Page 6 of Forbidden Love

Licking my lips, I relax my shoulders. “I’ve been thinking about what you said yesterday—your concerns, your demands. We can make this work.”

She crosses her arms, leaning back and mirroring my posture. “You say that, but you haven’t shown me anything concrete.”

I nod, acknowledging her point. “Fair enough. Let’s get specific. You said no destruction of the natural landscape. I agree. We’ve already started working on plans to integrate the resort into the existing environment rather than tearing it apart.”

She raises a brow, still skeptical. “You really expect me to believe that?”

My pupils lock on hers before I arch a brow. “Why don’t you look at the plans yourself? Give me your input and help me make it better.”

Her vision narrows. She has no intention of trusting me or giving in.

“And what’s in it for you?” Her voice turns sharp. “Why do you care what I think?”

It’s always the same skeptical questions. This girl is as stubborn as hell, but she’s hot and it makes me want to consume her. Now.

I inhale deeply before giving her roughly the same response as I did yesterday. “I want this project to succeed, so let’s work together, not against each other.”

She watches me closely. “And you’ll let me have a say? Just like that?”

“Working together means compromise and collaboration. You don’t have to agree to everything I say, but you should be open to finding solutions.”

She leans forward, her gaze passionate. “You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”

“Of course.”

Her fervent gaze holds mine and pulls me again.

I can’t ignore it.

Finally, she breaks the silence. “Okay. Let’s say I’m willing to give this a shot. Where do we start?”

A sense of achievement courses through me. “Excellent. We start by going over the plans. I want your honest feedback, your ideas. We change things as necessary to be sure we’re acting in the best interest of the land and the community.”

She acknowledges, though I can see she’s still wary. “And if I don’t like what I see?”

I shrug. “Then we change it. I’m not here to push anything through that you’re not on board with.”

She doesn’t respond right away. She’s probably not used to having power and influence. It’s confusing to her.

“Why me?” Her voice has become softer and vulnerable. “Why do you want my input so badly?”

I meet her gaze, holding my eye contact steady for the win. “Because you care and you can see the bigger picture. You’re not fighting for the sake of fighting—you’re fighting because you aspire to create an impact. I admire that.”

Her brows rise, like she wasn’t expecting that answer. She licks her sensuous lips and her gaze drops down before it meets my eyes. “You don’t know me.”

“No.” My expression softens. “But I’d like to.”

She smiles but quickly masks it, sitting up straighter. “Well, we should keep this professional.”

Something about her demeanor makes me want to bend her over my desk to test how professional she really wants it. But I hold back.

Tilting my chin, I raise my palms and clear my throat. “Of course. I can show you what we’ve got so far, and we can discuss where to go from here.”

She affirms. “Okay. Show me what you’ve got.”

After reaching for a large folder, I lay it out on a side table. “Here they are.”

She stands up and strides with purpose to the folder.

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