by Rachel Lacey
When they opened up the dance floor, she figured why not? She was feeling much better, and a couple of glasses of wine from the open bar had only improved her mood. She moved to the beat of a popular dance song with Carly, Emma, Gabby, and several other women. Their friend Mandy spun around in the center of the group, her red dress twirling. Jessica wished she could be that uninhibited, but no, she was content grooving quietly on the sidelines.
After a couple of dance tunes, the music changed, and a ballad began to play. Dancers coupled up, and Jessica headed for the bar. Halfway there, she almost walked right into Mark. He blocked her path, those dark eyes as serious as ever and locked on hers. “Good to see you back on your feet.”
Something warm and tingly grew in her chest. “Yeah…um, thanks again for the Popsicles.”
He nodded. “Want to dance?”
Dance? Was he serious? “Actually, I was just headed to the bar…”
“One dance. I have a business proposition for you.”
“A what?” And what did that have to do with dancing? “If it’s about the Adrenaline Rush, I already agreed to offer discount coupons to the race participants and a spa package to the winners like I did last year.”
“And we appreciate that, but this is about something else.”
What in the world? “One song. And this better be good.” She narrowed her eyes at him before leading the way to the dance floor. She stopped at a quiet corner in back where they might be able to hear each other talk.
“You look beautiful tonight,” Mark said, and the way he said it made her cheeks heat and her heart flutter.
“Thanks. You look pretty dashing yourself.” Which was true, but this felt a little too much like flirting. She put her hands on his shoulders, keeping an arm’s length between them like one of those awkward middle school dances. And still it felt too close.
His hands settled on her waist, warm and strong, and she could smell the fresh scent of his aftershave. Her heart was already beating too fast, and this was so ridiculous. She had to get this silly attraction under control, and pronto. This was Mark. Been there, done that.
“We lost the land,” he said as they began to sway to the music.
She stopped cold and stared at him. “What? The realtor said you guys had outbid me.”
“We did.” He looked her straight in the eyes. “But then a developer out of Asheville outbid us to build condos on the property.”
Jessica gasped, her hands tightening involuntarily on his shoulders. “Oh my God…but…condos?” Oh no. No no no. She didn’t want condos next door, crammed in between her and Mark’s properties.
“Our thoughts exactly.” Mark’s expression didn’t change, but she knew him well enough to see the frustration in his eyes. “Frankly, we can’t believe the Town Council is allowing it, but apparently they’ve already got preapproval. They’d be luxury vacation rentals, bring some new tourism money into the town.”
“Well, this is a disaster,” she said, still swaying in his arms. “I wasn’t thrilled about a mountain biking course running behind the spa, but you guys respect the land, and I respect what you do. Condos next door?” She scrunched up her face.
“That’s where the business proposition I mentioned comes into play.”
“I’m listening.” Although she couldn’t for the life of her figure out what he had in mind, but if it somehow stopped the condos from being built…
“We team up,” he said. “Together we outbid the contractor, own the land fifty-fifty. You were interested in the flatter areas on the west side to expand the spa. We wanted the hillier area on the east. We both get what we want, and more importantly, we keep the land.”
“Whoa.” Okay, she definitely hadn’t seen that coming. She’d never fully come to terms with losing so this was awfully damn tempting. But…co-owning land with Mark and the other guys at Off-the-Grid?
“We’d be out a lot more money per acre than we would have been initially, but still less total cost than either of our original offers on the full property.”
“But co-owning?” She could feel herself frowning.
His espresso eyes were as closed off as ever so why did she think she saw a flicker of disappointment in their depths? “We could do a separate sale at a later date, split the acreage, buy each other out.”
Dammit, that was an awfully hard offer to refuse. And he was right: The land should be big enough to share. Best of all, no condos. And she could still build her resort. “Okay,” she murmured over the music. “I’ll do it.”
Mark’s expression lit up, and she almost kissed him for it. “That’s great. We can meet tomorrow and work out all the details?”
She nodded and then dropped her hands from his shoulders and turned to leave.
He didn’t let go of her but instead smiled. “Song’s not over yet.”
Was Mark Dalton flirting with her? Stunned, she just stared at him for a long second. And then, because she’d clearly lost her mind, she settled into his arms for the rest of the song.
CHAPTER FOUR
Mark resisted the urge to bury his face in Jess’s soft hair and inhale her scent as they danced. She smelled like an exotic combination of flowers and incense, a scent as familiar as it was intoxicating. She’d been burning incense for as long as he’d known her, and he’d never been able to smell it since without thinking of her.
It smelled like sex and fantasies.
His fingers tightened on her waist. She tipped her face up, her brown eyes locking on his. Her red lips were plump and glossy, parted slightly, and he felt his head dipping toward them, drawn to her like a parched man to a desert mirage. His heart beat a frantic rhythm against his ribs.
Jess sucked in a breath, leaning forward. Her breasts pressed against his chest, and he silently cursed the many layers of his tuxedo for muffling the sensation. Still, a hot thrill raced through him, scorching every nerve ending in his body.
Her warm breath teased his lips, and he was absolutely fucking lost.
