by Anthology
“I don’t think there’s a word,” she breathed.
“Trent will be glad to hear you like it.” She looked at him. “It was his idea to bring the outside, in.”
She couldn’t find any words, so Sam continued to walk. Pretty soon, Dylan had led her out of the great hall and into a small circular space with a number of doors branching off.
“Here we are. It was nice to meet you, Sam.” Dylan reached for one of the door handles. “I hope to see you again.”
“Thank you. Same here,” she said, and meant it.
A moment later, the door opened, and Trent stood in front of her. That raw energy she’d felt from him the first time they’d met hit her full force. She hated the way her body betrayed her with this man who she really didn’t want to like. And it wasn’t just that he represented everything she hated—no, Dylan did too. But it was different with Trent. More personal. She pulled her shoulders back. She wasn’t going to let him get to her.
“Samantha.”
But the moment he said her name as if it were a wish, her resolve melted.
“Trent.” She managed to push his name from her throat.
“I’ll leave you two alone.” Dylan chuckled and then he disappeared, not that Sam had noticed he was still standing next to her. She hadn’t.
“You got my message.”
It wasn’t a question, which was good because Sam wasn’t about to answer him. He moved away from the doorway and with a sweep of his arm, gestured her into his space. She hesitated. Of course, she’d come to talk to him, to confront him and to find out what he was trying to prove. But now that she actually stood in front of him, so close she could smell the scent of him—all fresh and clean, and so very male—it no longer seemed as if being alone in his office would be a good idea.
She took a step inside.
~ ~
For a moment, Trent didn’t think she was going to come in. He would have held his breath if it wouldn’t have made him look so completely out of control. And just because simply being in the presence of the woman did things to his sanity that he couldn’t seem to either control or explain, he had enough sense to know that holding his breath would most definitely not help the situation.
To his relief, she did enter his office and before she could change her mind, he slipped around and closed the door with a click. He couldn’t be sure whether he did it more to lock her in, in case she decided to flee, or for the privacy the door would afford. Probably both.
“I was hoping you’d come,” he said after a second.
She swallowed hard and he watched the flutter of her eyelids as she struggled to regain her control. Clearly he had a similar effect on her as well. The thought made his groin ache, and he moved behind the desk, needing a little distance between them.
“Sit. Please.”
She scooted the high backed leather chair a little farther away from him. And as if the action and the distance between them allowed her the opportunity to think clearly, she opened her pretty mouth. “Archer told me just to call you back.”
“Smart man.”
She tipped her head. “You didn’t want me to come?”
“On the contrary. I wanted nothing more.”
Every word he spoke was true. He did want to see her again. The thought of her had kept him awake at night and occupied almost every waking moment besides that. From the moment he’d laid eyes on her, he knew there was something more about her. Something he’d never experienced from a woman before. Something he had to have.
“I need to get to the bottom of this, Trent,” she said. He had to force himself to focus on her words and not the way her chest heaved when she spoke. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do by getting involved with the festival, but you need to butt out. It’s mine. And outsiders have no place at the festival, let alone having a hand at organizing it.”
“I’m hardly an outsider.” He walked to a small table next to the window where he had a jug of water and a few glasses. He needed a distraction, preferably one that would cool him down. “I don’t think I’d consider a major business owner of Cedar Springs an outsider.”
“Well, you are.”
He glanced back at her direction, but she wasn’t looking at him. Her arms were crossed and her lips set in a firm line. He was definitely having an effect on her and it was far from the one he wanted.
“Water?”
“What?” Her head spun in his direction.
“Water.” He held up a glass. “Would you like some? It comes directly from the glacier. It’s fantastic.”
“I’ve had glacier water.”
“So you know how amazing it is.” He grinned and held the glass up again.
“I’m fine, thank you.” Crossing her arms a little tighter, which had the fortunate effect of squeezing her breasts up, she turned away from him.
“It wouldn’t kill you to be nice to me, you know?”
That got her attention, and she hopped up from her chair, her cheeks blazing. “Nice to you?” She stepped closer. “You want me to be nicer to you? How about you stop trying to ruin my life and just leave me alone?”
“Whoa.” Trent put the glass of water down. “That’s what you think I’m doing?” Although he was definitely not trying to ruin her life, he also knew that since Samantha had managed to get under his skin, he was most certainly not going to be leaving her alone. “You think I’m trying to ruin your life?”
She put her hands on her hips, which only managed to pull her t-shirt tighter across her chest. Trent’s groin twitched in response. Did she have no idea what kind of effect she had on men at all?
“What else would you be doing?” she snapped. “First you build this…” she waved her arm in the air searching for a word, finally settling on, “monstrosity.”
Monstrosity? The Springs was a lot of things, but it was far from a monstrosity.
“And then you push your way into my best friend and her daughter’s lives, and don’t even get me started about the way you’re totally ruining this town. And now this? What do you think you’re up to, bringing a band in for the festival? The festival is mine. Cedar Springs is mine, and you need to…you need to leave.”
