by Marlie May
“I’ll get them right away, Sir, and bring them inside.” He handed Eli a luggage receipt. “Give this to the front desk when you check in, and they’ll get someone to bring your bags to your room.”
“Thanks.” Eli took my hand. “Let’s get you inside, honey.”
We crossed the broad, high-ceilinged foyer with chandeliers highlighting ornate, golden trim and paintings of stern old white men hanging on the walls, to the front desk. I gave the concierge my name, and Eli handed her the luggage receipt.
“Ah, Doctor Crawford,” the woman said. Her tag read, Suzie. How can I help you? She squinted at the computer screen. “I see the Juniper Foundation gave you a complimentary upgrade to a suite. It’s in one of the towers. Lucky you! There are only seven rooms in each tower, one per floor. Fortunately, while the north tower is fully occupied, the south—where your suite is located—isn’t, so it’ll be extra quiet. It has a great view. The room’s enormous. And it even has a large, in-room jacuzzi.” Her suggestive look took in Eli standing beside me.
Naturally, my mind immediately shot to us sitting in the jacuzzi. Naked. Then moving to the bed… I was getting ahead of myself. We needed to talk about where this—we—were going before testing that jacuzzi, let alone the bed.
I wanted to tell her that if my life wasn’t in danger, he wouldn’t be here. I’d be sitting in that jacuzzi alone.
However, the predatory interest Suzie showed Eli sparked a feeling I’d never experienced before: jealousy. Which was silly because Eli wasn’t mine. He may never be mine.
And maybe that was why I felt jealous.
“That’s really sweet of the Foundation,” I said. The moment I saw Peter, I’d have to thank him, though I suspected Brianne, his assistant and a friend, might’ve played a big part in this.
“You two are sharing the suite?” Suzie asked, her gaze gliding down what she could see of Eli.
I linked my arm through his and beamed up at him. “Hear that, sweetie?” I winked. “We’ve got to try out that jacuzzi tonight.”
So, I might be laying it on thick, but I couldn’t help it. My eyes were green.
Gaze blazing hotter than a rampant brush fire, Eli leaned in close to my ear and murmured, “Only if you promise not to wear flannel.”
“Actually,” I whispered. Time to drop that bomb. “King bed and…I didn’t bring a nightie.”
He gulped, and “fuck” hissed past his lips. I snickered while his body went rigid. “You…”
“Me?” I said coyly. This wasn’t a true tease because I fully planned to deliver.
“I keep saying it,” he said softly, partly turned away from the clerk to ensure only I could hear. “You are so going to get it.”
“You promise? Because I can’t wait.”
He cleared his throat and tugged on his shirt collar before leaning his elbow on the swirling marble counter surface. “Let’s get this show on the road, then, shall we? I’m eager to check out that…jacuzzi. But first, our associate,” he nudged his head toward Jax, who loomed behind us like the bodyguard he truly was, “needs a room near ours. Next door if possible.”
“Oh,” Suzie burst out. Leaning around Eli, her smile grew even bigger as she took in Jax. “The tower rooms are on individual floors, so I won’t be able to put him next to your suite unless I move you back to the main hotel.”
“Anything on the floor above or below?” Eli asked.
“Let me see.” Clicking on her computer, she nodded. “The suite below yours is free.” She peered at Jax. “Name, sir?”
“Jackson Ramsey,” he said in a deep voice, strolling closer.
Being flanked with two hot guys made my pulse soar. In their tailored jackets and pants, they resembled James Bond on steroids. I swore I could see Suzie’s heart fluttering, and the glance she shot me contained pure envy.
“Yes. Okay,” she said, staring at her computer. “I can put Mr. Ramsey in the room below yours. Will…you be alone, Mr. Ramsey, or is someone joining you?”
“I’m by myself.” He stalked right up to the desk, his face completely neutral. As if he didn’t hear her innuendo let alone see the interest in her eyes. It was clear he did not understand the impact his presence had on women, let alone Suzie. “This room have a king bed? Because I like to stretch out.”
