CHAPTER TEN
PREPARATIONS FOR THE party took precedence over everything.
Tyler was responsible for the lighting and he had Jess helping him, holding ladders and directing him while he twisted lights into trees and along the overhanging roof of the renovated boathouse. He turned the air blue as he fiddled with bulbs, but he arranged everything as Élise instructed.
Guests using the trails around the lake stopped to watch and offer congratulations, all caught up in the excitement of the official opening. Everyone staying at the resort was invited and Élise felt a buzz of triumph that finally her dream would become reality.
The Boathouse Café would be good for Snow Crystal. Good for business.
She hadn’t let Jackson down. She hadn’t let the O’Neils down.
The newly laid deck was now home to stylish tables and chairs and she’d added large earthenware pots crammed full of colorful blooms she’d been nurturing herself.
Tables inside had been moved together to form a buffet table while still leaving room for a small dance floor.
“It’s going to be great.” Taking a quick break with Élise, Kayla watched Tyler work. “Subtle, perfect romantic lighting. You’ve done an amazing job, Élise. You’ve thought of everything. Don’t forget to think of yourself and leave yourself time to change.”
“I have half an hour at six. It will have to be enough.” She couldn’t afford more than that. She’d spent her morning moving backward and forward between the large kitchens in the main restaurant and the Boathouse. Almost all her team were focused on preparations for the party and she was more than happy with the way things were working out. Elizabeth had been wonderful as always. “I need to ask Sean to drop those tools back to Zach. I can’t store them any longer.”
“Sean’s gone back to Boston. He left before dawn. I can ask Jackson to do it. He has to go out later, anyway.”
Sean had gone back to Boston?
He’d left?
Happiness drained out of her, leaving her feeling shockingly empty.
She didn’t know what upset her most. The fact he’d left without telling her, or the depth of her disappointment. And mingled in with those disturbing emotions was frustration that Sean had left without sorting things out with his grandfather.
Kayla glanced at her watch. “Brenna is coming to our place at six to get ready so that she doesn’t have to go back to the village. I’m going to try and persuade her to wear my red dress, otherwise she’ll turn up in the same black one she always wears when she’s forced to dress up.”
“Black is very elegant. I am wearing black.”
“Nothing wrong with black, but Tyler has seen her in that dress a hundred times and I thought I’d shake things up a bit, just to make sure he notices her. Why don’t you join us? We can all get ready together.”
They’d want to talk about Sean and she couldn’t face it.
“I can’t, but thank you. I need to be back here to supervise the last-minute preparations. The timing of the food has to be just right. We have a mixture of hot and cold appetizers and a choice of cocktails.”
She’d been planning this party for months and not once had she expected Sean to be there, so why did she suddenly feel as if the evening had lost its gloss?
She was tired, that was all. The buildup to the opening had exhausted her.
She’d be fine once it was over and running the Boathouse became part of her routine.
“The band are setting up at seven, I can deal with them. Guests arrive from seven-thirty.” Kayla frowned up at the sky. “The sky looks a bit ominous. Do you think it’s going to rain?”
“I really hope not, but if it does we’ll just have to move the whole thing indoors. We’ll be tight for space, but it will be fine.”
She tried to push Sean out of her mind, for once grateful she was busy.
* * *
BY THE TIME Élise stripped off her clothes and stepped under a cooling shower in Heron Lodge, she was wishing she could just lie down and go to bed, but she still had to supervise final preparations for the food as well as making polite conversation.
Normally, she enjoyed that part. She loved talking to guests in the restaurant, discovering their likes and dislikes and who they were.
Tonight, she wasn’t in the mood for making polite small talk.
Irritated with herself, Élise dried her hair quickly, applied her makeup and pulled on a black dress she’d bought on a trip to New York to visit Kayla. It was high at the neck and low at the back and the skirt swung to midthigh. Knowing she’d be on her feet all night and walking a lot, she slid her feet into a pair of ballet flats and pulled a single silver bangle onto her wrist.
She paused on her deck and allowed herself a moment to breathe in the peace and solitude, and then walked along the lake trail toward the Boathouse.
