by Cathryn Fox
“Let’s get something in town. I know this great café.”
“Okay, give me a few minute to shower.”
Noah sniffed, then made a sour face. Teasing her he said, “Please, take all the time you need.”
She laughed and gave him a punch to the gut. “I do not stink.”
God he loved it when she laughed.
He dragged his shirt away from his skin. “No, but I do.”
Kat went to her room and Noah returned to his. He jumped in the shower, and as his thoughts returned to Kathryn, it surprised him how much he enjoyed her company, how happy he was that she had agreed to go into Copperville with him.
Thirty minutes later they sipped coffee at Edible’s, his favorite cafe, and Kat dug into her cinnamon roll like it was the best thing she’d ever put in her mouth. He shifted, his cock springing to life as he considered that a moment longer.
She looked skyward. “This is so good. I don’t usually eat things like this.” She licked her fingers. “You really are a bad influence on me, Noah.”
He grinned. “Good.”
She laughed. “No, not good.” She tossed another big bite into her mouth, then her eyes lit. “Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask you. Do you know if the resort has any spare space? I was talking to Alyssa and she’s looking for a place to develop photography.”
He thought about it for a minute, and remembered the winter maintenance storage building near the ski hill. “Yeah, I do. There is storage area near the skill hill. Winter stuff is kept there in the off season.”
“Really, do you think she’d be able to use it?”
“Sure.” He dangled his keychain. “I have a key.”
“You have a key to everything. Management must really trust you.”
“I guess.”
“You must have had one hell of an impressive resume when you applied.” She took a sip of coffee and wiped her mouth with her napkin. “What did you do before you came here?”
He looked at her long and hard and thought what the hell. She already knew a lot about him, what did it matter if she knew more. “I went to Kingsdale.”
Her mouth fell open, and she stared at him, dumbfounded.
“Kingsdale, as in Kingsdale University on the East Coast, Sanford’s rival school?”
“That’s the one.”
As she looked at him, equal amounts of surprise and respect dancing in her big eyes, he couldn’t help but feel a bit pleased. “Close your mouth Kat. You might catch a fly.”
“I can’t believe it?”
“I take it that surprises you?
“It does but I guess it shouldn’t.” She shook her head, and took another bite of her cinnamon roll. “You have to be a genius to get in there.”
He lifted his hands. “I wouldn’t say genius. I mean, it’s not like I can paint an M&M on a wall, or know what Appropriation is.”
She laughed. “Noah, I’m impressed. Really.” She went quiet for a moment, like she was remembering something. “That’s how you knew your way around Shannon’s computer.”
“Yeah.”
“When did you graduate?”
“I didn’t.” Deciding to change the subject before it turned back to Jonny, he stood, glanced at his watch, and said, “We’d better get going.”
After a quick trip to Copperville, they returned to the resort. Kat went off to Skype with her dad, while he tinkered with his bike. Darkness fell over the mountain town by the time he went to grab a bite to eat and made his way back to his room.
He walked by Kat’s room and heard her rustling about inside. He knocked, and his throat tightened when she answered. Dressed in her fuzzy, pink slippers, with a robe knotted around her waist, she smiled up at him.
Jesus she looked so sweet in those fuzzy slippers, so unlike the girls he normally went out with—well, at least the girls he went out with after the accident. He couldn’t help but grin as he looked her over.
“What?” she asked, her eyes wide.
“Nothing. I was just thinking if you’re not doing anything, that maybe we could watch that movie now.”
She frowned. “I was going to do some work.”
“Tsk, tsk. All work and no play…”
“And what about you, Noah?” she asked. “All play and no work.”
He gave her a wink. “What a team we make.”
She laughed and opened her door wider. “Okay, but just for a bit. I have to put together a big anniversary party for some very picky clients in a couple of weeks. They want some very specific artwork, and after the labeling fiasco, it’s important that I don’t miss a detail.”
“What kind of art work?”
“They were married here thirty years ago, and spent their honeymoon hiking Stone Squaw Trail and camping in the mountains. They want the party room walls filled with local artwork to recreate the mood.”
“They sound a bit weird.”
“Eccentric is more like it. I have a limited budget and can’t afford to buy any of the expensive paintings in town, so how they expect me to pull that off is beyond me. I certainly don’t have the time to paint any myself or hire someone to pull of such a big job on such short notice. I’ve been scouring the Internet but so far can’t find exactly what they’re looking for.”
Noah threw himself onto her bed, like it was exactly where he belonged. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
She arched a brow. “Comfortable?”
“Yup.” He patted the sheets for her to join him.
She sat beside him and powered up her computer. “Oh, I told Alyssa about the space you said she could have, and she’s thrilled.”
As he thought more about the winter maintenance storage building, and the big open room going unused, and idea formed. Perhaps Kat would get to paint this summer, after all. And maybe, just maybe, he could help her out with her work dilemma.
Her phone pinged, and she grabbed it and sent a text message back.
“Your dad?” he asked. Shit, he could only imagine what her father would say if he knew what Noah was planning. But truthfully she didn’t belong in business school, or behind a desk. No, she had real talent and should be following her passion.
