And Trish had agreed. He supposed he should be flattered, but he wasn’t.

Whatever devil’s bargain she’d agreed to, she would ultimately fail. In the meantime, though, Adam was more than willing to play along. He would be lying if he said he only wanted to seduce her because of her part in Sally’s matchmaking game. No, Adam just plain wanted her. Wanted his hands on her lush curves. Wanted his mouth on her lips, her skin. He wanted to feel her all over, inside and out. It had been this way ever since the first day she walked into his office. And he would have her, all of her. Soon.

And that’s where the game would end.


Norman Thompson, the ADA lawyer, had a tendency to drone on and on.

“I’ve already told you that we’ll make the changes, Norm,” Bob Paxton said calmly. “Just give us your notes and cut the editorials.”

“Did you get that last measurement, Trish?” Adam said, crossing the narrow walkway to stand beside her.

“Yes, I’ve got it,” she murmured, grateful she’d brought a new legal pad with her on the trip. She’d filled almost every page. She was also grateful she’d borrowed Deb’s warm down jacket and thin, thermal gloves or she would’ve turned into a block of ice by now. Despite the sunny day, it was cold up here in the mountains and they’d been outside for almost five hours.

“Do you have anything more for us?” Adam asked the lawyer.

Thompson snorted in disgust. “Isn’t that enough?”

“Yes, it is,” Adam said easily. “Thank you for your input. We’ll send you a complete list of the changes we make, along with photographs of the completed work. I assume you’ll want to conduct a final survey of the grounds after the work is completed.”

“Absolutely,” he said.

“Good.” He glanced from Bob to Trish to the lawyer. “We’re finished here.”

“I suppose,” Thompson said, dropping his own notepad into his thin briefcase. “I’ll expect your report within the month.”

“You’ll get it next week,” Adam said briskly, holding out his hand. “Have a good day.”

“Well.” He shook Adam’s hand. “You do the same.”

They watched Thompson walk back to his car, then Bob turned to Adam. “Next week might be cutting it close, but we’ll aim for it.”

“I want it done,” Adam said. “If you have any problems with the crew, I want to hear about it immediately.”

“There won’t be any problems,” Bob said determinedly as he put his small, digital camera back in his pocket. “I’ll e-mail you the photos as soon as I’m back in my office. And I’ll find out exactly who was responsible for all the mistakes.”

“I know you will,” Adam said, shaking hands with the contractor. “Thanks, Bob.”

“It was great to meet you, Bob,” Trish said.

“Nice meeting you, too, Trish,” Bob said, shaking her hand. Then she and Adam watched him head back to the construction trailer parked on the periphery of the resort property.

“Let’s get up to the lodge,” Adam said, placing his hand on the small of her back and leading her away from the parking structure. “It’s freezing out here.”

“I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed,” Trish said, but now she wasn’t sure if her shivers were from the weather or from his touch.

As he guided her along the bark-covered shortcut to the lodge, Adam pointed out the beginnings of several trails to be used for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing once the snow began to fall. The downhill skiing trail was just a short hike away.

“It’s so beautiful,” Trish said, stopping to look in every direction.

“I think so,” Adam said gruffly, looking right at her.

Trish felt herself blushing and would’ve looked away, but how could she? It was as if he were a magnet and she were metal. His eyes were so blue and knowing, so aware of everything. Did he know what she was thinking? What she wanted?

Trish blinked. What was wrong with her? She still couldn’t believe she was here in this place with him. When she’d first seen that letter from the ADA lawyer, she wished she’d been the one to alert the man about the problems at the resort. It would’ve been sweet revenge indeed against Adam Duke. But after hearing Adam talk about the handicapped kids he’d known at the orphanage, she was glad she’d had nothing to do with it. It almost broke her heart to know Adam had spent part of his childhood so lonely and alone.

She was still determined to seek justice and closure. She owed that much to Grandma Anna and the others. But she wouldn’t do it on the painful memories of a lonely child living in an orphanage.

There was no sign of that childhood pain now as she stared at Adam and saw the stark hunger in his eyes. Then the starkness disappeared as Adam glanced around the trail.

