Hot Property (6 page)

“Letting down your guard around a man only
brings pain,” Miss Sensible reminded.

Betsy agreed. She’d be more careful in the
future.

She ran the comb through her short wet waves
and went into the living room.

Plopping on the center worn couch cushion
she picked up the copy of Skylar’s house plans from the coffee
table where she’d dropped them when she came in from work. As she
leaned back in her seat, unrolling the heavy paper, she propped her
feet on the table.

First glance at the plans and she found
fault. The more she studied the interior design, the more
frustrated she became. “The man’s building a castle,” she blurted
and dropped the house plans on her lap.

Castles were ancient and reminded her of all
the old houses she’d lived in.

Her gaze wandered around the large room
where she sat. The high plastered ceiling was cracked at various
spots. The white walls looked as bad. She’d filled the room with
shelves of books and potted plants trying to give it a cozy
appearance. But in the winter months when she dared walk around on
the wood floors in bare feet, she felt cold.

She gripped the paper again and took another
look. This was not the one story new house with thick plush carpet
throughout she’d pictured on that hill.

Skylar Blakewood would hear about her
dislike for his proposed first house. As his Realtor it was her job
to tell him what her buyers wanted. It would be too late once
construction began. She made up her mind she’d call his office
first thing in the morning when the doorbell rang.

She dropped the plans on the coffee table.
It was after nine o’clock. She made it a habit to hit the sack by
ten during the work week. Friends and acquaintances knew that. So
who’d be calling at this hour?

Curious to see who wanted to impose on her
privacy at this time of night, she swung open the solid wood
door.

“I was hoping you’d still be up,” Skylar
said as he opened the screen door and walked in, uninvited.

Betsy grasped the top of the terry cloth
material barely covering her chest, suddenly feeling half naked and
a little embarrassed. “I was about to turn in.” She stumbled into
the living room where Skylar was already making himself right at
home on the couch after setting the picnic basket on the coffee
table.

For the first time since he charged inside
like an unexpected bolt of lightning, the man was giving Betsy more
than a quick glance. He was without a doubt undressing her with his
eyes as his gaze slowly traveled up her trembling body. Sensuous
blue eyes captured hers and held. The gaze was broken when Skylar
abruptly jumped to his feet.

“Well, I won’t keep you then. I just wanted
to return your basket.”

Betsy swallowed in order to speak. “Thank
you. I’d completely forgotten about it.”

“Maybe you can salvage its contents,” Skylar
suggested as he stepped out around the coffee table and started
moving toward her.

Betsy had trouble breathing normally as he
got near her. She took a few giant steps away from him, toward the
basket. “If you haven’t eaten you might as well take one of these
with you.” Her words were rigid as she lifted the lid on the basket
and pulled out a hoagie.

“Keep it. I’m not fond of store bought
sandwiches.”

“Well you won’t get a home cooked meal
around here.”

“Did you hear me ask for one?”

Betsy felt her face flush. Now she could add
insulting to the list of names she’d used before to describe
him.

“I’m sorry. The meeting didn’t go as I
planned. But that’s no reason to take out my frustrations on
you.”

Of course he had no right. But Betsy didn’t
give it another thought. She forgave him. She even wished she could
absorb some of the mental anguish he appeared to be suffering.
Though, she hadn’t a clue why.

“You can’t be serious? The supervisors
wouldn’t dare deny you a building permit.”

“They didn’t. The code enforcement officer
signed the permit for one house. But it seems the supervisors are
hell bent on reviewing my development plan before they’ll even
consider granting a variance.”

Skylar returned to the couch and dropped on
the edge of an end cushion. He had his head down and used his
fingers to rake through the dark mass of hair.

Betsy’s only thought when she sat down next
to him was to assure things would work out.

“Holy cow woman!” His words startled Betsy
before he reached down and carefully lifted her foot. “You better
have a doctor look at this.”

“It’ll heal.”

He carefully brought her leg to his lap. “If
you won’t have it checked, you should at least keep it elevated to
prevent more swelling.”