You should be following yours too.
“No, it’s Alyssa. She said she’d call you tomorrow to discuss the space.” Kat put her phone down. “I actually couldn’t get hold of my dad. He was probably busy working.”
“Like father, like daughter.”
“Pretty much.” She stuck the movie into her disc drive, adjusted her pillow and leaned back on the bed.
Noah got a sniff of her sweet scent and shifted closer. They remained pressed against each other as the movie played, but with Kat so close, her body so warm and soft, Noah was having a hard time staying awake. He let his eyes drift shut, just for a moment, but when he opened them again, it was morning, and Kat was snuggled in beside him.
Jesus, he could really get used to this…
Kathryn’s eyes flung open to find Noah staring at her. Panic invaded her gut as she jerked her head to the left to check the time on her alarm clock. “Oh, God, no.”
“What?” he asked looking past her shoulder.
“We fell asleep with the movie going, and I forgot to set my alarm. We’re both late for work.”
“Shit.”
Kathryn jumped from the bed to get ready. “I need to move fast.”
“Me too,” he said, even though he was moving slowly. “I don’t need to give Donald any more reasons to fire my sorry ass.”
“Or Shannon mine.” Kathryn grabbed her work clothes from her closet and ran to her shower. “I’ll catch up with you later.” She was just about to shut the bathroom door, when he stuck his foot in to stop her. She looked up at him, and before she even realized what was happening, he bent down and gave her a kiss on the forehead.
“Don’t worry, Kat. It’s not the end of the world.”
“It will be if Shannon gets to the office first.”
She closed the do
or and peeled her clothes off as Noah left her room. God, she really needed to get herself together. It wasn’t like working in the resort’s marketing department was her dream job, but that still didn’t mean she didn’t want to excel. The scholarship committee received an update at the end of the summer, and she had to perform to their satisfaction if she wanted her scholarship renewed. As she turned on the hot spray, another thought hit. What if she didn’t perform well, what if she lost her scholarship? It would be the end of her world, right? Or would it?
What the hell was she thinking? She’d never had thoughts like that running through her mind before. Honestly, being with Noah was having a serious effect on her.
She grabbed the soap, and gave a quick wash. Twenty minutes later, damp hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, she practically ran to the main lodge. When she got inside, and spotted Donald and Shannon speaking outside her office, her heart fell into her stomach.
Shannon glanced at her watch as Kathryn approached.
“Good morning, Kathryn,” she said.
“Good morning,” Kathryn said cheerily and then smiled at Donald before he headed back to his office.
Shannon looked at her over her glasses. “Is everything okay?”
“Alarm troubles, but it won’t happen again.”
“The Carmichaels called about their anniversary party next month. They have some other very specific requests. You should probably get on that.”
“Right away,” Kathryn said, and stepped passed her.
The next three weeks passed in a whirlwind of activity for Kathryn. Her days were filled with work and getting the party organized, and her nights were filled with Noah. Besides a kiss on the forehead every now and then, he never once tried anything sexual with her. Instead they hung out after work. At times she helped him tinker with the bike, and he went with her into Deerfield while she gathered party supplies, and searched for reasonably priced artwork for the anniversary party. Every night, at the end of a long day, they fell into bed together, simply sleeping side by side. She was beginning to wonder if he just wanted to be friends, even though every time she was around him, her internal temperature rose and she ached to be in his arms again.
She thought back to the lingerie she had bought. Other than the sexy black outfit Noah had torn from her body a month ago, the other pieces were left untouched in her dresser.
A noise outside her office door had her glancing up, and her heart raced, hoping it was Noah.
Amy popped her head in. “So,” she began. “I haven’t seen much of you lately.”
Kathryn waved her in. “I’ve been busy.”
“Yeah, with Noah,” Amy teased as she plunked herself down in the chair opposite Kathryn’s desk.
Kathryn nodded. It was true that she had been busy with Noah, spending all her spare time with him, and thinking about him during work hours when she should be concentrating on the Carmichaels’ party. Good God, she still didn’t have the artwork they had asked for.
“So he still hasn’t touched you since that first time?”
“No. I think he just wants to be friends.”
“No guy just wants to be friends, Kat. They all want one thing. Maybe you should put on some of those slinky things we bought and make the first move.”
“What if he doesn’t want it?”
“Then you’re kidding yourself. It’s all Noah ever wants.” Amy went quiet for a moment and then said, “Although he does seem a bit different lately.”
“Different?”
Amy opened her eyes wide and waved her hands around her ears. “Yeah, like maybe he’s not so crazy anymore. I think you’ve been a good influence on him.”
“And here I thought he’s been a bad one on me,” Kat said.
“Nah, I think you two are good for each other.” She glanced at her watch. “Quitting time.” She climbed from the chair. “You going to the Cave tonight?”
“I think so, but I don’t know for sure. Noah said he had a surprise for me and I have no idea what it is.”
“Oooh, does this surprise involve naked bodies and a box of condoms?”
