Undeniable Demands (9 page)

“No, it wasn’t. I rather enjoyed it. I hope you had a good time. My family seems to like you.”

“I did have a good time. They seem like really great people.”

“They are. I would do anything to protect them.”

Tori felt the mood shift. He wasn’t just talking about Christmas dinner anymore. She’d hoped they could shelve this argument for at least one night.

“I know there’s a part of you that thinks I’m the big bad wolf out to steal your property. The fact of the matter is that without getting lawyers involved and doing some fairly ugly things that would hurt my parents and their reputation, I can’t take this land from you. And I can’t force you to sell it. But I hope that meeting my family tonight helps you understand where I’m coming from and how important this is to me. So you know that I’ve been telling you the truth the whole time.”

Wade took a step forward, invading her space. If he was deliberately trying to use his size to intimidate her, his plan was backfiring. She was anything but intimidated. When he was that close, she was thoroughly turned on and extremely distracted from the conversation.

“I need you…” he began, wrapping a gentle hand around her upper arm. Tori couldn’t help leaning in to him, her brain short-circuiting with his touch and his words. “…to believe me, Tori.”

Tori sighed, an expression of disappointment wrinkling her delicate nose. “Wade, what difference does it make if I believe you or not? You want my land. I don’t want to sell it to you. It’s a fairly cut-and-dried scenario.”

Wade shrugged. “Nothing is that simple. Years of experience have taught me that there is always room to negotiate. Everyone has a pressure point. For some people, it’s a dollar amount. That’s obviously not the case with you or we would’ve resolved this the first day. I didn’t plan for you to be here tonight, but maybe some good can come of it. Perhaps you have a soft spot for family that would help you understand. I don’t want to be the bad guy. I like you, Tori. You’re spunky. And beautiful when you aren’t pointing a gun at me.”

He watched Tori’s eyes widen and her mouth softly part at his compliment. “You’re just flattering me to get your way,” she accused, shrugging off his hand.

“I won’t lie to you. I do want the land. But I also want to get to know you better. And for you to like me. I’d like to ask you out to dinner sometime. A nice romantic dinner without my family’s prying eyes watching our every move. The perfect scenario ends with both of us achieving everything we want.”

“How do you know anything about what I want?”

Wade looked into Tori’s eyes. They reflected a confusion he could sense in every inch of her tense body language. She wanted him. She despised him. He was walking a fine line between the two sides. He decided to push her until her desire won the battle. He leaned in and gently brushed a strand of red hair out of her face, barely grazing her forehead and cheek with his fingertips. Tori sucked in a ragged breath when he touched her. He spoke low, almost like a lover’s whisper. “Maybe I don’t. So tell me, what do you want, Tori?”

She swallowed hard but didn’t pull away from him. “I want…” Her voice trailed away as though she couldn’t find the right words. “I didn’t think you’d stoop so low as to try to romance the land out from under me,” she replied, choosing to ignore his question. “As if you even could.”

So she was onto him. That might make the seduction harder, but not impossible. “You doubt my abilities?” He grinned a wide, mischievous smile at her and pulled back to give her some room to breathe. He’d rattled her enough.

“No, but perhaps you underestimate my ability to resist you. Tell me, what was that kiss about?”

That was a damn good question. What
was
that kiss about? Tori was the last woman he needed to be attracted to, but his reaction to her was undeniable. Stupid, but undeniable. At best, he could try to use their attraction to tip the scales in his favor. “I told you already. I’m after the win-win scenario.”

“I’m not going to sell you my land, Wade. If that’s all tonight was about, all that kiss was about, then you can take your Christmas tree and go back inside.”

Tori shifted her boots in the snow and crossed her arms under her breasts. The act of defiance did little to discourage the thoughts about her running through his mind. It had only focused his brain on the perky orbs of her breasts that pressed against her chenille sweater and threatened to erupt over the top of her scoop neckline.

It made his mouth water to think about gliding his hands over the soft fabric and kneading her supple flesh. He had the fierce urge to run his tongue along her collarbone and the crest of her breasts.

When he tore his gaze away and looked her in the eye again, he knew he’d been caught in the act. Her eyes widened, and he was struck by what a gorgeous shade of blue they were. Her eyes were a lovely shade of light blue that reminded him of the ice-blue eyes of his friend’s Siberian husky. Cool, wary and penetrating. They were also sparkling with the hint of a desire she didn’t want to acknowledge. She dropped her hands back to her sides to ruin the display she created.

