Final Offer (Dreamland Billionaires #3) by Lauren Asher

Mr. Thomas shoves his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Are you Ms. Castillo?”

“That’s me.”

He looks down at his clipboard with an arched brow. “Is Mr. Kane here?”

I haven’t seen him since he disappeared inside of the attic an hour ago.

An idea dawns on me.

I pout. “Actually Cal isn’t able to make it today, so it might be best if we reschedule.”

“Oh. Okay then. When are you thinking?”

“Does December work for you?”

He looks down at the calendar on his phone. “Of this year?”

I shake my head. “The next.”

One of Mr. Thomas’s brows raises in question. “I’m not booking that far out yet.”

“A pity then. I’ll be sure to have Cal give you a call in a year then.”

Speaking of the devil, his steps echo off the vaulted ceiling as he runs down the stairs two at a time. “Ignore her. She’s just joking.” He stops in front of Mr. Thomas and offers his hand. “Please call me Cal.”

“Nice to finally meet you.” Mr. Thomas gives Cal’s hand a good shake. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to get started. Given the size of the property and my tight schedule, I’d like to not rush before my next appointment.”

“No problem.” Cal shuts the door behind him and gestures toward the double staircase. “Would you like to start upstairs or down?”

“Downstairs works for me.” Mr. Thomas grabs a pen from the inside pocket of his suit.

While he scribbles something on his clipboard, Cal makes it a point to lean in and whisper in my ear, “Behave or else.” His sultry voice makes my heart jolt.

I turn to glare at him. “Or else what?”

“Don’t taunt me.” He tries his damnedest to look intimidating and fails. One would think after growing up with a brother like Declan, Cal would have mastered the art of looking unapproachable by now.

I chuckle to myself, which earns another glare from Cal.

“If you don’t mind, I’m going to have a quick look around by myself.” Mr. Thomas looks over at us with a quirked brow.

“By all means.” I shoot him a tight smile.

Mr. Thomas disappears down a hallway, leaving Cal and me to our stare down.

He crosses his arms, drawing my eyes to his rolled-up sleeves. His golden forearms have always been a weakness of mine. “What’s your issue?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I told you I don’t want to sell the house.”

“And I told you it’s happening whether you want it or not.”

“We’ll see about that.” I smirk.

His eyes drop to my lips, making them tingle with a single glance. “What are you planning?”

“Why ruin all the fun by spoiling the surprise?”

“You know how I feel about those.”

“About the same as you do clowns. Thrilled.”

I have never been able to throw out the photo I have of Cal crying at the circus. It’s one of the few things that brings me joy on a shitty day, right after Cami’s hugs and fresh baked goods.

“You know me so well,” he replies dryly.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I better go check on dear Mr. Thomas. I’d hate for him to get lost somewhere between the conservatory and the parlor.”

I swivel on my heels, only to be stopped by Cal grabbing on to my elbow. His hold is soft, although his words come out sharp. “Whatever you’re doing needs to stop now. It’s only going to prolong the process.”

Now that’s an idea…

His head tilts as his eyes scan my face. “Don’t even try it.”

I rock back on my heels. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He steps closer. The smell of him wraps around me like an aromatic hug, making my head swim from the pheromones. “You’re scheming. I can tell by the little sparkle in your eye. It’s the same one you always got right before you goaded me into doing something I knew I’d regret.”

“It’s not my fault that you couldn’t turn down a dare.”

“That’s what I made you think. I was just miserably trying to impress you, even if it meant risking a few broken bones and a criminal record to do so.”

My mouth drops open. “You…” Any reply gets lost in the mess of my mind as I try to process Cal’s admission.

Cal curses under his breath. “Forget I said anything.”

Right. Like I stand a chance of erasing the imprint his words leave behind on my scarred heart.

This is exactly how you got into trouble the first time.

He disappears down the hallway Mr. Thomas went without sparing me another glance.

I take a moment to recover before joining Cal and Mr. Thomas on the property walkthrough. Rather than focus on my conversation with Cal, I spend the entire meeting asking the appraiser questions about the house and surrounding land. I try to keep my face neutral and avoid any shady eyes or sneaky smirks. Cal throws strange glances my way through the whole exchange, most likely because he suspects something is amiss with my interest.

You should have kept your mouth shut.

No going back now.

Based on the appraiser’s notes, the house has many issues. From the leaking roof to some termite damage in the basement, the property needs a serious overhaul. The only place that seems somewhat decent is the guesthouse, but mainly because it was built only ten years ago.