His response was quick and sounded knowledgeable.
He hoped she actually bought his bullshit.
There was silence for longer than Nick liked, yet he kept his eyes glued to the screen.
Ailani leaned forward and brought her body closer to his. A hint of patchouli and hibiscus wafted across his nose; a scent she’d been wearing for as long as he could remember.
She jabbed a short but manicured nail at the screen, pointing to one of the columns.
“Who came up with this projection? No way is this budget anywhere near what we’re looking at for the upcoming quarter, nor does it make any sense for the new fiscal year!” she huffed, her eyes scanning the document on the screen. “Between the hike in prices in grain and feed, as well as the new shipment of steers we purchased last year, we’re looking at a number substantially higher than this,” she proclaimed.
Nick breathed a sigh of relief.
An irritated Ailani was much more preferable to a discerning one.
Of everyone he was acquainted with, besides his twin, Ailani was one of the most astute individuals he knew. If she caught even a sniff, a whiff, that something wasn’t quite right, she’d hunt it down. The woman could teach his father’s best hounds the true art of the hunt.
Lucky for him, her hound-dog nose was holstered for the present.
She wasn’t paying much attention to him; her attention was purely on the ranch’s budget.
Despite himself, he bit back a grin. Good thing he now thought of Ailani like a sister, or her lack of attention would have been insulting.
She leaned even closer, the right side of her breast brushing against his shoulder.
“What are you thinking with these projections? Geesh, what would you do without me, Pika? Knucklehead...” she grumbled, pushing even closer, the side of her breast nearly colliding with his nose.
“I know you want me and all, but really, Ailani, could you get your damn boob outta my face?” he complained roughly. He barked out a laugh when she distractedly batted a hand at him, ignoring him as she continued to peruse the document.
“If I didn’t know any better, I would think I didn’t do anything for you, Ailani...but we both know that isn’t true. What with you practically nursing me and all,” he continued, knowing she wasn’t paying much attention to what he said.
“Pika,” she mumbled, her voice completely distracted. “Whatever,” she finished, dragging out the word, the frown on her face growing.
Without looking behind her, she blindly reached for the chair she’d dragged to his desk earlier. Moving it closer, she plopped down in the seat.
As she examined the document, Nick continued to make completely inappropriate, off-color comments to Ailani, chuckling when she continued to ignore his baiting.
If she even heard it. Which he doubted she did.
When it came to her job as ranch foreman, all else became background noise to her. Which made it even more fun for Nick to tease her.
Just as he grinned and opened his mouth to make yet another inappropriate comment about her boob pressing into his face, a cough at the door caught his attention.
“One of your men told me you were alone. But if I’m interrupting, I can...you know, come back later.”
His eyes flew to the door and the grin slowly slipped from his face.
He jumped from his chair like a soldier would when his commanding officer entered. So fast that his chair shot out from under him and probably would have toppled over had Ailani not caught it.
Not that he was giving his foreman any attention.
That honor went solely to the woman who had claimed more of his attention than she had any right to.
The woman who had him waking up in the morning, rock-hard shaft in his hand, finishing off the job she’d started. If only in his dreams.
Her voice alone brought his cock to full-on “salute” status. Just like the good soldier that it was.
Husky and low...it poured over him like scalding rain. Even as it held a chastising note, it was turning him on in ways he’d never experienced from simply listening to a woman’s voice.
Hell, maybe that whole chastising tone she had going on added to the overall effect.
Whatever it was, it—she—had him hooked.
Her voice was velvety smooth and sexy, the type that reminded him of rainy days and sleeping in with a lover. But then his glance ran over her, head to toe. As hot as her voice was, it was nothing compared to her body.
Damn.
Live and in living color. On his turf... With no more provocation than that, his cock stirred.
Although he’d only seen pictures of her from the internet, those pictures were scorched permanently into his mind.
One of those images came to mind. The one he’d found of her at the Wildes’ ranch and had printed out on the spur of the moment. The same one he’d glanced at just last night before he’d succumbed to sleep.
The dream spurred from that image had been one that had haunted him as he’d wakened. His cock hardened even more as his gaze raked over her now.
There was no denying who stood in his doorway, one arched brow raised, small bow-shaped lips pursed, stiletto-heeled foot tapping.
Sinclair Adams.
Chapter 4
Confrontation time.
Sinclair kept her expression tight.
Closed.
Control... She had to keep it around her like a security blanket.
She was afraid if she didn’t, she would lose it.
Control was her best friend. Especially now. Thoughts of what her last few hours had been like, from the time she’d arrived in Hawaii and the fiasco surrounding all of that...to now, as she observed the scene in front of her. In one all-encompassing swoop, from the large office with its floor-to-ceiling windows that faced a gorgeous picturesque scene straight out of a movie, to the desk in the center of the room...and the commanding man who sat behind it.
There was also a beautiful woman with massive breasts standing close by... Sinclair took it all in. Okay, so maybe she was being catty. The woman’s breasts weren’t all that massive.
No matter, she thought, tightly reining in her envy.
She was squarely in the middle of the enemy’s camp. She felt her back stiffen as she lifted her chin, automatically “preparing.” For what? She would wait and see.
Her gaze made a swift survey of the office, taking special note of the custom-built book cabinets and the obviously expensive furnishings.
The walls were painted a muted deep red. One wall was nothing but an assortment of mirrors in various sizes and shapes.
Bold decorating choice, just like the red. The color choice and the mirrors were oddly erotic to her.
She shook her head, negating the thought before it had a chance to bloom any further in her mind. She continued her quick assessment.
There was an array of beautiful oversize rugs covering the polished hardwood floor, and a variety of artfully arranged statues that she would love to get a closer look at, had she been here for any other reason than the reason she was.
She brought herself up short.
She hadn’t come to the Kealoha ranch to admire the beautiful furnishings, the amazing scenery...or