If he only knew the kind of sweet torture he
caused her as his hand rested over the top of her ankle. His flesh
touching hers, ignited fires to blaze out of control in every
minute cell to major organ of her anatomy.

When he leaned forward reaching for the copy
of the house plans on the coffee table, Betsy automatically leaned
with him. She really didn’t have a choice since he held her leg
captive.

He sat back. “Did you get a chance to look
at these?”

The blue of Betsy’s eyes briefly met his. In
that glorious moment when it seemed the world belonged to only
them, she wanted to tell him his plans were brilliant. Miss
Sensible stopped her. She needed to stop gushing with teenage
idolism for the guy and get to the business at hand.

A hot flash torpedoed through her. She
wondered if he realized he was massaging her ankle. Did he have any
idea what his touch was doing to her?

“The house is going to be a castle.”

Skylar chuckled. “Not quite.” His eyes met
hers and his expression became serious. “Doesn’t every little girl
grow up wanting to be rescued by a prince and carried off to his
castle?”

Did he really believe this fairytale
nonsense of women? On the other hand, Betsy considered his analysis
close to the truth of many, but not for Betsy Alexander. She didn’t
need rescued from anything by Prince Charming. There was no such
man anyway.

“I doubt little girls sit around fantasizing
about that fairytale anymore.”

“Just because you don’t like men doesn’t
mean other women feel the same, Miss Alexander.”

His words left her speechless even when he
carefully lifted her leg off his lap and stood. But she located her
voice before he reached the door.

“How dare you make an accusation like that?
I never said I didn’t like men. Even though I’ve yet to know one
that is trustworthy.”

Betsy could’ve gone on if he wouldn’t have
tilted his head toward her with fire in his eyes. “So that’s it
then. You don’t trust me.”

“Well I--”

“Care to share what I’ve done to make you
feel this way?”

Betsy’s pulse raced and her heart beat
wildly as she listened to the sincerity in his soft spoken words as
he moved toward her.

He stopped inches in front of her. When
Betsy slowly peered up into the pair of hypnotizing blue eyes of
the man towering over her, she wanted to lean against his firm
frame for support. She wanted to tell him she couldn’t think of a
single reason not to trust him completely.

“I can’t--”

Her words were cut off when Skylar cupped
her chin in his fingertips, tilting it upward so when he leaned
over his lips melted over hers. The gentle touch of him gave her a
weightless feeling as she made a graceful leap off the edge of the
earth. As Skylar eased his tongue over hers, sparks snapped and
cracked life back into her, almost instantly igniting a fire deep
within her. The flames shot her into oblivion when he unexpectedly
slid his lips off the corner of her mouth.

Betsy opened her eyes in time to see his
Adam’s apple move when he swallowed hard just before murmuring, “I
should be going.”

“Yes,” was the only word Betsy could manage
even though Miss Sensible had a mouthful of questions for the man
before he walked out the door.

“I have a call to make and an early day
ahead of me,” Skylar muttered as he hastened toward the front
door.

When he suddenly stopped in the doorway,
Betsy hoped he was having second thoughts about leaving. She longed
for him to turn around and rush into her arms. To her lips that
missed the tenderness of his.

Skylar did turn back to her, but didn’t make
a mad dash for her arms-lips.

“I’m sorry about the kiss. I just-I had this
impulse or something. It won’t happen again.”

Betsy watched him disappear into the night.
Watch is all she could do. Each of his words had dropped a load of
heavy bricks over her, crushing her where she stood.

She’d never been kissed like that before.
The few boys she’d dated in school and even fewer men since then
had never sent her on such a spectacular journey when they kissed
her. Skylar Blakewood’s was the first. And the last, Miss Sensible
returned to inform.

How had they ended up kissing anyway? Skylar
seemed on the verge of exploding with anger as Betsy had a few
seconds earlier. There she stood, more or less accusing him of
being untrustworthy when-what? He kissed her. Had he done so to
shut her up?

