“Here you go,” he said, setting her meal in front of her.
Suddenly, Chloe froze as she thought of Everest’s dead horse. Poking the steak lightly, she asked in hesitation, “What kind of meat is this?”
Everest eyed her warily, “Cow.”
“Oh, good,” she sighed with a relieved smile.
Everest tried to smile but only managed to stare at her in confusion. When she didn’t elaborate, he slowly turned his attention to the plate. With a chuckle, he asked lightly, “Have a vendetta against cows?”
“No,” Chloe blushed as she cut open the baked potato. She refused to answer.
Everything was delicious. The meat was juicy and flavorful and the potato had a piece of bacon tucked inside and wasn’t cooked in a microwave. Chloe nodded her thanks as he handed her a tub of butter. Quietly, he took a bite. They ate in their customary silence.
Halfway through the meal, Chloe caught Everest studying her with a strange intensity.
“This is really wonderful,” she said, wiping her mouth daintily with a napkin.
“What are you writing about?” he asked, letting his curiosity show. He dropped his fork and leaned forward.
Chloe smiled. “This time I’m writing about a woman in Tennessee who gives her baby up for adoption and then tries to reclaim her when she is older.”
“Interesting.” Everest gave her a sexy half smile. Steepling his fingers thoughtfully under his chin, he studied her. “Does she get her back?”
“No. She was a drug addict and prostitute so the courts decide to leave the child with her adoptive parents,” Chloe whispered in response to his seductive tone. Her heart began to beat erratically under the pleasure of his straightforward attention. With a barbaric man like Everest, there was none of the games the men of civilization played.
“Then what happens?” Everest leaned closer as if in confidence. His eyes narrowed languidly as they dipped to her panting lips.
“You’ll have to buy the book,” Chloe hushed back. For a moment, she thought he might try and kiss her. His eyes stayed on her mouth.
“I promise I won’t tell,” persuaded Everest with a handsome grin.
“The mother kidnaps her,” she answered.
“And?” he persisted. Everest leaned closer. His gaze seductively captured hers.
“And eventually she’s caught and the girl is brought back to her real family, but not before learning a few of life’s tough lessons.”
“Any money if I sell this to a tabloid?” Everest gave her a self-satisfied smile and raised an eyebrow. Sitting back in his chair, he crossed his arms over the expanse of his Olympian chest.
“Oh.” Chloe sat back in shock, the seductive mood completely broken. “Is that how you make your money?”
Everest laughed at her seriousness. “I was joking, Chloe.”
Chloe liked the way he said her name. “So that isn’t how you make your money?”
“Why don’t you just ask me if you want to know?” Everest’s smile remained devilishly intact.
“Fine, what do you do?” Chloe gave him a silly look. “I have yet to see you work.”
“I have been working for the last two days. You’ve just been too busy to notice.” Everest kept his pleasant expression.
“Really.” That caught her by surprise. “Doing what? Ranching?”
“I’ll show you.” Everest stood and held out his hand.
Chloe jolted at the sudden offer and took his outstretched hand hesitantly. It was so strong and warm, just like she knew him to be. She followed him as he led her across the kitchen to the locked door. Her eyes strayed to his backside.
“You work in there?” she asked absently.
“Yes.” He laughed at her tone and glanced over his shoulder. Her blue gaze darted up guiltily to meet his. Everest smiled. Her cheeks pinkened.
“Are you a spy?” she questioned coyly. Her lashes batted over her eyes in a fluttering wave. A half smile languidly curled his lips. Her heart began to race in feminine excitement.
“Hardly,” he put forth. “Though, you are about to see all my closely guarded secrets.”
Chloe giggled in return. “I doubt it.”
“Just wait.” Everest held up a finger. He pulled a key out of his front pocket and turned it in the lock. Pushing the door open, he felt Chloe peeking around his shoulder. She stepped close to his back.
“It looks like a workshop,” she gasped in surprise. “I knew it. You’re Santa Claus and you are taking over for Grandpa.”
