Snowbound with the Boss(18)

Sean was pushy, dictatorial, arrogant—and those were his good points. Okay, yes, he had beautiful eyes and talented hands and a wicked sense of humor that often made Kate laugh even when she didn’t want to. But none of that—even including the amazing sex—was enough to build a life on. And he might not have mentioned marriage yet, but he wanted their baby so she was pretty sure he would mention it, sooner or later.

And she would never get married again. Too much opportunity for pain.

“Sex isn’t everything,” Kate muttered.

A deep voice behind her said, “People who say that aren’t doing it right.”

Kate inhaled sharply as her heart gave a hard thump. Just hearing his voice set her nerves jangling and her pulse racing—in spite of how hard she tried to rein them in. Blast it, she thought, she’d come out here to get away from Sean for a while. She’d thought she had escaped the hotel cleanly. Hadn’t she waited until Sean was in the kitchen with the crew before she slipped out for a little privacy? But no, he’d managed to track her down anyway.

“I heard that,” Molly said, laughing. “I’m really starting to like him.”

“That makes one of us,” Kate muttered. “I’ve gotta go.”

“Fine, but I’ll need a full report later. Spare no details.”

Kate shook her head and hung up, then turned to face Sean. “Why are you following me?”

He shrugged and the movement stretched his black T-shirt across a chest she had reason to know was a broad expanse of muscle. “Don’t think of it as following you. Think of it more like I’m walking my property. Get an idea what the land looks like when it’s not buried under a hundred feet of snow.”

She didn’t believe him, even though what he said made sense. Because instead of checking out the scenery, his gaze was fixed on her. Heat blossomed in the center of her chest and sent tendrils of warmth rippling through her. His eyes were as blue as the lake behind her and the wind ruffled his black hair across his forehead. It looked like he hadn’t bothered to shave that morning, so a beard shadow covered his jaw and only made him look even sexier—and she wouldn’t have thought that possible.

Having him here again, on her turf, was unsettling. When Sean was several hundred miles away, she could focus on her life, her baby, and almost convince herself that Sean wasn’t a part of it at all. And that, she told herself, was how she wanted it. What she felt for Sean was a tangle of emotions. The desire was still there, of course, but mixed in was annoyance and an affection she couldn’t completely deny.

“Well, take a look around,” she said, waving one arm to encompass the wide spill of lake behind them and the forest that ringed the lake and stretched out for miles on either side of the hotel. When his gaze shifted to the view, Kate watched him and softened at his reaction to the beauty around him.

He looked back at her and smiled. “It’s a great spot. Beautiful, really. It’s amazing how big the sky looks out here. Seems a lot smaller somehow in California. You know, up until now, I’ve always been a beach guy. Love surfing, taking a boat out.” His gaze shifted back to the calm surface of the sapphire-blue lake that mirrored the white clouds overhead and the pines that stood as guardians at the edge.

She had to smile. “Boats have been known to go on lakes, too.”

He grinned, and she felt the jolt of it clutch at her heart.

“Good point,” he said. “Maybe we could look into getting some boats here for guests. And paddleboards would probably go over well.”

She imagined they would, but said, “Not exactly in line with the theme of ancient warriors and evil creatures.”

He laughed easily and tucked his hands into his pockets. “Even gamers take time out for a little reality now and then. And we could paint scenes from the game on them.”

Kate sighed. It was so hard to resist when he poured on that charm. Even knowing she should be hardening her heart, keeping her distance, she was drawn to him like she’d never been drawn to anyone else. And when he smiled at her, as he did now, everything inside her softened, yielded.

He turned to scan the forest area then looked back at Kate. “Why don’t you show me where you’re going to position the cabins?”

“Okay.” Good. This was good. Keep the conversation away from the personal. They were being calm, reasonable and talking about the job. She swallowed down the knot of emotion in her throat and pretended it hadn’t been there at all. Reminding herself that he was her boss might be enough to keep her thoughts on the here and now rather than on a distant future that seemed too nebulous to negotiate at the moment.

