In Too Close

“It’s up to you, but at this phase, probably just you and I would be fine to discuss this idea. I’m talking to the GMs at all the area resorts.”

“Okay. So is it something exciting? Give me some details so I can start—”

“So eager. Are you always this impatient?” he asked, a teasing lilt to his voice.

“I just don’t like surprises,” she said. “Forewarned is forearmed and all that.”

“We’re not going to battle,” he reminded her.

Yet it felt like that at times. Letting her guard down with Bradley would be a mistake. She already liked him way too much.

“I just like having all the facts.”

“Fair enough. He wants to do a charity-type winter-sports event in Park City next November. I’m going to donate gear to give to underprivileged kids and I was hoping you could donate the facilities.”

She thought about the logistics of what he was asking. “I’m going to have to run some numbers. Let’s meet in my office at seven and then we can head down to dinner at the Gastrophile West after.”

“Okay, I’ll see you then,” Bradley said. “But you should know I’m putting the timer on and when it’s time for dinner, I’m ending our meeting.”

“Fine. I’m not all about business, you know,” she reminded him. His words echoed those that she’d heard from her family and friends over the years. In fact, whenever she went home for the weekend, her mom confiscated her cell phone the moment she arrived. “If you’re going to have an attitude we can skip the dinner.”

“We’re not skipping anything. I wasn’t giving you a hard time, Lizzie. I just want to make sure that we have enough time to celebrate. What you’ve accomplished is huge and you deserve at least one dinner where the focus is on you.”

She smiled to herself, but felt a shiver of unease go down her spine. “I don’t need the spotlight on me.”

“Maybe I want it there,” he said, his voice dropping to that husky, seductive octave that he’d used in the middle of the night.

“We don’t always get we want, Bradley. You should know that by now,” she said.

“That might be true for some people, but I’m very determined where you are concerned.”

“And what have you determined?” she asked, a bit breathlessly.

He didn’t answer right away and she wasn’t sure if he was doing that to bide his time or to make her jittery, but the effect was the latter.

This dinner was starting to sound like one of the most dangerous things she’d ever agreed to. A night with Bradley could shake her to her moorings, and she’d always known that, but she’d felt sort of safe because she wanted something from him.

“Bradley?”

“I’m determined to have you, Elizabeth Anders, and I’m not going to let your job, or any other excuse you can find, stand between us. Don’t deny you’re having second thoughts. I could tell by the way you ended the call last night.”

“You’re not as clever as you think. I’m not backing away. Just anxious to get to the plus part of this friendship.”

He laughed, the sound booming through the phone and making her shiver with sensual awareness. “I love it when you surprise me, Lizzie girl.”

She wasn’t sure what to say to that. But she knew she’d done something to throw him off his guard. He only called her Lizzie when he was trying to feel her out and figure out what move to make next.

“If I did it all the time it wouldn’t be special,” she said.

“Right again,” he replied under his breath.

She caught hers and waited to see if he’d say anything else, but instead there was only silence. Thompson was shaking the hand of the front-desk manager but Elizabeth still wanted to speak with him and make sure he was taken care of. Doing her job gave her an excuse to escape from Bradley...and all those tumultuous feelings he roused in her. “Look, I’m needed in the lobby, so I’ll talk to you later.”

* * *

THE LARS USTEN LODGE was steeped in American Western tradition and money—two things that hadn’t been in play during Bradley’s childhood. His dad had been a bull rider who had spent one night with Bradley’s mother before moving on. Bradley had never known his old man. He’d given up on that dream when he’d turned ten.

There were still times when the longing to know his father still niggled in the back of his mind, but most days he was content with where he was in the world. He’d carved a successful life for himself and felt a sense of confidence that he wasn’t out of his league here. He could afford to stay and play at the exclusive resort if he chose to.

He handed the keys to his classic ’69 Chevy Camaro to the valet. He put his shoulders back and walked into the resort with the confidence of a man who’d made his own way in the world. It wasn’t lost on him that ten years ago he’d have had to pretend to fit in here, but today he really did.

