“I’m available twenty-four/seven,” she replied before he could finish his thought. “Whatever you guys need, I’m here for it.”
He nodded. “We appreciate that.” He released her hand and moved to mine. “Jenner, it’s always a pleasure.”
“Likewise.”
As he walked to his car, Jo and I made our way over to the SUV waiting for us in the lot. The driver opened the door to the backseat, and before Jo climbed in, she turned around, viewing the entire mountainside.
“Something tells me this hotel is going to do magical things for our company.”
Now that it was their land, I agreed.
We had spent the entire day yesterday going back and forth with the seller, and after multiple rounds of negotiations, he finally caved and accepted our offer. Walter had been shocked at the price I had secured, ecstatic that it was fifteen percent lower than what they had asked.
“Jo, you’re going to turn this into the most magnificent property. I’m excited to book the penthouse for a weekend.”
She laughed, her gaze dropping to meet mine. “We would never let you book one of our rooms. You will always stay at our hotels for free. Besides, you’ll soon have your own home, so you won’t need to stay here.”
“They haven’t accepted my offer.”
A warmth moved across her face as she said, “They will.”
She took a final glance around and climbed into the backseat, her jacket riding up just high enough to give me the perfect view of her ass. The black pants were slick against her cheeks, showing the arch and curves and—
Fuck.
I looked away, the temptation far too strong, and I got in behind her. The driver shut the door, and before I even had on my seat belt, my phone was ringing from my pocket. My realtor’s name lit up the screen.
I held the phone to my face and answered. “This is Jenner.”
“Congratulations,” she replied. “The house is yours.”
I shook my head, chuckling. “I never thought they’d even consider that lowball offer.”
“Their realtor told me they had two offers in the past that fell through because of financing. When they reviewed your proof of funds, I’m sure they realized you’re a buyer they can’t lose.” The sound in the background told me she was on the road. “I’ll take care of the inspection, and we’ll start processing title insurance. I know you said you’re flying out tomorrow. Do you want to do another walk-through before you leave?”
I checked my watch. “Could I do one in the next thirty minutes?”
“I’m headed to a showing right now, and I’ll be tied up for most of the afternoon. I can text you the code, and you can let yourself in and lock up when you’re done.”
“That would be great. Thanks for your hard work on this,” I said and hung up.
The moment I slid my phone into my pocket, Jo’s hand was on me, her touch sending a jolt straight through my body.
“You got the house, didn’t you?”
I exhaled, still trying to process the news. “I did.”
“Yes!” Since she hadn’t put on her seat belt, she slid toward the middle, throwing her arms around my neck. “Oh my God, Jenner, I’m so happy for you.”
Her scent hit me first. Something I’d been smelling since this morning, but now that my face was near her neck, I could take a long, deep inhale of that fall pumpkin perfume. My arms wrapped around her back, her jacket thin enough that her bra strap was teasing my fingers, and so was the heat of her skin. Her hair tickled my cheeks as I got in closer, her body molding against mine.
Goddamn it, I missed this.
The feel of her.
The feeling inside me when she was in my arms.
“You’re going to have so many amazing memories in that house,” she whispered, squeezing my shoulders before she pulled away.
I didn’t want to let her go.
I didn’t want her to fall from my grasp.
But she was moving to the other side of the backseat, and it’d happened far too fast.
I didn’t know what came over me, but as I looked at her gorgeous face, I said, “Do you want to go see it?”
She instantly nodded. “I would love to.”
I gave the driver the address, and he headed for the road that took us up the steep mountain edge. When he parked in the driveway, Jo got out of the SUV first.
“The pictures didn’t do it justice,” she said, staring at the large two-story contemporary design.
The house was done in shades of slate and charcoal, and stone covered different parts of the exterior, adding to the unique construction.
“This house, Jenner”—she took a breath—“is so dreamy.”
I walked with her to the front door, entering the code my realtor had texted me. Once I had it open, I let her go in first.
“Holy fuck,” she gasped, her neck immediately tilting back as she took in the tall ceiling. “This is spectacular.”
She moved through the large foyer and past the living room, stopping at the back of the house. This section was all glass, revealing a view similar to what the hotel would have, the scenery just of a different angle of the mountain range and the dips and valleys below.
I opened the door for her, and she walked out onto the patio.
“Jenner …” She paused, almost like she was breathless. “This is a dream.” She finally turned toward me, my stare already on her. “It’s nice to see you smiling again. I mean, really smiling.”
There was only one thing causing my grin, and it wasn’t the house.
Twenty-Six
Joanna
“So, you’re on your way back,” my father said from the speaker of Jenner’s phone, where it was resting on the table between our seats.
“We’re about to be, yes,” I said. “The pilots are doing their final check, and we’ll be taking off any minute.”
“I know I’ve mentioned this already, but I couldn’t be more pleased with the work you two have accomplished this week. I just read the email from our architect, and his initial thoughts from your meeting are quite impressive,” my father said. “And, Jenner, I don’t know how you scored us that price. I was expecting a seven or eight percent decrease, but fifteen? Unbelievable job.”
“Joanna was an incredible help,” Jenner said, his eyes only on me.
I was pleasantly surprised when he’d chosen to sit across from me rather than on the other side of the aisle, like on the way here. But that meant there were only two places to look—out the window or at him.
And no matter how hard I tried, his handsome face completely owned my vision.
“I might have steered the realtor’s direction, but the meeting with the architect was all Joanna,” Jenner continued. “She has quite a vision for this hotel.”
“I see that,” my father said. “The architect mentioned it’s going to be my best property. Jenner, do you agree?”
“I do,” he replied. “You know I’m rather biased when it comes to Utah; however, I don’t think that’s the sole reason. There’s an elegance about this land, and the ideas that Joanna implemented are unlike anything this area has ever seen. Walter, your hotel is going to be a piece of art.”