Her team were poised and ready and she delivered a final briefing, making sure they understood every dish and all the ingredients.
By the time the first guests arrived, everything was in place.
The band was local and sufficiently versatile to keep the growing crowd entertained as they stood on the newly completed deck, drank Élise’s special cocktails and enjoyed the breathtaking view of the lake.
Élise circulated, dutifully chatting to the people Kayla introduced to her, discussing her plans for the Boathouse and the Inn at Snow Crystal, smiling until the muscles in her face ached and her head started to throb. Sounds mingled, music tangled with threads of conversation and laughter.
A bright point of the evening was when little Sam arrived with his family. He looked uncomfortable in a clean shirt with all the mud scrubbed from his face.
Élise made a point of locating the pizza bites she’d added to the menu especially for the younger guests.
“Yum.” He helped himself to four and then caught his mother’s eye and put one back on the plate. “Kayaking was wicked fun. Brenna is awesome.”
“Hey, you were a champ.” Brenna ruffled his hair as she walked past. “You’re going to put up a fight in that race tomorrow.”
“I’m gonna win.” Sam spoke with his mouth full of pizza and his mother rolled her eyes, switching the baby onto the other hip.
“Talk or eat honey, you know the rules. Not both together.”
“It’s a week until my birthday.” He was almost jumping on the spot. “I’m getting a red mountain bike. So cool to be here for my birthday. I’m spending the whole day with Dad.”
“A red bike?” Élise made a mental note to bake him a cake. “That sounds like a great present.” She noticed that Brenna was wearing her usual black dress and assumed Kayla had lost the argument.
“I’ve waited three years.” Sam’s fingers hovered hopefully over another slice of pizza and Élise helped him out and put two slices on his napkin.
“Three years is a long time. You must be very excited.”
“Dad promised I could have one on my ninth birthday. I’ve got a bike at home, but it’s a baby’s bike.” He all but drooled over the pizza. “Can we have this same pizza for my birthday?”
“I’ll speak to the kitchen.”
Brenna stole a piece of pizza and winked at Sam. “When you’re with me tomorrow I’ll give you a map of the mountain bike trails. Be sure and start with the beginner one.” Her smile dimmed fractionally and Élise glanced over her shoulder to see what had caught her friend’s attention. Across the room, Tyler was laughing with a pretty blonde in a tight silver dress.
Élise ground her teeth and turned back to Brenna to suggest she ask him to dance, but the other girl had vanished.
Worried, Élise searched the crowded deck for a moment and then spotted her in a quiet corner talking to Josh, the chief of police.
She liked Josh. She’d had to put in a call to him once when a group of drunk tourists had descended on the restaurant on a Saturday night and he’d handled the situation skillfully and tactfully. In fact, she was fairly sure that half the people dining there that night hadn’t even realized there was a problem.
And despite the small scar under his eye and the uneven ridge of his nose, both earned in the line of duty, he was handsome.
Maybe Brenna should give up on Tyler.
If they hadn’t got it together after all this time, maybe they never would.
Sliding a final pizza bite onto Sam’s napkin, she wished the family a fun evening, then turned around and bumped into Kayla who was looking worried.
“I can’t find Brenna.”
“She’s hiding in a corner with Josh. I thought you were lending her a dress?”
“I tried. She thought my red one was too low.”
“How low was it?”
“Low enough to catch a man’s attention, not low enough to get her arrested.”
Élise sighed. “Brenna is always pretty but tonight she looks as if she doesn’t want to be noticed.”
“She’s never comfortable in this sort of social situation. She’d rather be sitting in the bar chatting to guests.”
“I like Josh. I think they make a nice couple.”
“Yes. There’s only one thing that spoils it and that’s the fact that she’s in love with Tyler. If I get a moment I’m going to bash him over the head with something hard.” Kayla walked off to greet another arrival and Élise intercepted Poppy who was circulating with plates of food.
“How is it going?” She tasted one of the delicate mushroom pastries she’d perfected days earlier, this time in miniature version.