The staff was friendly and efficient. The lobby spotless and welcoming. He didn’t know how much influence Elizabeth had over the look and feel of the resort, but in his mind he saw her little touches everywhere—the art-deco-inspired paintings on the walls, the attention to detail that she brought to everything she did. She’d been working as the assistant general manager before her promotion. And he knew Lars had given her a lot of extra responsibilities.

He shook his head, knowing what he really needed was a kick in the ass. If he had any chance of convincing Elizabeth to be more than his lover, he had to play it cool.

He knew that. But he’d wanted her for so long. Admired her for her hard work, but at the same time also resented the way she was able to compartmentalize everyone and everything in her life. And he was done abiding by her rules. He was changing the play now and determined to win, no matter what the cost.

“Welcome to the Lars Usten Lodge. May I help you?” the concierge—Theo, according to his nametag—asked when Bradley stepped up to the hospitality desk.

“I’m here to see Ms. Anders.”

“Do you have an appointment, sir?”

“I do. Bradley Hunt.”

“Please have a seat and I’ll let her know you’re here,” Theo said, gesturing to the overstuffed guest chairs.

Bradley walked over to the lobby area but didn’t sit down. He was too restless and that worried him. When he felt like this he acted impulsively, and he needed to be calculated and cool.

At times likes this he wished he’d known his father. Was this reckless feeling coursing through him right now something that he’d gotten from those genes? His mom certainly hadn’t done many impulsive things after that one-night stand that had netted her a child.

“Bradley.”

He turned as Elizabeth walked over to him. She smiled as she saw him, but it was her public smile—the one he knew she used on guests and acquaintances—and that irked him because he wanted her to be happy to see him. Not fake happy.

But then he forgot his irritation as he watched her move. She wore ridiculously high heels, which canted her hips forward and made them sway with each step she took. For a woman so determined to be businesslike, there was something very feminine about the way she dressed and the way she carried herself.

He’d never been able to ignore it and over the years—wait, he didn’t have to ignore it now. He closed the gap between the two of them and leaned in for a kiss.

Her eyes widened as she realized what he was doing and she gave him a hard stare before tipping her head back and kissing him full on the mouth. It wasn’t meant to be a true embrace but more one-upmanship on her part...yet, for some reason, he didn’t care.

Her lips were soft and warm under his. The scent of mint washed over him as he pressed his mouth against hers and encircled her waist with his hands, drawing her close for just a moment before stepping back.

“It’s good to see you,” he murmured.

“I’m guessing you’ve picked up some European habits while travelling.”

“Uh, I don’t know how to break this to you, Lizzie, but no one greets each other like that unless they are very good friends.”

She watched him with that rock-steady gaze of hers, and for just a second he saw some wild emotion flash in her eyes. He wondered what she hid. She was always so buttoned up, so careful and cautious in everything she did. And he’d normally put it down to the fact that she was focused on work, but now he sensed it might be something else.

“We’ve always been friends, Bradley.”

“And I see no reason why anything that happens between us now will change that. Our lives are too entwined.”

“That they are. If you’re ready to discuss business, then let’s head up to my office.”

“I’m definitely ready to be alone with you,” he said, letting his voice drop to a gravelly tone.

Lizzie didn’t respond. Instead, she led the way past Theo, who pretended not to notice them, to the private elevator behind the counter.

“I’m not sure what that was about,” she said the moment the doors closed.

“It was about me making sure that you know I’m not just some guy you have a meeting with. We’re beyond that, and from our conversation two nights ago, I thought you’d agreed with me.”

She nibbled on her lower lip and shook her head. “Of course I do. But I need you to understand I can’t be gossiped about here. I’m their boss and the employees need to always remember that.”

“In that case, I apologize,” he said, reaching around her to hit the stop button. “Is there a security camera watching us?”

“No. Only the executives have a key to use this elevator.” Her eyes darted toward him nervously. “Why? What are you doing?”

“Taking the kiss I really wanted.”

