Luke.”
They were alone in the room. Dane had just gone to take a phone call and Audra had yet to arrive. Luke stood because the moment seemed to require him to be on his feet. Once he was upright, he hastily pulled closed his suit jacket, more than a little appalled by his body’s embarrassing reaction.
The other day when he’d come upon Ali as she’d knelt pulling weeds, he had enjoyed the advantage of surprise. Today, the shoe was on the other foot—and what a sexy little number it was, too, black and open-toed, allowing a tantalizing peek at red-painted nails. God help him, but he’d always had a thing about women’s feet. And this woman, he remembered, had a very sensitive instep.
As his gaze connected with hers, something about the way her lips twitched told Luke she knew she had him shaken…and stirred.
“You clean up well,” he admitted.
“Thank you.” One slim dark eyebrow notched up when she added, “I try to dress for the occasion.”
He nodded, wondering just what he should infer from her bold color choice this day. And then, because he wanted badly to touch her and test himself, he held out his hand.
A long moment passed before she reached to shake it. At the contact, Luke felt the wild sizzle he thought he had either outgrown or simply imagined.
“Some things never change,” he murmured, taking a step closer.
She pulled her hand free, stepped back. “And some things do.”
He acknowledged her words with a nod. She was different and the same all at once, the girl he remembered wrapped in the body of an alluring and mysterious woman.
An alluring and mysterious woman who was all business when she said, “Why don’t you have a seat? Dane and Audra should be along shortly.”
“Okay.”
“More coffee?” she asked, as she reached for the insulated carafe and mugs that were on a tray in the middle of the table. Her blouse fell open a little as she leaned forward and reached, affording him a fleeting glimpse of something lacy and white and the gentle swell of flesh that disappeared inside it. He sucked in a breath, drawing her attention.
“Everything all right?” she asked, those not-quite-brown, not-quite-gold eyes narrowing.
“Fine.” Then Luke couldn’t resist. He let his gaze dip down again and said with a little more emphasis, “Very fine.”
She straightened instantly, her posture rigid as she filled her coffee cup to the top and then slid into the seat opposite his. She didn’t bother with cream or sugar, he noted. He got the feeling if she were to walk into one of the trendy coffee shops in Manhattan she would bypass all of the frothy concoctions listed on the order board and go for plain French roast. She’d always been practical. As he studied her, she snagged a handful of dark hair and tucked it behind her ear and out of the way. That move was practical, too, but that didn’t make it any less sexy.
“I’m sure you’ve had a chance to read through our plans for the golf course. I’m curious to hear what you think,” she said.
Business, Luke reminded himself. That’s why he was here. And so he straightened in his seat and decided to get down to it.
“Three hundred acres is ample space for a course the size you’re talking about, but if we could pick up additional acreage we could make the holes relatively secluded from one another. We could leave in a lot more trees that way, too. It makes for a picturesque experience and golfers appreciate not having to worry about hearing ‘Fore!’ hollered while they’re in the middle of their back swing.”
“How much land are you talking?”
“Another hundred acres would be ideal.”
“What’s this about another hundred acres?” Dane asked as he walked through the door. Audra was right behind him, her face breaking into a grin even before she had cleared the threshold.
Where Ali had acknowledged Luke with cool reserve, Audra wrapped him in a hug and gave him a smacking kiss on the lips.
“It’s good to see you, Luke.”
“Good to see you, too.” And he meant it. He suddenly realized how much he’d missed this place and these people.
Dane had been his best friend since grade school, remaining such despite some tense moments after Luke and Ali had started dating. He’d always figured Dane didn’t think Luke was good enough for his sister, even though Dane had never come right out and said it. Even so, they’d stayed tight. That their friendship had fallen by the wayside, another casualty of his leaving, was Luke’s fault, and he knew it. Dane’s cool greeting when Luke arrived on Trillium told Luke he knew it, too.
As for Audra, she’d always been a kindred spirit. Luke had never fantasized about her, despite her Marilyn Monroe curves and come-hither smile, the way he’d fantasized about Ali. Clasping Audra’s hand now, he didn’t feel that crazy current of electricity shoot up his arm, either, just the pleasant warmth of remembered friendship.
“Sorry I couldn’t get by to see you before now, but Seth and I have been pretty busy,” she said.
“Newlyweds usually are,” Luke teased.
A glimpse of Ali’s tight expression told him she wasn’t all that pleased with her twin’s enthusiastic greeting. Given the fact that Audra had been on the back of his Harley when he left Trillium, as eager as he to get the hell out, he figured he understood that. And still, he couldn’t keep from hugging her back.
Dane’s exclamation ended Luke’s reverie.
“Whoa, Al, look at you!” Dane whistled. Luke couldn’t be sure but he thought Audra poked her brother in the ribs, after which Dane coughed and said, “I mean, I’ve always liked that outfit.”
Ali flushed, but then settled back into her chair. After taking a sip of her coffee, she said, “Luke was mentioning that he thought if we could add some acreage to the golf course, it might make it more aesthetically pleasing.”
“And safer for golfers,” Luke inserted. “Insurance premiums being what they are, that’s something to take into consideration.”
“But another hundred acres,” Dane began, pulling out the plat map from the stack of files he’d brought with him. “Where would we pick up that kind of land?”
“It doesn’t have to be a single parcel,” Luke said, following Dane to the table.
He stood just between Ali and Dane’s chairs and his arm brushed her shoulder when he leaned over for a better look at the map. He was wearing cologne, the same crisp yet subtle scent he’d always favored. It had Ali inhaling deeply and remembering. She forced her attention back to the map. They had shaded in the acreage they planned to purchase. It was a sizable tract that snaked along one edge of the resort’s property line.
“Do the Dohertys still own this chunk of land?” Luke asked, tapping his finger on a pie-shaped chunk.
“Yes and they’re not budging,” Audra commented. She leaned one hip on the table on the opposite side of Dane
