“Call it off.” His voice held a husky tone edged with something she’d never heard in his voice before. Malice? A threat?
“No.” Her voice wasn’t as strong with conviction as she’d hoped it would be. It wavered, giving away the fear she could sense shimmering just beneath the surface of her skin.
“You were with him last night, now it’s my turn to have a chance with you.”
“I’m not some toy to swap between friends. I choose who I go out with and I’m sorry, but I choose Nate.”
“Nate isn’t my friend and I’m not into sharing you with him. I’ve been putting in the time to get to know you, to date you. I deserve a chance.”
William pushed his body up against hers, forcing her back against the cold, closed door to her room. Her little beaded clutch was the only thing separating his chest from hers, and it also trapped both of her hands.
Help!
“I said I’m not interested. Now leave.” She challenged him, feeling her inner strength begin to push to the surface, crushing the fear she refused to give in to. She didn’t let herself get pushed around by anyone. Ever. And she certainly wasn’t going to start now. “Leave.”
“Just one chance and I’ll let you go.” He put his hand on her shoulder, essentially pinning her to the door.
Screw the tough girl act. I need help.
Fear rose up her throat like bile. Stay calm, she told herself and took a deep breath. Don’t panic. He’s not really going to do anything to you. William is nice. He’s just confused right now. And delusional.
“William, you don’t want to do this. Look at what you’re doing to me. This isn’t you,” she pleaded with him. Her eyes shot down the hallway again. Where was Nate? Wasn’t it time for him to pick her up yet? “Let go of me and leave and I’ll forget you ever came to see me tonight.”
“Just one kiss,” he said as if he hadn’t heard her. “That’s all I ask. Just one little kiss and then you’ll know in your heart that you do have feelings for me.”
His eyes softened—the undercurrent of anger was gone, replaced by something tender. Hurt? Longing? She wasn’t sure, but it definitely wasn’t dark and clouded anymore. Her heart almost ached for him—almost, but not quite.
“Please go. I don’t want to kiss someone I’m not attracted to.”
He ignored her.
His free hand tilted her chin up. His body pressed against the length of hers and she knew there was no hope of wiggling out from underneath of him. Not when he held her shoulder to the door and his body pinned the rest of her flush against him.
She was stuck. And he was going to kiss her.
She went over her options in her head at lightning speed. Let him kiss her. Scream. Knee him in the groin.
Groin. Always go with groin.
“Last chance to take your hands off of me before I get upset,” she offered him with confidence. Now she had a plan and she’d found her backbone again. “Last chance to be a good person and not do something stupid that I know you’ll regret when you calm down.”
She pushed against him with her hands as best she could, but he was strong and she had an awkward angle. One push and she knew he was way too solid for her to do much but irritate him.
He completely ignored her warning and lowered his head toward hers. His eyes were focused on her mouth, his lips almost touching hers.
You asked for it. She estimated where his groin was in relation to her knee. “I said no.”
“Hey, Amelia,” Nate’s deep voice echoed from down the long hallway.
Nate.
William stepped back from her instantly at the sound of Nate’s voice. “This isn’t finished. Tell him to leave,” he demanded.
“This never started,” she shot back. “You’re the one who needs to leave.”
Nate came up beside Amelia. An expression of unease crossed his face as he took in the situation playing out in the hallway in front of him. Then his posture went rigid and his eyes narrowed. “Everything okay here?”
“Fine,” Amelia replied. “William was just here to talk about work, right? And now he’s leaving and I’m going to go finish getting ready.”
“Sure, you go finish up and I’ll see that William finds his way back to his room,” Nate said with a mischievous smile.
She wasn’t going to wait around to find out why. She was thankful Nate was here now and William would leave. “Goodnight, William. I’ll see you at the workshop tomorrow. Nate, I’ll be finished in a few minutes.”
She disappeared back into her room. As the door closed, the two men who’d complicated her life, both good and bad, stood out in the hall side by side, staring back at her.
How did I end up in this mess?
Chapter Nine
The second Amelia’s door closed, the anger Nate swallowed when he’d seen William pressing Amelia up against her door ignited into a renewed fury inside him. Nate knew she was safely inside her room, but there was no way he was going to let William get away with behavior that aggressive.
“What the hell was that?” Nate demanded.
William stopped walking toward the elevators and turned to face him. “What was what?”
“You know what—that stunt in the hall. You forced yourself on Amelia, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t force myself on her.”
“Oh no? Then what do you call it when you have a girl pinned against the wall?”
William laughed with a smirk. “I was just showing her the other options available. What, can’t you take a little healthy competition?”
Nate wanted to punch that smug expression off William’s face for good. Before Nate could stop himself, he shoved William up against the wall. Nate wasn’t going to let William get away with intimidating Amelia without feeling what it was like to be on the receiving end.
“So now I’m just letting you know your options.” Nate struggled to hold himself back from putting another hand on William. “Option one, you keep your slimy hands off Amelia unless she asks you to do differently. Option two, you touch her again and I beat the shit out of you until I wipe that arrogant smile off that smug face of yours.”