* * *

ELIZABETH BRACED HERSELF for the touch of Bradley’s mouth against hers. The last time he’d kissed her...it had been earthshaking, and even though she was prepared, there was that initial shock that sent waves of feeling down her body.

She shut her eyes but that only intensified the sensation of his mouth on hers. He put his hands on her waist, drawing her closer to him, and for once she just forgot about everything but the here and now.

She tilted her head to the side to get a better angle, thrust her tongue deep into his mouth and savored the taste of him. This was her reward, she thought. Justifying to herself...taking what she’d longed for.

His hands caressed her back and then slid lower. He cupped her buttocks and drew her into his body. His hips rocked against hers and he groaned deep in his throat.

She smiled inside, where she’d been alone and cold for the longest time, and then tangled her hands in his thick brown hair and drew him even closer to her. She felt the rough exhalation of his breath against the side of her cheek as she pulled her mouth from his.

She opened her eyes and looked up into the dark green gaze of the one man she’d never been able to really categorize as “just a friend.” From the first moment they’d met, she had wanted more, which made him extremely dangerous.

And danger at age thirty looked much different than at eighteen, so although she knew in her heart that he still wasn’t the safe option, she wasn’t walking away this time. She couldn’t spend the rest of her life living in a sort of shadow state, never really taking what she wanted.

“I guess I’m not the only one who wanted that kiss,” he said, keeping his grip on her waist.

She reached up and touched his lower lip, rubbing her finger back and forth against it while she tried to think of a comeback. It was hard to speak when everything in her body was focused on how good Bradley felt and how she never wanted to leave his arms.

He pressed his hips against her and arched one eyebrow.

“You always did need your ego stroked,” she said at last.

“Honey, that’s not my ego.”

“I know exactly what it is,” she murmured, reaching between their bodies to rub his cock through his pants. He groaned and his hands tightened on her a split second before his mouth came down again.

This time there was no illusion of who was doing the claiming. Bradley was staking his, and she enjoyed every second of it. He lifted her off her feet and held her securely to him as his lips devoured hers.

Elizabeth relinquished everything, stopped thinking, stopped worrying and stopped wishing this was something that she could control. And she acknowledged, for perhaps the first time in a really long time, that she wasn’t in control of anything.

Gripping Bradley’s shoulders, she held on to him as sensations swept over her, and felt herself let go. Really letting go had been a long time coming, and suddenly she couldn’t stop.

She lifted her leg and wrapped it around his hips, rubbing the center of her body over the ridge of his cock, and he shuddered in her arms. Then he pulled his mouth from hers, whispering dark words of sexual need against her skin as he nibbled at her neck, and his hands slid lower to cup her buttocks and draw her into fuller contact with him.

With her nails into his shoulders she sought his mouth again as he rocked his hips against hers. The world started spinning around her. Feeling the cold surface of the elevator car against her back and Bradley pressed along her front, she trailed her hands down his back until she felt the barrier of his belt then reached lower and grabbed his butt. Trembling with desire, she squeezed his rock-hard cheeks and drew herself against him.

He sucked her lower lip between his teeth and nibbled at her mouth for a second.

“Are you okay in the elevator?” The voice startled them both.

Bradley pulled back but didn’t let her go.

“Hell,” he muttered, putting his forehead against hers and holding her for another minute.

“Hello?” the voice said again.

“How do I respond?” Bradley whispered

Elizabeth felt waves of regret wash over her. She knew better than to start this kind of thing at work. “Let me.”

She walked to the intercom and pressed the button. “We’re fine. Sorry, we were arguing a point.”

She hit the button for the elevator to resume movement and turned to look at Bradley, who gave her a rueful smile. “Arguing a point? Who won?”

“Me,” she said.

“How do you figure, Lizzie?”

“I wasn’t sure if our last kiss was just a fluke,” she replied. “But now I know it wasn’t.” Inside, she did feel as if it was a victory of sorts, because now she knew what she wanted from Bradley.

“Well, I could have told you that from the start,” he chided. “I knew from the first moment our lips met that it was more than a coincidence.”

