Elle cracked open her eyes then blinked away the sleep. She stared out the windows as the white expanse of Bergen Mountain sparkled in the morning sun and rubbed at a kink in her neck. That’s what she got for spending the night on the couch. She shifted her body as something warm nuzzled into her, but it wasn’t Jasper.
“We had a sleepover,” came Bodhi’s groggy voice.
She sat up and patted the boy’s back. “We sure did.”
The house was quiet, and the clock on the wall read half past nine.
Bodhi hugged a cushion and yawned. “Where’s Jasper?”
Good question.
She glanced around the room. Where was Jasper?
“How about we head into the kitchen and see if anyone else is up.”
Bodhi’s eyes lit up. “Sticky buns!” the boy said and was off like a shot.
She followed several steps behind him and smiled to herself as thoughts of Jasper crept into her mind. His scent. His touch. His taste. And while last night didn’t garner the naughty strudel feast they’d planned, seeing him with Bodhi, experiencing this softer, gentler side, made that tiny kernel of hope she’d held in her heart spark to life.
Maybe fairy tales did come true. Maybe their man feast had turned this Bergen man-beast into a Prince Charming.
Maybe all men weren’t like Tate and her father.
She rounded the corner into the kitchen and came to an abrupt stop. Clean shaven and pouring a glass of milk, Jasper stood, dressed in a suit and tie. He handed Bodhi the glass, and the boy settled himself on a chair at the kitchen’s large center island. She smiled, but he didn’t even glance at her.
She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “You’re up early.”
“This is actually quite late for me,” he answered sharply.
She tried again. “You can bend the rules a little. We’re on vacation.”
He frowned, and her stomach dropped. She recognized that frown—that callous, judgmental, downward twitch of his lips.
“I don’t have time for vacations, Eleanor. There’s an issue at our Fell’s Peak resort in Vermont that I need to address.”
She bristled at his robotic tone.
The way he said vacations, you’d never guess the man owned and oversaw several vacation resorts for a living.
“Are you heading back to Denver?” she asked, waiting for his expression to soften, hoping the warmth would return to his eyes.
He opened a cabinet and took out a jar of peanut butter. “No, I’m flying to Vermont this morning.”
Her jaw dropped. “This morning?”
What the hell had happened to him?
Last night, she’d fallen asleep next to the man who’d bared his soul to her. He’d opened up and talked about his parents. He’d kissed her and touched her with such tenderness. They’d made love, and he’d played along with her silly role-playing game.
He’d shed his hard CEO shell, hadn’t he?
She would have sworn she’d peeled back the layers and had seen the real Jasper Bergen. But the man mechanically spreading peanut butter onto a piece of toast wasn’t the same man who’d held her close. It wasn’t the same man who’d wanted to spend last night eating pastries off her body.
What could have happened? It wasn’t even like she could have said something to set him off! She’d been asleep for Christ’s sake!
Elle clenched her jaw and willed herself to keep it together. Anger replaced shock as resentment twisted in her belly.
She’d almost allowed this man into her heart.
The mistake was hers.
“Good morning,” Abby said, padding into the kitchen.
Jasper nodded, and Elle gave her cousin a tight grin. God knows what would come out if she opened her mouth.
Her cousin took in the tense scene, then turned to the boy happily gulping down a glass of milk. “Hey, Bodhi! Your mom is looking for you.”
His shoulders slumped. “Do I have to take a bath?”
“She did have a fluffy towel, but I also saw a big bottle of bubble bath in her hands.”
Bodhi set down his glass, beaming like a new man. “Bubble bath!” He bounced off the stool and headed down the hallway.
Abby turned her chipper teacher charm on Jasper. “You look awfully nice. Are you headed back to the city?”
“No, to Vermont.”
Her face fell. “I’m sorry you have to go so soon.”
Jasper’s expression softened a fraction. “Yes, I apologize for leaving your engagement celebration early, but the matter at hand needs my attention.”