William pushed back against him, but Nate was bigger and unmovable. “Which is it going to be?”
“You can have her tonight, but I’m not going to stop asking her out when we get home. What are you going to do then? Amelia and I will be together when we get home and there’s not a single thing you can do about it. You may as well just give her up now and save yourself the trouble later.”
“Keep your hands off of her or I’ll break them.” Nate’s voice grew so strained it almost came out as a growl. “Now get the hell out of my face.”
Nate stepped back toward Amelia’s door, standing in front of it with his arms folded across his chest like he was her personal bodyguard. “Run along, Willy. You’re not needed here, now or ever.”
William peeled himself away from the wall and straightened his clothes. “I will get my chance with her one way or the other. You’re going to regret getting in my way.”
“I think I’ll be fine, but thanks for your concern. Now get lost.”
Nate watched as William stormed down the hall, punching the elevator call button with his fist. The chime sounded and the doors opened instantly like the elevator had been waiting for his hasty exit. As the doors closed with William safely inside, Nate relaxed and took a deep calming breath.
It had taken every ounce of control Nate had inside not to pound William into the ground when he’d first seen the two of them talking so closely. Nate’s chest constricted with the thoughts of what might have happened to Amelia if he hadn’t shown up when he did. How far would things have gotten out of control? Thankfully, he’d shown up just in time and now Amelia was safe. Hopefully she wasn’t too shaken up by the whole ordeal.
Just then, the door to her room opened again and he turned to see her standing there in the most alluring little black dress. Thoughts of the previous few minutes disappeared from his mind and all h
e could think about was Amelia and how incredibly stunning she looked in that dress. He could already envision it on his bedroom floor in a crumpled heap.
“You are amazing,” he said, clearing the lump in his throat.
“Thanks. You’re pretty good yourself.” She smiled.
He’d chosen a simple button-up shirt and a pair of slacks he normally wore to the workshops, since he hadn’t planned on needing dress clothes while he was here. He’d even asked the concierge for a tie to borrow for the evening. He knew his attire paled in comparison to Amelia’s, but he didn’t mind one bit. He’d be happy to look at her in that dress all night.
Well, the first part of the evening at least. Hopefully later they’d get a chance to finish what they’d started the night before in the hot tub. Then he’d spend the rest of the night looking at her out of that dress. Gazing at her plunging neckline, which ended between her luscious breasts, was already making it hard for him to focus. He wasn’t sure how long he’d be able to wait before reaching out a hand to caress one of those soft mounds. No matter how quickly that dress came off, it wouldn’t be soon enough.
Stop. Think of something else.
He’d wait. Of course he’d wait all night if it meant that she was happy with him. He just hoped it wouldn’t come to waiting that long. He was still a man after all, not a saint. And as a man, he had needs that needed fulfilling, like needing to slip that black dress to the floor.
But first there was one thing he had to know. “I don’t want to bring it up, but are you okay with what happened with William? Do you still feel like going out?”
“Of course I do. I’m fine. Thank you for asking, but I’d really rather not talk about William tonight at all.”
He breathed a sigh of relief at her answer. “Fine with me. If you’re ready, I have a car waiting for us downstairs.” He offered her his arm. She accepted it, resting her small hand lightly on his forearm.
“We’re leaving the hotel?” she asked as they waited for the elevator.
“Yes, if that’s okay with you. I heard about a nice restaurant in the next town over. I thought we could drive over and check it out. What do you think?”
Would she want to go away with him? Would she even be able to trust him after that stunt William pulled?
“That sounds wonderful. I’d love to get away from here for a little while and see the area. There’s just one problem.”
His pulse picked up its pace. “What’s that?”
“I can’t leave like this, I need a coat.” She smiled.
He smiled back and his pulsed returned to normal. “I’ll wait.”
He watched after her as she quickly walked back down the hall and disappeared into her room only to appear again a moment later with her ski jacket tucked around her. He took the moment while she rejoined him to don his own coat.
“The dress loses a little something with the coat, but I guess it’s either that or freeze and I’m cold enough as it is indoors. I don’t think I’d survive too long outside without it.”
“You still look pretty damn sexy to me.”
They rode the elevator down in silence. He was happy she’d been willing to go along for the ride, since he thought she’d find the whole experience a pleasure. Of course he would have been just as happy sitting around watching a movie and ordering room service if she’d preferred that. He wanted to spend more time with her—he didn’t care how or where.
As he held open the front door to the lodge, he put his hand on the small of her back and guided her through the opening. Right out front of the main doors sat a gleaming black limo, the lights of the lodge twinkling in the glossy surface.
The driver held open the back door for them as they approached. “After you.” He took her hand and helped her step into the limo. He followed her in and settled himself beside her on the seat as the door closed behind him and reached for the bottle of champagne already chilling in a bucket of ice.
“I’ve never ridden in a limo before.” Amelia giggled. He enjoyed the sound of excitement in her voice. “You must do really well running these workshops if this is how you treat all of your dates.”
“I do alright. But no, I don’t treat all of my dates to limo rides. This is actually the first time.”
