Chapter Four

Jake stretched over the plans, and tried to re-imagine them as Annabelle had suggested. There was an innate need within him to please her. It was a part of him that had been there the day they met. He’d become a better person because of her. Though, he wondered if she thought that these days.

His cell rang but he didn’t recognize the number.

Who the hell was calling at this hour?

It was nearly three. Between his worries about the meeting later that night and thoughts of Annabelle, he knew sleep was nothing but an unfulfilled wish.

“Michaels!” He barked into the phone.

“Someone sounds touchy,” Annabelle’s sweet voice sent a shiver of pleasure down his spine.

“How did you get this number? Wait. I don’t care. Is there something you need? Hell, everything I say at three in the morning is going to make me sound like an ass.”

“Maybe you should shut up and open your door.”

Five strides later he opened the door to find beautiful Annabelle standing there with no makeup and her hair piled on top of her head. A pink sweater and jeans, with those fuzzy boots women liked to wear topped off her outfit.

The sight of those beautiful blue eyes on his and those soft pink lips sent his heart on a race around the speedway that was his libido. What she could do with one bat of those eyelashes should be outlawed. Scrubbed fresh, she barely looked old enough to drive, let alone bring a man to his knees.

“Hi.” It was the only word that would come out of his mouth.

“Hey.” She pushed against his chest with her fingers and he stepped back, allowing her access into the hotel room. “We need to chat.”

Deciding it was best to follow her lead, he shut the door behind her and kept his mouth shut.

She sat on the sofa. “I need a drink.”

Without asking, he opened a bottle whiskey from the bar in his suite and poured her a glass. After handing it to her, he did the same for himself.

She sipped tentatively at first and then gulped down the rest. She handed him back her glass and he poured her another one. This one she sipped.

Her eyes followed him, but still she didn’t speak. He sat on the coffee table in front of her. Their knees inches apart.

“I missed you,” she said.

At first, he wasn’t certain he’d heard her correctly.

“You were my best friend and you just left. And I was really mad about that for a long time. Not so much what happened the night you left, but that you couldn’t even tell me what you were going to do. That you didn’t trust me enough.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but she held up a finger.

“Let me get this out. By my second semester of college, I realized what you did was the best thing for both of us. We were too young to think about forevers. But I never did stop missing or loving my friend. That’s why I’m here.”

Damn. He’d never stopped loving her, though God knew he had tried. In the beginning, he’d planned to make his fortune and then return home to her. But one fortune led to the next, and he’d become seduced by business.

“When I got in my car tonight, I was set on revenge. I’d planned to seduce you. Get all the info I could out of you, and use it against you tonight at the town meeting. But that isn’t who I am, Jake. I can’t use another person for personal or professional gain. It isn’t right.”

She’d lost him with the word seduce. Flashes of her sweet lips covering his and her body pressed against him.

“Jake?” She snapped her fingers.

“Sorry. I’m listening.” He promised. “You don’t want to seduce me.” This made him sad, because now all he could think about was seducing her.

She looked wary for a moment then broke out into a smile.

“You always did have a one track mind.”

He grinned, not bothering to deny it. “True. And for the record, I missed you too. I could give you a million explanations, but the truth is I was young and stupid. You were and are an amazing woman, and your friendship meant a great deal to me.”

“Good. So friends?” She held out her hand.

“Yes.” He took her soft fingers in his and a fission of energy shot through his arm. Damn, if her touch didn’t still send him straight to the kickstand of youth. He bent forward to hide the evidence. “You mentioned that you were going to get information out of me like some kind of Mata Hari. Why?”

She took a deep breath. “I’m the architect the historical society hired to oversee the renovations.”

There was a long pause as Jake tried to understand what she’d said.

“Damn!” Jake jumped up and paced in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the suite. No. It couldn’t be. This was the person who had been such a pain in the ass? The “third party” expert the historical society kept under wraps until the contract was officially negotiated? His team had gone over her specifications countless times trying to find some cost-cutting measures. They had called her the best in the business. He’d had a grudging respect for her, but had said more than once that when he met the woman he’d throttle her.