Abby nodded. “I’m sure it does.” She turned. “Elle, would you mind helping me with the clasp on my necklace? I left it in the powder room.”
Elle met her cousin’s gaze, and a round of eyeball talks ensued.
Abby’s gaze darted to Jasper, and then she lifted an eyebrow.
Elle rolled her eyes. Jesus! They weren’t children. “Where’s that necklace, Abs?”
“Just down the hall in the bathroom,” Abby answered, gifting Jasper with a smile before she turned and left the kitchen.
Elle glanced over at the entity that aliens had left in the place of the man she fell asleep next to last night.
Nothing. Not a smile. Not even a nod of his head. Zero acknowledgment.
She’d never seen anyone focus so intently on a piece of toast and a cup of plain yogurt. She huffed then left the kitchen to find her cousin, who was waiting in the doorway of the bathroom. Abby pulled her inside and shut the door behind them.
“What the f is going on, Elle?”
“What the f do you mean?” she threw back at her cousin.
Abby cocked her head to the side. “Do you want to start from the beginning and tell me the truth?”
“Abs, please don’t talk to me like I’m a six-year-old.”
“Sorry, I just thought you two were…”
“Man feasting our brains out?”
Concern clouded Abby’s expression. “Well, yeah. He couldn’t keep his eyes off you last night.”
“He couldn’t?” she asked as that damn spark of hope longed to ignite.
“No, he looked mesmerized. I mean, you were in full Elle Reynolds mode.”
Elle raised her hands. “Um, full stop there, Miss Quinn. What the f is full Elle Reynolds mode?”
“You know,” Abby said, morphing into a wide-eyed, deranged Disney princess. “In Tibet, I visited the grand Potala Palace and met the Dalai Lama. In London, I attended a gala and befriended a duchess in the loo.”
Elle pressed her hands to her hips. “That stuff really happened.”
“I know.”
“Do I come off like some loudmouth?”
Abby shook her head. “No, not at all. You’re amazing. You’re riveting. Your enthusiasm for the people you’ve met and the places you’ve visited is contagious.”
Elle stared at a tile on the wall. “Maybe that’s all it was. He was just being polite.”
“No, his expression wasn’t like everyone else’s. He looked completely enamored. I was waiting for cartoon hearts to pop out of his eyes. Bren saw it, too,” her cousin added.
Elle pressed her fingertips to her eyelids and leaned against the sink. “I don’t know what’s going on. I thought…”
“What?” Abby pressed.
Elle wanted to scream.
I thought he cared for me.
I thought I could trust him.
I thought he trusted me.
“I misjudged our situation,” she said instead.
“So, there was a situation?”
“Was, my dear cousin, is the operative word.”
Abby frowned. “You guys seem so perfect for each other.”
Elle’s jaw dropped. “Abs, where would you get that? Half the time, we’re seconds away from ripping each other’s throats out.”
“Bren says he’s not like that with anyone.”
“Then you’re mistaking affection with loathing.”
Abby grinned. “You push hi
s buttons.”
“All the wrong buttons,” Elle shot back.
“I woke up early this morning. I saw the three of you.”
Elle swallowed past the lump in her throat. “We were there for Bodhi. He had a nightmare, and we all fell asleep on the couch.”
Abby tapped her chin. “Let me get this straight. Both you and Jasper just happened to hear Bodhi in the middle of the night and came to his aid before he got his mother’s attention.”
Elle shook her head. “I’m an idiot, Abs.”
“You’re not. Jasper’s just…”
“A toast eating, buttoned-up, massage-hating, data crunching bag of dicks,” she blurted.
Abby gave her a sympathetic smile. “You really like him.”
The cousins kept straight faces for a beat before Abby cracked and they broke into giggles.
Elle wiped away a tear. “At least he’s off to Vermont. I’ll have a few days of peace before I fly out to the Bergen resort in California.”
“Is Jasper going with you?”
Elle leaned her head against the wall. “Not as far as I know.”
