Montana Seduction

by Jules Bennett

  The sexy, curvaceous woman in red glanced his way and Ethan didn’t even try to hide his smile...and he didn’t move when she made her way over. A woman who knew what she wanted was one of the sexiest qualities.

  Considering her smile widened as she crossed the sand toward him, well, apparently they wanted the same thing.

  * * *

  “I’m sorry, sir. Who did you say you were again?”

  Dane didn’t fault the young male for questioning the stranger who was in the midst of checking on the generators in the maintenance area. No guest should know where this room was, as rooms dedicated to the staff or the maintenance of the resort were hidden from the guests.

  The entire resort had the illusion of running on fairy dust or some other magical oddity. That had been imperative to his mother who wanted couples who came here to only see the perfection, the fantasy, the beauty. “Real life” shouldn’t exist on vacation, she’d always said. And she was correct. People wanted to get away from all cares and responsibilities, and she provided exactly what patrons wanted.

  “Dane Michaels,” he stated again as he settled his hands on his hips. “Miss Garcia asked me to check on this and she said you might be down as well since you’re so thorough with your job.”

  The BS just rolled off his tongue, but hit the mark as the twentysomething puffed his chest with pride.

  “I wasn’t aware we had a new maintenance guy,” the other man said. “But I checked on these yesterday.”

  Dane wasn’t about to get into an argument or contradict the guy’s mistaken assumption. But Dane would feel better if he checked on all of the “behind the scenes” things himself. After all, he had to keep up with all sides of his property.

  “The storm closed the mountain.” Dane purposely dodged the questioning stare from the other guy. “It’s not going to let up for a few days. These generators will likely be put to use very soon.”

  The worker nodded. “That’s what I was thinking, too.”

  The radio clipped to his hip crackled and a female voice came over the airwaves. He knew that voice and she may not like knowing he was in here checking things out. He listened as she requested any available hands to get to the dining area to set up for the lunch crowd.

  With the storm, so many employees were unable to make their shifts, which meant the ones stuck here were pulling overtime for the foreseeable future.

  And that meant Stella would be running from one end of Mirage to the other, taking little time for herself—if any. He’d make sure his mother’s resort was running just fine, the guests were happy, and Stella’s needs were met...every single one.

  The worker turned his radio down and started looking over the area with the generators. Dane stood back and crossed his arms over his chest, calculating and contemplating.

  “These are all set to go,” Dane assured him. “Aren’t you going to the dining area to help?”

  The boy shrugged. “Other workers will help out.”

  Dane stared at the back of the guy’s head and clenched his jaw to keep from yelling at the boy for his lazy, entitled attitude. In due time. This jerk had no clue who Dane was or that he’d be fired for that earlier comment as soon as Dane was in charge.

  “This is all covered,” Dane stated once again. “You and I can both pitch in. This is a nasty storm and every employee here needs to help anywhere they can.”

  The other guy stood up and turned, his brows drawn in. “I thought Mitch was over maintenance. What’s your position?”

  Higher than yours, asshole.

  “Miss Garcia is waiting on help.” Dane gestured toward the doorway. “Let’s go.”

  Dane thought there was going to be an argument, but the guy finally nodded and headed out the door. There was no need to let Stella know about her lazy employee, but Dane wouldn’t forget the kid.

  By the time they got to the dining area, several employees, all dressed in black, were already bustling around and setting sprigs of evergreen and simple white votives on each of the tables. The lunch decor was quite a bit different than the dinner ambience. For one thing, it was a lot busier. Many couples chose to eat in their room or one of the fantasy rooms during the evening.

  There were little changes Dane saw that hadn’t been implemented while his mother had been here. The changing of decor being one of them. He liked the touches Stella put on the place—no doubt with her father’s permission. The idea of giving the guests a different restaurant feel each time was smart.

  The more he saw of Stella—the way she ran this place, the way she actually cared and wasn’t just in this for money or recognition—the more he wondered what his mother would’ve thought of her.

  Not that there was any reason to wonder, really. He knew exactly what she’d have thought.

  Lara would’ve loved Stella.

  Dane crossed the dining room and cursed himself. What the hell did he care what his mother would’ve thought of Stella? The thought was absolutely irrelevant. Stella and her father weren’t going to be part of Mirage much longer and Lara would be proud of Dane for getting back what belonged to him.

  There she was. Across the room against the two-story windows encased with stone. Stella had on another one of those sexy little dresses that stopped at her knee...this one in red that made her look only more exotic with that dark skin and hair.

  Instead of her usual brown boots, she had on black. There were several inches of bare skin between the top of her boot and the hem of her dress. He clenched his fists, aching to touch her.

  Soon, he promised himself.

  Stella turned to talk to an employee, pointing in the direction of the kitchen, then she nodded and spun back around. He watched for only a minute before she shifted that dark gaze to him. Even from across the room he could read her body language. She was exhausted, but running on pure determination.