She and that damned historical committee were the reason they were months behind on making the deal. That was why Jake had finally come to town. He’d been angry that Ray and his team couldn’t close the deal.

Now he knew why.

“Do you have any idea how much time and money you’ve cost me?”

She shrugged. “This isn’t something you can do half ass. This town’s history is in those buildings, some of which you want to tear down to make room for roads. I’ve been sending your teams various types of plans, but your cost-cutting measures won’t work with these kinds of buildings. And ripping them down to make roads, it kills me to even think of the history that would be lost. These are some of the original brick buildings from when the town was established.”

“Original buildings that are crumbling tenements in a horrible state of disrepair. You’re street is beautiful but the block behind and two down are slums. No one has done anything with those buildings for thirty years. The wiring and plumbing are disasters waiting to happen. And they’re a danger to the people who live there. My company is willing to pay for them to move to safer buildings that aren’t in danger of going down in flames at the flip of a light switch.”

She popped off the couch and pointed a finger at him. “See, that’s the problem right there. Your mindset is all wrong. You see the area as a slum that needs to be fixed. The people who live there do not. Sure the buildings are in need of maintenance. But just ask Mr. German about his apartment. He’s ninety and was born in that three-room flat. He raised his children there with his wife of nearly sixty years. It’s all he has left.”

“Like always, you’re allowing your emotions to cloud your judgment,” he said. As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them. “I mean—”

She held up a held up a hand again. “Don’t presume to know who I am now, Jake Michaels. You don’t know anything about me, my work, or why I’m so passionate about keeping these buildings. Only part of it has to do with the tenants, it’s the history that matters. Your plans destroy something quite specific that most people aren’t even aware of. Something that I’ve reiterated to your team over and over again.”

“What the hell would that be?”

She grunted and then rolled her eyes.

“You’re just as much an idiot as you were ten years ago. It’s right in front of your face.”

Confused, he searched her with his eyes from her head to her boots. Then he shrugged.

“Not me.” She pointed to the window. “Look outside. Tell me what you see.”

“Lights, the bridge over the river front. Retail stores and restaurants. Exactly what we want to extend into your neighborhood. Some of the buildings need to be demolished, but others will be preserved. It’s a win-win.”

In the glass, her reflection saddened. That telltale sign where she bit her lip was what happened just before the tears welled.

But when he turned, there were no tears. Just a hardened gaze that seemed to judge him inept.

She scooped up her bag. “This was a waste of time.”

“Annabelle, wait.” He strode to the door. She couldn’t leave. They had trouble agreeing on this, but maybe in time they could find a solution.

“I did,” she whispered. Then she turned and yanked his head down. Her lips captured his and he was lost in the heat between them. His arms automatically wrapped around her and pulled her taught against his body.

He didn’t bother to hide his growing erection. He’d never been able to control himself when she was around, and it was no different now. When he forced her mouth open with his tongue she moaned softly.

That moan brought back a flood of memories and emotions he’d long buried. The first time he’d kissed her during a game of truth or dare with their friends. The night his father had died and she’d climbed into his lap, wrapped her arms around him, and cried with him. The night he made love to her, and then walked out of her life forever.

“No.” She moaned again as she pushed away.

They gasped for air.

“I thought I could keep business and whatever this is separate, but I can’t. I gave up my dreams once because of you, I’m not going to do it again.”

Before he could answer she was out the door and into the waiting elevator.

Jake ran after her, but he was confused. The doors slammed in his face. What was she talking about with the dreams? The life they’d planned together when they were young? Or was it something else?

It was nearly four in the morning. And he had a feeling following her would do no good.

Jake returned to his door to realize he was locked out.

He leaned his head against the oak panels.

He had to make this right.

I owe her everything.

But first he had to get in his room.