A knowing look passed in his aquamarine blue eyes, and the blush intensified.
Before she’d met Nick, Sinclair had never thought she’d meet another man who could come close to the Wildes in sheer masculinity.
She turned her attention away from Nick to the business at hand.
“Well, I’d like to start an initial dialogue on what the Wildes are offering, and we can go from there in the negotiations. I think you and your family will agree that it is a fair deal,” she began. In control.
She deftly unclasped the hook of her chic custom-made briefcase, a gift from the Wildes upon graduating from law school.
She withdrew an e-tablet from inside and automatically removed the clamp, attaching it to the leather handles of her briefcase before hooking it to the arm of the chair.
She caught his look. She didn’t feel the need to explain why she didn’t want her bag on the floor.
“As I was saying, the Wildes have come to an agreement, and the proposal they have given me permission to offer you and your family is more than fair, we all believe,” she stated clearly, redirecting the energy away from the direction it had been headed.
She had no intention of being at the Kealoha ranch, or in Hawaii for that matter, for longer than was absolutely necessary. Although Nate and the family had given her carte blanche in the way of time, telling her to take the time she needed to take care of the matter, she planned to be as speedy about the business as possible. Thorough, without a doubt, but with a quickness.
She handed the e-tablet over to him, ignoring the snap of electricity that zinged back and forth the minute their fingertips touched.
The ghost of a smile remained on his face as he took the tablet from her hands.
She kept her face neutral and after long moments he sat back in the oversize chair and finally released her from his stare.
Sinclair resisted the urge to wipe away the bead of sweat she felt running down the back of her neck. She also stopped herself from slumping against the cool leather chair; she continued to wonder if it was hot in his office or if it was just her.
Control.
* * *
Throughout the meeting, Nick sat back and listened to her, allowing nothing of what he felt, nothing of what he was even thinking, to show on his face.
With Sinclair, he had ascertained that beyond the beautiful face, the hot-as-hell voice and body made for sex, she was a force to be reckoned with. Intelligence and confidence fairly vibrated from her small sexy body.
Her sensuality was one he found intriguing; so far, he’d figured out that she allowed only tiny snapshots of it to the world.
The small nuances told him she was not the conservative button-down corporate attorney that she presented to the world, from the small diamond chip in her nose, to the matching pink-tipped manicured nails and toes, which he’d caught a glimpse of from the peep-toe high-heeled shoes she wore. She tried to hide her sensuality. But it was there.
Hell, her curves alone told that story.
Sexy, with an edge.
Earthy, yet restrained.
As she’d outlined the proposal from the Wildes, she’d pulled out numerous documents. He’d noticed that they were all in order, filed in an accordion-style folder, and mirrored what he was reading on the tablet she’d handed him.
Prim and proper. With hidden fire.
He had to force himself to listen, to concentrate on what she was saying. He knew that a lot was riding on the situation, but damn if she hadn’t made it nearly impossible for him to maintain focus.
However, her next words caught his attention, snapping him sharply back to the present and the situation at hand.
“So we, the Wildes, feel this unpleasant situation can be remedied to all parties’ satisfaction. In exchange for you and your brother signing the document, we will withdraw all charges against you.”
He heard and swiftly cataloged what she’d said. But it was one word...one phrase that caught his attention beyond the rest.
Unpleasant situation.
That, and charges against them.
Renewed bitterness toward the man who was his and Key’s biological father rose swiftly. He shoved the emotions—anger, resentment—down, and focused on the rest of what she was saying. Focused on what was really important. None of the rest mattered.
He ignored the pang in his heart at the cavalier dismissal of his and his brother’s importance in the Wildes’ eyes.
His jaw tightened.
“Hold on,” he snapped, holding up a hand for her to stop speaking. He glanced at her quickly and saw that his gesture didn’t sit well with her.
Good. Because her dismissal of him and his brother didn’t sit well with him, either.
He took his time as he scanned the last page of the document. And then, although he’d caught the gist of it, he swiped a finger over the tablet screen to take it back to the previous page to reread.
He frowned.
“Exactly what charges are you talking about for my brother and me to drop?”
She sat back and gave him a look, withdrawing the half-glasses she’d perched upon the narrow bridge of her nose.
“Mr. Kealoha, have you not been paying attention to what I’ve been saying? What I’ve been proposing for you and for your family?”
Nick wasn’t easily embarrassed. Yet at that moment he was, and the feeling ticked him off. He was irritated not with her but with himself for so easily allowing her to distract him.
He stared across the expanse of the desk at Sinclair Adams.
She smiled.
His eyes narrowed. He’d have to watch her. Her hold on him was one that he wouldn’t tolerate. It had been...interesting, before he’d met her. The way he’d think about her, allow her to filter into his thoughts at night, mostly, when he was relaxing, and moments before succumbing to sleep. But that was as far as it was going to go, as far as he would allow it to go.
