the sweet scents of vanilla and patchouli wafting through the air. A wave of heat rose from deep in his midsection, erupting through every nerve ending in his body.
“Not really,” Naomi retorted as she took a step back, widening the divide again as she took a deep inhalation of air. She exhaled it slowly past her glossed lips.
Patrick gave her an easy smile. “So, I take it you didn’t agree?”
“Not at all. In fact, I opposed it vehemently.” She skated her gaze across his face, noting the intensity of his stare. It was heated and unnerving, and she was suddenly anxious to be free from it.
“I’d be curious to know why,” he said, seeming intent on drawing her into a lengthy conversation.
Naomi hesitated, then shrugged. “If I had the time, I’d tell you, but that’s a long conversation and my brother and I need to get back to work.”
“What do you do?” he asked curiously.
Naomi shot him a look, pausing for a second time before she answered, “I own that farm next door.”
Patrick’s expression lifted in fascination. “So, you definitely have a concerned interest in who acquires this land.”
“I do, and I definitely don’t want to see it go to the Perry Group.” There was the faintest hint of bitterness in her tone.
He nodded but didn’t respond, watching how her long dreadlocks waved effortlessly with every movement of her head. Her hair was thick and abundant, falling to her midback, and he found himself resisting the sudden temptation to twist his fingers in the lengthy strands. He clenched a tight fist against his pant leg.
Noah’s expression was smug as his gaze shifted back and forth between them. He extended his hand a second time. “It was nice meeting you, Patrick. And good luck. You’re going to need it,” he said matter-of-factly.
Patrick chuckled, his head shifting in amusement. “It was a pleasure meeting you, too, Noah,” he answered. He looked back at Naomi, his smile widening. “I hope to see you again, Naomi. Maybe at the auction?”
She glanced at him one last time, noting the eagerness in his stare and how the bend of his mouth pinched dimples in his cheeks. There was something about the way he was looking at her that intrigued her, but Naomi pushed the rising sensation away. She took a deep breath and held it, counting silently in her head before blowing it softly out again.
With a slight nod she turned toward the real estate agent who’d been standing in wait with a handful of pamphlets and papers. As the two walked off, Noah hesitated, then tossed Patrick a wide grin, shrugging his broad shoulders. “She’ll be there,” he said with a light chuckle. “She will definitely be there.”
* * *
Naomi didn’t find her brother’s teasing as humorous as he did. He’d been giving her a hard time since they’d finished walking the property. Usually the too-serious sibling, Noah was suddenly the life of the party, his quips and banter more like something she or Natalie would share. She cut her eyes at him, the look expressing her annoyance. But this action only made him laugh harder.
“It really isn’t funny,” Naomi said, her tone snarky.
Noah laughed. “No, it’s actually hilarious. That man had you speechless!”
She rolled her eyes. “He did not.”
“He had you something.”
“He had me irritated. How could anyone want to work for the Perry Group? He said it like it was something to be proud of.”
“He can be proud if he wants,” Noah said, his goofy smile turning into a deep frown. “They’re a good company. People who work there can’t help the kind of man their employer is.”
Naomi sighed, her eyes rolling one last time. “Whatever.”
“So, what are you going to do if they outbid you? Have you thought about that?”
“The Perry Group is not going to beat me. There is no way I’m going to let that happen.”
“I imagine they have access to resources you don’t have, Naomi. You might not have a choice.”
She scoffed, waving a dismissive hand in her brother’s direction, and otherwise didn’t bother to respond.
Noah continued, his tone softer, consoling. “Be smart about this, please. Don’t let your emotions get in the way of making a wise business decision.”
Naomi met the look Noah was giving her with one of her own, both understanding that nothing else needed to be said.
* * *
By the time Naomi was ready to settle down for the night, there wasn’t much that she didn’t know about the Perry Group. It was a large conglomerate of mixed-use shopping centers and mall ventures. If they were successful, outbidding her at auction, the land they were both interested in would become just another residential and business project added to their portfolio.
The company had been founded by Nolan Perry and was currently under the leadership of his son, Garrison. Both were renowned not only for their business acumen, but also for their philanthropic efforts in the community. On paper Nolan Perry was a pillar of the community, beloved by the church he had pastored for many years, and a loving husband and father. His son was following in his footsteps.
Off paper, only a few knew the truth about the man many still called Pastor. But Naomi was aware and so were her siblings. They knew his darkest secrets. They knew, because they were his darkest secrets. The five of them. Noah, Natalie, Nicholas, Nathaniel and she were Nolan Perry’s biological children. The kids he had never wanted to know. The children he had never bothered to love or provide for.
Naomi stared at the image of her father and his family that looked back at her from her computer screen. Pastor Nolan Perry sat with his beloved wife by his side. Their three children, a son and two daughters, smiled obediently behind them. The Perry children had all benefited from private schooling and a privileged upbringing. Growing up, they had never crossed paths with any of the Stallion siblings, who had lived and gone to school on the other side of the economic tracks. If she were honest with herself, Naomi was glad for it. She would give almost anything to keep it that way, having no interest in a relationship with that side of her family.
She sighed loudly as she finally shut down the laptop, sliding it to the nightstand beside the bed. Naomi had vague memories of her father and his visits to see their mother. The two had been lovers for many years, but she and Noah had been too young to understand why he came and went so sporadically. There had been a time or two when he’d come with candy and sweets for them, but very little else. As a family, they had struggled, more often going without than not. Hunger had been common, new clothes nonexistent and toys a luxury their mother could never afford, raising five children as a single parent.
Growing up, all they’d known about their family was that their mother, Norris Jean, had come from humble beginnings. She had been a teenager herself, pregnant with Noah, when she’d followed their father, a traveling minister, to Utah from Dallas, trusting the promises he’d made to her. Those promises had been broken when Norris Jean discovered the man of her dreams had a wife and another family who were more important to him.
After