Despite the fact that she was yelling at him, or maybe it was because of that fact, he closed the distance between them and put his hands on her shoulders. She shivered under his touch but didn’t push him away.
“You don’t want me to leave.”
“Yes.” Her breath hitched. “I do.”
“No you don’t.” And to prove his point, he bent and let his lips meet hers. She stiffened, but still didn’t push him away. With great restraint, he moved as slowly as he could make himself. He threaded one hand behind her head to the base of her ponytail and pulled her in while his mouth worked hers. Seconds later, he was rewarded by her yielding, as all at once Samantha softened and gave in to him.
She tasted sweet, almost like honey. A direct contradiction of her strong attitude, the juxtaposition was intoxicating. In a perfect world, he would have kissed her all day, because holding her in his arms and tasting her sweetness was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. But it wasn’t a perfect world, and if he didn’t stop, he wouldn’t be held responsible for where his actions would lead him next.
Reluctantly and with his entire body straining with objection, Trent pulled away, gently sucking on her bottom lip as he did. Samantha immediately bit her lip, but instead of lowering her gaze or pushing away from him, her eyes locked on his. He still held her close. It took all the willpower he could muster to not pull her back into him again and show her exactly what being in her presence did to him.
“I’m not going to apologize for that.” He may have released her lips, but his arms were still wrapped firmly around her, reluctant to let her go.
“I didn’t ask you to.” Samantha’s eyes challenged him, and he met their challenge with one of his own.
“Have dinner with me tonight.”
A flicker of something
crossed her face. And Trent was so certain she’d say yes, especially after that kiss that was loaded with all kinds of feelings, that when a moment later she said no, it took all the control he had to keep from throwing her over his shoulder like a caveman and hauling her out then and there.
“We both need to eat.”
“I have a date.” Her words sent a shock through his system so that he dropped his arms and took a step back.
“Another time, then.” In an effort to regain control of both himself and the conversation, he turned away and returned to his glass of water. He drank slowly while he stared out the window.
When he turned around, Samantha had moved safely out of reach and crossed her arms across her chest again, effectively putting up the walls around her once more. “I still want you to butt out of the festival,” she said. “That didn’t change anything.”
She was wrong. That kiss had changed everything.
~ ~
Sam forced herself to keep her eyes on Trent, when all she really wanted to do was look away. Just long enough to take a breath and get some sort of grip on herself. She’d lied. That kiss had changed everything. But there was no way she was going to let him know that.
“I want to help,” Trent said. She forced herself to focus on what he was saying, reminding herself of why she’d come to see him in the first place. “I know a band. And I can get them to—”
“I don’t need or want your band,” she shot back. “The Grizzly Paw will host, just as we always have.”
He nodded. “I heard it was quite the party last year. Sounds like you pulled out all the stops. Like maybe you had something to prove.”
His words hit close. Way too close, but there was no way she was going to let him know that. Sam swallowed hard. “I don’t have anything to prove. I’m not new to town. It seems to me that it’s you and your big fancy hotel that has something to prove.” She didn’t mean to sound like a bitch, but he brought something out in her. And it was more than the heat that she was still trying to cool down from after that kiss.
“That’s right.” He crossed the floor toward her, and Sam had to fight the urge to flee. It was dangerous if they were too close. The kiss they’d shared had been hot. Hotter than hot and she wouldn’t apologize for it. But even if every nerve ending in her body was screaming at her to grab him and go for round two, she knew enough to know it was a bad idea. Kissing Trent Harrison would not lead to good. Hell, it would only lead to confusion, trouble, and…she couldn’t think. He was too close. She inhaled, trying to ignore the scent of him that spiraled through her senses. “Didn’t you call it a…” He tapped his finger on his chin before he smiled and continued. “Oh yes, a monstrosity. That was the word you chose, wasn’t it?”
“I…okay…well, maybe it—”
“But this is your first time here, isn’t it?”
She nodded, because there was nothing else she could do. His proximity was clouding her thoughts, making it difficult to focus on a coherent response.
“Well then, how about I show you around and after I’ve given you a proper tour, you can decide if you still think the Springs is a monstrosity.” His eyebrows lifted as he spoke the last word, as if he already knew she didn’t really believe what she’d said earlier. Of course she didn’t. The Springs was beautiful, even if she hated to admit it.
“Okay,” she said after a moment. “But only the highlights.”
Trent grinned like a lion who’d just cornered his prey. “Oh, they’re all highlights.” He reached toward her, and Sam instinctively closed her eyes, waiting for the touch of his lips again. “And when we’re finished, if you agree that the Springs is beautiful, you’ll let me arrange the band. If not, I’ll leave you alone.”
She knew it was a terrible deal, especially because she already knew she’d lost and the thought of him leaving her alone caused a certain pain in her chest. “Agreed,” she heard herself say.
He smiled. His eyes never left hers as he reached behind him and clicked the door open. “After you,” he said. Sam couldn’t be sure but she could have sworn there was a hint of self-satisfaction in his voice, as if he already knew he’d won.
