Dodging Temptation (The Retreat) (11 page)

He shook his head. “That
’
s not normal hotel protocol, no.”

Her mind went blank for a second and then the obvious answer filled the void. “So your mom—”

“Let
’
s leave her and the universe out of it.” He strode over and swiped the condom from her grasp as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her tight against him. “We have more important things to do.”

Anticipation sizzled in the fraction of an inch of air between them. Everything was set; all they needed was that final spark to set it ablaze.

Her stomach fluttered. Tonight was probably a mistake, but damn, what a glorious mistake to make. After a lifetime of doing everything by the book she needed this break, this fantasy. With less than two weeks to go until she had to leave Wyoming, why not burn up the sheets with Dodge?

She tilted her chin so she could see his green eyes that sparkled so bright against the setting of his dark skin—the combination as breathtaking as he was. “Then what
’
s stopping you?”

His answer was a kiss, the kind of toe-curling, mind-erasing, set-your-body-on-fire kiss that made the rest of the world disappear, because it no longer mattered. At least for tonight Dodge was hers, and she meant to make the most of it.

Wrapping her arms around him, she returned the kiss meeting his tongue thrust for thrust. His hands were everywhere, stroking, kneading, pushing her further down the path to ecstasy. It was almost more than her body could take. Desire soaked her inner thighs, and her nipples ached with the need to be touched, pinched, tasted. His fingers slid down her stomach and farther south until he buried them inside her wet folds and began to stroke her. It was good, amazingly good, but her core clenched with the need for more.

“Dodge,” she whimpered.

He didn
’
t speak; he didn
’
t need to. In the next heartbeat, he
’
d wrapped his strong arms around her and lowered her so she was on her back in the middle of that white fur rug, its softness the perfect balance to Dodge
’
s hardness. She splayed her legs wide, needing him inside her.

He tore the condom wrapper open with his teeth, rolled it on, and positioned himself at her damp entrance. “Look at me.”

She did. She couldn
’
t have said no to anything right now; the lust flooding her body had drowned out any little voice of doubt. Need and hunger shone from his face, and not just for anyone, but for her. The realization shook something loose within her. In all her life no one had ever looked at her quite like that.

“
So beautiful.
” He entered her in one slow but sure stroke. “
So damn beautiful.
”

He paused, letting her adjust to his size, before withdrawing and starting the process again. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, tipping her hips to deepen the angle so the head of his cock rubbed in just the right spot with each thrust. In and out, forward and back, the opposite forces working together to take them both to the edge and push them right over.

It started in her calves—the tingling that built with each breath, each thrust, each undulation against him. She was close, so damn close. She just needed…“Faster.”

“Whatever you want, honey.” He tightened his grasp on her hips, lifting her higher and increasing his pace while at the same time moving his thumb so he caressed her swollen clit.

The touch was all it took, and pleasure crashed against her as her orgasm hit with the force of a tidal wave. Her entire body bowed as she cried out in mindless ecstasy, blocking everything except her connection to Dodge and the sound of his strangled cry, and he thrust one final time deep within her.

He collapsed next to her, one arm slung across her middle. It took a minute for the last waves of pleasure to abate and her to become aware of her surroundings. With the lazy satisfaction of a cat who
’
d eaten all the cream, she let her gaze travel up Dodge
’
s sinewy body. The divot by his hip she planned on tasting later. The hard outline of his abs that she wanted to trace with her tongue. His thick biceps and the curve of his broad shoulders that she… The wicker basket on the hearth caught her eye.

“I
’
ve never been so glad to get a gift basket in my life.”
She sighed.

“I
’
ll say.” Dodge scooped her up in his arms and strode toward the honeymoon suite
’
s canopy bed.

She giggled. “Remind me to write a thank you note to your mom.”

