Forever After (Montana Brides) (15 page)

“You first…” He sucked in a sharp breath when her hands connected with his hot skin. Pulling his shirt from his pants, her fingertips wandered over his ribcage, flooding his body with raw need. He moved back, groaning as her hands brushed his nipples. Every muscle in his body tightened, anticipating the gut wrenching release that was to come.
 

Nicky moved back, her breath ragged and fast. “I can’t, Sam.” Taking another step back, she stared at his chest. “This is a bad idea. I’m sorry.” She turned, slipping her security card into its slot, and nearly falling through the door as it opened.
 

 
Sam stood where he was, staring at the closed door. Breathing deeply, he braced his hands against the wall. He hung his head, imagining what could have been.
 

The problem with life was that it was full of bad ideas. The trick was learning which ones could turn into the best experiences of your life. And he knew for a fact that the taste and feel of Nicky’s body was an experience he’d always want to repeat.
 

Dropping his hands to his sides, he patted his pockets, searching for his key card.
 

There’d be no lap dancing on the menu tonight. No hot chocolate energy boosts, not one coffee bean in sight. He had a depressing feeling that cold showers and early nights were the only action his body would see for a long time.

CHAPTER SEVEN

The quick tap on her office door pulled Nicky’s concentration off the report in front of her. Heat flooded her face as she gazed into warm brown eyes devouring every inch of her body.
 

Her eyes did a little roaming of their own. Sam’s charcoal grey suit looked like it had been molded to his wide shoulders and lean hips. A white shirt and electric blue tie completed the modern executive look, leaving Nicky’s heart rate thudding at his unexpected appearance.
 

“Wow. Nice suit.” Gripping her pen, she relaxed her face into a friendly smile, desperately hoping her voice didn’t give her overactive hormones away. “Have you got a hot date in the boardroom?”

“Not likely,” he smiled. “We’ve got the official handover of The Oasis development this morning. Amanda and I will be gone until lunchtime and I wanted to thank you for last night.”

Nicky almost melted on the spot. Last night had been a monster test of her willpower. Forcing herself not to drag Sam into her apartment and have her wicked way with him had taken every ounce of grit she possessed. She’d spent most of the night thinking about her dangerous obsession with everything about him. “Are you being serious or teasing me?”
 

“I mean it. I really enjoyed myself.”

A smile slipped across his face, warming Nicky from the inside out.

“If it hadn’t been for your dinner invitation, I would have spent last night feeling miserable. So, thank you. Next time I’ll cook dinner.”

Nicky knew that wasn’t a good idea. One night of dodging what her body craved was bad enough. Purposely putting herself in the firing line for a third time was plain stupidity.
 

Sam’s gaze moved down the corridor. “I’ve got to go, Amanda’s waiting for me. I’ll see you later this afternoon.”

The rest of the morning slipped away far too quickly. Meeting the finance team and another project manager took up most of her time. With a few tweaks the flowchart she’d been working on would stop the same issues with the tendering process happening again.

“Are you ready for lunch?”

Nicky blinked at the vision standing in front of her. She felt seriously underdressed. Emily’s red curls were caught in a fancy ponytail on top of her head. The soft aubergine fabric of her dress draped to mid-thigh, hugging her curves in all the right places. The plunging neckline almost matched the non-existent back. Strappy high heels the exact color of her golden tan completed an outfit made to be noticed.
 

“What are you wearing?” Nicky asked, still not sure the sophisticated creature in front of her was her sister.

Twirling into the room, Emily said, “It’s a halter jersey dress. Do you like it?”

Nicky laughed at the saucy gleam in her sister’s eyes. “You look incredible, but what’s the reason for your flirty dress? And lunch with your sister doesn’t count.”

“Does there need to be a reason?”

Nicky gave her a level stare. Emily always had a reason for everything she did.

“Alright, I’ll tell you. But don’t look too obvious when I take you into the café.”

“I promise to do my best ostrich impersonation ever. I can bury my head in the sand as deep as the next person.” There had to be a man involved somewhere. Emily’s clothes were a dead give-away, and the smile on her face nailed it.

