Secretly Hers (Sterling Canyon)

by Jamie Beck

  Her head fell against his neck as they both panted while their trembling bodies absorbed the force of their orgasms. Trip’s fingertips ran up and down her spine and then he toyed with her hair. Although her body went limp with satiation, her mind raced in several directions. Being wrapped up with Trip gave her such pleasure, such a sense of physical comfort and security.

  She could easily picture a future like this, with a man like him. A man who could turn her on, make her laugh, challenge her, touch her heart, and even make her want to pull her hair out and scream. Did he feel the same about her? She thought he might, but whatever tenderness he showed or promises he made, he never uttered the L-word.

  Although she’d been enjoying a near-blissful afternoon, Mason’s warnings and her own insecurity nipped at the contentedness blooming in Kelsey’s chest, causing an involuntary shiver to travel through her body.

  “You’re cold?” Trip craned his neck to look at her, then hugged her and rubbed her arms for warmth. “I’m sweating like a pig.”

  “I’m not cold.” She wrapped one arm around his waist. “This is nice. I’m glad we’re doing this together.”

  “Even if you never get any baby girls out of the deal?” He teased, his ready smile showing no signs of regret.

  Kelsey knew him well enough at this point to recognize his habit of deflecting a serious conversation with a lighthearted joke. But she also noticed he’d said “girls”—plural—implying he was already thinking long-term. More kids. Her heart squeezed with hope. Hope gave her courage to explore his feelings.

  “Humor me, okay?” she replied. “If we do have a girl—”

  “Which we’ve already agreed would be kinda like the second coming of Christ in terms of miracle births,” he interrupted.

  “Yes, fine. What would you want to name her?”

  That shut him up. He probably hadn’t even started daydreaming about fun details like names, but she had. She watched different emotions play over his face, but had no idea what he was thinking. Rather than wait for his answer, she led him toward her own. An answer that should show him how much he meant to her.

  “What was your mother’s name?” she asked, praying it wasn’t something awful or old-fashioned.

  He stilled and stared at her, blinking the same dazed way he did when she first told him about the baby.

  “Danielle.” His throat worked while he watched for her reaction. “But my grandfather called her Dani.”

  When she smiled, she felt his muscles slacken.

  “I like that.” She kissed his chest and fingered his bangs, hoping her decision would please him. “If we have a miracle daughter, I think we should name her for your mother.”

  Without a word, he pulled her into a kiss. It started out firm but then softened into something gentle and loving. Something that melted her very core. He eased away and stroked her cheek with his thumb.

  “You take my breath away,” he said, his eyes locked on hers. “I can only hope to be worthy of your kind heart.”

  You are. Her heart longed to shout the words. To tell him he was the most captivating, sexy, stimulating, tender, infuriating man she’d ever known. To tell him she’d fallen for him, heart and soul. But the baby had been more than enough shock for him to handle. She’d hold her feelings inside until she knew they wouldn’t send him running away.

  Trip tugged her back against his chest and into the vise of his muscular arms. His steady heartbeat pounded beneath her ear. They laid together in silence for another minute before he kissed the top of her head. “If it’s a boy, we shouldn’t name him after me.”

  “Really?” She’d have expected his ego to demand that he and his beloved grandfather be the baby’s namesake. “Why not?”

  After a brief hesitation, Trip joked. “’Cause I can live with being called Trip, but ‘Quad’ doesn’t quite have the same ring to it.”

  Kelsey chuckled, but sensed more to the remark, knowing his joke was probably just another deflection. “We could skip the nicknames and call him Gunner.”

  “Maybe.” His dismissive tone only increased her curiosity. His arms tightened around her, making her warm inside and out. “Or maybe our son should get his own identity.”

  Whether Trip was attempting to distance their child from his reputation, his family history, or something else, Kelsey wasn’t sure. Rather than press him, she changed the subject.

  “Will you be bummed if it is a girl?” She bit her lip, awaiting his answer.

  “No. But unless she’s the world’s biggest tomboy, I’ll be clueless about how to handle her.”

  “You’re good with Fee.”

