by Donna Alward
“I want to,” he insisted. They slowed for a group of tourists crossing the street. “It’s not trouble, Harper. It’s a pleasure. I want to spend more time with you. And I want to...to show you that you’re special.”
“At your hotel.”
He understood what she was and wasn’t saying. “Yes, at my hotel. But it doesn’t have to be there. I don’t want to pressure you into anything.”
There was a pause of perhaps two seconds, and then she answered, “The Cascade sounds fine.”
And with that admission, the air snapped with electricity and the anticipation of what was to come. What did he do? Charm her over dinner? Drive her home again as soon as the meal was over? Wait for her to make a move? He felt as unsure as a teenager faced with undoing a girl’s bra for the first time. One wrong move and it would be all over. Maybe he should just play it cool.
He parked in her narrow driveway and she unbuckled her seat belt. Drew reached over and took her hand before she could take the keys out of the ignition.
“I’m not sure what to say or do right now,” he admitted. “This is nerve-racking as hell.”
She blew out a breath. “For me, too. But first I have to change into something more appropriate. Do you mind if I have a quick shower?” She pulled her hand away and opened her door.
It helped that she was also nervous. Or maybe it didn’t...perhaps one of them being tied up in knots was more than enough. Regardless, he followed her lead and got out of the car, then grabbed both their packs while she got her camera bag. He tried to block out the idea of her under the hot shower spray and instead on the evening ahead...which was nearly as bad.
The day had been warm, but the wind took on a sudden chill as the sun went under a cloud. Drew looked up, surprised to see a wall of clouds closing in.
Once inside the house, Drew put down the backpacks and reached for Harper’s hand. “Can I kiss you?”
She blushed prettily, the colour highlighting the freckles on her nose as she nodded. He stepped forward and kissed her, a soft, gentle hello of a kiss that reached in and grabbed him right by the heart with its hesitancy and sweetness.
Leaving her was going to be harder than she knew.
He broke off the kiss. “Go have your shower. I’m starving.”
“I won’t be long. There are drinks in the fridge if you want one.”
He got himself a can of ginger ale and settled in the living room on the sofa while the water ran for the shower. How was this evening really going to play out? There was no question he wanted to kiss her again. But how far did he want to go?
His brother’s words rang in his ears: I hope you know what you’re doing.
He didn’t. Not even close.
She came back out a few minutes later, her hair wet and darker than usual, which made her pale skin and blue eyes stand out. She wore a light, floral maxi dress that accentuated her breasts but fell in soft folds to the floor, where her toes peeked out from little sandals. She came to sit beside him and that floral scent that had only been hinted at earlier now filled the air around him. Her shampoo, he realized. Whatever it was, it made his blood stir.
“Feel better?” he asked.
“Much.” She smiled softly. “Are you ready?”
“I am if you are.”
She got up and put her hand on her lower back.
He rose and reached over, touching the muscles just above her sacrum. “Is your back bothering you?”
“A little. The doctor said it might bother me a bit because my body is changing and tendons and stuff.” She laughed a bit, but he stood behind her and used his thumbs to rub on the spot where she’d pressed her hand. Over the years he’d come to rely on a massage therapist a lot to deal with aches and pains after difficult expeditions.
“Oh my God, that feels good,” she said, her voice almost a moan as she relaxed beneath his fingertips.
He tried not to react to her words. It was difficult, because the attraction was insane, and having his hands on her was arousing, plain and simple. But this wasn’t the moment. This was a time for being caring and helpful. As he massaged a tight muscle, the first rumblings of thunder began.
“Have you tried yoga? Like, a prenatal kind or something? It might help with any stiffness or lower back issues.”
“I haven’t. I’ve been so busy that my exercise routine has been walking and getting out for the odd hike.”
His thumbs rubbed in concentric circles. “Well, maybe you can look into it. Or go for prenatal massage.”
“If it’s anything like you’re doing right now, that’s a brilliant idea,” she murmured. “That feels amazing.”
You have no idea, he thought, but instead he worked on the tight muscles that she probably overused today in addition to the changes happening inside her body.
Lightning flashed outside the window, followed by a deeper rumble of thunder a few seconds later. “Looks like we’re in for some rain,” he mused.
“I’m glad we’re not in the chopper now.” She gasped a little as he touched a particularly tight area.
“Me, too.”
After a few minutes she straightened. “Thanks, Drew,” she said, and despite the “normal” tone to her voice, there was a huskiness underlying it that lent an intimacy to the moment. “I think that’s good.”
Maybe, but touching her had been a mistake. He didn’t want to stop. Maybe not ever.
Harper grabbed her purse and Drew reached into his pocket for the keys. He didn’t know how the evening would end, but as long as he was with Harper, it was bound to be perfect.
* * *
Harper chose to wait in the lounge while Drew cleaned up. Being in his hotel room might be a little too dangerous. She was up for an adventure, but not looking to be totally reckless. Drew was a particularly potent temptation she wasn’t sure she could resist.
She was halfway through a glass of sparkling water when Drew reappeared, and she caught her breath.
