Slow Burn: A Colorado High Country Novel

  “I didn’t think they were ever going to find him,” Taylor said. “I wonder where he’s been holing up for the past year.”

  “I guess we’ll find out.”

  An hour later, they sat with the rest of the Team in the ops room at The Cave, the Team’s headquarters, while Megs ran through roll call of the principle Team members. Victoria had come with them as Eric’s guest. Lexi was a supporting Team member in her own right and had a special interest in this, so she’d come, too.

  Megs stood at the far end of the conference table, Ahearn, her partner, sitting next to her. “…Chaska Belcourt. Harrison Conrad. Sasha Dillon…”

  Sasha waved to Victoria, mouthing the words, “I love your dress!”

  Eric couldn’t remember ever seeing Sasha in a dress, but okay.

  Megs droned on. “Dave Hatfield. Eric Hawke. Creed Herrera. Jesse Moretti. Malachi O’Brien. Isaac Rogers. Gabe Rossiter. Nicole Turner. Austin Taylor. How’s the weeklong fertility rite going, Taylor?”

  Everyone laughed.

  Taylor took Lexi’s hand, a look passing between them. “It’s going well. Thanks for asking. Tomorrow’s the climax.”

  More laughter.

  There was an evil glint in Megs’ eyes. “Ahearn and I are coming.”

  And it was downhill from there.

  When the dirty puns subsided, Megs got down to business. “Ted Breece, who relieved us of seventy-two thousand six hundred dollars, has been apprehended in Miami. He was pulled over when an officer ran his plates and discovered they were stolen. Apparently, he’d been hiding out with an ex-girlfriend. He is now enjoying the fine hospitality of the Miami-Dade Pre-Trial Detention Center.”

  The room exploded in cheers.

  Eric had just one question. “Is it going to be difficult to extradite him to Colorado? If he’s facing charges in Florida …”

  “My understanding is that once our governor issues an extradition request, Breece will go before a judge in Florida. The court will decide whether there are enough facts to support extradition. After that, Breece will fly the friendly skies back to Denver. He’s facing two felony warrants here, and, thanks to Lexi, we’ve got lots of documentation.”

  Lexi beamed. “This is almost like a wedding present.”

  “Any chance we’ll get that money back?” Conrad asked.

  Megs shrugged. “I seriously doubt it. Breece had a bad gambling habit. He probably blew it all before he skipped town.”

  Megs went through what the DA had told them they could expect once Breece reached the state and the kind of prison sentence that might await him. Then she asked them all to write an impact statement—a description of how his crime had affected them as an individual volunteer with the Team.

  “Can’t they just turn him over to us?” Moretti asked through a dark scowl.

  Eric thought that scowl probably had less to do with Breece and more to do with what had happened earlier this week. Moretti seemed sharper edged than usual. Or maybe it was Eric’s imagination.

  “I appreciate the sentiment, Moretti, but vigilante justice hasn’t been legal here for a while now,” Megs answered. “I don’t want any of you writing to him to give him a piece of your mind. Let the justice system handle it, and keep the Team’s reputation clean. Got it?”

  After the meeting, Eric offered to give Victoria a tour.

  “I got a tour last time, but you can show me around again.”

  So he did, answering her questions, going into a bit more detail than he otherwise might, doing all he could to make the moment last. He didn’t want to say goodnight. They only had tonight and tomorrow, and then …

  She finally ended the tour when she saw that Lexi was leaving. “I need to go help Lexi get her things. She’s staying at the inn tonight. You probably know that, don’t you?”

  “I’ll make sure the groom memorizes his vows. I also need to write the best man speech. Do you have your speech ready?”

  She rolled her pretty eyes. “As if … I had it ready before I flew out here.”

  “Overachiever.”

  “Do you want help?”

  He considered it for a moment, but this was between him and his best friend. It was something he needed to do himself. “I’ve got it.”

  Her expression crumpled. “I want to see you tonight—just for a while. I can call when I’m alone in my room … unless you’d rather be alone or …”

  It was on the tip of his tongue to say that it was probably best if the two of them got some sleep, but that’s not what came out.