  Trip chuckled aloud. “Oh, boy. If I father a girly girl with that big a personality, she’ll give me a heart attack. She won’t date until she’s thirty, I can promise that much.”

  “It’s always womanizers like you who never want their daughters to date.” Kelsey pinched his chest.

  He grabbed her fingers and kissed them. “You think I want my daughter to end up with someone like me?” Rolling her onto her back, he playfully pinned her beneath his body, wrestling her until she stopped squirming. “Now let’s change the subject.” He kissed her breastbone and then her stomach as he worked his way down her body. “I’ve got a better way to spend the rest of the night.”

  “You do?”

  “Mm hmm.”

  Then his face disappeared between her legs and even she stopped caring about baby names.

  Trip set the pregnancy journal and fancy body creams he’d picked for Kelsey on the counter where Jessie—one of his former flings—was working. Her sandy-colored, wavy hair, not nearly as shiny or thick as Kelsey’s golden locks, hung wild around her shoulders. A snug sweater revealed full C-cups and a small waist. Skintight jeans completed her walking advertisement for sex-on-the-go.

  The kind of ad he’d usually answered, but not anymore.

  She’d been a party girl looking for a good time, and they’d shared a few. No complications. No regrets. Still, this particular purchase presented an awkward moment.

  “I heard karma caught up to you.” She chuckled while scanning the items. “Guess you’re off the market now, or for a while, anyway.”

  “Breaks your heart, I know,” he teased before patting down his jacket to locate his wallet. Ah, left-hand pocket. When he fished around for it, he discovered a folded piece of paper tucked in the pocket, too.

  After handing his credit card to Jessie, he scanned the handwritten note:

  I hope I make you as happy as you’ve made me, cowboy. XOXO, K

  He reread it, grinning, and then tucked it in his pocket before Jessie noticed. Two weeks ago, his entire world had turned on its axis. Aside from an occasional doubt, he’d been coping with his new reality just fine. More than coping. If he were being completely honest with himself, he liked his growing closeness with Kelsey.

  “You know,” Jessie began while she finished bagging the items, “people are taking bets on how long you and Kelsey will stick it out.”

  “Excuse me?” Trip set his hands on the counter, heat rising to his neck.

  “Basic stuff, like whether you’ll still be together by the time the baby comes.” She pushed the bag of goodies toward him, smiling like she hadn’t insulted both him and Kelsey. “Based on your conquests during your first eight months in town, odds are long on that one.”

  He drummed his fingers against the counter, trying to maintain an unaffected air. “Guess gossip is a pitfall of my legendary reputation. But if people spent more time worrying about their own sex lives instead of analyzing mine, they’d be more . . . satisfied.”

  “Since when have you been touchy?” She laughed, which told him he’d failed to hide his feelings. “In a town this small, you had to know news of the most desperate romantic snagging the most notorious playboy with an ‘accidental’ pregnancy would set tongues wagging.”

  Trip’s nerves caught fire at her tone and accusation. He glared at her. “Watch it, Jessie. There’s not
hing desperate about Kelsey.”

  “Sorry, Trip.” Jessie’s eyes widened, as if surprised he’d rushed to Kelsey’s defense. “Just joking around.”

  “It’s no joke to imply she tried to trap me. That’s not what happened. And, by the way, I feel damn lucky, so consider that before you place your next bet.” He turned without looking back and marched out the door into the first snowfall of the year.

  Normally giant snowflakes boosted his mood. Right now, they weren’t even helping to cool him down. Jessie’s disbelieving expression still lingered in his mind, pissing him off. He’d walked two blocks before the muscles in his neck and shoulders finally loosened.

  Couldn’t Jessie see he was happy, dammit? Calling Kelsey desperate. Please! Kelsey was sweet and sexy and sassy all rolled into one.

  Thinking of Kelsey reminded him of the message she’d snuck into his wallet. The last time he got surprise love notes had to have been tenth grade, when they were stuffed through the slats of his high school locker.

  Those had usually been anonymous, which had been fun because he would spend the next day or two trying to figure out which girl had a crush on him.

