“Christ, woman, what’s shit about it?” He’d just love to hear her excuse this time.
She glared at him and pointed to the sink. “There’s no dishwasher. I thought they didn’t make kitchens without them anymore.”
He took a deep breath. Then another. And another. He knew the place didn’t have one, but at the last complex, she’d said she never cooked.
“True, but it has a spare bedroom for your servers and is wired with the latest technology. You said that was the most important thing on your list.” Yes, she did have a list of wants, which he’d gotten from her as soon as they’d left Ian’s house. It had allowed him to tweak his list of possible properties, which didn’t really matter as they were all apparently shit.
She shrugged and looked away.
Fine. She wanted to play like this, he’d dust off and batter up. “Why don’t you cut the bull and tell me what’s really bothering you, huh?” He crossed his arms and waited.
She licked her lips. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Bullshit. You’ve been making up excuses at every place.”
“No I haven’t— ”
“Yes you have, and I want to know why. Is it because you’re scared?” He knew it wasn’t really fair to throw that out there, but he wasn’t one to let a woman hide from her feelings.
Her eyes grew infinitesimally. “No. I’m just not going to settle for something I don’t want.”
He started to open his mouth when his cell phone chimed. He pulled it out and looked at the notice he had set up to alert him when new listings hit the market in areas where his clients were looking. When he quickly read over it, his body tightened, because he knew immediately it fit the settings he’d marked for Sasha. Though it wouldn’t matter unless he dealt with her aversion tactics first.
Pocketing his cell, he said, “Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand that argument, but some of your reasons have been flimsy at best and downright idiotic at worst.”
She gasped. “Well maybe if the professional did his job, I wouldn’t have to come up with reasons why I’ve found him lacking.” She stepped away, mumbling, “Shoulda just done an online search myself.”
He suppressed a growl as he reached for her, grabbing her arm and twirling her to face him. She thought him lacking? Lacking?
She yanked on her arm, but he did not let it loose. “Let go,” she seethed.
“No.”
“I don’t like being manhandled.” She tried squirming out of his hold again, but he refused to release her. He forced his irritation with her down because he knew it was some kind of coping mechanism for her. He just wanted to help, but he couldn’t if she wasn’t being honest with him. With herself.
Aaron stared down at her as she struggled, and finally whispered, “Stop.”
She froze at the quiet authority he knew he exuded and warily looked at him.
“I want to know why you’re trying so hard to keep this from happening.”
He saw the flash of panic in her eyes before it quickly disappeared. He wondered if she’d taken his comment as something personal, when he’d actually been talking about the house hunting they’d been doing. He had to admit there was double meaning there. He was insanely attracted to her. He’d spent last night thinking about her, even after the wedding. Hell, he’d tried to focus on gathering the list of properties to show her, but kept finding himself lost in thoughts about her. He couldn’t explain his attraction, but it was there, and he refused to ignore it.
He just had to tread lightly where she was concerned. One wrong move and he’d spook her. He knew it.
“Maybe you’re just not as good at this as you think you are.”
Oh, he knew there was double meaning in that, too, but he smiled down at her and ignored her reaction to the personal aspect of what was happening between them. She was attracted to him. He’d always been aware of a woman’s response to him. He had to be, especially at the club, and that kind of conditioning couldn’t be turned off. He’d seen the heat in her gaze several times already, not to mention the fact that he’d caught her checking out his ass. She was definitely interested, but she was too scared to do anything about it. He knew it’d be up to him to push her through that fear and into acceptance. He’d just have to be careful how he went about it.
“How about a little wager then?”
This time when she pulled her arm free, he allowed it. Only because it hadn’t been a frantic reaction to his closeness, to his hand on her.
She crossed her arms and glared at him, but he could also see the smile she was fighting. Good.
“Go on,” she said slowly, and he knew right then that he had her.
“I bet that the next place I take you to you will fall in love with.”
She scoffed. “Those are big words coming from a man who has nothing but goose eggs so far to show for his efforts today.”
“Then you should feel pretty good about your odds of winning the bet.”
“Mmm-hmm,” she said sarcastically. “And just what are you hoping to get out of it?”
“A date.”
She blinked. “What?”
“If you love the next place I show you, then you have to agree to let me take you out on a date.”
She stared at him. “What?” she said again.
He chuckled. “Don’t play dumb, baby. I know you find me attractive, and you … you’re honestly the most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on. Obviously, I’d love a chance to get to know you better.”
“I-I, um, I don’t date.”
He moved slowly toward her, and she stood her ground. He couldn’t help the burst of pride he felt in that moment. It was definitely progress. “Neither do I, but for you, I’ll make an exception.” He tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. “That is, if I win. You seem pretty confident that I won’t.”
She released her arms and watched him for several seconds without trying to move away. “And if I agree to this bet? What do I win?”
Aaron had to think fast, but he latched onto the one thing he knew she loved. “Oh, I’m sure there’s a new hard drive for your server you could use.”
She coughed through a laugh. “Those aren’t cheap.”
“I’m that confident.”
“We’re talking thousands of dollars here. I don’t use crap.”
