I left Kase and his ridiculous offer in the dust last night. Literally.

I sped away from his house with shaking hands and a racing heart, in utter disbelief that I still matter at all to him—and more, that he would offer up his family’s land to have more of me.

He was the last thought before I drifted off to sleep and the first when I woke at dawn. Without a doubt, the night was filled more with tortured thoughts of Kase than restful sleep. I tossed and turned for an hour, but in the end, all I could do was get up and throw myself into another busy day and try to put him out of my mind.

The valley shimmers under a perfect cloudless day as I set up my station on the veranda. Guests are already scattered across the lawn and milling around the hotel sitting areas. Couples, families, and staff make every day a nonstop event. Today, I’m grateful for the distractions more than ever. If I spend one more minute mentally replaying Kase’s indecent touches, I’m going to lose my damn mind.

I spot a young couple in my section eyeing the menu and walk over to them. “Can I get you two anything?”

The woman smiles. “Can I have a glass of chardonnay?”

“A Tuckerman’s for me,” her male counterpart says as he sits back and drapes an arm around her shoulder.

The princess-cut diamond on her left hand winks in the sunlight. Judging from their apparent bliss, I’d be willing to bet they’re newlyweds. Maybe even honeymooners. An unexpected pang of resentment hits me, but I force a smile.

“No problem. I’ll be right back with those.”

I spin and head inside to Eve’s. Our bartender, Julie, is posted behind the little bar that services the veranda waitstaff and guests inside the hotel.

She waves as I approach. “Hey, girl.”

“Hey,” I say. “Chardonnay and a Tuckerman’s, please.”

She cocks her head, and her blond braid whips over her shoulder. “How about, ‘Hey, how are you doing, Julie?’ And then I’ll say, ‘Wiped out. I had to close down Mackie’s last night.’”

I smile weakly. “Sorry. I’m a little out of it this morning.”

“Tell me about it. You seem a million miles away.”

“I didn’t sleep great,” I say. It’s not a lie, but I have no interest in elaborating on how Kase McCasker has hijacked my brain and most of my body over the last twenty-four hours. “How are you doing?”

She reaches for a wine glass on the rack above the bar. “Wiped out. I had to close down Mackie’s last night.”

I laugh. “That sucks. Was it packed?”

“Wall to wall. The tourists are driving people to drink. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them. I’m working double shifts all week.”

Unless helping my father run the hotel counts, I’m one of the few people in Falls Edge who works only one job. Julie is like most, serving drinks to the hotel guests by day and getting the locals drunk at the town’s hole-in-the-wall bar by night. I don’t envy her, but we all do what we must to get by in this little town. And Fourth-of-July-weekend tips get most of us by.

“You should come by tonight after work. I’ll buy you a drink.” She sets the chardonnay and draft on my tray on the bar.

“Maybe.”

She smirks. “You always say that.”

She’s tried getting me to Mackie’s more than once, but I usually find a reason to bail. Julie’s nice, but our time together usually consists of me counseling her through her latest fling until she sets her sights on a new one. Then again, I could probably use a stiff drink and a dose of someone else’s problems to get Kase out of my head for a little while.

“Working hard?”

A set of tan, muscled arms rests on the bar beside me. The man they belong to knocks the wind out of me with his familiar heart-stopping grin. Kase is fully clothed this time, but that doesn’t seem to lessen his effect on me. Unfortunately he’s the only human I’ve ever met who can obliterate my brain cells with a look.

“Kase.” I take in a breath but my lungs aren’t expanding the way they’re supposed to. “What are you doing here?”

He turns so his body faces me, one arm propped against the bar. Today he doesn’t look like a man who works a farm. He looks like a normal college kid, in khaki cargo shorts, a plain white T-shirt, and sandals.

“I took the afternoon off. Thought I’d come see you. Finish that little chat we started last night.”

In a flash, my cheeks are burning hot. I wish he couldn’t see it, but I’m certain he does. “That conversation is over,” I snap and look away.

His eyes are my weakness. They seem to sear right into my soul and see things other people don’t see. It’s impossible, yet I’ve believed it since we were kids. Ever since our fathers drew a line between our lives that was only crossed by circumstance. Passing each other in the halls of school. Ending up at the same friend’s party. A glance here or there, but nothing like that night at the falls when that line suddenly didn’t exist anymore.

“You going to at least buy me a cold drink?”

I sigh and get ready to tell him to buy his own damn drink, when we’re interrupted.

“I’ll buy you a drink. Angel’s Envy on the rocks, right?”

For the first time since Kase showed up, I’m aware of Julie’s presence. Kase glances toward her but doesn’t meet her flirty smirk. His expression is empty, unreadable.

“I’m good. Thanks.”

Julie leans in, hands wide on the bar and chest pushed out for Kase’s benefit, no doubt. “I haven’t seen much of you lately. How long have you been back?”

“A few weeks,” he says flatly, returning his attention to me. “Now about that chat.”

“Huh.” Unaffected by Kase’s obvious disinterest, Julie chews on her lip and gives him a thorough once-over. “You should come to Mackie’s tonight. I’m working the bar.”

I balance the tray on my palm and turn away so Julie can’t see me roll my eyes. I can’t take a second more of her shameless flirting, and my customers are waiting. I head toward them without another word, cursing her inwardly. No doubt she would take Kase to bed in a heartbeat, but the thought of having to counsel her through that one makes me feel homicidal. She can sleep through half the town, but Kase McCasker is off limits. I’m sure he’s been with other people, but I’d rather endure torture than hear about it.

