Dreams That Bind Us (Romancing The Keys #3)

Chapter 4

K ey West

James whistled as he guided the large broom through the piles of sawdust and other construction debris, enjoying the sense of completion and instant gratification. He had arrived at The Majestic at eight o'clock sharp, full of energy and very eager to see Anna. Jack and Gus were true to their word, putting him to work sweeping out the fourth, and final, floor.

The manual labor was exactly what he needed—he was energized and didn't complain a bit. It was amazing what a full night's sleep did for a person. He still had the same erotic dreams, but now they weren't torturous. He didn't wake up aching and frustrated. Now that he knew his mystery woman was real and nearby, he embraced the scenes playing out in his subconscious and fell into a deep sleep. He was anxious to formally meet the woman he'd been fantasizing about for months.

He glanced out the window for seemingly the thousandth time, looking for a petite frame and light blonde curls, but all he saw was swaying palm trees, large swaths of white beach, deep blue ocean, and the occasional mast of a sailboat. After their disastrous first run-in, he was determined to make this meeting a positive one. If the day went as planned, he'd not only have her phone number, but a dinner date set as well. He wasn't opposed to groveling, if necessary. The need to see her, be near her, was strong.

Like a movie playing out in his head, he could see his hands wandering down the soft skin of her back as he leaned in for a kiss.

He jumped at the light slap on his shoulder.

"Holy shit!" Gus surveyed the room. "I think I need to add you to my crew. You nearly have this floor cleared out. Impressive."

"I don't think you can afford me." James grinned. "But I gotta say, it feels good to see The Majestic this far along. The place looks great."

"Yeah, this hotel had great bones. But of course it had to be strong, sitting right on the coastline. This is the last floor to paint, carpet, and furnish, then we'll be done." Hands on his hips, Gus let out a contented sigh. "Damn, I love being ahead of schedule."

"Doesn't happen often, I take it," James commented as he collected the last bin of dust and set aside the broom.

"We probably hit it about seventy percent of the time. You'd be surprised how often supply issues or bureaucratic delays pop up."

James snorted. "I'm not surprised at all. It happens to me quite a bit."

"Oh, yeah." Gus scratched his nose. "Your business up north."

"So uhhhh…." James jerked his chin toward the windows. "Any sign of a furniture delivery yet?"

"Yeah, that's why I came up here." Gus glanced at the floor, his face tight. "Sorry to tell you, but they cancelled the delivery for today."

"What?!" The disappointment hit James like a tidal wave. His stomach plummeted as if the floor dropped out from under him.

"Ha! Man, you should see your face." Gus chuckled and smacked him on the shoulder again. "I'm just messing with you. They'll be pulling up any minute now and we need every available guy to unload. Wanna come down and help?" he added facetiously. The asshole. He knew full well that James would be down there if Anna was anywhere in proximity.

James clenched his fists, tempted to knock the teasing smirk off Gus's face, but he fought the urge. It wouldn't get him anywhere and Annette would shoot him—the latter, of course, being his bigger concern.

"Nice one, dick," he muttered, but that only made Gus laugh harder.

"Come on, man," Gus called out, already skipping down the grand staircase. "I don't wanna miss this."

"Miss what?" James called out as he followed, the thrill of finally seeing Anna pumping through his veins like a drug. Gus's laughter drifting up from a floor below was his only answer.

When he made it to the empty lobby, he spotted a large, white delivery truck through the propped-open front doors as several voices shouted directions. Stepping outside, he paused for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the brilliant sunlight. His hungry gaze landed on a petite figure standing next to Jack, a coffee cup in one hand and a clipboard in the other as she watched the moving crew wrangle out the first few pieces of furniture.

His pulse skyrocketed at the sight of her standing there, so close. James forced himself to breathe, trying to stay calm. For now, he was willing to just watch her, let his eyes roam while he had the chance. He edged to the side where he could view her without notice.

Anna looked relaxed as she chatted with Jack, her thick, luscious hair tied up in a ponytail that trailed down to her mid-back. He couldn't wait to sink his face into those curls and breathe in her sweet, intoxicating scent.

