Tempting Kate

But she didn’t give any ground, remaining firmly on the spot. She was tall, almost eye level with him, and her dark eyes held a determined, heated expression. “I don’t understand. It’s your brother’s wedding.”

“You don’t need to understand. What you do need to do is go buy yourself a set of chains and get back to sunny, warm LA before it gets too late.” He fought the insane sensation of disappointment at the thought. Sure, he’d envisioned lots of wine and hot tub sex before he knew who she was, but even entertaining the thought now was absurd. Now he needed her out of his resort as soon as possible.

“I’m not leaving.” To his surprise, she sat on the edge of his desk.

Huh, maybe he should have left the dust. “You’re not?”

“No. Here’s the thing. I need this wedding to happen. Here. On Memorial Day weekend. So unless you can give me a really good reason why that can’t happen, I’m not leaving.” She folded her arms across her chest, a challenging look on her face.

Oh, he could give her a reason. A really good one. In fact, it would be his pleasure. Moving closer, he placed a hand on either side of her on the desk. His legs touched hers, and the smell of her expensive, soft perfume tickled his nose as he lowered his face to her ear and whispered, “I had sex with the bride-to-be.”

4

KATE PACED THE stone walkway outside the resort moments later, her cell to her ear, oblivious to the blowing snow and deep, damp chill cutting through her thin jacket. Liz was crazy to want to hold a wedding here—it was freaking freezing.

Pick up, Liz...pick up...

“Hello?”

“Liz, it’s Kate.” She paused. Now that the woman had answered, she realized she had no idea how to confront her about Scott’s accusation—or if she should at all. This contract was important, and pissing off the bride was a sure way to lose it. Still, she had to find out if Scott had been telling the truth. She couldn’t fight fire with fire if she was holding a match against his blowtorch.

The crackling reception interrupted Liz’s words. “I...can’t...hear...where are you?”

Kate reluctantly moved just inside the resort lobby doors, where the lack of howling wind made it easier to hear. She lowered her voice. “I’m in Big Bear. I came to see Scott.”

“I knew that asshole would refuse to hold the wedding at the resort,” Liz said, her bitterness perfectly clear through the bad reception.

Kate sighed. A heads-up would have been nice. And unfortunately, the tiny glimmer of hope that Scott had been lying vanished with Liz’s words. “Yeah...he’s reluctant.” She refused to give up yet. There had to be some way to convince this guy to do this for his brother. Even though he’d slept with the bride.

“What’s his problem?” Liz asked.

As if she didn’t know. “Um...” How to say this delicately? Losing this client was not an option. “He says there’s a history between you two.”

“A history?” Her laugh held no amusement. “He calls one stupid night—that was completely his fault—a history? What a jackass.”

Kate remained silent. Usually when two people had sex, they were both responsible, not that she was letting Mr. Arrogant off easy. “How long ago did it happen?”

“A million years ago. Really, Kate, it should not be a problem. He’s just being stubborn because I refuse to tell Derek about it. I mean, what would be the point? It’s not like I care about Scott, and he certainly doesn’t have feelings for me. It was one night before I realized that Derek and I were serious about one another, perfect for one another.”

That was for sure. Derek and Liz were both city people, in the movie industry, driven by success and power and money. Kate had never met a better suited couple.

Scott, in comparison, was...what was Scott?

Earlier in the day, she’d been tempted to find out. Now she just needed to know the kryptonite to break him.

She scanned the lodge through the interior glass doors. Now that she’d seen it, she thought it really would be a shame if he didn’t allow the wedding to take place here. With the marble and stone accents throughout, it didn’t have that old, log-cabin feel so common to these mountain ski resorts. The large check-in area and dining room that she’d seen on her way out were extravagant and elegantly decorated—quite a contrast from the rugged man who owned it. She’d had her doubts, but she was starting to believe this place could actually be a perfect place to hold the wedding...and future mountain weddings, she thought.

“So how do I get him to agree?” she asked Liz, her determination returning. She suspected money wouldn’t work. He didn’t seem to be a success-hungry, type-A personality, given that he hadn’t done any marketing for the resort. And telling him to think about Derek probably wouldn’t do the trick—she suspected protecting his brother was what he thought he was doing. But she would find an angle. Everyone had a price or a weakness.

