Brazen

SHE’D FOUND HER MAN. Too bad she had no idea what to do with him. Samantha closed the bathroom door behind her and stripped off her skirt, shaking the residual dust into the tub. Who’d have guessed the first man she laid eyes on, the first man under eighty, she amended, would be the one?

Her questions hadn’t exactly been subtle, but with those dark, deep-set eyes staring into hers, and that mustache lifting over a sensual grin, she’d barely been able to pull herself together enough to think clearly.

She pictured him waiting on the other side of the door, and her pulse pounded in a combination of anticipation and apprehension. There was no question the dark-haired, gorgeous stranger suited her perfectly. A bartender in an off-the-beaten-path tavern, he was a man she could thoroughly enjoy and then never see again. As long as she could work up the nerve.

Samantha located the towels he said would be on a shelf over the toilet, and hung one over a hook on the wall. She glanced around the room. Small but with all the proper amenities and stark in a masculine sort of way. No frills. Just a toothbrush and a bottle of aftershave lay on top of the vanity. She picked up the black bottle and brought the nozzle near her nose. One illicit sniff of musk and she was no longer alone. His scent surrounded her. He surrounded her.

She’d never been with a man wearing a mustache and wondered what kind of stimulation it would add to an intense sexual experience? She shut her eyes. Her senses soared and her imagination took over. Soft lips, warm breath and an erotic rush of sensation playing over her already-sensitized skin. Firm yet gentle lips nibbling their way up her legs, the rasp of whiskers along her thigh. She cupped her breasts and felt as if his hands had settled over the tight fabric, as if his fingers plucked and pulled, bringing her nipples to life.

She opened her eyes to find herself standing alone in the unfamiliar bathroom, thoroughly aroused and completely appalled. She had never done anything like this before, had never even felt anything like this before. Without meeting her gaze in the mirror, she removed her hands from her chest and focused her attention on turning on the shower instead.

Her hands trembled, hindering the process. How could she want one man so badly? A man she barely knew. She didn’t know the answer to that question any more than she knew how she’d find the nerve to go through with this seduction. Coming up with her plan from the safety of her apartment had been easy. Contemplating her bleak future had carried her resolve through the long plane ride out here. But now, faced with a sexy, masculine stranger in the flesh…

Samantha trembled. All she had left was this week. She hadn’t planned her life this way, nor would this be the choice she’d make if her father’s future weren’t at stake. But it was. And if her life came down to this one week, she’d better make the most of it. Her chance waited just outside the door.

If she wanted to find a way into his arms, she’d best start by cleaning herself up. But first, she needed to get a drink to soothe her parched throat, she thought, reaching for a nearby glass and filling it with water. That decided, she felt more confident. In a few hours, if she was lucky, she’d discover…how to scare the poor man half to death. Samantha caught a glimpse of her face in the mirror and gasped, dropping the glass into the sink. With her dirt-streaked cheeks, tearstains and tangled mass of hair, how could she have considered seducing him? Whatever made her think he’d be interested?

Without warning, the door burst open and she had company. “What the hell was that?”

Her grab for the towel came too late because her fantasy lover stood in the door frame staring at her practically naked body. Okay, he’d seen her shirt before, but the sexy underwear, her one concession to femininity beneath the tailored suits she wore to work, left her midriff completely exposed. She glanced down. The small triangular scrap of material between her legs showed more than she wanted him to see at the present time.

“Well?”

She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Not if her life depended on it. She was more concerned with covering herself. She tried to remove the towel from the hook on the wall, but the shaking of her hands hindered the attempt.

She turned to gain better leverage and heard his sharp intake of breath.

“Those things ought to be outlawed.”

Her hands went to her behind, covered only by flimsy lace with scalloped edging, and at that moment, Samantha discovered she wasn’t as brave as she’d planned to be. She was mortified.

How could she even think she could seduce a man? Nothing showed like inexperience, and though she’d had relationships before, she’d never tackled a one-night stand. After the impression she’d made, she wouldn’t be doing so tonight.

She’d blown her chance and devastated her ego. Not bad for a night’s work.

He brushed past her. A powerful dose of his masculine scent overwhelmed her like an aphrodisiac. As if she needed more than just a look to arouse her beyond belief.

