Gold - Linde K. A. - Страница 20

Hugh glanced over at Bryna. “I have dinner reservations for tonight, but I left our afternoon open. I wanted to spend some time with you. Do you ski?”

“A bit,” she said. It wasn’t entirely true. She was an excellent skier and had been doing it her whole life, but he didn’t need to know that. “But I didn’t bring anything to ski in.”

“We have a fully stocked ski store on the first level,” Meredith said.

Hugh raised his eyebrows as if he hadn’t already planned for this. It wasn’t what she had planned for, but it might be fun to try to relax with him. He was trying to make her comfortable here with him. This had to count for something, more than a dress or earrings.

“All right,” she agreed.

“I think you took advantage of me,” Hugh said. He was laughing as he walked through the snow with both of their skis and poles in his hands.

She gave him a sheepish look. “So, I might or might not be more experienced than I’d let on.”

Red colored her cheeks, but she wasn’t sure if it was from his scrutiny or the bitter cold from the slopes. Perhaps it was both.

“A little? I own the resort, and you were skiing circles around me.”

“Not…literally.”

“I bet you could though. Why didn’t you pursue it?”

She shrugged but held her head up. “Los Angeles doesn’t leave you much time to practice. It was something fun my father and I used to do. My mother was always too worried about hurting herself. She’d stay in the ski lodge and drink most of the day away. It was really my thing with my dad. We used to ski together all the time when I was growing up. He worked a lot more when I got into middle school, so I tended to spend a lot of time on the slopes alone.”

She snapped her mouth shut before she got into her whole family diatribe. She hadn’t meant to spill all of that to Hugh.

She didn’t usually remember her childhood that way, but it didn’t seem like much had changed. Her father still worked too much, and her mother, Olivia, continued to drink much of her life away. Neither of them spent any time with her.

Bryna and Hugh were silent as they trudged up the last hill before he grabbed her and softly kissed her on the lips.

“I like that you’re sharing more of yourself with me,” Hugh said. “I want to share more of myself with you.”

She smiled languidly. She was sure there was a double meaning buried in there.

“This way,” he told her.

He returned their ski equipment and then took her the back way up the elevator. It opened up directly into a massive penthouse suite complete with a perfect view of the mountains, an outdoor Jacuzzi, several bedrooms, and a grand kitchen. Every luxury was accounted for.

“Hungry?” he asked, kissing the soft spot between her neck and shoulder.

“Starving.”

“Me, too.”

She swallowed hard. “Maybe we should eat now…”

He gripped the top of her new jacket in his hands and peeled it off. “Yes, I’d very much like to eat right now.”

She shivered against him. His hands ran down her arms and then gripped her hips. He lifted her shirt, so he could touch bare skin. The tips of his fingers trailed along the inside of her pants.

“By all means…”

“But we have dinner reservations,” he said, taking a step back.

She looked at him, aghast. Is he really stopping?

“Go on. Get dressed. I have big plans for you tonight.”

She was sure she was being punished for teasing him the last couple of times they had been together. Now, he was getting her all turned on and walking away. She’d had a great day with him…better than had been expected actually. He was an easy guy to be around. He always had a smile on his face and a ready laugh for all his stories. Being around him was like a breath of fresh air.

Bryna quickly showered off the hours of skiing from her skin, blew out her hair, and kept her makeup natural, enhancing her best features. Her black dress ended at mid thigh and flowed out when she moved in a circle. She paired it with leopard-print pointy-toe heels that killed her feet but looked fabulous. The price I pay for beauty.

She walked out of the bathroom, only to find the entire suite covered in lit candles. The table was set for two with a full buffet of food, and Hugh was drinking red wine in a stemless glass.

“I thought we had dinner reservations,” she said, narrowing her eyes at him.

“We did.” He walked up to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. “I decided I didn’t want to share you.”

“You’re not sharing me.”

“I like to hear that.”

She hid her smile under her lashes.

“Dinner?” he asked.

Bryna sat down at the table, and Hugh took the time to personally serve her food. She was sure a man like him, with his wealth, didn’t do anything for himself, let alone for someone else. They had a Gorgonzola spinach salad, braised chicken, grilled asparagus, and three-cheese truffle macaroni and cheese. Her mouth watered at the display.

She bit into the chicken and sighed at the incredible flavor. “My compliments to the chef. This is incredible.”

“Well, thank you. It’s my recipe.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Friends with a chef and a chef yourself?”

He laughed. “Not exactly. I never went to culinary school, and I don’t run a restaurant, but I’ve worked in a kitchen a few times in my life.”

“Really?” she asked, surprised.

“I didn’t have to, but during college, I was rebellious and decided I wanted to set out on my own. You work in a lot of kitchens when you do that.”

“You seem pretty down-to-earth for someone who runs his own resorts.”

He shrugged. “Life tends to knock you down a few pegs every time you think you’re on top of the world.”

“That’s the fucking truth.”

Maybe she had pegged him wrong. She had thought he was going to be…well, Jude. She hated admitting that she’d kind of hoped for that. Jude had been an asshole. Hugh kind of seemed like a nice guy, all things considered.

“So…mind if I ask you a question?” she said.

“Of course you can.”

“Why me? Why did you pick me out that day? Why do you spoil me like this?” she asked in a rush.

The answer was an important one for how their relationship would continue to develop.

His smile was completely open when he responded honestly, “It’s complicated. I noticed your beauty first, of course. How can I not notice? But there was something more. You clearly had good taste, expensive taste. I like that. Yet you weren’t going to buy the earrings, and you seemed very appreciative when I got them for you. I don’t mean for this to come out as offensive, but you don’t seem like the type of person who wants me for my money…and I’ve met people like that.”

Bryna swallowed and tried to keep her face blank. He liked her because she didn’t seem like a gold digger. Well, shit.

“I mean, you knew who I was and didn’t call me right away. We’ve been on several dates, and you haven’t pushed for anything. You seem like a woman doing well for yourself in your own right while doing exactly what you want.”

A blush crept onto her face. That sounded exactly like her…except that she had completely been playing him the whole time.

Knowing his reasoning almost made her feel bad about her motivation.

After dinner, Hugh cleared the table and suggested they take a dip in the Jacuzzi. She changed into her mint-green bikini that made her look even more tan and then met Hugh out on the balcony. He was already seated in the steaming water in nothing but a pair of blue swim trunks. This was the first she had seen of his sculpted body. She had known he was trim and must work out a lot, but really seeing him made her appreciate his body even more.

She jogged over to the Jacuzzi and quickly got into the warm water. “It’s freezing,” she said, her teeth chattering.