by J. S. Scott
Tate’s dimple showed in his cheek as he grinned like an idiot, still standing in the spot where Lara had left him. It wasn’t often—okay, it was pretty much never—that any woman didn’t throw herself at him, even the married ones. And it had been way too long since he’d been interested.
She’s not married. Some idiot was stupid enough to let her get away.
It probably should have bothered him that she had basically snubbed him, but he was actually amused. Women didn’t rebuff him, especially when they knew exactly who he was. He was a single Colter male, a billionaire, and a reasonably attractive guy. He wasn’t accustomed to women running in the other direction rather than trying to get his attention.
He’d watched Lara for a while, enchanted when he’d seen her stumble out of the elevator because of her high heels—after he knew she wasn’t going to trip and hurt herself. She’d rallied quickly, and Tate noticed how she surveyed her surroundings alone. Lara wasn’t stupid, and Tate already sensed she was here for a reason other than just a vacation. She seemed very alert, almost too aware of her environment for a woman who was supposed to be on vacation.
There was a mystery to be solved with Lara from the East Coast, and strangely enough, he wanted to figure out exactly what she was doing here in the middle of nowhere.
She didn’t ski.
She wasn’t interested in the hot springs.
Yet, she’d picked Colorado for a vacation?
Was she really nursing a broken heart? Would Rocky Springs really be a place any woman would pick to do that? She didn’t seem intent on enjoying any of the resort amenities or activities.
Hell, he’d think a warmer climate or a more exciting vacation destination would be a better place to heal a wounded heart. Most people came to Colorado in the dead of winter for only one reason: winter sports. There was no other reason to put up with the brutal temperatures and the almost constant snowfall. If he didn’t love the high he got out of his winter sports, his family, and his home state so much, he’d probably be on a nice tropical island somewhere himself right now. Lara was alone and didn’t seem interested in the springs or winter sports, so what was she really doing here?
The do-me dress she’d worn made no sense either. It didn’t exactly invite solitude. But if she was trying to attract a man, why had she been so quick to get rid of him?
All it had taken was a split second of vulnerability he’d seen in her eyes that told him she was being truthful about the cheating boyfriend. But was that really why she was here now? She looked out of place, different from the usual lighthearted vacationers and skiers who were here this time of year. And he had gotten the impression that she was running away from something or someone.
Me?
His grin grew even larger as he walked out of the bar. She had walked away from him quite easily, never looking back, and that intrigued him. It made him all the more determined to know her…and to fuck her.
I lied when I said I didn’t want to fuck her. He did want her…had wanted her since the moment he saw her tripping out of the elevator.
It had been a long time since he’d desired a woman like he wanted Lara—since way before his accident. His cock had been as hard as a rock from the minute he caught a glimpse of her, and his blatant arousal wasn’t going away. She was beautiful, with long blonde hair, soulful brown eyes that seemed to hide a thousand secrets, a gorgeous body that he itched to explore. Her slender legs seemed to go on forever, and there was nothing he wanted more than to have them wrapped around his waist as he pounded into her. They would both be left sated and satisfied.
It had taken all the strength he had not to wrap those silken strands of hair around his hand and taste those plump, gorgeous lips of hers right here in the bar.
But I will taste her. Soon.
She might not land in his bed tonight, but Tate could wait. He was an expert at waiting, picking exactly the right moment to act. She’d definitely be worth it.
I need to find out more about Lara from the East Coast with a stressful job and an asshole for an ex-boyfriend.
That was all he knew about the woman who had aroused his interest and his cock, except for the fact that she was a guest at the resort, but it didn’t matter. He owned part of the resort, so getting access to her information wasn’t a problem. Hell, getting any information about her wasn’t an issue. All it would take was a phone call.
He planned his strategy as he made his way to the reception desk to learn whatever he could about the woman who had brought his libido back with a vengeance.
