a little more personal information. “Vacation when I was little was camping in Jackson Hole. I always said I’d travel when I got older, but first there was no money, and now there’s work.”
“You take vacations, though.”
“Work, and still no money. And no, time off isn’t really a thing I do.” Had I just walked into a trap? Thanks, brain, for picking now to ignore the flirty fun. “Is this where you tell me if I sold to you, I’d have both time and money?”
“This is where I describe the scene from my hotel window, since you can’t be here.”
“I’d love that.”
There was a pause with shuffling and what sounded like a sliding window or door in the background. “I’ve got a view of the river,” Owen said. “The skyline here isn’t like in Salt Lake, here you can see forever on a clear day. But from my room, it’s more like a corridor lined with buildings and bright lights, cut out of black velvet, with a plush carpet of water running down the center.”
The verbal tour would be fantastic on its own, but in Owen’s voice it was almost foreplay. “You make it sound amazing.”
“It is through the right lens. Add it to your bucket list.”
“Is that an order?”
“You don’t strike me as a take orders kind of woman.”
I wasn’t. “For the right person...”
“The right person wouldn’t demand it of you.” He was so reasonable.
I could talk to him forever. Though, one of us would lose our voice, and then the other would, and the conversation would be reduced to heavy breathing... Heat raced over my skin at the idea of the ways I could touch myself, to breathe heavily for him. “Says the man who ordered me to send him pussy pictures.”
“An order you argued with, despite planning on doing it anyway.”
“Busted.” I laughed.
“I should let you get some sleep.”
Oh. Such a simple, thoughtful statement, but it hurt. The pain was a good reminder that I shouldn’t be flirting with him, given the business nature of our relationship. “Probably a good idea.”
“One more thing, though.”
This was where he’d make his pitch. Because why not end the conversation on a down note? “All right?”
“I’ll be in New Orleans in a few nights, if you’d like a remote tour.”
My heart body-checked my brain and slammed it out of the ring. “I’d love that.”
“It’s a da—eal. Sweet dreams.”
“’Night.” I set my phone on the nightstand.
My brain had recovered. Was this part of the pitch? Kingston told me flat out that their goal was to convince me they’d be good business partners.
The ache behind my ribs desperately wanted that call to be what it looked like on the surface—friendly and flirty. But I couldn’t believe nothing hid underneath.
Chapter Thirteen
Thursday night, Kingston slipped through the café front door as I was locking up. His hair was damp, and hints of the next wave of storm dotted his shirt. He fixed me with a smile that he must think was irresistible.
He was right.
“We’re not open, sir.” I rarely closed shop, but that was how the schedules fell today.
He didn’t look deterred. “Perfect. Then you’re free to hang out. I’m taking you to dinner.”
I raised my eyebrows at the assumption. “Since when?”
“Since...” He looked at his phone “I assume about two minutes from now.”
“What happens in two minutes?”
“I convince you to say yes.”
Arrogant bastard. I should be annoyed. The best I could summon was cautious. “Is this all part of your plan to prove to me what a good business partner you’d be?”
Kingston searched my face. “Does that get you to join me?”
“No.” It would put an immediate end to the conversation. Which was best for everyone.
His grin was back. “Good, because I didn’t want to lie about my intentions. I want your company for the night.”
My heart did a happy skip-jump-hop at the sparkle in his dark eyes. “I don’t know.”
“What would it take to convince you?”
“How long is left on the clock?” Why couldn’t I keep myself in check around these two?
“Let’s call it Time’s Up, for simplicity’s sake.” He pocketed his phone. “I promise you a night you’ll never forget.”
An easy guarantee, given how hard it was to get them out of my head anyway. “All right. You’re on.” I swore a chorus of singing forest animals broke out in my skull.
When he offered his arm this time, I nestled my hand into the crook of his elbow. Light raindrops pattered on us as we strolled down the front walk to his