“You going to at least buy me a cold drink?”
I sigh and get ready to tell him to buy his own damn drink, when we’re interrupted.
“I’ll buy you a drink. Angel’s Envy on the rocks, right?”
For the first time since Kase showed up, I’m aware of Julie’s presence. Kase glances toward her but doesn’t meet her flirty smirk. His expression is empty, unreadable.
“I’m good. Thanks.”
Julie leans in, hands wide on the bar and chest pushed out for Kase’s benefit, no doubt. “I haven’t seen much of you lately. How long have you been back?”
“A few weeks,” he says flatly, returning his attention to me. “Now about that chat.”
“Huh.” Unaffected by Kase’s obvious disinterest, Julie chews on her lip and gives him a thorough once-over. “You should come to Mackie’s tonight. I’m working the bar.”
I balance the tray on my palm and turn away so Julie can’t see me roll my eyes. I can’t take a second more of her shameless flirting, and my customers are waiting. I head toward them without another word, cursing her inwardly. No doubt she would take Kase to bed in a heartbeat, but the thought of having to counsel her through that one makes me feel homicidal. She can sleep through half the town, but Kase McCasker is off limits. I’m sure he’s been with other people, but I’d rather endure torture than hear about it.
“Here you go. Let me know if you need anything else.” I place the drinks in front of the young couple, and they thank me.
When I turn, Kase is settling into an empty chair in my section.
I walk over, hand on my hip. “My father won’t be happy you’re here, you know.”
He sits back casually and stretches his legs out, crossing them at the ankle. “On the contrary, he seemed pretty happy to see me.”
I pause. “Did you talk to him about selling the land?”
“I did. I think we have an understanding.” His gaze glides over the panorama.
Now I want his eyes on me. I want the truth. “What understanding? What did you tell him?”
“Same thing I told you. He gets what he wants if I get what I want.”
“What?” My voice is nearly a shriek. I’m certain all the blood has left my face. He couldn’t have told my father about his offer. He must be joking, trying to rile me up.
Then he shifts his focus to me. “You spend two weeks at the farmhouse with me, and Edwin will sign on the dotted line to sell him the land just like they talked about years ago. Same deal. That gives him enough time to line up his investors again, and it gives me time to do what I need to do.”
“What exactly is that?”
He hesitates a second. “I think I made my intentions pretty clear last night, don’t you?”
The heat in his stare threatens to knock me on my ass. That confusing flood of emotions crashes over me again. I’m somewhere between outrage and desire, but I’m no doubt blushing like a schoolgirl.
“My father may want that land more than anything, but that’s not enough to make him barter his daughter’s virginity. If that’s what you proposed to him, I’d suggest you find a safe place behind a locked door. He does own guns.”
He chuckles. “I may be determined, but I’m not stupid. All he knows is that I want you to spend some time on the property before we turn it over. Your father may think it all amounts to a trash heap, but the land and everything on it will be yours eventually. You want to build on your family’s legacy, right?”
“Of course,” I say.
“Then it’s only fair that you spend a little time recognizing mine before you make the call about what stays and what gets bulldozed in the name of expansion.”
He uses air quotes when he says “expansion.” As much as I know the plan to expand the hotel’s accommodations and grounds is a smart one, I can’t ignore the twinge of guilt I feel.
“You don’t have to do this,” I say.
He rises slowly and comes to me. We’re only a few feet apart. I can feel his heat even from this distance.
“The decision’s been made on my end. I’m just waiting on you, June.”
I fold my arms tightly across my chest. Maybe to keep from touching him. Maybe to deter him from touching me and destroying all sense of reason—something I seem to have a lot less of lately.
“How do I know you’ll honor your agreement? What if you take what you want and back out like your dad did?”
“I already put it in writing along with Edwin. Ask your father. He seemed satisfied with the terms.”
We stand that way for a few silent seconds as I contemplate his proposal and how I can possibly agree to it.
“You’re really serious about this,” I finally say. “You’re ready to sell the property if I do this?”
A small smile curves his lips. “Let’s just say that seeing you again brought things into focus for me.”
“What will you do after?”
He shrugs. “Never know where the future will take us.”
I sigh and stare out at the mountains. They’re silent, like gods of stone, offering no help in my current predicament.
“What do you say, June?”
I turn back. “One week.”
He shakes his head. “Two. It’s a big piece of property. If you need space, you’ll have plenty of it. I still have my work to do, so you’ll have your days to yourself. Your nights belong to me.”
“I’m already scheduled for shifts here—”
“It’s taken care of. Your father will make arrangements for your absence from the hotel for the next two weeks, starting tomorrow. No shifts on the veranda. No emergencies you need to attend to. Anything like that voids the agreement. The next fourteen days are mine, and I plan to take full advantage of them. I just need an answer. Yes or no.”
I swallow hard. “What if I say no?”
An irrational fear spikes through me as I contemplate that. What if I turn him down and another four years goes by without him in my life? What if yesterday’s temptations become the last, a fresh set of memories to agonize over until I can find someone to make me forget him?
He reaches up and traces my lower lip. “Don’t say no.”