“Serenity Lake is just beyond the main building,” he said, casually pointing over her shoulder as if they hadn’t just shared a special, lust-filled moment. “We’ll be able to see it from the lodge. In summer and fall, there’s boating, kayaking, canoeing, fishing, hiking, bird watching, mountain biking. We also offer yoga, croquet, tennis, golf and horseback riding.”

“Wow.”

He grimaced. “I sound like a travel agent, don’t I?”

She laughed. “Yes, you do. But I’m sold. This place is fantastic.”

Trish stared up at the magnificent Arts and Crafts-style resort that rose six stories up the side of the mountain. Fantasy was a perfect name for it. The stone and timber façade, dark wood gables and carved willow balconies offset the forest-green pitched roof, covered walkways and tall stone chimneys. The overall effect was stunning, rustic yet aristocratic.

“It’s amazing,” she said.

“Wait’ll you see the inside,” Adam said, grabbing her hand to take her up the wide plank stairs and through the impressive double-door entrance.

“It’s…” Trish slowly spun around to take in the massive main lodge. The huge fireplace at one end of the room was tall enough that Trish could walk inside it. She wouldn’t, of course, since there was a roaring fire warming the space. But it was certainly big.

Throughout the room, golden brown leather chairs and sofas were grouped around hand-built twig tables. Thick carpets covered the hardwood floors and wide wood beams stretched across the immense cathedral ceiling. The walls were exposed timbers, bleached, then varnished to a rich, warm hue.

“It’s dazzling,” she said finally.

He chuckled. “Why don’t you have a seat by the fire? I’ll check where they put our bags and get the keys to our rooms for the night, then we’ll take a tour, meet the chef and have dinner.”

She stopped in her tracks. “Our rooms? Dinner? Aren’t we flying back?”

“It’s after four o’clock and we still have work to do here,” he explained. “We’ll spend the night and go back tomorrow morning. That way you can meet with the chef and we can talk about the opening.”

“But that’s crazy,” Trish said before she could stop herself. “I can’t spend the night here with you.”

He studied her for a moment. “Is it spending the night away from home that worries you or the fact that you’re here with me?”

“Neither,” she said hastily. “I’m not worried. I’m just…hmm.”

He moved closer and seemed to grow taller, stronger, before her eyes. “We’re here to work, not play.”

“I know,” she whispered.

He was close enough that she could smell his scent, a heady combination of forest, citrus and Oh, dear lord, leather. If she moved another inch, their mouths would meet. It was tempting.

“Are you afraid of me?” he asked quietly.

She tried to laugh, but her throat was too dry. “Don’t be silly.”

“Because I assure you, Trish. You’re in no danger from me.”

“Of course not.” She smiled weakly.

He stared at her face for another moment, looking for signs of what? Fear? She gave him her best blank look. He nodded once and went off to get the keys. Sinking into a plush leather chair near the warm fire, Trish swallowed uneasily. In no danger from him? Was he serious? Or simply blind? Oh, if he only knew how much danger she was in. She just hoped he would never find out.

Six

After a tour of the lodge and the behind-the-scenes facilities, Adam introduced Trish to Jean Pierre, the head chef. Together with the hotel and restaurant managers, they all sat down to discuss opening-night strategies. After an hour, Adam ended the meeting and took Trish off to enjoy dinner in the resort’s most elegant restaurant.

Adam had already explained to Trish that although the resort wasn’t yet open to the public, the entire staff was up and running at full power these last few weeks until the official opening. The kitchen prepared meals throughout the day and the waitstaff served them to other employees with the same professionalism they would show to a paying guest. The same procedure was followed by the other departments throughout the hotel, and everything was observed and graded by the management team.

When it came to running their resorts, the Dukes preferred to leave nothing to chance.

And when it came to seducing beautiful women, Adam Duke left nothing to chance, either.

It had occurred to him as he was picking up their room keys, that his strategy with Trish could use some fine-tuning. So far, she was playing the model employee, pretending confusion and uncertainty when he’d informed her they’d be spending the night in this remote, beautiful place. He’d ostensibly played right into her hands, practically delivering himself on a silver platter for her enjoyment. So why hadn’t she taken the bait?

Why was she continuing to act so coy?

You’d never know she had her sights set on him, he thought with some disgust. She was obviously playing hard to get, but the goody-goody act was no longer working for him. He would have to find a way to break through her charade. He wanted to look into her eyes and see her hunger, her craving, her need for him.