Their Colorado Conquest [Spirit, Colorado 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting)

by Zara Chase

  “If I know him at all, it’s hardly the image he wants the Lodge to project.”

  “He needs to put the Lodge on the map. To make it stand out we need to take a daring approach. Whatever you might think of them, Josh and Rex are both alpha males, and because of that I’m hoping that curiosity, if nothing else, will ensure a full house on gala night.” Ellie remained implacable in the face of Annabel’s not-so-subtle criticism. “Besides, you haven’t heard the rest yet.”

  Annabel leaned forward, an expectant gleam in her eye. “What else have you cooked up for him?”

  Grinning, Ellie explained about the auction.

  Annabel looked astounded. “You’ve what?”

  “I thought you’d find it hilarious,” Ellie said, bemused. “You of all people must be able to imagine how much Josh dislikes the idea.”

  “You’ll make him a laughingstock.”

  “Why would you care?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t, I suppose.”

  An awkward silence settled between them—something that never usually happened when they got together. All of a sudden the blinkers fell away and Ellie understood then why Annabel was really here. She wanted to see Ellie face to face and gauge what Josh had really said about her. Ellie felt deeply saddened, because she was starting to think that Josh had told the truth about their relationship. It all added up, now that she was taking an objective view. All the things she’d ignored over the years or had tried to deny. Her father’s partiality for Annabel. The way in which Annabel had really only befriended her at college after she found out what her father did for a living. How she’d quite ruthlessly chosen who she’d sleep with according to what they could do for her ambitions. Emotion never came into it with Annabel.

  “Have you spoken to my father recently?” Ellie asked on a whim.

  Annabel’s head shot up. “No. Why should I?”

  “Why shouldn’t you? He’s the father you never had. You’ve always said so.”

  “That’s true, but life moves on.”

  “And you work on one of his papers again.”

  “I don’t need to cozy up to the boss to get ahead.”

  “Dad gets lonely now that Mum’s dead,” Ellie said, filled with sadness when she recalled her mother’s slow decline as she battled cancer. “I’m sure he’d be glad to hear from you.”

  “What are you now, a matchmaker?”

  “Annabel, stop being so bitchy. I only asked if you’d been in touch with my dad.”

  “I’m sorry. I know you did.” Annabel expelled a long breath and shook her head, silky cream-colored curls falling across her face as she did so. “Don’t take any notice of me. I’m just feeling grouchy.”

  “Was your relationship with my father anything other than platonic?” Ellie asked, dreading the answer.

  “What the fuck do you take me for?”

  “Okay, Annabel, I only asked.” But Annabel’s extreme reaction, the fact that her perfect face was suffused with a guilty flush, told Ellie more than she wanted to know.

  “Since we’re on the subject of parents, why didn’t you tell me about yours?” Ellie asked.

  Annabel’s face drained of color. “He told you!” Before Ellie could deny Josh’s involvement, Annabel spoke again. “I confided in your father once when I was feeling really down, and he promised to take the secret to his grave with him.” She shuddered, her eyes cold shards of snow—ice. “I ought to have known better than to trust a man. Of all the petty—”

  “Why didn’t you tell me yourself?” Ellie asked, interested to discover that Annabel didn’t know Josh was aware of her secret. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “Oh really?” Annabel’s face was a frozen mask of inaccessibility. “Coming from Miss Upper Class who had everything handed to her on a silver platter, I think that’s a bit rich.”

  “I worked to get where I am today, Annabel. I could have done what you did and taken the easy option by working for Dad. He begged me to, but I wanted to prove myself.” Ellie paused, struggling to control her temper. “I think I’ve done that.”

  “With a safety net. Daddy would always bail you out if the going got too tough.”

  “Well then, I’m glad it didn’t come to that.”

  “I’m sorry, Ellie, you know I didn’t mean that.”

  “Do I?” Ellie wasn’t willing to be placated this time. “I’m starting to wonder if I know you at all.”