“A king bed, yes.” Head bobbing, her cheeks pinkened. “All by yourself? Now, isn’t that a shame. And you’re here for the conference, as well, I assume?”
He grunted affirmation and turned away from her. His attention passed over me to the woman standing off to my left and he nudged me close enough to Eli our sides brushed, as if he needed to ensure he could thrust himself between me and the woman if she spontaneously pulled a weapon. Considering her cane supported her substantial limp and her blue-gray hair and wrinkles told me she had to be at least eighty, it was doubtful she’d present much threat. But I appreciated that he took this job seriously.
No wonder Flint had hired Eli and Jax. These guys must be dynamite on any assignment.
“Are you a doctor like Doctor Crawford?” the woman asked Jax, pulling his attention back her way.
“No, I’m her—their”—humor filled his dark blue eyes when they slid to Eli—“bodyguard. He’s arm candy.”
Eli scowled but the gleam in his eyes told me he didn’t mind the tease.
“Oh!” She fanned her face. “You’re much cuter than the bodyguard in that movie.” Her quick cough was covered with her hand. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to get personal.” Sure. With a stiffened spine and smoothed face, she handed us our programmed keycards, projecting a more businesslike manner. “Can I do anything else for you?” Her gaze remained on Jax. “Or,”—she coughed again—“Or, yes, for Doctor and Mr. Crawford?”
Eli grinned. “I believe we’re all set. Thanks.”
Suzie’s slender shoulders thrust back. “Here’s my card.” She slid it across the marble surface toward Jax. “You need anything at all, and I mean anything. At any time. Call me.”
Nothing like good customer service. I chuckled as red suffused Jax’s chiseled cheeks, leading me to believe he’d finally picked up on her interest. Really. At this rate, Haylee could strut around in front of him naked and he’d take ten minutes to notice.
“We’d like to sign in for the conference,” I said to Suzie. “Where is it being held?”
“The Foundation has booked the top floor of the main hotel. Gorgeous view of the valley and ski areas from up there.” Standing, she leaned across the counter, pointing to a bank of elevators at the back of the foyer. People bustled around, some pulling rolling luggage, others striding toward the entrance. A few sat on the plush furniture reading books or scrolling on their electronic devices. “You’ll find the conference on the sixth floor. There are signs pointing the way, but you can’t miss it.”
“Perfect,” I said. “Thanks.”
“I’ll have the bellhop bring your luggage to your rooms.”
We rode the elevator to the sixth floor and, upon exiting, walked over to the full wall of glass encasing one wall to take in the view. In winter, everything would be covered with snow and the valley must resemble a scene from the North Pole in a Christmas movie. Shades of every variation of green carpeted the landscape this time of year, interspersed with splashes of colorful flowers. Palatial houses dotted the hillsides on the opposite side of the valley, and the small mountain that housed the hotel sloped gradually downward, the lush surface broken by crushed stone walking paths, a gazebo, and fountains shooting blue-tinted water into the air.
“Look! A moose,” I said, my eyes wide. Hard to believe, but one actually stood on the front lawn munching on grass, seemingly oblivious to the people pointing and snapping photos.
“Haven’t seen one of those in years,” Jax said.
“If you drove around looking, you wouldn’t find one. But they’ll stroll onto your lawn when you least expect it,” Eli said.
Leaving them to the panoramic view, I approached the conference
registration desk.
“Mia!” Brianne, the Foundation President’s assistant, rose and zipped around the desk to give me a big hug. “How you doin’?”
I grinned. “Great. You?”
“Fine.”
“Thank you for the upgrade. We haven’t been to the room yet but I imagine it’s going to be awesome. I feel like a princess.” Disney or otherwise.
Her eyes sparkled. “Knew you’d appreciate it, and Peter said you needed a treat.”
I swept my hand toward the literature lying on the smooth surface. “I see Peter roped you into working registration today.”
“Yeah.” Her full lips twisted, and she tugged on one of her dark braids. “The guy we hired quit. Something about suddenly needing to move to Florida.” Her pretty face stilled. “But we haven’t talked since you got back. Are you okay? I heard about what happened in Mexico. You must’ve been terrified.”