  His hands found their way to her waist. “It’s almost a tradition for the maid of honor to sleep with the best man on the night before the wedding.”

  The light returned to her face. “Is that so? Well, I’m all for tradition.”

  Chapter 17

  Vic dried off from her bath and had just put on her silk bathrobe when Eric texted.

  I’m outside your door.

  She hurried to her door, opened it.

  Eric stood there in a black T-shirt and jeans, his jaw dark with stubble, one arm propped on the door jamb, phone in his other hand. He’d had a shower since she’d last seen him, his hair still damp.

  “I missed you all day.”

  “I’m here now.” He stepped through the door, locked it behind him. “God, you smell good.”

  “I just took a bath. I never like the products they use in spas, so I—”

  He cut off her words with a deep kiss, backing her up against the wall. His mouth ravaged hers, one hand sliding inside her robe to caress first one breast and then the other. But she was more than ready for him.

  She’d been aching for him all day. “I want you.”

  He drew away from her just far enough to open his jeans and put on a condom, then reached beneath her robe, grasped her bare ass, and lifted her off her feet, pinning her against the wall with his weight.

  “Oh!” She gave a startled gasp, wrapping her legs around his waist and throwing her arms around his neck to hold on.

  “I’ve got you.” He nuzzled her throat, the head of his cock nudging against her, trying to find its way inside her.

  Oh, God, was he really going to do this?

  He broke the kiss, his dark eyes looking into hers, his cock now right where it needed to be. “God, Vicki, what have you done to me?”

  She let go of his neck, cupped his face in her hands, and kissed him. “Fuck me.”

  Slowly, he buried himself inside her, inch by excruciating inch.

  “You are so … tight.” He moved slowly at first, his rhythm picking up thrust by thrust until his hips were a piston, driving his cock into her hard and deep and fast.

  She’d always wanted to have sex like this, but none of the men she’d been with had even tried, perhaps because they knew they weren’t strong enough to handle it. Oh, she loved how feminine and desired it made her feel.

  “Oh, yes.” She fought to keep her eyes open, turned on by the intensity on his face as he drove into her, but it just felt … too … damned … good.

  She moaned with every thrust now, her self-control shattered. God, she wanted this, wanted more, wanted him. The slick glide of his cock. The sweet stretch deep inside her. That wonderful, precious ache.

  She cried out his name, climax crashing over her in a perfect wave of bliss, drenching her with pleasure. But he was right behind her.

  His breath caught, his body shuddering as orgasm carried him away.

  For a time, they remained as they were—out of breath, hearts pounding, him deep inside her. Then he reached down, took hold of the condom, and withdrew from her.

  She moaned in protest. “No.”

  Chuckling, he lowered her to her feet, walked off to the bathroom, and washed up.

  Drunk on sex, she walked to the bedroom, drew down the covers, and fell across on the sheets. He found her there, undressed, then crawled into bed and took her into his arms, his warmth enfolding her.

  “I wish I could fall asleep inside yo
u.”

  “I wish that, too.”

  It was after midnight when they got out of bed, threw on clothes, and raided the guest kitchen downstairs. Victoria, who knew the inn now better than Eric did, led the operation. They found leftover fruit from breakfast in the refrigerator, along with a few leftover croissants, which they warmed in the microwave. Grabbing a jar of Nutella and a butter knife, they crept up the stairs, Victoria fighting giggles.

  Then they got naked again, crawled back into bed, and began to feast.

  “Did Austin get his vows memorized?” Victoria popped a grape into her mouth.

  Eric nodded, his mouth full of pineapple.

  “Is it strange that this person you’ve known your entire life is getting married?”

  Eric swallowed. “Nah, he’s always done everything first. First to hit his growth spurt. First to have his voice change. First to hit puberty. He was working on biceps when I was still singing soprano.”

  She laughed, scooped Nutella onto a spoon and ate it. “Were you jealous?”

