I lifted a brow. “Which means she is a tree hugger.”
“Then so am I,” she said, sounding indignant. “And I’m not ashamed of trying to protect any endangered species, nor am I about to apologize because I care about the environment.”
I raked a hand through my hair in frustration. “There’s nothing wrong with that, Jade. But giving up a deal this lucrative would be crazy.”
“It’s not crazy,” she said in a softer tone. “It would be the right thing to do. And I really don’t want to be forced to put my husband at odds with my own brother. I know you two are close. Honestly, if you give up the land and make it a wildlife refuge, you’d never even miss the money. If you want, I’ll buy it from you.”
“Not happening,” I said brusquely.
Not that my billionaire sister and my billionaire brother-in-law couldn’t afford to drop what for them would be a minuscule amount of funds on some land. That wasn’t the point. My issue was that I could never take a dime from Jade, and she probably knew it.
“Then I guess I’ll just encourage Riley to keep fighting this through legal channels,” Jade said in a snippy voice I’d never heard come out of her mouth before.
“When in the hell did you two get so chummy?” I asked unhappily.
Jade frowned. “She didn’t come to me, if that’s what you’re thinking. I actually sought her out after I read an interview with her in the Citrus Beach News. I was having a hard time believing that the brother I knew was going to put a stupid piece of land over an endangered species. My plan was to tell her off about making you a villain, initially.”
I smirked. I’d read the damn article in the local paper last week. Riley Montgomery hadn’t exactly painted me as a benevolent business owner. “And then?”
“Then I saw all the legal paperwork and realized you really were being a jerk.”
“So you decided to come here to talk me into giving the whole project up?”
She chewed on her bottom lip, a habit she’d had since she was a child. “I’d hoped I could. Money has never been all that important to you, really.”
My sister was wrong. Maybe I’d never dreamed of being as rich as I was now, but I’d damn well wished I’d had more funds when my brothers and I had been busting our asses earlier in life to raise our younger siblings. We’d barely been able to keep food on the table.
“It isn’t all about the money,” I told her irritably. “Sinclair Properties is still growing, and it can’t take that kind of hit.”
She frowned. “But you can. You’d never even miss the money.”
“That’s not the point.” She was right. My personal accounts kept growing larger every single day because I had invested my billions of dollars well.
“You’re being deliberately pigheaded,” Jade accused.
“Guilty,” I answered, trying to be nonchalant.
My secretary knocked on the open door. “Mr. Sinclair? Your two o’clock meeting is on the phone.”
“I have to take this,” I said to my sister abruptly.
Jesus! I needed to get my little sister gone before I caved in and gave her the damn property.
I’d always been a sucker for both of my younger sisters. They rarely asked for anything, but when they did, I was screwed. It was difficult to be hard-nosed when I knew this land meant so much to Jade. Especially when I could easily afford to give it up.
Logically, I wasn’t really sure why I hadn’t already capitulated a long time ago, why I’d dug my heels in so hard about the whole situation.
Donating the land would be a very tiny drop in the bucket for me, personally.
Jade sighed. “At least tell me you’ll think about it.”
I nodded sharply. “I’ll think about it.”
My sister turned on her heel and left my office without even saying good-bye.
I released a long breath of relief, feeling guilty because I hadn’t let Jade have exactly what she wanted.
My brain balked at the idea of simply blowing off the building site, maybe because I knew Sinclair Properties could use that location.
Bullshit! Be honest. This isn’t even about the business. I know exactly why I’m being a stubborn asshole.
Yeah, I did want to build Sinclair Properties into a billion-dollar corporation, and I was well on my way to doing that.
However, what was making me hold on to my obstinance had very little to do with money.
And very much to do with the stubborn redheaded hellcat attorney who was doing everything possible to keep me from building my beachside resort.
Over the months, I’d found myself enjoying the email sparring that we’d been doing at least a few times a week.
Little by little, it had turned just a bit more . . . personal. At least for me. Not that Riley had become any more pleasant; she was a major challenge. I had to wonder if that was why I enjoyed our exchanges so damn much.
She was highly intelligent.
Ornery.
Stubborn.
And so damn beautiful that just thinking about her made my dick hard.
I’d only met her once in person. One time. And she’d made one hell of an impression on me.
For some reason, she’d plopped her gorgeous ass down across from me at a local coffeehouse, chasing away a woman who had only been throwing herself at me because I was now a billionaire.
Somehow, Riley had sensed my discomfort that day, my hesitation to be rude to any female, even though I’d known the woman had only been interested in me because of my brand-new ultrawealthy status. Although we didn’t know each other, Riley had intervened, pretending to be my girlfriend to make the clingy female go away.
When I’d been a construction worker, not a single female had been interested in a relationship. Sure, they’d have a one-nighter with me if I’d wanted that. But they’d leave the next day, moving on to greener pastures. And I mean green—like in . . . money. They’d all wanted a lot more of it than I’d had back then.
Now, I couldn’t get away from the female sex. It seemed like every single one of the women who approached me was now interested in a long-term relationship with a billionaire.
Riley Montgomery had been completely . . . different.
She hadn’t wanted anything.
In fact, she’d helped me out.
Her actions had been purely selfless.
Until we’d realized each other’s identities.
It had pretty much gone to hell after that.
I clicked on the space bar of my computer, bringing up the latest email I’d gotten from Riley.
I’d been getting ready to answer it when Jade had barged into my office.
Okay, maybe I was being an asshole, but if I gave up the land without a fight, Riley Montgomery would have no reason to ever contact me again.
And that would be a damn shame.
I grinned, knowing I’d reply to her missive right after my two o’clock appointment.
I picked up the call to get my meeting underway, still wondering what I’d say to Riley.
CHAPTER 2
RILEY
Dear Ms. Montgomery:
First, although I’d very much like to kiss your ass as you suggested, I could think of several other places I’d love to put my mouth on first if I could get you naked.