He hadn’t been more than fifteen minutes, but he’d showered and changed into dress pants and a blue shirt, open at the collar but pressed and expensive looking. That women turned their heads to watch him didn’t escape her attention, and she smiled up at him as he approached. He was so handsome. And his smile...it warmed her from the inside out, like it was just for her.
“What a transformation,” she said, turning to him. “And fast.”
“I told you that happens when I’m properly motivated.”
They were led to their table in the corner, looking out over the townsite and valley below. At one end of the view, the sun was still shining, but at the other, storm clouds rolled in, dark grey and ominous. As she watched, a flash of lightning forked down from a black cloud. “We’re in for some weather,” she observed, and the electricity of the storm mirrored the excitement inside her. Today had marked a turning point and it left her feeling off balance but also exhilarated.
“Would you like another sparkling water? A virgin cocktail?”
She turned from the view, scanned the drink menu and looked up at the waiter. “Could I get a Paloma Fizz, no tequila?”
“Of course. And you, sir?”
He ordered a whiskey, neat, and the waiter slipped away.
“Drew, this is lovely. Truly.”
“I’m glad. Much better than take-out pizza, don’t you think?”
She laughed lightly. “Pizza has its place,” she replied, fiddling with her napkin. “But you’re right. There’s something about being here...the hotel is one of my favorites. The steps and railings are practically works of art.” She looked down and softened her voice. “You’re spoiling me today.”
The waiter returned with their drinks and she took a sip of the rosemary-infused grapefruit soda. The sparkles sat on her tongue for a moment and she sighed, enjoying the setting and the company. Maybe she wasn’t hi
gh maintenance, but it was nice feeling special and pampered now and again. She looked over at Drew and the curl of attraction wound through her again.
“What?” he asked.
Her cheeks heated. “Nothing.” She focused on her menu but felt his gaze on her as she perused the selections. The light through the windows darkened from the storm clouds, and a young man clad in black came around with a lighter and lit the candles on the table. Thunder rumbled outside, a low growl that made Harper glad they weren’t outside any longer.
They ordered and the appetizers were served quickly and discreetly. She took one bite of the watercress and endive salad and sighed with happiness at the fruity sharpness of the fig dressing. Drew indulged in escargot, and then they dined on risotto primavera and lobster carbonara. Rain spattered on the windows but then the storm moved off, onward through the valley and toward the foothills.
She was starting to get full when she asked what she’d been wondering all day. “Did you really say Aspen made thirty million last year? Three-zero?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Up from twenty-six and change the year before. We’ve been seeing steady growth. We also do a profit share with our employees, so twice a year they get an extra deposit into their account. I keep them happy, they keep me in business.”
“I really didn’t have any idea. Neither Dan or Adele said anything.”
“Does it matter?” He took a sip of ice water and watched her steadily.
That question was easy to answer. “No. It doesn’t make you any more likable...or unlikable, either.” She gave a sideways grin. “I’m just...wow. You really are driven, aren’t you?”
He shrugged. “Like I said the other day. Work hard, play hard. Now I have a question for you.”
“Sure.”
“If you’d known I was a millionaire, would your answer at the wedding have been different?”
She started to laugh, and dabbed her lips with her napkin. She wasn’t insulted in the least. “Do I look like the type who would see dollar signs?”
He chuckled, too. “No, but I kind of hoped you were. Because then I wouldn’t have taken it so personally.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “I’d feel bad, if I thought you really meant that.”
His grin grew. “I like how you challenge me, Harper. I like it a lot.”
Money really didn’t turn her head, but she had to admit that she did see him differently now. Not better, not worse, but just different. He was a millionaire at age twenty-eight with a chain of his own stores. It was difficult not to respect that. It also widened the gap between them significantly. There were months she could barely pay the rent.
But none of that really mattered when they were together. Sure, days like today didn’t make him bat an eye, but deep down, Drew was the guy who’d talked to a bighorn sheep and enjoyed a cone of ice cream on a busy street. The one who rubbed her ankle while she slept on a porch swing. Who made her laugh without trying, and made her toes curl when he kissed her.
They ordered dessert—Earl Grey panna cotta for her and chestnut tiramisu for him, and she let the flavors sit on her tongue. “I’ve never had something like this in my life,” she sighed happily. “Today has been...oh, Drew. It’s been like a fairy tale. And tomorrow I get to go back to my humdrum life.”
It also appeared the storms weren’t over. A new front rolled down through the mountains, a wall of foreboding cloud that brought with it unsettling wind and flashes of lightning. Thunder growled and then boomed, close enough that she jumped when it rattled the crystal on the table.
“You should see your eyes,” he said, smiling a little.
“I’m very glad we’re safe and sound inside.” The lights flickered but stayed on. “And you didn’t even flinch.”
“I love thunderstorms.” At her raised eyebrow, he laughed. “We’re really different in some ways, aren’t we?” He reached over and took her hand. “I know you moved around a lot as a kid. That you had a hard time making friends and establishing relationships. But there’s more, isn’t there? Something that holds you back.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because it’s not friends you shy away from. It’s intimacy. Someone hurt you.” His gaze locked with hers. “I know because you have the same look in your eyes as someone else did once, when I broke their heart.”