“It’s a hit,” Poppy said happily. “This is my fifth trip to the kitchen. And they love the corn cakes, the goat’s cheese with pine nuts and the calamari. I’m about to bring out the duck and the chicken wings with the maple glaze and I’ve called over to the Inn for more pizza for the kids. Most of it is in Sam’s stomach.”
Élise gave a nod of approval and was about to circulate again and judge for herself the reaction to the food when she saw Sean.
He was standing at the top of the steps, watching her.
Her heart lifted and swooped. Joy spread through her and she smiled before she could help herself, before she realized that her reaction should have been something different.
He smiled back and the smile was just for her, the curve of his lips slow and intimate. And with that smile came the panic.
She didn’t want to feel this way. She really didn’t.
If he asked her to dance, she was going to say no.
But he didn’t. Instead, he was swallowed up by the crowd and the connection was broken.
So was her concentration.
She couldn’t breathe. She felt dizzy.
“Élise?” Kayla was by her side, introducing her to various journalists and food writers she’d invited in the hope that the new Boathouse Café would receive positive media attention.
Somehow she managed to respond, answer their questions, enthuse about food and the importance of partnering with local farmers, all the time wondering where Sean was and whom he was dancing with.
Darkness fell, the setting sun hovering over the mountaintops like a child peeping over the bedcovers desperate to squeeze every last moment from a perfect day, and finally she glimpsed him across the deck, dancing with Brenna.
“Dance?” Walter stood beside her. He was looking better by the day but she still ached with worry for him and she knew today had been a long one for him.
“I’m a little tired. Shall we sit down together for a minute?”
“What you mean is that you’re worried I’m tired.” He gave a grunt. “Stop protecting me.”
“Je t’adore, Walter. You are very special to me.”
His expression softened. “Then would you do me a favor?”
“Bien sûr. For you, anything. Just name it.”
“When my grandson asks you to dance, don’t refuse.”
“Tyler is too busy with his harem to even notice me.”
“I’m not talking about Tyler.”
Her heart pumped a little harder. “Me, I am not a very good dancer.”
“You’re a liar. I know you love dancing but you never do it. Tonight, you’re going to dance.”
“You should not meddle. Sean is too busy for a relationship and so am I.”
“Which is why a dance is perfect. If you want to make an old man happy, you’ll say yes.”
“That’s blackmail, Walter.”
“At my age you do whatever works. How was dinner? Did he poison you?”
“You know about dinner?”
“I don’t know why everyone around here assumes there’s something wrong with my eyesight. He brought his grandmother flowers. I happened to see food and wine in the back of the car and I’m sure he wasn’t cooking for his brothers.”
“He bought flowers for Alice?” Her heart squeezed. Strong, inscrutable Sean had bought flowers for his grandmother.
“Yes. And talking of Alice, I’ve left her alone long enough.” Walter’s eyes were fixed at a point over her shoulder and then he squeezed her shoulder and stepped back. “You promised.”
“Walter—”
But he’d already walked away from her, making his way back to the table to join Alice.
And Élise knew the reason he’d walked away was because Sean was standing behind her. Anticipation curled in her stomach and when she felt his hand on her back, she closed her eyes briefly.
Her insides churned with a mixture of delicious thrill and trepidation.
“I thought I was going to have to wrench you away from my grandfather.”
She turned, smile at the ready. “He is doing well, I think.”
“Very well.” He raised his glass in a silent toast. “Your party is a success.”
“So far no one has fallen through your deck so yes, I’d agree it’s a success. I didn’t think you were coming tonight. I thought you’d gone back to Boston.” Up close he looked impossibly handsome. Showered, shaven and dressed impeccably.
“I did. Had a call first thing this morning from a colleague about a patient he was worried about. I agreed to drive up and help out. Given that he’s been covering for me all week it was the least I could do. While I was there, I caught up with a few jobs and picked up some clothes. I’ve had enough of wearing my brother’s shirts.”
“I suspect that sentiment is mutual.”
“Definitely.” He removed her glass from her hand and put it down on the edge of the deck with his own. “Since I ruined a good pair of jeans on that deck, there is no way I would have missed the party.”