Liz hesitated, before saying, “I think I can help you with that.”

Kate winced. Scott hadn’t seemed to hold Liz in high regard, so she doubted a call from his ex-lover would be appreciated. He’d hung up on Kate, and she was a stranger. She wasn’t the one who’d seen him naked—she only wished she had. “Liz, I’m not sure he’ll even speak to you.”

“Oh, I’m not calling him. His mother is.”

* * *

“SCOTT, CALL ON line two,” Cameron said an hour later.

“Who is it?” he asked, not taking his eyes from his computer screen, where he was searching for a web designer. He’d waited long enough, and given the current circumstances he wasn’t sure allowing HighRes Media the chance to finish his site was a good idea. He’d eat the hefty fees he’d paid already and start over. He’d only agreed to let Liz’s company design his site because Derek had insisted and he’d been feeling too guilty to say no.

Unfortunately, so far he was underwhelmed with the portfolios of the companies in his budget.

“She wouldn’t say,” Cameron said.

Damn it, the woman was persistent. Grabbing the receiver, he hit the button for the blinking line. “You are bordering on harassment, Ms. Hartley.”

“Ha! As if you would be complaining about a woman harassing you, Scott.”

“Mom?”

“Ah, so you do remember me?”

He sighed as he slumped back in the chair. “I just saw you last week for brunch. Or at least I thought it was you... Short, beautiful, blond-haired woman with new eyelash extensions that fell into her eggs Benedict?” He grinned at the memory, despite his foul mood. Angela Dillon was sixty-five years old, but she didn’t believe her age was any reason not to try out the new beauty trends on the market.

“I admit, the lashes were a dumb idea, okay? Now, not another word about them. Your father’s been relentless enough,” she muttered.

“How is Dad?” His father was a retired carpenter who now worked part-time at a ski rental shop at the base of Bear Mountain. Lee Dillon liked to stay busy despite his weakened health in recent years. Three heart attacks would be enough to make most people retire, but not Scott’s father.

“I just told you how he is—annoying.”

He laughed. His parents had always had a passionate relationship. Their arguments were fiery and their love for one another just as intense. And now that they were both semiretired, they drove one another crazy.

Scott didn’t have the desire to have what his parents had. Or rather, he had no desire to search for that kind of connection. Not anymore. Casual, fun, no commitments suited him just fine. He cherished his independence. Love and long-term relationships were Derek’s MO. His brother wanted the career and wife and kids. He fell in love hard and often and had had his heart broken over and over. Still, he bounced back the instant another pretty face caught his eye.

Scott had been hurt once, and that was enough. One and done.

“Anyway, I’m calling because—”

He cut her off. “I know why you’re calling, and the answer is still no.” Did Derek really think siccing their mother on him would work? They weren’t children anymore. This was his resort and he didn’t have to agree to a single thing, especially since Derek was probably only pushing the situation because he thought he was doing Scott a favor. Sure, the resort could use the reservations and the high-end guests that his brother’s wedding would bring, but he wasn’t that desperate.

“You’re just being stubborn.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are. We all know you don’t like Liz...but she’s marrying your brother whether you want to accept it or not.”

If only his mother knew the real reason. He didn’t want to see his brother make the biggest decision of his life without hearing the truth about the woman he was intent on spending his life with. Scott knew Liz. Women like her were never happy for long, always looking for the next adventure, the next thrill...that was his type, not Derek’s. Derek had always been a hopeless romantic, a serial monogamist. The kind of man who fell prey to women like Liz.

The woman made movie trailers because she couldn’t commit to working on longer projects, getting bored too fast, too easily. She’d admitted as much to him...three vodka shots in, somewhere between removing his shirt and her underwear.

Of all the bad coincidences. To have shared a near-death experience with his brother’s girlfriend. The plane crash that had ended his career as a commercial pilot had cost him much more than his pilot’s wings. If only Liz hadn’t been on that flight to Mexico. He sighed. When he’d found out that she was dating his brother, he’d assumed the relationship wouldn’t last long enough for a confession to be worthwhile. No need to upset Derek for something short-term.

