The Rogue

by Jennifer Bernard

  His laugh rumbled over her. “I don’t plan to do it often.”

  “That’s okay. You’re even sexier naked in a hotel bedroom.”

  “Now you’re talking. Let’s go.”

  Later, sprawled in the hotel bed, the covers thrown off because they’d generated so much steam it felt like the air conditioning was broken, they lay on their sides, gazing into each other’s eyes. He ran a finger along the curve of her hipbone, down to her waist.

  “How are you doing with…well, the news about your father?”

  “I don’t know. It’s—it’s shocking.” She was still trying to make sense of what Coach Nelson had revealed to the police. Years ago, he’d overheard one of his football players talking about a wild night drinking with some frat boys who’d been staying at Majestic Lodge. As part of an initiation ritual, they had to dart into the road and scare a driver. One of those drivers had been Amanda Rockwell.

  She’d driven off the road, and everyone knew how that part of the story ended. But there was more.

  “A man drove up the road at that moment and saw the whole thing. He knew Amanda, or was meeting her or something, the boys didn’t know. He tried to call the cops,” Artie Nelson had told the police. “They were worried they’d get into trouble, so they knocked him out and stole his phone. Afterwards, they went looking for him in the woods, but could never find him. It sounded like a crazy-ass tale and I didn’t believe it.”

  Apparently, Artie Nelson had filed that story away and never thought about it again until Serena showed up, asking about her father. Finally, he made the connection.

  The one thing he didn’t know was which football player had told the story. In the locker room, voices were hard to identify.

  After the coach’s confession, the police went searching in the woods, and they did find something—human bones. They’d tested them against Serena’s DNA and found a ninety-nine percent likelihood they were related. The theory was that he’d been disoriented from the blow to his head and wandered through the woods until the cold got the best of him.

  “At least I know what happened now. It’s a relief to know. He didn’t abandon me. That’s something. But—” She swallowed hard, oblivious for the moment to Griffin’s soothing touch. “I sure hope they catch those stupid frat boys.”

  “Yeah. They’re working on it, that’s for sure. And they have some clues, thanks to you. Those letters ought to give them something to go on.”

  She shrugged, since she had her doubts. The threatening letters she’d gotten were in block print on notebook paper. No distinctive features other than a complete lack of artistic ability. Maybe they were connected to her search for her father, maybe not. They might be a colossal dead end, except…

  “Those notes got me the most spectacular bodyguard in the world, that’s for sure. I guess stirring up trouble has its rewards.” She snuggled closer against Griffin’s muscular form. His body heat radiated through her, relaxing, comforting.

  It felt like home. Whenever she and Griffin were together, she was home.

  “What about Max? How’s he doing with the news about my father?”

  “Didn’t you get his big peace offering?”

  “What?” She raised her head off Griffin’s warm chest. “No, I don’t think so.”

  Griffin rolled away and reached for his phone. “He feels really bad about it all. Your father’s dead, and he lashed out at you in such a nasty way. But he’s not good at apologies. So he talked to John Derrick and they came up with this.”

  He showed her the image on his phone—a blueprint.

  “What is it?”

  “It’s a studio.”

  “What?” She took his phone and stared at the image eagerly. It showed an open, square space with a southern exposure. Her imagination filled in the details—easel there, storage over there, skylights…

  “Yeah. He wants to include it in the renovations. You might have to share it with the occasional art class and probably Gracie, but it’s yours. You might also have to paint more portraits of Max. Kai says he shows everyone the painting you did, can’t stop talking about it. Says he wants one for every season.”

  She laughed so hard her stomach muscles hurt. “The Many Moods of Mad Max. Oh my God. This is amazing.” Tears sprang to her eyes as she looked at the studio plan again. “I feel so lucky right now. An incredible man, a crazy new family, and now a studio. What did I ever do to deserve all this?”

  “Hm…well, according to the legend, all you had to do was move into that cabin—”

  “Oh my God. We’re not talking about that stupid legend. What happened to free will? I will this.”

  She put the phone away and wrapped her arms around Griffin.

  For a moment they simply held each other, sheer contentment surrounding them in a happy glow.

  “I want to add one more thing to the list,” Griffin murmured.

  Griffin reached under the pillow and pulled out the glass pendant with the fiery black and scarlet swirls.

  “I want you to have this. My mother entrusted it to me and I feel like she would have wanted you to have it. She would have loved you, with all your spirit and fire. I know you’re not a ring person, because you might get paint on them. So I was thinking you could see this pendant as…my heart on a string.”

  His smile landed somewhere between rueful and hopeful.

  “I want everything with you, Serena. A life, a future, a family—even if that family is just us. You’re the most important person in the world to me. Your happiness is everything, and if that means waiting until you’re ready, we’ll wait. That’s what this pendant says to me.”

  “A piece of glass says all that?” The pendant blurred as he placed it in her palm. She blinked the tears away so she could see it clearly. The intertwining strands of scarlet and onyx were intricate and stunning, a silent dance of fire and shadow.

