“Um…” This was not what Lucy had signed up for when she agreed to the massage. “I’m not really comfortable talking about this.”
“If you can’t talk with your girlfriends, who can you talk to?”
True, but that rule was probably meant for girlfriends who had been in her life longer than five minutes.
“Will and I aren’t intimate.” Damn. Seriously, Lucy should never say the first thing that came to mind. She burrowed her face into the headrest at the end of the table.
“Ever?” Sarah sounded shocked.
“No, he and I…we…uh…the thing is…” Lucy licked her top lip. What was she supposed to say? “He’s impotent.”
Damn. That was so not what she should have said. She glanced to Sarah.
“What happened?” Sarah’s Precious Moment’s eyes got huge.
“Syphilis. It was a whole thing.” Lucy swallowed and dug her forehead into the headrest of the massage table. Stop talking, stop talking, stop talking.
“Syphilis? Like what killed Al Capone?” Sarah darted her hand out across the space between their tables to squeeze Lucy’s. “I am so sorry.”
“He…uh…got treated. It was after he met me. Before. I mean before. Before he met me. The thing is…” Lucy’s pulse quick-stepped, and she tried to calm herself down with deep breaths.
“All done.” Rebecca moved the sheet back up along Lucy’s shoulders. “Take your time getting up and be sure to drink lots of water today.”
Rebecca and Sarah’s therapist made a hasty exit. Lucy lay perfectly still.
“You love him anyway, so you stuck with him. Oh, girl, you are a God’s honest blessing to that man,” Sarah said, all dreamy.
Lucy cringed. William was going to kill her. “Please, you can’t tell anyone. He’s really embarrassed about it. You have to promise.”
“Girlfriend’s honor. I’m so sorry you have it so hard. My church group will add you to our prayer chain.”
“No, no. Please, you cannot tell anyone.” Lucy bit at her bottom lip. William could not know what she’d said. Ever.
“Promise,” Sarah agreed, but Lucy wasn’t convinced.
Seriously, where was a Bible when you needed someone to swear on one? The Gideons apparently hadn’t visited Twin Lakes yet. This was the only hotel she’d ever stayed at that stocked condoms instead of Bibles in the nightstand.
Chapter Eleven
Carbonated bubbles popped along the surface of Lucy’s third Diet Coke. She sat alone at a wooden table in a large barn near the edge of Twin Lakes’ small, town square. Sheesh, she thought Confluence was small. Twin Lakes had a lodge, a bar, a post office, and a gas station that doubled as a general store. And a big ’ol barn.
The barn was primitive, the planks weathered from decades of nature’s abuse. Someone had taken a great deal of time to deck the vast room with twinkling strands of white lights hanging haphazardly from the rafters. A raised stage across the room contained a bluegrass band with fiddles and banjos, along with a man in full drag impersonating Dolly Parton.
It was long past time to two-step, and William still hadn’t arrived. Sure, he had texted he was running late, and she should go on ahead, he would be right behind her. But that was hours ago.
Her phone buzzed with another William text.
Uh-huh. If “nearly there” meant what it did thirty minutes ago, then he’d arrive somewhere around nine a.m. tomorrow morning.
She’d already worked the barn for hidden camera footage and chatted with the other guests to find out how their experiences had gone.
If she wasn’t stuck in a pretend marriage without a ride back to the cabin, she would have called it quits and evacuated. Since Sarah and Max had driven her there and then hit up the dance floor, she was stranded.
Alone.
In a barn.
Like a cliché country song.
Even with the chilly evening breeze through the open windows, it had warmed inside by the time Dolly announced a break. The swarm of people shifted, and an energy she didn’t understand pulled Lucy’s gaze intuitively toward the door. William stood there, his jaw tight, glancing around the room. Her whole body tingled with awareness when he caught her gaze, relaxed his shoulders, and stalked forward.
