As if he couldn’t stop himself, he reached out and traced his finger along her bottom lip. ‘You don’t know how much I need to be with you right now, London. How much I want to bury myself in you until we’ve both forgotten everything except the way our bodies fit together.’
Her breath caught in her throat. Because she needed it too. Ever since last weekend her thoughts had been full of him. There was barely any room for anything else. ‘I want you, too.’
‘When’s Thomas having Poppy next?’ he asked her.
‘No
t for a couple of weeks.’ She grimaced. ‘He’s got a lot on at work, he asked if he could swap some weekends around.’
‘Shit.’ Ryan shook his head. ‘It’s a good thing you’re worth waiting for.’
His words were like a touch paper, lighting her up. She tried to dampen her excitement. She was technically still married, they were sneaking around, and he’d already told her he was leaving next year. She needed to learn how to guard her heart.
‘Mommy.’ Poppy’s voice cut through the heated atmosphere between them. ‘Can I have a glass of water?’
Ryan pushed himself off the doorjamb, an almost-smile flitting across his lips. ‘Ah, the old water trick. Some things never get old.’
‘They don’t.’ She returned his smile.
‘Hey, Ryan.’ Poppy ducked underneath Juliet’s arm, and grinned up at their neighbour. ‘Is Charlie with you?’
‘No he’s not. And I’d better get back to him.’ Ryan reached out and ruffled her hair, his fingers sliding against Juliet’s arm as he pulled his hand back. ‘Good night, Poppy, I hope you’re not too thirsty. Be good for your mom, okay?’ His voice softened. ‘And good night, London. Thanks for talking with me.’
‘Any time.’ She watched as he turned and walked across the backyard, covering the distance to his boundary line, his shoulders square, his gait long and strong.
‘I like Ryan,’ Poppy announced, clearly watching him as well.
‘I do, too,’ Juliet murmured. And wasn’t that the truth?
19
Love is like a child,
That longs for every thing that he can come by
– The Two Gentlemen of Verona
‘So there’s no way I can block it?’ Ryan frowned, resting his elbows on the boardroom table. Frank Daniels, his lawyer, was sitting opposite him, papers spread out across the surface, his reading glasses halfway down his nose.
‘You don’t have a veto. Even if you call an extraordinary meeting, your parents’ shares combined would be enough to vote you down.’
Ryan took a deep breath in, the air rushing through his lips. They’d combed through everything, looking for loopholes or clauses that might just let him have his own way.
But nothing was going to stick.
‘Shit.’
‘I’ve put some feelers out about the wharf. There’s currently a preferred buyer. The North Atlantic Corporation.’
Ryan looked up. ‘I’ve heard of them. Didn’t they buy up half of Virginia Beach?’
‘That’s the one. I called in a couple of favours with their lawyers. They already have plans drawn up for a casino resort. And if they grease enough palms they shouldn’t have any problems with the zoning committee. According to my source it’s pretty much a done deal.’
Ryan lowered his face into his hands. Any hope he’d had of staving off the redevelopment and saving the wharf had pretty much disappeared. And with it any possibility of keeping his promise to his grandfather.
‘And Stan?’
Frank shrugged. ‘Your guess is as good as mine. He’ll get a severance package I imagine, but as he lives in a cottage on the land, he’ll have to look for somewhere to live.’