  “Yeah, I think I was. My mom told me the sperm donor had been tall, so I’d catch up to Austin one day. But it seemed to take a long damned time.”

  “Everything feels like forever when you’re a teenager.”

  That was a fact. “He was the first to get laid, too. He hooked up with the girl the rest of us wanted, the girl we all talked about at lunch and after school.”

  “Sexy Lexi. I know that’s the nickname you gave her.”

  There was no denying it, so he didn’t try. “Guilty as charged.”

  “I bet that really made you jealous.”

  “I felt pretty inferior. Here he was having actual sex with a real, live girl, and I was stuck fucking my fist. But I was happy for him. It was hard not to be happy for them—the It Couple—until it all went sideways.”

  She nodded. “I know all about that. It was hard for me to like Austin at first because all I’d ever heard about him was what a jerk he was.”

  “I bet.” He’d gotten the same thing, only in reverse.

  Victoria looked up at him from beneath her lashes. “When she came back, you hit on her. I know you did. She told me.”

  “I don’t know if I’d go that far. I asked her out once.” He grinned. “I guess I thought I had a shot at her with Taylor out of the way. I figured she and I would hook up and then she’d go back to Chicago.”

  He realized the moment the words were out that he’d said the wrong thing.

  Victoria looked up at him, another spoonful of Nutella hanging in midair. “Is that what we’re doing—hooking up until I go back to Chicago?”

  He felt ambushed by her question, and so he said the first regrettable, stupid thing that popped into his head. “We both knew you were only going to be here for a week. We’ve done our best to make the most of that.”

  She stiffened, the softness disappearing from her face. “Right. So I am just a hookup—like all the others.”

  “You really want to have this conversation now—at one in the morning?”

  She dropped the spoon into the jar. “It’s late. You should probably go.”

  Wait. She was kicking him out?

  Shit.

  He could see he’d hurt her. He just didn’t know what to do about it.

  Say something, stupid, but not something stupid!

  He wanted her to understand that she meant more to him than any woman ever had, but he couldn’t put the words together fast enough. So he got out of bed, grabbed his clothes, and dressed. When he looked over at her again, she was wearing her bathrobe, her arms crossed over her chest as if to protect herself.

  His stomach knotted.

  Goddamn it. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. She didn’t need to protect herself from him.

  Say something, man.

  “The answer is no.” He turned to go.

  “What?”

  “You asked if I think of you as just a hookup. The answer is no.”

  Not knowing what else he could say, he did what he didn’t want to do. He left her alone and drove home.

  When Vic’s alarm went off at five, it felt like a slap in the face.

  No freaking way.

  She fumbled in the dark for her phone to turn off the awful sound, hoping she’d set it wrong. But it really was time to get up.

  She dragged herself to the bathroom, flicked on the light, and studied her reflection in the mirror. She looked like she’d stayed up too late and had cried herself to sleep, which is exactly what she’d done. Perfect. Because what Lexi needed today was a maid of honor who looked like hell.

  “It’s your own fault,” she said to the woman in the mirror.

  The woman said nothing, but walked toward the shower.

  Vic turned the water on as hot as she could stand, stepped into the spray, and reached for her shampoo, a memory of sharing this shower with Eric nudging its way into her mind, making the space feel empty.

  He hadn’t said anything out of line last night. He’d told it the way it was. They’d both known from the beginning that she would be leaving tomorrow. They’d both known nothing could come of this, and they’d made the most of the time they had together—until she’d gone all emo on him last night.

  What had she expected him to say? Had she imagined he’d profess his undying love? Maybe beg her to stay in Scarlet?

  Okay, maybe some part of her had wanted that.

  Now, she had only one night left in Colorado, one night left with him, and he probably wouldn’t want to spend it with her for fear that she’d get emotional and ruin things just like she’d done last night.

  She rinsed her hair, slathered on conditioner, then scrubbed her skin and shaved her legs, last night replaying in her mind again and again. Feeling him pound into her up against the wall. Stealing food from the kitchen. Asking him to leave.

