The CEO(31)

It was Saturday morning, still way too early for her first cup of coffee, and Ava was distinctly conscious of the lack of caffeine in her system. She was about to show her plans to Callum for the first time. She’d arranged the meeting for the weekend, figuring it would be the best time to catch him. Surely corporate takeovers and international construction deals didn’t happen on a Saturday morning in Sydney when the sky was blue and the ocean calm? She hadn’t slept well the night before, anticipating seeing him again, and when sleep had finally come, she’d been so dead to the world that she’d overslept and had been so worried about being late that her hair was still slightly damp from her shower and she’d left it loose to help it dry. It now cascaded down her shoulder, totally impractical, getting in the way of her professional presentation to her newest client.

‘These look like architectural drawings,’ Callum said as he looked over her shoulders. He leaned over to look more closely at her design. He was positioned next to her and she tried not to breathe in his scent, that heady combination of pine and man and confidence that seemed to come so effortlessly to him. Even the way he stood was confident: feet apart, shoulders back and his head just slightly angled in such a way that made him look like he could pierce you with his gaze and listen out for enemies at the same time.

‘A little. It’s important to have a plan to work from. This way, it’s not just in my head, but here on paper, and Andy and I can be on the same page when we’re actually making the garden.’ She looked up at Callum. ‘I’m sure you understand better than anybody the importance of having a plan. I bet you don’t go off half-cocked when you’re about to make some huge investment decision.’

Had she just said half-cocked? For God’s sake. There would be nothing half-cocked about Callum Malone. He would be fully cocked at all times, she was certain, and tried desperately not to look down at his crotch to make sure.

His eyes seemed to bore into hers. ‘I always have a plan.’

‘See? I was right.’

He gave her a wry grin. ‘Doesn’t mean everyone around you always sticks to the same plan, however.’

‘Life can be messy,’ she said, looking into his dark eyes, trying to understand him and his disappointments. ‘Things don’t often work out the way you would like or would hope.’ She held her breath. ‘In my experience.’

Callum turned to her, crossing his arms. He was close. She was aware of the heat from his body, could smell his aftershave, could almost feel the roughness of the growth on his chin under her tingling fingertips. His mouth was unsmiling and his eyes were narrowed and dark and trained on her in a way that made her hot and cold all at the same time.

‘Is that right?’ he asked, the timbre of his voice shooting straight to her sex.

She nodded. ‘Yes.’

‘I can’t imagine you’re the kind of woman who puts up with people doing the wrong thing by you.’

‘No, I’m not. I’m a Cancerian. We hold grudges for a very, very long time.’

He stared at her mouth. ‘I don’t believe in holding grudges,’ he said. ‘It’s a waste of time and energy. I much prefer revenge.’

‘Spoken like a ruthless businessman.’

‘Guilty as charged.’

‘Speaking of which,’ Ava tore her eyes from his beautiful face and looked at the plans on the table. ‘I thought that seeing how busy and important … and ruthless … you are, that you would prefer a low-maintenance garden.’

‘Good call.’

‘I’m sure that any free time you have you would rather spend in the kitchen than in the garden.’

‘That’s right.’

‘So, even if you get someone in to tidy things up, it won’t need to be very often.’

‘Mmm,’ he murmured. ‘Do you do that maintenance work as well?’

Ava gulped. ‘Technically, yes.’

‘Why technically?’

Her mouth went dry. ‘I could arrange it for you.’ She would have to send Andy. It was more than she could bear to be back here on a regular basis. She turned her attention back to the plans. ‘The balcony out here I thought should be simple. You don’t need anything fancy or distracting when that stunning view is the feature. I would recommend a simple setting with some really comfortable chairs for when you entertain—’

Callum laughed. ‘Entertain?’

‘You do entertain, don’t you?’

‘If I need to do dinner with clients we go out.’

‘But you love cooking? Don’t you cook for anyone?’