“I’m that confident,” he said again.
She licked her lips—something he noticed she did a lot—and he secretly wondered if she knew how much the sight of her tongue peeking out tortured him. “Is this a trick? If you think I’m going to love the next place so much, why didn’t we start with that one?”
He pulled out his phone and waved it at her. “I get alerted when new properties hit the market that meet certain criteria. I set up some for you last night, and this came in a few minutes ago. Sunday is the biggest day of the week for real estate agents. I’m not surprised I got notified of one today.”
She shrugged and hooked her purse strap higher up on her shoulder. “Okay. I’ll bite. I do need more disk space, so I’ll take your money.”
“It’s a bet, then?”
“Sure. Why not.”
He pushed down his excitement because he knew there was no way she’d turn this place down. He knew, because it was the same reason he’d purchased a condo in the same complex.
Normally, he’d avoid suggesting it to hot single women because no matter how sexual of man he was, he never mixed business and pleasure. And if things went south, he wouldn’t be able to escape the woman if she lived so close.
But Sasha was different.
They climbed into his SUV again, and Aaron did his best to keep her engaged in small talk as they made the short trip. When he pulled into the driveway, he saw her frown.
“This looks like a firehouse.”
“That’s because it was at one point. It was converted into condos five years ago. And notice that it’s close to your office.” He cut his gaze to her. “But not too c
lose.”
She rolled her eyes as she got out, and he chuckled.
He began spouting off the amenities as they made their way inside. She nodded, but didn’t provide any snide remarks. Again, progress. When they reached the available unit, he said, “The condos here are mostly owner occupied. The seller has to relocate and is open to leasing options since he has to move quickly. If you like it, you could buy it later.”
After unlocking the door with this smart phone app, he ushered her inside.
“Wow,” she breathed.
He flashed a grin, but thankfully her back was to him and she didn’t see it. “Yes, it has an industrial feel. Exposed beams, old style fixtures.” He leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Even has a dishwasher.”
She hummed in reply and walked around the living area. “Not bad. How many rooms?”
“Two bedrooms and two bathrooms.” He pointed to the right and started walking in that direction, knowing she’d follow. “The rooms are identical, but this one should have the best view since it faces the bridge.”
“Holy cow. That is amazing,” she breathed.
He continued ticking off the features of the place, and her eyes began to glaze over. He took that as a good sign. She loved the place, and no way would she be able to make him believe otherwise. When he mentioned seeing the kitchen, she nodded absently and his lips twitched, fighting his smile, as he followed her out of the room and into the other end of the condo.
“What are all these buttons for?” she asked, eyeing the appliances.
“Basically, they do everything. If you want it, these appliances have it. They’re top of the line.”
“Really? Where’s the blow job button?”
He chuckled. “I’ll rephrase. They do everything the engineers designed them to do.” He opened his arms and turned around, circling and gesturing at the entirety of the unit. “So what do you think?”
“Yeah, I love it. But I cry foul.” She narrowed her gaze. “Just because I love it doesn’t mean I can afford it. You can’t bring me to some kick ass house, knowing I’d love it, just to win the stupid bet. I’m not playing that. Now can we get back to the realistic list of contenders and stop wasting our time on a place I can’t afford?”
“It’s within your budget.”
She gaped at him. “Come again?”
Fuck, but a sexual retort was on the tip of his tongue. “I could have you coming over and over again.” He had to practically bite his bottom lip to keep the words from slipping out. Instead, he spouted off the sales price and lease option payments before saying, “So you see, it’s well within your means.”
Her mouth moved, but no words were coming out. He waited and waited, and when he knew she was at a total loss, he finally let the smile form that he’d been fighting. “If you’re interested, you’ll have to act fast. It just came on the market today, and it won’t stay there long.”
She frowned at him. “Don’t act like a used car salesman.”
“I’m not blowing smoke up your sexy little ass. Places like this don’t last. If you want it, I’ll get the paperwork in order.”
“I…” She looked around, licking those plump lips of hers. He fisted his hands to keep from pulling her into his chest and taking her mouth like he’d been fantasizing about. But when she turned to him and smiled … genuinely smiled … his fingers relaxed and his heart fucking soared. “I love it.”
This was a high he normally got when helping any of his clients find their dream home, but with Sasha he felt even more elated. He smiled back and stepped up to her. “I knew you would.” He kissed her forehead because he couldn’t keep his mouth off her, and he knew she wouldn’t accept anything more.
Yet.
When he leaned back, her eyes were glazed again, but this time he knew it wasn’t because of the apartment. He slipped his hand into her hair and let his thumb graze her cheek. “I’ll get the ball rolling right away.”
“Thank you, Aaron.” She looked around, and her smile seemed to get impossibly bigger.
“No, thank you. I’m very much looking forward to our date.”
Her head whipped around.
“Oh yes. A deal’s a deal.”
She swallowed. “Um, okay. When? Friday night?” she asked nervously.
He shook his head slowly. “No way am I waiting that long. Tomorrow.”
She backed away. “Tomorrow? But I, er, have to work.”
