“It’s a hotel.”
“Yes.”
“People have s-e-x at hotels.” Her voice was a whisper.
“Sometimes, not always. I didn’t have s-e-x with Moose at the hotel. And I have a feeling you’d be under no pressure to do so either. He hasn’t pressured you yet, has he?” Her friend’s face was awash with concern.
“No. Of course not.”
“Well then . . .”
“I know I’m acting like an idiot. I can see most women would jump at this chance.”
“Yeah, but he’s not interested in most women, he’s interested in you.”
Yep, that was the scary bit. Tom seemed to really like her and she was already way too dependent on him and how he made her feel and she was terrified. Terrified that she’d somehow ruin things by being a square peg in his world, and even more terrified she’d fit in, and then what? What if she didn’t want to leave? The truth was she knew girls like her did not end up with guys like him.
He was striding toward her down the street. All six foot four of him. His open handsome smile falling on her and warming her body from top to toe. He was smart, sexy, and well connected. She was a small-town girl with little to no life experience. There was no way this could work. No matter what her heart wanted.
Esme and Marissa were both right, though, she shouldn’t let her decisions be made by fear.
Chapter 12
Chloe had been very quiet on the drive up to Maine. Tom didn’t do quiet. He didn’t want a woman that nattered nonstop but he knew that too much quiet was not a good thing. He told himself she was enjoying the scenery and relaxing, but in his peripheral vision he saw a very beautiful but very tense woman. He had a few excellent ways to help relieve that tension but he had a feeling she’d become even more anxious if she had even an inkling of what he was thinking.
“Do you want me to turn around?”
“What?” She turned to face him, her eyes popping. “Why? No.”
“You just look . . . tense.”
“Oh well, I’m a bit nervous. But I don’t want to go back. I mean, we’re almost there now.” He watched her bite her lip. “And it’s very pretty.”
“It is that.” He reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. “Anytime you want to leave you just tell me. After all, we are supposed to have fun. If you’re not having fun, we’re doing it wrong.”
“Don’t you have to work?”
“Sure.” He was going to try and avoid it as much as possible. Luckily, he really didn’t need much sleep. “But we can work around that.”
“Because of your crazy hours?”
“Yeah, and because a big part of my job is making sure things go smoothly and people are happy. I can make sure you’re happy at the same time.”
She kept biting her lip. He could tell she wanted to ask him something. He’d already assured her his suite had two rooms, so she wouldn’t have to sleep with him again. That was a shame for him, but he was sure it had helped her agree to come.
“You know you can ask me anything, Chloe. I’m an open book.”
“Well, while you keep people happy . . . do women . . . hit on you?”
Ah, that was it. “Well, sometimes they do. But I don’t act on it.”
“Never?”
Well, he couldn’t say never exactly but certainly not in the past few years. He wasn’t a monk, but he had learned that mixing sex with the hotel guests could get messy, especially here in his hometown. Maybe down in Florida or Mexico but not here and not lately and not when he was in a relationship.
“Not ever if I’m seeing someone, and I think as we’re engaged you can rest assured that I would not act on any offers I might receive. What about you? What if some guy hits on you?”
She let out a small laugh. “Yeah, I don’t think we need to worry about that, Tom.”
It was so cute the way she had no idea how sexy she was and how guys watched her all the time. She was a great girl with a gorgeous figure and of course she attracted attention. That uniform she wore at the ice-cream parlor was the stuff of many a fantasy he was sure. Of course, he had a feeling that she put that on like armor every day and that wasn’t how she saw herself. As if the hot body and fetching smile were just part of the outfit. Of course they weren’t, they were all her all the time.
“I think you’ll find that men find you more irresistible than you think.”
She reached out and patted his hand, which was resting on the console between them. “I assure you as your fake fiancée I shall refrain from acting on it.”
He turned and gave her a big grin. “Good to know. It’s going to be fun. I have a whole itinerary of cool stuff for us to do.”
“Okay, but just remember I’m half your size with about a quarter the energy.”
She was half right.
When they pulled up to the resort, Chloe tried to look impressed and not, well, overwhelmed. Apart from a couple of motels between Texas and New Hampshire, which she’d chosen on price and not amenities, Chloe had never stayed in a hotel at all. So when they pulled up under the portico of the lodge and a concierge came to open her door, she was a little under-prepared.
“Welcome,” said the young man in the suit and bell cap, giving her a big smile. Then over the top of the car his eyes locked with Moose’s. “Hi, boss, good to see you.”
“You, too, Huck,” he said as he magically appeared by the younger man’s side. “This is my friend Chloe. She’s going to be staying with me for a day or so.”
“Yes, sir.”
She didn’t know how she felt about being introduced as his friend but fiancée might be a bit much.
“So, this is home,” he said, placing his large hand in the small of her back to guide her up the stone steps and into the impressive wood and stone foyer that looked like something from a movie set. Still, as beautiful as it was, it was nothing compared to the wonderful feeling that large hand gave her. “The lodge has just under two hundred rooms from hotel rooms to three-bedroom suites. We have three restaurants, a day spa, two bars, and a small grocery store. It’s ski in, ski out but we’re open year-round for hiking, kayaking, and all those other fun outdoor events.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. We employ lots of people and our resort, along with McCarthy’s and the Doggone Inn down the road, is the lifeblood of this community.”