Sam turned and led the way out of his office and into the relative safety of a more public space.
True to his word, Trent showed Sam the highlights of his resort hotel and it didn’t take long for him to convince her that the Springs was anything but a monstrosity. Especially as she never actually believed it in the first place. The entire place was amazing. And after a few minutes, it became clear that Sam wasn’t going to find any fault with anything except for the fact that it existed at all.
“This is what I really want to show you.” Trent guided her through the lobby and toward what she assumed would be another impressive glass corridor. “I’ve been saving the best part for last.”
Sam walked past him, careful to avoid contact as she stepped into the space. She immediately stopped short and sucked in a breath.
“Well? What do you think?”
She turned to him, aware her mouth was hanging open before turning back to the sight in front of her. “These are the hot pools?” Sam walked toward the large glass windows. Much like the other enormous hall, this one also had a wall of glass—only instead of looking out over the rugged landscape outside, this window looked onto what was a large pool area with a variety of small pools. The area was constructed in such a way to allow the people in the hallway to see the hot springs, but the steam coming from the water acted as a privacy screen, creating a misty, almost mystical atmosphere.
“They are.” Trent led her farther down the corridor. “At least, these are the public ones. We have a more private area, as well as the outdoor pools and of course the natural pools as well.”
“Natural?”
“You do know all the hot pools are actually filled from naturally occurring hot spring water that comes out of the earth, don’t you? I mean, you’ve lived here your—”
“I know that.” And she did. That was why the springs had always been so amazing. It was a naturally occurring phenomenon that the water bubbled out of the earth, creating pools. When they were teenagers, Sam and her friends would visit in the night, often with alcohol they’d snuck from their parents’ liquor cabinets. It didn’t seem to matter that the springs were on private property. Or maybe it did. It just made it more exciting. It was also part of the reason Sam hated Trent and his resort. They’d taken everything that was special about one of her favorite places and commercialized it. She turned to look out the window again, mostly so she wouldn’t have to look at him. Her body still needed time to return to normal. “I just didn’t realize you kept any of the natural pools.”
“I made sure of it.” His voice was soft in her ear, his breath hot on her cheek as he came up behind her. Every nerve ending in her body fired. “The first time I saw them, I knew they were special.”
She nodded.
“I can show you, if you like?”
“I know where they are.” She forced her voice to sound as normal as possible, but with every word she spoke, she knew she was failing miserably. What was it about the man that made her completely lose her senses? Before she let herself get too comfortable, she slipped to the side and away from the heat his body was emitting. “Do you have a regular swimming pool, too?”
His lips twitched up in a smile. “Of course. Did you want to go for a swim?”
“I’m more of a lake girl myself.” Sam flipped her hair behind her shoulders and grabbed her phone from her back pocket.
“You swim in it? Isn’t it a glacier-fed lake?”
She looked up from her messages, which were mostly Archer demanding information on why she would turn down the offer of a band for the festival. She pushed the button to ignore the messages. “Chicken?” she asked Trent.
“Of a little cold water? Never.”
“Good. We should go sometime then.” The offer was out of her mouth before she realized what she’d done. She was supp
osed to be putting distance between them, not creating opportunities to get wet and half naked with him. Oh God. The thought of Trent without a shirt on, glistening with droplets of water was almost enough to send her right back into his strong arms.
“I’d like that. Maybe after we talk about the band for the festival?”
And there it was. The reminder of why she couldn’t like the man. “We have nothing to talk about.”
“Let me do this,” he implored. “I know people and no,” he held up a hand to ward off the comment that was on her lips, “that wasn’t meant to sound arrogant. But I do know a band who owes me a favor. Jacked Crackers. They’d come and—”
“Jacked Crackers?” They were a rock/folk group that was currently dominating every radio station. Why would they want to come to Cedar Springs? She asked as much.
“I went to school with the lead singer, Axel. He’s a buddy and I’ll trade him a couple nights’ stay in one of the suites. He loves to play smaller gigs.”
“We won’t be able to afford it. The Jacked Crackers are huge.”
He shrugged casually. “It wouldn’t cost you a cent.”
That caught her attention.
“What do you mean, it wouldn’t cost a cent? Nothing’s free.”
“This would be.”
She doubted that very much. Even if there was no price tag on the band, there were other costs. Like her pride.
“I know you need help.” His voice softened. “And I really want to do this for the people of Cedar Springs. We can have a dance floor outside, and…”
“How do you know I need help?”
Trent opened his mouth and closed it again before he licked his lips. “Just a hunch.”
He knew. She didn’t know how he knew, but he knew and at that moment Sam knew she had a choice. Accept his help and give the town and her friends the festival they deserved, or lock in and let everyone suffer because of her pride and whatever misguided feelings she was having toward her unexpected savior. “Okay. The festival is on June twenty-first in the green behind the Grizzly Paw. There’ll be a small stage, but make sure they know it’s a small-town thing.”