Remember Me (7 page)

Lucy started to shake her head. Brandon spoke. “I have a pilot’s license.”

The owner brightened. “You can rent a plane at Air Service at the airport. Pilots are available most of the time, but if you have your pilot’s license, you could fly it yourself.”

Brandon wanted to be able to give the trip to Lucy. He’d seen just how much pleasure being able to look around the gallery and talk to the owner had given her. He could imagine the trip to Coyote Creek would be even better. “We may do that. Thanks for the suggestion.”

They chatted for a few more minutes, then said their goodbyes. Lucy was almost bouncing on her toes she was so excited. Brandon grinned. She looked at him and laughed. “I’m having so much fun. Thank you for bringing me into town.”

He caught her hand as they started past a coffee shop. “How about some coffee and a snack? We can plan our trip to Coyote Creek.”

She stopped. “You don’t have to do arrange a trip, Brandon. You came here to ski. I’ve already taken you from the slopes.”

They found a table in a corner. “How do you figure?”

“This trip to town for starters. Admit it. Without me, you wouldn’t be here. You’d be on the slopes with Matt. And you for darn sure wouldn’t be skiing down even advanced trails. You’d be on the expert slopes.”

The waitress stopped by to get their order. After Lucy ordered a skim latte with an extra shot of espresso, Brandon smiled. “Make it two, and bring a couple of those chocolate croissants.”

“Brandon!” Lucy protested. “I can’t eat that.”

He arched a brow at her. “Who said it was for you? And the first thing you should understand about me is I never do anything I don’t want to do. Spending time with you? That’s something I want. And I would like nothing better than to fly us both over to Coyote Creek tomorrow.”

She leaned back and crossed her arms across her chest. “To look at pottery?”

He leaned forward, his arms crossed on the table. “To look at you looking at pottery. A distinction that makes it all worthwhile for me.”

She flushed. Another thing he liked about her. Even though she oozed confidence in herself and her body, there were times when he had to wonder if some of it wasn’t simply an image she forced herself to project. Now she nibbled her lower lip, worrying it until he wanted to lean forward and kiss her.

“All right,” she said at last.

Brandon smiled. “Well, since I have your agreement, let me try something else. Care to spend the night with me? I want to make love to you right in front of the fireplace.”

Her lips parted, but she was forestalled from a response when their waitress showed up, setting their lattes and the two chocolate croissants right in front of them. Once she had departed, leaving the check facedown on the table, Brandon raised his brows.

“Well?” Inside, he worried for an instant she might say no. Then she grinned and tilted her head.

“You don’t snore, do you?”

“Not that I know of. What about you?”

“My cat will never tell.”

* * * *

Lucy had to keep reminding herself what was between Brandon and her was only a little vacation romance. She couldn’t consider this as serious because what was happening was a slice out of time. He was like a dream, the fulfillment of a fantasy, but when this week was over, reality would return. She would return to taking her clothes off for money, and he would no doubt be back in the boardroom, his adventures with her no more than a memory.

“So, will you stay with me tonight?”

She should say no. That would be the safe way, but when she looked into his hazel eyes, there was only one answer. “Yes.”

Those eyes of his heated, like watching the glow of a fire when a log had been tossed on top. The heat warmed her, made her feel the answer she’d given was the right one. Brandon cut a bite of croissant. “Eat, Lucy.” She started to shake her head. “Let me feed you. Just this once.”

She took the flaky delicacy from the fork, her eyes closing with bliss at the combination of buttery crust and smooth chocolate filling. She swallowed. “You are a dangerous, dangerous man.”

He carried her hand to his lips. “If we were someplace a little less public, I would show you how dangerous.”

“Brandon?” A woman interrupted in a drawl of bored sophistication. Lucy caught a trace of a scowl cross Brandon’s lean features before his expression assumed a bland social veneer she had never seen.

“Taylor. Slumming? I thought Aspen was a little more your speed.”

“Mother wanted someplace quiet and said she needed my support, so here I am.”

“Well, I hope you have a marvelous time. We were just leaving.”

They were? Lucy kept a pleasant smile on her face. Brandon got to his feet, so she followed suit. The smaller woman eyed Lucy’s height as if she were akin to a giraffe in the zoo.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend?”

Brandon eyed the other woman with what appeared to be distaste and then did something Lucy would never have imagined.

“No.” Taking Lucy’s hand, he tossed a twenty on the table and pulled her out onto the street. She let him march her along the sidewalk in the direction of their parked car for about a hundred yards and then planted her feet.

“Would you like to explain the little scene back there?” Although she tried to ignore it, some of those insecurities from an adolescence spent being bounced from home to home surfaced once more. “Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?”

Brandon spun and stared at her, his brows drawn together in a thunderous frown. “
What?
You think blowing her off was because of
you
?” He grabbed her, holding her for a moment as if he wanted to shake her. Instead, he snatched her to him and buried his face in her hair. “Never, Lucy,” he growled. “I didn’t want to introduce you to her because she’s a first class bitch. My sister Anna went to school with her. Taylor was one of a group of girls who tormented the hell out of her. You are too good for the Taylors of this world.” He leaned back and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Come on, lady. Let’s get to Falcon’s Summit. I’d like to spend the evening and the night making love to you.”

Chapter 5

They decided to eat dinner in the dining room, even if it was at a table tucked away in a secluded corner near the windows. From there they could look out and watch some of the night skiing on the lower slopes closer to the resort.

“Matt added lights a couple of years ago. His father had always fought them, but once he took over, Matt went ahead with it.”

“I’m guessing there was some sound business behind his decision.”