But the relationship had continued to grow, and then, six months ago, his brother had proposed. Scott had immediately confronted Liz about telling Derek, and she’d promised she would.

And of course she hadn’t. Cheating women didn’t come clean, he thought bitterly. He should have said something at that point, but too much time had passed and he’d lacked the balls. He kept waiting, on edge, for Liz to man up, but of course she wasn’t willing to risk her relationship with the truth.

“Look, Mom, if Derek thinks he’s happy, in love with Liz, that’s great, but I don’t have to watch him making what I believe is a mistake.”

“Yes, you do. It’s not up to us to decide for him. No one comments on your life choices.”

They didn’t need to. Her tone said it all. They disapproved of his playboy ways, but he didn’t care. He knew his mother was desperate for grandkids and she was putting her hope in Derek, knowing kids were not in Scott’s future. Therefore, she wouldn’t care if Derek were marrying Medusa, just as long as she had a grandbaby within the year. He thought his mother was in for disappointment. Liz Sheffield didn’t exactly have the nurturing, maternal gene. Her company was her baby. “Mom, you’ve only met the woman twice. Don’t you think you and Dad should get to know her better before giving your blessing on this marriage?”

“She’s a living, breathing woman, capable of giving me grandbabies, Scott. What more is there to know?” she said, confirming his thoughts.

Grandkids—the only thing she cared about.

“If you guys are all happy about this, then great. But I’m not on board.”

“Derek is your brother. Have you forgotten that?”

No. But damn, he wished he could. The guilt he experienced each day might be easier to handle if he’d slept with some random stranger’s fiancée and not someone his brother was head over heels in love with, someone who would be there for Christmas mornings and birthdays and family events. Good Lord, things would be awkward.

“The same brother who put you through college and flight school,” she continued. “The same brother who helped fund your new businesses...”

Guilt was a favorite negotiation tactic for his mom, but this time it wouldn’t work. “I’ve paid him back every cent.” It had been the first debt he’d repaid when he’d received the two-million-dollar settlement from Airways Travel two years before, after they’d lost their case in court. Thankfully, he’d been able to prove that it was a malfunction in the operating system that had caused the plane to go down and not pilot error. The money had been appreciated, of course, but mainly he’d been happy to clear his name from fault. No one had died in the crash, but people had been injured. Another thing he felt guilty about. He’d had to give up his career because of that crash. Adding lawsuits from families if he’d lost his case would have destroyed him completely. “I don’t owe Derek anything,” he said.

His mother huffed and was silent for a long moment.

He waited. The battles of wills with women today were exhausting him.

“Think about your father,” she said finally, a tearful note in her voice.

Oh, come on. “You just said Dad’s fine.”

“He’s fine as in he’s still breathing, yes. But Scott, you know that he can’t travel. If the wedding doesn’t happen here, he won’t be able to attend. That would crush both him and Derek. He would be devastated to miss the most important day in his oldest son’s life.”

Shit, shit, shit. He should have known she’d play that card. Closing his eyes, he rested his head against the back of his chair and rotated slowly. How the hell could he allow this without seeming to be on board with the event? This was not something he supported. At all.

If only he’d told his brother the truth before, they wouldn’t be in this situation. There was no way even Derek would marry a woman who’d cheated on him.

Unfortunately, Scott knew all too well the pain of realizing that he’d put his trust in the wrong person. His one and only real relationship had ended when he’d discovered the woman he’d been falling in love with was married. Married with two small children.

They’d met in the airport when Amy, a flight attendant, was on his Bahamas-bound flight. She’d invited him to spend his days off with her at the five-star beachside hotel, and next, they were taking their vacation time in two-day stints, falling in love in different tourist destinations. For eight months, they kept the affair going, enjoying luxury treatment in resort suites, massages on the beach, snorkeling and boating their days away, and making love every night. Her only rule was that they never saw one another back in California. She’d claimed their relationship was so much more exciting on exotic soil. He’d been too caught up in their whirlwind passion to argue.