How can I? Have I ever wanted anything or anyone more than Kase?
“Fine.” I exhale a shaky breath and unfold my arms. “I just have one condition of my own.”
He barely masks a grin. Sunlight seems to dance in his blue eyes. “What is that?”
“We don’t do…that…until I’m ready.”
He’s eerily silent so I keep on.
“I just don’t want to feel pressured and ruin the moment. I want it to be good. I mean, for both of us obviously. What I’m saying is…” I gesture awkwardly and avoid his penetrating gaze. How can negotiating about how and when I lose my virginity be anything but awkward? “I just want to have a say in it, okay?”
A few tense seconds pass, but I press my lips together tightly to avoid spilling more of my fears.
“Look at me, June.”
I look up as he leans in, close enough to threaten the last of my defenses.
“When I fuck you,” his voice is low, lighting a fire under my skin, “you’ll have more than a say in it. You’re going to beg for it. And if you don’t want to share my bed every night we’re together after that, then I’ve been wrong about us from the start.”
I have to fight to keep my legs under me. My chest heaves with short, quick breaths. How can he do that to me? Whip me up and turn me into putty in a matter of seconds?
“But if that’s your only condition,” he says, “I accept it. Now do we have a deal?”
I give him a slight nod.
“Say it,” he murmurs quietly.
“We have a deal.”
Chapter Four
The next few hours pass in a blur. Every time I let myself think about what I’ve agreed to, I screw up someone’s order. So I don’t. I work to the end of my shift and go look for my father. He’s in his office, a grin curling his lip
s and the phone pressed to his ear.
“Yes, just as we discussed before. We could be ready to break ground in less than a month. There’s nothing to do but prep the land.” He pauses, unaware of my eavesdropping. “Perfect. I look forward to hearing back from you.”
He hangs up, his smile wider as I step through the doorway and finally get his attention.
“Hey, Daddy.”
He shoots up in his chair and claps his hands loudly. “Can you believe it, Junebug? They’re really doing it.”
His eyes are bright and his skin is flushed. His aura practically glows with hard-won satisfaction. I do my best to match his enthusiasm, but the rivalry with Edwin belongs to him, not me.
“I know. It is hard to believe,” I say.
Hard to believe I’m doing this. Hard to believe that in a matter of days—hell, maybe hours—I’ll be in Kase’s bed, letting him do whatever unspeakable things he has in mind for our time together.
“Are you sure about this, Daddy?”
He freezes. “What do you mean? What’s wrong?”
I avert my eyes, as if maybe he can somehow read the truth in them. “I mean, is it worth me being away from the hotel? I’ve never taken this kind of time off before.”
“Oh.” He waves his hand and drops down into his chair again. “That’s no problem. We’ll make it work. And anyway, I’ll get to put Edwin to work. Won’t that be fun!” He laughs heartily. “I should make him start with the bathrooms. Would serve him right for keeping us hanging like that all those years.”
I frown. “You’re putting him to work?”
“Well, see, that’s one of the conditions Kase stipulated. He said half the reason he’s agreeing to the sale is because Edwin can’t shoulder the work of the farm anymore, not even with Kase helping him now. He wants me to spend the next couple weeks showing him the ropes here at the hotel. Thinks maybe he could be helpful with maintenance and odd things that come up.”
“You’re going to hire him?” My eyes go wide at the thought. Two sworn enemies sharing a workplace sounds like a disaster in the making.
He shrugs. “Who knows. Hell, I may not be able to get him to lift a finger. He’s staying here on the pretense of a much-needed vacation. I’d rather toss him out on his can than look at him, but if it means getting this sale to happen, I’ll play along.”
He wags his eyebrows, and I almost laugh. I haven’t seen him this happy, well, possibly ever.
Maybe I didn’t give Kase enough credit. Bringing Edwin to the hotel was a clever move to keep him out of the farmhouse while I’m there. But it’s also a chance to bury the hatchet on their rivalry once and for all. Still, they were at odds before the land sale fell through. I can’t imagine two weeks will unwind the years of hatred between them.
“If something goes wrong, I can’t come back. You know that, right?”
My father looks serious for a moment. “I know. I’ve relied on you here for as long as I can remember, June. I don’t thank you enough for all you do.”
If he only knew what I would do for the family business…
“Thanks, Daddy.”
His phone rings again suddenly. “Oh, that’s probably one of the investors. You’d better go pack. Don’t worry about things here. We’ll have it covered, all right?”
Before I can answer, he’s back on the phone. “Hello? Hanson! Great to hear from you.”
I turn and close the door behind me as my father prattles on about the merits of the expansion. I move in a daze to the service elevator that takes me to the fourth floor, where my father and I reside in our off hours. I unlock the door, throw off my apron, and drop onto my bed, the drama of the day heavy on me.
I look around, taking in the familiar luxuries I’ve grown used to—the fancy damask wallpaper, the slick dark-wood furniture, and the windows that offer a famous view of the mountains. Instead of a room in a house, I’ve gone to sleep here every night for as long as I can remember. My father’s suite mirrors mine—a space that’s more like a studio apartment with its own small sitting area, kitchenette, and bathroom. Simple and tidy, thanks to our cleaning staff and a life consumed by matters four floors down and everything in between.