Someone bumped into Jess, knocking her sideways. She cleared her throat, stepping backward out of his arms. “The, ah, the song’s over.”
And just like that, the moment was over too. Mark rocked back on his heels.
“Thanks for the dance,” she said, her voice slightly husky.
He nodded. “I’ll call tomorrow about the land.”
She turned and walked away, weaving through the crowd. He watched the way that blue dress hugged her slender waist and flared around her hips. So beautiful.
He drew several slow, deep breaths and then made his way off the dance floor. Weddings weren’t exactly his gig, and that encounter with Jess had left him feeling raw and restless. Too many people. Too much noise. It was time for him to melt into the background until he could leave without being impolite.
He strode toward the exit, intent on the vacant darkness beyond.
“Hey there, Good Lookin’. You want to dance?”
He looked down to see a petite blonde standing in front of him in a low-cut silver dress that revealed ample cleavage. With a grunt, he shook his head and dodged around her.
“Let me know if you change your mind!” she called out from behind him.
Not a chance.
“Yo, what did Jessica say?” Ryan stepped into his path, a beer in each hand. He handed one to Mark.
So much for making a quick escape. He took the beer and drank. “She’s on board.”
“Great, man. That’s great.”
Mark nodded. “It is.”
He and Ryan walked over to the bridal party’s table to tell Ethan the good news. From there, he got sucked into a conversation with Trent, Ryan’s younger brother. Trent had a friend who was thinking about enlisting and looking for some advice.
Then Ethan and Gabby went out onto the dance floor to cut the cake.
“I hope Gabby knows what she’s in for,” Ryan muttered.
Mark smiled in spite of himself. Surely Ethan’s new wife knew exactly what s
he’d married into. The man was an incurable jokester. No way he wasn’t going to smear that cake all over her face. As they watched, Ethan and Gabby each took a bite of cake to feed each other, intertwining their arms as they went. Ryan leaned forward in his chair, grinning like a fool. Beside him, Emma looked similarly engaged.
Gabby and Ethan lined up their hands in front of each other’s mouths, but at the last moment, Gabby ducked down, simultaneously smashing her handful of cake into Ethan’s face. The tent erupted with raucous laughter and whoops.
Smiling victoriously, Gabby gave a little bow before handing her husband a napkin. Ethan was laughing hysterically as he wiped bits of cake and frosting from his face.
“That’s my girl!” Emma announced proudly, pointing in Gabby’s direction.
“He totally had that coming,” Ryan said, looking impressed.
Indeed, it was about time someone put Ethan in his place, and it seemed Gabby was just the woman for the job. Soon after, plates of cake were being served at their table. Mark dug into his with gusto. He’d always had a sweet tooth, but he’d gone years without anything nearly this good while he was overseas. Fucking delicious.
“Mmm,” Emma said from across the table. “Carly really outdid herself on this one.”
Carly owned A Piece of Cake bakery downtown. Mark had never been inside the bakery, but being part of the same circle of friends meant he’d gotten to enjoy her baking a few times anyway, and he hadn’t had anything yet he didn’t like. After cake and coffee, the music slowed again and the dance floor filled with couples. Even Trent had found a girl to dance with.
Mark seized the chance to make his exit. He wove between tables and out into the cool, crisp night. Overhead, the sky twinkled with stars. Looking up at them, he could almost think he was back in the desert. But instead of gunfire, the night around him was peppered with music, voices, and the tinkling of dishes. Right then, he missed the sound of gunfire, the adrenaline rush that came with it, the sense of calm that descended over him right before he jumped headfirst into the enemy’s lair.
He followed the path toward a fountain splashing at the other end. When he saw someone else sitting there, he started to turn away. He needed to be alone right now, had used up his capacity for casual conversation for the night, but her profile stopped him in his tracks. “Jess.”
She turned, silhouetted by the sliver of moon overhead. “Mark? What are you doing out here?”
“Same as you, I reckon.” He pushed his hands into his pockets and watched the spray of water as it splashed into the pool behind her.
She was silent for a moment, which suited him fine. “Just needed some air,” she said finally.
“Me too.”
“Beautiful wedding.”
“Yeah.” He watched her, captivated by the sheen of her lips in the moonlight.
“Think it’s too early to make an escape?” she asked suddenly.
He cocked his head. “I was just wondering the same.”
“I need to be out of here before they toss the bouquet.”
“Why’s that?”
She made a sound of frustration. “It’s just…a stupid, embarrassing tradition.”
Well, he’d never thought about it that way, but there was no way in hell he’d get out on that dance floor with all the other single guys here and try to catch flowers or anything else. “I can see that.”
“I don’t want to hurt Gabby’s feelings though.”
“I’m sure she’d understand. Just tell her you’re still feeling ill from the flu.”
Jess sighed. “That’s not even a lie. I think I’ll do that. Thanks, Mark.” She stood and started walking back toward the brightly lit tent behind them.
He stayed by the fountain, allowing the shadows to swallow him up. No matter how badly he wanted to see her to her car, for any number of reasons it was best to let her make her early exit alone.
