Fair enough. “Then help me and we’ll get out of here and have that wine.”
When she started to shake her head, Dane reached out and gripped her chin with his thumb and forefinger, pulling her gaze directly to his. Those dark eyes held so much emotion. He wondered if she even knew that the pain and the worry inside them was projected to anyone who looked closely.
Had anyone ever looked? Was there someone who took the time to care how much she ran herself ragged? Sure as hell not her father...and Dane wasn’t volunteering for that position, either. But she deserved someone. People like Stella worked hard and had great aspirations, but they could get run over.
“Breaks can cost me everything, too,” he told her, needing her to know they really weren’t all that different, also silently warning himself that he needed to tread lightly for his own sanity. “But I’m willing to take the chance. Are you?”
Three
What was she doing here? Stella had more pressing things to do than to stare at the seam of the closed private elevator doors leading to Dane Michaels’s penthouse suite...with a chilled bottle of prosecco in hand, no less.
Maybe she should’ve brought a nice cab instead? Or bourbon. Hadn’t he mentioned a bourbon earlier?
“This is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever done,” she muttered.
What was she thinking? Just because one mysterious, sexy rancher sauntered in to rescue her, she got all excited and aroused and suddenly couldn’t control her desires.
She didn’t have time for desires or sexy attractions. Yet here she was heading straight toward both.
The faux wooden doors slid open with a soft whoosh. Stella immediately took in the fitted tee stretching across broad shoulders and well-worn jeans over narrow hips. Dane’s hair was wet, making it seem even darker than before. He’d shed the plaid shirt an
d, mercy’s sake, this rancher certainly did the whole hands-on thing. That body made it very clear that he didn’t just stay in some office writing checks for his employees.
Clearly Dane had freshened up while she still looked like the haggard mess she’d been since this morning. She should’ve at least changed, but she hadn’t even considered removing her dress and knee boots.
She’d been too busy arguing with herself over why she’d let this virtual stranger affect her so. Maybe she’d been smitten by his white knight routine, but she couldn’t just dismiss how ridiculously handsome he was, nor could she ignore how her entire body seemed to tingle with a rush of arousal whenever he got close.
There was something rough and rugged about him. When he’d mentioned a ranch...well, toss her a set of chaps and mount up because that was just flat-out hot. Plus, she’d never ridden a cowboy.
Oh, ranchers and cowboys were all throughout Montana, but none had interested her and she spent most of her time with men in suits who only pretended to know the ranching lifestyle. They’d never do anything labor-related that might mess their suits or smudge their manicures.
Dane rested his hip on the back of the leather sofa in the living area and greeted her with a crooked grin. “So you are a risk taker.”
Stella merely held out the bottle of wine and shrugged. “What can I say?”
“You can say that you’ll stay awhile.”
He didn’t stand, didn’t move toward her. He simply relaxed there like he was giving her total control, yet that leveled, dark gaze told her who really called the shots. Hadn’t she come to him? How could he be so powerful, yet not a bit demanding or even making a move?
The way he stared at her...
Like a lion inviting his prey and she was positive she wouldn’t mind being feasted on.
Stella stepped into the spacious penthouse suite. The views never got old, and even from the doorway she could see across the room and stare out the wall of windows. Even in the dark, there was a soft glow coming up from the valley and casting mysterious shadows all over the mountainside.
Lara Anderson had seriously thought of everything when she’d built Mirage on the side of the mountain. No expense had been spared and that’s what made Mirage such a magical escape.
If all of these guests opted to come here and get away from their daily stresses, why couldn’t she do the same...even if for a short time.
The high-beamed ceilings and dark wood floors made the space appear more like a glorified cabin than a room in a resort. The crackling fire called to her. The stunning feature of the fireplace with its stone surround extending to the high ceiling seemed so inviting...so romantic. No, that was the hot guy that seemed romantic. And she’d brought the wine.
This was too easy. Sex was easy. Seduction was easy. Giving in to hormones and not giving a damn about tomorrow or consequences would be so...liberating.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have that luxury of a one-night stand. But flirting and unwinding with a sexy stranger was dangerous ground that she couldn’t help but want to dance on tonight. Just one time. That wouldn’t hurt anything, right?
“I didn’t think you wanted to take a risk.”
Stella offered Dane a smile. “I’d say this one is harmless.”