It had been so long since any woman had awakened his interest, much less his cock, and they both felt pretty damn good. Lara stimulated both, and he knew no other woman was going to do for him now that he’d met her. He wanted her, and he was going to get her, even if he had to play dirty. It had been too damn long since he’d scratched that itch, and now that a woman had brought back his desire for carnal pleasure, he wasn’t letting her get away. She wanted him, too. He could sense it. But something held her back. It wasn’t a game for her, and she wasn’t playing hard to get. She’d truly meant to give him the cold shoulder, ignore him.
Not. Happening.
Tate shot a killer smile at the hotel receptionist and moved behind the counter to access the computer for the resort.
Tate didn’t accept failure well. Never had. He’d have a plan in place before the night was over, his sole objective to get Lara into his bed as soon as possible.
If her heart was really broken, he’d fix it in the most pleasurable way imaginable.
Lara let out an audible yawn as she took the separate elevator from her room that led to the resort gym the next morning. Her stomach rumbled for her breakfast. She’d managed to get into the town of Rocky Springs the night before and found a small family restaurant. The two double bacon cheeseburgers and chili cheese fries she’d consumed last night had worn off, and she was starving.
Workout first.
In a pair of black yoga pants and a gray T-shirt, her hair confined in a ponytail at the back of her head, she was ready to get her workout done quickly. She slugged down the last of her coffee that she’d made in the room and dropped the cup into a trashcan outside the gym. It was early morning, and she expected the gym to be deserted like it had been yesterday morning.
She was wrong.
The door was propped open, and Lara peeked into the large gym, surprised to see a young couple on the large, padded mat in the middle of the room. The brownish-haired man was tall and slender, sporting a white judo gi with a black belt cinched around his waist. The female, dressed similarly to Lara, she recognized as Chloe Colter.
Lara moved closer to the door as she heard the sound of distress in Chloe’s voice. “James, you’re hurting me.”
The man had a hold on the smaller woman’s wrist as he said arrogantly, “You said you wanted to share some of my interests, Chloe. Martial arts require some pain and discipline.”
Lara rolled her eyes and gritted her teeth as she watched him deliberately twist the woman’s wrist in the guise of showing her some moves. The bastard apparently enjoyed his sadistic twist to teaching—something that was obviously apparent to Lara that he wasn’t even qualified to do. He tossed Chloe to the ground with more force than necessary without giving her a reason, or actually teaching her anything.
The bastard just enjoys hurting her. He’s not teaching Chloe a damn thing except pain. The asshole must have a mail-order black belt.
Chloe yelped. “We have to stop. I hurt my back. I don’t understand how to do this.”
Understandable, considering the asshole teaching her wasn’t really instructing. He was punishing.
“Get up, Chloe. You’ll hurt more than once before you understand,” the man said impatiently. He practically yanked Chloe’s arm out of the socket as he forced her to stand. “You said you wanted to lose some of that fat off your body before we get married.”
Lara flinched. Oh, God. This was Chloe Colter’s fianc
é? Unbelievable! He was a major jerk.
“I do want to lose some weight,” Chloe answered dejectedly, a hand to her sore back.
Lara watched in horror as the tall man tossed Chloe again, harder this time.
“Ouch!” Chloe’s outcry was one of real pain. “James, I can’t do this.”
As Chloe’s fiancé reached for the smaller woman’s arm again, Lara exploded into action. The guy was a damn sadist. Chloe Colter wasn’t fat, and her fiancé was a pain-loving bully. What the hell was she doing with a jackass like him? Not only was Chloe pretty, but she was also rich and educated.
Lara hastened to the mat and gently helped Chloe up. “You can watch,” she whispered to the dark-haired woman as she steered her away from the mat and off to the side. “Teaching shouldn’t be painful,” she said in a louder voice. “And you should learn something every time you’re bested. A good instructor will start with the basics, and it shouldn’t be horribly uncomfortable.” She wanted James to hear her last statements, and she let her disdain for the teaching techniques of the man on the mat leak into her voice.