He grumbled some response about crazy women and the universe and tossed her into the middle of the gigantic bed before sliding in beside her and dropping the comforter across them both. She rolled onto her side to face him, her breath finally returning to normal, and cuddled into the crook of his arm. Under the influence of his deep breathing, her eyes fluttered shut. Tomorrow she
’
d decide if this had been the best mistake or another in a long line of regular mistakes, but until then, she
’
d give in to the hope that this time everything would work out, and that her time in Wyoming would include a welcome diversion in the form of a brawny and brainy corporate cowboy who loved to get his way and get her off.

Chapter Nine

B
arely conscious and with last night
’
s lusty dream still real enough that her thighs were sore, Harper rolled over and snuggled deeper into the feather pillow. Five more minutes. Her alarm would go off soon anyway. She always set it fifteen minutes before she really needed to get up to account for he
r inevitable snooze-a-thon. Double-checking that the alarm was ready to go was always the last thing she did before—

She jackknifed up in bed, panic waking her more effectively than the loudest alarm. Sunlight streamed in through the wall of windows, a pair of spotted sandpipers perched on her balcony railing. The pillow next to hers was empty, but the still-warm sheets proved that her dream had very much been a reality. But where was Dodge?

Gone.

She pulled the comforter over her head, blocking out the sunlight but not the reality of her situation. Embarrassment burned her cheeks, and a quaky sensation jumbled her empty stomach. She
’
d had a one-night stand, and he
’
d disappeared without even a whispered good-bye.
New Harper needed to learn impulse control.
Adding it to her mental to-do list, along with the hours of cardio to burn off all the ice cream, she tossed off the comforter and got out of bed.

Nine days and she
’
d be back in her tiny little Washington, D.C. apartment, rebuilding her life one day at a time. Until then, she
’
d concentrate on work—and only work—cataloging and authenticating May
’
s cowboy diaries. At the pace she was going, she
’
d be able to finish before the deadline and get away from The Retreat and all of its temptations of the human and ice cream variety.

The door lock turned with a mechanical buzz. Harper gasped, grabbed the comforter, and wrapped it around her nakedness before picking up the alarm clock on the bedside table and raising it above her head so she could bean her intruder. The door opened, pushed by a room service cart covered with silver-dome-covered dishes that jiggled and clanked as it moved forward. Dodge grinned at her as he maneuvered the cart into the room with one hand and, with the other, pointed to the Bluetooth in his ear.

She dropped her arm, and the alarm clock
’
s corner jabbed into her thigh. Yelping with surprise more than pain, she flopped down onto the bed and tried to make sense of the situation. He
’
d come back. Pressing a fist to her stomach, she tried to squash the fluttering hope inside, but it was too late. A two-week fling without any possibility for a future might be the thing to help her transition to the new, improved her.

“Yes, I understand your position completely. We at The Retreat share Brasch
’
s commitment to our guests, high standards and, above-all, discretion.” The door swung closed behind Dodge. “The reporters have left the premises and caused barely a blip of concern for our guests.”

Leaving the cart in the middle of the room, Dodge walked over to her with a determined strut that knocked the sense right out of her head. Stopping at the edge of the bed, he hmmed and um-hmmed the person on the other end of the line as he tugged one corner of the comforter free. He traced a finger across the curve of her now-exposed shoulder, following the line down her arm. Anticipation skittered across her skin, and impulse control became the least of her worries. Releasing the comforter
’
s other corner, she sat up straighter and basked in the heat from his hot gaze on her bare breasts with their puckered nipples.

His nostrils flared. “I
’
m sorry, Jean-Luc, can you repeat that?”

She caught sight of the fast growing bulge pushing against his inseam and couldn
’
t look away. Licking her lips, a naughty idea began to shimmer in the back of her mind, one that the new Harper loved. Scooting to the mattress
’
s edge, she traced his cock
’
s outline with her fingernail and was rewarded when it twitched under that barest hint of a touch. Well, she wasn
’
t the only one in favor of her idea.

“Exactly,” Dodge said to his mystery caller, watching her every move.