* * *
Jessica woke up late the next morning, intensely grateful that the spa didn’t open until noon on Sundays. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she remembered the wedding. That dance with Mark. The crazy moment when she’d been sure they were about to kiss…holy crap. A burst of heat spread through her at the memory. Okay, she needed to step up her dating game ASAP because this attraction to Mark was getting out of control.
What was that about anyway?
Maybe it had to do with the thoughtful, honorable, sexy man he’d become. But he’d been all those things in high school too and look how that had turned out. Deep down, he was still the same man who’d cut her out of his life without a second thought, who’d do it again the next time he got restless. Couldn’t fault him for being who he was.
He wasn’t the man for her, and it was past time for her to suck up her pride and get back in the online dating game. Problem was, she was pretty sure she’d already gone out with every available guy in the area that she had anything in common with. Pitfalls of small town living.
Ugh.
She got up, lit some Nag Champa in her incense burner, and spent the next half hour cleansing her energy through meditation. By the time she’d finished, she felt much better—and more optimistic. The right man would come along. Of course he would.
In the meantime, she showered and got ready for work and then fixed herself a grilled cheese sandwich since it was closer to lunchtime than breakfast and she was starved. She washed it down with a much-overdue cup of tea. Her phone showed a text from Mark.
Okay if I stop by around 6?
She typed back: I’m working until 6. Make it 7?
See you then, he replied.
Another thrill shot through her, and this one had nothing to do with Mark, or nothing to do with her attraction to him anyway. But the land! If this business partnership worked out, she would get to build her resort after all. And soon. Since she still had a few minutes before she needed to leave for work, she went to her laptop and pulled up her business plan as the bubble of excitement inside her grew.
There would be eight spa cabins to start, each of them equipped with their own personal hot tub fed by the natural hot springs. She envisioned an open area at the center of each cabin so that her guests could soak beneath the stars. Maybe with retractable screens overhead so that the area could be closed during bad weather.
It was going to stretch her budget to its limits to pull this off, but her credit would support a small business loan to help get her up and running. A little hard work had never scared her. She was going to do this, and it was going to be fabulous.
Smiling, she gathered her things and headed for the spa. She worked a solid six hours with a spring in her step and visions of spa cabins dancing through her head. She made it home just in time to change out of her spa uniform before Mark was knocking at her door.
As she walked to answer it, she realized with a start that the pain in her knee was gone. Like, totally gone. Huh. Well, that was good news, especially since she had another training run planned with the girls of Team Flower Power tomorrow. Then she pulled open the door and forgot all about it because Mark stood there in a worn blue T-shirt and khaki cargo shorts, and oh my, he was a sight to see.
“Hey,” he said, a smile softening the corners of his mouth.
“Come in.” She pulled the door open, inviting him inside. “Can I get you anything? Coffee? Tea?”
“No thanks.” He held out the papers in his hand. “I’ve got some numbers for us to look over. Ryan wanted to be here too, but he’s holding down the fort at Off-the-Grid right now since Ethan’s on his honeymoon.”
“Okay.” She motioned for him to sit next to her on the couch.
“Once we agree on all our terms, Ethan knows a lawyer who can write up the agreement for us, free of charge. It should be fairly straightforward. We just need to agree on a competitive offer to top the builder. We’ll be equal owners in all respects, with the option to separate the land and buy each other out at a later date.”
“Sounds good to me.” She’d known a
ll three of these guys since they were teenagers and trusted them not to try to screw her over. “How will we divide up who gets what?”
“I’ve got a topographical map here if you want to try to hash it out now or we can just wing it after we buy the land. From our meeting with Gordon McDermott last week, it seemed like you were interested in a different part of the property than we are. We don’t need that much space for our mountain bike course. Should work out.”
Jessica reached for the map he’d indicated. He was right. They’d probably be fine, but the businesswoman in her felt like she needed to have some clear boundaries defined in their contract. “Show me where you’re planning to put the mountain bike course?”
He leaned in, pointing toward the elevated area on the left-hand side of the map, part of which wrapped around awfully close to the space she wanted for her cabins.
“And I want to build from here to here.” She swiped her finger across the map, landing next to Mark’s. “But I don’t want a mountain bike course running right behind my cabins.”
Mark’s brow furrowed. “We’ll work it out.”
“Yes, but a spa is, by definition, where people go to relax and unwind so I need to make sure there’s enough space between us that they aren’t listening to your clients being rowdy on the mountain bike course.”
“Okay.” Mark looked over and met her eyes, waiting for her to offer a solution.
She rubbed her brow, where a migraine seemed to be brewing. The headaches and fatigue had persisted for a week now after getting over the flu, and she was really friggin’ sick of it. If she didn’t feel better soon, she might have to go back to the doctor. “What if I move my cabins over this way a bit, closer to the stream?”
“And we could do the course like this.” He traced again with his long, calloused finger, indicating a route that kept the mountain bike trail farther from her cabins.
“So, if we divide the land right through here, we should be good.” She traced an imaginary line and then looked up at Mark for his approval. He nodded. She reached into the drawer of her coffee table and came up with a yellow highlighter, which she used to draw the line separating her half of the land from Off-the-Grid’s.
