Holding On: A Colorado High Country Novel

  How had that news gotten out already?

  “I did take a ski patrol job. I start training next month.”

  Silence.

  “So, you’ve truly given up climbing?”

  “I don’t know. I need an income while I figure things out.”

  “See a shrink, for God’s sake. Get help.”

  Conrad’s jaw went tight. “Now you’ve crossed a line. I pay you a lot of money to look out for my career interests, not to get involved in my personal life.”

  “Okay. Well, here’s my career advice: Do the damned interviews!” She all but shouted at him. “You’ll earn more in two hours of doing that than an entire season of babysitting people on the slopes—and you’ll get these bastards off your back.”

  “You’re sure about that?”

  “As sure as I can be.” She paused for a moment. “I’m not your enemy, Conrad. I am trying to do what’s best for your career.”

  “Fine. I’ll do an interview, but I will choose the publication—not my sponsors and not you.”

  “Okay, well, that’s progress.” At least somewhat placated, Candace changed the subject. “By the way, who is that woman—the one with the long, dark hair who keeps showing up on all the websites?”

  “She’s none of anyone’s business.” Damned if he was going to let Kenzie get caught up in his shit.

  “When I signed you, we talked about how it would be beneficial for you to date, or to at least be seen with, other high-profile climbers or models and actresses—women who could draw attention to you.”

  “My love life isn’t part of your contract.” Conrad was done. “It’s been great talking with you. Let’s do it again soon.”

  He ended the call, jammed his phone back into his jeans pocket, the relaxed feeling he’d carried inside him since last night gone.

  Well, fuck.

  He cleaned up the breakfast dishes and showered, willing his frustration to wash away. He had a list of things to get through—and a noon sex date with Kenzie.

  That, at least, was something he was looking forward to.

  He registered online for the EMT refresher course that Hawke taught at the firehouse, then filled out all the paperwork for Ski Scarlet—a W-4, an I-9, emergency contacts, a form stating he’d read the resort’s rules regarding discrimination and sexual harassment. It all felt surreal.

  What the hell are you doing?

  He didn’t have anything against working for Ski Patrol, but it wasn’t what he’d thought he’d be doing at the age of thirty-five.

  What do you want now?

  Hell, he didn’t know—and that’s why he’d taken the job. Working at Ski Scarlet would give him time to figure the rest of it out while ensuring he spent a lot of time outdoors and had an income to pay the bills without dipping into his savings.

  Fuck anyone who couldn’t understand that.

  He did his best to push Candace and the bullshit headlines out of his mind. He sent Esri a text and told her that he wasn’t going to make it today, either. Then Herrera called to find out if he wanted to meet up for a workout at the rock gym.

  “It’s been ages since you got vertical, man.”

  “Thanks for thinking of me, but I’ve got lunch plans.”

  “Do those plans have anything to do with Kenzie?”

  “No comment.”

  It was getting close to noon, and Conrad had much more interesting things to do than climbing at the rock gym, but, like climbing, this would require some rope.

  Leaving Gizmo at the kennel, Kenzie drove Bear to Knockers and bought him lunch. Then she set out for home, anticipation curling through her belly. She’d never ditched work to have sex before.

  She stepped through the back door into a quiet house, a copy of the Scarlet Gazette in her hand. Gabby was napping in her crate. “Harrison?”

  “In the bedroom.”

  She put the newspaper down on the table and hurried up the stairs to find the bedroom empty. “Where—”

  He came up behind her, a big hand covering her mouth. “Don’t scream.”

  Her heart gave a hard kick—not from fear, but excitement.

  She nodded.

  Harrison took his hand off her mouth, forced her into her bedroom.

  She resisted just enough to make him work for it, putting a note of fear into her voice. “What are you going to do to me?”

  He answered gruffly. “Any damned thing I want.”

  Her pulse skipped.

  Then she saw ropes tied to the four corners of her bed—and her mouth went dry. “Oh, God.”

  “Undress.”

  Under his cold gaze, she did as he asked, her hands trembling with anticipation. “Please don’t hurt me.”

  “Then don’t fight me.” He reached out, palmed her breast, his touch making her burn. “Get on the bed.”

  On impulse, she made a dash for the door, making it only a step or two before he caught her around the waist with strong arms, scooped her off her feet, and dropped her, naked, into the center of the bed. He drew her arms over her head with one hand and began to bind her wrists.

  But Kenzie didn’t make it easy for him. She writhed and twisted and tried to pull away, forcing him to use his strength to hold her down.