He yanked the towel off the hook, making the maneuver look easy. “Cover yourself,” he growled.

Startled by his tone, she turned to look at him. His eyes had darkened, the smoky gray transformed into deep charcoal. Color highlighted his cheekbones and those firm-looking lips were pulled into a tight line.

“Now.” He shook the towel before her eyes. “Or I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

“Yes, sir.” Her gaze slipped to his waist and the telltale bulge in his tight jeans. Pure female pleasure stirred inside her. Her technique might need work, but she hadn’t botched things after all. Her doubts scattered, along with her short bout of self-pity. This man wanted her, and she refused to question her good fortune.

Taking her time, she accepted the towel, wrapping the soft terry around her body until she could tuck the free end between her breasts. “Done,” she said, with what she hoped was a flirtatious smile.

A hoarse groan escaped her companion. “Time’s up,” he muttered.

Samantha swallowed hard. “It is?” To her chagrin, her voice trembled when she spoke. “You mean, now?”

She’d given him the location of her car and the keys, and she’d hoped to have clean clothes in which to seduce him. Her plans hadn’t included his take-charge personality. The differences between fantasy and reality came back to haunt her again. She wasn’t ready.

She’d have preferred a little get-to-know-you time first. She’d have liked a shower. Obviously, he had no need for such prerequisites, and nervousness once again replaced her prior certainty.

Yet when he held out his hand, she placed hers inside the large, warm palm. Touching him provided a sensual pleasure she couldn’t have imagined. If she allowed herself to think about what was to come, she’d pass out on the tile floor. His long fingers wrapped around her smaller hand. Fingers she had no doubt could bring great pleasure.

“Well?” he asked.

“Well, what?” He couldn’t possibly expect her to make the first move. She licked her lips, uncomfortably aware of the small bathroom space and his overpowering presence.

“Can we get on with this before the room becomes a sauna?”

Apparently the man wasn’t into preliminaries. Samantha hoped he liked to bask in the afterglow, because the way things were going, this wasn’t going to be the slow, sensual experience she’d envisioned.

“I don’t think…”

“Oh, for God’s sake. You don’t want to go first, I will. My name’s Mac,” he said, shaking her hand with a determined grip. “What’s yours?”

CHAPTER TWO

MAC STOOD IN THE DOOR frame of the small bathroom, unable to believe he’d burst in without warning. When he’d heard the shatter of glass, he figured she’d come face-to-face with a rodent of some kind. Instead, she stood half dressed, staring at him as if he’d invaded her privacy. Which, considering the room she was in and her state of undress, he had.

“My…name?” She blinked, obviously startled.

“Yeah. I’ve seen pretty much everything, sweetheart.” And he knew what she looked like when she was cold. His gaze inadvertently went to her chest, now covered by layers of terry cloth. “I doubt telling me your name would be considered a breach of etiquette.”

She blushed scarlet. “Sam…” She paused in thought. “Just Sam.”

She hadn’t removed her hand from his, and he let his thumb drift over her skin. She didn’t seem to mind, or she was too flustered to notice. Either way, he liked the way her palm fit into his.

“Sam.” He played with the name, tossing it around in his mind, savoring it on his lips. Then he thought of the rounded breasts and the darkened nipples visible beneath the white top. His imagination conjured two perfectly shaped, creamy white cheeks. A masculine name didn’t suit her and he shook his head. “Doesn’t work for me. Short for Samantha?” he guessed.

She exhaled loudly. “Yes. But that doesn’t work for me.”

He smiled, enjoying this woman, if not yet understanding her. “Mind if I ask why not?”

“I’m on vacation, and I’d like to forget the people who call me that…at least for this week.”

A runaway like himself. He understood the need to escape from life, work and the people who occupied those other worlds. Family gave Mac the best alternative, but they weren’t close enough to offer a quick reprieve. Courtesy of her husband’s job, his sister’s family lived a couple of hours away, and with the birth of his first nephew, Mac’s mother had moved out of the hotel to be closer to Kate. With his only family miles away—including a new baby he didn’t see nearly often enough—Mac understood his recent restlessness. In fact, it was almost as if he was itching to settle down himself.