Then one day the real reason was waiting at the airport to surprise her. A man and two kids were at arrivals to welcome her home, while Scott had watched her look of desperation and anxiety from a distance, feeling his heart break apart. She’d reached out to him in apology, telling him that she had fallen in love with him and that if things were different...but he’d wanted nothing to do with her. He hadn’t wanted to hear her excuses for almost ruining her family and using him to do it. And he’d made sure she wasn’t assigned to any more of his flights.

He never wanted to feel that pain again.

He didn’t want his brother to feel that devastating betrayal, either.

“Scott, please,” his mother said, interrupting his thoughts.

He released a deep breath. If he agreed, there was still time to convince Liz to tell Derek the truth...or he would. He could go along with this for now, but ultimately, he refused to let his brother get married without knowing the truth. Then if he still wanted to marry Liz? Fine.

Damn. He was already regretting this. “They can use the resort for the wedding, but I won’t be his best man.”

* * *

KATE, WEARING A BIKINI she’d purchased from the gift shop, removed the white terry-cloth robe provided by the resort and shivered in the cold mountain air before she submerged herself in the outdoor hot tub. She’d seen it on the wraparound deck from her third-floor window, and she’d waited for a nauseating couple to vacate so she could enjoy it without watching the two make out in front of her. Despite her “I believe in happy-ever-after” facade, the sight of a new couple made her cringe.

She’d once been that oblivious to the harsh reality of relationships. She’d thought she could have it all—the successful career, the loving husband, the two and a half kids and loyal dog. Then her dreams were shattered.

The steam rising from the tub held the faintest smell of eucalyptus and jasmine, and the jets hitting her lower back were exactly what she needed. The tense drive up the mountain had left her muscles aching. Positioning her towel behind her head, she sank lower in the water, closed her eyes and rested against the edge. She could stay there all night.

In fact, if she was so inclined to spend time in the mountains—she wasn’t—this would be a great place to stay. After getting off the phone with Liz, who confirmed the venue was a go, she’d checked in and then toured the facilities. The grand ballroom was the perfect size. It could easily accommodate the guest list of almost three hundred. She was already envisioning the ceremony being held near the floor-to-ceiling windows with the view of the mountains. The reception would be held in the same space with tables set up for dining, later removed for dancing. She’d loved that the decor of the ballroom was dark wood—not horrible wood paneling—cozy and surprisingly in great shape while boasting its original hardwood floors and rounded archways. With the right decorations and the right light streaming through the windows the day of the wedding, the place would be magnificent.

The resort had over four hundred rooms, and a quick, friendly chat with housekeeping had revealed that they were hardly half-full. Late reservations for the wedding wouldn’t be a problem. And if all the rooms were as large and modern as her suite had unexpectedly been, the high-profile guests wouldn’t feel at all as though they were slumming it in Big Bear.

She was impressed. With the resort, at least. Its owner could kiss her ass.

“How’s the water?” a deep voice asked across from her.

Opening one eye, she sighed, her relaxed muscles immediately tensing. “I was enjoying it better before you arrived.”

“Well, I was enjoying a lot of things better before you arrived, too,” Scott said, his voice tight. “Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve changed my mind.” He coughed before continuing. “You can plan the wedding here.”

She grinned, opening both eyes and sitting a little higher. “I know. Your mother told Liz an hour ago.” That was the only reason she was trying to relax in the hot tub instead of going another twelve rounds with him in his office.

His eyes narrowed as he approached the edge of the hot tub. “Here’s the thing, Ms. Hartley. You can go ahead and plan a wedding here. Invite as many guests as my maximum capacity limit will allow. That doesn’t mean my brother will actually be getting married.”

“We’ll see about that.” Clearly he had no idea who he was up against. There would be no runaway grooms on her watch. She closed her eyes again, dismissing him, but the smell of his musky cologne only continued to mix with the jasmine and eucalyptus and the smell of fresh mountain air. The combination was intoxicating. She waited to hear the deck doors open and close, but a long minute later, all she heard was the sound of water lapping.

Opening her eyes wide, her mouth gaped. “What are you doing?”

