Forever After (Montana Brides, Book 3) Read online

  Aunty Valerie didn’t bat one eyelash extension as Nicky glowed beside him. “This is my boss, Sam Delaney, Chief Executive of granddad’s company.”

  “Boss is it? My apologies for assuming Nicky had brought her latest beau for the family’s approval.”

  A look that didn’t make him feel altogether comfortable slipped across her face. When the ‘ah ha’ moment registered, he knew he was in trouble. From the tip of her dyed blonde locks, to the toe of her cream heels, he knew he’d be in for a grilling.

  “You’re not the same young man who broke Nicky’s heart two years ago, are you?”

  “Aunty Valerie,” Nicky squeaked. “Would you please not go there? I’m working with Sam for six weeks at head office. That’s all.”

  Aunty Valerie pulled her spine straight and glared at her niece. “Nicky Scotson, I’ve been your aunt for twenty-six years. You mark my words; make sure you know what you’re taking on with this one. It’s no wonder your stepmother’s in a flap. It takes a lot to rattle Maureen’s cage, but you’ve managed to put her in the biggest tizzy I’ve ever seen.”

  Maureen wasn’t the only one getting fired up. Sam’s blood pressure rocketed at the suggestion he’d left Nicky’s heart in shreds. There’d been nothing cold-hearted at all in his decision to run as fast as he could from the boss’ daughter. She’d been strictly off limits. But he’d still fallen head first into her big blue eyes and open arms like a moth sucked into a flame.

  Aunty Valerie glared at him. Nicky looked as though she wanted to disappear into a hole in the ground.

  Something unexpected happened at the sight of Nicky blushing from embarrassment. He forgot how frustrating and contrary and downright distracting she could be. He forgot about everything except how hard she’d always tried to fit in. He knew how much it meant to her to be accepted into her family’s social circle. And how difficult that could be.

  His arm snaked around Nicky’s waist, pulling her tight against his side. “You don’t need to worry about Nicky. I’m taking good care of her this time around.” Let the dragon make of that what she wanted, he thought, staring back at Aunty Valerie’s suspicious face.

  Nicky’s body went as stiff as a board and her skin turned as white as the napkin in her hand.

  Sam’s face set in a concrete smile. “If you’ll excuse us, we’ve got a few things to do before dinner.”

  The arc of a perfectly outlined eyebrow was the only indication Aunty Valerie gave that she knew she’d been ever so politely dismissed. His impulsive streak would probably come back to bite him on the butt, but right now he didn’t care. The look on her surgically enhanced face had been priceless.

  He started to move away, but Nicky’s feet stuck to the floor. Sam half lifted, half dragged her toward the backyard, getting her out the French doors before she wiggled free of his arm.

  “Keep your mitts to yourself, Sam Delaney. Now half the family’s going to think there’s more to this visit than business.” She glared at his misbehaving body, her blue eyes turning to chips of arctic ice. “You’re my boss and that’s the way it’s going to stay.”

  He grinned at the stubborn frown on her face. “You should be careful the wind doesn’t change and leave you wrinkled for life.”

  “Wrinkles are the least of my problems.” Nicky spotted an open bottle of wine. Filling a glass, she swigged it down her throat.

  “Living a bit dangerously aren’t we?”

  Looking over her shoulder, she hissed, “You have to promise me we’ll leave as soon as desserts over.”

  “What’s the rush? I thought you’d be happy to catch up with your family.” He felt another grin tugging at his lips.

  Her eyes zoomed in on his mouth. Pushing a stray lock of hair off her face, she took a deep breath. “In small doses. I need a decent sleep before I go head to head with most of the people in there.”

  Hell, even he’d need to psych himself up to spend time with the bunch of people in the living room. They looked harmless enough, but sharing a venison burger and cold beer with Aunty Valerie and her cronies seemed like self-inflicted torture.

  Cody and his licorice allsorts sister had the right idea. Make an appearance and then get the hell out of the room as fast as possible. With her two step-siblings missing in action, it was up to him to get Nicky out of the house in one piece. “Dessert it is. But you’ll owe me big time.”

