Hightower Affairs 2: Bedding the Secret Heiress by Emilie Rose

his age, thirty-five, then checked his face. The brackets beside his mouth and the groove in his forehead made him look older.
    She was about to pass his license back when his address caught her attention. “I know this address. The neighborhood is near my apartment and…not at all ritzy.”
    “I don’t believe in wasting money on frivolous things.”
    “Like private jets?” The sarcastic quip was out of her mouth before she could stop it. Whoops.
    Gage’s eyebrows descended. He took the license from her and tucked it into his wallet. “Two of my associates are on parental leave. I’m covering my position in addition to theirs. I’m spending a lot of time in the air, but thanks to HAMC, a lot more time on the job and less time waiting in airport security lines. If I’d been flying commercial today, I would have either missed my flight or had to leave before the job was completed and return to finish my assessment. Either way, that would have cost me money. In the long run flying privately is more efficient since my time and expertise is what people purchase.”
    She grimaced. “Sorry. I guess I have a bit of a chip on my shoulder. I can’t get used to the Hightowers’ conspicuous consumption. They throw away a lot of money on extravagant stuff.”
    “And you don’t?”
    “I’m pretty thrifty.”
    His disbelieving chuckle sent a shiver of awareness through her. “Lauren, you own a motorcycle, a truck and an airplane—all three high-performance, pricy models.”
    Trent again. She smothered a growl of frustration. “Big brother has been talking. Not that it’s any of your business, but for the record, I bought my truck from a salvage yard. Dad, Lou and I rebuilt her together. It gets poor gas mileage, but I need it for work, so I started looking for something more economical to drive.
    “I got my motorcycle at half price by trading the owner for flying lessons. Consider it sweat equity. My airplane was a similar too-good-to-be-true bargain. The owner was having financial difficulties and needed to unload her quickly. He asked around at the airport to see if anyone might be interested in buying it. My fatheroverheard him and told me. I took out a business loan because I make most of my living with that Cirrus. It’s not a toy. It’s my office.”
    A slow smile started in his eyes and spread to his mouth. The combo of gleaming dark eyes and white teeth stole her breath. She leaned back in her chair, putting as much distance between them as possible without actually leaving the table. The odd lightness in her tummy had better be hunger. She couldn’t afford for it to be anything else.
    “You’re a mass of contradictions, Lauren Lynch. I apologize for jumping to conclusions.”
    In that moment she actually liked him.
    He’s the enemy, your half brother’s spy and wealthy. Three strikes.
    The waiter set their meals on the table and departed, but the interruption was enough to allow suspicion to overtake Lauren’s brain. Why was Gage suddenly being so warm and approachable if not to set her up and take her down? He and her brother were in cahoots.
    “It won’t work, Gage.”
    “What’s that?” he asked, looking up from his thick salmon steak.
    “Charming me.”
    One dark eyebrow hiked. “Excuse me?”
    “I’m on to the scheme you and Trent have cooked up. I’ve been burned by one of you rich guys before, and I learned my lesson. I don’t care how attractive you are, I won’t—”
    “You find me attractive?” His eyes crinkled deliciously and a miniature stunt plane did a loop-de-loop in her midsection.
    She frowned at him and ignored his question. “I willnot violate HAMC policies by getting personally involved with you. So stop smiling and flirting.”
    “I’m not flirting.”
    “Oh, please. Don’t bat your lashes at me. I’m not buying that innocent act. And what do you call renting motorcycles and spending the day playing tourist together if you’re not trying to get me to let