Lucy studied her drink for a few beats, glancing up just as he reached her. He leaned in to plant a kiss on her forehead. Her body buzzed with inappropriate anticipation clear to her toes. “Luce. I’m so sorry. That took longer than it should have.” His gaze moved over her. “You’re beautiful.”
Of course she looked beautiful, thankyouverymuch. Sarah had done an exceptional job with her. The gift shop at the lodge was lacking, so Sarah insisted they visit the outlet stores in the next town over. The denim button-down shirt she bought was tucked into a gauzy, cream skirt that hit right above her knee. She finished with an oversize brown leather belt and rhinestone cowgirl boots. Sarah tried to convince her she needed a cowboy hat as well, but the woman at the salon had painstakingly curled Lucy’s hair. Lucy loved the curls entirely too much to even consider smashing them with a hat. Even the kickass one Sarah had found.
“Where’d you go?” she asked.
“Had an emergency. My attorney called. We had papers to sign and some Crestone stuff came up she needed to talk to me about. I’m sorry it interfered with everything.” He sat next to her and pulled her against his side.
In that moment, Lucy didn’t particularly care where he’d been because something about the familiar touch drove her slightly crazy.
“It’s remarkably hard to stay pissy at you,” she huffed.
He squeezed her hand. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She tucked a curl behind her ear.
“How’d things go today?” His finger tapped along with the country song.
“Well… I’m glad you asked. I met a lovely family with two kids who had a watch go missing from their room the other day. They were kayaking at the time.”
The watch turned out to be fairly expensive and had been left in their suitcase—a gift from his grandfather.
The speakers blared louder. Will leaned closer. “Any leads?”
“They said they told the front desk, but I couldn’t find a police report or anything.” She had to yell over the music. “Front desk said if it wasn’t in the safe, there’s nothing they can do. I asked around at the spa, too, to see if anyone there had similar stories. Nothing on that front. But I got my massage.” She shrugged. “So not a total loss.”
He grinned her way.
“Oh, and Sarah and Max were asked to give a little incentive to the front desk in order to transfer our suite to them.” She dropped the bomb and twirled a curl with her finger like what she’d said was no big deal.
His mouth dropped. “That’s amazing. Looks like we have a story.” His expression softened. “You’re amazing.”
Dolly began singing about why someone would come in here lookin’ like that. William tugged at Lucy’s hand.
“Spent the day cleaning up messes. Now, I’ve got a promise to keep.” He pulled her to the side of the dance floor. Lifting her hand in his, he adjusted her palm on his shoulder before running his hand along her back to her waist. Traces of cedar and the earthy smell of straw hay-bales amplified the woodsy scent that was his alone.
He nudged her backward, “Relax and follow me, yeah?”
She stepped on his foot. “Sorry,” she muttered.
“It’s fine. Relax. I’ll do the work.” He stepped forward as she stepped forward, knocking into him.
“Sorry,” she repeated. Geez, this is exactly why she never went to dances in high school. This, and the fact no one ever asked her.
“Take a breath. Watch my eyes, go backward, and don’t worry about your feet. They’ll follow.”
She couldn’t meet his gaze, not plastered this close against him. His thigh brushed intimately against hers, the movement pushing her along, his hand at her back to guide her.
Counting as he moved with her, she
wouldn’t meet his eyes. He moved his mouth to her ear and whispered, “I confess my day got a whole lot better when I walked into a barn in the middle of nowhere to find you looking like this.”
The barn was warm, but she shivered. He tucked her closer.
Nice.
“A natural,” he whispered.
She leaned her head back and grinned. He traced a hand along the curve of her back as one song blended into another, and another. Damn. Maybe she should have found someone to take her to a dance in high school. She clearly had no idea what she’d missed out on. He held her tight, her cheek resting against his chest.
For the first time in a long time, she found peace. Peace that had come in a loud, drafty barn filled to the brim with what appeared to be the entire population of Twin Lakes.
The music stopped, but she didn’t release her hold.
“Princess, song’s over.” His voice was husky, like it had been the night before when he climbed into bed at the cabin.
Right.
