Stranded (3 page)

Dawson hadn’t had the opportunity to fully
appreciate Erika while Penny was there. Now he let his gaze slowly
take her in from head to toe.

The dress showed off her assets, modest yet
sexy enough to drive a man wild. Her dress was just low enough at
the neckline to slightly show the curves of her breasts. She had
simple touches of diamonds at her ears, throat, and one wrist.

Her hair was still pulled back and he wanted
to set it free in the worst damned way.

His eyes met hers. They were so blue that
they reminded him of a summer Colorado sky. Once again she looked
at him without appearing the least bit embarrassed. She looked cool
and collected yet there was a warmth to her that he knew was
beneath that calm surface.

He gave her a slow smile before putting his
clothes bag over his shoulder and heading toward one of the guest
bedrooms.

Erika hadn’t realized she was holding her
breath until Dawson turned and walked away. She released it slowly.
She was so wildly attracted to this man that it unnerved her. And
with his jacket off she’d gotten a better look at his physique, his
red sweater not hiding the fact that he was more than well built.
She couldn’t help watching him until he disappeared down a
hallway.

Even though she’d never acted on it, she’d
been attracted to several of her clients over the years. Never like
this. Not in a soul-searing animalistic way that made her imagine
him ripping her clothes off, taking her down to the thick taupe
carpet, and fucking her six ways to Sunday.

A delicious shiver ran down her spine and
then she wrinkled her brow. When had she started thinking about a
man taking her roughly, taking control of her body and her will?
She mentally shook her head. She wasn’t that kind of woman. She had
a strong personality and she liked control. If anything, she’d more
likely be a Dominatrix. She didn’t put up with men attempting to
dominate her.

Not that any had. She knew she could be a
little intimidating, especially if they came on to her and she gave
them her frozen I’ll-kick-you-in-the-balls-if-you-touch-me
look.

As the thoughts ran through her mind, she
took in her surroundings. The house was newer, and she could see a
well-equipped kitchen on the other side of a breakfast bar that
separated the kitchen from the living room. The countertops were
black granite and the appliances were stainless steel, the dark
walnut cabinets tall.

In the living room, the leather and walnut
furnishings, including the end tables, coffee table, as well as a
bookshelf, looked comfortable and masculine. The bookshelf was
filled with books, Native American pottery and art, and a
houseplant. Even though a fire wasn’t in the large stone fireplace,
just its presence seemed to warm the room. Everything was clean and
dust-free, likely thanks to Penny.

“Ms. DuBois?” A man’s voice jerked Erika out
of her thoughts.

And straight to the green eyes of a gorgeous
man who caused her to draw in her breath. There was no doubt in her
mind that this must be Dawson’s cousin. The resemblance was so
strong they could have been brothers.

“I’m Holden Kennedy.” He smiled and she lost
her tongue. He reached out his hand as she stood. “I apologize for
making you wait.”

“It was no problem at all.” She managed to
get a grip on herself as she got to her feet and gave him her best
attempt at a professional smile. “Call me Erika.”

He gripped her hand firmly and his smile made
him breathtakingly sexy, and she wanted to climb all over him. He
gave a nod and released her hand. “So glad you could make it,
Erika.”

“So am I.” She breathed out the words, her
mind heading to places it really shouldn’t be going. Like back down
to the floor to where she’d just imagined herself with Dawson, only
this time with Holden.

Where Dawson had been dressed in rugged
outdoor clothing, Holden wore a tailored suit and looked as
professional as any businessman she’d ever met. But he still had a
primal look in his eyes as he studied her, and it was as if he was
reining himself in.

Holden, too, had dark hair as well as the
shadow of a beard, but wasn’t nearly as scruffy as Dawson. She
would have liked to see what was beneath that suit jacket.

He raised his eyebrow as she assessed him,
and for a moment she was almost embarrassed at so blatantly
checking him out. But instead she kept her expression as calm as
possible.

“About time you made it, cuz.” Dawson’s voice
drew her attention and her breath caught.