“It is and I am,” he answered seriously.
“Where are the elves?”
“They’re on strike. Damned unions.”
“Hmm.” Chloe pretended to study him. “Wait, you can’t be him. Where is your white beard?”
Everest laughed. The sound was throaty as it hit her ears. Chloe shivered in uncontrollable pleasure. She had to turn away from his probing gaze.
“This is what I do. In the summer I take orders and in the winter I make furniture, clocks, trunks—whatever. And when I don’t have orders, I make things on spec to sell the next summer or keep them for the house. It keeps me very busy.”
“Beaumont,” Chloe said in surprise. “You make the Beaumont clocks. My father gave me one for my twenty-fifth birthday. I love it. It’s my favorite piece. I keep it in my living room. Everybody who is anybody in New York owns a Beaumont.”
Everest cleared his throat in discomfort. “Yes, well. That’s me.”
“I can’t believe it. I thought you were a rancher or farmer of some sort since you were always gone. Maybe even an international spy.” Chloe started to walk around the room. She lightly touched an unfinished clock. “I never imagined…”
“No, this is it. The big mystery.” Everest came up behind her. She could feel his heat scorching her back. In a low hush, he murmured behind her head, “Disappointed?”
“Not at all.” Chloe smiled as she made her way around the large work area. There were unfinished chairs, a table, more clocks and some blueprints. “What are these? Future plans?”
“Yes, everything I have ever designed is in this filing cabinet. And these,” he said reaching over her shoulder, “are my latest designs. I’m working on this one right now.”
Chloe turned at his nearness to come face to face with his chest. He smelled of cedar, the whole workshop did. She lifted her eyes to him. Hoarsely, she uttered, “Any money in it if I sell it to the tabloids?”
Everest shook his head. “I’m afraid not.”
“Is that what you were doing in Vegas? Taking orders?” she asked quietly, trying to keep her gaze from meeting his lips. Her breath instantly became ragged, painful gulps. Her mouth tingled.
“No,” he responded in a quiet voice. “Chilton Enterprises out of Chicago wanted to buy the rights to my work and mass produce it in an overseas plant. I told them no. I take pride in what’s mine.”
Chloe felt a chill at his words. They left her with the impression that he would be that possessive with anything he considered his, even women. The idea thrilled her. Her eyes fluttered to his workbench, wondering if he would throw her over the dust covered table in his passion and take her from behind. Her heart pounded wildly at the wickedness of her mind. Swallowing guiltily, she asked, “Is that why you keep it locked up? So no one can steal your ideas?”
“No, nothing that exotic. This room gets dusty and the door is specially sealed to keep the dust from entering the other parts of the house,” he answered. “Plus this room is fire proofed. That way if my house burns down I haven’t lost my livelihood.”
Chloe wanted to laugh although it made perfect sense. “So that’s why I can’t hear you working?”
“Yes. I suppose it is.” His voice grew so soft she had to strain to hear it.
“Everest?” she whispered in a low, pleading hush, as her eyes finally trailed to his firmly irresistible mouth. Her expression turned serious.
Everest liked the way she said his name, like a breathy p
lea. His groin began to tighten at her nearness. In a low powerful growl, he answered, “Yes?”
Chloe was unable to stop herself. She lifted her hand to touch the stubble of his face. She rubbed her palm against the coarse surface of his jaw and moved it into the soft folds of his hair. Pulling him toward her, she leaned up for his kiss.
Everest saw her desire and put a hand to her mouth to stop her. With gut-wrenching slowness, he gently took her hand out of his hair. “We can’t, you’re engaged.”
He let go of her and moved to the door. His body protested. His blood slowed to weaken his limbs.
His words held a cold finality. Chloe was mortified. His rejection was blatantly real as it slapped her across the face and tightened her heart. She followed him, confused. When she passed, she stopped near him. Without daring to look directly at him, she said, “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again. Goodnight.”