Short of that, Bear’s place was his best and closest means of escape. He glanced at the woman whose hand he still held, wondering how far she’d run. And from what. “And after the week’s up?” he asked.

She shrugged. “I go back to my life.”

“To being Samantha.”

“That’s right.” She pulled her hand back and hugged her arms around the fluffy towel. “I haven’t had a vacation in years. So I thought I’d take a little time for myself before I go to a conference next weekend.”

“Name someone who isn’t in town for a conference. Arizona has become the convention capital Florida used to be.” Which was why he was so successful.

His father had purchased desert land dirt cheap in the mid-1950s. After the older man’s death, Mac had sold a small portion for much more than he’d ever imagined, and expanded the small bed-and-breakfast inn that had been his family’s livelihood. By catering to the vacationer and the conference-goer, The Resort had become a gold mine. And the once-middle-income Mackenzies, Mac, his mother and sister, had become millionaires.

A fact he had no intention of revealing to Samantha until he got to know her better. “Okay, Sam.” She nodded her approval. “Now that we have that behind us, we can move on.” On impulse, he raised her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss on her wrist. Her pulse fluttered wildly beneath his lips.

She jerked her hand free. “No, we can’t. I just met you and I’m not about to hop into your bed.” She didn’t speak with much conviction, nor did she seem to realize the leap she’d made.

“That’s good, because I don’t remember inviting you,” he said with a hearty laugh. “But trust me. When I do…you’ll know it.”

“Oh…” She stared at him, wide-eyed and embarrassed.

Mac had never seen such mixed signals. Earlier, she’d appraised his body as if it were meat in the deli case. She wore sexy underwear he’d never seen anywhere but in a catalog, sensual clothing that invited seduction, yet she was holding on to that towel with a death grip. He deliberately tuned out the memory of what she looked like without it. For now.

The innocent or the seductress. Which woman was his Samantha? He couldn’t think of her as Sam any more than he should be thinking of her as his. But he liked the contradictions in her character and wanted her to stick around.

After suffering the attentions of too many fortune-hunting women, he was intrigued by her honest responses. But before he seduced her he had to be sure.

“I was trying to suggest you take a shower.” He backed off, walking toward the door.

“Mac, wait.”

He turned.

“I’m sorry. I’m new at this…I guess you can tell, what with me jumping to conclusions and rambling and…”

He stepped back inside the small room, effectively silencing her with his presence. Walking toward her he stood close enough to temptation to make himself sweat…without the aid of the steam-filled bathroom. Unable to help himself, he reached forward and took a lock of ebony hair, wrapping the satin strands around his finger as he spoke.

The pulse at the base of her throat worked overtime. “New at what?” he asked.

“This. Whatever’s happening between us.” She gestured to them both.

“Is there something between us?” After her vehement rejection, he needed to know what she wanted before pursuing anything further.

Her violet gaze met his. Honesty and sincerity shimmered in their depths. “You know there is.”

He admired the strength it took for her to admit there was something brewing, even though the pull between them was too strong to ignore.

“And what are we going to do about it?” He unraveled her hair from his finger and ran the fine ends over the skin beneath her jaw. “Sam?” He breathed her name, suddenly finding it important to respect this woman’s wishes.

A tremor shook her body and she sighed softly. “I don’t know.” She leaned forward, until they were separated by a fraction of air.

Body language was telling and Mac had his answer. He wanted to close the distance between them. He needed to taste her lips and learn her secrets, and he had a hunch this intriguing woman had many. But her answer wasn’t good enough.

He looked into her soft eyes. She wanted him, but there were things she needed more. Like a shower and some time to herself.

“You think about it…and let me know.” He straightened and dropped her hair, letting his fingers graze her shoulder as he did. “The rental place is sending out a replacement car. In the meantime, I’ll leave your suitcases in the next room. Come on downstairs once you’re cleaned up.”

She smiled. “Thanks. You’re a nice guy, Mac.”

He groaned. He wasn’t nice, he was horny. Which made him wonder what it was about this woman that had him acting so noble. He had no doubt that with some soft words and coaxing hands, he could have been inside her body.

