Page 12 of Cherished Lands
Instead of listening to Natalie walk us through the final projections, I kept stealing glances at Tessa. The way she chewed on her lower lip when she was concentrating, the elegant curve of her neck as she leaned over the papers.
Focus, you moron. This is business, not a date.
But then she looked up and caught me staring. Far from the disgust or annoyance I expected, there was a heat in her gaze that made my pulse quicken. She held my eyes for a beat too long before turning back to Natalie.
Holy shit. Is she...? No. No way.
I shook my head, trying to clear the fog. We were strayingonto forbidden ground. She was a Belmonte, for fuck's sake. And yet...
"I think we have the makings of a solid partnership here." Tessa's voice cut through my thoughts. She turned to me, a challenge glinting in her eyes. "That is, if Elliot is willing to play nice."
The double entendre wasn't lost on me. I sat up in my chair, meeting her gaze head-on. "I'm always willing to play nice, Tessa. But can you handle me if I play a little dirty?"
Jasper smothered his laugh with a cough. Natalie shot us both a warning look.
Tessa responded with a wicked smile that sent heat pooling in my groin. "Oh, I think you'll find I'm full of surprises."
The tension in the room ratcheted up another notch. I could practically feel the air crackling between us. Natalie slammed her laptop closed, breaking the moment.
"Well, I think we've covered everything for today," she said, more than a little exasperation in her voice. "Shall we reconvene next week to finalize the details?"
We all murmured our agreement. As we stood to leave, Tessa's hand brushed against mine. My skin tightened and prickled as I broke out in a wash of goosebumps. Her lips parted, and she leaned in. I stopped breathing.
Is she seriously about to?—
"I look forward to working closely with you, Elliot," she breathed, her lips ghosting over my earlobe.
Bitch!
A shiver ran down my spine, and my cock strained against my zipper. I turned to face her, our bodies mere inches apart.
"Careful, Tessa. This is still business."
"Who says business can't be pleasurable?"
Her eyes sparkled with something dangerous—challenge, lust, maybe a little of both.
I stepped back, trying to put some distance between us, but my body had other ideas. My gaze dropped to her lips.
Tessa noticed my reaction. Her eyes flicked down to the tent in my jeans, and a triumphant smirk broke over her face.
Fuck, she's going to be the death of me.
Chapter Four
TESSA
"Your life is like a soap opera,"Elena said. Even over the shitty FaceTime camera, I could see my best friend's eyes twinkling with mischief.
Still, Elena had been my rock since college, and if anyone had the right to tease me about my life choices, it was her.
"Seriously, Lane. You can't make this shit up."
"So run it back for me one more time."
I took a deep breath, trying to organize the chaos of the past few days into something coherent. "I got access to my trust fund on my thirtieth birthday. I've been sitting on it for a year while I figure out what I want to do with my life. I talked to the local accountant to see if she could help. She had a client looking for an investor. I show up to the meeting, and it's the freaking Evertons."
"Wowza." Elena's eyebrows shot up.
