by C. J. Thomas
Nolan Foster
I studied the map and noted the contact number at the bottom. Then I was out the front door, meandering across the manicured grounds before winding up the outside stairs to my own private condo.
Dropping the keys into the palm of my hand, I reached to the doorknob and my heart skipped when I found it already unlocked.
The city girl inside me leapt into action, brow furrowed with hesitation. I smoothed down the front of my shirt and turned to look over my shoulder. The pulse in my neck ticked, but here in the mountains things were different. It wasn’t like living in Denver where shady characters preyed on vulnerable women like me. This was Vail. A peaceful mountain town where even a near head-on collision couldn’t bring out the worst in people.
Rolling my shoulders back, I turned back to face the door. “I’m sure everyone leaves their doors unlocked here,” I said to myself, if only to settle the apprehension roiling my stomach. “Or it was accidently left unlocked by the cleaning crew.” I nodded like I wasn’t alone, but I was really thinking this had to be Sienna.
Turning the knob, the door opened without problem. Stepping one foot inside, I held my breath and listened.
Silence.
And when I was convinced that it was safe to enter, I fully stepped inside as relief to finally be here, away from the work drama, swept over me.
The condo was beautiful with local wood framing the large windows staring up at the ski resort. I could imagine it white with snow in the winter but was happy to see the green of summer and warmth. As I continued my acquainting of the place, I eyed the flat-screen television hanging on the wall thinking I might have to settle into a romantic movie for the night and a tub of ice cream when I heard the first clank.
I froze.
My eyes bugged.
Then I heard the next set of clinks and clanks.
Padding lightly across the floor, I moved toward the sound coming from the kitchen. A grumble from under the sink pulled me yet further into the room.
I wasn’t sure what to expect, other than this had to be Sienna and Monica trying to prank me. It wouldn’t be the first time those two did something like this. Even at Sienna’s bachelorette party she was dishing out her digits to tons of guys. Only later, when my cell wouldn’t stop ringing for a week, that she was really giving out my number.
Lifting my hand to the granite countertop, I raked my fingers over the cool polished surface as I rounded the corner. With my hand flying over my mouth, I gasped.
Thick thighs and long legs filled the blue jeans that jutted out from under the counter. His sneakers were athletic and made for running trails. And though I couldn’t see past his waist, a few more clinks and a closer observation revealed that this stranger was also without a shirt.
I wanted to look away. Knew I shouldn’t be staring and checking him out. But I couldn’t. Not with his abs flexing and hardening as he twisted and contorted as he worked at whatever it was he was doing. He was both toned and tanned. Shaking my head, I said, “Hello.”
He continued to work.
“Hello.” I raised my voice louder, but he still didn’t respond. Then I kicked the sole of his shoe hard enough to get him to stop.
He lifted his head and was slow to shimmy himself out of the cubby he was busy working inside of. I folded my arms over my chest and cocked out my hip, thinking that the laidback attitude of this place was something I was going to have embrace before I completely lost my mind.
“Hang on,” he said, pulling his phone out from his pocket and swiping his finger over the screen. After a few clicks, I watched him angle his head to the side, pulling out his earphones. Then he looked up at me and smiled. “I must have not heard you come in.”
“No. No, you didn’t.” My gaze shifted to his phone.
He followed my line of sight and said, “Country music. You a fan?”
Rolling my eyes, I looked away.
He kicked his legs out and landed on his feet in one swift move that was rather impressive, showing off his athleticism. “You look like you have the spirit of the West inside you.” He stepped closer and I refused to look him in the eye. “I bet you’re a country girl at heart.”
I rolled my neck and found him holding his gaze on my face. His long hair was tied into a messy man bun, a trend I wasn’t sure I was totally on board with. I couldn’t deny how he seemed like the kind of man Sienna was always interested in before she’d met Gary.
“So,” my gaze traveled over the mess on the floor, “should I leave and come back when you’re finished?”
He chuckled before pointing to the unhooked dishwasher on the other side of the kitchen. “It’s broken.”
“That’s okay. I plan on eating out mostly.”
He moved away and turned his back, heading toward the machine.
“Maybe you could just clean up the mess and fix it after my stay?”
I hated myself for doing it, but he was a nice distraction from the humiliating day I’d had. I couldn’t look away. He was totally made for Sienna. The way his back muscles bulged and popped and were coated in a thin layer of masculine sweat from a hard day’s work only made him look even more delicious than I already thought he was. And when he turned around with a pair of thin laced panties spinning around his finger, my jaw dropped and heat flushed my cheeks.
“Broken because someone thought it would be a good idea to wash—” he stopped the spinning and lifted his finger as he held the revealing underwear close to his face, “—delicates in the dishwasher.”
Covering my mouth, I couldn’t hold myself back from letting out a boisterous laugh. “Delicates?”
He turned back to me with a quizzical look on his face. “Have you ever done that?”
Giggling, I said, “No. Can’t say I have.”
“That makes two of us.” He hooked his thumb in the elastic and shot the undergarment across the room. “Anyway, I should be finished working soon. Feel free to make yourself at home in the meantime.”