Instead he was headed downstairs to a bar full of customers, a bunch of nosy old men and one major problem, he discovered when he hit the bottom step.

“What do you mean, Theresa’s waiting to talk to me?” Mac looked over Zee’s shoulder to where his one-and-only cocktail waitress sat nervously shredding a paper napkin to bits. “Shouldn’t she be working?”

“She’s served a few glasses while you were upstairs. Broke a few, too,” Zee muttered.

“Why the slippery fingers?”

“She didn’t like Hardy’s hand on her rump.” The old man’s cackle filled his ears, but his expression quickly sobered. “Her Mama broke her hip coming out of the tub and her mind’s not on work.”

Mac muttered a curse, knowing he couldn’t keep Theresa here when she was needed at home. Even if this was one of the busiest nights. “I’ll talk to her. Anything else I should know?”

“Hardy’s behind the bar watering down the drinks. Earl’s downing more than he’s serving, and the sexy lady’s luggage is in the corner,” Zee informed him.

“And what are you doing?”

“Checking IDs at the door. Less than a C-cup means no entry.” The old man grinned.

“Come on, Zee. You know we can’t discriminate. On Ladies’ Night, it’s illegal. If they even have a cup size, let ’em in free.”

His chuckle pleased Mac. Better than seeing the old guy moping and depressed, Mac thought. He loved the man who’d treated him as well as he treated his own son.

“Want me to take the lady her bags?”

“No, thanks, I can handle it.” Mac didn’t trust Zee not to sneak a peek, so he brought Samantha’s luggage upstairs on his own. Not that he wasn’t tempted to catch a glimpse himself, but the large crowd and an obligation to his friend had him running down the back stairs to work. If Samantha was a typical woman when it came to getting ready, he wouldn’t be seeing her for a while.

Since he definitely needed some time to get his libido under control, he didn’t mind. He’d given the lady time to decide. It didn’t matter that his body protested with throbbing intensity. Nice guys lived uncomfortably by their word…and they didn’t get lucky, either. Resettling his cap on his head, Mac rounded the corner of the bar and got to work.

Not fifteen minutes later, the woman who’d caused his aroused state walked back into the bar. He should have known. There was nothing typical about his Samantha.

SHE GRABBED THE FIRST cushioned bar stool she could find, not an easy task on Ladies’ Night, and propped her arms on the bar. Beneath her elbows, pennies, Abe Lincoln-side up, stared at her from under the scratched glass. Sam—she decided the name fit and she intended to keep it—was enchanted by the timeworn ambience of the bar.

Used to frequenting places like Lincoln Center and upscale restaurants in New York, she appreciated the chance to kick back and relax in a comfortable setting. Relaxing was a relative term, since Mac stood not a few feet away at the end of the bar, engrossed in conversation with a young woman. Judging by the white apron tied around her waist, the woman was his cocktail waitress and she didn’t look happy.

Although Sam couldn’t hear their conversation, it was obviously serious. Mac shook his head, then made his way to the cash register and handed money to the woman, who tried to push the cash back into his hands. Mac refused. The young woman then threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tight.

Whatever had transpired between them was obviously business, and yet the twisting in Sam’s stomach when the other woman touched Mac couldn’t be ignored. Feeling like an outsider, not to mention a jealous female—and not liking either—Sam shrugged and turned her attention away. Seconds later, Mac returned to the center of the bar.

He immediately began hustling between customers, serving liquor to smiling females. Sam could drink in his quick, sure movements all night. He was a study in masculine grace, if there was such a thing, easily grabbing glasses and tipping bottles as if he’d been doing this all his life. For all she knew, he had been.

Not for the first time, she realized she knew nothing about this man, except he set her body on fire with a sizzling look and, on some level, she trusted him. She’d be a fool to sleep with him otherwise.

She knew Mac could provide passion. His touch set off heated sparks and his voice shook her soul. If she wanted fun, excitement and hot nights in bed, she’d fallen into the right bar. Think about it…and let me know. Yearning mixed with trepidation. All she had to do was push her fears aside long enough to make the first move. The thought of Tom and a lifetime of single beds or separate rooms if she could manage it, clinched her decision.

