Dodging Temptation (The Retreat) (16 page)

He
’
d ordered enough for six months with at least three pints in every flavor. The kitchen staff had thought he was nuts. He probably was. “We have a guest partial to midnight snacking.”

Jean-Luc looked at him, his eyes wide with shock. “And he or she is allowed free reign in the kitchen?”

“She
’
s a very special guest.” Smart. Sexy. Tempting as hell. Special didn
’
t even begin to describe Harper.

The Frenchman gave him a considering look. “I see.”

Unwilling to find out exactly what it was that Jean-Luc saw, Dodge kept the tour moving. Next it was the upstairs guest rooms. A bellboy stood outside of the honeymoon suite, an empty luggage cart at the ready.

“What is this?” Jean-Luc asked.

Dodge nodded at the employee to answer, not trusting his own voice to stay neutral when Harper was on the other side of that door getting ready to leave forever.

“
Ms. Conner isn’t quite done packing yet,
” the bellboy responded.

“Ah, the fascinating Ms. Conner. I read about her in the paper,” Jean-Luc said. “Things will quiet down quite a bit with her leaving, no?”

Bitterness coated his mouth. Quiet? Like an empty tomb.

“They will.” Dodge shoved his hands in his pockets before he gave in to the urge to open Harper
’
s door and stop her from going.
“Has the front desk arranged for transportation to the airport?”

“No. Mrs. Loving offered The Retreat
’
s limo. They
’
re going to take the back way to the airport so as to not alert the paparazzi.”

It would add an extra half hour to the trip, but it would be worth it to protect her from the media. She
’
d already sacrificed her privacy once for him, and he was glad she wouldn
’
t have to do it a second time.

“Your team thinks of everything, it seems,” Jean-Luc said.

“We try.” But had he?

Ignoring the regret weighing down his steps, he continued forward. Always forward. It was a quick trip through the common guest areas such as the lobby, restaurant, and wine bar before they ended up on the front porch. A pair of horses were tied to the hitching post at the east end and The Retreat
’
s long black limousine with its dark tinted windows idled in the drive. Garth Hampton, cleaned up after his morning run, chatted with the driver as they stood next to the limo.

He wanted to slit the limo
’
s tires. Tie the driver up and stuff him in the trunk. Run up the stairs and beg Harper to stay. But none of that was possible. He
’
d fucked up the whole situation too badly to fix it now. So he swallowed past the pain squeezing his throat closed and concentrated on what he could fix—this deal.

“If you don
’
t mind waiting, I can arrange for a golf cart to be brought around for a tour of the grounds,” he told Jean-Luc.

“That won
’
t be necessary. I
’
ve seen everything I needed to.” He turned and smiled. “Let
’
s go sign the paperwork.”

The elation Dodge had expected at the news never arrived. It was the biggest moment of his life, and he didn’t give a shit. Ten minutes later he sat at a table in the small conference room overlooking the driveway with Jean-Luc, each man holding a Montblanc pen. The paperwork, the details of which had been negotiated by lawyers weeks ago, sat in a stack in front of Dodge. All he had to do was sign, and everything he
’
d been working toward would be realized. His grandfather
’
s hotels would fail and The Retreat would become a global home for luxury.

His phone vibrated on the table with an incoming text.

Mom: They’re loading her bags.

Although not unexpected, it was still a gut punch that knocked the wind out of him. Grinding his teeth together, he replaced the phone on the table with exacting care. His phone vibrated again.

Mom: There’s still time.

He wished that were true, but he knew the truth even if his matchmaking mother did not. His phone vibrated again. This time he turned it off without looking at the message.

“It
’
s not another press invasion, is it?” Jean-Luc nodded toward Dodge
’
s phone.

“Not even close.” He held the pen so tight its metal clip bit into his palm.

Jean-Luc sat back and tapped his pen against his chin. “But something you have to take care of?”

“No, I—” Movement in the large window caught his attention. The limo turned slowly out of the driveway. Dodge
’
s heart stopped, and the entire world fell away. All he could see was Harper. Her red hair twisting in the air churned up by the helicopter. The pink flush that covered her pale skin when she laughed hard. The way she
’
d looked when she slept, soft and sexy, the most beautiful person he
’
d ever seen. And if he didn
’
t get out of here now, he
’
d never see her again. He had one chance, and he wasn’t going to lose it. His heart whammed back to life in his chest. “I have to go.”

He was halfway to the door before Jean-Luc
’
s voice stopped him.

“And if I were to say that if you leave now we make the deal with your grandfather
’
s hotels?”