Suddenly, losing sense of time and place, my initial reluctance to accept Sienna’s surprise was looking better by the minute. Maybe I could get used to the man bun? “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”
He stepped forward, wiping his hand on his jeans before reaching out to offer it to me. “Travis Foster.”
His large hand quickly engulfed mine, making me feel much smaller than I thought I was. “Sophia,” I murmured as I shook his hand. Time stopped. The room spun, and as I looked up into his eyes, I thought how I couldn’t wait to call Sienna and tell her what I’d found. “Well, I better collect my things from the car,” I stammered.
He smiled and watched me hurry through the condo, flustered. I didn’t know what just happened in there, but something definitely happened. The way he looked at me, like he had the ability to solve all my problems or—
Knew that I was coming.
As soon as my feet hit the pavement at the bottom of the stairs, I put a call in to Sienna.
“Miss me so soon?” she answered.
Glancing over my shoulder to make sure Travis Foster wasn’t on the balcony listening from above, I said, “I told you, I don’t need a man.”
“You found yourself a man? Shit, I guess Monica won that bet.”
I picked up my pace and rolled my eyes, glancing around to make sure no cars were coming. “Hardy har har. I didn’t find anything. He was already waiting inside for me, and, Sienna, he’s totally your type.” When I reached the car, I opened the trunk and started slinging bags over my shoulder.
“Really?”
“C’mon.”
“We didn’t leave you a man. Besides, I wouldn’t even know where to find a man to rent. And, for the record, I’m set to marry Gary, remember?”
I closed the trunk and locked my car. My brows pinched. “Then what did you leave me?”
“It’s in the fridge. A bottle of red. Your favorite.”
“Would Gary be mad if I sent you a photo of this guy?”
“He’d have a fit. Send it to Monica. I can’t wait to see him.” She ended the call.
Bending over, I went to scoop up my keys. But before I could get to them myself, a man was there to do it for me. And this one was even better than the first.
3
Nolan
When she bent over in front of me, I nearly lost it.
Everything stopped. And the only sound I could hear was coming from my heart pounding its slow rhythmic pattern inside my chest. When I finally blinked, I knew that I should have looked away. But, instead, I continued to sit behind the wheel of my pickup if only to further convince myself that God did in fact exist. Because if I needed any proof that He did, now was that time.
Reaching to my belt clip, I unbuckled myself from the seat and let my knees fall out to the side.
Her rustic-chic leather boots traveled up to her knees where her blue jeans then took over. They were tight around her deliciously thick thighs and highlighted her perfectly round globes that narrowed into a tight waist at the top.
Sliding my tongue over my bottom lip, I felt my manhood thicken and apply pressure to the zipper. I took my hand and adjusted myself without taking my eyes off of her. I felt like a stalker staring and getting turned on without provocation, but she was marvelous and had the most amazing hour-glass figure I’d ever seen.
My cell dinged with another message.
Reluctantly, I peeled my eyes away and retrieved my phone from the empty seat next to me. It was from my baby sister, Charlotte, checking in to make sure the dishwasher had been fixed before our last-minute guest arrived.
I sent her a quick reply back that I had just arrived. Then I glanced across the parking lot to Travis’s WRX Subaru parked not far from the stairs. I told her he was here—just to further drive home the message that she didn’t need to pop in and make a visit herself. Travis had beaten me to the punch, and I knew it was because of Charlotte’s earlier threat to relay the message to Dad. Because if there was one family member all the brothers listened to most besides Dad, it was Charlotte.
Lifting my head, I quickly fixed my gaze on the woman struggling to carry all of her bags in one go. She had to be our guest. And with Travis inside, I couldn’t let him be her first impression.
Travis was a Foster, a name that carried a reputation. We were respected in the community, well-known in the city and around the world. Foster Enterprises was the family business, the operation my father started 40 years ago. It was non-stop and we were all involved with completing daily tasks, no matter what the job entailed. Including renting this mountain-side retreat.
I reached for the truck’s door handle and just as I pulled it open, I froze.
The stunning woman turned to the side and revealed her face for the first time.
I knew her.
I recognized her wavy brunette hair—now pulled back into a ponytail—and loose fitting bright white tee. “Shit,” I breathed. “Just my fucking luck.”
Suddenly, she dropped her keys and I knew that I couldn’t stand by and wait. I had to make myself known before she caught me creepin’.
With my boots hitting the ground, I hurried across the parking lot and quickly scooped up her keys before she lost control of her bags loosely slung over her shoulder. “Here, let me get those for you.”
She lifted her head. “Thank yo—”
Our eyes met and a glimmer of recognition flashed over her dazzling browns.
“Look,” she said with a bite of attitude, “we didn’t crash and there is no reason for you to apologize.”
My eyes glimmered when I heard her sweet voice attempt to be fierce. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on apologizing.” I opened my palm to give her keys back.
Her honey brown eyes fell to my hand and a second later she snatched them as fast as a strike from a rattlesnake’s mouth. “Then what are you doing here?”