  A small grin stole across her face as she reached for the wine bottle. “I’ll work extra hard at the office, boss.”

  Plastered on a couple of glasses of wine seemed highly unlikely, but her grin had turned goofy, and Nicky had never been goofy. “You can work extra hard after you’ve had a couple of glasses of water.” He grabbed the bottle of wine, holding it well out of harm’s way. If he had to navigate her out of the house she’d better be standing on her own two feet. If he had to carry her, more people than Aunty Valerie would be wagging their tongues tomorrow.

  Nicky looked through the French doors at the sound of a man’s voice booming across the deck. A soft groan escaped her Ravish Me Red lips.

  With a crooked smile on her face, she watched her grandfather heading toward them. Whether she realized it or not, she moved half a step closer to him.

  Half a step and a whole lot of body heat closer.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Sam drove toward downtown Bozeman and the apartment Nicky would call home for the next six weeks. As cheesecake and fresh fruit salad had been wheeled onto the patio, he’d nudged her out the front door, saving them both from another round of questions from her grandfather.

  After three glasses of water, half a ton of pasta salad, and one bathroom stop, she’d pulled herself together enough to handle the barrage of questions from the people at the barbecue.

  Nicky covered an enormous yawn with her hand, snuggling down further in her seat.

  He cleared his throat. “I want to talk about something.”

  “Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”

  “No. I need to get this off my chest now otherwise you might never hear it.” His heart hammered beneath his shirt. Sweaty palms gripped the steering wheel, like he was about to go off-road and hit the biggest ditch he’d ever seen. Taking a deep breath, he stared down the highway.

  “I acted like a jerk when you were here for your internship. I really liked you...” Hell, he’d fallen head over lust for the blonde nymph landing in his arms on her first day at the office. Sam grinned, remembering her feet tripping on the edge of a rug, files going everywhere, and her body pressed against his for all of two seconds.

  “The thing is, I tried to keep my attitude to you on a strictly professional basis, but I ended up wanting a lot more than that. I shouldn’t have slept with you. I’m the chief executive of your grandfather’s company, not some hormonal teenager running after the first pair of pretty legs to walk his way. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry for hurting you the way I did.”

  Silence filled the car.

  Nicky had to be digesting what he’d said, or wanting to rip his throat out. Flicking a glance across the seat, he quickly realized what was going through her brain.

  Nothing.

  He looked again. Somewhere between, ‘I have something to tell you,’ and, ‘I’m sorry,’ she’d fallen asleep. The deep breath he didn’t know he’d been holding whooshed out his lungs.

  So much for his apology. Sam’s fingers flexed against the steering wheel as his mind wandered over the next six weeks. She might be the best person for the task ahead of her, but she sure as hell wasn’t the best person for him.

  Ten minutes later he parked his truck in the basement of the Lofts. Nicky didn’t stir, not even a groan of disapproval to show she’d felt the vehicle come to a stop. He flicked his seatbelt off, pulled himself out of the truck, and closed his door with a loud thud. Still nothing.

  Moving around to the back seat, he lifted her suitcases onto the concrete floor.

  He didn’t need any more complications in hi
s life. Finding out who was stealing from the company was his top priority. Any personal feelings he might still have for Nicky wouldn’t be going anywhere this time around.

  He stacked the cases inside the elevator and then hauled them into her apartment. After he’d finished, he went back to the basement. Nicky was still sound asleep.

  He opened her door, silently staring at the woman who would uncover the biggest fraudster Scotson Construction had ever encountered.

  ***

  “Wake up, sleepyhead. We’re here.”

  Warm fingers rubbed Nicky’s arm. Her eyelids fluttered open and then closed, trying to hold onto the whisper of a dream disappearing from her mind. Her gaze drifted over the face hovering above her, locking onto a pair of smiling male lips. Sam?

  Lifting her hand, she traced the shape and texture of his mouth with the tip of her finger. His lips opened, gently nipping her finger with his teeth and a wave of heat swept through her body.

