In the Firelight
Authors: Sibylla Matilde
To my own crazy kiwi, my Pimp Shell, who read
Little Conversations and seemed to think I was worth
pimping. And to my baby SmutSister, my bedazzling
partner-in-crime and roomie this July.
Can’t wait to see you bitches in Edinburgh!
She found him on a snowy night.
He sparked her desires and inflamed her dreams.
Independent and feisty, Shea Madison has a tussle on her hands. Living in and loving her quiet little corner of Montana, she’s fiercely determined to fight a real estate developer trying to turn her quaint little mountain town into a touristy ski resort. So, when an outsider shows up to study the effects on the area, she instantly attempts to sway his impression… even if it means a little harmless flirting with the enticing visitor.
Rhys Weland’s charade has one purpose—to bring the locals around to the idea of the resort, primarily the ringleader, Ms. Shea Madison. Embroiled in his deception, he’s stunned by the feelings she draws from deep inside him. Her integrity and sincerity quickly have him second-guessing his twisted morals. Her spirit arouses his soul. Her sensuality steals his breath.
In the dark of the night, in the warmth of the fire, the passion smoldering between them combusts. But just when it all seems to make sense, one small stubborn mistake shreds the fragile bond between them.
Will an impetuous act reignite their flame, or will their love vanish like sparks in the air?
© 2013, Sibylla Matilde
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the Sibylla Matilde.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. With the exception of the original material written by the author, all songs, song titles, and lyrics contained in this book are the property of the respective songwriters and copyright holders.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Her hands closed over his cock, gripping tightly as he pressed her up against the copy machine.
Rhys had just been followed into the copy room by Becky, the newest little doe-eyed intern. The girl had only been here for a week, but she’d been casting super-fuck-me-raw eyes at him since her first day in the office. She was actually rather embarrassingly obvious, bordering on skanky. That said, every other jackass in the office had been sniffing after her, so he figured he’d take one for the team and try her out. It had been a while since his last ‘job’ and, after being lured by her not-so-subtle invitations, he’d kinda been aching to nail her sweet little ass… any sweet little ass, actually.
Her soft voice mewled in his ear as he slowly grazed his fingers along her slender, bare thigh to raise her incredibly short skirt. He caught a glimpse of her itty bitty silky red panties before he tugged her leg up to his side and pressed his hardness against her.
Becky’s arms reached around his neck to flatten herself tighter against him and, for a moment, her perfume was overpoweringly strong. He lifted his head to get a breath of clean air, and she took the opportunity to press wet kisses down his throat as she rubbed up against him.
His hand was just about to dip into the wetness between her thighs when McHugh stuck his head in the door, not even blinking at the compromising situation before him, and told Rhys to meet him in his office…
immediately
.
Fuck… what shitty timing.
Rhys tossed a seductive smile down at the slutty little intern, and tapped her on her pert little butt. “Later, Becky…”
“Promise?” she asked, running her fingers down her hips to smooth her very short skirt.
He chuckled. “You’re sweet, but I’m not one to make promises.”
“Rhys…” she pouted.
“We’ll have to see…” he said with a lascivious grin as he strolled out of the room.
“What’s up, boss?” he asked as he sauntered into McHugh’s office and plopped down in the chair, smoothing his dark hair back from his forehead.
Rhys had been working for McHugh Corporation, a multi-million dollar development firm based in Portland, Oregon, for the past eight years. He’d been hired on as a promising architect right out of college, although his role quickly morphed into what could only be called corporate debauchery. While Rhys was phenomenal at designing and planning buildings, McHugh had found that his killer smile and sexy charisma had even more strategic uses, smoothing the way for the developer’s plans, charming and screwing his way through resistance to McHugh’s projects. Rhys’ father would be horrified if he knew what kind of man he had become, one of the many reasons he tended to avoid any conversations with the old man.
McHugh looked over his bifocal glasses, twisting his mouth into a wry grin.
“Well, first of all… I’d appreciate it if you’d quit trying to hump the new intern. She’s actually a rather talented protégé, but you’ll have her crying sexual harassment as soon as you get bored. Keep your smooth moves out of the office and save them for the
clients
.”
Rhys shifted uncomfortably in his seat, still feeling the ache of blueballs tight against his pants.
Apparently McHugh didn’t realize that he was the game in this little hunting expedition. But he’d think about trying to get Becky to back off… maybe.
“And second, put away your suits for a while and dig out your winter gear. I’m sending you to Montana… to a little town called Snowcreek. It’s along the west side of Flathead Lake. Perfect, and I mean
perfect
, place for my new resort. I can make it bigger and better than Tahoe. And the time,” McHugh banged on the desk for emphasis, “is now. Their economy is hurting because logging went to hell with the housing market crash and the pine beetle infestation.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard all about it from my dad.” Rhys grimaced as he sat up straight and smoothed his tie. “He’s like a damn broken record.”
“Well, we’ll come in, clear out some of the dead trees, and build a five-star resort. I’ll never get a better chance to sway public opinion, to get the land so cheap. To give jobs to some of those poor folks. And make a shitload of money doing it.” McHugh grinned widely, lighting a cigar and drawing on it deeply, piping the smoke out into classic little rings. “The only problem is, some of the locals aren’t too keen on the idea. That’s where you come in. You’re from Montana. You know what the place is like. This should be a piece of cake.”
“Montana is a big state, McHugh,” Rhys laughed. “I’ve never even been to this neck of the woods.”
“Big state with a small population. You’ve got connections there. You know the people.”
“Uhh… sir, not everyone in Montana knows each other.”
“Maybe not, but you know how they think. You grew up there. Throw on a flannel shirt and some jeans, and you can fit right in. You know how to communicate with them. You, my boy, can charm the pants right off them. You really are quite gifted that way.”
“Great, you want me to go charm the pants off a bunch of lumberjack women. Women named Olga who have hairy upper lips and big buck teeth and unibrows. That’s awesome,” Rhys scoffed, causing McHugh to laugh heartily.
“Well, if anyone can make a lumberjack feel like a lady, it would be you. I’ll need you to really work it when you get there. Most of the folks are kind of ambivalent. They aren’t getting too excited about it one way or the other. There’s not really anyone there who’s dying for it to happen. Some shit about retaining their history and keeping their quaint little town the way it is. And then there’s this one in particular, some little bitch that grew up there, lives back in the mountains. She’s made it her mission in life to keep my resort out. So, I recommend you put your smooth moves to work. You know, flash that panty-dropping smile, wink those baby blues, murmur in her ear, that sort of thing.”
“Fuck… you make me sound like such a whore,” Rhys smiled.
“If the shoe fits, pretty boy…” McHugh chuckled. “And I think you’ve tried it on plenty of times to know it does. You’ve done a lot of good work for me. Just think, it could be worse. Not all jobs have the perks this one does. You’re certainly never lonely.”
Rhys chuckled. “Yeah, true. I like it better, though, when you’re planning these places in warm climates where I can check out the body before I really have to hit it. Cold weather means big muscly chicks who wrestle bears and moose and shit. There’s a reason I left all that behind, McHugh.”
“Rhys, you left Montana when you were just out of high school. You were looking at this all through the eyes of a boy. You may just find the job not too bad after all. I’ve seen a few pictures of this little squeaky wheel. She’s actually not
that
bad. No model, by all means. But I’ve seen worse. For that matter, you’ve
done
worse.”