  Eric was the most amazing man she’d ever known. He was caring and courageous. He loved his mother and his friends, and it showed. No, he wasn’t romantic in a hearts and flowers way, but when he looked at her, when he kissed her, when he was inside her, he made her feel like she was the only woman on earth. And she’d sent him away for being honest with her.

  Apologize to him.

  Yes, she would apologize. She would find time, maybe before the ceremony, to tell him she was sorry. Hopefully, he would forgive her, and they could enjoy one last night together.

  And if he doesn’t want to spend tonight with you?

  The thought put a pang in her chest.

  She needed to set all of this aside and focus on Lexi. Today was Lexi’s big day, one of the most important days of her life, and Vic would not spend it feeling sorry for herself or pouting over a man—not even Eric.

  She finished her shower, slathered moisturizer on her face and skin, and blew her hair dry—a process that seemed to go about ten times faster in Colorado than in Illinois. Then she put on panties and a strapless bra, slipped into her bathrobe, and dashed around the suite, straightening it to make room for the others.

  By the time she heard Lexi and Britta giggling on the stairs, Vic felt awake and in control of her emotions. She ran to the door, threw it open.

  “Good morning!” Lexi’s face glowed.

  Vic hugged her tight. “My God, Lexi, you’re getting married today.”

  Britta breezed past them. “The stylist just texted to say she’s on the way, and Kendra is on her way up with breakfast and coffee. She says someone ate the fruit she had Sandrine set aside for this morning. I told her it was probably Vic and Eric.”

  Lexi and Britta laughed, as if this suggestion were funny.

  Vic shut the door behind them, grateful they couldn’t see her face.

  Eric stood at the floor-to-ceiling windows in Austin and Lexi’s living room, looking out over Scarlet, tension a knot in his chest. He hadn’t meant to hurt Victoria, hadn’t meant to make her believe that she was just some woman he’d fucked for fun and would soon forget. Well, he had fucked her for fun
, but not just for fun.

  Upstairs, the bedroom door opened, and Taylor stepped out, all tuxed out apart from the jacket itself—trousers, white shirt, gray vest, sage-colored silk tie. He walked down the stairs, fighting with his cufflinks. “Can you figure these out?”

  “Sure.” Eric took the cufflinks from him and put them on one at a time, then took Taylor’s jacket from him and held it up while he slipped it on. “Hey, you look great, man. You’re going to make Lexi proud.”

  “You, on the other hand, look like a man with a lot on his mind.”

  Eric shook his head, irritated with himself. “Sorry.”

  Taylor laughed. “Hey, we’ve known each other for too long to fool each other about anything.”

  That was true.

  Taylor went on. “I’m betting that your problem is about five-foot-four and has a sweet face and gorgeous brown eyes. Am I right?”

  Yep, he’d nailed it.

  So Eric explained, knowing they had only a few minutes before Moretti and Belcourt came back inside from cleaning the trash out of Taylor’s SUV. “She more or less asked me whether I thought of her as just another hookup.”

  “And you said something really stupid.”

  “I tried to fix it before I left, but, yeah, I did. Her question took me by surprise, and I just couldn’t think straight. She asked me to leave. She wasn’t angry about it. She didn’t throw a fit. She just asked me to go.” He almost wished she’d shouted at him. Maybe then he’d be pissed off and wouldn’t feel so desolate.

  “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

  “What? No!” Eric turned toward the windows again. “Yes. Hell, I don’t know. I’ve never really been in love before. Besides, how can two people fall in love in a week? That’s ridiculous, man. It just doesn’t happen that way.”

  “Well, you’ve spent more time together this week than some people who’ve been dating for a couple of months.”

  Eric supposed that was true. “That doesn’t change the fact that it’s only been seven days.”

  “When I asked Lexi out the first time, it was after school. I walked her home, carried her backpack. We spent maybe fifteen minutes together, but my life changed in those fifteen minutes. I fell in love with her then and there. We were only teenagers, but that was it for me.”