He’d dressed in a suit much like Holden’s and
looked equally as sophisticated. The wolf prints running along the
side of his neck, disappearing into his collar, gave him an air of
mystery. Sophisticated and feral all at once.

“We’d be better off taking a truck than a
car. We can take mine.” Dawson walked to the coat rack. “It’s
coming down out there.”

Erika let him help her slip her coat on and a
shiver trailed her spine as his fingers brushed her bare neck. She
turned and worked on keeping her expression fixed, afraid he’d see
the desire that flared up in her just from that slight touch. He
gave her a look that told her he’d felt the same thing she had.

She brushed it off as he reached for the door
handle. Ice-cold air invaded the warmth of the house the moment he
opened the door, the iciness hitting her full in the face. She
stiffened as Holden put his fingers at the base of her spine and
walked beside her as they went outside to Dawson’s truck. She
didn’t want to admit it, but even through the coat Holden’s touch
affected her much as Dawson’s had.

Damn. This wasn’t good. She was attracted to
not one, but two of her clients, who happened to be cousins. She
had to get herself together and not let her hormones get the best
of her.

***

When they walked into the fine Italian
restaurant, the warm smells wafted past Erika and hunger pangs made
her realize she hadn’t eaten since she’d caught a bite at La
Guardia before her flight left. They checked their coats before
being escorted to their table.

Once she was seated, Holden took the chair to
her left and Dawson took the one to her right. They chose the
Carpaccio
as an appetizer and a red wine from one of Italy’s
finest vineyards.

“Do you get much snow this time of year in
Colorado Springs?” Erika asked as they were waiting for their
appetizer.

Dawson shrugged. “Typically only a couple of
inches, but every decade or so it’s been as high as eight
inches.”

“Tonight we’ll get an inch or three.” Holden
picked up his wine glass. “No big deal.”

Erika smiled. “Not at all.”

After their appetizer was served and their
dinner orders taken, the conversation turned to the Thanksgiving
football game between the Giants and the Broncos.

Dawson offered the
Carpaccio
to Erika.
“Are you into football?”

His question surprised her. No one had asked
her that before, likely assuming that “someone like her” wouldn’t
be interested in the game.

She accepted some of the appetizer by putting
a portion on her appetizer plate. “I’ve been a Giants fan since I
was a young girl.” It was one thing, maybe the only thing she had
in common with the General.

Dawson grinned as he took some
Carpaccio
for himself. “The Broncos are going to kick some
a—butt when the Giants come to town on Thanksgiving. It’ll be a
repeat of the last time they met.”

“The Giants have a better team this year.”
Erika shook her head. “It won’t even be a close game. The Broncos
are going down.”

Holden gave a low chuckle as he put
Carpaccio
on his plate. “Those are some dangerous words in
Broncos country.”

“The Broncos don’t stand a chance.” Erika
swirled her wine in her glass. “Which is exactly what I told Brody
Howser earlier.”

Dawson and Holden both looked interested.
“You know Howser?”

“We met on the flight from La Guardia to
Colorado Springs.” Erika smiled. “He’s a nice guy.”

Holden looked thoughtful as he chewed and
then swallowed. “He’s one hell of a safety.”

Erika bit into her
Carpaccio
and a
moan of pleasure rose inside her. She was so hungry and it was so
good.

Conversation stopped and she realized she’d
moaned aloud. The men looked at each other as Erika did her best to
look like she hadn’t just sounded like she was close to having an
orgasm.

“Holden played tight end at the University of
Colorado.” Dawson looked like he was trying to get the conversation
back on track after her slip. “He had a career-ending injury in his
rookie season with the Broncos after graduating.”

Erika studied Holden. “I know it’s likely an
understatement that it must have been devastating.”

“That was some time ago.” He shrugged and
then smiled. “If I hadn’t had the injury, I wouldn’t be enjoying
the company of such a beautiful woman as you, Erika.”

A part of her felt as if she might blush,
even though she’d been told that many times by men who’d dared.

She resisted the urge to touch her hair to
make sure it was still smooth. “You must have been injured some
time ago, because I don’t remember it.”

