Chapter Eighteen
Chloe threw his large flannel over her tank undershirt and tied the drawstring at her waist. The sweats were rather big, but felt wonderful. Feeling very relaxed, she left the bedroom. Her hair was still wet from her shower and she brushed it back away from her face. She was starting to feel more like her normal self.
She was extremely comfortable in the lodge. Everest’s quiet solitude soothed her in an odd way. She felt safe there, as long as he was near. He had left the lodge only once to check the mountain pass. They were still snowed in. Neither one of them had thought it would be otherwise.
It had been unsettling to be caught in her towel, and she couldn’t help but notice Everest’s violent reaction to her near naked state. Chloe scolded herself for being ridiculously hopeful. She usually paid little attention to her baser needs, discovering at a young age that sex in theory was usually better than the real thing. But, with Everest, she began to doubt the logic. Every fiber in her pulled to be with him. No doubt that is how she got into her current situation. Drunk she would be no match for his animalistic allure.
Hell, thought Chloe with a wry lift to her head, I’m no match for it sober.
She felt honored that Everest would seek her opinion about his work. It was one of the greatest compliments he could have paid to her. Not wanting to keep him waiting and more truthfully wanting to see him again, she made her way to his workshop. She knocked on the door even though it was cracked open.
“Come in, Chloe.”
Chloe pushed open the door. His voice was soft like a gentle caress, but low like a rumbling mountain storm. Her eyes immediately picked him out of the room, sweeping over his gladiator-like form before he glanced to her. She smiled innocently at him, a blush barely visible underneath her white skin.
Everest leaned over a clock, sanding its grooves with a fine paper. She watched the powerfully precise movements of his strong hand and the straining motions of his muscular arm. Her smile widened when he finished and looked fully at her.
“I see you got them to fit,” he said eyeing her outfit. She looked damned sexy in his clothing, more so than when she was dressed up. The sweats belonged to Grandpa though he never wore them, but the flannel was his. For a moment his gaze got trapped at her narrow waist as it tapered off into the sweatpants. The tie string hung in a small loop, enticing his fingers to loosen it with a bold flick.
“Yeah. What are you working on?” she asked as she moved toward him, only wanting to get closer. The faint stirring of dust settled in the air. It fell about him like a mist through the light of his work lamp.
“This one is almost done,” he admitted. “I only have to polish it and put in the timepiece.”
“Will you show me?” she asked, intrigued.
Everest looked at her in astonishment. In his disbelief, he questioned, “You really want to learn?”
“Yeah,” Chloe laughed at his doubtful expression. “It would be fun to say that I got to help with a Beaumont. It would give me a story to tell at all those boring New York parties the publishers put on.”
“All right. Come over here.” Everest led her to a drafting table. “This is where I put the inside of the clock together. I’ve already done that.”
Chloe nodded. She was studying his face instead of his hands.
“And then you just insert this into here,” he instructed, not bothering to look away from her. Chloe nodded again.
“Then what?” she sighed, her words whispered past his neck to caress him under the ear.
“Chloe.” Everest let go of the clock pieces and turned fully toward her. “You know we shouldn’t do this. It’s wrong.”
“What are we doing?” she questioned innocently. Her eyes hardened slightly, but her smile stayed persistently intact. “You’re teaching me to build a clock. Can I help it if I’m an inattentive student?”
Everest ignored her vague humor with a grim shake of his head.
“You have to feel it as I do.” Everest took a step away from her. “It’s not right, you’re engaged.”
“Oh, you mean Paul.” Chloe took a step after him, stalking him boldly. She couldn’t stop herself. He admitted he wanted her, which was more than her body could shrug off. If he didn’t desire her, that would be different. But she could see no reason why they should torture themselves if they both wanted the same thing.
“I don’t understand you. You say it like it’s no big deal. You are engaged, Chloe. It’s a very big deal.” Everest didn’t back away again. He found himself almost not caring.