  He pressed his forehead to hers, looked straight into her eyes. “Do you think you stand a chance? You’re nowhere as strong as I am.”

  She tested her bonds, savoring the delicious sense of helplessness. The man certainly knew his knots. Of course, he did. “Why are you doing this?”

  “I’ve been watching you, watching that sweet ass while you walk around in your jeans.” He caught her right ankle, bound it fast, drawing the rope tight and forcing her legs wide apart, his gaze settling on her most private flesh. He reached out, stroked her. “I want you, and I take what I want. Your body is mine.”

  Okay, that was too perfect.

  After that, it made no sense to struggle, in part because she was so desperately turned on that she wanted him inside her—now.

  But he took his sweet time.

  He slowly stripped out of his jeans and T-shirt, turning to give her a view of his world-class ass.

  God, she wanted him.

  He turned to face her, stroking his erect cock, the erotic sight of it making her womb clench. “I’m going to fuck you until you can’t walk.”

  Promises, promises.

  She thought he was going to get between her legs, but instead, he straddled her chest, his muscular thighs on either side of her, his cock above her mouth.

  He rubbed himself against her lips. “Taste it.”

  Oh, yes.

  She parted her lips, lifted her head off the pillow, and licked the engorged head, swirling her tongue over him again and again, hungry for him.

  The muscles of his abdomen jerked, his gaze fixed on what she was doing to him. He fisted a hand in her hair, lifting her head, making it easier for her to take him into her mouth. “Make me good and wet. It will make things easier for you.”

  A thrill shivered through her.

  It wasn’t easy to go down on him in this position, but it was such a turn-on that Kenzie gave it all she had. She watched his eyes drift shut, saw his muscles tighten.

  He drew away from her, settled himself between her thighs, his gaze betraying warmth before his eyes went hard as slate. But rather than entering her, he lowered his mouth to her breasts and began to kiss and nip his way down her body, lips and the sharp edges of his teeth making her shiver.

  She ached for him now, her body longing for release.

  But he had other plans.

  He pulled the pillow out from beneath her head and tucked it under her hips, canting them upward. “That’s better.”

  Then he went to work on her with his mouth, those talented lips of his caressing her, teasing her, driving her crazy.

  Forgetting she was tied to the bed, she tried to reach down and slide her hands in his hair only to find herself powerless to do anything except submit.


  The sweet tug of his lips. The heat of his mouth. The deep glide of his fingers.

  She came with a strangled cry, gasping out her pleasure as he finished her, the intensity of her climax almost too much for her body to contain.

  And then she was floating somewhere beyond this world.

  “I guess I don’t need these any longer.”

  She heard a click—a pocket knife?—and felt a tug on the ropes, her wrists and ankles free. But he wasn’t finished with her.

  In a blink, he turned her onto her belly, the pillow now beneath her pelvis. The crumple of a condom packet. The hard tip of his cock nudging her from behind. The sweet stretch as he penetrated her.

  He fucked her hard and fast, sliding one hand beneath her to stroke her clit, his powerful thrusts carrying her once more over that radiant edge. This time, he went with her, his breath hot on her shoulder as he came.

  He rolled off her, tossed the condom in the trash, and drew her against him, holding her and kissing her with such tenderness that it put an ache in her chest. “You’re safe with me. You know that, right?”

  “Of course. Like I said, I love the way you overwhelm me.”

  Conrad held Kenzie, his mind blissfully empty, his body content. He’d never tied a woman up before or pretended to overpower them, and he hadn’t felt completely comfortable with the idea. His father had drummed respect for women into his head before he’d reached puberty.

  “If you ever violate or hurt a woman, you’ll have to face me,” he’d said.

  But Conrad had seen how aroused Kenzie had become when he’d used a little force on her, and he’d been touched by her unconditional trust. He hadn’t truly forced her to do anything, of course, and, once he’d gotten past the strangeness of it, he’d found their game to be an incredible turn-on.

  Who knew that Kenzie had a kinky side?

  She lay with her head on his shoulder, her fingers tracing idle lines on his bare chest. She told him about her morning, about Bear and the sirens. “I brought him inside to play with the dogs for a while. They love him as much as he loves them. Then I took him to Knockers, bought him lunch, and left him in Joe’s hands.”

  “You have a big heart.” Conrad loved that about her.

  “Rose came in with a copy of the paper. I think she was fishing for fresh gossip.”

  “Oh, undoubtedly.”

  Kenzie snuggled closer. “I wish I could stay in bed with you all day.”