The rest of her dessert was forgotten. Whether he’d initiated the breakup or not, he hadn’t come out of it unscathed.
And for the first time, she spoke about Jared.
“The truth is, I did meet someone once, and it was one of those crazy whirlwind-attraction deals. I fell like a ton of bricks at the ripe old age of twenty-two. He was hot and funny and sexy and I was really swept away, thinking he could be The One. He proposed, and I was thrilled. We were going to elope and just be crazy. Instead, he broke off the engagement and disappeared. I was heartbroken—and blindsided yet again. Oddly enough, that was when my photography really started to take off.”
“Because you kept hiding.”
“And damn, but I was good at it.”
His thumb traced circles over her hand, and she blinked back a little moisture that had gathered in the corners of her eyes. “I feel so foolish now. But then...it was as if no one thought I was worth hanging around for.”
“So what changed?”
“Adele. She’s the best friend I’ve ever had. I’ve made a life for myself here. I put down the roots I’ve never really had before, but I’m still not totally happy. I’ve been so busy trying to protect my life I stopped really living it. I want to start living again, even if it’s just for a few weeks.” She held his gaze and took a breath. “With you.”
The lights flickered again, but his thumb kept circling, the pressure warm and soothing. “As long as you know that I can’t stay. That the plan hasn’t changed.” The smile had slid off his face, and he was as serious as she’d ever seen him.
“Oh, I know that. I’m just tired of denying myself things that make me happy because they might not last forever. That not living, that’s pure avoidance.”
She turned her hand over and linked her fingers with his. “I’m going to miss you when you’re gone. But I want to look back on this time as a happy memory, not another case of me choosing the safe route and missing out.”
She’d never considered Drew the kind of man to blush, but right now heat was creeping up his neck and into his cheeks. “Then don’t leave yet. When we finish dinner...come back to my room. The night doesn’t have to end.”
“We don’t exactly have time to waste, do we?” Her words came out breathy, as if she’d been walking too fast.
He let out a big breath. “I don’t... I just...” His eyes were wide and serious. “Despite what you may think of me, this isn’t something I take lightly. Or casually.”
“I’m glad.” Nerves bubbled, both from anticipation and from anxiety. This was all new territory.
Moments later Drew signed the slip charging the meal to his room, and then held out his hand. “Shall we?” he asked.
She put her hand in his again and let him lead her out of the restaurant. They were going to his hotel room. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to happen, but she knew something was going to. She wanted it to.
They rode up the elevator in silence, nervousness flooding her from head to toe. Her sandals made slapping sounds on the hall carpet until they reached his door and he waved his key card over the sensor.
His suite was gorgeous. She’d been in Cascade rooms before, doing before-the-wedding photos and the like, but she’d never been in this one. A massive sitting area was flanked by a dining table and chairs. Off to the left was the bedroom, and she took a few steps toward it, as if drawn by a magnet. The king-size bed was the centerpiece, covered with a fluffy gold duvet. Throw pillows in jewel tones were placed strategically on the bed. The view from the window was staggering
in its beauty.
She was here. In his hotel room. The Presidential Suite, wasn’t it?
The door shut with a quiet click, and then he was there behind her, his hands on her shoulders as he leaned forward and kissed her hair.
Her entire body went into high alert. When a man like Drew Brimicombe put his full attention on a woman, it was an intoxicating feeling.
“Hi,” she said, knowing it sounded stupid, unsure of what else to say.
“Hi.” His breath was warm on her neck and goose bumps broke out over her skin. “How are you?”
She bit down on her lip. “Nervous. Afraid of doing the wrong thing.”
He turned her to face him. “Nothing you say or do will be the wrong thing.”
“Really?” She ran her hands over the soft fabric of her skirt. “I’m pretty sure I can be an idiot very easily. Like today, when you told me you were rich. I felt pretty stupid. This is the Presidential Suite, isn’t it?”
That sexy grin crawled up his cheek once more. “I told you I was able to snag a cancellation. It was the only room available.”
She shook her head but laughed a little. This whole thing was surreal.
He took her fingers in his. “Harper, I just want you to know that tonight is entirely up to you and what you want. You’re in control.”
When he said it, she realized exactly how much she’d felt out of control the last few months. Once she’d taken the pregnancy test, her life hadn’t really been her own. But this decision was, and it felt good.
Her heart pounded so hard she could feel it against her ribs. Her breath shortened; she had never been one to take the lead in sexual situations. But this time he was waiting, leaving it up to her, giving her complete autonomy. It was a dizzying thought. She reached out and put her hand against his chest, touching him but still keeping him a few inches away. Her heart pounded, from excitement but also fear. “I do want this,” she said on a breath. “So much it hurts.”
“Then tell me.” His thumbs were hooked in his front pockets, and she saw them close tighter over the fabric. “Show me.”
She stood on tiptoe and kissed him, softly, slowly, as if they had all the time in the world. When she’d tasted her fill—for the time being—she stood back away from him.
