“Yeah, I do.” He came around the sofa and sat down. Then he gently lifted her onto his lap, nudging her legs apart so that she straddled him.
Frowning, she leaned up on her knees and asked, “What are you doing?”
He slowly lifted her nightgown up to her hips. His hands slid over her thighs, and he smiled when he realized she wasn’t wearing underwear. He stared into her eyes and said, “I’m going to make you feel good.” Pulling her toward him, he began to kiss the side of her neck, causing shivers up and down her spine. “You won’t have to do a thing, Cordelia.”
“Aiden . . .”
His mouth covered hers, and anything she wanted to say was lost in the moment. One kiss, and he made her burn for him. His mouth never left hers as he stoked the fire inside her. When at last they came together, he wouldn’t let her set the pace. He was gentle yet demanding at the same time. Her orgasm was explosive. She cried out and squeezed him tight inside her, triggering his release. He whispered her name when he came; she shouted his.
He carried her to bed and slept next to her that night, but there weren’t any words of love or praise. She didn’t expect them, and what she found profoundly odd was that she didn’t need them.
TWENTY-THREE
There were fireworks going off in Walker’s suite, and not the fun kind. Cordie walked into the middle of a colossal argument. All three brothers were there. Aiden was silent, leaning against a credenza with his arms folded as he watched Spencer pace and yell at Walker. The youngest brother seemed oblivious to the uproar. She turned around and tried to leave before she was noticed, but Aiden grabbed her hand.
“I’m telling you I gave my word, and a Madison doesn’t go back on his word,” Walker calmly stated. “Isn’t that right, Aiden?”
“You did not have the authority to make any deals, Walker,” Spencer railed.
“Cordie, come sit with me,” Walker said.
Aiden let go of her hand. She didn’t want to sit with Walker; she wanted to leave. “No, I think I’ll—”
“Go sit,” Spencer said. “I’ll stop yelling. I promise.”
The promise lasted a full minute. “What in God’s name were you thinking? You’ve never shown the least amount of interest in what we do, and now you’re going to build a hotel? What the hell’s wrong with you?” Spencer demanded.
Cordie noticed Walker’s hands were fisted. She put her hand on top of his and patted him.
“What do you think, Cordie?” Walker asked.
“I think you’re having quite a lively discussion.”
“Lively discussion?” Aiden laughed. “Is that what you’d call this?”
“I should let you three have some privacy.” She tried to get up, but Walker pulled her back.
“Tell us your opinion,” he said. “Aiden and Spencer won’t bend, and neither will I,” he explained. “Maybe you can make them see what a great deal this is.”
“No, really, I should leave . . .”
Walker didn’t let go. She gave up and sat quietly next to him. If he needed an ally, she’d do what she could. She looked around at each of the brothers. “May I ask a few questions?”
“Go ahead,” Spencer said.
“Has a contract been signed?”
“Not yet,” Walker answered. “Congressman Chambers said he’s busy with the campaign right now, but we’ve set a date a week after the primary to sign the contracts. We worked out the terms on the phone.”
“He’ll say he didn’t call,” Spencer said. “Trust me, the bastard will go back on his word. He won’t sell that property for pennies on the dollar.”
Aiden nodded. “The congressman is . . .” He caught himself before he said the word he was thinking and substituted, “corrupt and immoral. I don’t want to work with him. He can’t be trusted.”
“You wouldn’t be working with him,” Walker pointed out. “As soon as he signs the contract, he’s out of the picture. He won’t have anything to do with the hotel and resort.”
“Is the contract ready to sign?” Cordie asked.
Walker nodded. “It’s basically Spencer’s original contract, but with the lower figure. Congressman Chambers told me he’s gone over every detail and agrees to the new terms. His cousin has also read the contract and is ready to sign.”
Spencer dropped into a chair facing Walker. He braced his arms on his knees, leaned forward, and said, “How did this happen? How did you get involved in the first place?”
“I told you. Chambers contacted me. He said he was willing to bargain, but you had shut the door to any future negotiations. I pulled up the original contract you and Aiden had taken to him that he refused to sign—”
“After giving his word,” Spencer interjected.
“Yes, after giving his word. He said after he thought about it, he realized selling Rock Point would be such an economic boon for the community, he couldn’t stand in the way. He asked me what it would take. I gave him a figure and he agreed. We’re getting Rock Point for half the original price. That’s a hell of a deal.”
Aiden was trying to hold on to his temper. “He’s not going to sign the contract,” he said. “It’s all a con to beat Mayor Green in the primary. Fallsborough is a one-party town, and whoever wins the primary will win in November.”
Spencer nodded. “Green was way ahead until Congressman Chambers held a press conference to boast that he sold Rock Point to us. I’m betting he’ll hold another press conference before the primary to remind voters he saved the day by bringing the Hamilton Hotel to town.”
“He’ll sign it,” Walker insisted.
“No, he won’t,” Aiden argued, impatient at his brother’s persistence. “He’s never going to sign it for that amount of money. He’s greedy and he’s manipulative. You can’t trust anything he says. The very fact that he’s scheduled to sign the contract after the primary should have been a warning sign. He’ll wait until he’s won the election and then he’ll back out of the deal. He still thinks he can get more out of Rock Point. He’ll tell the press we changed our minds or he’ll come up with an even better story.”
Walker wasn’t giving in. He was defiant when he said, “You think I let him manipulate me.”
“Yes,” Spencer said, and the argument escalated until Spencer was shouting and Aiden was once again stone-faced. After ten minutes of useless back-and-forth, Cordie raised her hand. The brothers stopped talking.
“We’re not in a classroom, Cordelia. Did you want to say something?” Aiden asked.
“There are two different issues at play here. First is the congressman.” Turning to Walker, she said, “I think agreeing to buy Rock Point for half the original price was brilliant. Now all you have to do is wait for Aiden to force the congressman and his cousin to sign the contract.”
“How can he do that?” Spencer wanted to know.
“He’s going to surprise him.”
“I am?” A hint of a smile softened Aiden’s expression.
She slowly nodded. “You know what to do.” She didn’t think she needed to spell it out for him. Aiden’s mind was every bit as devious as hers.
“I have to go,” she said, and stood to leave. “Sophie’s coming over soon, and that’s going to turn into a whole . . . thing.”