Confusion filled Betsy. Then the anger moved
in. Not with him, but herself. Why had she allowed the kiss in the
first place? She never should’ve permitted him inside her
apartment. Never again. Life would be much simpler if she never saw
the man again.

“That’s the answer,” she said to the empty
space around her. “I won’t see him again.”

Betsy had agreed to take him on as a client.
She would hold to that promise, provided she could talk Mary into
dealing with the man.

Of course that wasn’t part of Mary’s job
description, per the agreement they made the day they went into
business together. Mary didn’t show homes or present sales
agreements to sellers. That was Betsy’s responsibility. Mary took
care of running the office.

But Betsy did handle the negotiations with
the bank which should’ve been Mary’s job. Surely she’d reciprocate
and do her this one little favor. On second thought the way she
adored the man, Betsy thought it possible she’d think Betsy was the
one doing the favor.

Mary didn’t see it that way the next morning
when Betsy sat in front of her desk and made the request.

“I’m sorry, Betsy. There’s no way I can deal
with that man.”

“But I thought you worshipped him?”

Mary blushed, her eyes getting that
starry-eyed look. “I think he’s gorgeous. He’s every woman’s
dream.” She quickly snapped out of her moment of fantasizing about
the man and looked straight into Betsy’s eyes. “How do you expect
me to talk business with the man when my mind stops functioning
every time I see him? I mean, I feel like a teenager with a crush
on my teacher.”

Mary was Betsy’s best friend. She was the
only living soul she trusted explicitly. But she couldn’t tell her
what she felt for Skylar Blakewood was much more than a passing
crush. Besides, how could she tell her friend what she wasn’t ready
to accept herself? Knowing she was falling in love with the man
didn’t mean she had to accept it. And if she never saw him again
she had a good chance of never having to.

“Come on, Mare. You know me and I just don’t
have the patience to deal with the man.” Betsy’s plea sounded
genuine.

“First Stephanie and now Skylar. You never
had trouble controlling your temper with clients before. So what
gives?”

“I never had clients like those two before.
Steph only threw some business our way to flaunt her wealth like
she’s been doing since high school when her mom married the rich
doctor.”

“So what if the woman prides herself in
reminding us working class stiffs she’s well off now. I thought you
figured out she only acts that way around you because she knows it
drives you crazy.”

“It shouldn’t make any difference if she’s
the richest witch on the planet now. That doesn’t give her the
right to act like she’s better than everyone else.”

“You’ll never convince her of that.”

“I don’t have to convince that woman of
anything any more. And I refuse to stoop to her level and remind
her she was poor like the rest of us before her mama snagged the
good doctor.” Betsy stood to head for her office.

“So what’s the problem with Skylar? I know
the man didn’t give you the impression he puts himself above the
rest of the human race.”

Mary’s words stopped Betsy in her tracks.
Now is your chance to tell her everything. Tell her about the kiss
last night, the fear of falling in love with the man.

“I know you Betsy Alexander. You’re scared
of this guy, aren’t you?”

Mary did know her better than anyone else,
Betsy conceded. But how could she know the truth? Yet she did.
Betsy couldn’t bring herself to tell her she was right, but hadn’t
a clue why.

“Hate to disappoint you, but you don’t know
me at all if you believe such nonsense.”

“If it’s nonsense then what’s the
problem?”

“I’d love to give you a list of all the
flaws in the man’s character, but I have calls to make.” Betsy told
her in a rushed voice and quickly ran up the steps to her office
before Mary could give a rebuttal.

Betsy did have important calls to make. Her
voice mail loaded with calls during her morning bike ride. She had
a client she needed to see about signing an extension on his
listing agreement, due to expire today. But before she picked up
the phone and attempted to be cheerful, she needed a few minutes to
get a grip on her emotions.

She raised her window blind in hope of
bringing a little sunshine inside. But the sky had become cluttered
with thick dark clouds. The sight only added to the gloomy feeling
that held Betsy prisoner. She closed the blind and made her way
behind the mess of paperwork covering her desk.