“Hey guys,” Keith interrupted. “I’m gonna drop Danny at the B&B and then go out to see my folks. Do you still want to meet up for dinner at Mad Chef Café?”
“Yeah, man. My mom really wants to see you.” JR clapped Keith on the back. “Later.” JR grabbed Sam’s suitcase and steered her to his car.
JR took the coastal route off the main highway, slower than he usually drove so that Sam could take in the scenery. Her face practically pressed to the glass, she told him, “It’s beautiful here.”
“Yeah, it is,” he acknowledged, staring at her and twirling one of her curls.
“Stop it. Watch the road.” She smiled briefly at him before looking back out the window again. “I meant the island. It’s so green and lush.”
He smiled in agreement with his gaze back on the road.
“It must have been rough growing up here,” she teased, gesturing out the window. “The ocean and mountains just out your back door…” She trailed off, distracted by the changing view.
“I guess I kinda took it for granted,” he admitted, taking the turn down the paved driveway to the Victorian styled oceanfront B&B where Sam and Danny were both staying.
Her room wasn’t quite ready, so they left the luggage in storage and took the car back to downtown Courtenay for lunch.
“It’s wonderful,” Sam commented, as JR drove down the main street of the town, admiring the assorted boutiques, art galleries, and restaurants.
“You’re gonna want to go shopping, aren’t you?” JR asked with a grimace.
“You bet.” Sam smiled and leaned over the stick shift to give him a quick kiss as bribery. When she leaned back in her seat and reached for the door handle, he stopped her with a hand on her arm.
Catching her gaze, JR slipped his fingers through her hair holding the back of her head in his hands. He studied her face for a moment as if committing it to memory. He couldn’t believe his good fortune, that this sweet, beautiful woman was his. Lowering his head, he kissed her slowly, deliberately. Spine tingling. Scintillating. They were both panting for air when he pulled back. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. “Come on. Let’s get something to eat and then shopping, of course.”
Strolling down the picturesque lane, she remarked, “It reminds me of downtown Graham, only with the ocean.” She laughed delightedly as she took it all in. Every shop had an awning, no two were alike in shape or color. The landscaping on both sides of the street was meticulous. Several wrought iron benches offered shoppers inviting places to sit, and the street poles were dressed up with ‘Welcome to Courtenay’ banners and hanging baskets that were bursting with purple and gold pansies. It was one of the most charming small towns Sam had ever seen.
“I don’t know how you stay away.”
JR gave her a bemused smile. “I come back and forth a lot. The seaplane makes it easy.”
They stepped into the Atlas Café, a small modern bistro with a bohemian flare. The staff knew JR by name and respected their privacy. Sam had samosas, an Indian meat filled pastry with a curry dip. JR had a classic breakfast with eggs, spicy sausage and focaccia toast. When they were finished, he patted his flat stomach and said, “I’m gonna need a nap now. I can’t move.”
“Uh- uh, mister. You promised me shopping. Come on.” They browsed up and down the street for hours. JR really could barely move being laden with so many bags by the time Sam was ready to quit.
Suddenly, she squealed, pointing at Hot Chocolates, the local chocolate shop and bakery. This was a place even he could get excited about. “I’m guessing by that response that you want to go in?” he teased.
Eyes sparkling, she grabbed his arm and pulled him inside. A warm happy feeling washed over him. He had it bad for this woman. When she looked at him like that, he wanted to give her the world.
Instead they settled for a spicy Grenadian chocolate bar and a couple of lattes. Sam selected a dozen assorted chocolates to take back to Vancouver. “Ok, what next?” she asked as they headed back to the car.
“Well if you’re not too tired, I thought we’d drive up to the top of Mt Washington, so you could see the view of the valley and take in the sunset.”
“I’d love that.”
At the top, JR stood behind Samantha with his arms wrapped around her shoulders. The wind was fierce and cold, whipping her reddish brown curls against his face, but he didn’t mind.