Chloe took another step to him. “Let me tell you something about Paul. I have never met him. I will owe him no loyalty until we are married. And then, according to his lawyers, loyalty is optional as long as I am discreet.”
“You’re telling me you have never met your future husband?” Everest shook his head in disbelief. It did make sense. The way she hardly thought to mention him, the way she was able to marry the wrong man and not know it until it was too late. “Then, why?”
“Why would I throw my life away, you mean?” Chloe let loose a frustrated sigh. She didn’t want to discuss it, but she didn’t want to lie to him either. “My father sort of arranged the marriage. I don’t have a choice.”
“Everyone has a choice. We’re not in the Middle Ages. Besides, I thought you said that your father was dead.” Everest took a step back and was brought up against the table.
Chloe didn’t pursue him. “How can I even begin to explain? I don’t have a choice. I have to marry Paul. If I don’t I won’t get my inheritance.”
“So you’re marrying him for money,” Everest concluded in disgust. He had thought she was better than that. It proved he really didn’t know her.
“No, I’m marrying for my inheritance,” Chloe flung defensively back at him. She was angry he doubted her character so easily. Hissing under her breath in aggravation, she said, “I didn’t say I was to inherit money.”
“Then what?” Everest questioned. “What inheritance is so important that you would give up your happiness for it?”
“I will get some money, but I don’t care about that. Part of the will’s stipulation is that I am not to talk about it,” Chloe frowned before dejectedly adding, “with anyone but my lawyer.”
“Then don’t tell me.” He turned to leave her.
“Wait,” Chloe snapped a little too harshly. Lowering her voice, but not her hard tone, she stated, “Let me finish.”
“What?” He turned back to her. He placed his hand defiantly on his hips.
“I am going to tell you on your promise that you will never mention it. I’m taking you at your word.” Chloe felt her insides shake. She had a hard time trusting men and she was taking one of the biggest risks of her life in telling him.
“I give you my word.” Everest knew he should tell her he didn’t care. He should tell her not to risk it if it was that important. But he couldn’t do it. He found himself needing to know.
“My father’s will stated that I had to marry by my thirtieth birthday and bear a child by my thirty-second birthday, unless it was medically proven I could not have children or was having a hard time conceiving. In such a case, I would have to provide medically documented proof that I had been trying for at least a year and would continue to try.” Chloe closed her eyes and turned away from him. “My future husband had to be tested for fertility before the match was made.”
“And the inheritance?” he asked quietly. The very idea of such a strong-armed will made him physically ill. What kind of father would do such a thing?
“My father’s publishing house, his printing warehouses, and a couple dozen other businesses he owns, his entire estate and one hundred million dollars.” Chloe answered. “All to be given out in time allotments throughout the marriage, or upon the birth of children, or under proven necessity, et cetera, et cetera. There is a bunch of legal clauses as to the disbursements. But after ten years of marriage we will be allowed to divorce and the entire re
maining inheritance will be mine. My husband will be given an ample pension, if you will, for time served and we’ll be allowed to go our separate ways.”
“So you are marrying for money,” Everest concluded. Stiffly, he added, “I’m glad that I’m not a part of that arrangement.”
Chloe shook her head. Somehow she had known he would look down on it as she had. She was relieved that his character was such that he hadn’t even thought to get in on the deal himself. “No, not just the money. I have plenty of my own. But, if I don’t do it, a lot of people will lose their jobs. A lot of people I care about and have grown up around. If I don’t do it the businesses will be torn apart, sold to the highest bidder and the some eighty thousand plus workers turned out on the streets. I can’t allow that to happen.”
“I see.” Everest found his opinion of her changing, though he couldn’t tell her. Her fate was sealed. She was to marry Paul. And in doing so she was giving one of the ultimate sacrifices—her happiness.
Chloe turned to him, desperate to not have him hate her. Tears brimmed over in her eyes. “Do you think ill of me? I wouldn’t blame you if you did. This is a disgusting mess.”
