Beach Baby by Cassie Mint

Author:Cassie Mint [Cassie Mint]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance, age gap
Publisher: Black Cherry Publishing
Published: 2021-07-01T04:00:00+00:00

* * *

She’s never negotiated before. That’s clear enough. Olivia states her case too fast, stumbling over her words. But she steels herself and keeps going, and somehow that’s more compelling than the most polished speech.

“So, you see.” She shrugs, gazing at me beseechingly. “I’m not trying to hoard the beach. I want to protect it.”

“From men like me.” It comes out sour. But she frowns, leaning back.

“From you specifically.”

Ouch.

“Try the truffle risotto,” I mutter, scowling out at the darkening sky. Night hasn’t fallen yet, but the pink sky is bruised with purple, and the first stars are peeking through.

Olivia sighs, but scoops up a forkful. I watch out of the corner of my eye as the flavor hits her tongue. She hums, her eyes practically rolling back in her head, and god, I want to make her feel like that. I want to drag her onto my lap, push her legs apart, and make her cry out so loud they hear her on the sidewalk far below.

“Have you considered that I might improve the beach? Clear up that awful alley? Make it safe to visit?”

She cocks her head, chewing carefully before she swallows. “So you’re not planning to build some fancy hotel?”

I pause. Olivia laughs bitterly.

“I thought so.” She stands, even though we’re only partway through our meal. “Once you’ve built your hotel, people like me won’t be allowed anywhere near. Face it, Gideon. We’ll never agree on this.”

My heart slams faster. “Not if you give up so quickly.”

She tosses her hands up. “I’m not giving up! But this isn’t a fair fight. We both know you have all the power. All I can do is tell you how I feel. I’ve done that. My work here is done.”

She edges around the table, looking for the waiter with her satchel. I catch her delicate wrist, her pulse fluttering under my thumb. She can’t leave. I won’t bear it.

“Wait.” She stills. “You have more power than you realize, Olivia.”

She scoffs. “The power of positive thinking?”

“Power over me.”

Silence thunders over the rooftop. Even the whispering leaves seem to fall quiet.

“What do you mean?” Olivia asks at last, voice strangled.

“Ask me,” I urge her. “Not as a developer. As a man. Ask me for the beach. Ask for anything you desire.”

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