“How did you find out?” I’d told no one about the incident except Flint and even then, I’d stuck with the robbery lie, not revealing anything about the man who’d died in my arms, let alone the bearded guy who’d chased me.
“How did I find out?” Her tweezed eyebrows furrowed. “Can’t remember. Maybe from Peter?” She shrugged. “Or online? I’m not sure.”
Online? I’d be stupid to post anything about the incident on social media. Drawing attention to what happened was the last thing I wanted to do.
Brianne shook her head, making her braids sway across her back. On chunky heels, with the slit in the back of her tight skirt flicking on her thighs, she returned to her seat behind the broad desk. She lifted a packet, extending it toward me. “Here’s your stuff. Your lanyard’s inside, as is a schedule, though I’m sure you know when you’re speaking this afternoon. This isn’t your first rodeo; you know the routine.”
I’d spoken at two other conferences for the Foundation in the past, in different locations.
I nudged my head toward Eli and Jax. “The guys are my guests. I notified Peter this morning that they were coming.”
“Of course.” Brianne handed me badges they could pin to their chests. She nudged her head to her right. “Lunch is informal. You know how Peter is about appetizers being enough for a full meal. But I put my two cents in and he agreed to endless champagne.” The sound of clinking glass and murmurs of conversation drifted toward us. “We’ve commandeered the smaller ballroom, saving the larger one for tonight’s more formal event.” Rising again and coming around the desk, she leaned in close to me. “Either of the guys single? Because…” She grinned and shook her hand as if it had been scorched. “Whoa.”
“Umm, no.” Maybe? I mean, neither of them was officially with anyone. Although, I had high hopes for Haylee and Jax. And Eli…Well, I had very high hopes for Eli and me.
“Girl!” Her elbow nudged my side. “You go.”
“Oh.” I blinked. “The three of us are not…well, only Eli’s with me.” Sort of. I spoke with a voice I strained to keep from sounding possessive. There went my green eyes again. “But Jax…” This felt disloyal to Haylee, but it wasn’t as if my cousin and Jax were a couple. “Jax, the slightly shorter guy, if six-two can be considered shorter, is single.”
“Lovely,” she said. “Maybe you’ll introduce me later?”
Magnet Jax, meet metal once again. How could a guy so hot be this oblivious to his attraction? It was one of the ten mysteries of the world.
“Sure.” After attaching my lanyard around my neck, I nudged my head toward the hall where my on-stage appearance awaited me. My cheeks were going to ache from smiling within fifteen minutes. “See you in a while, then?”
Brianne winked at me, but her attention was fully on Jax. “One second after the last guest has registered.”
I laughed and crossed to the window to give the guys their badges. “Ready?”
“Always,” Eli said.
“Then, let’s go.” I linked my arms through theirs and we strode down the hall. “First up, the smaller ballroom for some mingling during lunch. It’s casual, appetizers.”
Jax grimaced. “Appetizers? Like, little tiny bite-sized bits of food? I’m famished.”
“Just snag something whenever a server passes, and you might take the edge off your appetite by midnight.”
“Where’s a good steak and potatoes when you need them?”
“At dinner?” Though, if I knew Peter, the Foundation would serve something he considered more refined than the hungry man twosome.
Jax came to a full stop. “You didn’t say ballroom, did you? You know I’m an informal kind of guy. I’m not good with chit-chat.”
No one would ever accuse Jax of being too talkative. He epitomized tall, dark, and extra silent. With a hefty dose of brooding thrown in on the side.
“You’re going to do fine.” Was he suggesting he hadn’t attended an event this size before? I knew he was shy because it had taken more than a few batches of cookies for him to squeak out a gruff thanks in my direction, but this was a little extreme. Hopefully, he’d feel okay once he’d gotten inside and could see what he was dealing with.
He slapped his jacket with both palms. “Despite the borrowed duds, I’m not exactly high-class.”
“You look awesome.”
His shaky grin slipped out. “You think so?”
See? Totally unaware of his appeal. “Totally awesome.”
As we continued down the hall, his demeanor grew stiffer. “What are we dealing with here, anyway? Twenty, thirty people? Will anyone be armed?”