  “All of that. And more.”

  She slipped it around her neck and felt it settle into place against her bare skin. Right away it picked up warmth from her body, making it feel almost alive. “I accept. I’m honored to accept.” She meant everything—the necklace, the studio, and most especially, Griffin’s presence in her life. “I love you so very, very much, Griffin. More than I ever dreamed possible.”

  He braced himself over her and claimed her mouth with a deeply passionate kiss. They kissed until they were both breathless, their hearts pounding, then they kissed some more. Deeper and deeper they went, until they emerged back into the light and drew apart to catch their breath.

  “I’m really glad you said that about a family,” Serena said when she could breathe again. “That’s perfect timing.”

  The expression of shock that flashed across his face made her smile.

  “Not pregnant. Relax. But we have gotten a little lax about the condoms lately.”

  “Hey, I’m there. Seriously.” He tugged her back against him. “Come back here and we’ll make it happen.”

  She laughed. Was there any limit to the joy this man could bring her? “How about we warm up with something a little more…canine?”

  He grinned. “You’re ready for that dog, finally? No more practice sessions with Boingo?”

  “I’m ready for the real thing. I was thinking we could visit every shelter between LA and Rocky Peak and choose one together.”

  “I like that plan. Especially since dogs are a gateway drug. After the dog comes the baby, who becomes a toddler, then a kid who wants his own dog, so you might as well just marry me now.”

  Laughing, she rolled on top of him and straddled his thighs. She felt his bulge against her leg, which sent fire streaking into her veins. “Not a bad plan. I’ll consider it.”

  He flipped her onto her back and braced his powerful frame over her.

  “Bet I can make you do more than consider it.” His seductive growl sent shivers through her.

  “Is that a challenge? Because I know how you are when it comes to challenges and competitions. />
  “That’s right. I always,” he nibbled at her neck, causing her to arch back in bliss. “Always…” He licked where he’d nibbled. Desire sparked deep in her belly. “Win.”

  That—Serena knew with every fiber of her being—made two of them.

  Epilogue

  Isabelle

  Privately, Isabelle thought it was highly unfair that she was up against not one, but two artists in the Rocky Peak Snowman Competition.

  “How is my knowledge of anatomy supposed to stand a chance against people who can actually make art out of snow?” she grumbled to Jake.

  It wasn’t a serious complaint, because how could anyone complain in this glorious weather, with a foot of fresh snow pillowed over the base layer? A bluebird sky arched overhead, and quite frankly, her family was lucky she hadn’t ditched this competition to go for a solo ski.

  Jake squinted at her mangled creation. “If this snowman represents your knowledge of anatomy, we’re all in trouble.”

  She laughed, looking at the mess of snow she’d cobbled together. The only identifiable bit was the pair of old ski boots she’d given her poor snowman. “This guy definitely needs some emergency surgery.”

  “It’s a guy? I thought those were boobs.” Jake waved a hand at her snowman.

  “If you think those are boobs, I feel sorry for all those women who bat their eyelashes at you.”

  “Ouch,” said Jake good-naturedly. That was Jake—he did everything good-naturedly. If only she’d gotten one-tenth of his easygoing nature, her life would be so much easier. No such luck, though. She’d always been the fighter of the two of them, the fierce one, the one with itchy feet and a need to prove herself. She was also the one who jumped in with both feet, who didn’t always think things through—except when it came to her work.

  With a scalpel in her hand, she was meticulous and never got into trouble. It was the rest of her life that tended to get a little out of control.

  Since her work took her all over the world, she rarely had to face the consequences of that tendency. Until she’d returned to Rocky Peak.

  The moment when Lyle Guero had walked into the lodge at Thanksgiving and she’d realized that he was their new silent investor ranked as one of the most mortifying of her life.

  That was three weeks ago, and even though she got tense every time a strange car drove up the Rocky Peak road, he hadn’t made another appearance since then.

  Why would he? Lyle was a billionaire with a busy life. He had many, many commitments all over the world. Not only was he a billionaire, but he was one of the cool ones. The kind who hadn’t inherited his money, but earned it though creative thinking and hard work. He was in demand everywhere he went, so why would he bother visiting Rocky Peak again? This place was probably the most minuscule of his many investments.

  Well, it might be inconsequential to him, but not to her. It wasn’t until she’d heard about Max’s heart condition, and the financial peril of the lodge, that she’d understood just how much this place meant to her.

  That made Rocky Peak Lodge her brand new patient, to which she planned to give every ounce of her energy and dedication.

  As soon as she finished this snowman.

  Seized by a sudden inspiration, she picked up the upper portion of her snowman and put it on the ground, so it looked like it was lying flat on its back. She patted together enough snow to form a head. Then she drew a line down its “chest” and added some spruce twigs to look like clamps. “There! Open heart surgery snowman!”

