Remember Me. Laura Browning

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СКАЧАТЬ clay hadn’t earned her any money. Taking off her clothes and dancing earned her living, and a damned good one. But not one she wanted to share with everyone.

      Hell, who was she kidding? She didn’t want to share it with Brandon. For a little while, she wanted to be able to live the fantasy she really was sophisticated and classy like him. It was just one week. What could it hurt? She would never see him again. Somehow, the thought made her throat tight.

      When she saw him in the lobby, saw the welcoming smile lighting his face, she couldn’t help but laugh and return it. “Good morning, I’m not late, am I?”

      “No.” He took her hand and tucked it through his arm. “Come on. We’ll grab breakfast first, then we’ll get you set with equipment.” He ushered her into a small private dining room off the main one. There was a veritable feast on the table. “I didn’t know what you might like, so I asked them to bring in a sampling of several items.”

      Lucy gaped. “I—I only have coffee and a bagel most mornings. Sometimes I splurge following a workout and have a latte.” She put a hand to her throat. “I can’t believe you did all this.”

      Brandon laughed. “Dig in. You’ll be glad of the calories after I get you out on the ski slopes.”

      Once she buckled on the ski boots the first time, she decided this might be a whole lot harder than she had anticipated. Accustomed to being able to move fluidly, she felt like Frankenstein’s little sister, and could only marvel at how natural Brandon was, even with the boots on. They practiced putting on and taking off the skis. He set their poles aside for the time being, explaining he wanted her to understand how to maneuver the skis first and learn to balance without depending on poles.

      “We’ll pick them up once we get you going on the intermediate slopes. For now, you can hold on to me.” He grinned at her, his cheeks flushed from the cold. He was more patient than she had imagined. Lucy couldn’t help thinking he could be doing so much more if she’d just had the courage to turn him down.

      When she had graduated to the point where she was snowplowing her way downhill with him skiing backward in front of her but not touching her, she couldn’t hold it in any longer.

      “Brandon, it’s obvious you’re a very experienced skier. Why are you hanging here with me? You must be so bored.”

      He turned from picking up their poles, handing them to her. “Don’t you worry about me, Lucy. I’m where I want to be, and I’m not at all bored.” He turned so he was next to her. “Come on, baby, we’re taking the lift this time.”

      Lucy had watched the chairs circling and the handful of early skiers hopping on and off the lifts as if it was no big deal. “I don’t know…”

      “You can handle it. You’ve got amazing balance. Remember when you exit the lift to keep your weight a little forward. I’ll teach you the right moment so the lift gives you some momentum to ski away without any problem.”

      He was right. It turned out to be a lot less complicated than she’d thought it would be. Now, standing at the top of her first intermediate run, all Lucy could do was grin. She had pretty much figured to be on the bunny slopes the whole day. While she was sure this was nothing to a skier like Brandon, it was a big accomplishment for her, and one she wouldn’t have achieved without his help. Going with the impulse, she leaned over and hugged him.

      “Thanks, Brandon.”

      He looked surprised. “What for?”

      “For getting me here in just a couple of hours. Skiing an intermediate trail was my goal for the week.”

      “Given the athlete you appear to be, I’ll have you going down some of the easier advanced runs in a day or two. Now, let’s practice using your poles before we head down. You’ll find them more useful on these longer runs.”

      Lucy wasn’t sure when she’d had such a good time or laughed so much. After landing on her butt the first time, she soon mastered controlling her speed and making the wide turns along the intermediate trails they explored. When Brandon suggested getting lunch, she agreed with reluctance.

      “Trust me, baby, you’ll be glad for some rest once your body gets around to telling you you’ve been engaged in something new to it.” They put their skis in storage and headed to the lodge. Brandon took her hand in his. “I hope you don’t mind, I asked the staff to have lunch ready for us in my suite.”

      Warning bells went off. Lucy pulled her hand from his. “I think you’re making some assumptions…”

      Brandon stopped her with a touch on her arm. “No. I’m not. It’s a suite, Lucy, not a bedroom. We’ll be eating in a dining area off a great room with its own fireplace. I think you’ll understand why I made those arrangements when you step inside the main lodge.”

      She’d pissed him off. It was there in the hard set of his jaw, but she couldn’t help it. Starting with puberty, she’d become a target. Boys and men had gone out of their way to take advantage of her, so she’d learned to be cautious. But Brandon was right about one thing. When she walked inside the lodge, she was greeted by a wall of sound almost as loud as a full crowd at Flamingo Road with the music pumping.

      Brandon stopped her just inside the door. “So, which will it be? Lunch here or in my suite?”

      “Your suite. And…I’m sorry.”

      He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Don’t worry about it.”

      * * * *

      They walked from the main lodge to a smaller building which housed Falcon Summit’s luxury suites, and Brandon was beating himself up. Don’t worry about it. The problem was she did need to worry. He would like nothing better than to strip off all those layers of clothing and get her on her back in his bed. He unlocked the door and opened it before allowing Lucy to precede him. From long habit, his gaze dropped to her bottom, outlined in the tight, figure-hugging material of her ski pants. Oh yeah. Being a gentleman was going to get harder and harder.

      “Wow, Brandon.” Lucy looked around her, eyes wide. “This is amazing. I thought I had a wonderful room, but this is unbelievable. The view of the mountains from your great room is incredible.”

      The view from where I am is incredible. “Like I said, I’m friends with the owner, so I get some perks.” Which wasn’t the complete truth. Matt made sure Brandon could get a suite anytime he wanted one, but Brandon paid fair market value for it too. He watched Lucy wander around the room, her fingers lingering over a sculpture on a side table and brushing over a copy of National News. He was reluctant for her to find out his connection to Barrett Newspapers. As wary as she was, he was afraid she might pull back completely.

      “Oh, look, lunch is set here on the table right by the window.” She turned to grin at him. “I am so starving. I guess it must be all the fresh air.”

      Brandon unzipped his jacket and tossed it aside. “No doubt. Let me have your jacket and we’ll tuck in.”

      She slid out of the pink and gray coat to reveal a form-fitting turtleneck beneath it. Brandon’s body temperature shot up several degrees. Lord help him, but she had an amazing body. When she handed him the jacket, their fingers brushed, their eyes met and the heat level jacked up another notch.

      “Lucy.” Her name hung in the air. He saw her СКАЧАТЬ