His chest tightened when she tipped her head, laughing at a comment from Jack as he pointed to something on the clipboard. An uncomfortable stab of jealousy soured his stomach. He wanted to be the one to make her laugh, put her at ease, not watch from the sidelines.

Maneuvering around guys waiting to unload furniture, he quietly moved behind Anna, his eyes devouring her small frame. His hands could probably span her waist, he noted. His fingers flexed, wanting to test that theory.

Jack glanced over his shoulder and grinned. "Ah, there you are," he said to James. Anna turned her head and stiffened, her eyes rounding with alarm. It wasn’t exactly the response he was hoping for.

"Anna, I don't think you've been formally introduced," Jack continued lightly as if there wasn't a metric ton of tension in the air. "This is James Armstrong, the new owner of The Majestic. James, this is Anna Kingsley. She's the owner of Mystic Island Furniture." He gestured toward the truck. "She made all this by hand."

“Impressive,” James commented, easing forward, keeping his posture soft, as he stuck out a hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Anna…in person."

She gulped, looking like she'd split and run at any second. After an awkward pause, she accepted his hand, giving it one firm shake.

"You, too," she replied mechanically, yanking away as if he'd burned her. He let go, not wanting to spook her any more than he already had.

Take it easy. Don't be too aggressive and scare her away again.

He shifted closer, his eyes roving her feminine face. "I've heard great things about your furniture," he added, with a nod to the side. "I'm glad to see that it's lived up to all the hype." He vaguely heard Gus shout for help and was relieved as Jack moved away, leaving them alone.

Her mouth twitched to the side and he watched as she nibbled at her plump bottom lip. "It's nothing really."

He held his hands up as she started to move away. "Please, wait," he implored. Anna sighed, her chin lifting. "I'm sorry I scared you the other day, and I'm sorry I spilled my coffee all over you."

She stared at a point just over his shoulder, stubbornly refusing to meet his gaze. He bit his lip to keep from smiling.

"Don't worry about it,” she murmured.

"But I will until I can make it up to you somehow." He noted the way she held herself, so inflexible, as if blocking herself off from everything. "Please. Have dinner with me."

Anna's wide eyes finally shot to his as she sidled back. "No. That's not necessary."

"It is," he insisted, following her. "Please. Let me treat you to dinner tonight."

Her frame was rigid as she shook her head. "No, I'm out of town tonight."

"Okay. How about tomorrow?"

"I'll be away for a few days."

Unwilling to accept defeat, he added, "At least give me your number. I'm certain I'll need to add to our current furniture order. The fourth floor isn't completed yet."

Her eyes narrowed, shooting fire, and he almost chuckled. "Gus and Jack know how to reach me."

God, she's intoxicating.

"They do,” James conceded. “But they'll be done here soon and on to other projects. I'll need to contact you myself."

With a resigned sigh, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a small, white rectangle—her business card. "Here." She held onto it as he grabbed it, not letting go. "But only contact me about business."

His smile was his only response, unwilling to agree to those terms.

We'll see about that.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," she muttered as another delivery truck pulled up. "I need to take care of this." She strode across the parking lot, her back ramrod straight.

James watched her retreat, his thumb rubbing across the card as his mind churned with ways he could wrangle a dinner date. The ridges of the design on the thick cardstock caught his attention. It was simple with bare details: the business name, phone number, and the simple logo. His eyes narrowed—he'd seen that logo before, very recently, and he grinned when he realized where.

Gotcha, Anna!

Anna scurried away as quickly as her feet would allow, her head pounding with each heartbeat. She ground her teeth—of all the clients, it had to be him. Him!

There was literally no way she could have known that the mysterious James was the owner who had placed the massive order she'd been working on for months. Her contacts had been Gus and Jack.

This was bad. Really bad. Now he had her business card and her phone number. He'd track her down somehow, she knew it.

She glanced at her right hand that was still shaking from the encounter. The tingle she'd felt when her hand had connected with his was unlike anything she'd experienced before—that electric buzz that shot from his skin to hers. She shivered and clenched her fist.

This can't be happening. It’s just a nightmare and any moment I’ll wake up, it's not real.

But it was all too real. The man who plagued her, sending her into an erotic frenzy night after night for months, not only lived on her island but was also a client. A very wealthy client.

