Stella didn’t even try to fight the kiss...why would she? They’d been building toward this moment since they met—did it matter that was only a few hours ago?
Besides, a kiss was harmless. Well, most of them were. A kiss from Dane Michaels was powerful, toe curling, panty melting, and instantly had her mind on sex. The way his body lined perfectly with hers, the way his lips coaxed hers apart, eager for more, only had her more than ready to take him up on his offer.
The wine had gotten to her just as she’d thought it might. She swayed against him, reaching up to clutch his bare biceps. Those were rancher arms. No sedentary job could produce muscles so firm, so...magnificent.
Dane eased back and Stella whimpered. Damn alcohol. She’d never whimpered or begged for any man, yet she’d just done the first and was closing in on the second.
“I’ll check on you tomorrow,” he told her. “If you need me, you know where to find me.”
When he released her, Stella had to concentrate on staying upright. She hadn’t had nearly enough time with him. She wanted more of that whiskey-soaked tone, that dark gaze, those lips and hands on her.
Straightening her dress, Stella pulled herself together and crossed the suite to the elevator. Dane came up behind her, practically pressing her against the doors. Stella closed her eyes and inhaled that spicy, masculine scent.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
The whisper in her ear, the warmth of his breath on her skin had her shivering and with the way his chest was pressed to her back, there was no way he missed her body’s reaction to him.
Stella risked a glance over her shoulder. “I look forward to it.”
And then she fled back to her room where she replayed over and over the entire evening from the moment Dane stepped into the dining room to the moment he sent her entire body up in flames.
So why didn’t she just give in and let him douse them?
No. The real question was, how long would she make them both wait?
Four
Dane sipped his morning coffee and relaxed in the Adirondack chair on the expansive enclosed balcony. He’d come out at sunrise to admire the breathtaking view. He’d had a restless night, thanks in part to one seductress who’d plastered her sweet body against his and left him wondering just who was playing whom.
He’d remained in control of the situation last night, but barely. He needed to have a better grasp of just how potent Stella was before their next encounter. Coming into this whole plan, he sure as hell hadn’t planned on questioning his damn sanity regarding his hormones.
Stella had certainly surprised him last night by coming to his suite. He’d written off seeing her again until today after she’d seemed to reject his invitation. Dane wasn’t often taken off guard and finding more reasons to admire Stella was not helping his cause.
He didn’t want to admire her, he wanted to use her for her insight into her father’s sharklike mind when it came to business. Yet each moment he spent with her, he found himself growing more and more captivated.
Dane had already sent an offer to buy Mirage outright that was more than reasonable, but Ruiz Garcia had turned it down without a counter.
There had to be a way...and Dane was using the method he felt would be the most effective. If the guy treated his daughter like a peasant employee, why the hold over this resort? Why not just sell it, take the money, and cut his daughter out of the business entirely? Why string her along?
So many questions, yet none of them really mattered. All Dane cared about was what it would take for Ruiz to sell Mirage. That was the bottom line.
Dane extended his legs and crossed his ankles. He’d give his brother another hour or so before he called. Ethan was not a morning person, pretty much because he was a nighttime partier. His current state likely involved being wrapped around at least one woman.
While Dane worked here in Gold Valley, Ethan was hoping to work his own magic at the second Mirage resort on Sunset Cove. The island off the coast of California was certainly more Ethan’s lifestyle. Dane preferred his secluded ranch, he thrived in being alone where he didn’t have to feed a relationship and had nobody depending on him.
The bond between Dane and his younger brother had been strained since the passing of their mother, but they were still brothers and had two goals binding them together: get back the Mirage resorts and take down Robert Anderson. That bastard had stolen too much from them when they’d been helpless, but now Dane and Ethan were powerful and even more so when they put their resources together. There wasn’t a place Robert could hide, not anymore.
None of this was about the money. Both Dane and Ethan could buy any resort anywhere in the world. Hell, they could build something even bigger, better, but they deserved what their mother had created.
With the twentieth anniversary of her death approaching, Dane wanted, needed to feel closer to the only woman he’d ever loved.
Tamping down the ache resonating in the void in his heart, Dane came to his feet and rested his arms on the wrought iron railing. Clutching his coffee cup, he overlooked the valley and felt like a damn king. There was nothing more refreshing than mountain air that was so crisp, so raw.
Dane wouldn’t have a difficult time coming off the ranch with picturesque views like this to tempt him. He’d worried about who would actually run the place in his absence once he got Mirage in his control, but the worry seemed less potent now that he realized how comfortable he still felt here. He would be a hands-on owner. This was his mother’s place, his mother’s dream, there was no way he could turn Mirage over to anybody else.
So long as he kept that in the forefront of his mind, Dane knew he could push through his doubts and fears. If anyone could get him to step back out into society on a regular basis, it was his mother. She deserved for him to step up and put his own issues aside and be the man she’d raised.
/> Dane pushed off the rail and took the last sip of his coffee. As he made his way through the double glass doors, he pulled his cell from the pocket of his jeans.