“And you’re in charge of all this?”
“Kind of. I’m second in charge of this and the other two resorts in Florida and Mexico. My parents are supposed to retire but they are struggling with that a bit. They want to see me settled down before they do.”
“As in married?”
“As in married. But I think that is a foolish notion, myself.”
“Because you don’t want to get married?” He looked down at her and smiled. That smile.
“No, I’m happy to get married to the right person. I’m just not doing it on their time frame. Either I can do the job or not, being married shouldn’t come into the equation.”
“So if you stay a bachelor, they never hand it over?”
“Maybe. It’s possible I could marry and they’d never hand it over, either. They’re not exactly in touch with the fact that I’m grown up.”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “Excuse me, look at you, how can that be?”
“Yes, well, to the rest of the world I’m the fine stud of a man you see before you, to them I’m still the kid in the Superman costume jumping from bed to bed at three in the morning.”
She shook her head. “Fine stud of a man, huh?”
“You know it.” He looped his arm over her shoulder. “Let me show you around.”
Tom really enjoyed showing the lodge to Chloe. It was always fun to see the place through new eyes. Purely from a guest services perspective, it was interesting because he’d lived here for so long knew he took for granted things others didn’t and he missed things they saw. Touring Chloe through the building was different again.
First of all, he was seriously in to her and he wanted her to be impressed by the place. It was no different from any guy showing a girl his home, he didn’t want her to run screaming for the door. It was more than that, though. The truth was he was in deep with Chloe.
He knew he had a thing for her the first day he laid eyes on her. Nothing had happened to change that. Every day he spent with her his feelings grew and intensified. Getting to know her had shown him her grit and her determination as well as her kindness and her sense of humor. This was more than a passing infatuation. He had Chloe in his life and she was under his skin, and he wanted her to stay there.
Given what a huge part of his life this business was, he needed her to like it. It would help if she loved it, but like would do.
“It’s amazing,” she said, looking up to the slopes. “A real winter wonderland.”
“It’s equally pretty in summer, although less white of course.”
She smiled up at him. “That makes sense. Everyone here is so friendly. I guess that’s their job, huh?”
“Yes, and we try to employ people who want to be here. You get to know people pretty well in a place like this. If you employ the wrong people, it makes everyone’s life a lot harder. We have a real mix of locals and seasonal workers. The ski instructors leave and head to the southern hemisphere slopes at the end of the season and we get mountaineers and kayakers in their place. But lots of them come back year after year.”
“It sounds like a funny life for them.”
“I suppose so.” He shrugged. “They seem to like it.”
They were walking down a corridor toward his suite. He had a three-bedroom suite, which was really like his own apartment. It was his sanctuary, and truthfully, he didn’t bring women here, ever. It was his and his alone. When you lived with an ever-changing crowd of people, you needed a corner to hole up in. He and Chloe were supposed to be engaged. If they were really getting married, then he’d be sharing this space with her so it made sense for her to stay here. He was strangely nervous.
His suite was on a corner that overlooked the river with the mountains beyond. It had a fireplace and natural light to spare. The sofas were masculine brown leather but they were buttery soft. The walls were a soft yellow so that it felt warm even on the coldest of days. He had a small dining table off the kitchen and an extremely large television. He was a guy after all.
“So, this is me,” he said as he guided her in. He was aware that he’d been maybe a little touchy for her liking today, a hand here, an arm there but that’s what fiancés did and it was more than that. He liked touching her. He’d never stop touching her if that was allowed. He hoped she wasn’t nervous, but Chloe seemed to have calmed down a bit and relaxed since they arrived.
She walked ahead of him, taking the space in.
“It’s very you,” she said, turning to look at him.
“I hope that’s a good thing.” He tried to be casual but he really wanted her to like it.
“Of course it’s a good thing. And look, not an Elvis in sight.” She tilted her head, giving him a sexy smile.
“Sorry about that . . . if you need an Elvis, I’ll get you an Elvis.” He rocked back and forth on his heels. She was standing there in jeans and cute little red cowgirl boots and a navy fisherman’s sweater. She looked so good. So damned good.
“That’s okay, I can last a day or two without him.” She ran her hand along the back of the sofa. “Wow, that feels so . . .” He wished she’d run her hand along him that way.
He couldn’t help it, he stepped toward her and pulled her into a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me, too.” She looked up at him with such devotion. Yep, that was the word. He lowered his mouth to hers. He probably shouldn’t but he had to kiss her. It had been way too long since his lips had been pressed against hers, her soft body pulled against his chest.
She didn’t resist, she wrapped her arms around his neck and opened for him. She tasted like she looked, so damn sweet. He tried to keep it casual and light but he found he couldn’t. Instead, it was a kiss of longing and desire and a layer of lust.
He broke the kiss and tried to give her a casual smile, but their breathing was ragged and he was pretty sure he wasn’t the only one feeling just a little worked up.
“You’re a good kisser.” Her arms were wrapped around his waist now, her body pressed to his.