“Actually, no. That isn’t all that it’s about.” He didn’t elaborate, but the pointed way he watched her lips as she tentatively licked them should have spelled it out for her.

Whether it was due to the cold or to his blatant admiration, her creamy cheeks turned a rosy pink and her breath came out rapidly in foglike bursts. He wondered if that was how she would look when she was flushed and breathless from his passionate caresses.

He hadn’t been lying when he said he wanted her to like him. That he wanted to ask her out to dinner sometime. When they argued, his blood boiled with irritation and arousal all at once. Wade liked a challenge. Tori was certainly that.

Sure, he intended to get that land back one way or another, but that was a separate issue. Business versus pleasure. He wished she could see the difference, but the women he’d known had a tendency to tangle issues together into an impossible knot. Tori was no different where this was concerned.

Initially he’d thought that indulging in their undeniable connection would complicate the issue. But kissing her in the foyer had changed everything. Denying the electricity between them might actually make their problems worse. He was certainly getting cranky returning to his bunkhouse room every night, alone, with Tori on his mind. Tonight he would have to share the room with Brody and listen to his opinion on the matter.

That wouldn’t help the tension building up, either. Perhaps if he and Tori blew off a little steam together, the situation wouldn’t seem quite so dire. On her end, at least. On his end, it was most certainly dire, no matter how much pent-up sexual frustration taunted him.

His perfect solution would be to get the land back, offer her enough money that she could buy land that was even better for her needs, and have her in his bed for a while. There didn’t have to be a bad guy in this story if she would be open-minded to the options. He wasn’t above abusing their sexual chemistry to get his way—if they happened to end up in bed together, so be it.

And at the moment, he wished it would happen sooner rather than later.

“This is also about the chemistry between us.” Wade took another step toward her and she didn’t back away. His hand went to her face, tipping her chin up to look at him. Even in heeled boots, she had to strain to look him in the eye this close. “I’m not the only one to feel it, am I?”

Tori gave just a subtle shake of her head. He could detect it only by his hand against her smooth skin. “I feel it,” she whispered.

She stepped closer until their bodies were nearly touching. He was suddenly aware of the scent of her perfume again, an alluring earthy and floral mix. It made his whole body tighten with anticipation of touching her the way he’d wanted to earlier but couldn’t. Now he was free to act without the eyes of his family and their obnoxious critiques.

Wade didn’t need any more of an invitation. He dived into her, capturing her lips and cupping her upturned face in his hands. She was soft and open to him.

He felt her hands press against his chest, not to push him away, but to feel him through the thick wool of his sweater. Wade moaned against her mouth as her silky tongue glided along his own. It sent a sharp barb of pleasure through his body, urging him to take more than he should tonight. His hands fell from her face to slip around her waist. He tugged her to him, relishing the feel of her soft body against his hard angles.

Without pulling away, he inched them backward through the snow until her back was pressed against the cold metal of her truck door. She gasped but didn’t resist it. In fact, it seemed to light a fire in her. When his mouth left hers to finally taste the hollow of her throat, Tori wrapped her arms around his neck, her silky stocking-clad leg sliding up the outside of his thigh to hook around his hip and draw him in.

The throbbing of his groin pressing into her was almost as uncomfortable as the needling cold on his exposed skin. His hot lips scorched across her frosty throat in a delicious contrast. It wasn’t until her pebble-hard nipples pressed into his chest that reality intruded. He was practically devouring her in twenty-degree weather, and neither of them had on a coat.

Forcing himself to pull away, he took one last gentle kiss and backed off. Wade sucked in a large breath of painfully icy air to kill his arousal. He couldn’t walk back into the house like this. He grabbed her upper arms and pulled her away from the frigid metal siding of her truck. “I’m sorry,” he said. “You’ve got to be freezing. I didn’t think about that at the time.”

“To the contrary,” she said, her lips swollen and her cheeks still red. “I’m feeling quite warm for some reason.” She smiled sheepishly and brushed a long strand of red hair behind her ear.

Damn. He’d forgotten to touch her hair. He’d ached to do that from the first moment he saw it.

“You don’t have a coat on, either,” she said. “You’d better get back inside or you’ll spend your Christmas Day sick instead of with your family. You don’t want to miss the Grinch.”

