“And his hair is darker and his eyes are this bright blue.”
“Oh, so dreamy.”
“But he was so obnoxious, Hannah, honestly. He acted like this was all a done deal and he was going to build his resort no matter what.”
“Well, we have to stop him from doing that,” she agreed. The second-hand clothing store where Hannah worked would also be displaced if his plans materialized. She wasn’t a business owner, like me, but we both liked our lives just as they were, working one shop down from one another with the ocean breeze drifting in through the windows. Our little strip was slightly removed from the main downtown, and, yes, somewhat dilapidated. We needed new roofing desperately. And the plumbing left something—OK, a lot—to be desired.
But that didn’t mean some mega corporation had the right to bulldoze our stores and make a parking lot. I’d never liked bullies. I wasn’t about to start now. Colton Kavanaugh struck me as a guy who’d never heard the word no. Well, I’d be happy to introduce him. And I’d add a little sugar on top—hell no.
“I know how you can convince him to change his mind!” Hannah declared. “Have sex with him!”
“OK, all right.” I tried my “settle down” voice with her, which never worked particularly well. Hannah had two settings, mostly excited or super excited. And she was a pretty constant advocate of me getting out there and getting busy.
“I know you’re still getting over Evan,” she said, giving me a pitying look that made me want to bap her over the head, “but it’s time to get out there again.”
“I seriously don’t know how I can get it through to you that I’m not still getting over Evan!” My voice rose an octave, as if maybe the higher pitch would finally convince her.
The thing was, I was telling the truth. My last boyfriend, Evan, had been a total bust, but not just because of how it ended. He’d suddenly announced that he and his camper van were heading down to Baja to live la pura vida. I still didn’t know exactly what he meant.
Hannah had assumed I was devastated. Honestly? I’d felt relieved. Inertia had kept us dating far longer than we should have. A handsome smile and a few wise insights it turned out he’d memorized from a book about Buddhism didn’t last that long. And it turned out that Tantric sex either didn’t work or was the worst idea ever. I’d never been more bored, lying there wishing he’d hurry up and finish already.
“You need someone new,” Hannah declared as I pulled into a parking space at the bar. Five o’clock on a Thursday and the place looked hopping.
“Thanks for getting me out.” I gave her a smile, feeling that rush I always did once I was actually out. The night was young. You never knew what could happen.
There might be some super hunky brother-of-a-friend at the bar tonight, standing there all sexy with his arms crossed against his broad chest, hunger burning in his bright blue eyes. No, wrong image. I shook my head, trying to clear it of Colt Kavanaugh. It wasn’t working.
Especially when we opened the door, walked in and saw him sitting at the bar.
CHAPTER 3
Colt
“All right. You’re sure you don’t want me there instead?” My assistant sounded surprised. Shocked, even.
“How often am I indecisive?” I asked him.
“Right. OK, then. See you Monday.”
I’d called to tell him there was no need for him to attend the meeting in Redwood Bay tomorrow morning. I was going to go to it instead.
I didn’t try to offer any explanations. First, I didn’t have to. I was the CEO and as such I didn’t have to answer to or even explain myself to my assistant. Tim was thrilled to have the job, only a year out of Harvard Business School and learning alongside a titan of industry. Of course, I was only four years out but who was counting?
The other reason I didn’t offer an explanation was there was no good one to give. This kerfuffle here in Southern Oregon? It was stuff and nonsense. Leonard had got wind that the protest had deep pockets, connections to national groups. He’d deemed it worthy of my time to defuse the situation, at least by making a stop between meetings in Seattle and Silicon Valley.
What I’d seen would not pose a problem. Six people chained to a fence. Big deal. I could probably cancel the meeting tomorrow all together and just write them a check that would knock their socks off yet not even cause a small dent in our budget. Then I’d be done with the whole damn thing.
But then I wouldn’t see Caroline again, now would I?
I sat in the back of my limo, looking out the window at the ocean. We’d picked a nice spot for the resort, wind-swept and rugged. She’d looked good with that in the background, chained to that fence. She’d look even better like that in my bedroom, a strip of silk tied around her eyes, those plump lips open with arousal and need.
