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“I want the property.” Don’t make me send the town after you for back taxes. “This is a winning situation for you.”

“Hmm.” She grinned. “As luck would have it, I met a Harvard-educated lawyer last night and he told me to stand my ground. He said I should walk away holding all the cards.”

“He sounds very intelligent, but the problem is, you’re not holding all the cards.” I reached across the table and placed my hand over hers. “What your expensive attorney failed to mention is when you are the one in control you don’t divulge what it is you’re holding.”

“Except, Mr. James, I can’t be bought.”

“Everyone has a price, Ms. Mason.” I flipped her hand over and traced my finger along her wrist. “All the other owners in your development have sold to me. You’re the last property. Once I come in and renovate and develop, the tourists will flock to it, but I can guarantee they’re not going to stay at your bed-and-breakfast.”

The lake access happened to run right along her property. My proposed plans needed that access to complete the resort. That was why I was willing to give her two million for it. Normally, I would negotiate harder and allow the seller to believe that I wouldn’t give in and offer more money, but with her I wanted to cut to the chase and get back to a more intimate relationship.

“I’m going to develop the land and the existing properties,” I said. “With or without your house. Once I do, my offer is going to drop significantly, and if you’re living in the middle of a resort community, it’s going to be difficult for you to sell later. Take my offer and you’ll be set for life.”

“Of course a billionaire would think someone like me could live off two million dollars for the rest of her life. I’m twenty-three, remember?” She smirked. “I told you last night when we were in bed.”

“Yesterday was amazing, but it has nothing to do with this.” Even if visions of her had flashed in my mind from the moment she left my suite. “I’ll play all the games you want after this negotiation.” I gripped her wrist. “We can explore what we didn’t get to do last night. All the things I had planned once I found you this afternoon.”

“I don’t want to play games.” When she gazed into my eyes, I saw the flicker of passion we shared a few hours before trying to reignite. I wanted her, but first I had to take care of business.

“Eventually, you’re going to lose your house, so why not take my offer and walk away wealthy?”

“It’s not about the money.”

Bullshit. Not about the money. “Your neighbors didn’t feel that way.”

“What are you going to do about that huge house that someone just built on the other side of the lake? They moved in the day before Thanksgiving. Obviously, they won’t sell to you. If they wanted you to have that land, you’d have it.”

“You’re right.” They don’t have to sell to me.

“How big of you to admit that.” She stood. “I appreciate your generous offer, but I can’t accept it.”

I was going to have to take another approach with this one. Who walks away from two million dollars when they don’t have two nickels to rub together?

“I don’t know how hands-on you’ll be with renovations and whatever else it is you have to do to get your elite, premiere community underway, but maybe I’ll see you around.”

“You can count on it.”

“It’s crazy.” When she giggled, something inside me softened. “The way we met last night and after being together, you would end up being the man I had to meet with today. We said one night, but who would have thought we’d end up here. Talk about fate. It really is a small world.”

“It’s about to get smaller.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know that property you mentioned across the lake?”

“Yeah, it’s like a stone’s throw from my house, but I haven’t had the chance to meet my new neighbors.”

“You have met him.” I smirked as I combed my fingers along my beard. “Quite intimately, I might add.”

EIGHT

Ivy

After pulling down the Christmas decorations from the attic and decorating the house, I decided to make my new neighbor some cookies. Welcome him to the neighborhood.

What else could I do? I let Huxley do some intimate things to me last night because I thought I’d never see him again. Now I had the potential to see him every day. Why make it awkward? It’s not awkward, right? He saw just as much as my gynecologist had. Shit! I hadn’t had sex in years, and the one time I decide to get daring, I get naked with my new neighbor.

How’s that for messed-up fate?