by Kat Mizera
Mark sighed, a strange look in his eyes. He didn’t say anything, though, and merely tucked a stray lock of hair under her cap. “Okay, beautiful. If that helps you through this, I’m out.” He turned to Montana. “You comin’?”
Montana raised his eyebrows. “Uh, sure. Come on, boys.”
“I have to stay here.” Aaron waved them off. “My contract says no skiing, but I can hang out on the bunny slope with the ladies.”
The women smiled and made room for him to join them in the lesson, so he snapped on his skis and lined up between Allie and Sadie.
“What’s next, boss?” he asked the instructor.
“We’re going to sidestep up the slope about ten feet,” he responded. “And then glide down. Everyone ready?”
Lana took a breath and followed suit, grateful for the strength in her legs, if nothing else, because this was a lot of work.
“Okay, everyone, turn forward and just let yourself slowly glide down,” the instructor called out.
Lana gripped the ski poles in her hands tightly, biting her lower lip as she watched the others slide across the snow gracefully, laughing and calling out to each other.
“Come on, you got this.” Mark appeared out of nowhere and she jumped again before glaring at him.
“Would you stop sneaking up on me?”
“Sorry.”
“I thought you were going to ski with the other guys?”
“I was, but you looked so unhappy when I glanced back, I decided to stay with you. This way, if you start to fall, I’ll catch you before you hit the ground. I see how much you don’t want to be embarrassed.”
For some reason, the sweet sincerity in his eyes nearly made her tear up and she swallowed. She wanted to thank him but didn’t trust her voice, so she focused on what she had to do instead. She closed her eyes and turned to face forward. As she started to move, she felt him next to her, her eyes flying open as they picked up speed. It was easier than she’d expected and she was gliding just like the others. It was no more than 20 feet or so until friction and the flat terrain at the bottom brought her to a gentle stop. Then it was over and she was still standing, right next to the other women, who were all cheering.
“See? Easy-peasy.” Mark winked, squeezed her arm and headed off towards the lift, where the other guys were waiting for him.
“He’s smitten,” Allie giggled, nudging Lana.
“He’s just being nice.”
“Oh, heck no!” Mia chortled. “Nice is Aaron pretending he’s happy hanging here with us girls instead of skiing with the guys… Mark has a totally different look.”
“I agree,” Aaron nodded, “although in my case, there’s no pretending going on here. One guy and…” He counted off. “Four beautiful women. Nope. No pretending at all.”
“Let’s do it again!” The instructor called out. “We’ll go up just a little higher and I’ll show you how to stop…”
This time, Lana paid more attention and grinned at the others as they started sidestepping up the hill again. No matter how hard she tried not to, she liked Mark more than ever, and for some silly reason that made her happy.
6
The day turned out to be more fun than she’d imagined and Lana eventually stopped worrying about what anyone thought since they were all taking tumbles regularly. Allie eventually went off to ski with her husband and the other guys, and Aaron stayed with the girls, making sure he didn’t do anything to get into trouble with his team. There was no danger on the bunny slope—it was barely a hill much less a mountain—but between his contract and broken hand, he wasn’t taking any chances.
“I’m freezing,” Lana said as they trooped inside, turning in their equipment and putting on regular shoes or boots.
“Hot chocolate on me!” Aaron called as they headed towards the restaurant.
“The guys are doing one last run on the double black diamond trail,” Allie said, sliding onto a stool between Lana and Sadie. “Then we can get dinner. I’m starving.”
“Skiing works up an appetite,” Lana agreed.
“I feel like a big steak,” Aaron said.
“And mashed potatoes,” Allie added.
“Cornbread,” Lana murmured.
“And cherry cobbler for dessert,” Mia grinned.
“Mmmm.” They were momentarily lost in their mutual food fantasy when the others joined them.
Mark sat down at the other end of the bar, annoyed that Aaron always wound up next to Lana. She was the only one of the women who was single, and they were already friends, but that didn’t mean it bothered him any less. Aaron didn’t seem to be making a play for her, and she was his publicist after all, but their close proximity made it hard for Mark to spend quality time with her. They’d had a moment he’d thought would turn the corner for them when he’d helped her ski the bunny slope that first time, but she’d kept her distance after that and he’d been busy bonding with his potential new coworkers.
They ordered dinner and once again, Mark wound up on the opposite side of the table from Lana, watching her talk and laugh with Aaron as if they’d been friends forever. Why wasn’t she that comfortable with him? His rational self knew it was most likely because Aaron was a client and there was no pressure, but the jealous Neanderthal inside of him still wanted to punch someone. It had been a long time since he’d been in a relationship and even longer since a woman had evoked such a strong reaction from him, so he wasn’t entirely sure what to do next. He’d been hoping he was hiding his feelings of irritation from Montana and the others, but the smirk Aaron shot in his direction told him he wasn’t.
“I think I need to call it a night,” Lana said when they’d finished dessert. “I have an eight o’clock conference call in the morning and it’s an hour’s drive back to Eagle Rock.”
“We’re spending the night,” Sadie smiled with a soft wink at her husband, who rested his arm across her shoulders.