“So do I, but we both have to eat.” He closed the new distance she’d put between them. “And Sasha, I plan on savoring every succulent bite.”
Chapter 6
What in the hell was she supposed to wear tonight? Sasha stood in front of her closet and open suitcase rummaging through her very limited options and seriously coming up blank. It wasn’t as if she had a full wardrobe at her disposal. Most of her stuff was in storage, and with the exception of the outfit she’d worn to the bachelorette party, which Aaron had already seen, the clothes she had available were for work or lounging. She doubted yoga pants and a tank top would be appropriate.
Not that Aaron had divulged where he was taking her. When she’d gotten over her shock at losing the bet and found her tongue again, she tried asking what he had in mind for tonight, but he remained tightlipped. Going through everything for a third time, she prayed there was something she’d missed in the first two passes that’d work. Maybe a little black dress and some heels.
She knew she was fighting a lost cause.
When she verified there was nothing in her collection that wasn’t dull or worn out, she groaned and sat on the edge of the bed. The towel around her came loose, and she tightened it before slumping in defeat.
“I could always reschedule,” she muttered, but she knew there was no way Aaron would go for that. He’d probably just tell her to wear the yoga pants, and they’d go out for pizza and beer or something equally casual. Or worse … he’d keep their original plans and she’d look like a total slob. Gah! Too bad Cassie wasn’t around to help dress her.
Sasha sat up straighter and gasped.
Cassie wasn’t here, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t still help her. Sasha knew Cassie was a fashion fiend and had a shit ton of snazzy ensembles. Sasha knew her friend wouldn’t mind her going through her closet for something to wear. Hell, if Cassie were here, she would’ve already had the girl in her room trying on outfits and dressing her up like her favorite dolly. Sasha did feel a little weird borrowing something without asking first, but then she remembered it was Cassie who’d thrust Aaron onto her. Yeah, that made any lingering guilt quickly evaporate.
Plus, she’d have whatever she borrowed cleaned before returning it.
Decision made, she hopped up and darted into Cassie and Ian’s bedroom. She went straight into Cassie’s closet, and was immediately bombarded with bling of many shapes and sizes. God, did the woman ever reject a sale?
Knowing she had less than an hour to get ready, she pawed through the options quickly, settling on a nude off-the-shoulder number that wasn’t too dressy and shoes to match. With her selection in hand, she went back to her room and spent the next thirty minutes getting dressed, putting on makeup, and styling her hair. What she loved about this cut was that she could do a sexy spike, a messy-sultry look, or formally blown back. She could do a number of different things to her hair and each completely changed her look.
By the time she slipped on the first shoe, the doorbell was ringing. She hopped into the living room as she donned the second one and walked the last few steps to the door. She checked the peephole to ensure it was Aaron.
Holy fuck balls! He looked scrumptious. He wore slacks that seemed perfectly tailored for him, but the plaid shirt he wore was slightly loose with the sleeves rolled up to his mid forearm. The package he presented was nothing short of sex, and long-ago buried feelings of arousal stirred. Taking a deep breath, she unlocked and opened the door. His luscious scent enveloped her, and she had to lock her knees to keep from crumbling at his feet lik
e a complete and total moron.
A slow smile spread across his face. “You look beautiful.” He stepped closer and hugged her, his lips grazing her forehead in a light kiss. He’d done that several times already and it never failed to wake up the butterflies that had taken residence in her belly since the night she’d met him. When he pulled back, he continued, “Then again, I’ve never seen you not look beautiful.”
“Thanks,” she said, her voice shaking. Swallowing the lump in her throat was difficult. “You, um, look nice, too.”
He winked at her. “You ready to get this evening started? I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse.”
Jesus, why did thoughts of him eating something else bombard her? She grew wet with the flashes of those mental images.
“Sasha,” he said softly, and she jerked her head up. “What are you thinking about?” he purred, heat flaring in his eyes.
“Nothing. Let me get my purse.” She pushed down the lust her body was radiating. From the look he’d given her, he’d totally read her thoughts. Not that she was prepared to talk about them. Ever.
After grabbing her bag, she fished out her keys. Aaron gently took them from her, his fingers lingering on hers, and she swore her heartbeat could be heard by everybody in a twenty-mile radius. When his hand was gone from hers, she let out the breath she’d been holding as he nudged her out of the house. He locked up and handed the keys back to her. Without another word, he guided her to the passenger side of his SUV and helped her in. She looked at him, and he opened his mouth as if to say something, but then he gave his head a quick shake before closing the door and walking around to the driver side and getting in.
The silence was thick, heady, and Sasha had to fight squirming in her seat to ease the ache that was building at her core. What the hell kind of cologne was he wearing anyway? That stuff should be illegal in all fifty states! When she couldn’t take the quiet torture anymore, she looked at him. He was gripping the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles had turned white, the exposed area of his arm corded. He seemed so strong. That thought should scare her. On some deep level, it did. But she couldn’t focus on that. Not right now. If she did, she’d freak out, and he’d call her out on it.
Love Against Odds Volume One (Love Agaist Odds Book 10) Page 15