Flirting with Fate (5 page)

“If Ethridge discovers you’re running a game on his game, he might lash out. The Weather Channel said that Noble Pass is closed. What if she gets hurt or you need help?”

“Will you stop? I’ve got this.”

“Fine. I’m counting on you.”

Logan ended the call. He walked straight through to Elle’s side of the suite. He turned back her covers, flipped on the light in the bathroom, and then returned to the common room. For a few seconds, he stood over her and watched her sleep. He studied her features, noting she appeared much more angelic this way than awake and arguing with him.

He slid his arms under her and lifted her in one smooth motion. Elle’s eyes fluttered open but then closed as she nestled her head against his shoulder. Damn, he couldn’t resist the urge to stand still and hold her for a minute, but the longer she stayed in his arms, the harder putting her down would be. He carried her to her bed and gently laid her on the sheet.

Elle turned onto her side. A slight smile played at the corners of her lips, but she didn’t open her eyes. He leaned down and softly kissed her cheek before pulling the blanket over her body. He turned off the light and left the room, closing the door behind him.

It was going to be a long night.

Four

E
lle woke to the aroma of coffee. She pushed back the covers and discovered her new black dress bunched around her waist. Logan had put her to bed. She hoped that she’d been properly covered at the time. Hearing that she exposed the lace thong she’d worn last night would be embarrassing. She put her feet on the floor and straightened her clothes.

A memory flashed through her mind. She touched a spot on her cheek. Had she dreamed that Logan had kissed her?

“Rise and shine.” Logan’s playfulness gave her a morning smile. “I’m coming in on the count of three, so cover up,” he called out.

“I’m up,” she answered. “And ready for that coffee that I hope you’re bringing me.”

He strolled in carrying two cups as if this were something he did every day. Gray warm-ups hung loosely at his hips; his bare chest sported a sprinkling of dark hair. Elle’s gaze tracked that trail until it disappeared under his waistband.

“Good morning.” He held a cup close enough for the aroma to wake up her taste buds.

“Sorry. It’s been a few years since I’ve seen you half-naked.” She grabbed the coffee and took a big sip. The hot liquid seared off a layer of tongue as she swallowed, probably matching the color of the burn rushing up her cheeks.

Logan walked to the only chair in the room and sat. “Yeah. I was probably seventeen the last time you and Eric went water-skiing with me.” Logan’s gaze travelled across her body. “Your dress looks worse than you do. That last glass of wine put you out like a light.”

“I never drink four glasses.” Elle peered into the mirror. “My eyes look awful.”

“You look great. Besides, you were nervous.” He pushed himself to his feet.

“No. I was careless and stupid.” Elle glanced at the clock. “You’d better get going. Nicki will worry if you’re late.”

Logan moved across the room like a very fast cat. He stood toe-to-toe with her, hooked his index finger under her chin, and gently lifted until their gazes locked. “I’m not worried about her opinion of me.”

Heat bloomed in her belly and headed south. “Exactly whose opinion do you care about?”

His mouth opened but didn’t speak. She mentally pleaded with him to say something. He leaned down and brushed her forehead with his lips. Frustration cooled the pool of heat forming between her thighs.

“Have a good day.” Elle had to get him out of her bedroom before she kissed him or punched him, whichever came first. Besides, he had a ski date, and she had a plan to execute.

“Damn it, Elle. You’re as transparent as cellophane. Do not break into Brandon’s suite again.”

Elle kept her composure and bit back a sharp retort. “Yes, dear.”

“Okay. I sounded a bit bossy. I just don’t want you to get into trouble.”

“You mean Eric doesn’t want me to get into trouble.”

Logan’s expression turned icy. “If that’s what you want to believe.”

There for a fleeting heartbeat, she’d hoped he’d say that he was worried about her. When that didn’t happen, Elle motioned him out of the room. “You’ll have to excuse me. I have to get ready for my ski lesson. I hear the instructor is an Olympic medal winner and is extremely hot.”

She grabbed her brand new Patagonia sweater and pants out of the drawer. She removed her waterproof Eddie Bauer boots from the closet and placed them next to her bed. She ignored Logan as she brushed past him on the way to the dresser, where she selected a lacy red bra and matching panties.

“Oh, lord,” Logan groaned. He left her bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Elle chuckled on her way to the bathroom. She showered but didn’t dress. Instead, she took her time moisturizing her arms and legs. After a long twenty minutes, she opened the door and called Logan’s name. Confident he’d left; she opened her closet, removed the blonde wig from its box, and slipped it on her head. She selected a long-sleeve beige sweater, and matching slacks. A colorful scarf around her neck matched her red flats. Her plan had worked the first time she had gotten into Brandon’s suite. Could she pull off pretending to be Nicki again?

She took the elevator down to the sixth floor, walked to Ethridge’s suite, and removed the Do Not Disturb sign from the door handle. The housekeeping cart was parked four doors away, making her timing perfect. Doing her best to slow her racing heart, she stood still, one hand hovering over the handle, the other holding the sign in the air. She waited what seemed like an eternity, but finally the housekeeper stepped into the hall. Elle went into action.

“Oh, no,” she said loudly, and in her best panicked voice. She hurried to one of the women waving the Do Not Disturb sign. “Before I hang this on the door, will you put fresh towels in the bathroom?” Elle didn’t wait for a response. She spun on her heel, marched back to the room, and pretended to panic. “My purse. I left it inside.”