  “My father was cowardly enough to kill himself over a few bad investments. He ruined my life.” She flashed a disdainful smile. “Is it any wonder that I’m a mess?”

  “I doubt if that was his intention.”

  “What do you know about it?” Annabel asked in a vindictive tone. Her features, pinched with anger, almost made her look unattractive. Not that Annabel could ever be unattractive. Even when she cried, Ellie had good reason to know, she managed not to smudge her perfect makeup. They used to laugh about that particular skill of hers. Now Ellie wondered if the tears had been as artificial as the rest of her friend appeared to be, turned on to make a point when it suited her purpose.

  “Nothing, since you’ve chosen not to confide in me.” Ellie sighed. “I thought I was your best friend.”

  “You are.” Ellie visibly flinched at the touch of Annabel’s hand on hers, sad because that wasn’t really true anymore. Annabel quickly removed her fingers and wrapped them round her coffee mug instead. She must have noticed the snub but chose not to mention it, just like she didn’t talk about anything that she preferred not to face head on. “My father was weak and my mother was worse.”

  “You talk about her as though she’s dead as well.”

  “She is to me. I was fifteen when my dad departed this world, but instead of worrying about the effect it had on me, instead of being there for me when I needed her the most, Mom cracked up and lost her mind.”

  “If you love someone deeply enough, I guess that can happen. Is she all right now?”

  “Apparently, but I don’t see her.”

  Ellie wanted to ask why not, but the answer was self-evident. Annabel only surrounded herself with people who could be useful to her or who measured up to her exacting standards. Her mother obviously fell woefully short of that mark. Ellie felt as upset for her friend’s mother as she did for herself. Her friendship with Annabel was now a thing of the past. She could see her for what she was and would never be completely comfortable with her again.

  “I have to make a move,” Ellie said, glancing at her watch and casting aside the half-eaten pastry she could no longer stomach. “Things to do.”

  “I’m staying at the High Country Inn,” Annabel said, all traces of her grievances leaving her expression. “Can we have dinner together tonight?”

  “Sorry, I can’t spare the time.”

  For the first time ever, or so it seemed, Ellie turned a request of Annabel’s down. She left her glaring angrily at the wall as she gathered up her bag and made to leave.

  “I’ll be in touch, Annabel,” she said, waving to a few faces she recognized as she beat a hasty retreat from the cafe.

  Ellie returned to the Lodge quickly. She had something to do, and she needed to do it immediately, being she lost her nerve. Rex was in the office when she let herself into it.

  “You made good time,” he asked. “How did it go in Vail?”

  “Pretty well. I think you’ll like the journalist who’ll be doing the exposé.”

  “Is she good-looking?” he asked predictably.

  Ellie laughed. “You’re incorrigible.”

  “No, love, just horny.”

  “That, too,” Ellie said, rolling her eyes. “Where’s Josh? I need a word with him.”

  “Upstairs. Anything I can help with?”

  “No, I need to grovel, so I’d best get it over with.”

  Rex laughed. “I didn’t have you pegged as a groveler.”

  “Needs must,” she said, slipping out the door, trying to ignore the horde of butterflies that
had taken up residence in her stomach.

  Josh wasn’t in the apartment’s sitting room, which meant he had to be in his room. She could hear him moving about in it. Presumably he’d appear in a moment or two, so she’d wait him out. She absolutely didn’t want to talk to him in his bedroom.

  The waiting did little for her nerves, and after five minutes of restless pacing she gave in and tapped on his door. He opened it wearing a white towel wrapped round his waist and nothing else. His hair was still wet from the shower.

  Damn it, I shouldn’t have knocked.

  But it was too late to turn back now. If she thought he’d looked good enough to eat when she took the pictures of him bare-chested, it was nothing to the way he was now. She swallowed against the lump in her throat, ashamed of her body’s reaction, of the depth of the pulsating desire she felt as she drank in the sight of him. He watched her without comment, sardonic amusement in his expression as she tried not to let the salacious nature of her thoughts show. His ego didn’t need any help from her.

