of her bank account made her groan. “My parents have more of an appearance of wealth than the real deal, so I can’t go running to mommy and daddy even if I wanted to—and I turned down alimony.” She shrugged. “So here I am, a working stiff who needs to keep her head down to keep her job and keep the electricity on.”
He pointed at her bowl and raised his eyebrows in question. She shrugged.
Scooping up half melted ice cream from her bowl, Dodge shook his head. “See now, out here in Wyoming we would have given you a medal and probably a sizable monetary reward for that slap.”
“I ’ ll keep that in mind.” She watched him demolish what was left of her ice cream, noticing for the first time the small scar splitting his right eyebrow in two. Unless he had some kind of Fight Club secret he kept well hidden, she ’ d bet money one of his brothers had given it to him. However, his take-control attitude, my-way-or-the-highway dominance, and lethal levels of hotness were all his, which is why the relaxed, go-with-the-flow Dodge sitting across from her had her looking for answers. “So what ’ s with the nice act all of a sudden?”
He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “I ’ m always nice.”
The slow, deliberate wink he gave her and the way her nipples peaked in response declared otherwise.
“No.” She shifted in her seat and squeezed her thighs together, trying to ease a need that only increased the more time she spent with Dodge. And yet she didn ’ t get up and leave. It was like the string of attraction drawing them together was getting shorter and shorter, forcing them closer. “You ’ re always bossy.”
“But in a good way.” The cocky grin on his face said that he knew all the ways it would be good.
Harper laughed. It was weak and a little breathy, but it was either that or turn into a puddle of want at his feet, and she wasn ’ t about to do that. The kiss the other night had been bad enough, and it ended even worse. He wanted her, but he also wanted something from her, and she needed to remember that.
He stood up and circled around the table before sitting down on the corner next to her right elbow. “ Can we start over? ”
Holding fast to the last bits of sanity she could grasp, she scooted her chair back from the table, giving her a few blessed inches of air between them. God, the man was killing her. “I ’ m listening. ”
“Hi, I ’ m Dodge.” He held out his hand.
She shook his hand, going for a quick release that did little to stop the uptick in her pulse and the shiver working its way up her spine. “ Harper. ”
Glancing down at his hand as if he felt it, too, he squeezed his hand into a fist a few times before letting it drop casually to the table. “I ’ m going to be totally honest and up front here. I need your help, Harper.”
“Go on.” Just listening to him wasn ’ t bad. Right?
“You know Garth Hampton is here at The Retreat as a super-secret guest.”
As if that was news to her. “He needs to stay in his cabin if he wants to stay secret.”
“Agreed.” Dodge rubbed the spot where his neck met his shoulder. With the sleeves of his expensive shirt rolled up, the move highlighted his well-muscled forearm. “I ’ ve talked to him about that, but if the reporters who ’ ve followed you here find out he ’ s here, then his cover is blown. He just got out of rehab, and dealing with the press is about the last thing he wants to do.”
“Now that I can understand.” Just the idea of having to deal with the shouts and the rude questions again was enough to make her palms sweaty.
“So could you find it in you to do a short interview with a guaranteed friendly press contact of mine to get the jackals off the scent?” He held up a hand, silencing the “no” already on her lips. “It would be tastefully handled, no splashy scandal. It would be like you were putting out an old fire for good, and then the media would finally move on to
He pointed at her bowl and raised his eyebrows in question. She shrugged.
Scooping up half melted ice cream from her bowl, Dodge shook his head. “See now, out here in Wyoming we would have given you a medal and probably a sizable monetary reward for that slap.”
“I ’ ll keep that in mind.” She watched him demolish what was left of her ice cream, noticing for the first time the small scar splitting his right eyebrow in two. Unless he had some kind of Fight Club secret he kept well hidden, she ’ d bet money one of his brothers had given it to him. However, his take-control attitude, my-way-or-the-highway dominance, and lethal levels of hotness were all his, which is why the relaxed, go-with-the-flow Dodge sitting across from her had her looking for answers. “So what ’ s with the nice act all of a sudden?”
He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “I ’ m always nice.”
The slow, deliberate wink he gave her and the way her nipples peaked in response declared otherwise.
“No.” She shifted in her seat and squeezed her thighs together, trying to ease a need that only increased the more time she spent with Dodge. And yet she didn ’ t get up and leave. It was like the string of attraction drawing them together was getting shorter and shorter, forcing them closer. “You ’ re always bossy.”
“But in a good way.” The cocky grin on his face said that he knew all the ways it would be good.
Harper laughed. It was weak and a little breathy, but it was either that or turn into a puddle of want at his feet, and she wasn ’ t about to do that. The kiss the other night had been bad enough, and it ended even worse. He wanted her, but he also wanted something from her, and she needed to remember that.
He stood up and circled around the table before sitting down on the corner next to her right elbow. “ Can we start over? ”
Holding fast to the last bits of sanity she could grasp, she scooted her chair back from the table, giving her a few blessed inches of air between them. God, the man was killing her. “I ’ m listening. ”
“Hi, I ’ m Dodge.” He held out his hand.
She shook his hand, going for a quick release that did little to stop the uptick in her pulse and the shiver working its way up her spine. “ Harper. ”
Glancing down at his hand as if he felt it, too, he squeezed his hand into a fist a few times before letting it drop casually to the table. “I ’ m going to be totally honest and up front here. I need your help, Harper.”
“Go on.” Just listening to him wasn ’ t bad. Right?
“You know Garth Hampton is here at The Retreat as a super-secret guest.”
As if that was news to her. “He needs to stay in his cabin if he wants to stay secret.”
“Agreed.” Dodge rubbed the spot where his neck met his shoulder. With the sleeves of his expensive shirt rolled up, the move highlighted his well-muscled forearm. “I ’ ve talked to him about that, but if the reporters who ’ ve followed you here find out he ’ s here, then his cover is blown. He just got out of rehab, and dealing with the press is about the last thing he wants to do.”
“Now that I can understand.” Just the idea of having to deal with the shouts and the rude questions again was enough to make her palms sweaty.
“So could you find it in you to do a short interview with a guaranteed friendly press contact of mine to get the jackals off the scent?” He held up a hand, silencing the “no” already on her lips. “It would be tastefully handled, no splashy scandal. It would be like you were putting out an old fire for good, and then the media would finally move on to
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