“Don’t go bragging,” she said.

The elevator doors opened and she started to walk away, but his voice followed her down the hall to her office.

“Why not? I like the way you stroke my...ego.”

She shook her head as she entered her office and walked behind her desk. She wanted to pretend she was still in charge, both here in the office and in life, but she had a feeling that one trip in the elevator had changed things.

A part of her didn’t regret it, but another part of her was afraid of the way that Bradley made it so easy for her to forget herself and her own rules. Something she knew was incredibly dangerous.

4

BRADLEY TOOK HIS TIME settling into the swanky guest chair that didn’t look as if it could support the weight of anyone who wasn’t a supermodel but was surprisingly sturdy. He loosely crossed one leg over the other, resting his foot on his knee, trying to get comfortable with an erection.

He did envy Elizabeth her ability to switch off so easily. It was only when he noticed the slight flush to her skin that he recognized she wasn’t as immune to him as she liked to pretend. Something he intended to use to his advantage.

“Business first?” he asked.

“Of course, that is why we’re meeting,” she said. She pushed a button and the top of her desk opened to reveal a compartment. She took a pen and hotel notepad from it and drew them toward her.

Everything about this room and about the woman herself was feminine, from the way she held herself to the things she surrounded herself with. It was that dichotomy that had caught his attention. She looked girly and soft, but she had a core of solid steel and she was anything but meek.

“So, Carter Shaw wants to do a charity event,” she said without preamble. “He’s got a huge fan base. Unfortunately, I think having him involved will hurt the chances of making it a success. He’s an agitator and very controversial. I think we’d need to have someone who could keep him in line.”

“I agree. But he is sincere about this. He wants to get at least the date and the venue picked before the Thunderbolt Energy Games come here in January so he can promote it.”

“It is a good idea, but what’s in it for him?” she asked. “I’m trying to figure out his angle.”

“Believe it or not, I think his heart is in the right place this time,” he said. “Carter mentioned he got lucky but most sports were expensive, and snowboarding and skiing even more so when you factored in gear and lift tickets. I think his ultimate aim is to get skis and snowboards into these kids’ hands.”

She jotted down a few notes and then looked up at him with that clear blue-green gaze of hers. “Why not just give it to them?”

“I think he wants them to work for it. And I agree. I’m not a fan of just giving away gear. But if the kids compete and actually work to earn it, then I’d give them the keys to my shop.”

She nodded and nibbled on her lower lip as she made a few notes on her notepad. “Okay. I agree. What do you need from the lodge?”

“I think a venue for the event, but maybe some gratis time on the slopes for those who already know how to ski or snowboard leading up to the event and some lessons for those who want to try it out before the competition.”

“We’re talking about staff hours. How many lessons?” she asked. He noticed that she didn’t commit to anything at all, just kept fishing for information. He already respected her for the job she did, but now, seeing the inner workings of how she managed he was very impressed.

She had changed a lot from the girl she’d been in college, but it occurred to him there was still a lot about Elizabeth he didn’t know. He looked forward to peeling away more of her layers and getting up close and personal with the beautiful, confident woman she’d grown into.

“At this point I don’t know how many lessons we’re looking at. That’s the kind of thing we have to hammer out. I was thinking we need a steering committee made up of different players.” He paused. “I’m still waiting on my staff to find out who is interested in helping out and will volunteer their time. Tim is an okay skier so he can handle lessons, but he’s more recreational than top-ranked amateur.”

“I’ll run this by my board. I want to take some time to go over our charity work for the coming year. I might try to combine this with something else so we can get more exposure. Maybe we can work with the local recreation center to get the kids lessons before the event.”

“I like that idea. Should we meet again in a week or so?”

“Yes,” she said, pulling out her smartphone. “I have some time on Thursday....”

He checked his calendar and noticed that he was supposed to call Penny—one of their college friends and Elizabeth’s best friend. She was a party planner by profession and had volunteered to coordinate the party. But Bradley still needed to get the details of their celebration party for Elizabeth sorted out. He still had to get a list of local friends to her. “I can do it in the afternoon.”

