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“After surgery, when she’s recovered, I’ll gently tell her that we’re not working out. We’ve broken up. I’ll tell her that we decided we’d make better friends than lovers.”
He looked down at me. The fire in his eyes was so intense I thought I might be swallowed up by it. “Hmmm. That might be a lie.”
My brain was busy short-circuiting, so I wasn’t quite sure what he meant. “What?”
“Never mind,” he said, his voice low and throaty. His lips were so close to mine that I could feel their heat.
Before I knew what was happening, Scotty’s lips pressed passionately against mine. He cradled my face in his palms as his tongue explored my depths, igniting an inferno of desire within me. His touch was electric, each brush of his lips unleashing a wave of pleasure so strong I trembled in his arms. The kiss was like no other, so intense and erotic that my pulse quickened until all the air escaped my lungs. I was drowning in it.
He pulled away after a few moments, his breathing ragged and his eyes glazed with desire. I looked up at him with wide-eyed amazement, feeling my cheeks flush with embarrassment and arousal.
“Scotty...” I managed to whisper, not sure what else to say. He just smiled as he stroked my face lightly with his thumb and fingers.
“That didn’t feel like friends,” he said softly.
I closed my eyes, still too nervous to speak and still stunned by the intensity of the kiss we had just shared.
“We both wanted that,” he said, his voice a husky whisper.
I shivered in his arms. I was still trying to process what had happened. “No. I can’t do this.”
“Why not?” he asked.
I could barely breathe, my lungs aching for air. My chest felt too tight to think, and his arms wrapped around my body only added to my confusion. I pushed away from him, and when I looked up into his face, it was like looking at a storm-filled sky; the intensity of his gaze was almost tangible. He let me go without a word.
“I’m going to take a shower,” he said quietly as he stood up and stepped away from me. I wanted to tell him not to go, that I wanted him to stay even though I knew it was a very bad idea; but instead, all I could do was watch as he slowly made his way toward the bathroom.
Just before he left, he turned around one last time and looked at me, a soft smile on his lips. “I’m a very patient man, Sunshine,” he said before slipping into the bathroom.
Chapter 13
Knox
Summerhadn’tdoneagreat job of packing for this trip. Granted, we didn’t know we’d be staying in a yurt, but she’d barely brought any cold weather clothing at all. Although we had about a ten-minute walk back to the yurt after dinner, she insisted on wearing a dressy outfit. She’d chosen a black skirt with a pretty blue blouse that looked amazing on her. The problem was that the thin material did nothing to block the cold, and her bare legs and high heels didn’t help either.
I knew what a disaster this would be. The day I met her at the coffee shop, it was mild, beautiful, and sunny, and yet she was dressed up like an Eskimo. I insisted she bring a change of clothes and shoes for after dinner and that she wear one of my hoodies over her outfit for the golf cart ride to the restaurant. I also grabbed a blanket off the bed and wrapped her in it.
Now we were inside the entrance of the elegant and upscale restaurant, and she was frantically trying to remove the hoodie before anyone saw her. I chuckled when she managed to wrestle it off, because her hair looked crazy, standing on end with static electricity. She jammed my hoodie into the canvas tote we’d brought to carry her change of clothes and tried unsuccessfully to stuff the blanket in, too.
She spoke to the hostess, who was watching with interest. “Would you be able to hold on to my change of clothes while I have dinner? We’re with the Meadows reservation.”
The hostess took the bag and blanket which Summer had folded up. “No problem. Let me just set this down somewhere safe and then I’ll lead you back to the rest of your party.”
“You look like you’ve been rubbing a balloon through your hair,” I teased Summer while we waited for the hostess to return.
Her hand shot up to her hair. “Oh my God, I told you I didn’t need that dumb hoodie. Now my hair is ruined.”
I began patting down some of the flyaways. “You won’t be calling my hoodie dumb when we’re walking back.”
She pulled away from my hand. “I’m going to the restroom to see how bad it is. I’ll be back in a second.”
The hostess and I waited for her to return. My anxiety spiked for a moment when I noticed the hostess scrutinizing me, since she was younger — in her early 20s — but she didn’t recognize me. So far, no one here had. I wasn’t surprised people at the spa didn’t recognize members of Ghost Parker, but I thought maybe a younger demographic here would. Then again, Idaho was like a whole different beast from L.A. There were no paparazzi here. People here didn’t anticipate running into celebrities 24/7. The lifestyle was more laid back, which was nice. Still, I didn’t want to let down my guard and wind up getting ambushed. I wasn’t even sure how I’d explain my real identity to Summer at this point. She was lying about our relationship to her parents and I was lying about my real identity. What was the saying? Birds of a feather...
After a few minutes, Summer returned, her hair looking perfect once again. I took her hand in mine as the hostess led us to our table. Summer’s parents were already seated. Jim stood up to hug Summer and to shake my hand, and I could feel Lara’s eyes on me from head to toe. It was important to Summer that this dinner went well, so I didn’t want to screw it up. Luckily, I had packed a dark suit and crisp white shirt for the occasion. It worked perfectly, and I could see Lara smile her approval just before Summer swooped in and gave her a hug in greeting.
I held out Summer’s chair across from her mom, and then I sat down beside her. I smiled reassuringly at her as she spread the napkin over her lap. This dinner in front of her parents was the perfect time to show her affection that she wouldn’t be able to scurry away from. I wanted her, and I knew she was attracted to me. That kiss we shared on the plane and the equally scorching kiss at the yurt were proof of that. I had no clue why she was fighting it so hard.
When the waiter came to take our drink order, I followed Jim’s lead and ordered a glass of whiskey. Lara was not drinking alcohol, and Summer ordered a glass of wine.