  She offered him a soft smile and the gesture hit him square in the gut. Out of this crowd of people she focused on him and the unspoken bond that they shared shouldn’t have his heart clenching, but damn it...

  There was no room for distractions, no matter how tempting and captivating. He wanted her physically, something he hadn’t expected. But he could at least control the passion. Desire and sex were easy—as long as he stayed in control, kept himself from getting too attached and kept her away from his ugly scars.

  The true problem came from all the other unwanted, unexplained feelings that were flooding in before he had a chance to shut the damn door on his emotions.

  Hadn’t he locked that once already? How the hell had this woman, in such a short amount of time, managed to kick it down?

  Dane made his way across the room, circling the tables and weaving through chairs not quite set in place yet. Once he reached her, Dane used every ounce of his willpower not to reach out and touch her or to pull her out of this room so he could force her to rest.

  But resting wasn’t Stella’s style. They were cut from the same proverbial cloth in that they didn’t rest when there was still work to be done.

  “All hands on deck, huh?” he asked when she came to stand right before him.

  With a smile and a nod, she replied, “Something like that.”

  “What do you want?”

  Stella quirked her brow. “That’s a loaded question.”

  “It was meant to be.”

  He might not be able to touch her, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t let her know exactly what he wanted.

  “In that case, I wouldn’t mind being away from here, somewhere secluded so I could do anything I wanted for just one day.” She closed her eyes and sighed before meeting his gaze again. “But since that’s not happening anytime soon, maybe you could check in at the front desk and make sure everything is okay?”

  Dane nodded. “Not a problem.”

  When he started to turn, she called his name. �
��Be in my room at eight.”

  Already turned on by her demand, Dane leaned toward her to whisper, “You’d better be ready for me.”

  Her visual tremble had him whistling on his way out. Damn if she wasn’t sexy. She’d been all authoritative, but then when he’d turned the tables, she practically melted to a puddle.

  Dane had every intention of doing whatever he could to help her make sure this storm went unnoticed by the guests. But tonight, well, Stella would be his and there was no better recipe for seduction than to be snowbound with a sultry vixen.

  Eleven

  Stella stared at all the food and the special bottle she’d had brought up just for Dane. Was she a complete and utter fool? How could she feel so strongly for a man when she’d only just met him a few days before?

  Yet he’d proved time and time again that he was selfless—both in the bedroom and out. He’d jumped at the chance to help her and pitch in around the resort since some employees couldn’t make their shifts. He’d helped work in areas she hadn’t even asked, putting in hard labor during what was supposed to be his vacation.

  Was that why it was nearly quarter after eight and he still hadn’t made it to her penthouse? Perhaps he’d fallen into bed like all the other workers she’d put on sleep rotation.

  There had been some serious shuffling of cots and blow-up mattresses in order to fit in the staff members who would be resting while others filled in.

  She’d already made a mental note to give each employee a bonus for all their hard work. She hadn’t heard one complaint and anything she’d asked, they’d gotten right to handling.

  Yet now she stood with her thoughts and her concerns. Not over Mirage or the raging storm. Those two were easy to manage. But Dane proved to be a much more unpredictable beast.

  Stella padded through her penthouse and went to the fire. There was nothing like coming back here at the end of a long day and staring at the flickering red and gold flames. A glass of wine in her hand never hurt, either, but she was waiting on Dane.

  “Stupid,” she muttered to herself and turned away from the fire. Even that wasn’t calming her nerves.

  Dane was likely just as worn down as she was. Maybe he’d even had enough of her. Why was he busting his ass so much anyway? What was he getting out of all of this? Nothing here was his responsibility, his future didn’t hinge on how well this resort ran if the power went out and the road didn’t open for several days.

  Jerking the rubber band from her wrist, Stella pulled her hair atop her head and twisted it into a knot. She should eat something since she’d brought leftovers from the kitchen up to her room. She hadn’t had much time for eating earlier, between bustling from common rooms to suites to fantasy rooms and thinking about her night with Dane.

  Just as she popped a cube of smoked gouda into her mouth, the buzzer on her private elevator echoed through the penthouse. Nerves curled together in her belly, which was so silly. Dane was just a man and he was a temporary man at that. Their time would likely draw to a close as soon as the road opened and he was on his way. He had already overstayed his time here and his reservation was technically up. Not that she cared or would kick him out at first chance.

  Was she an even bigger fool because she felt a little sliver of emptiness at the thought of him leaving?

  Honestly, she didn’t care that she was getting in over her head. Dane had shown her so much compassion and support during these past couple of days. And the things that man could do in the bedroom? Her body tingled just thinking about his talents. Even if she got to keep him for only a short time, it would be worth it. That man would certainly fuel fantasies for years to come.

  The elevator door slid aside and there he was. A man in a bespoke suit couldn’t have looked more powerful, more confident and in control. He had that whole rugged rancher look down to a perfectly imperfect manner. The plaid shirt, the worn jeans, the scuffed cowboy boots.