“It was a long time ago. I imagine that your
career doesn’t allow you a lot of time to keep up with sports to
begin with,” Holden said.

“That’s true.” She gave a nod. “To tell the
truth, I try to work my meetings around the Giants’ schedule.”
Jeez, this wine must be getting to her because she never told
anyone about her football fetish.

Both Holden and Dawson grinned. “My kind of
woman,” they said at the same time and then looked at each other as
they laughed. Erika found herself smiling, too.

They talked football even as the salad
arrived, straight through to dinner being served. As the wait staff
placed plates in front of each of them, Dawson said, “So who are
you watching the ball game with on Thanksgiving?”

“Great friends.” Erika looked up from her
scaloppini di pollo al marsala
. She could be a good actress
when she needed to be, and she worked on a warm smile as she
thought of Diva and B.O.B., the only friends she’d be spending the
holiday with.

By the time she returned, her cat may even
have forgiven Erika for being gone for a couple of days since it
was a holiday, after all.

Erika’s time with B.O.B. would likely now
include vivid fantasies of Holden and Dawson. First one, then the
other. Oh hell, maybe both at the same time. Perhaps during
halftime. They could tackle her, right between her uprights.

Her train of thought caused her nipples to
tighten and made her grow wet between her thighs. God, she hoped
her nipples weren’t showing though her thin dress. How could she be
thinking of Dawson or Holden together? Her partners at her firm
shared a woman, but Erika wasn’t the type of woman who’d ever want
to be shared by two men, despite how hot the thought was.

“We’ve got the whole fam damnily gathering at
Holden’s.” Dawson glanced at his cousin. “Is Penny coming in?”

“She already did the grocery shopping and
part of the preparation.” Holden shook his head. “She thinks we
should be spending time as a family and not cooking. She doesn’t
understand that part of the fun of Thanksgiving is cooking
together.”

“And watching football,” Dawson said.

“That too.” Holden grinned. “I got Penny to
compromise. Everything’s prepared, we just have to put it
together.”

Dawson finished chewing and swallowing a bite
of his penne pasta. He looked to Holden and there seemed to be some
kind of silent communication going on between them. “Erika likes to
ski.”

Holden glanced at Erika. “It’s too bad you
won’t be here long. A few of our favorite slopes are open now.”

Dawson gave a nod. “Maybe we can convince you
to come back and join us.”

Oh, she’d like to join them all right. Erika
mentally shook her head. “You never know.” Keeping clients happy
was part of the job, right? Of course that
did not
include
sex, which was where her mind kept going.

“Dawson is one hell of a skier.” Holden
nodded to Dawson who was taking a drink of his wine. “I’m not the
only one with a pro career-ending injury. We worked hard in our
respective sports, but that all changed.”

With a shake of his head, Dawson gave a wry
smile. “It’s how Paige ended up being the face of Colorado Outdoor
Gear. Holden and I had other plans. When those plans jettisoned, we
took what we’d made and decided to be silent partners with her at
the helm.”

“What about you?” Holden focused his green
gaze on Erika. “You must have more interests than football and
skiing.”

“Martial arts.” She nodded. “Taekwondo.”

Holden continued studying her. “I’d bet
you’re a black belt.”

She raised an eyebrow. “How did you
guess?”

“Even though we haven’t known each other more
than a couple of hours now, from what I’ve gotten to know of you,
I’d bet you don’t do anything halfway.” The corner of his mouth
curved. “And I researched your company online. It’s clear that they
don’t do things halfway.”

“You’re absolutely right.” She set her fork
on her plate. “Anything I do, I take all the way.” The perfect
segue into talking a little business.

Before she could say anything though, Holden
and Dawson insisted she have the tiramisu as it was the best she’d
ever have. She gave in, almost laughing at their insistence. They
were like two little boys.

The server arrived, looking concerned. “The
storm has taken a turn for the worse and doesn’t seem to be moving
off.” She shook her head. “The news is predicting several more
inches and the owners have decided to close the restaurant.” She
pulled a leather receipt folder out of her apron. “For your safety,
you all might want to head home.”