Sam shivered and leaned back against JR’s chest, absorbing his warmth. He rubbed his hands up and down over her sleeves while they enjoyed each other’s company and the scenic view. The twin towns of Courtenay and Comox were nestled in the valley below. The ocean lapped at the shoreline, its surface sparkling like diamonds in the setting sun. In the distance the mountain grandeur of mainland British Columbia provided the finishing touches to the incredible panorama. Sam twisted around to glance up at JR, tears glistening in her grey eyes. “It’s absolutely breathtaking.” Looking down into that angelic face, he couldn’t help but agree.
“WHAT?” SARA ASKED, exasperated as they wound their way up the exhilarating Sea to Sky highway. The ocean was on the left side of their vehicle and the mountains were on the right, but he’d been paying more attention to her than the scenery or the road. “Stop that. You’re starting to creep me out old man.”
“Can’t a guy look?” Chris parried. “As far as I know that’s not a crime.” He grinned. “Besides that Sara, you know you’re beautiful. Tell me, what number were you on People’s list?”
She gave him the raspberry in response.
“If there were a place to pull over I’d put that tongue of yours to good use.” The interior of the rented four wheel drive SUV was quiet except for Chris’ drumming on the steering wheel as he continued to glance over at her. “Come on,” he pressed. “I’m curious.”
“You’re not going to let it go, are you?”
“No.”
“Ten, you old geezer,” she mumbled through gritted teeth.
“Really? Interesting...”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing.” He chuckled when she punched his arm. “It explains why you’re so distracting. But I would have put you much higher.”
“Watch the road you ass,” she said, smiling despite herself.
Sara made him stop just outside Squamish to shop for local jade. While Chris stretched his legs, she bought a hand carved bear pendant for Sam. Then they headed into town, topped off the tanks, and pulled into an A&W for lunch.
“Sara,” Chris began, tucking away the last of his meal as they sat in the car outside the fast food restaurant. She turned to regard him. “I just wanted you to know that I’m really sorry about some of the things I said to you when we first met. I mean about the other guys and all.”
“I said some pretty hurtful things that I’m not proud of either,” she admitted. “The comment about your failed marriage was below the belt.” She seemed hesitant for a moment then continued, “The tabloids said you caught her cheating with your guitarist?”
“Yeah.” He grimaced. “That’s not an easy image to get out of your head. Anyway, we had problems before that. Success came too easily. Being a part of that scene, there were just too many temptations. I guess I wasn’t the poster child for fidelity myself. We were both so young. Neither of us was really ready for that level of commitment.” He looked at her thoughtfully. “I don’t suppose you can really relate?”
“Don’t be so sure about that,” she muttered.
“How so?”
“Oh, nothing. Forget about it.”
“No, I insist. Like I told you before, I want to know the real Sara Daniels, not the media caricature.”
“So you don’t know about me and Matthew Connelly?”
Chris raised a brow. “That guy’s older than I am!”
“I know.” Sara sighed. “Shocking, huh? It was a long time ago. I was barely twenty…” She trailed off. “I don’t know why I’m even telling you about this.”
He reache
d over and stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. “Go on,” he urged her.
“I did some backup vocals for him in Nashville when I was just starting out, but even then I knew that I was going places. He knew it, too.” She paused.
Chris could see the pain in her eyes.
“We were together for nearly two years. I believed it when he told me that he loved me. I trusted him.” Her gaze hardened. “But he just hooked up with me in a vain attempt to hang on a little longer. When he realized that I wasn’t going to jumpstart his career, he crumpled me up and threw me away. Like trash…” She turned away, looking out the window at the rock cliffs that seemed to spring directly out of the pavement. “You’re right. That’s not an image that goes away.”
“I’m sorry, Sara,” he said softly, covering her hand with his. No wonder she was so emotionally closed off. “Matthew was an idiot. He’s the one who’s garbage.” He placed a gentle kiss on her cheek and intertwined his fingers with hers. “You are a treasure.”
THEY CHECKED INTO the Westin and headed up to their rooms.
“Oh, my,” Sara exclaimed when she looked out the window of her suite.
Chris moved behind her, threaded his arms around her waist and laid his chin on her right shoulder. “Yeah, not too shabby, huh?”