“Here to check you in.” I grinned.
She jerked her head back with a mild look of disgust crossing her face.
“Sophia, right?” My brows raised.
She nearly dropped her bags to the ground.
I narrowed my eyes, watching her struggle to carry so much—both on her shoulders and in her hands. I had to admire her independence, but knew it was no way to treat our guest. “Here, let me carry those bags for you.”
She was subtle about it, but I saw her eyes roaming over my chest, down my arms, checking me out. And it wasn’t a judging gaze, either. No, this was the same admiring look I had seen dozens of times before when women came for a weekend getaway to the mountains to escape the crowds of Denver.
“I’ll manage myself.” She clutched her shoulder straps tighter to her chest and angled her body away.
I furrowed my brow and shrugged my shoulders. “If you say so.”
Her lips pursed and I knew she meant business.
I tipped forward on my toes. “Then at least allow me to lead you to the condo.”
When she didn’t respond right away, I knew she was at least contemplating the idea of having me show her the way inside. No sense in getting lost and confusing our condo for anyone of them that looked exactly the same from the outside.
“It’s really okay. I know where I’m going.”
That meant she had also already met Travis.
I lowered my head. “Well, I’ll show you anyway. In case you forgot.”
I waved for her to follow just as her jaw clenched with annoyance.
As I began walking, I glanced over my shoulder to make sure she was following. And when I was certain that she was, I couldn’t help but wonder what a gorgeous, young, full-figured woman like her was doing vacationing alone. It was always a travesty to see such a thing, but maybe she liked to be alone.
“I’ll have to admit,” I said, “your booking surprised all of us. We weren’t expecting the condo to be filled this weekend.”
“I didn’t know I’d be here until the last minute, either,” she murmured, breathless.
I shortened my gait and turned to face her. “Coming up from Denver, then?”
“Yeah,” she said in a sharp tone.
We hiked up the stairs and I continued talking. “How was the drive? Traffic can get heavy on the weekends.”
“Fine,” she huffed through the thin air. “I left early.”
My brows pinched at hearing her voice deflate. Taking a quick glance over my shoulder, she had her head hung low and her mood had noticeably changed. From the way she carried herself, I wondered what I had said wrong.
Turning forward and a few short steps later, we arrived to the front entrance. “Here we are.” I knocked on the door and opened it before stepping to the side to allow her to enter first. “Unfortunately, we only learned of the dishwasher not working early this afternoon.”
“Delicates.” She eyed me as she passed in front. “I’ve heard.”
I gave her a questioning look.
“Women’s underwear,” she said with raised brows. “That was the problem.”
“Is that right?”
“You hadn’t heard?”
I shook my head and tucked my chin into my throat as I tried to make sense of why someone would wash their dirty underwear in the dishwasher and not the washing machine. “Make yourself at home,” I said, pointing to the master bedroom. “I’ll check in with my brother and see how long it will be before we’ll be out of your hair.”
Sophia turned around without so much as a thank you and I heard Travis cranking away on a socket wrench in the kitchen. I kept my eye on her until she disappeared into the back room, leaving me with only her scent as a reminder of the instant attraction I’d felt for her. Her smell had already claimed the condo as her own, and it was beautiful.
Moving into the kitchen, I stopped to inspe
ct the women’s underwear laying in the middle of the floor in front of me. This must be the pair Sophia warned me about, I thought as I cocked my head to the side. Then I tilted it to the other shoulder as my brows pinched with confusion.
Bending over I picked them up and held them between my fingers, thinking there wasn’t enough cloth to hide much of anything on these things. And, besides thinking the obvious—how sexy they were—I was still trying to wrap my head around how the hell they ended up in our dishwasher.
It had to be Travis’s doing.
“These yours?” I said when I found Travis sliding the dishwasher back into its hole under the counter between the cabinets.
“God, I wish.” He turned to me with a cocky grin filling his face. “But I would remember if I had taken those off,” he said, pointing at the undergarments. “Dishwasher is fixed.”
“You know, you really need to stop using this place as your personal night club,” I said.
Travis shrugged like it was no big deal. He’d received the same lecture a thousand times before, and not just from me. But nearly everyone in our family. “Wasn’t me, bro.” He slapped my shoulder as he passed by.
I stepped to the dishwasher and set the settings to do a quick test to make sure it was running properly. I didn’t say it, but I knew it was him. Travis was always up here partying when the place was vacant. Especially in the winter when the skiing was good.
“She’s not bad, huh?”
I turned to glance at him, knowing who he was referring to.
Travis lifted his brows and looked to the bedroom as if I hadn’t already caught his drift.
“Put on a shirt,” I said, turning back to the dishwasher. “We have a guest, for Christ’s sake.”
I hated myself for sounding so much like Dad, but Jesus, our guest paid good money to rent out our condo and should have never seen either one of us. Let alone him without a shirt.
Hitting the off switch, I was satisfied that it would run without a hitch for Sophia. And I wanted it to. Not because she was a guest at our place, but because I didn’t want Travis to answer the call if it did break again.