Keeping her gaze on him, she slid her palm up his leg to his waistband. It took seconds to unsnap his top button and lower his zipper, but she inched his pants and boxers down to his midthigh with deliberate slowness. The vein in his temple pulsed, but he didn
’
t make any move to stop her as he continued to make noncommittal noises to the caller.

A lick, a taste, more than a little tease, and she
’
d leave him in peace to finish his call, but the man offered more temptation than she could say no to. At least that had been the plan, but as soon as she touched her lips to him she couldn
’
t deny herself, especially not when she heard his sharp intake of breath and felt him push himself against the seam of her lips. Opening her mouth, she took him in, flattening her tongue and undulating it against him as she drew him in deeper.

For as unhurried as she
’
d been last night, she cranked up the pace now—sucking, licking, and stroking him at a speed guaranteed to push him as far as he could go, take him out of his comfort zone. He
’
d tormented her last night to a state of near mindless bliss; time to return the favor. She cupped his balls, and they tightened in her hand. Understanding his body
’
s cue, she increased her speed.

“Jean-Luc.” His voice cracked on the other man
’
s name, and he raised an arm above his head, gripping the bed
’
s solid wood post tightly. “When we partner our brands on this new enterprise you can be assured of our commitment to being an exclusive and secure haven for high-profile guests who value their privacy above all else.” His jaw clenched and he squeezed his eyes shut as he came with a nearly silent groan. “No, I
’
m fine
…
Au revoir
, Jean-Luc.”

He slapped his hand against his ear, presumably ending the call before sighing and opening his green eyes. “You are some kind of trouble.”

Harper winked up at him and shot him a sassy grin. “Who knew?”

She couldn
’
t believe she
’
d done that. Before Dodge she was a lights off, missionary position kind of gal. Now? She
’
d given him a blow job while he was on the phone. That was wild, and she couldn
’
t wait to see what kind of trouble she could get into with him next.

T
wo
hours, one cold breakfast, and three orgasms later, Harper was thousands of feet in the air above the Grand Tetons on a helicopter tour with Dodge.

When she
’
d taken the job at The Retreat her mental image of Wyoming was a black void. It was a blank space that she
’
d flown over a million times in her family
’
s private jet on the w
ay from one coast to the other. The beauty spread out as far as she could see, took her breath away—tall mountains with snow-covered peaks even in the summer, crystal blue lakes, and a river that wound through it all. Gorgeous didn
’
t begin to cover it.

“Pretty, isn
’
t it?” Dodge asked over the low-frequency static buzzing on the headphones he
’
d given her before takeoff so they could chat during the noisy ride.

“What is it?” Heat flushed her cheeks.
That didn
’
t sound dumb at all.
“I mean, I know they
’
re mountains but…”

“It
’
s the Grand Tetons.” He chuckled. “The mountain range goes on for forty miles, but the park is eighteen million acres. “

“That
’
s huge.” She
’
d never seen anything like it. You could fit four hundred Washington, D.C.s in that space, which would make the whole finding a parking spot a ton easier.

“Grand Teton needs its space.” He pointed out the window at a huge mountain in the distance. “You want the story?”

She nodded and pressed her cheek to the window for a better look at the Wyoming scenery. The great outdoors had never been her thing, but seeing it from the sky on a personalized tour from the man who
’
d rocked her world last night and this morning…well, the new her wasn
’
t the type to turn down that experience.

“French trappers named the range the three teats, but we Anglicized the name—and niced it up—so it became The Grand Tetons,” Dodge said. “That
’
s the highest peak at more than seven thousand feet. See the river?” He pointed to the winding waterway. “That
’
s Snake River which feeds Jackson Lake and several other small lakes. Plus, there are dozens of small glaciers hidden in the mountains. The park has some of the oldest rocks in the U.S. Park System.”

“How old?”

“Only two point seven million years.” He nodded his chin toward the windshield. “That is an almost perfectly pristine ecosystem, and you can find plants and animals that have been around since prehistoric times. Also, the best trout in the whole wide world.”