Damn. He needed his full attention on this matter. He sat straighter in his chair, making subtle readjustments against his randy cock inside his jeans.
“Never had a problem with my concentration, Ms. Adams. Everything I do...” he drawled, keeping his gaze on her. “I do with extreme focus. Ma’am,” he finished. And smiled at her.
He caught the way her light brown cheeks blushed fiery red at his words.
Good. Score one for Team Kealoha. Control was back in his corner.
Now that he had it, he knew he had to put his cock, and what he wanted to do to her with it, away for the moment to truly concentrate on what she was saying and what the damn Wildes were proposing.
“In layman’s terms, the charge you and your family have levied against the Wildes claiming right of inheritance. We are simply proposing that, as the late Clint Jedediah Wilde had no knowledge of you or your brother, it was without malice that you and your brother were not included in the inheritance of his property as well as monetary inheritance. Because of this, your lawsuit is, in fact, unwarranted. However, we are willing to discuss a settlement.”
“A settlement, huh?” he said, feelings of anger swamping him as well as his judgment. Making him completely put to the side that he had actually decided not to go forward with the lawsuit. “I’m not sure this...proposal is going to work.”
“And your brother? Your father? What are their thoughts on this situation? Do they share your feelings?” she asked, pinning him with a look. “And don’t you have to show this to them fir
st? To your brother?”
He felt the heat of her focused stare.
Discerning.
It was as though she saw right through him. He’d been right in his assessment of her: she was one to watch. He’d have to make sure at all times that he was the one in the driver’s seat; he could tell she was used to that privilege belonging to her.
He subtly adjusted his approach.
“Of course I do. And I will, Ms. Sinclair. We are a united family,” he said, deftly sidestepping the question.
She stared at him, not saying a word, simply holding his gaze.
She finally spoke. “That wasn’t exactly what I asked, Mr. Kealoha.”
He knew what she was asking. He simply had no intention of answering. Not until he had a hold on the situation and had decided exactly what he did want and how he planned to go about seducing her out of it.
His initial anger gone, he had been ready to tell the Wildes and their attorney to go to hell. But now, all of that had changed. Now he wanted to...play...with the Wildes’ attorney.
“Just like the Wildes, the Kealohas are united.” His mouth firmed briefly before relaxing, a smile crossing his wide lips. “In fact, in the spirit of the Hawaiian tradition of welcome, why don’t you meet them? My family, that is,” he said when she looked confused. “Tonight.” Before she could protest, he finished, “Have dinner with me.” He smiled at the look of surprise on her face. “With my family.”
Chapter 7
Have dinner with me.
The request caught her off guard and Sinclair tilted her head to the side. “For what purpose? I think you’ve made your position clear. And to that end, I think it best for me to wait for you to confer with your family before we go further, Mr. Kealoha.”
The entire time she’d been in the meeting with him, her nerves had been taut, tighter than a string on one of her guitars.
The fact that she’d managed to speak in an intelligent manner was something she was eternally grateful for. The man had her on edge...
She struggled to clear her head. She couldn’t say it was anything he was doing; couldn’t really pin any one thing, one action or word that put her in the state she was in.
Nothing other than him.
She sucked in a breath, her glance stealing over his hard body. And he was enough.
She kept her attention on the estate matter, reminding herself of her years of concentrating on long, boring legal briefs that no matter how mind-numbing, she had to plough through to not only understand but to pass her exams.
“We can discuss this further. Nothing is set in stone, Ms. Adams. Besides, I need to speak to my brother, and sister-in-law, and of course my father, before going any further. It is, and will be, a family decision.” For a moment a hard look crossed his handsome face and she felt her heart thump against her chest in reaction.
In that moment she saw how he and his brother, along with their father had one of the most prosperous ranches in Hawaii. Just like her Wildes, this man and his family were a force to be reckoned with.
But so was she.
She offered a broad smile.
“I think our work is concluded for now, Mr. Kealoha,” Sinclair said, closing the fastener on her briefcase and preparing to leave. “If you could contact me once you have presented the proposal to your family, I would appreciate it. Although you have my cell, here is my card. On the back I have the hotel name and number where I can be reached,” she said, withdrawing a card from her wallet and placing it on his desk.
He lifted it, examining the card, turning it over, his brow furrowed.
She had to get out of there. Now. She needed to collect her thoughts, set up a game plan.
The meeting had begun with a rocky start, yet over the course of the past hour and a half, it had gotten smoother and she’d relaxed. As much as one could relax with a predator in the room. One that looked ready to pounce at any moment, despite the relaxed manner he’d showed throughout the meeting. Sinclair shuddered.
Yet for all of that, Sinclair felt as though she’d been in a battle with a tsunami.