Pointing to the closest stand of trees, she said, “You can see where we’ve already laid out the foundation slabs for the first two cabins.” She took a few steps and stopped again. “The others complete a half circle around the hotel. While they’re tucked into the forest enough to be private, they’ll still be close enough to the hotel that guests can easily walk up for the restaurant or gift shops. The septics are in, so that job’s done and we’ll get started on putting up the cabin frames in the next week or so. Just waiting on the final plans from the architect.”

He was walking right beside her, and she swore she could feel heat pumping from his body into hers.

“Sounds good. But why didn’t you put a couple of them closer to the lake?”

“Risky,” she said. “In a hard winter, the spring runoff could raise the water level, so you don’t want to be too close to the edge or you’ve got flooding worries.”

“Good point,” he said, shifting his gaze to study the proposed layout of the cabins. “When we get a hard storm surf in Long Beach, people are out sandbagging the sea wall to keep the shore houses from flooding.”

Sometimes, it felt as if they were completely in synch. For some reason it seemed that as their personal issues got more complicated, their working relationship improved. Talking about the job, answering questions, making plans, they felt like a team. But that was an illusion. She worked for him, and it was best that she remember that. This was her biggest construction project ever and no matter what else happened between her and Sean, Kate was determined to make the most of this huge opportunity.

“Most of the cabins will have lake views,” she said, walking again. The toe of her boot caught on a thick tree root, and she stumbled but caught herself. An instant later, Sean took her elbow to steady her on the uneven forest floor. Heat, raw and undiluted, roared into her body from the simple touch of his hand on her arm. Now she was more unsteady than ever but didn’t want to let him know it. “I’m perfectly fine, Sean. I don’t need help. I didn’t fall.”

He shrugged. “Shoot me. My mother raised a gentleman.”

“I appreciate it, but I can walk by myself.” She tried to pull free, but his grip shifted from velvet to iron in a heartbeat. And being reminded of his strength set up a flutter of nerves in the pit of her stomach.

Sean pulled her around to face him. “Look, I get that you’re not used to anyone taking care of you. But you’re pregnant with my baby now. And I’m going to take care of you—and her—whether you like it or not.”

And there went the closeness, the sensation of teamwork. He couldn’t seem to help himself from that arrogant, I-know-best attitude.

“You can’t just show up out of nowhere and start throwing your weight around,” Kate told him. “You are not in charge.”

“Wrong.” The word snapped from him and the heat in his eyes flashed dangerously. “From here on out, Kate, I’m giving the orders.”

“Are you serious?” She matched his fury with that of her own. “I’ve been on my own for a long time now. I don’t need you, Sean.”

Something dark and pain-filled flashed briefly in his eyes but was gone again in seconds. “Need me or not, I’m here, and you’re not shaking me loose so get used to it.”

They glared at each other, neither of them willing to back down. All around them, the wind whispered in the trees, birds shrieked and in the lake, a fish shot from the water to dive back in with a soft splash.

Then Sean muttered, “Damn it, what is it about you anyway?”

He dragged her in tight and kissed her hard. She thought about resisting on principle, but she couldn’t hold out against him. Her mouth softened against his as her blood pumped fast and thick in her veins. God, she’d missed this. The rising need, the tingles of anticipation and excitement that were bubbling through her. She held on to him, loving the feel of his strong arms wrapping around her, holding her close.

It was crazy, and all too quickly it was over.

When she opened her eyes, Kate saw Sean staring down at her and smug satisfaction shining in his eyes. “Don’t need me, huh?”

Like ice water had been dumped on her head, coldness swamped her, putting out the fire she’d felt only seconds before.

“You kiss me then throw my reaction in my face?” Kate was practically vibrating with frustration and a simmering anger that burned so brightly she was surprised her skin wasn’t glowing with it.

“Just reminding you of what’s between us,” he said tightly, and she had some satisfaction knowing that the kiss had affected him just as it had her.