“Walter is pleased you made it. Jackson will be, too.”
“And how about you?” He spoke softly, those blue eyes sharp and perceptive as they lingered on her face. “How do you feel about it?”
That was a question she didn’t want to ask herself. “I’m pleased to see you back with your family on an evening that is important to them. And it’s always good to have a friendly face at a party.”
Smiling, he pulled her into his arms. “I have to dance with you. My grandfather’s orders.”
She melted against him. “This must be the first time in your life you’ve followed his orders. And I shouldn’t dance. I’m working.”
“The work is done. People are having a good time.” They were dancing in a quiet corner of the deck instead of on the dance floor inside the Boathouse. “People are fed and happy and the Boathouse will get rave reviews. I’d say you’re officially off duty.”
“I won’t be off duty until the last person leaves.”
“At this point in the evening most people are too drunk to notice or care what you’re up to, and anyway, you deserve to enjoy yourself, too.” His cheek brushed against her hair. “You smell delicious. And I love the dress. Especially the bits of it that don’t exist.” His hand rested on her bare back, his thumb stroking seductively over her spine. “You’re beautiful.”
The words and the tone made her head spin. She had to remind herself that he was smooth. That charm was as much a part of him as his smile. “Sean—”
“Relax. My grandfather is watching. If you walk away now he’ll blame me. You don’t want to make things worse between us, do you?”
There was no way she could relax while his hand was on her bare skin.
Her pulse was pumping.
“Your grandfather is matchmaking.”
“Yes.” But he didn’t sound annoyed. “He has good taste, I’ll say that for him. His choice in women is probably the one thing we agree on.” He pressed her closer and she felt the hardness of his thighs against hers.
Her hand rested on his chest and she could feel the steady thump of his heart through his shirt. And then she looked up at him and was almost scorched by the humor and heat in those blue eyes.
He gave a crooked smile. “When are these people leaving?”
“Party finishes at one.” Unsettled by the way he made her feel, she glanced up at the sky. “Do you think it’s going to rain?”
“I don’t know and I don’t care. I can’t wait until one.”
“Wait for what?” She tried to ease away from him but he clamped her close.
“You can’t move. Not right now.”
“But—”
“Unless you want to embarrass me in front of all these important people, you need to stay exactly where you are. Right now you’re protecting more than my reputation. I thought dancing was a good idea. Turns out it wasn’t.”
Pressed hard against him she could feel the heat and thickness of him through the fabric of his suit.
The chemistry was so intense it almost stifled her. She wanted him with a desperation that terrified her.
“There are plenty of women anxious for you to dance with them.” She’d seen them, watching him across the deck, hope in their eyes.
“I’m dancing with the only woman who interests me.”
More smooth words. “Perhaps I am not interested in you.”
“I’m a doctor. Do you want me to explain all the reasons I know that to be a lie?”
“You’re talking about the physical.”
“Physical works for me. Last summer it worked for you, too.”
She should walk away, but the slow, sure stroke of his hand on her back was driving her crazy. How could she end something that felt so good? And what was wrong with physical?
Because she no longer trusted her legs, she sank her fingers into his shoulder, feeling strength and muscle. He drew her closer, flattening her against him so that their bodies were touching from chest to ankle. Her thigh was trapped between his and when she looked up the humor in his eyes had gone, leaving only the heat.
“Enough. Let’s go.”
* * *
WITHOUT SPARING A glance for the people around them, Sean took her hand and drew her toward the steps that led to the forest trail. Without releasing her, he scooped up a bottle of champagne from a passing waiter.
Élise almost stumbled. “Where are we going?”
“Paradise.” He slid his arm around her shoulders and hauled her against him. “Somewhere I’m less likely to be arrested for what I’m about to do to you.”
He normally prided himself on his control. Tonight that control was nowhere to be found.
He could feel the race of Élise’s pulse under his fingers, hear the shallow rush of her breath.
“We can’t walk down the trail dressed like this. You’ll ruin your shoes.”
“Some sacrifices are worth it.” She was worth it.