  “Something I can do for you?” he asked, his expression guarded, impossible for her to interpret.

  “I came to apologize.”

  His eyebrows shot skyward. “What about?”

  “Annabel. I should have believed what you told me about her.” She inhaled deeply. “I do now.”

  Chapter Six

  “You’d better come in.”

  Josh stood back and waited for her to step through the open door. She hesitated for a fraction too long, shot him an uncertain look, and then crossed the threshold. She might now believe his version of events regarding Annabel but clearly didn’t wish to be alone with him—especially not in his bedroom. As he closed the door behind her, it occurred to him that she had a point. This was probably not the most sensible decision he’d ever made, especially when he was wearing nothing more than an inadequate towel. He ought to dash into the bathroom and at least put his pants on, but she looked like a nervous colt new to a racecourse, ready to bolt at the first opportunity. He wasn’t about to provide her with that opportunity.

  He’d been avoiding her for the past two days, trying to ignore the magnetic pull, the elusive something about her that so compelled him. Rex had told him he was behaving like an immature jerk, which was probably true. It shouldn’t matter what his temporary employee thought of him. His childhood had at least taught him not to care about the opinions of others. Besides, he now let his success do the talking for him. Only problem was, Ellie appeared to be the exception to his self-imposed rule. He cared very much about what she thought of him—too much to risk being the recipient of her contemptuous expression.

  They stood at the foot of his bed, facing one another, neither of them speaking. The silence was so absolute that Josh was convinced he could hear his heart beating unnaturally loud and fast. Ellie’s cheeks were flushed, and the warm richness of her unimpeded gaze put severe pressure on the fabric of his towel.

  This was ridiculous! They’d probably only stood there for half a minute, but it seemed a lot longer than that. The atmosphere, sizzling with sensuality, settled more closely about them. If she didn’t speak soon, Josh might just give way to temptation, tumble her onto the bed, and fuck her brains out. Hell, it was what he’d wanted to do since the first moment he set eyes on her.

  No, actually, it wasn’t. What he really wanted to do was to make love to her. Hell, where did that thought come from?

  As though sensing his failing self-control, Ellie finally spoke.

  “Annabel’s in Spirit,” she said shortly.

  That did it. Josh snapped out of his fantasy faster than a puck hitting the back of the net. “What the fuck—”

  “I sent an invite to the press reception to her paper.” Ellie spread her hands, presumably in apology, which cut no ice with him. He was furious with her. He didn’t think she was spiteful enough to deliberately invite Annabel here, but why else would she do it? “I knew it would find its way to her desk, but I assumed until I saw her recently that she’d pass on it.”

  “Why send invites to New York papers?” he asked through tightly compressed lips. “I thought we were keeping this local.”

  “We are.” Ellie shook her head. “Annabel quit New York and moved to a leading Denver paper two months ago.”

  “It’s news to me.” Josh thumped a clenched fist against the surface of his dresser so hard that the objects on it jumped. Anger churned in his gut like corroding acid, but it was no longer directed at Ellie. “Why did she quit such a good post?”

  “She says she got a better offer.”

  “New York’s where it’s at.” Josh shook his head. “Hate to sound egotistical, but this is about me. Damn it, I don’t need this!”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I need to know whose side you’re really on before I say anything else.”

  “Yours, obviously,” she said with asperity. “Sorry, I guess you had a right to ask, given the way I’ve reacted to you up until now.”

  Josh glanced at her and, moved by the unconscious air of recklessness in her expression, was slow to look away. “I take it you’ve seen her.”

  “Yes. I wasn’t expecting her, but she was watching out for me when I got back from Vail. She says she’s come down ahead of the conference to do a little background stuff.”

  Josh rolled his eyes. “I’ll just bet she has.”

  “She wanted to know how I planned to promote the Lodge, so I told her.” Ellie lifted her shoulders. “She’d have found out anyway. Besides, I still thought you’d lied to me at that stage.”

  “What changed your mind?”