  Delighted by her work, she jumped back to her feet and nearly collided with the solid form of a man. She knew instantly that it wasn’t Jake, or either of her other brothers. This man smelled better, to be honest—at least to her.

  In fact, he smelled exactly the way he had when they’d gone out to dinner in Rome, that one epic night they’d spent together.

  She turned around, hanging onto her dignity with all she had. “Hi, Lyle.”

  “Hi, Isabelle.” He looked at her gravely, with those dark eyes that seemed to see right through her. “How’ve you been?”

  “Well, a lot better than this snowman.” She laughed nervously, gesturing toward her ridiculous work of art. “I’m pretty sure he’s going to die on the table.”

  “Unfortunate. I’m sure you did everything you could.”

  She smiled involuntarily. She didn’t want to be smiling at Lyle Guero. He’d abandoned her in Rome without so much as a note, let alone a text or a phone call or even a notification from his assistant. Then he’d vanished off the face of the earth—or at least her part of it. Until he’d reappeared here in Rocky Peak. Of all places. “Well, I am the best,” she said modestly.

  “No argument here.”

  She looked at him sharply. Was he flirting? It was hard to tell with someone like him. He was so impressively large, but usually kept his thoughts to himself. Except in bed, when he’d opened up to her and shown a different, volcanic side…

  Shaking herself away from that line of thought, she cocked her head at him curiously. “Why are you here?”

  “Official judge of the snowman competition.” One corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. “Impervious to bribery, by the way, so you’d better up your game, doc.”

  “You came all the way back from…whatever, Fiji, Iceland, Rome, wherever … to judge a snowman contest?”

  “It’s a little more than that.” He glanced around at the rest of the crew. Everyone was gathered around Serena’s snow goddess, who seemed to be carrying a snow fruit basket on her magnificent head. How did Serena do that? Especially with a boisterous Great Dane puppy nipping at her heels—not to mention frequent breaks to smooch with Griffin.

  “I’m here for the winter.”

  “What?” In her shock, she stumbled backwards and tripped on the ski boot she’d given her open-heart-surgery snowman. She landed on top of him, finishing off his chances of ever coming out of surgery. “What did you say?”

  By now the others had noticed Lyle’s presence and were hurrying over to say hello. Kai, Nicole, Griffin, Serena, Gracie, Jake…

  Isabelle wondered darkly which of her family members had invited him for “the winter.” It couldn’t have been Lyle’s idea. Didn’t he have his own condo in Vail?

  Jake, with a smirk, held out a hand to help her up. As she got her feet under her, he whispered, “Blame me, sweet twin of mine. Or thank me. You can decide later.”

  Lyle, currently shaking Griffin’s hand, caught her eye. He offered her a tiny shrug in which she saw no hint of apology. It was paired with a smile that was pure, one hundred percent alpha wolf.

  And for the first time, a wild thought occurred to her. Maybe it wasn’t just coincidence that elusive billionaire Lyle Guero had chosen to invest in her family’s lodge. It seemed crazy, but Lyle was known as a renegade who did things for his own reasons. They had that renegade spirit in common—probably the only thing they shared, except for memories of a hot night in Rome.

  She dragged her gaze away from Lyle and focused on her snowman. One thing was for sure—this winter at Rocky Peak Lodge was going to be a wild one.

  * * *

  The Rockwell Legacy continues with THE RENEGADE.

  * * *

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  About the Author

  Jennifer Bernard is a USA Today bestselling author of contemporary romance. Her books have been called “an irresistible reading experience” full of “quick wit and sizzling love scenes.” A graduate of Harvard and former news promo producer, she left big city life in Los Angeles for true love in Alaska, where she now lives with her husband and stepdaughters. She still hasn’t adjusted to the cold, so most often she can be found cuddling with her laptop and a cup of tea. No stranger to book success, she also writes erotic novellas under a naughty secret name that she’s happy to share with the curi
ous. You can learn more about Jennifer and her books at JenniferBernard.net. Make sure to sign up for her newsletter for new releases, fresh exclusive content, sales alerts and giveaways.

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  Also by Jennifer Bernard

  The Rockwell Legacy

  The Rebel ~ Book 1

  The Renegade ~ Book 3

  Jupiter Point ~ The Hotshots

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  Set the Night on Fire ~ Book 1

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  Burn So Bright ~ Book 2

  Into the Flames ~ Book 3

  Setting Off Sparks ~ Book 4

  Jupiter Point ~ The Knight Brothers

  Hot Pursuit ~ Book 5

  Coming In Hot ~ Book 6

  Hot and Bothered ~ Book 7

  Too Hot to Handle ~ Book 8

  One Hot Night ~ Book 9

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  Seeing Stars ~ Series Prequel

  The Bachelor Firemen of San Gabriel

  The Fireman Who Loved Me

  Hot for Fireman

  Sex and the Single Fireman

  How to Tame a Wild Fireman

  Four Weddings and a Fireman

  The Night Belongs to Fireman

  Novellas