Abby tucked a wayward lock of hair behind her ear. “We’ll make sure your next few days here are relaxing and free from bags of dicks.”
They started another round of giggling when a soft knock cut off their laughter.
“Abby Rose, it’s just me,” Brennen said through the door.
“We’ll be right out,” she called back.
Elle lowered her voice. “Can he not be without you for five minutes?”
“Yeah, I heard that,” Brennen said through a chuckle. “And it’s not Abby everyone’s looking for. It’s you, Elle.”
Elle stared at the door. “Who, me?”
“Yes, you,” Brennen answered.
“Couldn’t be! Then who?” Abby busted out, then blushed. “Sorry, it’s from the ‘Who Stole the Cookie from the Cookie Jar’ chant. We sing it a lot in first grade.”
Elle stared up at the ceiling. “Remind me to download some decent adult music on your phone.”
Abby opened the door, and Brennen peeked his head inside. “Everything all right?”
Elle lifted her chin. “We’re peachy. Is your Eeyore of a brother still here?”
“Yeah, he needs to leave, but my gram says he needs to wait for you.”
“For me?”
“Yes, you.”
Elle turned to Abby. “Don’t you dare start singing that cookie song.”
Abby mimed zipping her lips.
Elle stepped past her and joined Brennen in the hallway. “Do you know what this is about?”
“It’s something that has to do with that piece you wrote going viral.”
Elle shook her head. “Bad viral or good viral?”
There really was no bad publicity—unless, you were being paid to enhance the brand of a company looking to accentuate their positive attributes.
Brennen patted her shoulder. “I don’t know. They were still talking when I left to find you.”
“They?”
“Jas and my grandparents.”
The Bergen power trifecta. Fan-fucking-tastic.
“Okay, thanks for coming to get me, Bren.”
She started down the hall, listening to snippets of the conversation.
“It makes perfect sense, Jas, darling.”
Harriet.
“Our marketing and PR people agree we need to capitalize on this.”
That was Ray.
A frustrated groan.
And there was the buttoned-up tin man himself, Jasper Bergen.
Elle lifted her chin and entered the kitchen. “Good morning! Brennen said you were looking for me.”
“Elle, darling!” Harriet said, beckoning her to have a seat. “Our PR and marketing people have a wonderful idea.”
Elle glanced at a clench-jawed Jasper.
Ray took a sip of coffee then nodded. “It’s about that piece you wrote about your first experience with Bergen Mountain Sports. It’s gone viral.”
Elle glanced between the company’s founders, who looked extremely pleased.
What the hell was wrong with Jasper? How could he not like a viral post spewing the positive attributes of his company?
Harriet handed her a cup of coffee. “That line you used. I am Bergen Mountain Sports. It’s brilliant. People are posting their childhood pictures online of themselves with the I am Bergen Mountain Sports hashtag.”
“You seem to be trending,” Jasper said, finally joining the conversation.
She nodded. “Is there a problem with that?”
“Not at all!” Ray replied with a grin. “The piece centered around your experiences at our Vermont store and your first time skiing at our resort at Fell’s Peak. We weren’t planning to send you there but after this article and its viral success, our PR people want to get you there to capture some footage.”
Harriet leaned in. “And since it’s so close to the end of the ski season, they want you there as soon as possible.”
“And you could visit your mom, Elle,” Abby said, entering the kitchen with Brennen.
“I thought you were from Maine?”
The tin man spoke again.
She met his icy gaze. “I am, but my mother recently moved to Fell’s Peak.”
“Does she live in town?” Harriet asked.
“Yes.”
“Well, that settles it,” Ray said, refilling his mug. “You can go with Jasper. The Bergen jet is already at the Eagle County airport.”
Jasper looked at his watch. “I’ve got a ten a.m. departure time. I need to leave now.”
“Jasper, darling, that’s the beauty of owning your own plane. Pick up your phone and tell the pilot you need to push it out an hour to let Elle take a shower and get packed,” Harriet said with a wave of her hand.