  “I’m not sure.” She paused to reflect. “I guess you got me wondering.”

  “And?” he prompted when her words trailed off.

  “On a whim I asked her about her relationship with my father. I needed to know what had happened between them to enable her to land such a cushy job straight out of college. Instead of telling me, she went ballistic.”

  “And that surprised you?”

  “No, not really. You see, I’d already e-mailed Dad and asked him the same question. He didn’t give me a straight answer, which is when I started to suspect things weren’t as I thought they were. Then, Annabel turning up unexpectedly when I had these things on my mind…” Ellie shook her head. “I guess I did what I tend to do when something plagues me and just came out and asked the question without thinking it through first.”

  “If it’s helped to convince you that I told the truth, then I’m glad you did.”

  He sensed some of the tension drain out of her. “Whilst I was at it, I also asked her about her own parents.”

  Josh raised both brows. “Didn’t she want to know how you knew?”

  “Yes, I thought of that as soon as the words were out, but it was too late by then.” She flashed an economical smile. “Me and my big mouth. If she thought I’d gotten the information from you, then—”

  “She doesn’t know I’m aware.”

  “Yes, I discovered that. It seems my father knew, though, she actually told him, and she thinks I found out that way.” Ellie sent him a desolate gaze. “I guess that tells me all I need to know about the true nature of their relationship. What worries me is that she’s now working for him again, indirectly.”

  “And you think they’re involved.”

  “I hope not. She’s seeing someone called Dan.”

  Josh rolled his eyes. “That won’t stop her.”

  “No, I suppose it won’t.”

  Josh longed to pull her into his arms and dispel the hurt in her eyes. He was pretty sure he’d be able to come up with an effective way to distract her.

  “Annabel will use any means at her disposal to get what she wants,” he made do with saying.

  “Yes, I’m just beginning to understand that about her.” Ellie sighed. “I guess we were too close for me to see it before.”

  “If she thought playing up her unfortunate family circumstances would earn her the sy
mpathy vote, then, trust me, she wouldn’t hesitate.”

  “How could I have been so blind to her selfishness all these years?” Ellie cast him a troubled glance. “I thought I was a good judge of character.”

  “Annabel can be very convincing.”

  Ellie slowly exhaled. “You don’t need to tell me that.”

  A tear trickled from the corner of her eye, which is when Josh gave up trying to remain detached. Not stopping to consider the wisdom of his actions, he pulled her into his arms. Her soft breasts collided with the hard planes of his chest, driving out what few coherent thoughts remained in his head. She smelled of fresh air, fragrant shampoo, and the bitter aroma of disappointment, a heady mixture that went straight to his cock.

  “Don’t cry, sweetheart,” he said softly, arresting the progress of that single tear with his forefinger. “Annabel is no match for the three of us.”

  “I never should have thrown in my job.” She sniffed rather inelegantly. “I was an idiot to think I could go it alone.”

  “You’ve already worked wonders in the few days that you’ve been here.”

  She glanced up at him, her eyes brittle with unshed tears. “Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?”

  Josh hadn’t expected such a direct response and wasn’t sure how to deal with it. Honesty was supposed to be the best policy, so he put that theory to the test.

  “No, babe, I’ve been avoiding you because I didn’t trust myself to be alone with you—not when you were still fighting in Annabel’s corner.”

  “But I—”

  “I told you on your first day,” he said, dropping his voice to a seductive purr. “I want you. Very much, as it happens. That’s why I didn’t trust myself to come anywhere near you.”

  She opened her eyes very wide. “I hate to bolster your already-overinflated ego,” she said with a ghost of an impudent smile, “but you’re quite a hunk. You have looks, money, charisma, even charm, I suppose, when you can be bothered to deploy it. You could have any woman you want. Why me?”

  “Thank you.” He chuckled. “I think.”

  “My pleasure.”

  “To answer your question, I’ve been off women all together since the episode with Annabel.” He let out a mirthless laugh. “Besides, I’ve been taken up with this place and don’t have the time or energy for both work and play.”