  She used her other hand to pull his head closer, smothering his soft groan in a kiss that left her aching for more. She pulled him forward, gasping as his lips left her mouth to slip down her throat.

  A heavy weight knocked her back into the seat.

  “Hell.” Sam’s voice cracked like a whip against her skin.

  Nicky’s body froze. This wasn’t a dream. This was the real Sam. The same man she’d sworn never to come within ten feet of again. The same man lying half on top of her, struggling to get upright, with his face planted on her chest.

  Her breath caught in her throat as her hands reached for the thick brown hair tickling her chin. Yanking with all her might, she pulled his head away from her body.

  “Ow,” Sam growled. “What did you do that for?”

  “What were you doing attached to my boobs?”

  He hauled himself out of the passenger door, rubbing his head where she’d pulled half his hair out. “I was leaning over you, trying to wake you up, when you started mauling me with your hands and mouth.” A grin slipped across his face. “I lost my balance when you tried to pull me on top of you.”

  “I did not.” Heat scorched through her body. Oh God, she had pulled him on top of her. Or tried to.

  Needed to.

  Nicky took a shuddering breath, ignoring the images clamoring inside her head of what she really wanted to do. It wasn’t embarrassment that sent the next tidal wave of color hurtling through her body. It was lust. Dear God, she needed to get out of here fast. She lunged for the door opening, gagging as her seatbelt locked her into place.

  Sam smothered a laugh.

  Glaring at the heartthrob standing in the parking garage, she tried to concentrate on something other than her hormones. Breathing. That would do it. Sucking a great lungful of air into her body, she tried to ignore him. It wasn’t working.

  “Come on, Nicky. I promise not to tell anyone you’ve got the hots for me.”

  “Hots? I don’t have the hots for you. You took advantage of a dream, that’s all.” Throwing her legs out the door, she stood up and straightened her blouse. The wet mouth mark on the edge of her right breast sent another rush of heat to her face. “Like I said. There’s something going on in that mind of yours if you dream about smooching a man senseless.”

  “My point exactly,” Nicky huffed. “A man. Not you. Waking up with your face inches from mine confused me. You were a convenient pair of lips, that’s all.”

  “I don’t believe one word that’s spouting from your mouth,” Sam grinned. “Let’s go Pinocchio, before your nose gets so long you won’t be able to move.”

  She jumped out of his way as he leaned toward her. This was so not going to plan.

  “Just shutting the door.” He looked like a cat that had gobbled a tasty mouse. “Let’s get you tucked up safely in your new apartment before you start experimenting on someone else.”

  “It was not an experiment, it was a dream,” Nicky growled.

  “Whatever you say.” Sam walked toward the elevator, throwing his keys in the air and whistling some tuneless wonder that set her nerves on edge.

  “What about my suitcases?” she yelled.

  “They’re already upstairs.”

  She frowned at his retreating back. Dragging her feet toward the elevator, she watched him push the button. She wouldn’t mention the lip sucking kiss again. The best and only way to deal with his face stuck to her chest was to pretend it didn’t happen.

  Pulling back her shoulders, she walked into the elevator, watching the little green light as they rose to the fifth floor. Her glance slid across to Sam. Leaning back against the metal wall, with his hands jammed in his jean pockets, he stared straight back at her. His eyes crinkled at the corners, lit with a mischievous gleam that spelled double trouble for her plans. It looked like she’d have to pretend for both of them. “When do you want me to start work?”

  His amused grin slipped into professional mode. “How about I pick you up at ten o’clock tomorrow?”

  “Sunday?”

  “Do you have a problem working on a weekend?” Sam asked. “Or is it just your imagination that likes working overtime?”

  A wash of red blurred her vision. If the man had any common sense he’d realize just how productive her mind could be. For good and evil. And there were some positively black thoughts shooting poison arrows at her elevator buddy. Taking a deep breath, she visualized sixty thousand dollars wiped off her mortgage. Sixty thousand reasons why she should kick those evil thoughts out of her mind and concentrate on why she’d been brought to Montana.