“Us too.” Allie grinned at Swede, leaning over as he placed a soft kiss on her lips.
“We’re heading home tonight.” Tate “Bear” Parker glanced at his girlfriend, Mia. “You ready to head out?”
She shrugged. “I could use a cappuccino before we go.”
“Mark, you going with Aaron and Lana or staying for one more with us?” Bear turned to him with a question in his voice.
Mark hesitated, but the thought of riding home in the back seat while Lana and Aaron rode up front made him a little crazy, so he nodded. “I’ll hang out for one more with you guys.” He caught Lana’s look of surprise, but opted not to react and simply focused on his drink. He hated playing games but Lana had him so confused, he was almost grateful for the respite. He’d come to Montana for the Brotherhood Protectors but all he’d been thinking about was her. He had no idea what was wrong with him because this wasn’t a convenient time to get involved with someone no matter how much he liked her. If only he hadn’t been thinking about her for so long.
Mark woke up in a bad mood and though Montana kept him distracted most of the day with talking about potential cases and sharing case files, by late afternoon he’d made the decision to go see Lana. He’d give it one more chance, and if she shot him down, he’d leave it alone. Maybe it wasn’t meant to be, regardless of how insistently his unrelenting inner voice told him it was.
He drove Hank’s old pickup to the address he’d written down and sat a little way down the road, working up the courage to drive up to the house. He’d never been like this over a woman, which further cemented the notion he either needed to marry her or get her out of his system once and for all. With a half-assed plan and a silent prayer for luck, he drove up to the house.
He walked to the front door and knocked, waiting impatiently for someone to answer. Unfortunately, it was Aaron who greeted him and he forced a smile.
“Well, hey, Mark.” Aaron motioned him inside. “Come on in.”
“Thanks.” Mark stepped inside, looking around the beautiful house. Lana hadn’t been kidding about
it being a mansion-like cabin. There were huge windows, skylights, expensive flooring and the biggest fireplace he’d ever seen.
“Hey, Lana!” Aaron called out. “Your boyfriend’s here!”
“What?” Her muffled voice came from upstairs. She appeared at the top of the stairs and stopped when she saw Mark.
“I think Mark’s here to take you to dinner,” Aaron said, walking out of the room.
For a moment neither of them moved, but Mark figured Lana might kill herself coming down the stairs when she was flustered, so he went to her. He took the stairs two at a time, getting to her in an instant. He stood in front of her and looked into her big green eyes, filled with wonder and trepidation, and couldn’t stop himself from kissing her. The moment their lips touched, all the confusion of the last few days disappeared. There was nothing but lips, tongues and mouths, moving together easily.
“Next time we’re not stopping,” he muttered, “but right now, we need to talk. Come to dinner with me, beautiful.”
She took a ragged breath, stepping back shakily. “I don’t think it’s a good idea.”
“Why? Because I was a gentleman the other night and didn’t want to take advantage of you while we were drunk?”
“No. Because drunk is the only way it could’ve happened. We both know I’m a hot mess.”
He scowled. “You’re not—you’re a little shy. Big deal. I think you’re smart and beautiful and I want to go out with you again.”
“You’re moving to Montana and I’m going back to New York in a few weeks. What’s the point?”
“I don’t know if I’m moving to Montana!” he protested. “Can’t we just get to know each other? See what things are like together?”
“Guys like you don’t just get to know women like me.”
“I don’t know what kind of guy you think I am, but regardless, if I’m that kind of guy, what am I doing here?”
She hesitated, confusion flitting across her face. “To be honest, I don’t know.”
“Okay… Total disclosure?” He met her eyes.
She nodded.
“First time I saw you was in New York at one of Kate’s big events. I was Erin’s date because Drake was on a road trip. You were helping Kate with the guest list at the entrance, and all I saw was this tall, gorgeous redhead in this spectacular jade green dress and—”
“You knew it was jade?” She stared at him.
“What?” He paused, confused.
“You said the dress was jade… You knew it was that shade of green?”
“Well, yeah. It’s a beautiful color and a beautiful woman was wearing it.” He hesitated. “Can I continue my story?”
“Yes.” She was watching him intently.
“So I asked who you were and Erin told me. I stared at you all night but you were so busy, you never stopped moving. Until the very end. It was around midnight and you stopped at the bar and got a glass of champagne.” He smiled at the memory. “You downed it, and when you put the empty glass down on the bar, you smiled. It lit up the whole room and took my breath away. I started walking towards you, determined to talk to you, touch you, breathe the same air as you, anything…and then Dante freakin’ Lamonte walked over to you and asked you to dance. You gave him that same gorgeous smile and I realized you’d never go out with a nobody like me.” Dante Lamonte was a superstar baseball player who was one of Kate and Lana’s clients.
Her mouth fell open. “Dante’s a client and a friend,” she said with a frown. “He asked me to dance because he knew I’d been working all night.”
“Yeah, but on his arm, you were stunning…right where you deserved to be, in the spotlight, which was an honor I could never give you. After that, every time our paths crossed I kept my distance, even though I never stopped thinking about you. After the other night, I see you want me as much as I want you. Why are you torturing us, honey? Can’t you see how good we would be together?”
