Page 50 of Embattled Ever After

And now, as she drove through the Denver streets, her heart raced at her own daring. This was a normal, everyday thing for most people, but it felt to Lora like she was scaling Everest. As she walked into the restaurant a few minutes later, her coat in the coat check, Chad’s eyes gleamed with pleasure as he watched her walk across the room to him. Lora gasped in a breath when she reached him, and sagged into his arms. Her gumption had begun to flag as she felt so many eyes upon her.

“You look,” he paused to run his eyes from the top of her head to her toes, “like every wet dream I’m going to have for the next year and a half.”

Laughing, she lifted her mouth for a kiss, knowing he would be there to meet her.

“You approve?” she asked, some of her confidence faltering.

“Hell, yes,” he hissed. “Are you serious? You are more beautiful than any other woman in this room. If you hadn’t taken me in your arms, I’d be fighting with the half a dozen men that were undressing you with their eyes as you crossed to me. Where the hell did you get that dress?”

When he held her chair out for her to be seated, Lora sank into it gratefully. “I ordered it online,” she admitted. “At first I thought it was too tight.”

Chad sat down to her right and grasped her hand in his. “It looks stunning on you. I always tell you the truth, you know that, and that dress fits you like it was poured onto you.”

“Well,” she said slowly, “it’s so tight I couldn’t wear my bra under it.”

Immediately, his eyes dropped to her full breasts. And his attention made her breasts respond. It was a long moment before he looked up again. “Just what in the hell did I ever do to you? Why are you trying to kill me?”

She giggled, covering her mouth with a hand. “One other interesting tidbit about this dress,” she leaned toward him conspiratorially. “It’s only held up by one button at my neck.”

Chad’s brilliant blue eyes darkened with arousal and his gaze lingered at her neck. He wanted to pop that button, just to see what would happen. She smiled at him, wondering what he would do when he realized the dress had no back.

They ate a lovely meal and Lora gave herself permission to try a few things she’d never had before. Chad watched her with guarded eyes. Lora could tell he wanted to be alone with her, but he also didn’t want to rob her of the experience. “You’re going to owe me tonight, woman.”

Lora laughed, already looking forward to paying that debt to him.

They finished the meal and Chad paid the check. When she stood from the table, and he rested his hand on her lower back to escort her out, his hand jerked away, then flattened to her skin. He chuckled, low and sexy, but rather than saying anything, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and walked her out.

To get to the theater, they just needed to walk down less than a block and cross the street. When they were away from the restaurant, he turned her around so he could move her coat aside and look at her from behind. “My God, woman, you are trying to get me killed. I’m going to have to beat men off with a stick.”

He actually didn’t, but everything he did for her that night was magical. In every way he could, he reinforced the sensuality and womanliness that was emerging from her. Lora watched the play, but her attention was focused on the finger he played up the inside of her arm. And the arousal roughened voice warning her to be good as she very subtly rested a hand on his heavy erection. He covered her hand with his, and she let one of her fingers glide along his length.

His breath hitched in his throat and he pulled her hand away, crossing his legs in the opposite direction. Chuckling softly, Lora wrapped her arm through his, running her fingers over the puckered skin of his scarred arm.

It seemed like the play dragged on for hours, but it was only because she knew Chad would give her a greater show than anything she’d seen tonight. When the curtain fell for the last time, they made their way out of the theater hand in hand and headed straight for the hotel.

Lora was thrilled that they were almost at the dessert part of the night.

Chapter Fifteen

Duncan didn’t have itin him to pretend, so he sent John a text that he would be taking the next couple of days off and packed a bag. Then he turned his truck south on twenty-five. Las Vegas, New Mexico was only about five hours away, but the temperature difference was substantial, enough so he could almost feel his bones defrosting. They would defrost all the way when he went to his favorite hot mineral spring to soak.

Tranquilo Hot Springs Inn was in Las Vegas, New Mexico, a sleepy little town guarded by Montezuma Castle. Through the years the landmark had been many things—international college, hotel, monastery—but it had been under renovation for years. He’d never actually gone through the thing, but he loved looking up the hill to see its silhouette up there.

The Inn was just a few minutes away and catered to wealthy clientele. But, for the right price, they would give you a room and leave you alone for two days to soak in the in-room mineral baths. Duncan realized when he pulled into the lot that he probably should have called for a reservation, but they managed to find him a room. As soon as he unlocked the door and dropped his bag, anticipation started to creep in, along with the familiar, faintly sulfuric smell. Crossing the room to the pool, he kicked his boots to the side, dropped his coat and clothes to the floor and walked carefully down the steps.

The heat was scalding, a huge temperature jump from outside, but his body acclimated quickly. As he settled into the rough stone seat, he let all his inhibitions and worries go. For just a few minutes he would enjoy the springs.

The next time he opened his eyes, he knew he’d been in a long time. His fingers had those weird little wrinkles in the skin. Sighing, he used the railing beside the steps to pull himself up and out of the water. Towels were stacked in an open cupboard nearby, so he grabbed one to dry off. Then, crossing the bedroom, he pulled back the sheets and comforter on the bed and crawled inside. As soon as he covered himself up from the chilly air, he drifted off to sleep again.

When he woke, he was ravenously hungry. Calling for room service, he ordered too many things to eat, as well as several drinks to put in the small fridge across from him under the TV.

Maybe if he kept himself busy enough he wouldn’t miss Alex as much.

As he dug into the beautifully plated roast chicken, he knew it wasn’t going to happen. He had hoped by changing his scenery and doing something, he could get away from thoughts of her but it definitely hadn’t worked that way. All he did was think of her and imagine her sitting across from him in the spa, or laying beside him in the expansive bed.

The desolation in her eyes when they said goodbye at the airport had almost crushed him. He couldn’t remember Melanie ever looking at him that way any time he’d shipped out. Granted, that was years ago and maybe he’d forgotten, but he was pretty sure his ex-fiancée hadn’t cared that much. He and Melanie had never had that kind of connection.

Fuck, why was he even thinking about Melanie? Why was he still allowing her to be a problem all these years later?

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