“Last week the owner of the Sugar Loaf Café came and spoke to our design class about starting a business. As well as being seriously rich, the man’s drop dead gorgeous. I thought lunch would be the perfect opportunity to get reacquainted with the owner of the café, add to his gross profit, and enjoy each others’ company all at the same time.”

“I’m impressed. You’re finally getting the hang of multi-tasking.”

“Exactly.”

Nicky smiled at the mischievous grin on her sister’s face. “How do you know he’ll be there?”

“I did a little research yesterday and asked the lunch staff what days he works the front counter.”

While her computer logged off, Nicky reached for her bag. “He works the front counter?”

“A real hands on man,” Emily sighed. “Are you ready to see how good my taste in men is?”

“Lead the way, little sister. I’m all yours until one o’clock.”

The Sugar Loaf Café was the total opposite of what Nicky expected. Black wrought iron chairs surrounded tables covered in white tablecloths, haphazardly arranged around a large room with an impossibly high vaulted ceiling. A huge black crystal chandelier hung from the centre of the room, catching the midday light streaming through glass doors along the far wall.
 

Everything about the café was oversized and opulent; from the lush plants softening the edges of the room, to the balcony overlooking the mountains. It was a café designed to let its clients sit back and enjoy the best of what Bozeman had to offer.

If the inside of the café wasn’t enough to tempt a visitor into staying, the smell of freshly baked bread and rich roasted coffee would make their mind up for them. Emily pulled her toward a line of people waiting to order their lunch.

Nicky looked at the selection of lunchtime treats, thankful that Mr. Sugar Loaf Café had made a big impression on her sister. “This is incredible. I don’t know how I’m going to choose what to have.”

Emily laughed. “Wait till you see the owner. I made my mind up pretty fast about him.”

“Before your hormones go into overdrive, grab something to eat. I’ve only got another forty minutes before we need to leave.”

The smile dropped off Emily’s face. “You don’t need to worry about rushing. It looks as though your boss is set for the afternoon.”

Nicky’s hand jerked away from the mushroom and bacon panini she’d been about to put on her plate. “What are you talking about?”

“Over there on the balcony. He’s holding the brunette’s hand and gazing into her eyes.”

Nicky tried to look casually over her shoulder, but couldn’t see him.

“Oh, for goodness sake. Turn around, he’s over there.” Emily pulled her toward the balcony, pointing directly at a table. “There, sitting under the large blue sun umbrella.”

Whatever they were up to looked serious. Nicky’s heart plummeted as Sam clutched the hand of the woman sitting beside him. A very attractive woman with long jet-black hair.
 

The two-timing, ground rotting, toad. One night of concentrated passion and a couple of heated kisses weren’t enough for him. He wanted dessert with whipped cream and all the toppings. The fact she wasn’t prepared to offer him a second course hadn’t deterred him from indulging his sweet tooth.
 

“Are you alright?”

Grabbing the first thing her fingers touched, Nicky moved along the line of lunchtime diners. “I’m fine. Just a bit surprised Sam’s cuddling up to Snow White.”

Emily looked back at the balcony. “Don’t be too quick to judge him. I’d say it’s more like Snow White’s cuddling up to Sam. She’s moved in so close you can hardly see daylight between their bodies. Doesn’t the woman have any shame? The man’s practically taken and she’s schmoozing up to him like he’s stuck in the Arctic without any clothes on.”

The thought of Sam without any clothes on sent of rush of heat screaming through Nicky’s body. She turned in horror to stare at her sister. “What do you mean, ‘practically taken’? Who’s he been dating?” If it was possible for her heart to sink further it did. The Titanic couldn’t have dropped as quickly or as suddenly.
 

Did she have sucker written all over her forehead? Visions of double F breasted women from two years ago danced in front of her eyes. He’d been only too happy to parade a bevy a beautiful women under her nose after he’d made love to her. It hadn’t stopped him then, and it didn’t seem to be stopping him now.

“You, you ding-a-ling. Every time I come into the office or arrive unexpectedly at your apartment, Sam isn’t far away. It’s like he’s attached by an umbilical cord to your heart.”

The plate in Nicky’s hand clattered to the counter.
 

Emily grabbed the quiche as it slipped dangerously close toward the floor. “I thought you didn’t like eggs?”