Sara lingered there for a view moments, enjoying both the mountain view and his warmth pressed against her. She slipped gently from his embrace and surveyed the room. He had reserved two junior suites. Her large cabin themed room had a dark green color scheme, a cozy seating area and kitchenette, and an inviting king bed. Sara’s checks flushed, feeling Chris’ eyes on her and wondering if he could read her thoughts. She glanced at him and he gave her that sexy smile before walking over to the connecting door.
“Looks like yours and mine are exactly the same,” he said, peering into the room next door. “If you get confused and somehow find your way into mine, I would understand.”
“Thanks. I appreciate your concern. Suggestive banter she could handle. Light, fun, and flirty. The conversation over lunch had gotten way too personal. She didn’t know what had possessed her to tell Chris about Matthew. Sam and Gram were the only ones who knew the no-spin details.
Sara crossed over to him, and trailed a finger lightly down his arm. Putting her arms around his waist, she tilted her face back, making it obvious what she was asking for. Chris’ lips turned up for a brief moment before he placed them on hers.
The feel of Chris’ warm mouth and the way he moved his lips against hers sent an immediate bolt of desire sizzling along her nerve endings. He hadn’t even deepened the kiss and she was on fire for him.
He combed his fingers back through her hair. “Open your mouth,” he breathed against her lips. As soon as her mouth parted, his tongue took possession, and he began plundering the interior. She moaned and her body began to tremble with need. All coherent thought scrambled as she focused only on the way he made her feel. Hot, wet, lost, empty, and… totally consumed.
Heart pounding, Sara tore her mouth away from his. Each time he kissed her she had less and less control over her response. She pulled back, deliberately avoiding looking in his eyes. She didn’t want to be hypnotized by his dark hooded I’m-going-to-easily-seduce-you-it-is-inevitable gaze.
Chest heaving, Chris silently studied her, waiting and wondering why she’d suddenly put on the brakes.
“I thought you were going to show me around,” she said with a nervous sounding laugh. “We’ll never make it out of the hotel room at this rate.”
“I did. You’re absolutely right.” She was getting skittish again. Frustrated, Chris’ body vibrated with desire like a tuning fork. He wanted her so badly, but he’d known upfront nothing would be easy with her. He’d lose his chance if he pushed her too hard. “Why don’t we go see the view from the top of Whistler Mountain?”
“That sounds great. Can you give me a minute to get freshened up?”
“Sure, babe. Take all the time you need.”
Chris worked on some deep breathing exercises for a long while after she closed the connecting door between them.
When Sara came back in, he was laying on the bed, flipping through the channels. His gaze traveled the length of her. She looked incredible in her black ski pants and the tight hot pink and black Henley.
She raised a brow. “I’m ready if you are.”
He couldn’t resist the set up. “I was ready fifteen minutes ago, babe.”
“I’m sorry Chris. Too fast for me. You told me…”
“I did.” He stood and crossed the room. “And I meant what I said. You’re just so damn sexy.” He shrugged. “You can’t blame a guy for trying.” He brought her hand to his lips in apology.
Sara felt her heart melt as he softly kissed her hand and gazed up at her through his long eyelashes with those chocolate eyes of his. Plain old Chris was difficult to resist, playful puppy dog Chris was impossible.
“Anyway, I was just teasing, Sara,” he said in a deep rumbling voice, releasing her hand. He was at the door in a couple of quick, easy strides. “You set the pace. Agreed. I’ve got no problem with that.”
Following him out, she noticed that he’d changed as well. The ski pants he wore hugged his lower body, leaving little to the imagination. Nice. His legs were lean and muscular, all the way up to his glutes. She gulped. Taking things slow with him was not going to be easy.
A quick stroll through the cobblestone streets of the ski village brought them to the base of Whistler Mountain. They waited in a short line to buy their lift tickets.
“Woman,” he told her, wiggling his eyebrows, “you won’t be able to stare at my ass like that on the slopes.”
Busted, she thought.