“Thanks.” What could one say to that?
“I guess you’ve had a lot of practice.”
That old insecurity was creeping in. “It takes two people, Chloe, as I said before, it’s good because it’s us, not because of me.”
Short of sending her out to kiss other men, he really had no way of proving that to her and that was not a tactic he planned to employ.
“Maybe.” She stepped out of his embrace and flopped down on the couch. A puddle of pretty despondency.
Sometimes Chloe was resigned to her past and other times, like right now, she hated it. She hated how vulnerable it made her. How inadequate she felt for a woman of her age. She was a grown woman trapped in the mind of a fifteen-year-old. She had the knowledge and experience of a teen, and well, from what she’d seen on television, she had a lot less knowledge than some of them. She was here with a gorgeous man and she didn’t know what to do with herself, or him. She opened her mouth and insecurity leaked out.
She picked up a pillow and smothered her face in it, letting out a small primal scream.
She felt the sofa shift as Tom landed on it beside her. And she heard his low laugh rumble through the room.
“It isn’t that bad, Chloe.” He reached over and tried to pull the pillow away. “Whatever it is that has you in such a state, we can work it out.”
She shook her head behind the fabric. Now she wasn’t sure what she was more embarrassed by, the way she was currently behaving or her lack of readiness for life.
“Come on, honey, it’s going to be fine.”
She dropped the pillow and sighed. “I’m sorry. I just feel, overwhelmed. It’s so embarrassing.”
“Seriously, with all that has happened in the past little while, I’m amazed you didn’t have a meltdown sooner.” He leaned back against the corner of the sofa. Maybe he was giving her space or maybe he was keeping a healthy distance from her because she was acting like a crazy person.
“It’s not that . . . well, not only that. It’s just I’m here with you and I just don’t quite know how I’m supposed to behave.”
“You’re doing fine.” She arched a brow at him. “And there’s no supposed to. This is an odd situation. I don’t think there are rules exactly.”
“See, there you go again, letting me off the hook.” She sighed.
“Is that bad?” Tom shuffled along the sofa and sat beside her now, his large thigh pressed against hers. He took her hands in his.
“Not bad, but I mean, if I was a different girl here alone in your room . . .”
“I don’t bring girls to my room, Chloe.” His voice was deep and solemn.
“Ever?”
His head shook. His thumb made a lazy circle on the back of her hand. “I keep this space private. So there are no rules for that either.”
She took a moment to process. He had to bring her here because of the fake engagement, she supposed. It didn’t mean more than that. Another kindness she wasn’t sure she deserved.
“Okay, I’m sorry you had to do that.”
He nudged her with his shoulder. “I’m not sorry. I want you here. You showed me yours so I’m showing you mine.”
“Huh?”
“My life, Chloe.”
“Oh.” Her voice was soft and nervous. “My point is, I like you but then we get close and I feel fifteen, I get butterflies and I feel out of my depth.”
“And it scares you,” he said. A statement not a question. “That part is normal. I feel that way when I’m with you. On the one hand, I feel the happiest I’ve ever been. On the other, I’m kind of terrifie
d by that.”
How did he do that? Just come on out and say it. “But I don’t know how to . . . be.”
“Yeah, it sucks, right?” He chuckled. “Look, I’m no expert because I am floundering myself, but I think if you do what feels right for you, not because someone told you that you should do or feel something, not because of what you’ve seen on television or other people’s rules, but just what feels like the best thing for you personally, even if I don’t like it, then you should do that.”
“Even if you don’t like it?” His thumb continued its distracting slow dance across her hand.
“Sure. I don’t want you doing anything that makes you uncomfortable, but on the other hand, I think it’s a mistake not to challenge yourself.”
She tried to process his advice. “So you’re saying don’t do anything that makes me uncomfortable but extend my comfort zone.”
Another laugh. “Yeah. I should write a self-help book with advice like that.”
He was right, though. “So you’re saying I should try skiing, for example?”
“I’m saying put the skis on and have a lesson. If you hate it, that’s okay. At least that will be your decision. You’re fit, you’re young, you’re not scared of heights, so why not? Just because you’ve never had the chance before doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take it now.”
That made sense. And she could see how that could apply to other things, sexy things, too. Continuing not to try anything wasn’t going to move her forward any.
“Okay, then.”
He smiled at her. “So you want to go skiing?”
“Oh no, I have something else in mind.”
Chapter 13
When Chloe leaned over and planted a slow kiss on his mouth, he couldn’t have been more surprised. Her tongue swept across the seam of his mouth and he opened to let her in. This was a new Chloe. Man, he should give himself props because that pep talk had clearly been a winner.
Still, he was more than aware as her tongue danced against his that only minutes ago she’d been a hot mess, so he needed to let her set the pace for this, whatever this was. He kept his hands on hers and the slow rhythm of his thumbs moving across her soft skin. He didn’t break the kiss or escalate it. She leaned in closer and he felt the soft curves of her breasts on his arm. She was so lovely and he couldn’t believe his luck at being the one to find her.
Any Way You Want It : An Upper Crust Series Novel (The Upper Crust Series Book 5) Page 12