“No, Chloe.” Everest shook his head and took a step toward her. She looked so alone in the world. He wished he could have a moment with her father, so he could teach the bastard a couple lessons about love, compassion and family. He wrapped his arms around her narrow shoulders to comfort her. “I admire the sacrifice you’re making.”
“You’re angry?” Chloe shook in his light embrace. He felt so safe and warm. She was glad he understood that for her it was a sacrifice, not a blessing. Yes, she would never want for money. But what was that to her? She had everything she could ever need, a home and a solid career. Well, she had almost everything. She didn’t have a true family. Her father had made sure of that in life and would continue to guarantee it in death.
“No, not angry,” he lied. “I’m just glad that I don’t have to be a part of it. How could he do that to you? His own child?”
Chloe nodded tensely in understanding. The wet strands of her hair loosened to frame her oval face. “You can’t blame my father. I don’t. You have to understand that he thought he was doing me a favor. I’m his only child. I hardly ever dated and I work all the time. This was the only way he knew he could force my hand. He understood that I would not let eighty thousand people get turned out onto the street. His factories employ whole towns in the Midwest. He was trying to give me a push. He thought that if I hadn’t done it by myself by the time I turned thirty, then it was his turn to do it for me. In his own way he thought he was doing me a favor.”
With a tight tilt of his jaw Everest acknowledged her assessment, but didn’t agree with her. He was mortified that a father would treat his child in such a callous, controlling manner. “Did you know about the will before he died?”
“No. And I do wish things could have been different between my father and I,” she admitted sadly. Everest had said that he would never be a part of such an atrocity. She couldn’t blame him. He was an honorable man, very respectable.
Everest knew her father was making her marry Paul. He wondered who Paul was to her father—a business partner or a rich friend’s son? He hugged Chloe tighter against the hard length of his unyielding form. He didn’t want to know.
Suddenly, she became aware of the solid block of his chest as it relaxed into her softer body. His unmoving muscles bent into her gentle flesh, molding it to his will. His heart beat steady and sure against her as she leaned into him. She felt right in his embrace. Everest was unlike any man she had never met. Truthfully, except for movies, she didn’t think such men were possible. He was incredibly sexy, rugged, strong, smart and even charming when he chose to be. He had a smile that could melt an arctic glacier and eyes that shifted between the green of grass and the woodsy color of a worn mountain trail.
Chloe had grown to love it in the mountainous country, with this silent mountain man. She didn’t know when it happened, but she had started to fall in love with her husband. Under the circumstances, that wasn’t a good thing. Instinctively she knew he was stubborn and proud. He would not be a part of her father’s plot. He could never know she cared for him. It was better in the long run for both of them. Her heart pounded dully with the realization. She hugged him closer to her, ignoring the sudden pain in her chest. They could not be together. He would never know if she did it for the sake of the will, and she would never truly know if he did it for the money.
Chapter Eighteen
“Paul, I told you she was with an editor and then she would be flying to London.” Devon eyed the snappy young aristocrat as he sat on the corner of her desk. She wanted to kick him off with the spiked heel of her designer boot. “She never made it to London. The editor lives in Northern Montana. There was an avalanche and she’s snowed in. I contacted a local expert, Clark Beaumont. He said it could be anywhere from four weeks to four months until they’re gotten out. More than likely it will be the latter. He says that there is no way to contact them in the meantime.”
Paul ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Then I will wait. But, as soon as she is back, we will be married.”
“But, Paul, that’s just the thing. She won’t have the money in four weeks. Her inheritance needs to be collected by her thirtieth birthday. She will be snowed in way past when that happens. There is no money to get, you’ve lost.”
Paul glared at her condescending tone. “I need her money.”
“Why?” Devon shot back.
“That’s not your concern,” Paul hissed. His eyes fired at her in poisonous darts.
“Well, there isn’t going to be any money. She doesn’t have a cent to her name without her father’s estate.” Devon gloated.
