forever, I didn’t care about being polite or making the right impression. Being heard and being right were more important in that moment.”
“You were heard, and you were absolutely right.” The smile he directed at me made my heart stutter.
Ignoring the response, I gave him a tip of my imaginary hat and did my best to play it cool. “Why thank you.”
“I think you’ve been forced into playing a specific role your whole life. But the woman I saw in there today, the one I see most days, actually, is the real you. You are fierce. You are smart. And you deserve to be heard.”
Shit. Those words turned me on more than any sweet nothing ever could. He knew exactly what kind of praise I craved, and he sawme. The me beneath the fake smile and perfect posture and expertly applied eyeliner.
And being seen felt incredible.
“It helped that Huxley was such a douche.” I said, steering this conversation back on track. I was feeling a little too exposed at the moment.
“God, they were awful. Bill really has a big stick up his ass, huh?” I unbuttoned my blazer, “not that our guy was much better, Tad was eye fucking you the entire time. I wanted to punch him.”
My cheeks heated at that admission. I lowered my head, hoping my hair hid my embarrassment. I hated the way men looked at me sometimes. The feeling that I was just a pleasing object for them to stare at left me sad and empty.
“It wasn’t the first time.” I sighed. “And it won’t be the last. I’m used to it. But I hate the way some men use their expressions and body language to intimidate women, reducing us to objects without saying a word.”
Before he could waste his breath apologizing for the misogynistic assholes of the world, I changed the subject. “Hey.” I sat up in the seat and turned to face him. “It’s only two. What do you think about making a pit stop? There’s this place I’ve wanted to go forever, and it’s only a few miles away.”
“Depends.” He cocked a brow teasingly. “What are we stopping for?”
I tapped my chin. “Something super weird. And not just normal weird; Maine weird.”
A huff of a laugh escaped him. “How can I say no to that?”
I rubbed my hands together. “Just remember you consented to this.”
From the outside, the Leech Museum was even more bizarre than I’d imagined.
“Where the hell are we?” Owen asked, taking in the large stone mansion surrounded by buildings that looked likebunkers and hundreds of acres of forest. “This place looks like something an ancient alien colony left behind.”
I jumped up and down and pressed my palms together in front of my chest and clapped quietly. “It’s even stranger than I imagined.” Once I’d slipped my sneakers on, I jumped out of the car and proceeded to take dozens of photos to send to Willa and Mags.
“This is the estate of Dr. Samuel Leech,” I explained, heading for the entrance. “He was either a brilliant visionary or a total crackpot. The FDA called him a fraud and burned all his books, then locked him up. He eventually died in prison.”
At my side, Owen frowned at me, his brows pulled low in confusion.
“It’s a national historic landmark.” I instinctively reached for his hand and clasped it firmly.
At the contact, he stopped walking, his body stiffening. Shit. I’d made him uncomfortable. I released him and wrung my hands, my stomach instantly churning in embarrassment.
“Sorry,” I said, striding ahead to hide the flush in my cheeks. “Let’s take a tour.”