“What?”

“Eggs. You put quiche on your plate. You never eat eggs.”

Nicky looked down. Damn. “How hungry are you?”

Emily stopped in her tracks. “Getting hungrier by the minute. Give it to me and look ahead. Mr. Sugar Loaf Café just arrived.”

Lunch was going from bad to worse. First they’d caught Sam making cow eyes at Snow White, and now Emily was swooning over a total stranger. Stepping into a singles club had to be less dangerous than going to lunch with her sister.

Nicky was determined not to let Sam Delaney spoil her appetite. She grabbed the first plate of food she saw. A chicken pasta dish ended up on her tray along with a huge piece of boysenberry, custard, and apple pie.
 

Following Emily, she waited patiently while other customers ordered their coffees and paid for their meals. She glanced casually over her shoulder. Snow White had managed to break her grip on Sam’s hand long enough to sip her drink. As he laughed at something she said, daggers shot from Nicky’s eyes.
Bastard
.

Over the clatter of plates and conversation, Nicky vaguely heard Emily chatting up Mr. Sugar Loaf Café.
 

“Nicky?”

“Hmm?”

“Drink. What would you like to drink?” Emily stared at her like she was brain dead.

Nicky glanced at the blackboard menu. Ordering something cold and sticky that would keep a certain male’s hands to himself sounded like a pretty fine idea to her. Tipping the lot over his head had even more appeal. “Vanilla milkshake, please. Double thick.” Too bad about calories. Fat content had no place in the life of a woman twice spurned by the same man. “And could I have some cream with the pie?”
 

Fresh milk and ice cream whizzed around a glass blender. Mr. Sugar Loaf Café poured the milkshake into a tall glass, grating white chocolate over the top. Sam Delaney wouldn’t end up anywhere near Nicky’s decadent treat. She wasn’t about to waste a perfectly good milkshake on a man who didn’t appreciate quality when he saw it.

Emily looked at Nicky’s tray of food.

“I’m hungry,” she hissed. The frown on Emily’s face almost made her laugh. Almost.
 

Emily turned back to the counter, batting her eyelashes and flirting outrageously with the owner of the café. She could see why Emily wanted to make a big impression. He had hair as black as night, carelessly pushed back from a face and body that would have left more than one heart fluttering in the design class. His slate grey eyes waited patiently while Emily finished her performance.
 

If Nicky was a good judge of character, he wasn’t buying into her sister’s ego stroking routine one bit. But judging anyone by her standards left a large margin of error. Look at the mess she’d made with Sam. Twice.
 

At least Mr. Sugar Loaf Café’s eyes weren’t brown. That had to count for something.

Nicky used her foot to nudge Emily along. It was time to give the poor man a break. “Come on. I can see an empty table.” She didn’t wait to see if her sister followed. Grabbing her lunch tray she headed across the room, leaving a wide berth around the happy couple under the blue sun umbrella.
 

“What do you think?” Emily whispered as they sat down against the far wall.

“Decors great, food looks wonderful and the view is incredible.” As long as you ignored the two love birds on the balcony.

Emily rolled her eyes. “Not the café. Andrew. What did you think of him?”

“Mr. Sugar Loaf Café has a name?”

“Andrew Holloway. Thirty-one years old, heterosexual, single, hard working and rich.” Flicking a napkin on her lap, Emily batted her baby-blues in Nicky’s direction.

“And you got all that information from a fashion design class on starting your own business?”

“Don’t look so shocked. I have other sources.” A smug smile drifted across Emily’s face. “Carol Simmons is bosom buddies with Zofie Anderson. Zofie lives in the same building as Andrew. She knows everything about him.”

“Really? Did she tell you that he doesn’t seem the type to get the warm fuzzies from women throwing themselves at his feet?”

“Meow, kitty cat. What’s got your fur standing on end?” Emily tapped a finger against her chin. “Let me guess. Would Samuel Delaney and his lunch date have anything to do with your bad mood?”

“Ha, as if that rat bag could spoil lunch with my favorite sister.” To prove her point she pushed a huge fork of pasta into her mouth.

“I’m your only sister,” Emily said dryly. “And as such I feel I have a moral obligation to snoop into your life.”