Risking It All (11 page)

She glared at him and hopped into the truck, wrapping her arms around herself as the chill finally set in.

Memphis started the beast and turned the heat controls up.

“Ready?” His enormous grin was as wide as the Grand Canyon.

“Yes!” She smiled just as largely back at him.

He pulled out of the parking lot and steered the truck into the traffic.

“You never did tell me what kind of resort is it,” she said, remembering her unanswered question from the plane.

Memphis grinned, his eyes almost twinkling with mischief as he glanced at her and said, “No, I didn’t, did I?”

Chapter 6

Kennedy watched out her window as Memphis drove them toward the resort, taking in the beautiful sight of the trees and ground covered in a light snow. It was so different than what she was used to.

    Memphis had told her October through January was the heaviest snowfall months, but to her, there didn’t seem to be much at all yet. She had expected snow banks and drifts from blizzards covering the road. She couldn’t help but laugh at how naïve she was about other places in the world. She really was sheltered.

The farther they drove away from the city the darker it became without the streetlights to guide them, and soon she couldn’t see outside her window at all.

She glanced at the clock and frowned when she saw they had only been on the road for fifteen minutes. Kennedy shifted in her seat, anxious to get out of the vehicle and finally reach their destination. 

“How far is it from the city?” she asked, trying to cover up a yawn and failing. It was almost eleven, and as much as she wanted to explore, it was late and bed was definitely calling her. She wished they had been able to leave earlier so they had time to actually sightsee.

“Thirty minutes or so.”

“You’ve been here before?”

“I visited the site once, before anything was built, just over two years ago.”

“Why?”

“I took some pictures for the developer.” He reached over and fiddled with the heat controls. “They wanted before shots for display, and we made a deal if I took those then when everything was complete I’d be back to do the after shots and run their publicity.”

“So is it open yet?”

“Not really. It’s all privately owned by some hotshot with too much money and time on his hands, so he’s flown in some people to try it out before it opens to the public.”

“Like a trial run?”

“Yeah, I guess. It officially opens in two months, which is why they need to get the shots done now to get their name out there.”

“How does
Hot Spots
fit into all this? Or doesn’t it?” Kennedy asked.

“Bradley, the guy who owns the resort, hired me personally,” he said. “It’s still going to be featured in the magazine, though.”

“I see.” She grinned at him. “You’ve done well, kid.”

He snorted.

“Me? I take pictures, unlike you who create them.”

“You really need to have a little more faith in yourself and your talent,” she told him, mimicking his words from earlier back to him.

It was too dark to see his reaction but she was positive she had just received an eye roll.

“There.” Memphis said after a few minutes of silence, pointing out the windshield.

Kennedy leaned forward, eager to get a glimpse of where he had brought her. She missed what the sign read, even though it was well-lit for people to see in the dark, as Memphis turned left, driving down what seemed like a long driveway in the middle of a huge forest of snow-covered spruce trees.

She licked her lips as anticipation made her stomach flutter. Just when she thought they would never find their way out of the forest, the trees cleared, showing off the brightly lit resort.

It was set in the middle of the clearing, the log buildings surrounded by the trees they had just driven through creating a perfect, secluded getaway.

There was one large two-story lodge that looked as if were the main building, and then a dozen smaller cabins scattered over the grounds. To the left of them, farther away from the cabins, was what she assumed were stables if the fenced-in area was any indication.

Kennedy turned her attention back to the cabins, and she felt her stomach drop and her heart practically stop when she pieced it together. The quiet seclusion. The intimate cabins.

Spruce Falls. 

He had brought her to a romantic getaway for couples.

Holy shit.

Memphis parked in front of the main building and cut the engine.

“What do you think?” His breath was soft and close to her ear.

“About the grounds or the fact that you brought me to a place like
this
?” she asked with a gulp.

“A place like this?”

“Memphis, this is . . . this is . . .” She waved her hand, trying to find the right words, but she was too flustered at the idea of spending a week with Memphis in some cozy, lovers’ fairytale.

