Her Backup Boyfriend (Entangled Bliss) (Sorensen Family) (9 page)

He swore she was wearing a deep grayish-blue bra. Almost the exact shade of her eyes. Why the hell would she go out of her way to match her undergarments to her eyes if she didn’t want people to appreciate the comparison, right?

“You know, I’m kind of tired. Why don’t we just call it a draw.”

“Not on your life.” He grinned. The bag of letters had less than a handful remaining. The game was almost over, in his favor, and he knew what he wanted in return for their bet. Letting her gracefully bow out was not going to happen. “You know, you can always draw new letters and skip your turn.”

She didn’t respond, just shot him a scornful look before returning her attention to her letters. He sat back and crossed his arms, ready to enjoy the show.

But that satisfaction only lasted another twenty seconds. About the moment she took a long slurp of her cocoa, leaving a creamy chocolate mustache on her upper lip. She then used her pert little tongue to slowly lick the foam from across her lip. He closed his eyes.

Maybe keeping his eyes on the board would be a better idea.

An eternity later, she dropped her next word. Seventeen points. And then scooped up the last letters. It was cruel, really, to keep her in such suspense. He should just put her out of her misery and call it good.

But this was more fun.

He laid out the last of his letters and tallied up his score. “Only fourteen that time, but with a bonus for using all my letters—”

“I can add. Fine. You won this round.”

“Round?” He looked up at her.

“Didn’t I tell you?” She smiled sweetly at him, but he could see the determination in her eyes. “Best out of three.”

She really didn’t like to lose. Well, neither did he.

…

“I cannot believe you’re making me do this,” Kate said the next afternoon, trying to keep the rising panic from her voice.

Was this thing even safe? She clutched the side of the chair as the ski lift hurled them up into the sky. The once picturesque mountainside she’d been appreciating only this morning had gone from beautiful to treacherous in the space of a minute.

She was going to die.

The unrelenting snowfall that continued through the night had slowed to nothing more than a light dusting of snow that settled on her face and pooled into droplets of water. She was certain her nose was already akin to Rudolph’s, so a little water dripping from her chin seemed irrelevant.

“You’ll be fine. I promise,” the spawn of Satan was saying next to her. As if he’d anticipated snow, he was decked out in his own parka and ski pants—which she’d already noted seemed to emphasize the firmness of his tush and slimness of his hips and abs, despite their padding. Even the ridiculous ski cap on his head couldn’t take away from the sexy allure of his smile and those bright, hypnotic eyes. So hypnotic she’d been too busy staring into them to realize she was heading toward her death. He’d have been a great executioner. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Yeah, easy for him to say. He knew what he was doing. She, on the other hand, despite living the majority of her life in the Salt Lake area and attending a preeminent private school where 99.9 percent of the student population—her being the obvious holdout—went skiing every weekend, had never been. Ever.

She cursed her luck. She’d been so certain she was going to win last night with those tiles in her hand and that double word score that she’d stupidly agreed to go skiing if she lost. Something she’d had no intention of doing, because she was going to kick his butt.

Until she didn’t.

“I can’t believe you’ve never skied before. You live in a state where half the license plates brag about having the greatest snow on earth.”

“Right. And who would have taken me? My grandmother?” Not to mention the fact that lessons, slope passes, and ski equipment rentals cost money. Something that had been in short supply in her house.

“I think you’re old enough now to go by yourself,” he teased.

“So I can be humiliated when four-year-olds whiz by and heckle me as I plow my way down the slope? No, thank you. Not to mention that I could break a leg or an arm—or my neck.” God. She was really going to die.

He laughed. “I’ll make sure you don’t go flying off any cliffs. I promise.”

Cliffs?
He was kidding. Right?

One hour. She just had to survive for one hour. Then they could go back to their room, where he’d promised to leave her uninterrupted while she soaked in that massive tub in her bathroom.

But what good would a bath be if she was crumpled at the base of a tree with a concussion?

“Okay. We’re coming up to the crest,” Dominic said in a soothing voice like he was talking to a toddler. “Hold on to your poles, slide forward to the edge of the seat, and when I say go, slide off and veer to the right. Got it?”

Oh my God. Oh my God. What?

“Go.”

Dominic slid off and easily skied to the right, like he’d directed her. Kate, however, was still frozen to the seat, clutching the arm for dear life. The lift started to curve and within a few seconds she was facing back down the mountain. The lift came to a bone-jarring halt, almost throwing her from the seat.