I blinked. “This isn’t a hostile foreign country. While I’m stressed about what might happen next, I don’t think strike three will come from this group. These are wealthy donors, not assassins. Bringing two bodyguards with me feels like overkill.”
“Whoever’s after you knows you,” Eli said. “They’ve studied your routine. You attending this conference isn’t a secret. If they’re smart, they’ll find a way to infiltrate the event.”
Infiltrate. As if this was a warzone.
“I know almost everyone here,” I said to reassure him. “And I trust them with my life.” Not that it would come to that. The philanthropy network was smaller than anyone thought and they came because of their generous spirit, not to eliminate the person seeking their donations. “We’re talking two hundred, maybe three hundred people.”
Jax’s lips thinned. “Great. Just great.”
I patted his arm, feeling sad that he appeared stressed. While I was confident he could handle this job no matter what we found inside, I hated seeing him upset. “This is the smaller ballroom. Tonight, the bigger event will be held in the large ballroom but it’ll be with the same guests.” Plus a few who always arrived late due for various reasons. At events like this, there were always stragglers. But he seemed concerned enough already without adding that detail.
Jax nodded, his gaze locked on the door ahead of us. “Let’s do it. A few hours and we’re out of here, right?” All color had blanched from his face.
Taking his arm, I hugged it. It was never easy striding into a new group, projecting a confidence you didn’t feel. “We can take a short break before dinner, but eight, ten hours tops.”
His hand reached underneath the back of his jacket where I knew he must keep a weapon. Color returned to his face, suggesting he found comfort in grounding himself in the job, rather than the situation. “All right, then. I’ll deal.”
We reached the end of the hall, and a sign on an easel indicated we were in the right location. A man in a red and black outfit like the valet’s opened one of the gilded, two-story doors. “Welcome,” he said with a wave to the interior.
Eli and I strode inside, my heels clicking on the glossy marble tiles. Jax followed, grumbling about escaping as soon as possible. Then adding how he hated fancy schmancy events and ties and that he was going to stand out like a pink kitten in a wolf den.
Inside, men and women dressed in their daytime best chatted in clusters. The small ballroom could p
robably hold five-hundred people and, to my surprise, it looked to be at near capacity. Kudos to Peter and the Foundation for drawing such a large group to this isolated location.
A bit more people than I’d expected, but, other than to Jax, this was awesome. More opportunities for me to network and solicit donations.
I snagged a flute of champagne from a passing tray suspended at chin level by a server and peered around while taking a sip of the bubbly refreshment.
Eli rested his palm on my lower back, and Jax hovered on my other side.
As a mix of both introvert and extrovert, I was happy to get out of the house and interact on a regular basis, but I equally savored playing the recluse. Today, my extrovert would need to shine.
Passing on the champagne, Jax and Eli prowled around me like starved panthers until I lifted my eyebrows and waved for them to back off. To work the room for the Foundation, I needed access to someone other than them.
With a quick nod at Eli that must be part of a secret, silent exchange I’d somehow missed, Jax rushed toward the main entrance. Bailing already?
When his lips moved without making much sound, and his finger traced a small, flesh-colored device snugly planted in his ear, I realized splitting up was part of their plan. A device in Eli’s ear matched. Jax leaned against the wall beside the entrance and crossed his arms on his bulky chest, glaring at anyone who came within five feet of him.
“I’ll remain with you,” Eli said softly. “Jax will do ongoing reconnaissance but keep within shouting distance.”
Reconnaissance. “This isn’t an embassy in a hostile country.”
“Just doing my duty, my lady.” His eyes gleamed, and he leaned near. “Later, I’m happy to turn back into your arm candy.”
That brought out my laugh. I savored the heat building between us, knowing that eventually, my job here would be over and we could be alone.
Eli stilled, staring past me.
A man dressed in a custom-made suit came over and gave me a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek.
“Mia, Mia,” Peter said. “Delightful to see you. You have something to drink?”
Smiling, I lifted my glass in a toast. “Lovely event already, Peter. Congratulations.”