“This is work, Kennedy,” he told her, and she stopped waving her hand like an idiot. “I brought you here because this is where I’m working, and you’ve always wanted to come.”

Kennedy felt the blush of embarrassment burn her cheeks, and she was grateful he couldn’t see her in the dark cab of the truck. Her heart started slowly beating again, and the crazy butterflies that had just been in her stomach a few seconds before were dead. Their trip was nothing more than work for him, and she was just along for the ride.

“Yes, it is a couples’ resort, but don’t freak out and read too much into it, okay?”

Kennedy nodded dumbly, feeling as if she had just been scolded for letting her imagination run a little wild.

“Why didn’t you tell me it was this kind of place, then?” she asked.

She heard his sharp inhale and then a sigh as he grabbed the handle and opened the door, illuminating the cab with soft light.

“Because I didn’t think you’d come.” He gave her a weak smile before jumping out of the truck.

Kennedy slowly opened the passenger door, feeling like a royal fucking idiot for thinking Memphis could have wanted her there for something other than work. She wrapped her arms around herself as she watched him unload their luggage and quickly grabbed her suitcase from him before he had a chance to carry it in for her.

She avoided his eyes as she followed him into the building, instead focusing on the sound of the hard-packed snow crunching beneath her shoes. She was glad she had bought winter boots because her feet were already freezing from just the few minutes she’d been outside.

Memphis opened the door for her, and she hurried in. She shook the snow from her hair and caught Memphis’s eye as he glanced at her. She could tell he was confused by the way she was acting, so Kennedy forced a smile, trying to forget how big of a fool she felt.

She glanced around the room, noticing they were in the lounge; a fireplace warmed the area, its flames creating a soothing, crackling sound as the wood burned. The ambiance was complete with a large deer head mounted over the mantel—hunting was a sport Kennedy didn’t enjoy—and a Christmas tree already decorated and glowing with thousands of white lights. Wrapped presents even rested below it—fake presents, she was sure. She smiled, suddenly struck with the urge to drink hot chocolate and sing Christmas carols. 

“Welcome to Spruce Falls. Can I help you?”

Kennedy’s attention was drawn to a woman dressed in a blue blazer standing behind a desk. Her blond hair flowed around her face, and she eyed Memphis as he walked toward the front desk, giving her head a little shake so her hair flung behind her shoulders in a flirty way.

Kennedy barely restrained the urge to strangle the twit.

“Memphis Adams.” He introduced himself, pulled a business card from his wallet, and handed it to Blondie. “I’m here on business for Mr. Bradley.”

Blondie smiled sweetly at Memphis as she took the card from him, making sure their fingers brushed, Kennedy noticed. She glanced at it and then down at her computer, tapping on the keys before she nodded and looked up at him again.

“Very good, Mr. Adams. I have you and your—” she glanced at Kennedy quickly before turning her attention back to Memphis, “associate down for a week on his behalf.”

Kennedy glared at the woman, but kept quiet. Really, what was she going to do? Stomp her foot and tell her she wasn’t an
associate
.

“She’s not my associate,” Memphis told her as he accepted the paperwork from her.

Kennedy bit her lip to keep from grinning as she watched Memphis read over the papers, pausing at something that made him look at her and then at Blondie.

“There’s been a mistake here,” he said, pointing to the paper. “We were supposed to have a cabin with two bedrooms.”

Huh?

Kennedy’s ears perked up at that, and she took a step closer to the desk.

Blondie, whose name tag she could finally read said Piper, took the paper from Memphis and quickly checked with her computer.

“Oh, dear.” She glanced from Kennedy to Memphis and gave an apologetic smile. “It seems as if there’s been a mix-up. You see, we only have two cabins on site that are double rooms, and they’ve both been booked.”

“Booked by whom?” Kennedy asked, earning her an annoyed look from Blondie for daring to speak. “I thought the resort wasn’t open to the public yet.”

“Mr. Bradley has other people staying here for the week also.” Her tone was brusque.

Kennedy glanced at Memphis and remembered what he said about trial guests. He looked at her like it wasn’t a big deal.