“Kate.
Kate.
” It was Dominic, she realized. And he looked like he was trying not to laugh. Another guy showed up at his side and from the emblem on his jacket, he must be an employee of the resort. “You’re going to need to let go. Come on. I’ll catch you.”

Kate looked around and noticed the dozens of eyes on her. The whole freaking lift was stopped as everyone waited for her to get her ass off the seat. Mortified, Kate made the decision that nothing could be worse than this and let herself slip off the seat and down to the powdery snow below.

She was wrong. She fell hard on her butt.

“Okay. We’ll work on that,” Dominic said and offered his hand to help her up.

Coming to her feet, Kate found the skis slipping, and she started falling back again, but this time Dominic’s strong arms wrapped around her and steadied her. Even through the layers of their clothes, she could feel the furnace of his body. It was hard not to nestle up to his natural heat and she leaned in to him a little longer. “Remember what I taught you. Snowplow.”

She nodded and reluctantly pulled away. She turned her heels out so the fronts of her skis almost crisscrossed in front of her.

“That’s it. But first we need to move out of the way.” With his arm firmly around her, he helped her slide off to the side and to the top of the slope.

Kate looked down just as the wind picked up, blowing the powdery snow around like a small blizzard, almost making it impossible to see anything. Except for what looked like a sheer drop to the valley below ahead of them. From the way Dominic was pointing, she was supposed to head that way.

Oh. My. Dear. God. Save me.

“I can’t do this, Dominic. I don’t know what I was thinking. Is there another way off the mountain?”

His lips quirked up. “Only one way. You’re going to have to ski it. Come on. I’ll help you.”

With surprising patience, Dominic began talking to her, explaining how to twist and glide her skis in motion and then, if she lost control again, to bring them in front of her and snowplow to decrease her speed and gain control. She followed his instruction and after a few minutes, found she had moved a few feet down the hill—granted, very slowly—and had managed to turn her skis and was now sliding in the opposite direction.

And then she did it all over again. She was doing it, she was actually skiing.

Wait…

Shit. She was going too fast. Her arms flapped and her skis slipped dangerously fast across the surface of the snow.

What the hell was that tree doing in the middle of the slope?

There was only one way to save herself and she felt her ankle twist underneath her as she turned to the side and fell not so gracefully into the snow. She coughed out chunks of snow and tried to wipe the crystals from her mouth.

Dominic sashayed over to her, not looking even mildly alarmed that she had almost died. He was actually smiling. “You’re getting it. No worries. Come on. Let’s try again.”

Again? Was he insane?

Dominic held his hands out to her and in a moment had her on her feet. Only he didn’t release her hands immediately, holding her steady so she didn’t fall back down. She had to admit, in his hands, she felt safe. Her worries almost washed away.

“Kate? Is that you?”

The vision from her goggles was slightly obstructed from the snow that her graceful fall had kicked up and she wiped away the moisture, even though it was unnecessary. She knew who was bearing down on her.

That’s right. What was hell without more abject humiliation?

“Hi, guys,” she said and tried to smile. She wiped away a few chunks of snow clinging to her hair.

Michael was shaking his head in disbelief. “I would never have believed it if I hadn’t heard that bloodcurdling scream from clear over on the other run”—he pointed to another slope adjacent to the one they were on, where people were whipping by at alarming speeds—“and had to come see for myself. You. On the slopes.”

Kate looked over at Nicole, who still managed to look cute and chic in slim-fitting white snow pants and an ice-blue parka. Kate was wearing an oversized pair of black snow pants and a frumpy parka they’d found for sale in the resort’s gift shop that made her feel more like the abominable snowman than a ski bunny.

“You always insisted you couldn’t ski. No matter much cajoling I did,” he continued, actually managing to sound affronted.

“Just had to find the right incentive, I guess,” Dominic said, the innuendo clear. He smiled, and Kate thawed a tiny bit from its warmth.

Michael nodded a little curtly. “Well, be careful, Kate. This isn’t the best resort for beginners. I could have taken you to a couple of other places more appropriate if you really wanted to learn.”

“Kate’s doing fine,” Nicole interjected. “Although I learned to ski when I was around three, so I don’t really remember the learning process. But it looks like she’s in good hands.” Nicole brought her snow goggles down and over her eyes. “I’ll see you guys at the bottom. Michael, are you ready to eat my dust?” she challenged him.

