Long into the night, he’d brushed the soft petals over her skin until she was begging for more than just the petals touching her.
With the potent memories washing over her, she couldn’t lie, couldn’t do anything but nod. All these years, Mia had forced herself to bury the good memories of being with Ford. But with the scent of her favorite rose perfuming the air, it was nearly impossible to push away the heady visions of the two of them laughing and loving together. He’d thrown her off balance by appearing unannounced as her anonymous client. But it was the sweetness of these memories that were really throwing her off.
Badly wanting to shift things away from their past and back toward the house, as they headed toward the pool patio, she asked, “So how do you like this house so far?”
“How do you like it?”
Telling herself it wasn’t that strange a question to parry back at her—clients often wanted to know if she thought a house was a good investment before getting attached to it—she said, “It’s well designed, well built, and in an exceptional location. And even though the tower is unique, it manages to add to the property rather than being something that would turn off future prospective buyers.”
“But can you see a family living here?”
Mia had never done anything but her very best for a client, so she made herself push away her personal feelings for Ford and take in the house from the standpoint of a woman with a husband and kids.
“Yes,” she told him as they walked around the pool. “I can see how much fun it would be for kids to run and play on the grass, and to use the tower as a secret playhouse. And even though it’s a big property, I think it’s just the right size for a parent to make sure no one’s getting hurt or being too nuts with their brothers and sisters.”
“Good. I wouldn’t want a place where people felt like they had to worry about breaking things, or where I’d need a staff to run it.”
Finally, she felt like she was getting to know something about the real Ford. Too late, yes, but still interesting, despite herself. “Honestly, while the house is great, what you’re really paying for is the location. I actually know a lot of local families who live in similar houses and I definitely don’t think it’s too fancy for a handful of messy kids to feel perfectly comfortable tracking mud into the kitchen.” Thinking about how often she and her brothers had done that, much to the consternation of her parents, she grinned. “When we were kids, the amount of mud on the floor was directly equivalent to the amount of fun we had playing outside.”
Before she could remember why they shouldn’t be smiling at each other, Ford was heading across the bricks to a slight grassy rise on the side of the house that looked out over the water and was completely surrounded on the other three sides by tall, leafy shrubs.
“This spot reminds me of that day we found that small park with the great view,” he said. “Do you remember?”
How could she ever forget? Blue skies had turned to drizzle by the time they’d laid out a blanket in Kerry Park behind the thick shrubbery that hid them from the rest of the neighborhood, but Ford had kept her warm with his body over hers. She’d believed his was the love she’d been waiting for, and that no other man could thrill her the way he did.
Unfortunately, while she’d been wrong about the love...she’d been dead right about the thrill. No other man had ever come anywhere close to making her feel so wild or so good.
She shook the memories away as she kept her gaze focused on the water at the edge of the property. “The view here really is beautiful.”
“You were a thousand times more beautiful that day than the view could ever be,” he said, each of his softly spoken words landing right in the heart around which she’d momentarily forgotten to keep up her guard. “You still are, Mia.”
“No.” She backed away from him, from his sweet yet loaded words and the way they made her feel things that she could never again let herself feel for him. “We already agreed that you can’t talk to me like that.”
“The hardest thing I’ve ever done is not touch you during the past hour.” He dropped his gaze to her lips. “No, that’s not true,” he said almost to himself as his eyes darkened further with desire. “It’s been a hell of a lot harder not kissing you.”
Five years ago, she hadn’t known any better than to let him sweep her off her feet so that she forgot everything but him. But now, even though she did know better, she still badly wanted his forbidden kiss.
“You think I don’t know your game? Showing up as an anonymous client to catch me off guard, brushing up against me when you go through a doorway, toying with me with your hot glances and sexy words? We both know it’s what you do, Ford. You’re a master at making women want you. You don’t need to try to reel me back in to prove that.”
“There’s only one woman I want to want me, Mia.”
Determined not to let anything he said or did affect her from here on out, she rolled her eyes. Honestly, at this point, it was ridiculous to think that she could look for a house for him in any kind of professional way. “I’m sure I’m supposed to be flattered that you thought one look at you standing in the tower like the conquering hero come home would make me drop to my knees and unzip you with my teeth.” She laughed out loud to let him know what she thought of that vision, praying he believed she was actually disgusted at the thought of being with him again. Her heart and mind were, of course—it was just her body that was busy trying to betray the rest of her. “Scrubbing the kitchen floor with a toothbrush sounds a thousand times better than that.”
“So,” he said with deceptive ease, “just to be clear, you’re saying you’re not interested in me anymore?”
“Not the slightest bit.”
“And you haven’t felt any sparks jumping between us the way they always did?”
“Nope.” She shrugged as if the answer to his question were totally obvious. “Nothing.”
“Funny, I was thinking just the opposite was true.”
“Then you were thinking wrong.”
“How’s this, then? You let me kiss you, and if you’re right and there’s nothing between us after all, I’ll stop pushing you where you don’t want to go. But if there is—”
“Do you really think I’m going to fall for some stupid dare where you’re going to declare afterward, no matter what happens, that there are sparks between us?”