Wade smiled and shook his head. “I’m certain they’ll wait for me, whether I want them to or not.” There were unnecessary words swirling in his gut that he had the urge to say before he left. They probably wouldn’t help the situation, but he couldn’t keep them inside. “I want you to know that all this doesn’t have anything to do with the land.”

Tori stood on her toes to press a soft goodbye kiss to his lips. “I know,” she whispered faintly against his mouth.

He had to force his hands into fists buried deep in his pant pockets to keep from reaching for her again.

“I’m glad this one wasn’t in front of your whole family,” she said with a grin. Before he could respond, Tori turned and ran around to the other side of the truck. “Merry Christmas, Wade.” She climbed inside and the engine roared to life.

Tori gave a quick wave as she turned her truck and pulled away from the Garden of Eden. Wade watched her disappear into the darkness, and then ran his hand through his hair.

“Merry Christmas, Tori.”

Six

T
hursday night, Tori sat in her favorite seat at the counter of Daisy’s Diner. Now that the holiday had passed and the leftovers Molly forced on her were all eaten, it was back to her usual haunt.

Over the past few weeks she’d made her first friend in the waitress who handled the counter there. Her name tag said “Rosalyn,” but she told Tori to just call her Rose. Rose was off on Wednesday nights, but any other day of the week Tori would be at Daisy’s for dinner.

“Hey there, Tori. What will it be tonight?” Rose asked, leaning casually against the countertop.

Her eyes barely glanced at the menu before she made her decision. “How about the chicken pot pie and some hot tea?”

Rose smiled. “You got it.” She spun from the counter and disappeared into the back, returning a few minutes later with a teacup and a small kettle of hot water. “I’m surprised you didn’t starve over the holiday with us closed,” Rose said with a smile.

“I was able to depend on the kindness of strangers,” Tori admitted. “The Edens invited me over for dinner.”

Rose perked up in quite a peculiar way. “The Edens, huh? Are they
all
in town for Christmas?”

“Yes. At least they were. I met all of them on Christmas Eve. Some of them may have left by now.”

The waitress nodded, a hint of disappointment in her dark brown eyes. She turned and Tori followed Rose’s line of sight to where her son was sitting alone in a corner booth. The little boy was eight or nine, and whenever Tori came in, he was doing homework or playing his handheld video games while Rose worked.

“I always had a soft spot for Xander. We dated on and off in high school before he left for college. He had a smile that would make my heart just melt. Very charming. It’s no wonder he’s a politician. He has a way with people.”

Tori nodded in agreement. “He was very nice. I was more worried about Wade, though. He’s been giving me some trouble.”

“Worried? Why? My sister went to high school with him.” A sly grin spread across Rose’s face. “A lot of women in this town wouldn’t mind Wade Mitchell giving them trouble. Some say he’s the pick of the litter.”

Tori chuckled, a hint of bitterness beneath it. “Well, those people would say differently if they had something he wanted. He’s very persistent and downright irritating when he doesn’t get his way.”

“What could you possibly have that he wants? You just got here.”

“He wants my land.”

Rose frowned. “The land you just bought?”

She nodded and sipped her tea. “It belonged to his family and he wants to buy it back.”

“I don’t know why he’d want it. None of the kids have ever shown much interest in the farm. But I’ll tell you, if I had to have someone causing me trouble, I’d take an Eden boy in a heartbeat. At least you’d have something nice to look at while you suffered.”

That was certainly true. All the Eden boys were attractive. Even Brody, if you could look past the scars and the attitude. If given her choice of the lot, the decision wouldn’t be difficult. Wade was certainly her type: dark hair, soulful eyes, a wicked smile… Unfortunately, the magnificent view was a distraction she couldn’t afford. “As nice as that all sounds, he’s becoming a major pain in my—”

“Well, speak of the devil.” Rose straightened immediately and started fidgeting with her dark brown ponytail. Tori turned in her seat and found Wade there, hanging up his coat on a rack by the door. She turned back before he could see her, hoping he wouldn’t notice her. Unfortunately, Rose was strutting around so conspicuously in front of her that he was certain to look her way eventually.

“Hey, Rosie,” Wade said, sitting down at the counter a few seats away. “How’ve you been?”

Rose slid down the counter as if she’d been pulled in by his tractor beam. “Good. How about you?”

“Busy. How’s your dad doing these days?”

