LITMIR.BIZ

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between them, but right about now she wants nothing to do with men.”

      Noah shifted on the cushioned rocker. “He stole her identity.”

      Giles sat straight. “Damn! No wonder she doesn’t trust men.” He paused. “But she wouldn’t have to worry about that with you because you don’t need her money. By the way, did you know that you offered to pay her and her brother a lot more than that land is worth?”

      He knew Giles was privy to the payout because every Wainwright was given a monthly report of every purchase and sale. “You noticed that?”

      “Yeah, I did, but I decided to defend the expenditure because otherwise your daddy would’ve raised holy hell. The older Uncle Teddy gets the more he tries to pinch pennies.”

      Noah smiled. “Thanks for covering my ass.” He’d driven up to New York for the monthly board meeting, and when the subject of the purchase of land in West Virginia had been brought up, it was Giles and not Noah who had defended the decision to buy the parcels.

      “I did it in the name of love. Now, what are you going to do with Viviana? Should I assume she’s not falling for your so-called million-dollar charm?”

      “I’m not trying to charm her, Giles. I know when a woman doesn’t want anything to do with me. But on the other hand, I’ve spent the past three months thinking about her. I don’t know what it is, but I can’t get her out of my head.”

      “Have you been seeing someone else in the meantime?”

      “No. And I don’t want to.”

      “The only thing I’m going to say is not to put any pressure on her. It’s best that you become friends before you think about sleeping with the woman.”

      “That’s not even a thought at this time.”

      “Good. Then take it slow, coz. How long do you plan to hang out here?”

      Noah lifted his shoulders. “I don’t know. Tomorrow I’m going to the town hall to register my name for the zoning-board meeting to submit my proposal. Then I have to wait for a hearing.”

      “What else do you have on your calendar?”

      Noah shook his head. “Nothing but time. After the DC project I decided to take a break. I’ve been going nonstop for more than a year, and it’s time I get off the real-estate roller coaster.”

      Giles exhaled an audible breath. “I hear you. I’m definitely going to slow down once Mya has this baby. It’s time your brother Rhett dips his toe in this crazy business.”

      “Rhett is too much like Jordan. They love the law.”

      “If not Rhett, then Chanel. She’s graduated college with a degree in business and finance. It’s time we have a woman sitting at the table.”

      “She would be the first one,” Noah confirmed.

      “If you agree with me, then when we have the next board meeting I’m going to bring it up,” Giles said.

      “It will probably bring holy hell down on you from some of the other family members, but don’t worry because I’ll have your back.”

      Giles smiled. “That’s all I need because you’re the only one who has been able to go a couple of rounds with your father and our grandfather and come out winning most of the time.”

      “That’s only because I refuse to be intimidated. My father just got hard once he took over the company, but it’s Grandpa who is the pit bull. That old gangster still has a gun in his desk drawer.”

      “That’s because he is a gangster down to the marrow in his bones,” Giles joked.

      Noah laughed. He’d heard rumors that his grandfather had been a teenage bagman for criminals who controlled the illegal numbers on the Lower East Side. He sobered. “I’m going to take your advice about taking it slow with Viviana. I’ll give her all of the time she needs to come to the realization that I don’t want to take advantage of her.”

      “The only other thing I’m going to say is not to hurt her emotionally or you’ll have to answer to her brother. The man is an ex–Army Ranger, and those Special Forces dudes are crazy.”

      “I don’t plan to hurt her, Giles.”

      “I’m not saying you would, but just keep it in mind if things don’t work out.”

      Noah stood up and stretched his arms over his head. He was tired from the long drive from New York to West Virginia, and right now all he craved was a bed. “I’m leaving. Kiss Mya and Lily for me.”

      Giles got up. “I will.”

      “Do you have any plans to fly down to the Bahamas?”

      “No. I told my father I’m taking a break until Mya completes her first trimester.”

      Noah patted his older cousin’s back. “Good for you. Thanks for dinner and the talk.”

      Giles hugged his cousin. “Anytime, coz.”

      Noah folded his tall frame into the low-slung Porsche and fastened the seat belt. Tapping a button, he brought the powerful engine roaring to life, and he executed a perfect U-turn and headed back in the opposite direction.

      There was only one car in the section designated for guest parking when he drove past the main house, and he wondered if Viviana had enough guests to sustain the bed-and-breakfast. He parked his car behind the guesthouse and walked around to open the front door. He lingered long enough to brush his teeth before climbing into bed. An audible sigh echoed in the bedroom decorated in monochromatic hues of blues when he pulled a lightweight blanket over his nude body. Within minutes he fell asleep, and for the first time in a very long time, he wasn’t disturbed by erotic dreams of making love to a faceless woman he knew was Viviana.

      * * *

      Viviana had just finished inspecting the dishes the cook had set over warmers on the buffet server when Noah walked into the dining room. She smiled, and she wasn’t disappointed when he returned it with a friendly one. After he’d left, she’d chided herself for her waspish tone when he had done nothing to deserve it. Viviana knew if she did not stop believing every man was like her con-man ex, then she would never be able to move on with her life. Thankfully, Leland had paid the delinquent property taxes, and with the land sale, she was able to repair and update the property and put some money away for the proverbial rainy day. Now she was ready to reclaim the life she had before her last failed relationship.

      Her admiring gaze took in Noah’s crisp light blue shirt he had paired with slim-fitting jeans and Doc Martens. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

      He stared at her under lowered lids. “Like a newborn in his mama’s arms.”

      “Good.” She pointed to the buffet table. “Breakfast is ready. Let me know if you want an omelet, and I’ll have the cook make one for you.”

      Noah glanced around the dining room with a table set for six. “How many guests are you expecting?”

      “Only two. A couple checked in late last night, and they’ll probably be down later.”

      “Did you eat?”

      Viviana shook her head. “I had a cup of coffee. I’ll eat later.”

      “Will it bother you if I ask you to eat with me? I hate eating alone.”

      She wondered if he was extending an olive branch when it should’ve been her apologizing for her sharp tongue. “Of course I’ll eat with you.” She pointed to a round table in the corner with place settings for two. “We can eat over there.”

      Noah rested a hand at the small of her back. “Why don’t you go and sit down. Tell me what you want.”

      “Oh, you’re going to serve me?”

      He smiled. “Of course. We

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