By September, the Winston Boutiques project had stalled, which was frustrating, and both his father and the board seemed to be losing interest in it.

“I’m not giving up on it,” he told his father on a Friday afternoon as he stood soldier-straight in front of the older man’s office.

“Then don’t. But you’re going to have to pursue it on your own time.”

Derek nodded, considering. He could do that. Fly down on weekends. Arrange more meetings. Show to the reluctant buyers that he was going to improve the property, not destroy it.

And then, if there was any spare time, he could see Amanda.

The thought made him pause. In July, he’d been having drinks at The Fix with his friend Landon, and Amanda had caught his eye. Since then, Amanda had gone from a silent extra in the movie of his life to having the female lead.

Since he’d met her, he never thought about pursuing another woman, and as he pondered that new attitude, he decided he was okay with it. As far as women went, he’d yet to meet one who aroused, amused, and challenged him as much as she did.

Maybe that was odd, considering he still knew so little about her outside of bed, but as far as Derek was concerned, all that meant was that there was a lot more juice to come.

He nodded. “Fair enough. My own time, then. Tomorrow’s Saturday. I’ll head down then.” He started to turn away, but his father called him back.

“There’s one more thing we need to talk about.”

Derek paused by the door, his brows raised in question.

“As you know, Lawrence is moving to the European division. That leaves the position of Director of North American Operations open. I’d like you to take it.”

“I see.”

Inside, Derek’s heart was pounding. The position was one of huge responsibility, but it was also a lot of work. And while his struggling Winston Boutiques project would fall under the umbrella of the new job, he’d have limited time to work on it.

On top of that, the job required extensive travel as it required in-person visits to all the Winston properties on a regular, rotating basis. That was one of the corporate policies his great-grandfather had instituted when the company had expanded past that first hotel, and as far as every Winston who’d run the company was concerned, it was sacrosanct.

A burdensome job. But an important one.

And it would take him to Austin at least once each month. Maybe more.

He blinked, then shook his head to erase the thought.

Neither Amanda Franklin nor his libido should play any part in this decision.

Even so…

“I’ll take it,” he said, and was rewarded by a flare of pride in his father’s eyes.

---

“Thanks for dinner, Mom,” Amanda said, as she started to clear the dishes. “Awesome as usual.”

As far as Amanda was concerned, her mother made the world’s best lasagna.

“You can wait on that, sweetie,” her mom said, nodding at the dishes. “Come join us in the living room?”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll do this, then I may take a quick walk down to the water.”

She tried to keep her voice normal, but the truth was that she was on edge. She’d arrived a few hours earlier for a Friday dinner with her parents and Nolan, her stepbrother. While her mother cooked, she’d been in the living room checking her emails while her dad and brother watched ESPN.

That’s when she’d gotten Derek’s text that he’d be in Austin on Saturday, and did she want to join him for breakfast in their room?

She’d quickly tapped out a yes, then hesitated before sending it. No need to look too eager, after all. Especially when they weren’t really dating.

It was the not dating thing that was twisting her up now, and she was glad of the mindless task of clearing the table. She would have liked to have loaded the machine herself, too, but Nolan came in and offered to help, and that was such a rare thing that she agreed.

They finished the work silently, although she had the strange impression that he had something to ask her, and when they were done, he went back into the living room to join their parents.

She went the other direction, pouring herself a glass of wine, then walking outside to sit on the dock, dangle her feet into the water, and wonder what it was that she and Derek were doing.

“So what’s up with you?”

Amanda jumped, then turned to see Nolan on the grass at the end of the dock.

“Just enjoying the evening.”

“Uh-huh.” He came down the boards, then sat next to her. “So who’s the new boyfriend?”

She scowled. Nolan was a born comedian who had a morning drive time radio program. Since most of his content was raunchy, a lot of people underestimated him. Amanda never had. Nolan was sharp. And he was good at reading people. Apparently, too good.

“The text you got. There was definitely a guy at the other end of the telecommunications highway.”

“Not a boyfriend. Just a guy I’m seeing.”

“So a hook-up?”

She grimaced. True, maybe. But it sounded so crass.

“Seeing. Going out.” She paused, because they actually didn’t go out. They stayed in. But she didn’t figure Nolan needed that detail. “Enjoying each other’s company.”

“Wild monkey sex?”

“Nolan!”

He chuckled. “Like I said. A hook-up.”

“Whatever.”

“For how long?”

“He lives in Dallas. We see each other when he comes to town.”

“Again, I ask. For how long?”

“Fine. We met in July. But tomorrow’s only our third date.”

“Hmm.”

She wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that. “What?”

“Are you saying you don’t like the guy?”

Her eyes went wide. “Hardly. He’s great.” More than great, if she was being honest.

“Then why are you trying so hard not to actually date him?”

“Shut up,” she said, because she hated when her brother got the best of her. “And why is this even an issue for you?”

“I saw you after the last time you had a mysterious date, remember? About a month ago at The Fix?”

She nodded. It was the night that Derek had suggested a standing hook-up. And the night he’d invited her to stay. The offer had freaked her out, and she’d bolted. But it had also burned inside her, warming her up in ways that were incredible … and more than a little confusing.

She’d left his hotel room, walked the few short blocks to The Fix, and downed two Jalapeño Margaritas in quick succession. They’d taken the edge off the confusion, and for the remaining hours until closing, she’d hung out with her friends, laughing and joking and enjoying her memories of the night with Derek and her post-coital glow.