“Relaxing. It’s been a stressful day,” Scott said, leaning his arms out over the edges of the tub. The steam rising in front of him did absolutely nothing to hide the muscular chest and sculpted arms sticking out of the water.

Her mouth went dry as she tried to stare only at his face. His gorgeous face with the tempting-as-hell five-o’clock shadow along the jawline. The enemy had no right to be so good-looking. “If I’m a source of stress for you, don’t you think you’d relax better elsewhere?”

He grinned, and her stomach tightened. Any other place, any other circumstance and he’d be the best rebound fling she could hope for after Cooper. Casual sex with a hot man was just the glue she needed to piece her heart back together.

“Actually, just knowing I’m irritating you is helping quite a lot,” he said.

She swallowed hard and shrugged. “Who says I’m irritated? I got what I wanted.” Forcing a deep breath, she sank lower in the water, closing her eyes once more. If he thought he could intimidate her, he was wrong. She’d turn into a prune before she’d get out of this water first.

A second later his breath was inches from her cheek. “Did you?” he murmured.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she opened her eyes, turning slightly to face him, putting more distance between them. Only a little. She wasn’t retreating. “Absolutely.”

His gaze dipped to her breasts in the slightly too small bikini. When an appreciative grin appeared, she sank lower to hide them. He’d given up the right to ogle her by being who he was.

His gaze shot back to hers immediately. “Sorry, those were distracting. I didn’t hear anything you said.”

Liz was right. This guy was an ass. And hours before, she’d actually thought he might be just the guy to get her sex life rolling again. “Tomorrow I’ll need a proper tour of the place, a meeting with the staff who will be my contacts for the rest of the planning...”

“I’ll be your contact,” he said quickly.

“Fantastic,” she muttered.

He moved closer again and she tried to back away, but she’d reached the end of the tub. “You and I got off on the wrong foot. Why don’t we try again?” He stood a little higher in the tub, exposing a set of oblique muscles that were a distraction of their own.

God, she missed oblique muscles, and strong sexy chest muscles, and bulging biceps wrapped around her. Other than the incident with Cooper the week before, she hadn’t had sex in months... That had been the trigger with Cooper. She shook her head. She couldn’t allow her lack of recent action, her loneliness or her inexplicable craving for this man to lead to another mistake.

She nodded as she extended a hand, keeping her eyes locked on his through the steam rising from the tub. “Sounds like a good idea. We will work together and pull off a great wedding.”

He grinned as he took her hand, and instead of shaking it, drew her into him. “I didn’t say anything about the wedding planning. I meant us.” One arm wrapped around her waist and held tight.

Her heart echoed in her ears, and her mouth went dry. She pushed against his chest, but it was a futile attempt...or maybe she just didn’t try too hard. “My only focus is the wedding.”

“So earlier today in my truck...there wasn’t a spark between us?” He brushed wet strands of her hair off her shoulder and pressed his lips there for a quick, gentle kiss.

What the hell was he doing? An hour ago he’d been refusing to let her use the resort, and now his hands and lips were on her? And she wasn’t kneeing him in the nuts? “Scott, earlier in the truck, things were different...” One, he hadn’t been her nemesis, and two, she hadn’t known he’d slept with her client.

There had to be some rules somewhere about wedding-planning etiquette... If not, maybe that should be her next book. Rule number one: don’t sleep with anyone who could potentially destroy the wedding.

His free hand rested on her knee below the water and a second later started creeping up on her wet thigh. “Scott...what are you doing?”

“You really are a plan girl, aren’t you? Okay, here’s the plan,” he whispered against her ear before placing several more kisses along her exposed neck.

Her body screamed for more as her mind came up with a million reasons to put an end to things. She couldn’t possibly be doing this with him, yet here she was, waiting to hear his plan.

“First, I’m going to kiss you...just a tempting little kiss to shut off that overactive mind...” He placed a soft kiss on her neck, demonstrating his point. “Then I’m going to lift you out of this tub and carry you into my home over there...” He nodded toward the loft cabin she’d noticed at the other end of the lodge. “Then I’m going to remove this bikini—” he tangled his fingers in the tie on the back “—and then...” He paused, his breath warm against her ear.