Elle glanced at Jasper.
A muscle twitched in his jaw. Even a minor tweak to his schedule had him ready to crack a molar.
How predictable!
“I know we hadn’t discussed bringing Fell’s Peak into the fold, Elle. It’s one of our smaller operations, and we’d only discussed sending you to our largest resorts around the world,” Ray added.
Elle shook her head. “It’s not a problem. It makes perfect sense for me to visit Fell’s Peak now.”
Harriet clapped her hands. “Wonderful! You should call your parents and let them know you’re on your way.”
“It’s just my mom, and I’ll be sure to let her know,” Elle added and shared a look with Abby.
Her cousin knew about her mom and dad’s divorce. Abby had been surprised. They’d always seemed like the perfect family.
Seemed.
Elle took a sip of coffee and felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. She looked over to find Jasper watching her.
Was there something between them?
They’d connected—and it was more than just man feast sex. It was deeper. More intimate.
Wasn’t it?
She held his gaze and warmed her expression as his chilled.
He turned his back to her. “You should start getting ready. I don’t like to be kept waiting.”
12
Jasper
Jasper rolled his neck from side to side, trying to work out the kinks, and glanced toward the front of the plane. The Bergen Learjet 45XR seated eight and offered a double-club seating configuration. A damn good thing! It allowed him to set up camp and work in the back portion of the plane while Elle had the front four seats all to herself.
What he didn’t expect was for her to extend the pull-out table and start working, too.
He checked the flight display. They’d be landing at the Morrisville-Stowe airport in Vermont within the next half hour, and Elle had barely lifted her head during the entire flight. Focused on her laptop and jotting notes on a pad of paper, whatever the hell she was doing, she was completely engrossed.
They hadn’t spoken. Not one word during the car ride to the airport. Not
one word when they’d boarded the plane. And not one word since the jet took off.
She’d put on a pair of reading glasses, or maybe she’d forgotten her contacts.
Did she even wear contacts?
He’d bared his soul to her. Made love to her. Held her in his arms. And he didn’t know if she wore glasses or contacts. Fuck! She hijacked his thoughts—even when she was ignoring him.
Elle glanced up and caught him watching her.
“What?” she asked on an exasperated breath.
“I didn’t think you worked,” he blurted out like an idiot.
She shook her head and barked out a laugh. “Right, because nobody could work as hard as the super CEO, Jasper Bergen.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Did you mean to imply that you were surprised to find me researching and planning?”
She had him there.
“I wasn’t sure what you were doing.”
She blew out a breath. “Normal humans ask. They say, ‘Hey, what are you doing?’ And then the other human answers. It’s called basic communication. You should look into it.”
He swallowed hard. Her anger was justified. Yesterday, they’d had sex on a massage table. Last night, she’d fallen asleep in his arms. But there was no way forward for them. As much as he craved her touch, he couldn’t forget that he was responsible for the financial health of Bergen Enterprises—a job that required his complete focus.
In the very least, he owed that to his parents.
She stared at him and drummed her fingers, waiting.
“What are you doing?” he asked, amending his statement to her human response requirement.
She sat back and crossed her arms. “I was researching Fell’s Peak. I know the town well, but it’s been ages since I skied there. I wanted to familiarize myself with anything new. I’ve also prepared a schedule for the production team, so we can be as efficient as possible and still touch on all the places I mentioned in my piece. I also wanted to make sure I emphasized how the resort has evolved—throw in the energy efficiency and environmentally friendly improvements and highlight how those changes would be a draw for women in the age range your rebrand effort wanted me to target.”
Holy fuck!
“Oh,” he answered like he had shit for brains.
“What did you expect me to say? Did you think I was watching cat videos and trolling my exes on social media? Maybe getting in a little online shopping for a cute pair of espadrilles?”
Man Feast (Bergen Brothers Book 2) Page 13