  Now there were no questions about who had the crush. For all the casual indifference she’d shown prior to the pregnancy, Kelsey’s behavior had now returned to the woman he’d met last year. The one who’d had her heart set on Grey.

  That memory brought an instant scowl to his face. Not only had Kelsey chosen Grey over him that night so many months ago, but she’d gone on to pursue Grey for months afterward.

  Luckily Grey hadn’t been interested, Trip thought, as he breezed into the back office at Backtrax and brushed the snow from his hat.

  “That’s the first pout I’ve seen on your face in a while.” Grey crossed his arms and shot Trip a smug smile. “You have a fight with ‘the little woman’?”

  “No.” Trip had talked smack for so long, he knew he had to suffer whatever digs Grey took now that he’d succumbed to being in a relationship. Still, he didn’t have to endure too much if he could change the subject. “Have you been outside? Another little snowfall. I spoke with Jon yesterday. He’s available to help out this year until you’re cleared to ski.”

  “Jumping the gun, aren’t you? It’s only October fourth, and we’re only expecting three inches today.” Grey unwrapped a grape lollipop and shoved it into his mouth. “Such a tease.”

  “It won’t be long now. El Niño, baby.” Trip sank into his chair and crossed his legs at the ankles. “When do you think you’ll be ready to ski?”

  “I promised Avery I’d wait until the resort opened and do a first run down a groomer, but I’m thinking I may not be able to keep that promise.” Grey sighed. “Seven weeks seems like forever away.”

  Trip didn’t want Grey to push too hard, but being restricted to groomers? For God’s sake, that seemed extremely cautious for such a strong athlete. Surely there was a better compromise. “The forecast is predicting a huge storm this weekend. Maybe Sunday you and I can hike up the inbounds trails and rip up deep pow, maybe dodge some trees in the glades?”

  “Technically that would be ‘resort’ skiing.” Grey smiled, but Trip knew his friend was likely a little anxious about testing his knee. In any case, Grey shifted gears. “I’ve got something planned this afternoon, so if the ‘Concerned Citizens’ are still meeting here at four to plan the next steps in scuttling Wade’s project, count me out.”

  “That’s fine. I’m good to go.” Trip set his hand atop a thick paper report sitting on his desk. “Got a copy of the impact study right here.”

  “How’d you get that?” Grey craned his neck to look at the papers. “Shouldn’t it only have gone to Wade and the Copelands?”

  “Does it matter?” Trip leaned forward. “I thought you supported doing whatever it takes to make sure this deal doesn’t happen.”

  “I don’t want to see anyone come in and upset the balance of town, but you gotta know, your leading the charge is going to get you in trouble with Kelsey.”

  “Neither of us has made a secret of our opposing views or promised to back off. One of us won’t be satisfied with the outcome, but it’s not personal.”

  Grey shook his head. “I know you aren’t that dumb.”

  “Just ’cause I’m not pussy-whipped into backing off my own principles so Kelsey can get her way, doesn’t make me dumb.” Trip tossed a frustrated wave at Grey. “She’s got no right to be angry. I’m not mad at her for not backing off and giving me my way, am I?”

  “Not the same thing because Kelsey has a bigger stake in this than you.”

  “Bullshit. Money isn’t the most important thing at stake.” Trip poked the document with his index finger. “This study shows potential adverse impact to the surrounding residential properties, surface and groundwater risks, displaced wildlife, and other issues. I’m not saying the sky is falling, but there’s got to be a better use for that property than luxury shops and office buildings.”

  Grey shrugged one shoulder, his desk chair creaking as he shifted his weight. “I’m sure Wade will offer solutions or compromises to deal with the stuff in that report.”

  “Maybe, but we don’t have to make it easy.” Trip eased back into his seat. “Current zoning height restrictions might pose a problem for him. If he needs town’s approval for a special exception permit, that’s another place we can make some noise.”

  “When you get so fired up, it seems personal. Don’t piss Wade off so much he cuts off our access over his hotel property.”