He popped the cork on the champagne, thankful it didn’t fly off and hit her in the face. That wouldn’t have been a nice way to start their date and he’d been a little worried about opening the bottle since he’d ordered it. He’d opened champagne before, but never in the tight confines of a limo. He might come off as a smooth player to Amelia, but he was usually a pretty casual date kind of guy. Limos and champagne were out of his comfort zone, but for some reason he wanted to spoil Amelia and give her a fairytale kind of date. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to do all of this extra special stuff for her—he just did.
“The first time you’ve hired a limo for a date is with me? Wow. What did I do to deserve this kind of treatment?”
“You put up with that other jerk—who I’m not going to name—and I want you to know not all guys are like him. Some of us still know how to act like gentlemen.”
She took the glass of champagne he offered and held it by the delicate stem. Her eyes twinkled in the low light. They seemed to reflect the bubbles floating in the champagne, making his head spin without even a sip of alcohol. She was more beautiful than any other woman he could ever remember seeing.
How did I get so lucky?
“Well, thank you for treating me like a princess tonight, but just so you know, I would have been equally as happy hanging out with a pay-per-view movie and a bowl of microwave popcorn. Rest assured, your efforts won’t go unnoticed and I’ll be sure to show my full appreciation.”
Her sultry eyes made his pulse pound in his head. What was it exactly about this girl he found so interesting? He couldn’t pinpoint a single thing he disliked about her—that alone could be the difference between her and the women he usually dated.
“The fact that you would be satisfied with a simple movie date on a couch is a perfect example of why I want to be with you.”
So many things she did were completely different from other women—her feisty attitude, standing up for herself against William, even being able to laugh at her own foolishness when she was clumsy and horribly embarrassed. He loved all of it.
“A toast.” He held up his glass of champagne. “To us. To new, unexpected adventures.”
They clinked glasses and sipped. The cold alcohol hit his throat but didn’t do anything to quench his thirst. He could only think of one way to do that and she was sitting beside him.
Tracing lines in the condensation forming on the side of his glass, he forced the images of Amelia out of his mind temporarily. He knew if he gave in to his temptations, he would want to lay her back on the long limo seat and have his way with her before they even got to the restaurant. He also knew if he started something like that, there’d be no dinner, and there was no sense in starting something they couldn’t finish.
“What are you thinking about over there?” she asked him. “You got all quiet on me.”
“Just trying my best to get you some dinner before I give in to temptation and kiss you.”
“Oh really.” Her voice was low and seductive, making it even harder for him to resist her.
She twisted in her seat until she was sitting sideways, facing him. Her free hand reached across the narrow gap between them and rested lightly on his thigh. Every time she touched him there, his insides heated up another few degrees. Did she have any idea what she was doing to him with a touch like that?
“Who says we have to wait until after dinner?” she added with a twitch of her eyebrow. Her hand slid further up his thigh but stopped short of reaching the area that had grown tight in the last few minutes.
“You’re right, chivalry is overrated.” His voice turned husky under her touch. “You know, I’ve always liked to enjoy my dessert first.”
He wrapped his hand behind her h
ead, feeling her silky, thick hair weaving between his fingers, and drew her to him. He met her halfway, claiming her lips with passion he could barely control. His tongue slipped between her lips and found hers eagerly waiting for him.
She tasted sweet and hot on his tongue and he knew he could stay here all night in the back of this limo and be completely satisfied with life. As long as he was with her—she was all he needed now.
She sucked his lower lip into her mouth, surprising and exciting him, and gave it a tiny nibble. He groaned, unable to contain his pleasure at the sensation of her teeth on his skin. He planned to do the same to her later on, but probably in a slightly different area. The image of what he had planned for her made him groan again.
She grabbed his coat and pulled him closer, thrusting her tongue into his mouth, deeper and deeper with every plunge. Any efforts he’d intended to make of the gentlemanly variety were thrown aside and forgotten. He yearned to feel her body against his and she was obviously willing.
How will I make it through dinner?
As they kissed, her hands roamed along the contours of his body, finding new ways to torment him, each better than the last. He wasn’t sure he could go on like this much longer. She tasted too good and her hands on his body were even better.
Maybe take-out? Or drive-thru?
Just then a cold draft burst into the back of the limo, forcing them apart at the instant chill. A throat cleared.
“Excuse me, Sir. We’ve arrived,” the driver said.
* * *
Amelia struggled to rearrange herself before she exited the limo. She couldn’t believe they’d already traveled all the way to the restaurant when it seemed like they’d only been in the car for a few moments—a few wonderfully delicious moments.
“I thought the restaurant was in the next town?” She quickly fixed her hair and makeup with the tiny mirror compact she’d tucked into her clutch. She didn’t want to get out of the limo looking like she’d just been having a celebrity-style fling in the back seat, even if that was exactly what she had been doing.
“It is in the next town. The Lodge told me it would take twenty-five minutes to drive here.” The expression on his face told her he was every bit as surprised the trip had gone by so quickly.
Bunny Hills and Bikinis Page 11