I adjusted myself. Again. It had been over an hour since I’d seen her but I couldn’t stop thinking about her. And about that moment, with my hand hovering so close over her breast. That lush mound with her nipple peaking under my attentions, stiff and aching with arousal.
Maybe it was the corporate takeover instinct that drew me to her. I liked a fight. I especially liked winning them.
That’s why I was coming back for the meeting tomorrow instead of sending my assistant. Because I wanted to do more than hover my hand over that nipple. I wanted it pinched, ripe, between the pads of my thumb and index finger while I watched her face, saw that deliciously mixed blend of aroused pain and pleasure. I wanted to dip my fingers down between her legs, where I knew she’d gotten wet earlier today. I wanted to show that little environmental activist just how good it felt to stop fighting and give in to all of my demands.
I didn’t do well with waiting. It would be easier to get my mind off of her curves if I were in the middle of a meeting with Palo Alto investors as I’d intended. Instead, a maintenance issue with my plane was slowing down my departure. The shock absorbers on the landing gear needed to be replaced. My crew should have been on that. I had a pilot’s license myself and had learned a thing or two over the years about standard maintenance, but I didn’t have time to keep up with those kinds of things. If the crew had planned ahead and done this while we were in New York where everything moved at a quick pace, the whole process would have taken less than an hour. Here in sleepy Southern Oregon? I was stuck until at least six o’clock.
I’d already pushed my Palo Alto meeting back to nine. It only took an hour to fly down there, but you never knew what delays you might hit. I had a long list of calls to make and emails requiring attention so technically I had plenty to keep me busy. But they weren’t doing it for me. The distraction I had on my mind was much more powerful. It made it much harder to wait for my plane. Rock hard, to be specific.
I gave the privacy screen between me and the driver a rap. “Take me to a local bar.” Grabbing a drink would at least take my mind off of Caroline.
“Which one, sir?” he asked.
“I don’t care.” I had low expectations for this town. From what I’d heard, it had next to nothing in it. Which made the location undiscovered—win—but then required a big investment to make it something worth discovering. Good thing my company had such deep pockets. We could build everything high-end guests would want during their stay, from a restaurant featuring fresh spa cuisine to a boutique offering designer labels. Guests wouldn’t even have to set foot in town.
And if their private planes required maintenance, they could simply book an appointment for a massage or play another round of golf. Since the resort didn’t exist yet, though, I was stuck spending an hour in a dive bar.
The place the limo pulled up in front of looked exactly like you’d expect, a Budweiser sign flickering in the window between two ratty curtains. I took off my jacket, leaving it behind. No sense in getting it dirty. In a couple of hours I’d be in Palo Alto enjoying a $700/person prix fixe chef’s tasting menu with a few, select titans of the tech industry. I could do without a beer stain on my lapel.
At least
they had bourbon. I didn’t take it neat, as was my custom. This bar’s bourbon might do well with some dilution from melting ice.
I looked around the bar into a sea of trucker hats, old T-shirts and tattoos. On the women. When was the last time I’d been in a place like this? Never.
Then she walked in, the woman I’d been thinking about all afternoon. She moved slow, graceful and a little shy, her hair soft and loose over her shoulders and a sweet smile on her face. Like sunshine parting the clouds. She’d swapped her protest jeans for a nice, dark pair that hugged every curve, making my mouth water in an instant. Gone were the old tennis sneakers. In their place she now wore boots with a nice, sassy heel on them, showing off her shapely legs. I was much bigger than her, but she had plenty of leg to wrap around me, or throw up and around my shoulders.
Fuck, did she know how sexy she was? She didn’t seem to. There were more than a few men lining up front and center to welcome her into the bar—men who needed to step the fuck back if they knew what was good for them—but she met their enthusiastic hellos with a glimpse down at the floor, tucking her hair behind her ear. None of that brassy, sassy fight I’d seen earlier today. She must not like bars all that much. Smart woman. Half the men there wanted to nail her in their truck parked out front. The other half wanted to get the job done in the alleyway out back. She needed to watch herself in a place like this.