“It’s distracting and I need to focus,” he put his hands on either side of his face, “when I ski. Tunnel vision. You wouldn’t want me to get injured, would you?”
“No, definitely not, breaking a hip at your age would be extremely dangerous,” she quipped as they stepped into the open doors of the gondola. Sara held her breath as it lifted off the ground and began gliding over the snow trimmed tree tops. “Shit.” She turned her face into Chris’ jacket and clutched his shoulders.
“What’s wrong?”
Her voice was muffled against his jacket and her legs trembled. “I think I’m afraid of heights.”
He suppressed a smile. Well, crap. There was no going back now. “How did you think we were going to get to the top?”
“I don’t know. Hadn’t really thought about it,” she said softly.
“Sorry, Sara.” He pulled her closer and began rubbing her back. “I didn’t know.”
“Me either, obviously.” She let out a shuddering sigh. “It’s alright. Just keep doing that.”
“I can do better.” Chris removed his gloves and slid his hands underneath her shirt. Her skin felt like warm silk as he ran the pads of his fingers in a slow massaging pattern from her shoulder blades all the way down to the indentation in her lower back, where he lingered.
“Mmm. That feels fantastic.”
“It sure does,” he murmured, pressing gently to draw her closer.
By the time, the gondola pulled into the top, Sara seemed to have completely forgotten her initial panic. Chris too had become lost in the luxurious warmth of her beneath his eager hands. Even through his ski jacket, he could feel the soft curve of her breasts pressed against him. It was driving him insane.
The lift operator cleared his throat to get their attention. Startled, Chris retracted his hands, stepped aside, and gestured for her to precede him off the gondola.
Sara stepped off the lift without looking down. After they both stood safely on the platform, Chris grabbed for her hand and laced his fingers into hers. “You ok, now?” he asked, squeezing.
“Yes.” She smiled at him. “I don’t mind being up high if I’m on solid ground. It’s the hanging from a cable twenty feet up in the air that bothers me.” She shook her head, peering around ner
vously. “But how am I ever going to get back down?”
“No worries, I have a plan. Let me show you around the top. Then you can get a cup of hot chocolate here in the roundhouse and stay warm while I ski down. When I get back up, we’ll eat a nice dinner, and then I’ll distract you again with my magic mitts on the ride back down. Deal?”
“Deal.” She nodded.
When they came to the glass doors on the opposite side of the building, Chris pushed one open for her. “You’re gonna love the view from this back deck,” he said as they walked down the steel-mesh stairs onto a stone patio. A line of tall poles sported red and white Canadian flags that were snapping in the frigid wind.
Sara turned around in a slow circle taking in the awe inspiring view. Majestic snowcapped mountains encircled them, their peaks sparkling in the brilliant sunlight. Another gondola crossed a dizzying span to the nearest neighbor, Blackcomb. Hesitantly she tiptoed closer to the walled edge holding on to Chris’ hand as her anchor. A serpentine fog cloud snaked through the valley below. The ski village looked tiny, unreal, like a child’s diorama, from their vantage point. She turned back to Chris, grey eyes wide with wonder. “Wow. When the gods get tired of Olympus, they could do worse.”
“I know.” He brushed her lips with a cold kiss and tucked loose strands of her hair back underneath her cap. He stared into her eyes for a long moment before tapping her on her red nose. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
“Take your time.” She smiled sneaking another glance at his backside as he walked away. “Go and ski. I’ve got a kindle app on my phone. I’ll just read and enjoy the scenery.”
IN THE SITTING room at the B&B, Sam perched on the red plaid camel back sofa smoothing out nonexistent wrinkles on her dress as she waited for JR to pick her up. She felt completely alone in a sea of doubt. Sara’s misgivings about JR were like a whirlpool that her own thoughts circled endlessly around. Tabloid photos splashed across her mind. Insecurity rose up like a rogue wave.
And then he was there, throwing her a lifeline with his pearly smile and lifting her up and out of those troubled waters with a tender kiss.
Love Rock'ollection: The Brutal Strength Rock Star Trilogy, books 1-3 Page 27