She started to step away, but he caught her and pulled her back to his chest so they both faced the stage. He settled his hand at her hip in what appeared to be a gesture of possession—a gesture that sent a stampede of butterflies straight through her.
“Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we have a very special couple with us celebrating their honeymoon at Twin Lakes,” Dolly boomed over the speakers.
William’s fingers tightened. Lucy’s heart dropped. She glanced around, her gaze landing on Sarah near the bar. She gave Lucy two thumbs-up and a wink.
Oh no.
The room plunged into darkness. Lucy squinted as a spotlight focused where she stood with William. Dolly clanged a spoon against an empty wine glass. “What d’ya say? A kiss from the newlyweds?”
“Crap,” Lucy said to no one in particular.
Everyone watched. Lucy’s stomach felt like someone had danced right over it.
Okay. Not a big deal. It wasn’t like it was her first kiss or anything. And she’d only fantasized about this moment with William for, like, her entire teenage existence, so doing it in front of a room of strangers headed by a drag queen wasn’t a big thing.
Nope, it was a huge thing. Massive.
“Luce, breathe,” William whispered in her ear as the crowd began to clap.
He turned her so she fit in his arms face-to-face. His sharp, golden eyes softened. She curved her hand around the edge of his collar as he moved to erase the final millimeters separating them.
The applause on the dance floor increased, and with the added boot stomps, the whole barn moved. Or maybe it was just Lucy’s world tilting on its axis. She sucked in a shallow breath. And then, because she was clearly in an alternate reality, he tilted his head and the rest of the space separating them disappeared.
Holy. Crap.
On that note, her eyes drifted closed.
He tasted like spearmint gum as his lips moved gently against hers before settling deeper, demanding more, the bristle of his stubble a tempting contrast to smooth lips.
He could kiss. Not just kiss, but kiss.
He had to be the one to break the bond since she wasn’t remotely coherent enough to do it herself. If it were up to her, they would have stayed lip-locked for hours, days even. No need for food, water, shelter, or air or anything, because the only thing she needed for survival was him.
The glow filling her slipped abruptly away when he dropped her hands. She slid her eyelids open, and the spotlight clicked off. Cheers died off, and the crowd pressed around them as the music kicked up.
William’s face was an unreadable mask as the mass of people forced him farther from her, deserting her on the rough wooden planks of the dance floor. She should’ve expected that he’d desert her again. But stupid, she’d dropped her guard.
A large male body bumped hers along, transporting her through the swirling crowd of people.
The pungent scent of heavy tobacco smoke, whiskey, and cloying-sweet cologne scorched her nostrils. She jerked her head around, shoving frantically as she was pushed through the barn. Her heart thumped erratically. She scanned for an exit route and shoved through the door to the parking lot.
Frigid mountain air filled her lungs. Her body began shaking, and her teeth chattered. She was sixteen again. Unwanted. Not good enough.
In a failed attempt to control the tremors, she wrapped her arms around herself.
Alone again.
Chapter Twelve
What did he say to the woman who rocked his world with a kiss?
Nothing. William had said nothing to Lucy.
The two of them had enough chemistry to split thousands of damn atoms and make them dance a happy, merry jig.
True to form, he had screwed it up. Life wasn’t a goddamned fairy tale. It wasn’t his fault he hadn’t anticipated that insane kiss.
Insanely good. In a really not good, totally threw-him-off-his-game kind of way. Insane in that his mind had stopped working, and he’d slipped into some kind of earthquake of confusion when he let her go. The crowd had moved in, and she had disappeared.
Vanished.
He rubbed an exhausted hand over his face at the memory. It was all his fault.
He had found Lucy leaning against his truck in the parking lot. She had been distant when she asked him to take her to the cabin. When they returned, she had immediately changed into her Princess pants and collapsed into bed.
Now, he sat across the room as she slept. Even in sleep, she was stunning. More than that, being with her was generally, well… fun. He missed having fun in his life.
