Chapter One

HADLEY

“It’s too bad my client had to walk away from your attempt at fixing the contract,” a deep voice that has taunted me for five years says from the edge of my office door.

Cayden. Fucking. Benson-Hennington.

The bane of my existence. It doesn’t matter that I am an associate at my law firm. That I have more billable hours than any other associates—and probably more than him—even though he was hired at the firm we both interned at while I was not. I swear, it’s his life’s mission to always be one step above me.

Not today, Satan.

“Well, your client is an idiot, and should take the deal I presented. Believe me, you won’t get a better chance to fix the mess you made. There won’t be another offer.”

His wide grin makes my stomach flip. “We’ll see.”

“Yes, I think we will. Was there something you needed?” He steps inside—uninvited I might add—and takes a seat. “By all means, make yourself comfortable.”

“Look, Hadley, we both know that your client was asking for way too many concessions. To have two seats on the board would give them controlling votes. Come on, you know that was an error.”

“Maybe so, but it wasn’t my error, it was yours.”

To be fair, it wasn’t really his error. Cayden took over this negotiation after his client used another firm who clearly botched the contract. Still, it’s his issue at the very least.

“No, but it is my mess and I plan to clean it up. By the end of this, my beautiful nightmare, you will be walking out with less than you came in with.”

He’s so arrogant, ugh, I want to kiss him. I mean punch him. Punch. Not kiss. No, no, been there and done that. Never again.

“So you want to rob these people of their entire life’s work?”

“I want my client to get what they deserve.”

I bet he does. This man has no soul. “Do you forget where you come from?” I ask.

Cayden grew up in Tennessee. His family owns a horse ranch that they have had for generations. Literally a blue collar, farming family.

The same as my clients. They were approached to sell their land, giving up their legacy, all so his client’s company can dismantle it and make it into a resort or a strip mall.

Therefore, I don’t think asking for something to help safeguard either of those from happening is a concession they shouldn’t ask for. It’s only fair that their children have at least a little left at the end of this.

“Of course, I know where I came from.”

“And if this were your parents, how would you advise them?”

He leans forward, resting his forearms on his knees. His green eyes fixed on me. “That’s where we differ, Arrowood…these aren’t my parents. They’re my clients and my goal is to get them everything they want.”

I get up and walk around the desk, resting my ass just on the edge. His gaze moves down to my legs and up, lingering a bit on my chest. I watch as a flicker of desire flashes across his face, and I wonder if he’s picturing me naked. Remembering that stupid night we spent together in college.

Lord knows I am—not. Nope, I’m not. I won’t. Because it was a mistake. Sure, I’ll go with that.

Good thing I have an incredible poker face.

“What are you thinking about?” his voice is low and husky.

You and me on the floor, ripping each other’s clothes off. Or the desk, that would be equally fine.

“I’m thinking about how arrogant and ridiculous you are. You came to my office to what?” I keep my tone even.

“To talk some sense into you and tell you to have your clients stop this bullshit and take the revision. It’s a good amount of money and it’s fair.”

I roll my eyes and huff. “My clients are not going to do that because, as you said, my goal is to protect them and their legacy. And the original deal has two seats on the boar, where your revision , has none.”

Cayden grabs his suit jacket he had draped over his legs, rises, and tosses it over his shoulder. “Well, tell them the deal is off and we’ll be buying the property once it’s in foreclosure—without any seats on the board.”

I shrug. “I will. Good luck to your client for not taking their incredibly generous counter and good luck finding another piece of land. We have other options, Cayden.”

The both of us are losing here, but there’s not a chance in hell I will let him know that. I don’t actually have another solution.

My clients need to sell. They’re in an incredible amount of debt and this was a great chance to sell the back part of their property and merge two companies into being a more symbiotic resort. At least that was what was promised. Then, in the last two weeks, the talks of that changed. They were discussing building ordinances and codes for something much larger than just a small resort.

He takes two steps toward me, leaning in so I can smell his cologne and feel his heat.

God, he smells so freaking good. It’s musky with an edge of something warm at the end that tickles my nose.

And then there’s his body. Oh how I wish I didn’t remember it in perfect detail. How his muscles flexed beneath my touch or the way his voice sounded as he sighed my name.

However, right now, we’re not having sex. We’re having a legal war.

“I’ve missed this,” the rasp in his voice is like a caress. “It’s not fun when we don’t get to battle each other.”

Yeah, it’s like freaking foreplay only I end up orgasm-less.

“Do you know what I miss?” I ask, playing his game.

“What, beautiful?”

I press my hand against his chest, standing and pushing him toward my office door. He grins and it’s the cat ate the canary kind, where he thinks he’s winning whatever game we’re playing.

When his back hits the wall, I run my hand down his chest, looking up at him through my lashes. “I miss…” I wait, letting the tension build. And it’s definitely rising. “The way…” I open my office door, and step back. “You look when you’re leaving. Goodbye, Cayden. Have a swell day and I’ll be going over the preliminary offer to see where I can counter for damages if it falls apart. ”

He releases a laugh and shakes his head. “I’ll see you soon. Count on it.”

When he walks out, I close the door behind him, and rest my head on the solid oak panel. “Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.”