“Here you go. Let me know if you need anything else.” I place the drinks in front of the young couple, and they thank me.

When I turn, Kase is settling into an empty chair in my section.

I walk over, hand on my hip. “My father won’t be happy you’re here, you know.”

He sits back casually and stretches his legs out, crossing them at the ankle. “On the contrary, he seemed pretty happy to see me.”

I pause. “Did you talk to him about selling the land?”

“I did. I think we have an understanding.” His gaze glides over the panorama.

Now I want his eyes on me. I want the truth. “What understanding? What did you tell him?”

“Same thing I told you. He gets what he wants if I get what I want.”

“What?” My voice is nearly a shriek. I’m certain all the blood has left my face. He couldn’t have told my father about his offer. He must be joking, trying to rile me up.

Then he shifts his focus to me. “You spend two weeks at the farmhouse with me, and Edwin will sign on the dotted line to sell him the land just like they talked about years ago. Same deal. That gives him enough time to line up his investors again, and it gives me time to do what I need to do.”

“What exactly is that?”

He hesitates a second. “I think I made my intentions pretty clear last night, don’t you?”

The heat in his stare threatens to knock me on my ass. That confusing flood of emotions crashes over me again. I’m somewhere between outrage and desire, but I’m no doubt blushing like a schoolgirl.

“My father may want that land more than anything, but that’s not enough to make him barter his daughter’s virginity. If that’s what you proposed to him, I’d suggest you find a safe place behind a locked door. He does own guns.”

He chuckles. “I may be determined, but I’m not stupid. All he knows is that I want you to spend some time on the property before we turn it over. Your father may think it all amounts to a trash heap, but the land and everything on it will be yours eventually. You want to build on your family’s legacy, right?”

“Of course,” I say.

“Then it’s only fair that you spend a little time recognizing mine before you make the call about what stays and what gets bulldozed in the name of expansion.”

He uses air quotes when he says “expansion.” As much as I know the plan to expand the hotel’s accommodations and grounds is a smart one, I can’t ignore the twinge of guilt I feel.

“You don’t have to do this,” I say.

He rises slowly and comes to me. We’re only a few feet apart. I can feel his heat even from this distance.

“The decision’s been made on my end. I’m just waiting on you, June.”

I fold my arms tightly across my chest. Maybe to keep from touching him. Maybe to deter him from touching me and destroying all sense of reason—something I seem to have a lot less of lately.

“How do I know you’ll honor your agreement? What if you take what you want and back out like your dad did?”

“I already put it in writing along with Edwin. Ask your father. He seemed satisfied with the terms.”

We stand that way for a few silent seconds as I contemplate his proposal and how I can possibly agree to it.

“You’re really serious about this,” I finally say. “You’re ready to sell the property if I do this?”

A small smile curves his lips. “Let’s just say that seeing you again brought things into focus for me.”

“What will you do after?”

He shrugs. “Never know where the future will take us.”

I sigh and stare out at the mountains. They’re silent, like gods of stone, offering no help in my current predicament.

“What do you say, June?”

I turn back. “One week.”

He shakes his head. “Two. It’s a big piece of property. If you need space, you’ll have plenty of it. I still have my work to do, so you’ll have your days to yourself. Your nights belong to me.”

“I’m already scheduled for shifts here—”

“It’s taken care of. Your father will make arrangements for your absence from the hotel for the next two weeks, starting tomorrow. No shifts on the veranda. No emergencies you need to attend to. Anything like that voids the agreement. The next fourteen days are mine, and I plan to take full advantage of them. I just need an answer. Yes or no.”

I swallow hard. “What if I say no?”

An irrational fear spikes through me as I contemplate that. What if I turn him down and another four years goes by without him in my life? What if yesterday’s temptations become the last, a fresh set of memories to agonize over until I can find someone to make me forget him?

He reaches up and traces my lower lip. “Don’t say no.”

How can I? Have I ever wanted anything or anyone more than Kase?

“Fine.” I exhale a shaky breath and unfold my arms. “I just have one condition of my own.”

He barely masks a grin. Sunlight seems to dance in his blue eyes. “What is that?”

“We don’t do…that…until I’m ready.”

He’s eerily silent so I keep on.

“I just don’t want to feel pressured and ruin the moment. I want it to be good. I mean, for both of us obviously. What I’m saying is…” I gesture awkwardly and avoid his penetrating gaze. How can negotiating about how and when I lose my virginity be anything but awkward? “I just want to have a say in it, okay?”

A few tense seconds pass, but I press my lips together tightly to avoid spilling more of my fears.

“Look at me, June.”

I look up as he leans in, close enough to threaten the last of my defenses.

“When I fuck you,” his voice is low, lighting a fire under my skin, “you’ll have more than a say in it. You’re going to beg for it. And if you don’t want to share my bed every night we’re together after that, then I’ve been wrong about us from the start.”

I have to fight to keep my legs under me. My chest heaves with short, quick breaths. How can he do that to me? Whip me up and turn me into putty in a matter of seconds?

“But if that’s your only condition,” he says, “I accept it. Now do we have a deal?”

I give him a slight nod.

“Say it,” he murmurs quietly.

“We have a deal.”