“Oh, Mark.” Her voice sounded like a combination of a whisper and a groan, her eyes smoky and dark, focused on his. “I see it. I feel it. I just don’t know how to get it.”
“You already have it.”
“I do?”
“Come out with me, baby.” He slid his hand around her waist and pulled her closer. “Let’s go find a cozy restaurant with booths so we can sit next to each other and kiss until our food arrives. I’ll feed you and then kiss you...until you can’t think of anything but me. Come on, say yes.”
“I give up.” She rested her head on his shoulder. “I can’t fight this anymore.”
“Thank god,” he whispered, chuckling. “I was running out of ways to convince you.”
“Let me fix my hair and I’ll be right down, okay?”
“Can I watch?”
“You want to watch me fix my hair?”
“Yes.”
“Um, okay.” She looked confused. “It’s kind of boring.”
“Not to me.”
7
They drove to Bozeman and found a cozy Italian restaurant with dim lights, big comfortable booths, and a fantastic menu. They ordered wine but didn’t open their menus, choosing instead to do just as he’d suggested: Kiss. Though they kept the kisses chaste, short, as appropriate as they could for a public place, there was no mistaking the need shooting through both of them. Each time his lips claimed hers, Lana’s heart skipped a beat and she resisted the urge to slide her tongue into his mouth and take what she desperately wanted.
“What’s your schedule all week?” he whispered, his eyes on hers, their faces close together.
“I’m not sure. I’m trying to set up a visit to the children’s hospital and a hockey clinic for kids, but those things won’t actually take place for a couple of weeks.”
“So you might have some free time to play with me.” He didn’t state it as a question and she was a little bit mesmerized by the intensity in his eyes.
“Um…yes. I could definitely find some free time to…play.” She was grateful for the arrival of the food their server had recommended so she could think about something other than him. He was a little intoxicating, the way he seemed so focused on her. She liked it—hell, she liked everything about him—but it made her nervous because she wasn’t used to being pursued by someone who wanted something other than sex. Casual sex was easy, but this was far more complicated and she didn’t know exactly what to do next. She longed to call Kate or her friend Shannon, but there hadn’t been time and she didn’t have much privacy.
They’d just about finished eating when Mark’s phone rang and he frowned as he glanced at the screen. “It’s Hank…I should answer.” He picked up. “Hey, man… What? When? He okay? No, we’re in Bozeman… Yeah, we’ll pay and head back right away. No problem.” He hung up and looked at her. “Someone threw a Molotov cocktail through the window at the house.”
“What house?” Lana’s heartbeat kicked up a notch.
“The cabin. Where you and Aaron are staying.”
“Oh my god! Is he okay?” She dug her phone out of her purse and saw several texts from Aaron.
“He’s okay, but apparently he’s just hired the Brotherhood Protectors to make sure they don’t try again and to find out what the hell is going on—and Montana asked if I wanted to jump in on this one.”
Her eyes flew to his. “You’re going to be Aaron’s bodyguard?”
“Looks that way.” He left money on the table. “Ready?”
They were quiet on the drive back to Eagle Rock. Mark’s thoughts were running a mile a minute, trying to figure out who might be after Aaron and who knew he was in Eagle Rock. Lana was on the phone with Kate for part of the drive, deciding whether or not to make a public statement about the attack. By the time they got to the house, all traces of intimacy between them had dissipated and she was out of the truck by the time he stopped.
Watching her hurry into the house left him mildly irritated, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it as Montana met him in the yard.
“Ti
re tracks look like whoever it was took off on an ATV,” he said.
“One person?”
“One set of tire tracks, and they were careful not to leave prints in the snow.”
“The house okay?”
“Yeah, Aaron seems to be more than a pretty boy. Put out the fire and called 911 in short order. I got someone over here to board up the front window but I’d like to leave you and Duke here tonight to keep an eye on things.”
“Absolutely.” Mark hadn’t met John Wayne “Duke” Morrison yet, so Montana made introductions as they came up with a plan for the night.
“We’ll regroup tomorrow, see if we come up with any more information,” Montana said before he headed out.
Mark checked the plywood covering the window to assure himself it would get them through the night before walking into the house. Voices were coming from the kitchen and he joined Aaron, Lana and Duke.
“You want some coffee?” Lana asked as he came in.
“Yeah, that’d be great. Thank you.” He nodded at Aaron.
“The only suspect right now is the soon-to-be ex-wife,” Duke told Mark. “He can’t figure out how she would’ve found him, but he says there’s no one else.”
“I’m right here,” Aaron interjected smoothly. “I didn’t tell anyone where I was going except my coach, and he knows I came here specifically so no one could find me.”
“Would he tell your teammates? Friends?” Mark asked.
Aaron shook his head. “I don’t think so. Coach knows I need to get my head on straight while I’m here, so my location has been kept quiet.”
“What about your friend, Jake?” Lana asked. “It’s his house, right? Would he have told your wife?”
Aaron laughed. “He hates Joyce as much as I do. He wouldn’t tell her shit.”
“So we’re nowhere.” Mark shook his head.