Michael glanced uneasily back at Kate. He actually looked like he wanted to stay and make sure she got safely down, and she couldn’t ignore the rush of excitement she had at the prospect that he still cared. And might actually be
jealous
.

“She’s right,” she finally said and gave him a big smile. “Dominic and I can manage. In fact, before you know it, I’ll be ready to ski the diamonds or black hills—or whatever you call them,” she added with false bravado.

“I think you mean black diamond,” Dominic said and smiled at her fondly. He turned to Michael, his voice warm but authoritative. “We’ll be fine.”

Despite the fact she could not longer feel her face, Kate smiled at how easily Dominic dismissed Michael. And how much she actually believed his assurance that they’d be fine. She was almost convinced she’d make it to the bottom in one piece.

Not looking entirely convinced, Michael nodded. “Okay. I’ll see you later, then.” He brought his own goggles down and, without waiting another moment, followed Nicole.

Dominic said something under his breath that sounded a lot like “schmuck” before turning back to her. Which kind of surprised her. Usually people—men and women—were drawn to Michael. He could be funny and personable. But it she wasn’t mistaken, Dominic had taken a definite dislike to him. It was ridiculous how giddy that made her.

“Ready?” he asked.

A group of three skiers flew by, spraying snow up around them.

“Not really.” She sighed. “But it doesn’t look like I have much choice.”

And with steely determination, she tilted her body forward and slid into the turn. She went about five more feet before she fell on her butt. Again.

It was certainly going to take some time, but she’d get there.

Even if it was in a body cast.

Chapter Nine

From his seat on the couch in the living room of the hotel suite, Dominic tried to block out the sounds coming from the room behind him. And the images.

He heard Kate turn the water off and a minute later heard her loud groan.

Good God. What was she
doing
in there?

“Kate? You all right?”

A long pause. “No. I’m hurting in places I didn’t know was even possible.”

Damn. That put an interesting picture in his mind. He flipped the television on and started switching stations, aware of the swishing of water coming from behind the door.

“This is completely your fault, you know,” she continued. “Making me ski today. Risking my life.”

“Hey, my deal was that you tried skiing for an hour. You were the one who insisted on skiing another two. Come on. Admit it. You had fun.”

She muttered something he couldn’t hear, but it didn’t sound very favorable.

“What time do you want to leave tomorrow?” he asked again, needing something to distract him from the image of her naked body, immersed in the water. Feet away from him.

“Whenever we want. But I was thinking no later than ten. I want to make sure I’m at the nursing home in time to have lunch with my grams. When should I be at your parents’ for dinner?”

“We eat about six, but usually everyone arrives the hour before. Helps with the preparation.”

Another moan slipped from her lips. She was killing him. “Is there anything I can get you? A glass of wine, some ibuprofen? You know, I actually give a killer back massage. I might be able to make you more comfortable.”

“It’s not my back that’s hurting.”

From the number of times she’d fallen on her ass, he could imagine where the real aches were. “I’m flexible. I’m sure I can knead those sore muscles of yours…wherever they are.”

This time he heard her laugh. “Nice try. I took some ibuprofen already. I just hope they kick in before dinner. Or you might be wheeling me in there in a wheelchair.”

He gave up on the distraction and flipped the television off. He crossed his legs in front of him, resting them on the coffee table.

“Tim seemed nice enough. Is he the one making the decision about your promotion?”

“No, but he is the one who made the recommendation to the senior partners. There has to be a consensus for me to be voted in, which is what they’ll do at the quarterly meeting. And with your presence this weekend as my significant other, my nailing the upcoming depositions, and hopefully getting the McKenna case dismissed on summary judgment, Tim thinks I’ll be a shoo-in. I’m betting on it.”

He remembered Tim’s advice the night before that Kate check in on her client. “Is this the case you were supposed to do the hand-holding on?”

“Yes, and it just so happen to be the bane of my existence these past few months. It’s a sexual harassment complaint brought by a former employee. She claims her boss came on to her for months and when she complained, worked to get her fired. I’ve seen these types of cases before. It’s a shakedown for money. I mean, as much I think the guy is a jerk, the evidence—or lack thereof—is solid.”

“And you’re defending him?”

“Well, defending him and the company.”

“Sounds…interesting. But what if you don’t win? Would that jeopardize your promotion?”

“I’ll try not to take offense from that. Since it’s unlikely I won’t win, I am not worried about the promotion. This woman’s attorney is horrible. A small-time family practitioner, he’s out of his element in a full trial like this one. It’s almost criminal that he’s so incompetent.”

