Ensnared (The Accidental Billionaires #1)(2)

I wish I did. Maybe it would be easier if I was constantly busy and planning out my future.

The only major purchase I’d made was a waterfront cottage in my hometown of Citrus Beach. Again, Evan had made that happen. I’d picked out a home I’d love to have, like my half brother had requested, and he’d pushed the sale through at a pace I found mind boggling. Really, it was a lovely house I’d much rather have been enjoying right now instead of waiting on Eli Stone in the middle of downtown San Diego.

Glancing at my watch for about the millionth time, I hoped Mr. Stone would give me what I wanted, and I could make it home in time to watch the sunset. But if it took much longer, I was going to get stuck in San Diego traffic, and I wouldn’t see my house until it was already dark.

“He’s ready for you, Ms. Sinclair.” The secretary stood up as she spoke.

I rose and grabbed my purse. I was probably underdressed to be inside the Stone corporate headquarters, but at least I’d been comfortable waiting in my well-worn jeans, sandals, and a baby-blue top.

I nodded at the woman, who opened the enormous double doors and then closed them behind me like a gatekeeper.

I moved forward and perched on the edge of one of the massive chairs in front of Eli Stone’s desk before I finally looked up at the man I’d waited an hour to see. I gaped at the guy I’d only seen on television or on the cover of a magazine in the supermarket.

He cleans up good.

Most of the time, Eli Stone had only gotten my attention because of the outrageous hobbies and challenges he pursued. If there was an element of danger to an activity, this man always seemed to be up for trying it.

Race-car driving.

Big-wave surfing.

Skydiving.

Extreme water-sport challenges.

Hang gliding.

Rocketry.

For God’s sake, the guy had purchased his own rocket company and was planning on sending unmanned flights out into the Milky Way shortly. From what I’d heard, Eli Stone was way ahead in the private space game, so he obviously took that pursuit seriously.

“Mr. Stone,” I said in a modulated tone. “Thank you for seeing me.”

I was pretty sure I’d never seen him in a suit, since he seemed to enjoy flashing his half-naked body in his photos and videos. Personally, I found the gray suit and elegant gray-and-navy tie much more appealing.

Not that he didn’t look good half-naked, too. But it was pretty hard to take somebody doing an insane stunt all that seriously.

But this Eli Stone, the one sitting in front of me, had my complete attention.

He looked aloof, but he was watching me like an eagle eyes potential prey from the air right before it finally strikes. And I really didn’t like being the rabbit that he’d just spied from above.

Starting at the top of my head, he assessed me slowly. “Ms. Sinclair,” he acknowledged in a smooth baritone. “What can I do for you?”

Many things came to mind as I stared back at him, but I answered, “I sent you a proposal on the property I’d like to buy. Have you had a chance to look at it?”

I really had to stop staring into his cool gray eyes, thinking about how well his suit matched his eye color.

I didn’t know why, but I was completely fascinated by this Eli Stone. Unlike his television persona, this man was all too real.

He made me nervous for reasons I couldn’t explain. There was tension in the air between us, even though we had never met. And I wasn’t at all comfortable with the heat that was pooling between my thighs.

I’d never been struck with instant lust. But there was something about Eli Stone that completely captivated me.

Maybe because the guy in front of me isn’t at all what I expected.

He was a clown on television, and he was always smirking arrogantly in his photos. I’d expected to meet a person who took almost nothing seriously. Instead, I’d gotten a man who commanded attention just by being present in the room. And he looked like he had absolutely nothing to smile about.

I could practically smell his earthy scent, although I knew it wasn’t really traveling from his body to my nose all the way across the big desk.

I watched as he casually opened his jacket and leaned back in his chair. I swallowed hard as I waited for his reply, but he didn’t seem in any hurry to give me one.

I knew that he had a droolworthy body. Generally, I wasn’t big on tattoos, but the tribal markings that I’d seen on his arm had always looked good on him.

Funny, but I’d never been hit with the primal urge to screw him when I’d seen his ripped body in magazines or on TV. But being up close and personal was . . . different.

“I didn’t read it,” he said sharply. “I’m not interested in letting go of that piece of property. It’s been in my family for decades. It’s not developable right now, although it could be in the future. My question to you is—why do you want it?”

Shit! Since the land near Lucifer’s Canyon was pretty much useless, I’d been hoping to easily convince him to part with it. Compared to the businesses, vast properties, and the land he owned, that acreage in the backcountry was less than nothing.

“I’m a wildlife genetic conservationist,” I explained. “A portion of the land is an important wildlife corridor. I’d like to make sure it’s always preserved.”

Who knew what Eli Stone would do with the land in the future? For all I knew, he’d turn it into a launching pad for his spaceflights. It was important to me to see that the passage leading from one open space to another was kept intact.