I’m not sure if this is what my mother envisioned when she had me. Regardless, this is where I am. I’ve only ever known this world, and I’m about to be introduced to Kase’s very soon.
I graze my hand over the bedspread, enjoying the way the silky fabric feels under my fingertips. I wonder what Kase’s room will be like. If I’ll like it. If I’ll care or even notice what it looks like when he has his hands on me.
I shake my head with a sigh, hoping to dislodge the thought the way I’ve tried to at least a hundred other times today. I glance to my bureau, instantly overwhelmed with the prospect of packing. I don’t even own a suitcase.
I go to the door that adjoins my room with my father’s and head for his closet. I dig past boxes and some piles of saved newspapers until I find a leather suitcase. It’s old and musty and nothing like the kind our guests travel with, but it’ll have to do. I flip the latches to find it filled with more papers. Carefully, I lift them onto another pile and bring the suitcase to my room to begin the inevitable.
Thoughtful of the number of nights I’ll spend away, I assemble a large pile of clothes and a few basic toiletries. As I begin arranging them in the suitcase, my fingers graze something tucked into an interior pocket. It’s a photo, faded and curled from age. It shows four young people—two women and two men—in their swimsuits standing in front of a waterfall. I bring my face closer and try to discern who they might be.
One undoubtedly is my father, with his dark hair and light-green eyes that match mine. His arm is draped around another woman. She’s pretty but looks nothing like my mother, who’s standing on the other side of my father. Another handsome man leans toward her, his hand casually hanging over her shoulder.
I stare longer and harder. I turn it over. Champagne Falls is written there in black handwriting. I turn it back and recognize the details in the background. Then I recognize something else.
“Oh God,” I whisper.
The other man by my mother’s side is a much younger Edwin McCasker. A closer look reveals her arm around his waist, their smiles soft and broad. Like two people who care for each other. Like two people who might be more than good friends.
I tuck the photo back into the pocket hastily, as if my father might appear at any moment and discover what I’ve seen. What would he say? How would he explain why Kase’s father knew my mother well enough to be photographed with her like this?
I go to the window and wrap my arms around my middle. The silhouette of the hotel casts a shadow over the back of the property. The darkness creeps gradually toward the base of the mountains as daylight recedes to the west.
For years I’ve longed to know more about Juliette Bell, the woman who gave me life before tragically losing hers. One night, after working late at the hotel, she’d been driving back to the country house her family shared with her, my father, and me as an infant. The roads were icy, and another driver coming around a curve on one of the treacherous mountain roads hit her head-on. That’s all my father would say. For years I cautiously pried for more, only to be given short, irritated answers—or worse, ignored.
A sudden rush of anger overtakes my curiosity. I know more about the ways my father despises Edwin than I know about my own mother. Why? Today’s not the day to ask, but I’m determined now in a way I haven’t been before. If only Edwin were staying at the farmhouse while I was, I could ask him. I’d have to get him alone another time.
No less unsettled, I return to the case. I pluck the photo from its pocket to stare at it once more before tucking it back and finishing the task of packing. Anxiety about tomorrow and whatever the next two weeks will bring hits me every now and then, but the restless night and long day are slowly wearing me down.
I finish packing, change into pajamas, and nestle under the covers. As the minute
s on the clock tick by, I wait for sleep to drown out my spinning thoughts. Instead of surrendering to my dreams, my mind drifts to the photo of my young mother, father, and Edwin. Like in the photo, she’s been a phantom presence in my life, existing in her own quiet way. I’ve spent the past few years accepting her dreams as my own without question. What would I give for a day with her? An hour? A glimmer of a moment to know her better?
The air-conditioning kicks on, and for a minute, I imagine the sound is the steady rush of the falls, one of the many natural wonders here. An endless stream of mountain water crashing over a rocky ledge and onto dozens of smooth granite boulders, creating little pools perfect for wading.
I’d always been drawn to Champagne Falls for its peaceful magic, until one night when I was drawn there with Kase.
He’d been celebrating with the rest of the graduating class at a reception at the hotel. I worked the event, as I typically did. As the night came to a close, some of our friends who were looking for ways to keep the party going convinced us to break away from the rest of the group. We stole a few bottles of wine and ended up at a grove near the falls, passing around the libations and laughing at old stories and new gossip from the night.
The longer we stayed, the more I sensed Kase’s gaze on me. We’d lock eyes until one of us would look away, until neither of us looked away. For the first time, I let myself believe that the latent attraction I felt for him for so long may not have been altogether one-sided. After a while, I stopped hearing what everyone else was saying. Wanting some time alone, I hiked up the falls until everyone’s laughter was drowned out by the cascading water.
When I stopped long enough to look back, Kase was on my heels. The mist from the falls sparkled in the moonlight, floating between us, giving everything a dream-like quality. Then, for a few timeless moments, there was nothing between us but a kiss. A kiss that changed everything.
Misadventures of a Virgin Page 3
