“You don’t have to pay to put me up,” Lucky said. “I never asked for that.”
“He’s staying with me.”
That came from Georgia, who was behind the desk. We all turned and looked at her, and she just shrugged. It was an apologetic move.
“So you’re dating one of my employees,” Alex said.
My ears perked up at that. If dating a Seduction Summit Lodge employee put this gig at risk, maybe I should just turn the whole thing over to this angry guy. I’d definitely give up the work before I’d cut ties with Skye.
And that was when I knew I had it bad.
“I’ve already come up with a proposal for you,” Lucky said. “Does this guy have everything mapped out?”
“Yep.” I turned back to Alex, crossing my arms over my chest. “I spent all day yesterday scouting locations. I could put together a proposal and have it on your desk by the end of the day.”
I turned back to Alex, and as I did, I saw something over his shoulder. A certain beautiful brunette. I had to force my eyes to stay on Alex. They were dying to drift over and take in her fresh-faced beauty with that long ponytail and the body that was imprinted in my brain. If I lived to be a hundred, I’d never forget the sight of her, eyes closed, lips parted, hand beneath the thin cloth of her underwear…
“Sounds good.” Alex looked from Lucky to me and back again. “Both of you have a proposal with dollar amounts on my desk by end of day tomorrow. I’ll make a decision and let you know.”
With that, he turned and walked off, leaving me standing there awkwardly with my competition, his live-in girlfriend, and the woman I couldn’t stop thinking about. The woman of my dreams.
“Look,” Lucky said. “No hard feelings. Someone just tipped me off that Alex was meeting with a logging crew.”
I think I knew exactly who that someone was. She’d been tapping away on her phone during the few minutes I stood waiting for Alex to come out. The big question was, how had he gotten here so quickly? He must have been in the area.
“Name’s Lucky,” he said, thrusting out his hand.
I eyed it skeptically a second before uncrossing my arms and returning his handshake.
“Boone,” I said. “I own a logging operation in Adairsville.”
That made my business sound bigger than it actually was. Lately, I’d been doing a lot of tree removal and firewood sourcing. Small jobs that wouldn’t pay the bills, but I knew more than anyone what it was like to have someone come in and snatch your business away from you. That was exactly what had happened to me, but this had been a larger company with crews all over the region. I was small potatoes in comparison.
“May the best man win,” Lucky said.
And then he nodded at the woman behind the desk before turning and walking out. I glanced over at Skye, whose eyes were on the other woman. That made clear what I should have already known. I needed to keep things professional with Skye. If anyone got a hint that I had my eyes on one of the Seduction Summit Lodge employees, it could jeopardize the whole thing.
I’d get the job, then do something about this raging erection. But could I stay away from Skye long enough to do that? I had my doubts.
7
SKYE
He didn’t even speak to me. No hi. No goodbye. He barely glanced at me. It was like I didn’t even exist.
Crap, what had I done? Yes, I hadn’t slept with him, so that was something. It would have been far worse to lose my virginity to a guy who’d blown me off the next day.
With a sigh, I looked at my watch and verified it was once again almost six o’clock. Yesterday at this time, Boone had come walking through that door. I had a weird sense of nostalgia remembering it. Only twenty-four hours ago, my life was boring, but I was reasonably happy. Now, it felt like my world was coming to an end, and all over a guy I’d just met.
I turned the combination on the safe to get my purse, shifting my focus to my plans for the evening. Maybe I’d look into a job somewhere else. I loved Seduction Summit, but I wouldn’t want to live here if it meant possibly running into Boone, even though he lived in Adairsville. His rejection had zapped some of Seduction Summit’s magic for me.
I was making the final turn of the dial when the bell above the door chimed and my hand froze. Last night, I’d made the mistake of leaving my phone and purse on the counter. I shoulddefinitely keep my belongings in the safe until I locked the door and switched the sign to closed.
“May I help you?” I called out as I pushed myself to my feet.
I was prepared to see a stranger or maybe my friend Georgia coming in to chat. She did that sometimes at closing. But I sucked in a big gulp of air when I saw what was on the other side of the cashier stand. Not a customer or Georgia or anyone else who worked at the lodge. No, this was the very man who’d been on my mind all day. The man I’d assumed was blowing me off.
“Hi,” I said, hoping he couldn’t hear the aggressive pounding of my heart.