“What about it?” she asked.

“You seemed happy that night. A little off, too, but mostly happy. So I’m just wondering why if you like the guy, you’re keeping him at arms-length.”

“Like you’re one to talk? You’re not exactly Mr. Relationship.”

“Maybe not. But right now, I’m not the center of the universe. You are.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. And what makes you think it’s me? Maybe it’s him.”

“Is it?”

She thought about it, but she honestly wasn’t sure. Was he respecting her boundaries, or did he have boundaries of his own? And what did it matter, anyway?

“Dammit, Nolan, you’re twisting this all up. We have fun. That’s it. Drop it.”

He hesitated, then nodded. “Okay.” He kicked off his sandals, then sat on the dock next to her. For a minute, they both just kicked in the water. There was more he wanted to say, she was certain of it. But he kept quiet, and she loved him for it.

After a minute, she leaned over and shoulder-butted him. “Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For being concerned about me. As brothers go, you’re not too bad.”

He laughed, then swung his arm around her. “Right back at you, sis.”

---

He’d destroyed her, Amanda thought, as her body slowly came back together, every cell crackling with the fire of a spectacular orgasm.

“Wow,” she said, even though that simple word seemed far too difficult for her muddled brain to form.

“My sentiments exactly.”

Smiling, she turned her head to find Derek laying beside her, propped up on one elbow. With his free hand, he was making slow, distracting circles on her breast. He matched her smile with a smug grin.

“You’re setting the bar pretty high, you know,” she teased. “How are you going to outdo yourself next time?”

His wide smile lit up his face. “I’m sure I’ll find a way.” He rolled her nipple gently between two fingers, and she drew in a tight breath, her body igniting all over again. “Mostly, I’m just happy to know that there’s a next time on the agenda.”

“Oh.” She bit her lower lip, part of her wanting to pull away. The other part not wanting him to stop touching her.

“Amanda?”

What the hell was wrong with her? His mention of an agenda didn’t amount to a proposal of marriage.

“Sorry. You’re distracting me. And yeah, definitely more to come.” She flashed him a flirty grin. “We have our standing hook-up, after all.”

She leaned over and kissed him. “I should probably get going, though. If you’re here on a Saturday, you must have work, and I—” She stopped when he took her hand and pulled her back toward him.

“I do, actually. But it’s work you can help me with.”

“Oh.” She frowned. When he’d told her that he was a Winston, her first thought had been that he was exactly the kind of client she dreamed of cultivating. Someone with money and connections who could get her back on track career-wise. Because she’d gotten seriously derailed when she was with Leo.

Before Leo, she’d been on the fast track to getting not only her broker’s license, but her certification as an international property specialist. One of the brokers in her office, Zeke, had offered to not only sponsor her, but to pass along his portfolio of domestic and international clients when he retired later that year. Plus, he was going to suggest that the company pay for all the courses required for international certification.

But then Leo had swooped in and Zeke had gotten into his head that she’d be more focused on her relationship than on her work. She’d been pissed, but she’d held her tongue. After all, she was in a great relationship, and so what if her career moved a little more slowly than she’d hoped?

She’d been an idiot, of course. Stupid for putting up with Zeke punishing her for having a life. And a total dufus for believing anything that Leo said.

When she finally picked herself up after the ground fell out from under her, Zeke had retired, he’d passed his portfolio off to one of the single men in the office (bastard!), and Leo was long gone.

Never. Again.

Never again would she let herself get that deep. She had too much to lose, and she’d learned her lesson with Leo when she’d sacrificed incredible career potential for a guy who didn’t stick.

“Hey.” Derek hooked his finger under her chin and tilted her head up so she was looking at him. “Where did I lose you?”

“Sorry. It’s probably silly.” She waited, but since he said nothing, she pressed on. “It’s just that you must know that you're any real estate agent’s dream. And when you told me who you are—well, I didn’t want to cross a line.”

She listened to her own words, amazed that they were true. Because as far as men were concerned, she’d never put up that wall. So why now? Why with him?

Because it’s more than a hook-up?

She shoved the thought aside. She neither needed nor wanted a relationship. What they had was a good time and great sex. Which she enjoyed. A lot. Mixing in work might destroy the dynamic. That was all.

“If you’d rather not, I understand. But I’d really love the opinion of someone who knows the Austin real estate market. It’s a commercial property, but in this case I don’t think that matters.”

“This case?”

His grin was mischievous, and she had the distinct feeling he was intentionally trying to reel her in. “The thing I want your opinion about.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine. You win. We’ll go spend this lovely Saturday working.”

He chuckled, looking more than a little smug. “I thought we could enjoy the day, too. Austin’s the perfect temperature in September. Maybe take a walk, get some sunshine and exercise?”

“Exercise?” She slipped out of bed, then started to gather her clothes. “I think we just got one hell of an aerobic workout. And as for sunshine, there’s always Vitamin D.”

“Funny girl.” He stalked from the bed to where she stood, then enveloped her in his arms, his naked body hard against hers. His body burned like a furnace, and she sighed with pleasure as the heat of him seeped through her.

“How about we take a shower and then get out of here. I’ll scrub your back,” he murmured as his hand drifted down to cup her sex. “I’ll take care of the rest of you, too.”

A moan slipped past her lips, and she nodded. “Mister, I think you have a deal.”