Harper pivoted in her seat to get a better look at Dodge. In jeans and a T-shirt wearing aviator sunglasses and even with the dorky headphones, he looked as comfortable and sexy in the helicopter
’
s pilot seat as he did in a tailor-made suit while sitting behind his desk at The Retreat. She
’
d been shocked when he
’
d told her he was flying them on this surprise tour, but she shouldn
’
t have been. The man wasn
’
t ever
not
in charge, even when he was off work. The realization should have sent her running for the mountains in the distance instead of ditching work so she could spend more time with Dodge.

“I can
’
t believe you talked me into this.” The words came out before she could stop them.

He unleashed his panty-dampening grin. “I
’
m a great pilot.”

Shaking her head, Harper giggled. Who
’
d have ever thought Mr. Business-Always-Comes-First would turn out to be such a flirt? “I don
’
t even take sick days.”

“Me either, but maybe it
’
s time we both let loose a little.”

The growly edge to his voice, the same one he
’
d had when he
’
d had her naked in front of the window last night, made her breath catch. Warm desire made her breasts heavy, and she crossed her leg in an effort to ease the need tightening her core. “
I don’
t know if my body could take it if I was any looser.”

“Now that sounds like my kind of challenge.”

“Smartass.” They banked around a mountain, and a huge crystal blue lake lay spread out before them. “What is that?”

“
Jackson Lake. It
’
s fifteen miles long and one of the largest high altitude lakes in the country.”

“Are we going swimming?” Not that she
’
d brought a suit, but skinny-dipping sounded like another first to enjoy with Dodge. Just the idea of seeing his muscular frame dotted with water made her nipples peak.

“Not unless you want to freeze your ass off. The water never gets above sixty degrees.” He laughed and eased the helicopter down. “That
’
s where we
’
re going.” He pointed to a small island in the middle of the lake. “
Sandpiper Island.
”

“Is this where you take all your morning-after dates?”

“Only you.”

A giddy, fizzy feeling made her lungs lighter and took away her ability to make a saucy remark, so she covered the lapse as best she could by taking in the scene. Tall pine trees covered half the island, while a rock beach and flat grassy area dominated the other half. A large white tent was set up on the edge of the tree line, its sides billowing in the wind created by the helicopter. The whole glamour meets nature scene looked like something out of a fashion magazine.

“Looks like someone
’
s having an event.” The lucky soul.

Dodge nodded. “That someone is us.”

Her stomach took a nosedive that had nothing to do with the drop in altitude and everything to do with the man in the pilot
’
s seat. She blinked away her surprise, thankful for her sunglasses
’
dark lenses, and pressed her lips together to still the trembling. He
’
d planned the whole thing for her, not because he needed something from her, but because he wanted to. Even as a child her birthday parties had been carefully orchestrated events that doubled as networking opportunities to further her father
’
s career or raise funds for her mother
’
s favorite charities. Gritting her teeth, she inhaled a calming breath and eased back from the emotional ledge.

The helicopter landed with a soft thud on the grass. Dodge flipped some switches, killed the engine, and opened his door. “Don
’
t get out yet.” He hustled around the front, ducking down to avoid whacking his head on the blades, and opened her door. “Watch your head.” He pointed up at the blades.

Harper got out, her hair lifted by the breeze coming in off the lake. “
Thanks.
”

Hand-in-hand, they walked across the clearing to the tent. Large pillows covered the floor and surrounded a small table covered in fresh wild flowers and food that smelled like heavenly sin. A small silver cooler sat on the ground next to the table. Dodge flipped the lid open with the toe of his boot. A pint of chocolate cherry fudge ice cream, a bottle of whipped cream, and a jar of cherries were nestled inside.

Bracing herself with a palm against his broad shoulders, she raised herself up on her tiptoes, relishing the heat of his body against hers, the musky male scent of his skin, and the solid reassurance of his strong body. Being so near to him was like catnip—she just couldn
’
t get enough, and the contact high was too good for her to listen to the doubts Old Harper whispered in her ear. There
’
d be time for that later. For the next few days, she would play things by the heart.