“I’ve only got thirty minutes but that should be enough time.” She smiled. “Thanks for bringing this to the lodge. I’d like to take the lead on this for a Park City venue before you take it to another area ski lodge.”

He locked eyes with her and gave her a smoldering look. “Lizzie, I always think of you first.”

“That’s flattering,” she said, looking adorably flustered. “But if you screw up and call me Lizzie in front of anyone, I’m going to get very angry with you.”

“Really? What does really angry Lizzie look like?”

“You don’t want to know.”

He laughed. “Dinner?”

“Yes, let’s head down to the restaurant. We just hired a top-notch new head chef. Anthony Cruzel.” Her lovely face lit up with pride. “We’re the only restaurant in Park City doing traditional French cuisine with that Creole spin. I think you’re going to be impressed.”

“I’m not much of a foodie,” he confessed. “I’m more interested in you.”

She shifted in her chair and suddenly became focused on her notepad. Was it the fact that he’d stopped talking business and started getting intimate that rattled her?

“Me, too,” she said at last.

He was surprised she’d admitted it. She usually—wait, scratch that—there wasn’t anything usual about them now. They were charting a new path and he had to stop thinking of this as a game. There could be no winners in a competition between lovers. Hadn’t he already found that out in the years he’d spent waiting for Elizabeth to make time for him in her life?

“I never thought you’d say that out loud.”

“It’d be stupid to deny it after the way I kissed you in the elevator.”

“Yes, about that kiss...”

“Friends plus, right?” she said, flashing a very wide smile that he suspected she wanted him to believe was genuine but appeared a little forced and nervous. “We can talk about that after dinner,” she said.

“Why?”

Lizzie gave him a saucy look. “Because you don’t always get to be in charge.”

“And you do?”

“Yes,” she said, standing up and leading the way out of her office. “The sooner you realize that, the better.”

* * *

USTEN’S GASTROPHILE WEST, the five-star restaurant located in the Lars Usten Lodge, re-created the atmosphere of old New Orleans. A large mural that depicted Bourbon Street and the Gastrophile restaurant there covered one wall. There were big trees, with lanterns and lights hanging from the branches, and an indoor water feature made to resemble a river ran around the perimeter of the dining area.

The hostess greeted Elizabeth and led them to a waiting pirogue—a traditional Cajun fishing boat. They were seated in the boat and a uniformed staff member using a pole piloted it to the back of the restaurant and the dock there.

“Welcome to Gastrophile West, ya’ll. My name is Etienne and I’ll be your server tonight.” The waiter had deeply tanned skin, dark curly hair and an accent that was as thick as the humidity in the South. He smiled at Elizabeth as he led the way to their table, which was nestled at the foot of a big old oak tree.

As they were seated, it was easy to forget they were in Utah. Frankly, Bradley was impressed by the new restaurant, which wasn’t surprising. Much like Elizabeth.

Etienne took their drink orders, went over the specials of the evening and left them to look over the menu.

“Nice place,” Bradley murmured.

“I’m glad you like it. We just reopened last month and so far the response has been great.”

“Was this your idea?”

“No, but I hired the people who came up with it,” she said. “I think the success of the renovation of this restaurant and my hiring of Lindsey Collins as our resident ski pro influenced the board’s decision to promote me.”

“I’m sure that was just the icing on the cake. They know what a gem they have in you,” Bradley said.

“A gem?” She arched both eyebrows at him, making him aware of how blue her eyes were tonight. “Are you mocking me?”

“I wouldn’t dare. You’re too intense in this environment. And you are a very hard worker,” he said. “As evidenced by how often you check your phone. Do you think you could put it away for a little while?”

She hesitated, her hand hovering over her cell before she put it in her pocket. “I don’t like being out of touch. I’m in charge, and if anything goes wrong—”

“They know you’re in here dining, Elizabeth. And I’m sure you will agree that even you are allowed to have a meal uninterrupted,” he reminded her.