“Who in the hell are you?” His voice was angry and arrogant.
“I’m a guest who doesn’t like your teaching strategies,” Lara retorted fiercely as she turned to face him.
“James, she’s a guest. We should go. I didn’t think anyone would be down this early. We don’t belong here when there are guests present,” Chloe said adamantly from the sidelines.
“You’re just afraid of being thrown again,” James mocked Chloe.
Hell yeah, she is afraid. You’re making her that way…asshole.
“She’s hurting. It’s not appropriate for you to continue,” Lara told him sharply. She could also tell him he was a lousy damn teacher and a cruel jerk, but she kept her tongue. Instead, she suggested, “Why don’t you show her how it’s done? Examples might help.” Lara gave him a saccharine sweet smile.
“I’d happily show her with you,” James answered with a vicious smirk.
It was exactly what she was hoping for, and Lara took up her stance. “Show me.” She wiggled her fingers for him to come and get her.
He came at her roughly and grasped her arm so tightly that she winced. But she used her center of gravity and her own strong grip on his arm to flip his body end over end, leaving him stunned and gasping for breath on his back on the mat.
“You bitch,” he growled menacingly. He rose to his feet, his face red with fury.
“What’s the matter, pussy?” she purred. “Don’t like picking on somebody with some skills?” It had been a clean throw, and he had no reason to be pissed. However, he was obviously a man who didn’t like to be shown up by a woman. He was the type who liked to be the victor—always.
“James, no!” Chloe screamed.
Lara was ready as he attacked her from the back, no longer even trying to pretend he was practicing any kind of martial arts. He was coming in to punish, and Lara already had his number. If he wasn’t playing fair anymore, neither was she. As he wrapped an arm around her throat, she let her elbow fly and nailed him in the solar plexus. Just for good measure, she stomped her sneakered foot into his instep and let her fist fly backward to hammer it into his nose.
He let her go and went slowly to the floor with a horrific bellow. “You broke my goddamn nose.”
Panting with fury, Lara reacted instinctively as another restraining, male arm came around her shoulders. She flipped the big body behind her over her head, but unlike James, this newcomer didn’t release his hold. She found herself hurtling over his body. The two of them rolled over each other and grappled for supremacy. Also, unlike James, this man was good, and he had her subdued in seconds in a hold that wasn’t meant to hurt her, but to make her submit. She raised her knee as he held her body beneath his, but he blocked her attempt.
“Sweetheart, before you try to nail a guy in the nuts, you should make sure you can get away,” Tate Colter rasped in her ear, his muscular body on top of hers. “Settle down. I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I was trying to keep you from trying to kill the novice over there.” Tate jerked his head toward James.
Her heart still hammering with adrenaline, Lara nodded. Her eyes locked with Tate’s. “What are you doing here?” she panted heavily, her breath sawing in and out of her lungs frantically.
Out of the corner of her eye, Lara saw Chloe help James up and take him out of the gym. Her fiancé glared at Lara as Chloe led him away.
“I came to work out,” he answered. His gray eyes swirled with emotion, his body tense. “I didn’t think I was going to walk into a brawl this early in the morning. What the hell happened?”
“Can you let me go?” she requested breathlessly.
“Depends. Are you going to try to kick my ass again?” His eyes lit with devilish humor. “You’re good, baby. You even know how to fight dirty. But I’m better.”
He was better, and that annoyed Lara. Tate Colter had been Special Forces, so she supposed she could give herself a break. He was obviously well trained in more than just judo and Krav Maga.
She inhaled, and his masculine scent enveloped her senses. Lara found herself once again falling into and nearly drowning in the depths of Tate Colter’s intense, gray eyes. “I give,” she told him hastily. Her core clenched from the body-to-body contact, and she suddenly craved even more than just his muscular body on top of hers. This man made her feel feminine in a way she hadn’t felt in a long time…or maybe in a way she’d actually never felt before. It was confusing and disconcerting.