“What about her career?” Paul asked.
“Please. Daddy published all of her books. Do you think she got paid? Daddy’s money is all she had. She squandered what was hers. She thought her father was going to provide for her when he was gone.” Devon shrugged her shoulders. “Sorry, but Chloe will be lucky to even get a contract when she gets back.”
Paul laughed, unwilling to let go of his gift horse so easily. “Pack your luggage. We’re flying to Montana.”
Devon looked up in shock.
“You didn’t think a Lucas would give up so easily, did you?” Paul stood. “We’re going to find a way to get her out of there. And we will be married, mark my word—even if we have to do it over a damned walkie-talkie through a snow drift.”
Chapter Nineteen
“I should get to work.” Chloe pulled back from the steel of Everest’s embrace. With agonizing slowness, she dropped her hands over the bulging folds of his flannel. Her body ached to hold him. His nearness tortured her heating limbs. A violent longing curled inside her midsection. She could feel her body growing moist with desire. Every primal urge inside her pushed to rip the flannel from his muscular body, to lean over his workbench and demand he take her amidst the flying sawdust.
Trembling, she pulled away completely. When he didn’t stop her, she moved to leave. It was the hardest thing she had ever done, walking out on him. But it would have been impossible to stay and not touch him.
“What am I doing?” Everest cursed under his breath as he watched her leave the workshop. His loins had grown painfully heavy and his heart thudded in loud protest to echo in his ears. Flashes of their shared night of passion assaulted his brain. She had been wild that night. They had come together all over the hotel room—the floor, the absurdly heart-shaped couch, the mini-bar, over the side of a table, the shower, even against the windows leading to the balcony. Growling at the sudden onslaught of memories, imagined or not, he stalked after her. He was unable to deny his need for her any longer. Right or wrong, he would possess her. And consequences be damned!
“Chloe,” his voice was deadly in its passion. He caught up to her in the living room. His hand reached for her arm, twirling her around to face him. Panting heavily, he
growled.
Chloe jolted, startled by the intimate sound.
Everest didn’t miss a beat. As her lips parted in surprise, he gathered her into his arms. He pressed his lips to hers in a rough kiss that stole her breath and fluttered her heart. His hands trailed insistently up her shivering arms to grasp the back of her head. Running his fingers into her dampened locks, he groaned fiercely against her mouth.
“Are you sure?” She gasped when he freed her lips. His eyes bore into hers with the intensity of a winter storm. The hazel-green depths revealed his arduous need for her as he ground himself intimately into her hips. She felt the hard length of his arousal burning through the sweatpants. She could deny him nothing. He was controlling her.
Everest didn’t answer except to lift her feet off the floor in an easy sweep of his arms. He refused to let her go. Lowering his passionate mouth, he kissed her again. Chloe moaned as she wrapped her arms about his neck. He carried her backwards to the fireplace. Kneeling, he laid her onto the bearskin rug and gathered her fully into his determined embrace.
Chloe shuddered in the envelopment of his solid arms, matching his passion with her own. Her flannel was still unbuttoned so he ran his hand freely to the tank underneath, caressing her waist with his searching fingers.
Supporting his massive weight with his arm, his mouth forced her over onto her back. Once underneath him, his tremendous form trapped her to the floor. His legs settled around her thighs. Chloe couldn’t move. He grazed his lips across her neck and shoulder as he made his way farther down in rapturously tormenting caresses. The heat of the fire burned into her skin as his tongue flicked over the exposed line of her collarbone.
With her soft gasp of delight, his explorations grew bolder. Everest pulled up her undershirt to fondle the taut skin of her flat stomach. Her muscles tensed. A low, primal vibration began in Everest’s throat to reverberate seductively against her skin as he devoured her quivering flesh. Chloe gasped. Her head pressed into the fur as she arched her stomach to meet his mouth. His passion began to frighten her with the full force of its intensity.
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