Tori watched the smile fade from Rose’s face. “He’s okay. I’m sure he’s bored out of his skull, but twenty-three hours a day in a cell will do that to you.”

Wade straightened in surprise. Apparently he hadn’t kept up with the latest Cornwall gossip. Even Tori knew that Rose’s dad had gone to jail last year. She didn’t know what for, exactly, but it didn’t sound as though he would be getting out anytime soon.

“Oh, I hadn’t heard he was, uh… I’m sorry.
Um…
do you guys have the pot roast special tonight?”

Rose smiled again and let the uncomfortable subject drop. “That’s only on Mondays. But we’ve got the sliced roast beef with mushroom gravy and mashed potatoes. It’s almost as good.”

“That’ll do. And a lemon-lime soda, please.”

“You bet.” Rose shot Tori a wink and disappeared into the kitchen.

Alone at the counter with him, Tori couldn’t decide if she should shrink into herself and hope she became invisible or sit up tall and dare him to say something to her. She hadn’t seen him since Christmas Eve. Since they kissed
.
And now she didn’t quite know how to act. Was he still the enemy? Her body didn’t think so, but her brain disagreed. He could be exploiting their natural attraction to get his way. She would have to err on the side of caution and continue under the assumption he was the enemy, kisses or no, until he stopped asking to buy her land. She couldn’t trust his motives.

And yet she didn’t want to fight with him anymore. It was all too confusing.

She opted for a happy medium, quietly sipping her tea and waiting for her dinner to arrive. Tori focused so intently on it that she noticed only a familiar heat, and when she looked up, Wade was on the stool beside her. She hadn’t even realized he’d moved.

“Hello, Tori.”

She turned in her seat to look at him. He was wearing dark tailored jeans and a black cashmere sweater that fit his broad shoulders beautifully. She itched to reach out and brush the soft fabric as an excuse to touch him again.

“Wade,” she responded simply. She was afraid she’d give away too much if she said anything more.

Wade smiled broadly, undeterred by her cool reception. He took the drink Rose offered him before she disappeared into the kitchen again, leaving Tori high and dry. He took a sip before he spoke. “Do you eat here a lot?”

“Most nights. You’ve seen my kitchen.” She was certain her confusion was etched on her face, but there was nothing she could do about it. “You’re awfully friendly tonight.”

“Why wouldn’t I be? The last time I saw you, we made out against the side of your truck.”

Tori’s cheeks lit up as bright as her hair. “Don’t say it like that,” she said, wishing her pot pie would come and give her something to focus on instead of her memories of making out with Wade. She couldn’t think of anything else with his scent so close, tempting her to do it again.

Wade grinned and she was glad she was sitting down and didn’t have to worry about her knees giving out from under her. She wished she didn’t amuse him so much. If he smiled less and sat farther away, she might not be fighting this pointless attraction to the man she was trying very hard not to like. A man she
shouldn’t
like, considering he fired her, made her lose her apartment and was hell-bent on taking away her second chance at settling down.

It was that stupid smile that did it.

“Okay,” he agreed, leaning in to whisper the words softly in her ear. “The last time I saw you, I drank in your lips like a sweet wine I couldn’t get enough of.”

Rose approached at that moment, heard Wade’s low words, then immediately spun on her heel and vanished. Tori knew she’d hear more about that later, but she could hardly care with Wade’s deep voice vibrating through her. A shiver ran down Tori’s spine when he spoke, and gooseflesh drew up all over her skin. His warm breath on her neck took her back to the snow, to the truck, to the kisses she couldn’t forget. Why did he have this power over her? “I s-suppose that’s a better way to put it,” she stuttered. “And yet you haven’t darkened my doorstep since then.”

“I wanted to, believe me. But I had to put in the family time. We only get together once a year. The last of them left today, so I’m free to begin harassing you again.”

Honestly, she’d felt his presence even with him gone. The past few days he’d plagued her thoughts, overrun her dreams and disrupted her focus. Memories of his kisses lingered. She was on edge thinking he might show up any minute to continue his petition to buy the land. Or better yet, to pick up where they’d left off. He might as well have been sitting in her camper since Monday night.

“Why did you stay behind when the others left?” she said, pushing the thoughts of his touch out of her mind.

“A few things needed my attention,” he said.

She swallowed hard. “Like what?”

“Like you.” His lips curled in a smug grin. He knew he was pushing all the right buttons. “So how long have you been here in Cornwall?”