More swishing came from the other room and then the distinct sound of the plug being pulled and water draining. He had an image of her standing, water dripping down her hips, and lower…

He jumped up. “I’m going to make some coffee. Want any?”

“Sure.”

He stood and went to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of mugs from the cupboard. A few minutes later, Kate came in, bundled in a thick white terry robe. Her hair was combed but still wet and down around her shoulders, her face pink and clean.

Damn, his fingers itched to pull her into him and taste those full rosy lips. Really taste them. No quick chaste kiss. Bad idea, though. In this room? With her alone? It wouldn’t end with just a kiss. And that was just too damn dangerous for them both.

He handed her a mug of coffee instead and followed her back to the couch. She pulled her feet up and tucked them under her as she sipped her drink. “Tell me about your work. Benny mentioned that you used to study architecture, right?”

“I did. Earned an associate’s degree in engineering and drafting before getting into the program up at the U. Then my dad had his heart attack, and I had to leave. But I don’t regret it. I’ve learned a lot helping out at Sorensen, and I’m glad I was able to be there for my family. Now, though…” He trailed off, thinking about the thrill, the satisfaction of working on Kate’s house, improving what was already there, making it beautiful again. Not to mention the home he’d built with his own two hands these many months. With Dad’s surgery coming up, he was champing at the bit to return to work. “To be honest, Cruz has that place running like a well-oiled machine. I’m not really as needed as I was before.”

“Do you think you’ll go back into the architectural program?”

“Cruz wants me to, but I don’t know. I suppose I could, but then I’d be putting off what I want to do even longer. Benny’s been trying to get me to meet with this web designer, get my own business off the ground. With Cruz’s business sense, he could help me get it launched, too. I’m just focusing on Dad’s surgery first, and then we’ll see. How about you? Did you always want to be an attorney?”

She smiled and looked down at her cup. “Actually, when I was a kid I used to watch
Judge Judy
every afternoon. She was tough as nails and ballsy and I never missed a show. Don’t tell anyone else, but I always wanted to be her. Sitting up at that podium in a long flowing black robe, slamming the gavel down while bossing people around. Not taking crap from anyone. I only found out later that to be a judge you had to be an attorney first. So I set my sights on law school.”

Not taking crap from anyone? Like who? But he didn’t press it. “A judge? Color me impressed.” He grinned. “But now that you mention it, I could see it. You’d be great.”

“How would you know?” she asked and looked up at him. Her eyes were soft and shining, her skin flushed bright with color. She was lit from within as she talked about realizing her dream. Had he ever looked so optimistic?

“Because you have a soft touch. Even if you don’t know it yourself. But if your goal is to become a judge, why are you stressing about this promotion?”

“It’s a stepping-stone. Junior partner at a reputable firm like Strauss, the connections I make—they’re all invaluable when I look to make that final leap. And the money doesn’t hurt, either.”

“I suppose it doesn’t.” He took a big slug of his coffee, barely tasting the nutty brew. Her comment about money hit too close to home when he remembered how important it had been to his ex as well. Damn more important than him.

Kate took the last gulp of her own and shot to her feet, then immediately flinched. “I had better go start drying my hair or you’ll be escorting Medusa to tonight’s dinner instead of the future Honorable Kate Matthews.”

Judge Kate. Hair tied up behind her, that long flowing black robe. With nothing underneath. Kind of like now.

Damn. He’d better go take a shower before he embarrassed himself.

A long, cold shower.

…

Hours later, Dominic was tossing and turning on the torturous pullout couch in the living room, trying once again not to think about the soft, sweet-smelling woman in the bedroom.

Kate had looked beautiful tonight and the hour she’d spent putting on the finishing touches had been worth it. Walking into the ballroom with every man turning to stare at her had filled him with contrasting feelings. Pride that this creature was there with him, and the urge to punch every guy throwing salacious grins her way.

Especially Michael. What a freaking weasel. He’d cornered Dominic when he went to get Kate a drink, practically demanding to know how serious things were between them while his fiancée waited across the room.

“I’m not quite sure what business it is of yours, bud,” Dominic had said. “Isn’t that your fiancée watching us at the next table?”

“Kate is a good friend. The fact that we had…complications in our own relationship doesn’t change that we still care about how the other’s doing.”

Complications, his ass. Michael had been an idiot to ever let Kate go.