  And those eyes. Dark as midnight surrounded by inky lashes any woman would envy.

  Dane came toward her, but his eyes scanned the room before landing back on her.

  “You worked all day and came back here to set up dinner?” he asked, obviously shocked.

  Stella shrugged, not sure how to take his tone. Was he surprised in a good way or a bad way?

  “I may not be able to escape to that remote location I dream of, but this is close enough.”

  She took a step toward him, closing the gap. Stella reached up, flicking his top button until it slid through the hole. She glanced from her fingertips on his shirt up to his coal-like gaze.

  “And if you’re here, I don’t really care where I am,” she added. “Maybe for tonight, we can pretend we’re just like any other guest and...”

  His hand covered hers. “And what?”

  Stella laughed and shook her head. “I’m being silly. You are a normal guest.”

  Dane tipped her head up, framing her face with those rough, firm hands. “I’m a guest, but nothing about this stay has been normal.”

  “No, I guess not.” Stella sighed and took a step back. “I probably shouldn’t throw myself at a man who just came off an engagement.”

  The corner of his mouth tipped up. “No, maybe not, but I never asked you to stop.”

  “You didn’t,” she agreed. “But before you rip my clothes off—”

  “I believe that was you working on my clothes when I’d barely taken a few steps in.”

  “Details.” Stella waved her hand in the air. “Anyway. I have something for you, something other than leftovers from the kitchen.”

  She turned toward the bar area separating the living room and kitchen. Tucked perfectly on the other side of the domed lids, she pulled out the white bag and presented it to Dane.

  He eyed the gift she clutched in her hand, but he didn’t take a step to get it.

  “You found time to get me something?” he asked. “In the midst of a raging snowstorm and running a resort full of anxious guests with cabin fever?”

  “You’re not the only one with pull,” she stated.

  Dane quirked one thick, dark brow and reached for the bag. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

  “I didn’t do it because of the lotions you got me,” she told him. “I did it because I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done. You didn’t have to be so amazing.”

  “It’s a character trait I can’t shake.”

  Stella couldn’t help but laugh at his dry humor as he reached into the bag and pulled out the bottle she had procured from a secret stash that only certain employees knew about.

  “Stella.” He turned the bottle around and stared at it for a long moment before turning his attention back to her. “This is... I’ve never had anyone give me a gift like this.”

  Seriously? He’d been engaged, he had a brother, and a bottle of rare bourbon had him struggling to find words? Even her selfish father gave her gifts—granted, the gifts were given only on birthdays and Christmas and always delivered by his assistant or, in the early years, the nanny. But still...

  “It’s just bourbon,” she muttered, suddenly wondering if she’d gone too far. They were just casually involved and she’d had no clue this would be so emotional for him. “I knew we had a couple bottles of important liquor hidden for special guests or clients who had requests.”

  He continued clutching the bottle. “I didn’t request it.”

  “It’s a gift.”

  Dane stared down at the bottle, the muscle in his jaw ticked as he remained silent. She’d definitely done something wrong because she’d thought he’d be a bit happier.

  “If you’d rather another brand, I know we have several bottles of—”

  His eyes snapped to hers. “No. This is... This is more than thanks enough. I’m just surprised since these bottles are hard to come by.”

  Stell
a smiled. “Not so difficult.”

  He raked that dark gaze over her and she knew full well he knew just how powerful that visual caress was.

  “I don’t need to be paid, or to get lavish gifts,” he told her as he set the bottle on the table and closed the distance between them. “I already told you I’m a simple man.”

  “The way you’re looking at me proves how simple you are.”

  Dane snaked an arm around her waist and hauled her flush against him. Stella flattened her palms against his chest and tipped her head back to meet his hungry gaze.

  “You deserve better,” he murmured against her lips. “But I can’t pull myself away.”

  Stella threaded her fingers through his coarse hair. “I never asked you to go and I’ll decide what I deserve. Right now, I deserve for you to make this ache go away.”

  Dane’s hands slid down the curve of her body, those talented fingers slid beneath the hem of her skirt and teased along the edge of her lacy panties. So close. So, so close. She wanted him, she didn’t care about anything else right now. She didn’t care about what was happening between them, because she was positive there was more going on here than sex. Though at that moment, sex was all she wanted.

  As for the long term, she had her goals and Dane...well, she assumed his were substantial since he’d been so tight-lipped about them.

  “I feel a little guilty.” She arched into his touch, barely suppressing a moan. “Doing this while everyone is trapped here.”

  Dane’s low chuckle vibrated against her chest. “I assure you, nobody is complaining they’re stuck at a couples’ resort with fantasy rooms. And they’re doing the same thing we are.”

  “Does that mean I can take a minute off?”

  Dane eased back, drew his brows in and gripped her backside. “I assure you, this will take more than a minute.”