Everest watched her go, wanting to follow her, wanting to take her into his arms. He wanted her terribly. But she was engaged. She belonged to another man. He had been the ‘other man’ before and wasn’t about to be the cause of that kind of pain to someone else. No matter how badly he ached to possess her.
“I’m sorry, too, Chloe,” he whispered, as he turned to lock the door. She didn’t hear him. He listened as she shut herself in the bedroom. Going slowly to the table, he gathered the dirty plates. He wished things could have been different between them. But they weren’t. And he couldn’t live with the guilt of taking a woman who belonged to another.
Chapter Sixteen
Chloe was doing her best to ignore him and Everest wasn’t sure he could blame her. In the last week he had only seen her the few times that she came out of the office, once to do laundry and a few other times to get something to eat from the kitchen. She said even less to him. It was like she wasn’t even there. Everest had to admit he was missing their time together in the evening. He felt bad that she had taken his refusal of her kiss so hard, but what was he to do? She belonged to another man, at least technically.
Everest wondered why she was even engaged at all. She didn’t seem to miss the guy, she never talked about him. And he knew it was none of his business.
It had been seven days since their last meal together and he marked each one off in his head in agonizing detail. Everest was beginning to long for her company, which was strange since he was used to being alone. His manhood stayed in a constant state of half arousal and he found himself wanting to masturbate at the oddest moments. Occasionally, he did. It was starting to affect his work. Already he was behind schedule. Not that it mattered. His clients would wait for the best.
Putting the sandpaper he had been staring at for at least an hour down, he made up his mind to go and talk to her. He decided that the only way he was going to get any peace of mind was to make amends with her.
He found her hard at work at her laptop. She didn’t even see him in the doorway as he watched her. She was focused on what she was doing, unlike him. His stomach tightened into a regretful knot. She was coping fine without his company.
“Chloe?” he asked softly. “Are you hungry?”
Chloe jolted at his words, but didn’t look at him. Trying to hide her utter embarrassment, she pretended to keep typing. Shortly, she said, “Not right now. I’m too busy. Behind schedule.”
Everest nodded his head, disappointed that she was ignoring him. “Anything I can help you with?”
Chloe did look up at that. He was leaning against the doorframe, his blue flannel shirt covered with sawdust. Light sprinkles blanketed his usually clean hair. He was amazingly handsome in his disheveled state. She took a deep breath, trying to keep the images of his kiss from her mind. It had already occupied too much of it as of late.
“There is one thing,” she said.
“Name it.” Everest smiled, relieved that she didn’t appear angry and sad that she didn’t seem to be as sexually frustrated as he.
“I want to borrow one of your shirts and sweat pants if you have them. Or maybe the clothes Grandpa left in the spare room. I don’t think he’d mind since it’s his fault I’m stranded here with nothing but dress clothes.” She smiled at his look of surprise. “You didn’t honestly think I like dressing up every day of my life did you?”
“No. Well, I guess I did,” he chuckled boyishly.
“Actually, I’m a slob,” she said in matter of fact tone. Smiling absently as she turned back to the screen, she typed a few words. “I hate cleaning. I hate wearing dresses and I especially hate doing dishes. You do own sweats, don’t you?”
He watched her ability to hold a conversation and focus on her work at the same time in wonderment. “Yes, though they might be too big.”
“That’s perfect.” She glanced up and then continued with her work. “One more thing.”
“Yes?”
“I want your permission to make a mess of this office. I need to spread out. I work better that way.” She grinned at his pained look. For a moment her eyes softened and sparkled. “I promise to return everything to normal when I am done.”
Everest noticed she didn’t say ‘when I leave’. With a consenting nod, he said, “All right.”
“Thank you.” Chloe nodded, refusing to look at him.
As soon as he turned to leave, Chloe took a deep tortured breath and let it out slowly. His very nearness was hard for her. He looked so damned alluring standing there, that she had wanted to try to seduce him again. But she wasn’t foolish. He was just being nice to her.
Leaning in her chair, she looked out the door. She made sure he was gone before moving her index finger to the keypad to delete the pages of typed nonsense.