She yanked her wrists free of his body and pushed against his chest. “I conceded.”
He winked at her. “I know. I’m savoring that.”
“Smart ass,” she grumbled, relieved when he finally lifted his body from hers and pulled her gently to her feet.
He was dressed simply in a pair of navy sweatpants and a T-shirt that clung to every muscular inch of his chest, arms, abs, and torso. Lara made herself look away and adjusted her own T-shirt distractedly.
“So why did you decide to beat James’s ass?” Tate asked curiously.
“He was being mean to Chloe.” Lara wandered over to a treadmill and started it at a warm-up speed.
Tate took the treadmill next to hers and hopped on, starting at a walk right beside her. “How did you know who she was?”
Lara thought quickly. “I heard him say her name. She’s your sister, right?”
“Yes. My baby sister. What do you mean by saying he was being mean?” His voice grew irritated and menacing.
Lara grabbed the bar in front of her as she walked in place and stared at the painted forest scenes on the wall. “He was inferring she was fat, which she isn’t, and he was tossing her to the ground without teaching her anything. She said her back hurt, and he was twisting her wrist for no reason except to make things painful for her. But he wanted to keep on tossing her around, even after she admitted that she was hurting. He’s a jackass. Why in the world does she want to marry him?”
Tate shrugged as he sped up his treadmill. “He’s a local doctor now, and she’s known him since high school. We haven’t really seen much of her or him since she graduated from high school except when she was home on break from school. She just graduated from veterinary school last year and started up her own practice here. We’re all glad to have her back home. Honestly, I don’t think any of us know James very well. I’ve heard a few rumors about him, but I thought they were just that…rumors. It’s a small town.”
“If the rumors are saying he’s a cruel, sadistic prick, I’d believe them.” She increased the speed on her treadmill a little more.
He was silent for a few minutes, as though he contemplated her words. “Believe me, I’ll be looking into all of those rumors now. And I’ll start watching over Chloe. I think my brothers and I need to have a talk with her. Thanks for helping her out.”
She nodded, and there was a comfortable silence for a few moments while they both ramped up their speeds on the treadmill
s.
“Do you really come here to the resort every day to work out?” Lara asked curiously, wondering why he didn’t have a gym in his own home. All of the Colters had houses in Rocky Springs, and they all owned their own acreage. They must have large homes here.
“I mostly come to see Mom every day. I didn’t see much of her for years. And then there’s the breakfast buffet. I don’t cook.” He shot her a remorseless grin. “The breakfast here is unbeatable, and it’s a really tolerable buffet with fresh food. All you can eat.”
Lara’s stomach growled. “They have a breakfast buffet here?”
“The front desk didn’t tell you? It’s included for all the guests.” He paused before he added, “And a few intruders like me.”
Lara grimaced. “To be honest, I didn’t give them a chance to tell me much when I got in. It was late and I was tired. I’m starving,” she admitted reluctantly.
“How fast can you finish your run?”
Lara cranked up her speed. “Pretty fast. You?”
“Faster than you,” he shot back jokingly. “And if I get there first, I won’t leave much.”
“I’ll get done faster.” She cranked her run up to full speed. “And I’m a paying guest. You’re actually a moocher,” she protested, starting to breathe heavier.
“That won’t matter if I get the last waffle.” Tate ran on the treadmill, but he hadn’t even broken a sweat.
“Not happening,” she told him adamantly, determined to make it to the food before Tate did.
They finished at the same time, but Tate showered faster and made it to the buffet quicker than she did.
Despite all of his trash talk, Lara had to admit that he was sweet because he made it a point to actually save her some waffles.
Damn, for a small woman, Lara Bailey can eat.
Tate sat across from her at one of the small dining tables in the buffet room and watched her consume her third waffle. She’d already devoured a pile of eggs, sausage, bacon, and toast. Eating those items first hadn’t even slowed her down. Finally, she chewed at a more even pace, but she hadn’t stopped yet.