Now me, I’d like to take her someplace special. Somewhere we could enjoy a drink in privacy. Like a private cabana on the coast of Bali. She’d barely have to wear any clothing, the weather would be so warm. And once we had our drinks delivered, the only thing touching her luscious curves would be me.
Caroline had a friend standing next to her who seemed the exact opposite. She walked in like she owned the place, high-fiving and bear-hugging any and all. She wore a bright, colorful dress with a large ruffled skirt like she might bust out and start doing the can-can. Funny, as much as her outfit screamed for attention, it was her quiet friend who drew mine.
They made their way over to a booth. Men instantly joined them. Barriers, obstacles. Removing them would be like child’s play.
All good things came to those who waited. I stayed at the bar, sipping my bourbon, taking my time. My curiosity burned bright over this woman, and before the night was out I’d get some answers to my questions. Like how slick and sweet she’d feel if I slipped a finger down inside the pretty little panties she had on under those jeans. Or maybe no panties? Easy access.
I didn’t have to wait too long. Before I even ordered another drink, her flamboyant friend approached with the low gaze and exaggerated, sultry walk of a black and white film star. She sidled up to me at the bar.
“Are you that naughty CEO I’ve been hearing about?” All that was missing was a long cigarette holder and she could have been Mae West.
“I might be.” I gave her a polite smile. She was welcome to talk to me, but I’d prefer it if she brought her friend with her.
“I hear you’ve been fighting with my friend.” She glanced over at Caroline and I did as well. She was still seated, now burrowing her face into her hands. If I had to guess what she was thinking at that moment, I’d go with, “please may I disappear, please may I disappear.”
“I have a favor to ask you.” Caroline’s friend leaned in. I had to admit, she was fairly attractive, if you liked your women crazy. Me? I preferred the one sitting over in the corner trying to make herself vanish.
I nodded. I’d hear her out.
“You met my friend Carrie earlier today. Do you remember? She’s sitting over there in the booth.” She pointed straight at the woman who clearly did not want to be pointed at in any way. Caroline started shrinking down in her seat as if she were contemplating hiding underneath the table.
“I remember,” I nodded, revealing nothing. You never showed your cards. It wouldn’t serve any purpose to bleat out like a young adolescent, “I haven’t stopped thinking about her.” Though it was the truth.
“You need to seduce her.”
“Excuse me?” I sat up taller, sure I’d misunderstood. What had she just said?
“Snap her up!” She again pointed at Caroline, or where she had been sitting. I couldn’t see her anymore. Maybe she’d snuck out the back. I should go check.
“Listen!” She snapped her fingers, bringing my attention to her. Snapping her fingers at me? Did she know who she was dealing with? Clearly not. “Focus,” she demanded. “We have a situation here. You are a hot CEO and I know Carrie has a whole Fifty Shades, Christian Grey thing.”
“She does?” Maybe talking to this friend could have its benefits.
“Oh yeah, big time,” she confirmed. Interesting. “So you need to get on that, because my girl is never going to come to you. Way too shy. And she’s still getting over her ex. So you need to get in there and make that Fifty Shades shit happen.”
“Hello!” Caroline popped up between us, breathless and bright-eyed with what I recognized as panic.
“Hey there.” I gave her a long, slow smile. Welcome to the party, Caroline. And now I knew exactly how she liked it.
“I don’t know what my friend was telling you—”
“Only the truth that you don’t have the balls to say yourself,” her crazy friend volunteered.
“Ha ha!” Caroline burst out, her eyes even wider. “You are so funny when you make jokes like that!”
“He knows I’m serious. Don’t you, CEO?”
“That’s Mr. CEO to you.” I arched an eyebrow.
“Ooh, so alpha!” her friend burst out. She had no idea. It looked like Caroline was trying to fan herself. She shouldn’t even try. Now that I knew what got her fires going, she didn’t stand a chance at cooling off.