  Working on a Sunday was the least of her worries. With a tight smile, she said, “No, I don’t have a problem working at the weekend.”

  “Fine.” The elevator pinged open and he followed her into the corridor. “Number one, on the left.” Reaching into his back pocket he took out an electronic key card, handing it to her. “This will get you into your apartment. There’s a separate key that operates the electronic doors of the garage. I’ll give you that at work on Monday, with a company car to use while you’re here.”

  Nicky opened the door and stared at the loft. “Wow. I didn’t expect anything this grand. It’s huge.” The open plan design made her home back in Denver look like a series of tiny boxes, bonded together with wooden floors and a century worth of cobwebs.

  A gourmet kitchen, gleaming white under pendant lights, flowed effortlessly into a dining area big enough to seat at least eight people. The living area had been filled with overstuffed sofas, a shaggy cream floor rug, and a huge television.

  Sam followed her inside. “We built this tower eighteen months ago and bought the two penthouse lofts off the plan. My assistant’s stocked the fridge and pantry with food. There are three bedrooms and a laundry at the back of the loft.”

  Sam had left her suitcases beside the leather sofa. She wandered across to the floor to ceiling windows. Wrapping around two sides of the room, they framed an incredible view of the Bridger Mountain Range, glowing deep purple in the last rays of sunlight.

  “There’s an information pack on the coffee table explaining how to use all the gadgets in here.”

  Nicky opened the French doors and a wave of warm air blasted her body. She turned back into the air conditioned room, closing the doors on the quiet evening. The cold sting of artificial air kept her brain focused and her hormones under control. Hot and steamy thoughts had no place in her apartment. Especially when the man causing the meltdown was staring at her with an amused gleam in his eyes.

  “I can get a taxi into work tomorrow to save you a trip back here.”

  “It’s not a problem. I don’t live far away.”

  “Where do you live?” An uneasy suspicion crept into Nicky’s overactive imagination.

  “Not far. We’re almost neighbors.”

  The sharp edge of the key card bit into her hand. “Don’t tell me you live in this building?”

  A slow smile spread across Sam’s face. “Okay, I won’t tell you.” Opening her apartment door,
he looked over his shoulder. Another blast of heat hit her body. “Sweet dreams. I’ll see you at ten.”

  Nicky stared at the closed door. He couldn’t be living in the same building. Working beside him would be bad enough, but living within throwing distance brought up a whole new set of issues. And she’d be damned if she’d get back into his truck tomorrow morning. Walking to the office held more appeal than sitting beside a man that made her crave feelings she’d buried a long time ago.

  There was only one way to find out where Sam lived. Kicking off her shoes, she ran across the room, yanked the door open, and stepped into the corridor.

  He was gone. She pushed the elevator button and watched the doors open. Her gaze flicked to the stairwell. She was on the fifth floor. He could have used the stairs.

  She opened a metal door, listening for the sound of feet slapping against concrete. Silence. She moved back into the corridor and looked around. A gold tag identified apartment two. The second and only other apartment on this floor. Her shoulders sagged.

  She’d just met her neighbor.

  ***

  At ten o’clock the next morning, Sam’s hand hovered over Nicky’s doorbell. He didn’t know whether he should push the button and dive for cover, or take whatever punishment got thrown his way. One thing he’d learned about his long-legged business consultant was that she didn’t take too kindly to unexpected surprises. If the dumbfounded look on her face last night had been anything to go by, he’d managed to surprise her again. Twice in two days cut his life expectancy to shreds.

  He glanced over his shoulder at the elevator.

  The door to her apartment opened before his hand moved off the buzzer.

  “You live next door, don’t you?”

  Yep. The woman might have been exhausted and slightly tipsy, but her powers of deduction hadn’t dimmed. “Good morning to you, too. Did you sleep well?”

  Crossing her arms in front of her chest, Nicky glared at him. “Sleep well, my ass, Sam Delaney. In your spiel about the loft, you forgot to mention who my neighbor would be.”

  “It seemed irrelevant at the time. You needed a place to stay and the apartment’s available. Would you have preferred to bunk in with me?”