Well, damn. Ideally, he’d keep her out of lawyer mode, too. He was about to suggest they talk about it later, but she didn’t wait for his reply. “The buyer likes what we’ve shown him so far and is anxious to move forward. They’ve streamlined the list of documents they wanted to evaluate, so now there are only a handful of items to gather and send. Additionally, the attorney is putting together a revised term sheet and draft purchase agreement as we speak. We should have both soon. Apparently, he wants to fast-track things.”
His stomach took a barrel roll, which made no sense because, as Izzy had said, this was good news. “How fast?”
The forced smile returned. “Two weeks is the goal.”
The barrel roll became a dive. Almost reflexively, he tightened his arms around her. “Two weeks? Holy shit, that’s… I haven’t even seen the purchase agreement. It could take me an entire week just to read and understand the thing. Page after page of terms and conditions? It’s all new to me.”
“It’s okay.” She stepped closer to him and curled her hands above his elbows. “Two weeks is their goal. I can slow things down. You’re entitled to a reasonable amount of time to understand and weigh every aspect of the deal before committing.”
“Slow it down.” Way slower. “I don’t like this motherfucker rushing me.”
“I’ll reset their expectations. They might push back, but that’s all it is—pushback. I doubt stretching their timeline by a week or so will motivate them to walk away. Their eagerness signals the opposite, frankly. They’ll capitulate to more of our requests in order to get it done.” Her eyes found his. “Will you promise me one thing?”
Anything. “What can I promise you, Izzy?”
“Promise me you’re not slowing things down because you’re having second thoughts. If you are, we need to be upfront about that. They’re incurring legal fees, as are you. Things are still in play right now, so there’s no bad faith in backing out.”
“I don’t want to back out.” He didn’t. He’d made mistakes that had borne tragic consequences. He had regrets—plenty of them—and enough guilt to choke his heart but selling his interest in the airfield and putting the operation in larger, more competent hands ensured he wouldn’t fail anyone again.
She ran her hands up his arms, soothing. “There’s no bad faith in saying you want to hit pause for a few months. Maybe get through the high season without the distraction of the potential sale, and maybe take some time to discuss your intentions with Bridget? You have a lot at stake here, after all.”
Some newly born part of him wanted to jump at her suggestion. She had a gift for making whatever she said seem reasonable. But a louder, more established part of him sounded alarms at the idea of dragging things out. This deal provided him his exit, and he needed it. Badly. Hadn’t this afternoon proved that? And what about Izzy? She had needs and goals, as well. “You have a lot at stake, too. A partnership, for one, which you’ve worked hard to earn. What would happen to that if I pressed pause?”
Her casual shrug didn’t fool him, nor her breezy, “I’d take the matter up with Chuck.” The worry in her eyes suggested she believed she’d be passed over. Whether that was true or not, why put her through it? For his own peace of mind, he needed to sell, and she deserved to get everything due to her out of the deal.
“I don’t want to put the sale on hold.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want you to—”
He cut her off with a kiss and put a lot of effort into the nonverbal change of topic. He didn’t want to talk about the deal anymore. They had better things to do. Easing out of the kiss by degrees, he looked into her soft brown eyes. “I just want to go slower.” Finding an unhurried smile for her, he went on, “Sometimes, with some things, I like to go slow. You know?”
“I don’t.” Her eyelashes took a busy flutter, and her color came up when he slid a hand into the back pocket of her jeans. She looked at him from beneath her lowered lashes. “I’m usually revving at a thousand miles an hour, even when I’m standing still.”
“Are you revving right now?” He already knew the answer. Her heart beat rapidly against his chest.
“I think I might be.” Her hands found their way to the nape of his neck, fiddled with his hair.
“Let’s do something about that.” He sank his other hand into her other pocket and pressed her closer. His cotton sweats offered her a big hint of what he had in mind.
She swallowed at the hint but looked up at him nervously. “Are you sure you’re up to it?”
“Do you feel that Izzy?” He took her hand and pressed it firmly to the bulge in his sweats. “I’m definitely up to it. But”—he moved her hand to his chest when she would have lingered, then took her by the waist and switched their positions so he leaned back against the railing—“I don’t want you to miss the sunset. Sunsets in Captivity are a time-tested way to slow down.” He leaned in and brushed his lips over hers. “Relax.” Brushed her lips again as they parted for him but withheld his tongue. “Enjoy the moment.”
A little sound of frustration vibrated in her throat and set off an empathetic vibration in his balls. “Patience, Izzy. We’re taking things slow.” Just to punish them both, he denied her lips and put his teeth and tongue to work on the sensitive skin below her ear. With two hands on his chest now, she arched against him.
“I don’t know if I can,” she protested. “Things are already happening. So fast.”
God, she killed him. Pushing his leg between hers, he murmured, “What’s happening fast?”
She moaned and rocked herself against his thigh. “Stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?” He got a hand under her ass and lifted her a little higher, bringing her onto her toes. Letting her really straddle his thigh. “Be specific.”
“I’m hot,” she gasped out. “Wet.” Two hands fisted in his shirt and she shifted against him. “Restless.”
“Needy?” he suggested, loving the desperate way she moved on him. The way she used what he gave her to try and ease the need.
“Worse than need.” Her lips moved against his throat. “It hurts.”
It did. His cock cosigned to that. The best kind of hurt, to his mind, worthy of stretching out as long as possible, but the situation for women was a lot less all-or-nothing, and he didn’t have it in him to ignore the plea in her voice. “Let me help ease the pain.” He lifted her higher, so her toes left the deck, and rocked her on his thigh.
“Oh…”
He rocked her again, held her there while she snuck in a series of fast, frenzied grinds. A flurry of words tumbled out of her like a desperate confession. “I’ve never been so…it’s never been so…” He rocked her once more, with a bounce at the end, and her body tensed, then shivered. Her climbing “soooo…” broke and dissolved into a long, low moan. “Easssy.” Her body went limp against him. “So easy,” she panted. “You make it so easy.”