Just fricking great.

Anna could still smell his intoxicating scent—a deep, rich spice that she couldn’t quite identify mixed with sweat and cypress—quintessentially male. It horrified her that she’d wanted to lean into his chest and rub all over him.

Gah! What the hell is wrong with me?! I’m not a damned teenager with raging hormones. Get a grip! This man is DANGEROUS.

Refusing to meet his eyes when he'd been standing so close had been her only defense against that yearning to wrap herself around him.

Now she’d given him her number, and she knew he'd call. She could always say no, turn down any further work he tried to send her way, but that would be stupid. Even though this order put her in the black for quite a while, she still had bills to pay and future work was never guaranteed.

No, she couldn't turn down work. But…

Her lips twitched to the side as a plan formed in her head. She could appoint an intermediary—maybe the art gallery and have all the business flow through them. That could work. It wasn't something she'd asked of Becky before, but surely the gallery manager wouldn't say no after all the business she'd brought them over the last few years.

"Hey, Anna."

She jumped at the voice directly behind her. She pasted a smile on her face as she turned to Gus who was casually strolling toward her.

"Hi, Gus. Is everything going okay?" she asked, keeping her tone light to disguise the adrenaline still coursing through her veins. "It looks like we're almost done here."

"Oh, yeah. Everything's fine." Gus dismissed her question with a wave of his hand. "I'm just making sure you're alright."

She mentally cringed as a nervous giggle bubbled from her chest. "Of course, I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

One eyebrow arched as he smirked. "I think you know what I mean." He shot a glance toward the hotel's front entrance. Anna's gaze followed, and she almost squeaked as it landed on the tall, muscular figure casually leaning against the decorative coral railing of the front veranda. James stared back, unperturbed that they spotted him, his eyes like lasers, burning a hole right through her.

"Oh, it's okay,” she remarked. “He asked about more furniture for the fourth floor and I’m not certain I want more work. I have so many back orders as it is, and I haven't had any luck with locating a consistent mahogany supply, and, you know, there's another client who wants to buy out my current stock—" She pressed a fist to her mouth, aghast at her word vomit.

Just stop, idiot!

"Yeah, it's as bad as I thought." Gus chuckled. "If it makes you feel any better, he's actually a pretty good guy. Annette and Charli have both worked for him for years, back in Boston. Apparently he owns a bunch of companies up north. And he's been a great partner on this project." He shrugged his shoulders. "Plus, Jack and I wouldn't have let him near you if we thought he was scum."

"Yeah, and I appreciate that." Anna took a deep breath. "I just don't have the time or desire to deal with… anything other than work," she finished, feeling deflated.

"I get it. I wasn't trying to get involved. I just wanted to reassure you."

"How's your mother?" Anna asked, desperate to change the subject.

Gus beamed at the question. "Mama Celeste is great. She's very excited about the baby."

"I'm sure she is." Anna smiled. "It's been a long time since I've seen her. Maybe I should stop by her shop sometime for a visit."

Mama Celeste was a renowned psychic in Key West, catering primarily to the island's tourist traffic. But she was a powerful clairvoyant and had been a close friend of Anna's family for decades.

"You should. She'd love that."

"Well, I think those are the last two pieces," she commented as the movers hauled the last of the furniture out of the truck. "You won't need these guys for more than offloading, correct?"

"Nah!" Gus replied. "Our guys can handle the rest."

"Okay, great." Anna nearly wilted with relief. She had to get away—from him —now. "Please tell Annette I said hi. Maybe we can have coffee soon."

"I will." Gus grinned. "And I'll tell her to be a little more careful with the coffee next time," he teased.

Anna grimaced as heat bloomed in her cheeks. "Thanks," she muttered. "I'll let my guys know they can leave."

She gave him a small wave and turned.

Don't do it… don't do it…

But she couldn’t stop herself. Her eyes moved involuntarily toward the veranda and she nearly stumbled as they landed on James, who openly watched her. His arms were crossed over his chest as he leaned against the white coral walls of the hotel, looking like a king casually studying his domain.

She shivered. If she wasn't careful—very careful—she would be his next conquest. Someone he'd charm and toss away at the first hint of her gifts.

That could never happen.