For a moment, she thought the woman wasn’t going to comply with her request. Elle decided to be more assertive. She stabbed one hand on her hip and waved the sign. “My husband will be up to rest soon, and I don’t want him disturbed.”

That did the trick, as the housekeeper filled her arms with towels and washcloths and hurried toward the room. Elle laid a five-dollar bill on the top towel, turned, and started toward the elevator. Before the doors slid open, she heard the woman enter the suite. Elle spun on her heels, rushed back, and entered the room.

“Better get my purse,” Elle explained, taking the towels from the housekeeper. “I’ll put these away.”

The woman slid the five in her uniform pocket and nodded.

“Thank you.” Elle held her breath until the door snapped closed. She quickly opened it and replaced the Do Not Disturb sign.

Her charade had eaten up a total of forty-three minutes, leaving her with plenty of time to finish the search she hadn’t completed yesterday. She slid back the closet doors, and there, sitting inside an open suitcase, was a laptop. Her heart pounded as she knelt down. Carefully, she lifted the top and turned on the computer. Her fingers trembled as she opened the control panel, inserted a flash drive, and then clicked the command to back up the files. As soon as the process was finished, Elle logged off and pocketed her evidence.

She stopped at the door. What was she forgetting? The towels. After all, Brandon or Nicki had placed the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. Elle rolled them into a bundle, tucked them under her arm, and quickly returned to her suite.

Once she’d closed the door behind her, Elle let out the breath she’d been holding, in a whoosh. Her knees seemed to have lost all muscle strength. Elle sank down in the easy chair next to the window and stared out at the snow-covered landscape.

A giggle rolled up her chest and bubbled out. She’d done it. Pulled it off. She’d brazened her way into the suite and gotten what she’d come to Colorado after. She removed the wig, kicked off her shoes, and then rested her feet on the ottoman. She took the flash drive from her pocket and held it in her hand. For a few minutes, she enjoyed a job well done.

Elle had planned to wait for Logan so they could study the contents of the flash drive together. And maybe she’d gloat a little. Time passed too slowly. Soon, she was pacing, checking the clock every few minutes. She’d failed to ask how long the ski outing would last. It was almost noon, and she couldn’t wait any longer. She got up, retrieved her laptop, and pushed the on button. Tingles of expectation and anxiety set off all her nerve endings. She inserted and opened the drive.

* * * *

Brandon almost lost his concentration. Almost lost his skis. Almost lost his self-control right there heading downhill. The unique series of vibrations coming from his cell had announced that someone had accessed his computer. The alarm would buzz every three minutes until he recognized the message. His only recourse was to keep calm.

He’d paid dearly for the safeguard. A hacker might gain entrance to his computer, but they couldn’t open his private files. The fail-safe encrypted the files, protecting them from theft.

The IT company that had sold him the program was already in the process of identifying the bastard. Once he got to the bottom of this fucking mountain, he’d call, and they’d identify who’d tampered with his laptop.

Nicki was just ahead of him. She and Logan appeared to be relaxed and enjoying each other. She could keep him entertained while Brandon took care of business. Goddamn, she was going to flip out.

* * * *

Logan had sensed a change in Brandon’s demeanor the minute they’d returned from skiing. He’d rushed through turning in his equipment. Then he’d hurried to the far corner and dug his cell out of his pocket. He’d rejoined Logan and Nicki and announced he had an important call to make. He’d left Nicki with Logan.

Logan removed his outerwear, rolled it up, and stored it in his backpack. He and Nicki walked inside the resort. She moved close to him, almost leaning into him.

“I could use a hot chocolate to warm my bones. How about you?”

Logan welcomed a little one-on-one time with Nicki. “You’re on. Brandon took off in a hurry. Should we wait for him?”

“No. Besides, I need a few minutes without him around.”

Logan steered her to a table close to the front. “Daddy Dearest getting on your nerves?”

Nicki’s laugh was a well-rehearsed sound that even the untrained ear would recognize as phony. “Something like that.”

After they’d ordered, Logan took the opportunity to try to get her to relax. “Thanks for inviting me today. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy skiing.”

“You got your feet under you pretty fast. No doubt you’ve always been athletic.”

It was Logan’s turn to chuckle. “More likely muscle memory kicked in, saving me from winding up flat on my back or wrapped around a tree. Obviously, you and your dad hit the slopes a lot.”

Nicki launched into a story about the many different ski vacations she’d enjoyed. He tried a couple of times to get her to talk about Brandon, but she’d steer the conversation back to all the places a person could vacation if they had enough money.

“Who runs your business when you’re away?” Nicki leaned forward.

“My father. He has a good head for business. After I opened the fourth B and B, I hired him as my chief operations officer. He’s really good at keeping the books. I just wish he had more savvy when it comes to investing my money.” Logan stood, ending the conversation. His intention was to leave Nicki wanting more. “I enjoyed the day, but I’d better get back. Like your dad, I have some calls to make.”

Logan signed the tab and left the coffee shop. It took great restraint not to rush to the elevator. The closer he got to the room, the harder his heart pounded. Shit, he was acting like a kid. He’d only been gone a few hours, yet he’d missed Elle.

He jammed the card key into the slot, opened the door, and called out. “Decent or not, I’m coming in.”

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Elle said. “Come see what I have.”

Her excited tone spoke volumes. She’d broken into the Ethridges’ suite after he’d asked her not to. Logan dropped his backpack on the couch and walked to her bedroom doorway. “Damn it, Elle. If you—” A swath of blonde hair spread across the foot of her bed caught his attention. “The wig again? Do I want to know what you’ve done?”