“Yes. The research he’d done showed they were close enough to Denver to draw in day-trip crowds from there. And there were plenty of folks who wanted to be able to get in a full day of skiing, including some after sunset. Matt says it’s paid off.”

Of course, he didn’t add he was the one who’d pushed for the expansion. He’d seen the potential there for a big return on the investment. He’d been right. That happened a lot when it came to business. His instincts were most often on the money. Looking at Lucy, he hoped his instincts were likewise correct when it came to her. This was no holiday fling, in his book. He planned to ask her to continue seeing him once they returned home. Maybe the trip to Coyote Creek would be the time to do it too.

They took his rental car to the Air Service building at Falcon’s Head’s airport around mid-morning the following day. A sulky-looking teenager sat behind the counter but did have the grace to stand when they approached.

“Can I help you?”

Brandon’s initial thought was this wasn’t the image he would have up front advertising his company, but it was a family-run business. “I would like to rent a plane for a one-day turnaround flight to Coyote Creek and back. Do you have anything available?”

“You a pilot?” The kid looked him up and down as if he doubted it could be true.

“I am. I’ve got almost three hundred hours of flight experience.”

The kid’s eyes widened, but he started to shake his head. “We don’t…”

“Where are you wanting to go?” an older man asked, walking into the room and pulling off his cap so he could finger-comb his gray hair.

“Coyote Creek. For the afternoon.”

“I’ve got to pick up some parts over that way. My rentals are out and I’ve got one plane down, but if you don’t mind being a little cramped, I can get you in the C-182.”

Brandon was familiar with the plane. It was one he had flown often. “No problem. I think we can squeeze in.”

He didn’t want to put off the trip, and he wasn’t such an egomaniac he would insist on flying just to prove to Lucy he could. Even cramped in the Cessna would be better than driving. He’d checked out a map early this morning, in case there were no planes available, and discovered how much longer it would take to drive it.

The older man held out his hand. “I’m Tom Hanson.”

Brandon shook and finished the introductions. When the paperwork was handled, they followed Hanson out onto the tarmac behind the hangar. The pilot sized them up. “To balance the weight out, why don’t you sit in back on the way over, Mr. Barrett. Miss Cameron can be my co-pilot.”

Lucy laughed. “I think you’d be better off with Brandon. This will be only the second time I’ve flown.”

Hanson laughed. “This baby just needs one of us to fly, but you will have a better view up front.”

“And if I turn sideways,” Brandon added, “I might actually be able to stretch my legs out.”

He loved the sparkle in her gray eyes as he helped her into the front. He squeezed her hand and she grinned at him. Hanson went through his checks while Brandon watched. The guy seemed not only capable, but accomplished.

“We’ll be flying VFR,” Hanson said over his shoulder as he powered up the Cessna. “Coyote Creek’s unstaffed most of the time. But it so happens there’s a friend of mine there with the part I need for the plane I’m working on, so you were in luck today.”

The scenery was gorgeous. Lucy pointed out a big buck moving in the pines below. She noticed everything, enjoying the simple pleasure of having a bird’s-eye view. Maybe he should get her flying lessons.

“What’s that over to the left?” she asked Hanson, pointing out the front window.

“Haven Lake. It’s a popular fishing spot for the locals and provides the headwaters for Coyote Creek. It’s a hike in, but there are a couple of fishing cabins there. It’s about the only flat spot around.”

Brandon studied the terrain. Other than the lake, there was a thick coating of pine trees, a few areas that looked like they might be meadows once the snow cover was gone. It would be as picturesque in the summer, he suspected, as it was now. He settled in his seat and closed his eyes. He could hear Lucy continue to pepper Hanson with questions about the area, about flying and about Coyote Creek. Brandon tuned some of it out, thinking back to having her beside him in his bed last night.

They had fit together perfectly. Not just for sex, for sleeping too. During the night, he had awakened to find himself curled around her in a protective embrace, one arm wrapped around her waist. Now all he needed to do was convince her they were good together. Even though she seemed to be open, he still sensed a core of reserve within her. She had revealed a fair amount about her childhood, but he realized he still had no idea what she did for a living. Though she denied modeling, few women were as assiduous about keeping fit and watching their diet. If she weren’t so strong and healthy, he’d worry she had an eating disorder.

“We’ll be landing in about twenty minutes,” Hanson mentioned over his shoulder. “How much time did you want to spend on the ground?”

“There’s a museum we want to see. We’ll want to grab lunch and maybe look around any local shops.”

Hanson glanced at his watch. “I can give you about three hours then we’ll need to head back. I’d like to make Falcon’s Head well before sundown.”

“No problem. What’s the situation with ground transportation?”

“No rentals. I’m sure my buddy can either give you a ride into town and pick you up, or he’ll let you borrow the Jeep. Once you get into Coyote Creek, everything’s within walking distance.”

In the end, Hanson gave them a ride into town while his buddy cleaned the engine part and boxed it ready to load in the Cessna. He said he’d refuel the plane so Hanson could grab a bite to eat too.

* * * *

When Brandon took her hand, Lucy glanced at him and smiled. The look in his eyes had changed. Sure, the sexual hunger was still there, but now when he looked at her, warmth tugged at her heart, urging her to open it.

“Let’s grab a bite to eat first, then we’ll visit the museum.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“All right.” Lucy touched his cheek. “Have I said thank you?”

“More than once, but this is purely pleasure for me.”

They found a small diner that looked like the place most of the locals frequented. She liked the fact Brandon didn’t put on airs or try to appear superior to them in any way. He was just…Brandon. As friendly and open as he’d always been with her. He’d said he worked in his dad’s company, and he had been dressed to the nines when she first met him, but maybe he wasn’t quite the powerbroker she’d feared. Maybe it was simply a family-owned company, not an empire.