he could read between the lines. Disappearing had been impossible. Brandon could imagine what she must have been like as a teenager. Beautiful and no doubt sheltered if she’d been raised by a grandmother, a perfect victim for any unscrupulous male. He cleared his throat. “Were you hurt?”
She shook her head. “Not really. There were some who tried, but I managed to evade them. I spent all the time I could at school or the library studying. I wanted to go to college because the academics were the only thing I had going for me. I had to get loans, but I did it.”
Brandon thought of his Ivy League education, paid for from the Barlow-Barrett coffers. “What did you major in?” Maybe he’d get an inkling of what she did for a living.
“Art history. In fact, I have a masters degree. I guess it’s about as useful as a philosophy degree. But I’ve managed to make a living.” She sat without saying anything for a moment, staring into the flames. “This has been nice, Brandon, but I should probably go.”
He scooted behind her and rubbed some of the tension from her shoulders. “You know, I’d love to have you stay, to give you a better idea of how it could be between the two of us. But I also want you to know that’s not the only thing I want, so, yeah. Why don’t we get dressed and I’ll walk you to your room.”
“You don’t have to. I’m a big girl.”
He arched a brow. “My mother would disown me if I allowed a date to go home without an escort.” He helped her to her feet. “Will you ski with me again in the morning?”
Lucy looked surprised. “You don’t have to do that either. Now I have an idea of what I’m doing, I can go on my own and not hold you back.”
He brushed her cheek with his knuckles. “I want to ski with you. Part of the fun is sharing it. We’ll make a day of it. Lunch here again and then we’ll head into town tomorrow afternoon and look around some of the shops. Come on. It’ll be fun.”
“All right, but if you change your mind and decide you don’t want to ski with a newbie, my feelings won’t be hurt.”
The skiing wasn’t what it was about, but he couldn’t tell her. He wanted to spend time with her, whenever and however he could, because he was determined this would be more than just a vacation flirtation. “I won’t change my mind.” He handed her clothing to her. “The bathroom’s the first door on the left if you’d like some privacy.”
“Thank you, Brandon.” She grinned at him. “Your mother would be proud of your manners.”
He laughed. “Right.”
* * * *
Lucy stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her hair was a mess, her makeup a wreck, and she felt better than she had in ages. Maybe it was the faded Nationals sweatshirt, or the boxers hanging on her hips. She picked up the sweatshirt and brought it to her nose. She smelled his aftershave and the warm, male scent that was his alone. Would he laugh if she asked to keep it?
Get over it, Lucy. What was she doing? Brandon was out of her league, an older, more mature version of Edward Montgomery. But damn it, he wanted to be with her, so at least for this week, she would enjoy every minute of it. There would be plenty of time to disappear into her own world.
Attitude in place, she stripped off her borrowed clothes and put hers on with the speed of someone accustomed to making quick costume changes. She did that very thing several times a night when she was working. After wiping the dark circles from beneath her eyes and attempting to tidy her hair, Lucy returned to the great room to find Brandon standing near the gas logs. He was in his slacks, dress shirt and suit coat. He looked rumpled and sexy enough that she wanted to strip him naked again.
“You’re missing a few buttons,” she murmured.
One golden brow arched. “I’m not planning on letting anyone else close enough to figure that out.” He smiled. “Come on, baby, let me walk you to your room. I’ll even be a gentleman and just give you a kiss good night—the way our first date probably should have ended.”
“First date. So there will be a second?”
He picked up her wool jacket from the back of the couch and slipped it around her shoulders. “As many as we can fit in, and more if you’ll let me.”
Lucy had to ignore that. She couldn’t think beyond this week right now. She’d been down the same road and knew disappointment lay at its end. So she smiled at him instead. “Walk me to my room.”
He took her arm and tucked it through his. They had to walk outside for a few yards, but then they were inside the main lodge. The night clerk gave them a nod, but otherwise the halls were empty. Lucy wasn’t sure how late it was. She didn’t feel tired, no doubt because of the company and the attraction. When they reached her door, she dug in her pocket for her key card. Brandon took it from her and slipped it into the lock. Once the door was open, he scanned the room.
“You take this escorting me home with more seriousness than I’ve ever encountered.”
He leaned against the door jamb. “No sense being careless.” He put his hands on her shoulders and drew her close. “Come here. Let me give you a good night kiss.”
It felt right, being pressed close, feeling his arms surround her. The kiss started off a gentle brushing of lips, but the heat was there, and building. When his tongue touched her lips, she parted them, welcoming him. Her arms twined around his neck.
“We’ve been here before,” he whispered, his lips brushing her mouth. “I should stop. Tell me to stop.”
“You should stop,” she whispered back.
He cupped her face with his hands, kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning. We’ll get some breakfast first, ’kay?”
She nodded. He tucked her inside the room and closed the door. Lucy leaned against the wall and stared at it. God. She knew better. She really did. So why was she letting herself fall for him?
* * * *
Brandon stared at the closed door, his body aching. He was not where he wanted to be. Right now, all he wanted was to be on the other side of the door, taking Lucy’s clothes off, laying her on the wide bed he’d glimpsed and covering her body with his. He would ease the ache between her thighs, worship her body with his and show her what it could be like between them. There would be no rush, no hurried, desperate coupling like he’d subjected her to earlier.
He was amazed she was still speaking to him, let alone that she’d agreed to ski with him again, to see him again. He closed his eyes. She’d felt so wonderful wrapped around him… Brandon pushed away from the wall, forcing himself to go to his suite before he did something foolish, like break down her damn door.
Chapter 4
Lucy couldn’t believe how much she looked forward to seeing him the following morning. She took extra care with her clothing and makeup, laughing because she would probably fall on her ass in the snow and no doubt sweat off most of her foundation. When she entered the lobby, Brandon was standing next to a tall, muscular man whose dark hair was pulled into a braid at his nape.
Both men turned at her approach, Brandon with a smile, his companion with an assessing gaze that roamed from her feet and ended on her face. Lucy was used to being sized up by men, but in an overtly sexual way she found easy to ignore. This man’s regard was wary, as if he were deciding whether she was worthy of Brandon’s friendship.
“Lucy, come meet the owner of this place and my good friend, Matt Petersohn. I think I mentioned to you we used to compete together.”
Lucy smiled and shook Matt’s hand. “You did. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m afraid I’m new to skiing, so I’m not familiar with any of the sport’s athletes.”
“Your newness is why I’m here. Bran mentioned wanting to take you to one of the runs higher on the mountain. I rated