“Do you have a problem with one bedroom?”

Kennedy almost swallowed her tongue. Did she have a problem with it? As in having a problem with sharing a bed with him for a week?

Um, yes. 

Despite the party her hormones were about to throw at the news, she had a very big problem with that. She couldn’t share a room with Memphis, for crying out loud. For one, she was sure Brooks wouldn’t be too happy about it and two . . .

Kennedy bristled. There had to be a two, right? Shouldn’t
she
have objections to sharing a bed with her best friend? Brooks couldn’t be the only reason she was hesitant to do it, right?

Right?

It made her extremely confused, and slightly uncomfortable, to know that Brooks really was the only reason why she wanted to say no. But that was enough, wasn’t it? Wasn’t thinking of her boyfriend’s reaction the best reason for not sharing a room with Memphis? That was doing the right thing, wasn’t it?

She tried to ignore her subconscious pointing out that she actually really wanted to share that room with Memphis. Despite how close they were, sharing a bed—even platonically—had never been something that had happened during all their years as friends. They had never been put in a situation where they
had
to share a bed before. And now that they were in that situation, she definitely wanted to.

“Kennedy?” Memphis said, breaking into her thoughts. “If it bothers you, I can sleep on the couch.” He spoke quietly so Blondie wouldn’t overhear.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “Whatever you can get is fine.” Her hormones slipped into their sexy underwear with a grin.

So much for doing the right thing.

Memphis eyed her for a moment before signing the papers and handing them back to Blondie who activated two key cards and handed them to Memphis.

“You’re in cabin D,” she told him. She picked up the phone and muttered instructions to someone on the other end. 

Cabin D. D for daring. Dark. Dangerous. Doable. 

Kennedy coughed, covering up her snort at the last thought as all the doable things Memphis could do to her ran through her mind. 

“Someone will come and collect your bags for you if you’d like me to give you a tour.”

Memphis glanced at his watch.

“It won’t take long.” Blondie’s smile was saccharin sweet.

Memphis glanced at Kennedy and she nodded.

“I’d like a tour,” she said, even though she was dying for a comfy bed.

“Okay.”

They followed Blondie out of the lounge, passing a bar on their way to the dining room. Tables draped in white tablecloths filled the room, each with centerpieces that looked like miniature wreaths with thick candles in the middle. The focal point of the room was a long buffet island made of stone with a marble countertop. Clean stacks of plates and silverware were at one end, waiting for the breakfast crowd in the morning.

“Breakfast and lunch are served buffet style,” Blondie told him. “There’s always a wide assortment of food, but there is a scheduled time for each. Breakfast is from seven to nine-thirty. Lunch is out from twelve until one-thirty. The dining room opens for dinner at five and stays open until eight, and you have your choice of two four-course meals. As you can see, we do have a patio, although it’s closed during the winter months.”

She turned and Kennedy looked at Memphis, sticking her nose in the air to imitate the snooty tone in her voice. Memphis chuckled and pulled her to his side, wrapping an arm around her waist as they followed Blondie out of the dining room.

“Where is the kitchen?” he asked.

“The kitchen is just off the dining room,” she told him. “But guests are not allowed back there.” She paused and turned to face them, raising her eyebrows at their embrace before looking at Memphis. “You’ll have special permission, of course, to go back there for your work.”

“Is Mr. Bradley here?”

“Not at the moment. He doesn’t stay onsite, but he will be back tomorrow.”

“What’s upstairs?” Kennedy looked around for a stairwell but saw none.

“The employees’ quarters are upstairs; many stay right here at the resort so they don’t have to travel,” she said. “You’ll have to ask Mr. Bradley about photographing upstairs, Mr. Adams.”

She quickly showed them the game room and library before ending their tour back at the lounge.

“There are also outdoor activities you can participate in,” she said, going to the coffee table and picking up two brochures. “We have horseback riding and sleigh rides; we also have snowmobiles you can take out on our trails, as well as cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. You can fish if that’s your kind of thing, and we have natural hot springs. You won’t find a better view of the Northern Lights than up here, either.”