Kathryn laughed, and secretly hoped it did. “I somehow doubt it, but I’ll let you know tomorrow.”
Amy slipped into the hallway and gave a finger wave. “I only want to hear about it if moaning is involved.”
Kathryn powered down her computer, anxious to find out what Noah had in store for her tonight. Honestly, she secretly hoped Amy was right, and that it involved naked bodies and a big box of condoms. It had been so hard being around him and not have him touch her, kiss her. For a brief moment she wondered if she should take Amy’s advice and seduce him. Only problem was, after that first night he treated her differently, and she feared he’d reject her.
She hurried to her room, and after a quick shower stood in front of her closet, agonizing over what to wear. Since she had no idea what they were going to do tonight, she wasn’t sure how to dress. She settled on a pair of shorts and a frilly, pink tank top. She applied a tiny bit of makeup to her eyes, then combed out her hair.
When a knock came on her door, her heart thudded, hardly able to believe how excited she was to see Noah. She pulled it open and he stood there looking so hot she had no idea how she would make it through the night if he didn’t touch her.
“Hey,” he said, dangling a bandana in his hands. “You ready?”
Her knees quivered as she pointed to the patch of material. “What’s that for?”
“Your eyes.”
“You plan to blindfold me.”
He stepped closer, and cupped her chin. He lifted her face upward, until they were eye to eye, and when he wet his mouth, she wondered if he was going to kiss her. “You trust me don’t you?”
She thought about it for a minute and then nodded her head. Noah might be a lot of things, but she truly believed he’d never do anything to hurt her. “I do.”
“Good, now come on.” He grabbed her hand and led her to the garage.
She took a look at his bike, which looked almost finished. “Are you almost there?”
“Still need that one part,” he said, then twirled his finger, gesturing for her to turn around. She did as requested and he put the blindfold over her eyes.
“Not too tight is it?”
She fussed with it a bit. “No, it’s okay.”
He placed a helmet on her head, and she listened to him sit on his bike. Then he pulled her closer and helped her on. “Hold me tight, okay.”
“Okay.” With excitement bubbling up inside her, and having no idea what he was up to, she wrapped her arms around his waist, loving the feel of his hard muscles beneath her fingers.
When the bike finally stopped, he climbed off and then helped her.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“You’ll find out in a minute.”
He began leading her somewhere, and she felt grass beneath her feet. She smelled pine and guessed they were in the woods somewhere. “Noah I don’t know about this. You’re not doing anything illegal are you?”
He laughed. “Trust me on this, okay?”
She grumbled and then clamped her mouth shut and listened as he fished his keys from his pocket. He unlocked a door and guided her inside. As he shut and locked it behind them she asked, “Can I take my blindfold off now?”
“Nope, just another minute.”
He put his hand around her waist and led her through the building. They stopped and he held her shoulders, positioning her just right.
“Now you can take it off.”
She peeled off the blindfold and looked straight ahead to see dozens of pictures framed and hanging on the wall. “What…how?” she asked. “Wait, is this the maintenance building where you set up Alyssa.’
“Yeah, and that’s her work. She did it for the upcoming anniversary party you’re working on. I know it’s not the paintings you were looking for, but I still think these will work. She walked along Stone Squaw Trail, the same route they went on their ho
neymoon. These are the things they would have seen, so I’m sure they will love this.”
She gave a slow shake of her head, her heart swelling inside her chest. “How…I don’t understand.”
“Let’s just say we did each other a favor.”
She threw her arms around him. “Noah, thank you. You have no idea how stressed I’ve been over this.”
“Yeah, I do,” he said laughing.
“You’re a genius.”
“Well, I don’t know about genius, but I have heard the word brilliant tossed around after my name a time or two.”
She laughed and looked at the pictures again, taking in the scenery, the wildlife, and the view from the mountain peak. “Amazing. And once again you’ve come to my rescue.”
“One more thing.” He turned her around.
“Noah,” she whispered quietly, tears pricking hers eyes when she saw her second surprise. “Oh, my God. Noah, I can’t believe this.” She put her hands over her face, holding her cheeks as she saw the big wall all primed for painting. She looked at all the tubes of paint, the rolling pins, brushes, and art supplies. Then she noticed the picture pinned to the wall beside it. Noah had taken it with his camera phone the night they sat on the guardrail.
“You did this? For me?”
He shrugged like it was nothing.
Her chest rose and fell and her voice cracked slightly when she said, “No one has ever done anything like this for me before.”
“You said you wanted to paint, so I thought you should paint.”
Chapter Nine
Noah helped Kat roll on a thick basecoat to get the light blue backdrop she wanted. He looked at the paint splattered in her hair, on her clothes, and on her face. His heart twisted. Jesus, he loved seeing her so happy, so in her element.
“You’re kind of a messy painter,” he teased.
She laughed, and before he realized what she was doing, she rolled the blue paint over his arm.
“Hey,” he yelled and jumped back. “You’re going to pay for that!”
“Is that right?” She came at him again, holding the roller like it was sword and they were in a fencing match.