Dodge waited for the familiar fury at his grandfather to well up, but it didn
’
t. The only thing that mattered was getting to Harper. “
Then I
’
d wish you luck, but you know it
’
s the wrong move.”

“Am I right to assume you are chasing after Ms. Conner?”

“You are.” He barely paused in the doorway to acknowledge the other man
’s question.

“Then you better hurry.” Jean-Luc chuckled. “Don
’
t be so shocked. I am French, after all; romance and drama are our national pastimes. Go, we will sign the papers tomorrow.”

Dodge rushed down the hall, swerving around wide-eyed guests and shocked maids until he burst out of The Retreat
’
s front doors. Off in the distance he could see the small cloud of dust kicked up by the limo
’
s tires as it took the dirt back road. There was still time. Frantic, he searched for a car or golf cart, but the driveway was empty, except for a fully saddled Appaloosa stallion tied to the hitching post.

Chapter Fifteen

H
arper
could have walked to the airport faster than the limo driver drove. It wasn
’
t because of traffic; there wasn
’
t any. No, she had the one driver in the world who believed in driving ten miles
under
the thirty-five miles per hour speed limit on the winding dirt road leading to the airport. He
’
d promis
ed it was a shortcut to the airport compared to the paved highway and, like an idiot, she
’
d agreed. Sinking lower in her seat, she closed her eyes, hoping to block out the last bits of Wyoming landscape she
’
d ever see.

It didn
’
t help. Without the scenery to distract her, all she could see was Dodge. The look in his eyes any time she
’
d touched him. The way he
’
d smiled when she realized he
’
d set up the surprise picnic on Sandpiper Island. The way he took her breath away every time he said her name. She bit down on her quaking lip.

She couldn
’
t get to the airport fast enough. Dodge didn
’
t really care about her. For him, it was all about The Retreat. He didn
’
t have room in his life for anything or anyone else, and she refused to fall back into her old habits of only being a means for someone else to reach success. Leaving was the right thing to do, but that didn
’
t make it hurt any less.

The tinted window separating the back of the limo from the driver rolled down.

“Now that
’
s something you don
’
t get a gander at every day.” The driver tapped on the brakes. “There
’
s a man on a horse chasing us.”

Adrenaline spiked in her veins. She jerked upright in her seat and spun around to look out the back window. There was a horse and rider coming after them hell-bent for leather. She squinted. And that rider was Dodge.

The limo slowed even more.

Her pulse went into overdrive. It was ridiculous. She pinched her cheeks to put a little color back into them. It was idiotic. She couldn
’
t help but smile. It was absolutely marvelous. Harper tightened her grip on her purse to keep herself from flinging open the door. Even as the giddy, fizzy feeling threatened to take over, she had to stay strong. She
’
d forgiven him too many times already. She wasn
’
t sure she could take Dodge breaking her heart again. Turning away from the back window, she promised herself she wouldn
’
t look back.

“Hit the gas.” Her request sounded pathetic even to her own ears.

“
But he
’
ll never catch us if I speed up,” the driver said.

Unable to stop herself, she twisted in her seat so she could look out the back window. Her heart contracted. Dodge had gained on them, his horse galloping at full speed and Dodge
’
s navy suit jacket flapping in the wind.

“He looks ludicrous riding a horse in a three-piece suit.” She sniffled and bit the inside of her cheek.

“Definitely a fool,” the driver said. “A fool in love.”

Despite knowing better, she couldn
’
t help but root for him to catch up before the turnoff for the highway. As if hearing her thoughts instead of her words, the limo driver steered the vehicle over to the side of the dirt road and turned off the engine.

Harper whipped her head around in surprise. “Why did you stop?”

The driver turned around and took off his sunglasses and chauffeur
’
s hat. Long hair tumbled down, and he gave her a grin that had been mesmerizing stadiums full of people for thirty years. She gasped in shock. What in the hell was Garth Hampton doing driving the limo?

“What…”

He laughed. “Let
’
s just say that the real driver is a fan who was more than happy to swap clothes with me. I had a long talk with your fella this morning and I figured he just might change his mind about coming after you.”

It didn
’
t make any sense. “But why?”

“Like I said…” Garth shrugged and nodded toward the back window. “He
’
s a fool in love.”

She turned around in time to see Dodge rein his horse to a stop next to the limo. Her heart hammered against her ribs. She eyeballed the door locks. There was still time, but she couldn
’
t do it. When it came to Dodge, her heart always won out.

He dismounted and yanked open the door.

D
odge hadn
’
t thought past halting the limo, but his mouth wasn
’
t going to let that stop him. “Don
’
t go.”