Chapter Seventeen
Quickly drying off, Chloe wrapped an oversized towel around her body. The mornings in Montana were extremely chilly. Even though the rest of the lodge was warm, the bathroom always stayed cold, especially after a shower.
Grabbing her dirty clothes off of the floor, she hugged them to her chest. She had once again forgotten to bring a change of clothes to the bathroom with her. At home, she was used to being able to walk through her house however she pleased. Sighing, she knew she was going to have to make a run for it. Not that she expected Everest to be around. He was probably hard at work.
Things had been good between them since his peace offering the day before. She had been at the lodge for nearly two weeks and she couldn’t believe how well she had adjusted to the new lifestyle. Everest was right. She had been able to get a lot more work done, after she had grown used to the silence.
Her impending birthday did weigh heavily on her mind. She knew she owed it to a lot of people to get married. She did her best not to think of it. There was nothing she could do snowed in on a mountain. She only hoped Devon could find a clause to extend her time period. Her father was so careful with details, surely there would be some clause to protect her should she get in an accident. And being snowed in was certainly an accident.
Chloe poked her head out of the bathroom and around the corner. Seeing she was alone, she made a run for the bedroom door. Since she held the dirty laundry and the towel she found it hard to maneuver the doorknob.
“Oh, sorry.”
Chloe froze when she heard Everest behind her. Licking her dry lips, she swallowed nervously. She refused to turn around to face him.
“Do you need some help?” he inquired gruffly. Everest cleared his throat. She heard him take an uncertain step toward her. Her body ached fiercely. Her limbs shook and she felt like she wanted to cry out from the agonizing pain of her need.
Chloe turned and gave him a guilty look. She felt too exposed under his intense gaze. “No. I forgot to bring my clothes with me to the bathroom.”
“Let me get the door for you.” Everest came toward her. His eyes strayed to the wet tops of her exposed breasts. They were the color of silken cream.
Chloe pulled the towel closer to her, unaware that it pressed her breasts up to show a disarming amount of cleavage. S
he stepped aside. She could smell the fresh scent of his flesh as his thick neck neared her. She shivered, aching to drop the towel and touch him.
Everest leaned down and pushed open the door. Little beads of water sprinkled her skin, beckoning him to lick them off of her. He refused the temptation. Her wet hair brushed against his shoulder and the scent of herbal flowers drifted up to him. It was the same smell as her shampoo. She had left it in the shower and he couldn’t stop himself from smelling it. It seemed she was leaving little pieces of herself everywhere in his home. He was beginning to not even mind her little messes.
“Were you looking for me?” she asked, not wanting to leave his nearness. The bedroom door creaked slowly open drawing their minds instantly to the warm bed within. Chloe was surprised when he didn’t back immediately away.
“Yes.” Everest smiled down at her, not remembering why he had sought her out.
Chloe gazed deeply into his piercing hazel-green orbs, mesmerized by the strength of emotion she saw in them. Under the rugged, hard surface Everest was a deeply passionate man.
“Why?” Chloe whispered in breathless awe. Her throat became dry and she swallowed nervously. She refused to come on to him again. She wondered if he even realized how beguiling his nearness was or how disconcerting.
Everest stared at her lips, unable to answer for a moment. He could almost see the sparks that lit between their heated bodies. He clenched his fists to keep from touching her.
“Oh,” he mumbled, stepping back. He shook his head as if to clear it. “I wanted an opinion on something, a New Yorker’s opinion.”
“Oh,” Chloe echoed in disappointment. Cocking her head cutely to the side, she inquired, “Give me a minute?”
“Take as long as you need. I’ll be in the workshop.” Everest averted his gaze and quickly left the room. He wasn’t sure he could calm his desires and he had the feeling that they were burning dangerously out of control. Taking a deep breath, he tried to slow his rapid pulse. He didn’t know how he was going to last the rest of her time at his home. If he saw her in a towel again, his guess was he wouldn’t last at all.
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