  “We’ve got a recorded easement. As long as we meet the terms of that agreement, we’re safe. Besides, I’m not sticking my name on everything. I’m merely coordinating the efforts. The retailers are way more vocal at this point.” Trip smirked and grabbed one of Grey’s suckers from the jar. “After the meeting tonight, Bob Russell’s going to get together with the youngest Copeland and try to persuade him to hold out for another opportunity. Something better will come along. That should help Kelsey get over whatever disappointment she feels when this deal falls through.”

  Grey’s expression revealed doubts. “For your sake, I hope she sees it that way.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Trip knocked on the window of Kelsey’s office before he breezed in through the front door, whistling. The entire room smelled faintly of her flowery perfume, which caused him to smile.

  Kelsey remained seated behind her desk, pen in hand. He noticed she’d pulled her hair away from her face with the antique hair combs he’d bought her in Denver. Her silken locks flowed over her shoulders and hugged her chest. As always, she looked feminine and delicious, despite her absorption in her work. If she weren’t eating for two, he’d probably suggest skipping their dinner plans altogether and going straight to bed.

  “Hey, gorgeous. Ready to go?”

  “Is it six thirty already?” She glanced at her phone. “Why don’t you go across the street to The Mineshaft and get us a table? I’ll be there in ten minutes, promise.”

  “I never say no to ribs.” Trip leaned across her desk to give her a quick kiss, then set the bag containing the lotions and journal he’d picked up earlier today in front of the keyboard. Jessie’s smart-ass remarks about local bets zipped through his mind, but he brushed them aside. “By the way, I got you some more little surprises.”

  Her face lit with a smile as she peered inside the bag and pulled out its contents. She thumbed through the pregnancy journal, her eyes growing misty. “I love this!”

  “Good. Now finish up your work so we can eat and go home.” He kissed her once more for good measure. “See you soon.”

  Knowing Kelsey’s tendency to get lost in her work, he figured ten minutes could easily turn into twenty or thirty, so he opted to sit at the bar rather than wait alone at a table.

  He was chugging from an icy mug of beer when a pretty brunette sidled up to him. Although she was petite, he could discern her athletic build from the fit of her clothing. Her hazel eyes scanned h
im quickly before crinkling above her broad smile.

  “Trip, right?” She smiled at him expectantly.

  “That’s me.” Dimly lit bar or not, normally he remembered faces, but he didn’t recognize hers. “I’m sorry, have we met?”

  “You don’t remember me?” Her sly expression warned of an intention to toy with him.

  Surely he’d remember if he’d had sex with her. Then again, there had been a few nights last ski season when he’d been drunk enough not to remember much of anything. He needed to deliver a smooth line to wiggle out of this pickle. “Well, my bad memory is certainly no reflection on your pretty face.”

  “Still a flatterer, I see. Guess it takes more than sweat-soaked skin and ropes to retain your attention.” Her eyes twinkled with good humor.

  Sweat and ropes? How in the hell could he forget a night like that? His face must have revealed his confusion, because she finally chuckled aloud and let him off the hook. “You led my buddies and me on a climb this summer. Seems all that attention you showered on me was more about business than anything personal.”

  “Now I remember. You were with three guys. We all crack climbed a chimney.” Trip raised his glass in a toast, relieved he hadn’t actually forgotten having had sex with a woman. “If I recall correctly, you had natural skill. Ellie, right?”

  “Ali, and thanks.” She leaned close, her thigh brushing against his, humor now replaced with genuine flirtation. “If I recall correctly, you promised to show me a good time next time I saw you.”

  That he had. Of course, now he couldn’t make good on that promise. More importantly—and somewhat shockingly—he wasn’t even interested. Unfortunately, Kelsey walked in just at that moment, looking none too pleased to see him at the bar with another woman practically sitting in his lap.

  He waved Kelsey over while replying to Ali. “Well, my circumstances have changed, but we can still have a good time up on the big mountain.”

  Kelsey stopped beside him, wearing the phoniest smile he’d ever seen on her face. Her misty gaze barely met his before darting to Ali. Was she about to cry? He stood and kissed her cheek and draped his arm around her shoulder to reassure her. “Hey, princess. This here is Ali.”