“These are my most comfortable shoes.”
“In that case, hold this—” He handed her the champagne and scooped her into his arms while she gasped and tried not to spill any liquid.
“You’re going to ruin my shoes and my dress.”
“Bill me.”
“And this is my favorite dress!” But she was laughing as he picked his way along the trail, muttering and cursing under his breath as twigs snapped and occasionally his feet sank.
“Normally when I try and charm a woman out of her underwear I pick a more glossy venue. Candlelit dinner. Maybe some dancing. I have some serious moves. Shit.” He cursed again as his foot hit something soft. “My brother should build a proper path. Whenever I walk along here I step in something I don’t want to identify.”
“Is that one of your moves?”
“Very funny.” He could feel her breath on his cheek and breathed in the scent she wore. He could feel her hair brushing against his jaw, feel her curves in his arms. The need to have his hands on her eclipsed everything else and he lowered her to the ground, keeping his arms around her. “The ground may not be firm underfoot but at least we have champagne. Never let it be said I don’t know how to show a woman a good time.” There was a roll of thunder in the distance and he winced as he felt the first drops of rain hit his shoulders. “Great. Please tell me you think rain is romantic.”
“I think you know exactly how to show a woman a good time. Vermont is probably littered with broken hearts.”
“Not just Vermont. I once kissed a girl from New Hampshire. If you’re keeping count, you need to include her.”
“And I mustn’t forget all the broken hearts in Massachusetts.”
“Those definitely weren’t my fault. I warn women my work comes first. It’s not my fault if they all want to reform me.” He was about to kiss her when the rain suddenly increased and she gasped as raindrops splashed her face.
“Thank goodness the party is almost over! We should get indoors.”
“I’ve got a better idea.” He pulled her under the nearest tree, pushing her back against the gnarled bark, taking advantage of the leafy shelter. “You’re shivering. Are you cold?” He shrugged out of his jacket and draped it around her shoulders, somehow managing to not drop the champagne. “Body warmth is best for that. Trust me, I’m a doctor.” He brought his mouth down on hers, groaning as her lips parted under his. She was sweet, willing and as desperate as he was.
“Sean—”
“God, you taste good. It’s been torture watching you walking around the deck with those long bare legs of yours—” The kiss was raw, desperate, lust clawing at him like a wild animal, urging him to take, and take. And she was equally demanding.
She locked her hand in the front of his shirt. “How do you think it has been for me with you half-naked on the deck for the past week?” Above them rain drenched the trees, filling the air with the scent of damp forest, the gentle patter of raindrops blocking out all other sounds. Protected by the dense canopy, they stayed dry. Oblivious.
She covered him with the flat of her hand and Sean groaned as he felt her fingers on his zip.
The champagne almost crashed to the ground.
Why the hell had he waited so long to do this again?
Sex with Élise had to be the most perfect, uncomplicated, sublime experience of his life.
In the distance, through the trees, they could see the lights from the party spilling onto the water, sending flashes of gold across the darkened surface. They heard the occasional strain of laughter as people scurried indoors out of the rain, but here in the forest they were alone. Tall white pine, sugar maple, white ash and red oak trees surrounded them and protected them from prying eyes and from the shift in the weather, silent witnesses to the building chemistry.
He lifted his mouth from hers and held out the bottle of champagne. “Drink?”
She took the bottle, her hand still cupping him intimately.
Her eyes holding his, she took a mouthful of champagne and gave a slow smile.
Still smiling, she freed him and then slid seductively down his body and took him in her mouth.
Wet warmth enveloped him and stars exploded in his head. Sean slammed his palm against the tree and closed his eyes, trying to steady himself, trying not to explode like a teenager. Her mouth was soft and skilled and she licked her way along his shaft and then drew him in deep until the pleasure blinded him.
Right on the edge, he dragged her up to him and the champagne fell to the ground with a thud, spilling liquid over their shoes.
The tension had been building for so long neither of them could pull it back.
They came together at the same moment, mouths colliding, bodies meshed, hands tearing at clothes.