The squeaking of the mattress in the other room told him Kate was still awake. He could almost picture her now. Probably in some silky nightgown, maybe a number with a long slit up the thigh. Her full breasts heavy and pressed against the fabric. That red hair cascading on the pillows under her, her body soft and waiting for his touch.

He muffled a groan and nestled farther in his pillows, willing himself to shut the crazy thoughts away and get some sleep.

“Are you awake?” Kate asked softly from the other room.

Hell, if only he was. Instead, he rasped, “Nope.”

“Me, either.” He heard her toss around again. This was torture. “But I think the pain meds are working. I don’t feel like I’m as stiff as I was before.”

That made one of them. “Good.”

“I think I should take some more ibuprofen, though. Want to be able to walk tomorrow.”

This time he could hear her rise from the bed, and then it was quiet.

“I’m just going to get some water,” she said from the doorway. The carpet must have muffled her footsteps.

He pressed his eyes even tighter. Not trusting himself to look over to see what, if anything, she was wearing. “Be my guest.”

…

Kate stood in the doorway for a few seconds, adjusting her eyes to the dark, until she could recognize the pullout bed and Dominic’s figure thanks to the light streaming in from the window above the kitchen sink.

Gaining her bearings, she walked into the small studio kitchen and grabbed a water from the fridge and set it next to the medicine bottle.

She should be tired, and Lord knew she had been exhausted when they’d arrived back at their room after skiing earlier. But between then and now, she felt energized. She laughed out loud as an image from earlier came to her. “I’m still remembering that look on Michael’s face when you took me out to the dance floor before the dancing had even started and swirled me around. He never was much for dancing.”

Not to mention the giddy emotions that she’d experienced when Dominic had held her so expertly, her hand in his as he whirled her around. It had been like a dream. For a minute she’d forgotten everyone else in that room save her and Dominic.

Until she had spied Michael sitting there, his mouth hanging open.

“You certainly left an impression on him,” Dominic said after a moment.

“I think you’re the one who left the impression. Who knew how powerful the pull of jealousy could be,” she mused.

Dominic was quiet and didn’t move. Finally, he tossed the pillow that he’d had over his head and rolled over to prop his arm up underneath him. Kate’s stomach dropped as she realized that his shoulders were bare. Maybe coming out here hadn’t been such a good idea. What did he have on underneath that sheet?

“Is that part of your angle here?” he asked. “To make Michael jealous?”

Concentrate, Kate.

She forced herself to drag her gaze from where he was lying and grabbed the ibuprofen bottle and twisted. “Honestly? It wasn’t part of the agenda when you first proposed the idea of posing as my boyfriend, but I’d be lying if I said it hadn’t crossed my mind recently.”

“And what are you hoping for? If Michael suddenly came to his senses and said he wanted you back. Would you take him?”

She was glad that she had the excuse of tossing the capsules in her mouth and chasing them down with a healthy serving of water to give her a moment to think about the question. Would she want Michael back, now, after all this time? After everything he’d put her through?

She set the bottle back to the counter and sighed. “I wish I could tell you unequivocally no. That I would laugh my head off and send him away with his tail between his legs. But the feelings I had for him? They’re still there. We had just seemed so…ideal for each other. Both attorneys at the same firm, both dedicated to moving up the ladder. We understood when the other had to break off a long-awaited evening out for a last-minute motion that needed to be filed. I would have a lot to think about, let’s put it that way.”

“That’s fair.” He took another moment and she looked over to see he was still studying her, and she wished his face wasn’t so obscured by the shadows. She wanted to know what he was thinking. “What happened between you two, anyhow? If you don’t mind my asking.”

Ah. She had wondered if he was ever going to get around to asking her that. Grabbing the water bottle, she walked over and took a chair in the recliner adjacent to the couch. She tucked her feet underneath her, making sure she wasn’t flashing him.

“I had been working as an associate at Strauss for just over a year when Michael joined the firm. That first year had been…tough. Trying to prove to everyone that I belonged and that I could handle everything they gave me and then some. It was lonely sometimes.” To say the least, since she hadn’t felt the same camaraderie with the other associates, who all seemed to have been in the same sororities and fraternities. She’d always felt awkward when conversations turned to what fabulous location they’d been to for vacation. “Anyhow, with my student loan payments coming due and rent to pay along with my grams’s declining health, I hadn’t wanted to take on any new debt at first and was still driving Grams’s old clunker. A green Oldsmobile Cutlass, circa 1988.”