Page 15 of The Romance Library

I recognised her instantly.

Those dark brown eyes. Her full lips. She was wearing battered jeans and a jumper that day, but I found it strangely attractive. Maybe it was the way the fabric clung to her curves. Just like that silky white blouse was clinging to her chest right now.

My pulse quickened and I told myself to look away, but my gaze remained firmly on her.

I noticed her blouse was buttoned up wrong and for a second I thought about telling her, but then I’d have to confess that I was looking at her breasts. Jesus. What was wrong with me? This was a business meeting. I shouldn’t be ogling her. So unprofessional. I dragged my eyes to the desk.

Anyway, she might be pretty, but I was here to do a job. Like I’d just told her, I was buying this building. And now I knew she was the other interested party, it’d be easier than I thought.

She was clearly disorganised. She’d turned up to a business meeting twenty minutes late. And then there was the whole blouse buttons situation.

‘You seem pretty sure of yourself,’ she replied. ‘But that doesn’t surprise me. I knew you were an arrogant arsehole when I met you!’

Edwin and the solicitor guy Cecil’s eyes popped, but I smiled. I never shied away from a challenge, and I admired her for attempting to put up a fight. But this was only going to go one way: mine.

‘I’m flattered that you remembered our encounter. And for the record, I’m not arrogant. I’m confident. There’s a difference.’

‘I’m sorry,’ the solicitor guy piped up. ‘You two know each other?’

‘Yes,’ she said.

‘No,’ I corrected her.

‘We don’t know each other. I just had the misfortune of crossing paths with him. When he stole my parking space.’

‘It wasn’t yours.’

‘Now, now,’ Edwin said. ‘Let’s just start fresh, shall we? So, I understand that you’re both interested in purchasing this building?’

‘Yes,’ we replied in unison.

‘My client, Mrs Davis, had multiple conversations with you,’ Cecil chimed in. ‘As far as she was concerned, it was a done deal and signing the paperwork was just a formality.’

‘I had said I was interested in Mrs Davis’s offer and we’d agreed to speak further, but when I didn’t hear back from her, I assumed she was no longer interested. And that’s why when Mr Eaves got in touch I agreed to meet. Of course now I know why Mrs Davis didn’t return my calls,’ he sighed. ‘But I have two generous offers, which puts me in a bit of a pickle.’

‘Let me make it simple for you.’ I leant forward. ‘Eaves Enterprises are exceptionally interested in this beautiful piece of land, and we are willing to beat whatever price they wish to offer.’

‘And if you were successful, what would you do with it?’ Edwin asked.

‘Build a collection of stunning luxury apartments.’

With the views overlooking the sea, we’d make a killing. This was the perfect spot.

‘So you would convert the building?’

‘No. We’d start from scratch.’

‘As in?’

‘We’d knock everything down and create a brand-new development.’

‘I see…’ he said flatly. Hmmm. Something told me he didn’t like my answer. But it didn’t matter. Adding an extra zero on the cheque I intended to write would sweeten the deal. ‘And you?’ He turned to her. ‘Remind me what Mrs Davis had planned.’

‘Oh, erm, a library. We, I mean, Cecil and whoever he hires, would like to build a romance library. So it’d be filled with romance novels.’

‘What?’ I laughed. ‘You want to build a library? I don’t know if you’ve been living on another planet for the past decade, but they’re closing libraries all over the country, not opening new ones. Unless of course your market research has identified something different?’ I rested my finger on my chin and her face fell. ‘You have conducted market research, haven’t you?’

She didn’t have to reply. The answer was written all over her face.

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