From habit, he slid the worn envelope from his pocket and tapped it against his chin. What advice would his mother have given him about Lucy?
Mom would’ve loved Lucy’s fierce independence and work ethic. Not just because Lucy was a good producer, but because she was real. And a kick to be around.
Right now, though, his time was currently divided between masquerading as a consumer reporter, handling the Crestone acquisition, the Colorado Springs merger, and proving he was up to the task of running the multi-million-dollar company.
Which meant he didn’t have time for a serious relationship. More than that, he didn’t deserve her. He wasn’t an idiot. Lucy was too good. Him? Not so much. He’d never earn the right to lay claim to someone like her.
Lucy as short-term enjoyment? Yeah, that was fine, but the woman behind that lip-lock wasn’t for temporary entertainment. No, that liaison was charged with the undercurrent of a whole lifetime of responsibility.
Lucy shifted on the bed and pushed herself up. Her gaze moved across the room, searching.
For him? His gut clenched.
“What’re you doing?” The just-awake-middle-of-the-night tone she used was ten steps past sexy.
“Couldn’t sleep.” He sat on the end of the bed and placed the envelope on the nightstand. He set a hand on her ankle, like he had when she kicked him that morning.
“You won’t get to sleep sitting up.” The warmth was missing from her brown eyes tonight. They drifted closed, and she laid her head on the pillow.
She had a point.
He climbed into bed and rested his hands on his chest.
Her breathing evened out in the telltale beat of slumber.
There was no way he could take whatever this thing was between them further. He’d start setting his own boundaries and respecting hers.
Sleep had nearly found him when she shifted to rest her head in the crook of his shoulder. Without waking, she curled into him as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
Now what the hell was he supposed to do? He swallowed hard.
Little sounds and half-coherent words occasionally slipped from her mouth. His chin brushed against her hair, and he inhaled the scent of coconut shampoo. So Lucy. All real.
But not his.
After a while, he closed his eyes, savoring for a moment the woman he wouldn’t allow himself to pursue.
…
W
illiam woke early and disentangled himself from Lucy. She didn’t wake when he rose from the bed and left to grab video and talk up the staff. So far their hidden cameras in the cabin showed nothing.
They were close, though. He could feel it. Two more days to snoop around, ask questions, and tie up the story. Two more days. He could keep his distance from Lucy that long. Hell, he’d just give her the space she’d been pursuing herself. When the story was finished, he’d let her continue on her path of avoiding him.
A few hours and a hike to and from the lodge later, he returned with an entire Thermos of dark roast. Lucy was up, the bed made. In snug fitting jeans and a Twin Lakes T-shirt, she dried her wet hair with a towel. Her bag lay open on the bed, and she rummaged through it with her other hand.
His gaze drifted to her ass-cupping jeans.
“Hey. You brought me coffee?” she asked, more than a little shock in her voice.
“Cream and sugar, too.” He set the coffee on the table and snagged two enamel camp-style mugs from the counter.
“Will?” She settled at the table.
“Yes?”
“Thanks.” She raised her mug in a semi-salute before sipping.
She toyed with the handle. Neither of them said anything more. Best to address the awkwardness head on.
He moved the chair next to her and sat. “What happened yesterday at the barn—”
She held a hand up in the universal sign for him to stop, not up for discussion. “Nothing happened.”
He pressed his lips together. He certainly didn’t expect his heart to shrink at the declaration. “You want to play it this way?”
“It’s not a game.” She gripped her cup between her hands.
“Fine. Nothing happened,” he clipped. Except, everything had happened.
“What’s on the agenda today?”
“Didn’t get that far. Figured you’d need caffeine before any communication, so I got on that.”
“I’m up for whatever. What can we do at the lodge to give the staff lots of time to come in and out?” She twirled a piece of hair with her finger.
He couldn’t seem to jerk his gaze from that strand of hair. Like some trick of the mind, he just stared at it. “I’m glad you asked. Today is group therapy for the honeymooners.”
The Honeymoon Trap Page 10