“Why don’t you two go play pool!” her friend sang out, leaving us to return back to her booth. “Or go make out in that limo parked outside.”
Caroline burst out with another forced laugh, her cheeks a bright, flaming red. I liked a woman who blushed. It meant her skin was sensitive. She’d pink right up under the right set of circumstances.
“I’m sorry. She’s really crazy.” Caroline reached out and grabbed an untouched glass of ice water I had in front of me. “Is this yours?” she asked.
I nodded, slowly, watching her distress. Without asking if she could, she brought the cool glass to her lips and gulped down a few sips.
“Sorry,” she apologized, wiping her lips. “I should have asked if I could drink it.”
“Are you feeling warm?” I asked, enjoying teasing her. “You look a little flushed.”
She fanned herself and tugged at her T-shirt. You can take it off, I wanted to offer. But first I’d have to get her into the back of my limo.
“I do have a limo waiting outside,” I offered. “If you’d like to get out of here—”
“No!” she exclaimed, jumpy. “Not your limo!”
“Funny, that’s not the typical reaction I get from a woman when I offer her a ride.”
“Is that what you were offering me?”
“If it’s what you want.” I could practically feel the nervous energy pulsing off of her. She was wound up tight, so high-strung around me. I leaned in, just slightly, closer to her ear so I could whisper, “I know you’d enjoy it.”
There was that shiver again, barely perceptible, traveling down her spine. Her eyes fluttered closed for a moment, as if the power of my words nearly swayed her. You like my words, just you wait, sweet Caroline. I gave her a moment, letting her wrestle with her response to me.
“No,” she finally said, giving her head a slight shake.
“Pool it is, then.” I took her hand in mine. Soft, feminine, warm, why did it feel so right? I looked down at my fingers, clasped around hers. She did too, as if struck in the same way. I gave her smooth palm a stroke with my thumb. She caught her breath.
I brought my drink and pulled her along with me toward the pool table. She didn’t exactly resist, but she also wasn’t leading the way.
She seemed a bit dazed. I handed her a pool cue and started racking up the balls.
“Wait, what are you doing here?” she asked, as if coming to.
“I have a meeting here tomorrow morning. With you, I believe. Isn’t a man allowed to visit a local establishment while on business travel?”
“Local establishment,” she murmured, shaking her head. Making fun of me and my choice of words. Saucy minx.
“Don’t worry, I won’t stay long. I fly out in about an hour,” I informed her. “I have a business dinner down in Palo Alto.”
“Oh, of course,” she nodded, clearly regaining her footing. I was the corporate asshole she was dead-set on fighting.
“How about you?” I teased, chalking my cue. “Will I run into you later down there?”
“No.” She shook her head, dismissive, tossing her glorious hair behind her shoulder. “Silicon Valley’s so 2015. I’m flying up to Seattle tonight.”
“Is that right?”
“That’s where all the major players are these days.”
I chuckled, enjoying her sass. I didn’t get all that much of it, to be honest. Plenty of ass-kissing and glad-handing from people trying to impress me. Lots of hard-selling from those interested in doing business with me and my company. And a whole lot of ‘yes’, ‘please’, ‘more!’ from the women I…we can say dated.
The only people I could rely on to give me a little shit were my two younger brothers, Heath and Ash. And I didn’t see them anywhere near enough. Business kept me almost constantly on the road, and even when I was in New York it wasn’t as if I had a lot of free time on my hands. They’d like the way Caroline stuck it to me. They’d like her.
Why was I thinking about introducing a woman I’d just met, hadn’t even kissed yet, to my family?
She bent over to line up her shot and all thought instantly vacated my brain. It was like that when blood went rushing to one point in your body, suddenly At Attention at the sight of her perfect curves bent over just right. She might have the best ass I’d ever seen.
Lots of society women got too damn skinny, if you asked me. They’d starved themselves right into size zero territory, perfect for designer clothes straight off the runway. Not so good for sinking your teeth into late at night.
Unbelievable Page 3
