“You’re unscrupulous?” she couldn’t resist asking.
“Some would say.”
“Would they be right?”
He looked her square in the eyes. “Like I’m going to answer that.”
She couldn’t tell if he was still teasing. And maybe that was deliberate. “Are you trying to keep me off balance?” she asked, watching his expression closely.
“You’re not exactly on my side.”
“I thought we’d formed a truce.” She certainly felt as if they’d formed a truce tonight.
“I’m appeasing you,” he told her. His tone and dark eyes were soft, but the words revealed his continued caution.
“And I’m trying to build you a masterpiece,” she responded tartly.
He sighed, and seemed to relax ever so slightly. “You’re trying to build yourself a masterpiece.”
She had to concede that one. Her primary motivation in this was her own reputation. Of course, it was all his fault she was forced into this position.
“You make a fair point,” she admitted.
“So, who’s unscrupulous now?”
“I’m not unscrupulous. Just practical.” She had no one in this world to depend on but herself.
Orphans learned that fact very quickly in life. If she didn’t have a career, if she couldn’t provide for herself, nobody would do it for her. Since she was old enough to understand, she’d feared poverty and loneliness.
She was sure the view was quite different from where Zach was sitting on millions of dollars worth of New York real estate. He had a successful company, money to burn and a lineage that went back to the dawn of statehood.
“So, what have you decided?” he asked.
“About what?” Was there anything left outstanding on their deal? She thought they were both quite clear at this point.
“My building. You’ve been working at it for a couple of weeks now. Tell me what you have in mind.”
Kaitlin instantly saw through his ploy. No wonder he’d behaved so well this evening. He’d been lulling her into a false send of security.
She came to her feet, keeping a close eye on him, backing toward the rail. The teak deck was cool and smooth beneath her bare feet. “Oh, no, you don’t. I’m not opening myself up for a fight over the details.”
He rose with her. “You’ll need my input at some point. It might as well be—”
“Uh-uh.” The breeze brushed the filmy, scalloped-hem dress against her legs and whipped the strands of hair that had worked their way loose from her updo. “No input. My project.”
He widened his stance. “I’ll have to approve the final designs.”
The waves rolled higher, and she braced herself against the rail. “What part of carte blanche didn’t you understand?”
He took a few steps forward. “The part where I sign the check.”
“We sign the check.”
He came even closer, all pretense of geniality gone from his expression. He was all business, all intimidation. “Right. And ‘we’ had best be happy with both the plans and the price tag.”
“There is no limit on this project’s budget.”
He came to a halt, putting a hand on the rail, half trapping her. “I won’t let you bankrupt my company.”
She struggled not to react to his nearness. “Like I could possibly bankrupt Harper Transportation. You give me too much credit.”
The boat lunged into a trough, and he swayed closer. “You want to see the balance sheets?”
“I want to see a new Manhattan skyline.”
“It’s talk like that that scares me, Kaitlin.”
Her scare him?
He was the one unsettling her.
His intense expression brought her heart rate up. His lips were full, chin determined, eyes intense, and his hard, rangy body was far too close for her comfort. Sweat prickled at her hairline, formed between her breasts, gathered behind her knees, and was then cooled by the evening breeze.
His arms were only inches away. He could capture her at any moment, kiss her, ravage her.
She swallowed against her out-of-control arousal.
Any second now, she’d be throwing herself in his arms. Maybe talking about the renovation was the lesser of all evils.
“I was planning more light.” Her voice came out sexy, husky, and she couldn’t seem to do a thing about it. “More glass. A higher lobby. Bigger offices.”
Had he moved closer?
“Bigger offices mean fewer offices,” he pointed out.
She didn’t disagree.
“Do you know the cost of space in midtown Manhattan?” His rebuke sounded like a caress.
“Do you know the soft value of impressing your future clients?” she returned, her brain struggling hard to grasp every coherent thought.