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become. They ll be there for you no matter what. That s more than my family ever did for me.
And what makes you so different from her? You re just using me and my family to get our
money.
I m being honest with you! Do you think I don t know what it s like to be used? My last
boyfriend lied about everything. Every interaction we had was carefully orchestrated so he could
find out more about your brother. And I bought it hook, line, and sinker. I gave him information. I gave
him my body. I was completely fooled. So I understand, Rourke. But get over yourself and grow up.
Rourke slammed his foot on the brake and the truck came to a screeching halt on the deserted
highway. Who s the guy?
What?
The guy who used you. What s his name?
That hardly matters now.
It matters to me. Who is he?
Cali snorted as she turned to stare out the window. Rourke couldn t tell whether she was crying
and the idea of this guy upsetting her that much made his fingers dig into the steering wheel.
What does it matter to you? she asked.
You matter to me.
You don t know me.
I know enough.
Then come to New York with me.
No.
Then there s nothing more to say, is there? She turned back to look him in the eye.
Fine, he bit out as he pushed his foot down on the gas harder than intended. It shouldn t bother
him. She was right. Cali was nothing to him. He d only met her a few days ago. What would he do if
he found out who this son of a bitch trying to get the inside scoop on DevX Tech was? If he got
involved in any way, that would just get him more invested in Luke s life, and that was the exact
opposite of what he wanted.
He was silent as they finished the drive to his renovation property, not sure whether he was
more pissed at Cali for not telling him who this guy was that made her life hell or at himself for
caring so much.
Rourke forced himself to calm down by the time they got to the house. There was nothing he
could do about it now. Here we are, he said, wincing at how gruff the words sounded.
He hopped out of the truck, but Cali was already opening her door and on the driveway by the
time he was at her side.
She looked up at the house and he tried to read her face to get her impression. Somehow her
opinion was suddenly the most important thing.
This place is huge.
That didn t really tell him one way or another what she thought. It is big. The planning was
horrible, though. The bushes put in by the landscaper got too overgrown, but the owners never
trimmed them back. Over the winters, snow would collect between the bushes and the wood siding.
As the heat from the house would melt it and it would refreeze, it caused extensive damage on the
entire outside of the house. The old owners bought it at the top of the market and were in the middle
of massive renovations on the inside of the place when they found out about all the rot happening on
the outside and walked away instead of finishing any of the renovations or fixing anything.
They must ve lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, breathed Cali.
They weren t smart about it. They bought the place for too much to begin with and after all the
damages, they would ve been out a bunch of money anyway. They probably had enough in investments
and trusts that even if they foreclosed, the hit to their credit wouldn t even make a dent. This wasn t a
personal loss. Just a business decision.
Cali wasn t wrong about the place being huge. It was over ten thousand square feet and had
over ten bedrooms and eight bathrooms. Even at the foreclosure price, it had cost him a big chunk.
The outside didn t look all that bad, but the moisture that had gotten into the walls was devastating
and the mold damage was extensive. A lot of the work wasn t anything he could do himself, but he
had good relationships with the local contractors, so he knew he wouldn t get ripped off and would
get good deals.
A cold breeze whipped through the trees that surrounded the property. There were so many, it
was almost as if he and Cali stood in the middle of the forest. It would be a great sales feature when
the house was put on the market. Let s get inside before you freeze to death. He set a hand on the
small of her back and had to hold back a satisfied grin when she didn t swat him away.
Unfortunately, he had to let her go when they reached the door and he fished the key out of his
back pocket. He held the door open for her as she entered the dark entryway. Hold up, he said as
soon as she was inside. Let me get the lights. He flipped the switch and the few bulbs still wired in
lit up.
Oh wow. You weren t kidding about the renovations.
Cali s eyes traveled around the work in progress. The wall that separated the entryway from the
first sitting area was torn down, just studs in its place. They could see straight through to the back of
the house where there was a mixture of high-end finishes and barebones structures.
But the real selling feature of the house was the lake view. He was looking into the cost benefit
of adding a dock feature in the water, but even with only the view, it was breathtaking.
The house was three stories tall, and the main living area was open for all three stories,
allowing for a giant wall of windows. Each of the panes was around six feet tall, and the view of the
bay was completely unobstructed by trees. The dim lights in the house combined with the moonlight
reflecting off the water and gave the entire house a soft glow.
Are you sure you re not going to move in here instead?
Rourke shook his head. Nah. This place is pretty, but there s nothing like your first.
Cali let out a sigh. I can see why you wouldn t want to leave. This place is beautiful.
He looked at the woman next to him, her face illuminated by the moonlight, and he had to keep
himself from telling her that she was the most beautiful thing he d ever seen. She ran her hands up and
down her arms and he realized that she must be freezing. Let me start up the fire. He went to the
wall opposite of the windows, where the gas fireplace was.
You don t have to do that, said Cali.
Well, do you have anywhere better to be?
You know I don t.
Then I might as well make us comfortable here.
Are we staying for a while?
Until I manage to piss you off again. He shot her a cocky grin over his shoulder.
So sooner rather than later?
The fire roared to life, the flickering glow licking over the large room. Or, you know, later.
Hold on. Rourke stood. I ll be right back. He ran out to his truck and pulled his emergency blanket
out of the spot behind the driver s seat before he ran back inside, where Cali was looking out at the
water again. There s no furniture, but at least this way you can sit on the floor without worrying
about a stray nail or anything. Construction isn t the cleanest process.
Well, aren t you romantic. Even so, once he set the blanket on the ground, she tugged on the
corners closest to her to make it as straight as possible. This is sounding more and more like a real
date by the second.
Can t remember the last time I said no to someone this much on a date.
Cali bent down to take off her shoes before she sat on the blanket, wincing as she sat. Not the
most comfortable.
Rourke sat next to her on the blanket over the original hardwood in the house. No complaining
about the floors. These are one of the saving graces of the house.
Not the view?
That and the view. He held out his arm to her. Come here. He half expected her to say no or
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