And she wasn’t sure she’d been the victor. Unlike most times in her interactions and in her role as an attorney, when she’d felt sure, confident. Yes, she felt confident in her abilities as a damn good attorney and in her negotiation abilities.
She’d stolen a glance at him from beneath lowered lids on more than one occasion throughout the time of the meeting. The last time he’d caught her, she’d glanced away, pretending a nonchalance she felt anything but.
The entire time she’d tried to ignore the strong attraction she felt for him. Yet her glance would steal over his strong arms, braced on the armrests of his chair, and the soft-looking chambray shirt that lay open at the top, exposing a black, V-necked T-shirt stretched over a hard-muscled, broad chest. Not to mention the faded Levi’s covering long legs stretched out in front of him or the large, cowboy-boot-clad feet casually crossed at the ankles beneath the desk.
Her gaze caught on the lean planes of his face, the intensity of his blue eyes, deep set and heavily rimmed by thick dark lashes. The lashes being so dark against his blue eyes, coupled with the way she’d catch him eyeing her, had been unsettling. Intense. It was as though he was looking at her and had discerned her deepest, most...private thoughts.
A tiny shiver feathered down her spine.
It was her ability to withstand him as a woman that she was concerned about.
Quickly she stood and, with nervous hands, clutched her briefcase closer to her body, as though it could ward him off.
“Staying at the Royale, huh?” he asked.
She felt as though he were mocking her somehow.
“Yes. The Wildes made the reservations,” she murmured.
“Nothing but the best for their...lawyer,” he said, and she felt her hackles rise.
Yes, it was a luxury hotel, with a spa, as well.
After Althea Wilde had made the reservations and Sinclair realized how luxurious the hotel was, she’d protested, to which Althea had hushed her and laughed.
“Girl, you may as well enjoy Hawaii while you’re there. No sense otherwise! Besides, Nate agreed with me when I told him,” she’d said with a wink.
Reluctantly, Sinclair had accepted the grand gesture. She knew that Althea had grown up with money as the only child in a wealthy political family, though she herself had had to work hard at minimum-wage jobs from mechanic to waitress for a stretch of time as she had been on the run from a crazed ex-lover before coming to the Wilde Ranch.
“Yes, well, as I said, there is my contact information,” was the only thing she said in reply.
He stood, as well. She gulped down a breath as she gazed over at him. Unable to move, but knowing she should, she stood rooted to the spot, transfixed.
He kept her gaze.
Feet, move, damn it!
Nothing. She couldn’t move an inch to save her life. She finally was able to stop gawking at the man and breathed a sigh of relief. She turned to pick up her purse and looped it over her shoulder before turning to face him.
“Beautiful.” His deep, sexy voice said the word with an almost...reverent sound.
Startled, Sinclair met his gaze, her heartbeat racing at the compliment.
“The leather,” he continued. “It’s gorgeous. May I?” he asked.
Before Sinclair could respond yes or no, much less acknowledge the ridiculous disappointing feeling that he wasn’t referring to her but her briefcase, he strode over to her.
He reached out and touched the soft case, running his fingers over the supple leather.
“Um...yes,” Sinclair sputtered, caught off guard. “I suppose it is,” she finished, unnerved by the interacti
on. “Okay, that is. For you to touch my briefcase.”
She stopped speaking, feeling all kinds of crazy.
Instead of his eyes on her, he was staring at her briefcase. She didn’t know if she should be insulted or not, she thought, a strange need to laugh coming over her.
His glance met hers, a wicked grin on his face.
“Soft, supple...smooth,” he said, his voice lowering. “I like things... smooth.”
As she watched him fingering her briefcase, her breath caught in her throat.
She moistened her lower lip. “Thank you,” she replied, her voice low. “I think,” she mumbled before lifting her eyes to his. She cleared her throat. “It was a graduation gift,” she said and watched again as his fingers reached out and caressed the leather.
Her gaze was caught on the action.
His fingers—long, strong and masculine. Just like the rest of him. As she stared in hapless fascination as his able fingers caressed the leather of her briefcase, she found herself wanting, for a brief moment, to feel his fingers doing the same thing to her skin.
She swallowed the melon-ball-size lump that had formed at the back of her throat at the thought.
“Let me guess... Your Wilde Boys gave it to you?”
The statement barely registered, yet she nodded.
“Yes. A gift. For graduating,” she said again and felt foolish for unknown reasons. Now, besides the breathless quality, she knew she didn’t exactly sound like the Rhodes scholar she in fact had been.
The man was reducing her to a mumbling simpleton.
“Why don’t you come to dinner with me...I mean, the family, Ms. Sinclair? What do you have to be afraid of?” he asked.
It took more than a moment for her to switch gears, snatch her mind from where it was headed to focus on the question.
“What do you have to be afraid of?” he repeated.
Her focus went to his sensual mouth.
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