“Hey, honey. Can I buy you a drink?”

She recognized one of the old men who’d cornered her when she first came in. “Sure.”

“Hey, Mac,” the old guy yelled across the crowded bar. “Two shots of tequila…and don’t forget the lemon.”

Mac turned their way long enough to raise an eyebrow at the request before finishing off other orders and making his way toward them. A nervous knot settled in the pit of her stomach. Her throat went dry, and Sam knew what she wanted. That was the easy part.

Letting him know would be harder.

He paused directly in front of her, bracing his hands on the old wood. Even the dark hair on his arms intrigued her, making her wonder what the texture would feel like if she ran her hands along his bare chest. “Tequila?”

She shrugged nonchalantly, though she felt anything but. “That’s what the man said.”

“That’s Zee to you, honey. And none of that watered-down crap Bear usually gives us,” he told Mac.

Mac glanced at her. “You sure about that?”

“Why not?”

“Ever drink tequila before?”

She shook her head.

“That’s why.” But he began working on their order, turning over two shot glasses and filling them with amber-colored liquid.

“Who’s Bear?” Sam asked.

“The guy who owns this joint,” Zee said.

“Your employer?”

“He owns the place and I’m working it. You tell me.” Mac set the glasses down in front of them, along with a saltshaker and a bowl of lemons. He slid the rest of the bottle over to Zee. “Go easy,” he said, and turned to the people next to her.

The bar crowd had more than quadrupled since she’d arrived, and Mac worked the room alone without a moment’s break. “He looks overworked.”

Zee nodded. “And underpaid.”

“I heard that.” Mac shot the old man a quelling look.

She tipped her head to the side. “Hard work’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“He gave his cocktail waitress the night off,” Zee explained.

“I thought I just saw her here,” Sam said.

“You did. But Mac here thought she’d be better off baby-sitting her sick mama than catering to us old men. Even paid her the night’s wages…though she won’t make any tips.”

And that explained the transaction she’d witnessed earlier along with the woman’s hug of gratitude. Sam felt like a jerk.

She blinked and looked at Mac, who’d gone back to serving other customers.

“That was nice of him,” she murmured. She’d not only stumbled onto a sexy man, but he played Sir Galahad, to boot. Warmth spread through her as she acknowledged that this man had character as well as good looks.

“Boy’s got a heart of gold. Always has. ’Course, it doesn’t make up for his sour disposition.”

Mac paused in front of them. “You bring out the best in me, old man,” he chuckled wryly. The light in his eyes and the laugh lines bracketing his mouth sent tremors of awareness shooting toward strategic body parts, making her sizzle and burn. She’d never felt anything like it before. Samantha rubbed her hands up and down her bare arms.

Zee ignored him and glanced at the still-full glasses. “You gonna sit there all night or you gonna give me a run for my money? Watch and learn, honey.”

Sam had seen this maneuver in college, but she’d never witnessed an eighty-year-old man make the attempt. Zee performed admirably. “You sure he’s up to this?” she asked Mac as Zee wiped his mouth on his sleeve.

“Apparently more than you.”

She took that as a challenge. Copying the old man, she licked her hand, poured the salt onto her skin, licked, downed the contents of the shot glass and reached for the lemon.

“Not bad for a first-timer,” Zee congratulated, refilling the glasses.

Sam’s gaze met Mac’s the moment the sour fruit reached her lips…because she’d just gulped a mouthful of straight water mixed with a healthy dose of food coloring. And he knew it. He winked, telling her to play along.

In that instant, Sam got another glimpse into her knight in shining armor’s character. He humored old men and looked out for damsels in distress. Considering her current predicament, Sam realized she fit that label, too.

Mac, whatever-his-last-name-was, was a sexy, hard-working, sexy, decent, sexy guy. The perfect man for her purposes. Sam liked what she saw and liked what she’d learned. She couldn’t have found a better man than Mac.

But first he had a bar to run, and from the look of things, he needed help.

OUT OF BEER. The ladies in The Hungry Bear never ceased to amaze him. The Resort stocked premium vodka, while Bear loaded up on dark beer. Same state, different breed of women, Mac thought as he headed for the back room to refill his supply.