Harper got out of the limo, fire in her eyes, and slammed the door shut behind her. “What in the hell do you think you
’re doing?
”

For the first time in his life, he had no idea. “Whatever it takes to make you stay. I
’
m an idiot a
nd I
’
m sorry. You tried to help—no, you did help and, instead of seeing that, all I could do was think about how it would affect the deal to take The Retreat global. I
’
d been so focused on making my grandfather pay for so long that I couldn
’
t see that it was turning me into a real bastard just like him.”

She cocked her head to the side and gave him a considering look that went from the dumbass lovestruck face to the Wyoming dust covering every single inch of him. He didn
’
t look like much of a reason to stay, but he had to hope she
’
d see through that.

“You
’
re forgiven.
” Her tone said he was anything but. “Now if you
’
ll—”

Harper reached for the door handle, but Dodge pivoted so his shoulder was against the door. She could try, but that door wasn
’
t opening until he was done. She crossed her arms and sighed but didn
’
t slam a heel down on his instep to get him to move. That was progress.

He reached out and tucked a stray red lock behind her ear. Her breath hitched. His fingers lingered on her lobe before tracing a line across her jaw. Touching her was a risk, but he couldn
’
t help himself. When he was around Harper he lost focus on anything but her. Anyway, if he lost her, he didn
’
t have anything else to risk. This was the ultimate all or nothing situation and he was putting it all on the line.

“The worst part is…” He looked into her eyes, hating himself for the hurt he saw in them. “I was so obsessed that I lashed out at the one person who only wanted to help.” He stepped closer and tilted her chin upward, praying this wouldn
’
t be the last time he touched her. “The one woman I love.”

She blinked the moisture out of her eyes and exhaled a shaky breath. “Love?”

“Yes. Love.” He brushed his lips across hers, desperate for more but knowing he had to tell her everything first. “I love the way you light up every room you walk into. I love that you turn on my brain and my body every time I
’
m near you. I love that you add whipped cream to your whipped cream on your ice cream sundaes. I love the way you make everything better just by being yourself. You don
’
t have to change who you are into some new version of Harper or back to the woman you were before. You are perfect just the way you are.”

She stared at him, her mouth firmly shut. The only sound Dodge could hear was the blood rushing in his ears as his lungs burned from the breath he was holding.

Then…she smiled. “That
’
s a lot of words.”

Relief rushed through him and he gathered her in his arms. “And I mean every single one of them.”

“You broke my heart.”

And he
’
d spend the next six decades making up for it. “It
’
ll never happen again. I love you, Harper Conner.”

She raised herself up to her tiptoes, her lips only millimeters from his. “I love you, too.”

It wasn
’
t their first kiss and it wouldn
’
t be their last, but Dodge put everything he had into it, every promise he
’
d yet to make, and every commitment he
’
d keep. The universe might be laughing its ass off at him, but he couldn’t care less. He had the woman he loved, and that
’
s all that mattered.

The limo
’
s driver side window rolled down, and Garth poked his head out. “I do believe that
’
s my cue to exit. Did you want me to take you back to The Retreat?”

Dodge looked down at Harper. With her hair flying in the Wyoming wind and her kiss-swollen lips, she gave him the best idea. There was a blanket roll attached to the Appaloosa
’
s saddle, perfect for a little outdoor adventure. He nodded his chin at the blanket. Harper
’
s eyes grew wide with understanding before her eyelids drooped down slightly and she sucked on her bottom lip. The sight made his cock twitch.

“Thanks, Garth, but I
’
ve got it covered.” Dodge took off his suit jacket and vest, then threw them into the limo
’
s backseat before turning to Harper.

A few minutes later they were both on the Appaloosa and the limo was half a mile down the road. Harper
’
s skirt was hiked up to mid-thigh so she could sit in the saddle, and the soft globes of her ass were nestled up against the growing bulge behind his zipper.

“So what
’
s next?” She wiggled her butt like she had no idea what her movements were doing to him.

He kissed the soft spot at the base of her neck. “Now we ride into the sunset.”

She glanced up at the bright blue sky. “You realize it
’
s eleven in the morning.”

He laughed and flicked the reins, signaling the Appaloosa to start moving. “I can call back the limo.”

She relaxed against him as they moved across the open field. “But then you
’
d only have to chase me down again.”

“And I would.” He clicked his tongue against the back of his teeth, and the horse picked up the pace. They needed to get to the secret spot down by river sooner rather than later.

Harper twisted and looked up at him. “Always?”

Dodge tried to imagine his life without her and he couldn
’
t and, quite frankly, he never wanted to. “Always.”