The change in discussion nearly gave her whiplash, but the topic was thankfully a safe one. “Two months. I had been looking at this area for a while before that but hadn’t found any land that suited the house I want to build.”

“Shouldn’t an architect build a house to suit the land, not the other way around?”

“Perhaps.” She shrugged. “But this is going to be my one and only home. The place where I live for the rest of my life. I’ve been thinking about what I want for years, and I finally have the money and time to make it happen. That plot of land is perfect for what I envision. I refuse to settle.”

“Understandable. How are the plans coming for the house?”

Tori’s lips twisted with concern before she spoke. “Not as quickly as I’d like. But you can’t rush perfection. I hope to have the blueprints finalized this week and break ground before the end of January.”

Wade’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly and his brow furrowed with thoughts he didn’t choose to share. “Why Cornwall? You’re not from around here, are you?”

“No and yes. I’m not from anywhere. My parents and I traveled my whole life. But I came to visit this area on a long weekend while I was working in Philadelphia, and I fell in love with it.”

Wade was listening intently, and it bothered her. The conversation seemed innocent enough. What was his angle? He couldn’t really care. Was he just making small talk or was he trying to get information he could use against her later? Maybe he’d try to stall her building permits and frustrate her into selling.

“I’ve lived around here my whole life.”

“Cornwall?”

“Not exactly. Here and there in Litchfield County. I bounced around through a lot of different foster homes at first. I came to Cornwall when I was ten and stayed here until I went off to Yale.”

“Is that where you met Stanton?” Alex Stanton had been Wade’s business partner when she first went to work for him.

“Yes. We started our own company together after college, and then after you left, we decided to split up and focus on different types of projects. He wanted to branch out, go nationwide and, eventually, international. I wanted to focus on Manhattan, so I’ve been on my own a few years now.”

“Now the two of you can make money twice as fast.”

“Precisely the idea behind our dastardly plan.”

Damned if she didn’t smile at him. He had a way of making her like him no matter how badly she didn’t want to. He was only a few days into his petition and he had already managed to charm her. He’d kissed her. How long could she hold out against this? How long until he tired and gave up?

“So, tell me about some of your green innovations. I’ve been hoping to add more into my projects.”

At that, Tori outright frowned. He really was taking every available angle to butter her up. “Really?”

“Yes, really. I’ve been investing heavily in a couple of green companies over the past few years. They’re really making some great strides in products that are earth friendly and, I hope soon, affordable for consumers. I think more people will use them when the price isn’t so intimidating.”

That surprised her. When you’re in the business of renovating and reselling buildings, every penny spent cuts into the profit. She never expected him to be the kind who would invest in green products. But she was glad he did. She wished more people would. “I agree. That’s why I try to get as much exposure for my work as possible. I want to increase interest and demand, which will hopefully make some of these innovations mainstream and drive down the price.”

“It’s hard to do. My folks have managed to run an organic farm without the crippling prices breaking their profit margin, but it’s taken decades to perfect it.”

Tori’s brows shot up over her teacup. “The tree farm is organic?”

“For the past twenty years.”

Wade was full of good surprises tonight. She wouldn’t admit it to anyone, but she was actually enjoying her conversation with him. It felt almost like a fun, casual first date.

Did she just use the word
date?

“I’ve been looking at some of your recent projects online. You really do great work. The building in Philadelphia is stunning.”

Tori blushed again. If he was playing her, he was good at it. She couldn’t help but believe him. Her latest project really was incredible. Her best apart from her own house, which was going to be her greatest work. “Thank you. It’s almost done. The ribbon cutting is scheduled for just after the New Year.”

“I wish we hadn’t lost you at our company. Your talents would’ve been put to good use.”

It sounded like a compliment, but this time it rubbed her the wrong way. Tori was about to say something rude about how he shouldn’t have fired her, but Rose returned then, placing a piping-hot dish of chicken pot pie on the counter in front of her. It was the perfect opportunity for her to focus on something else.

The pie had a golden flaky crust that Tori yearned to bust open with her fork. Typically, she’d leaned toward club sandwiches and grilled chicken plates, but dinner with the Edens had been a gateway meal. Now she was on a personal mission to make up for twenty-eight years of home-cooking deprivation.

“That smells great,” he said, leaning closer to her and inhaling the enticing aroma. “Don’t let me stop you from enjoying your meal.”