Her fingers were jammed in his hair and she moaned as he powered her back against the tree. At the last minute he remembered her bare back and turned, so that he was the one against the rough bark. It scraped his shoulders and dug into his flesh.
He didn’t care.
Nor did he care when the rain grew heavier and started to drip through the leaves onto their heads. Excitement ripped through him, raw, primal need drove every move he made. Dimly aware that he was stepping over a line he was careful not to cross, he reached into his pocket for the condom he always carried and she took it from him, fumbling in her haste, her mouth locked against his.
The feel of her hands on him almost tipped him over the edge.
His hands slid her dress up to her thighs and he lifted her. As she wrapped her legs around him, one of her shoes fell onto the forest floor and her fingers dug hard into his shoulders.
Her forehead touched his, her hair slid forward, her dense eyelashes shadowing eyes glittering with passion.
Sean slid his fingers between her legs, felt her wet and ready and saw those beautiful eyes darken.
She said something in French but he was past communicating in any language. He wanted to bury himself in that slippery heat and lose his mind. It was all about sex and electric chemistry. It saturated the air around them. It permeated everything, every breath, every look, every taste.
He clamped his hands on her shifting thighs, positioned her and thrust into that welcoming warmth with a throaty groan. Her body tightened around him, hot, wet, tight.
Christ.
His mind blanked.
All around him were the sounds of the forest and they were part of it, part of nature, stripped of sophistication, as they slaked their lust with mutual desperation. Heat shimmered, his shoulders were damp with rain as she moved with him, matching him, driving him on, and he felt the first ripples of her orgasm all the way down his rigid, sensitized shaft. She was lost and so was he. Knowing there was no way he was going to regain control he surrendered to it, taking her mouth with his and sharing every cry, every gasp, every breath as she pulsed around him, her body driving his to the same place. His own orgasm blinded him. His vision went dark, the intensity of it squeezing every last drop of energy from him. They kissed all the way through it, each of them inhaling and tasting every moan and gasp the other made.
It was like being run over by a truck.
“Holy shit.” Sean felt dazed, unsteady on his feet, but he managed to lower her carefully, checking she could stand before he released her. It gave him some satisfaction that she kept her hands locked on his biceps.
So it wasn’t just him, then.
Her dress was soaked, clinging to her body. Her hair was sleek against her head, her long dark eyelashes clumped together.
“Élise—”
Usually he knew what to say. Using words to his advantage was one of his skills, but right now he had no words at all, least of all slick ones.
His brain had blown.
The passion of it, the intensity and the insane chemistry was something he hadn’t experienced before.
He was struggling to say something, anything, when she finally released his arms.
Without saying anything, she slid her dress back into place, stooped and retrieved her shoe, sliding it onto her foot.
Like an erotic version of Cinderella...
It seemed impossible to comprehend, but he wanted her again. Immediately. Desperately.
And he knew she felt the same way.
“Good night, Sean.” She reached up and kissed his cheek briefly and he was so stunned by that unexpected dismissal it took him a moment to compute what she’d just said.
“‘Good night, Sean’? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means I’m wishing you a good night.”
“But—” His brain and body were so aroused he couldn’t form thoughts or words. Both were broken into pieces, swirling around his dazed brain. “You’re right. We can’t stay here. You’re soaking wet and cold. We’ll go back to your place.”
“No.”
“No?” Nothing made sense to him. “What the hell just happened here?”
“Sex,” she said shakily. “Incredible sex. You’re very good.”
It was a compliment smoothly blended with a rejection.
“No, wait! Just—” He swore and raked his fingers through his hair. “Just wait a minute while I think.” But he couldn’t think. His brain wasn’t working. All he could think of was the contrast between the heat of her mouth and the cool champagne. The way she’d felt when he was buried deep inside her. The need to touch her was so strong he pulled her back to him but she extricated herself gently.
“It’s been a long day. A long few months to be honest. I need to get some sleep. Good night, Sean. Be careful where you step walking home. The ground is wet and you don’t want to ruin those shoes.” With that, she flashed him a smile and ran into the darkness and the falling rain, leaving him dazed and staring and wondering what had hit him.