  “I need some time to recover, but, hey, I’d be happy to push the limits of my sexual endurance just for you.”

  “What a beautiful thought.” Kenzie sat up, regret on her face. “But I have to eat something and get back over there.”

  Conrad reached up, tucked a strand of dark hair behind her ear. “One of these days, you are going to take some serious time off.”

  “That would be nice.” She climbed out of bed and bent over to pick up her clothes, giving him a view of heaven. “Are you hungry?”

  Now that she mentioned it… “Starving.”

  She put on her panties, tiny blue things that barely covered her butt. “I can make you a sandwich.”

  “Where do you get the energy?” He was as close to a true sex coma as he’d ever been. “Maybe I didn’t do my job as well as I thought I did.”

  “Are you kidding? You made me scream. If I didn’t have to be back at the kennel, I’d be asleep.”

  “I’ll help.” He willed himself to get up.

  He put on his jeans and T-shirt and walked downstairs after her, her scent all over him. While she made sandwiches, he took Gabby, who was awake, out for a quick potty trip. “Come on, Gabby, girl.”

  The day was sunny and warm, one of those September days that felt like summer, clouds dotting a wide, blue sky. This time last year, he’d been at the monastery, where it had rained every day as monsoons chased away summer. Nothing against the monks or Tengboche, but he preferred Kenzie’s company—and Colorado’s weather.

  When he came back inside, two turkey sandwiches sat on plates with cans of blackberry Izze soda and vinegar and sea salt chips. He washed his hands, sat—and saw Kenzie and Gizmo on the front page of the newspaper.

  “That’s a great photograph.”

  “Thanks.” Kenzie took a sip of her soda. “She did a good job with the article. She didn’t misquote me or mention anything about you.”

  Conrad read through the first few paragraphs and thought they were pretty good. Then he remembered what Wendy had told Kenzie. Maybe she was the right person to handle this interview after all.

  “Did you finish all your paperwork for Ski Scarlet?” Kenzie asked.

  He nodded. “I’m driving up there this afternoon to turn it in.”

  “How do you feel about taking the job. I mean, really, are you happy?”

  Leave it to Kenzie to ask the tough questions. Then again, she now knew him better than most people.

  “It’s not what I thought I’d be doing at this point in my life.” That was an understatement. “But I love to ski. Spending my days outside this winter sounds pretty good. At least I’ll have an income while I figure out what’s next.”

  “That makes a lot of sense. If you don’t like it, you’re done by April and free to try something else.” She glanced at her watch, picked up what was left of her sandwich, soda, and chips. “I need to go.”

  She circled the table, kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks for the best lunch break in my entire life. See you tonight after class. Bye, Gabby.”

  The puppy stood at the back door, watching Kenzie walk away and whimpering.

  “I know just how you feel.”

  After he’d finished his lunch and cleared the dishes away, Conrad put Gabby in her crate in the back of his SUV and headed up the canyon to Ski Scarlet. He and Gabby had to cover some ground to find Matt, who was overseeing trail work on the slopes.

  He stopped when he saw Conrad. “Let’s head to my office.”

  Once inside, Conrad handed him the signed documents. He was about to ask Matt how word of his new job had spread to the media, but Matt beat him to it.

  “I’m sorry about the leak. It wasn’t me, and it wasn’t human resources. It seems one of our Ski Patrol members had heard you were joining us and didn’t know she wasn’t supposed to say anything. She posted it online, and, well…”

  “I appreciate you being above board on this and checking it out.”

  “I made you a deal, and I’ll keep my word.”

  “Good enough.” Conrad handed him the receipt for his EMT refresher class. “I’ll be starting next week.”

  “Hawke teaches a good class.”

  “He’s one of the best.” Conrad got to his feet to go when an older woman he recognized from HR walked into Matt’s office.

  “Those sheriff’s deputies are here again.”

  “Thanks.” Matt stood, explained the situation to Conrad. “Some jackasses robbed an armored vehicle at gunpoint in Boulder this morning and made off with a few hundred grand. The cops lost them up the canyon. They think the two might be hiding in the forest around Scarlet, perhaps here on our mountain.”

  “Shit.” The mountains around Scarlet were full of tourists who’d come to look at the aspen leaves, not to mention hunters, mountain bikers, and hikers. “I hope they catch them quickly.”

  “You and me both.”

  Conrad ran into Deputy Marcs on his way out. “Hey.”

  “Lock your doors if you’re driving in the canyon. One of our snipers fired a fifty-caliber round through their engine block, forcing them out of their car. They may be looking to steal a vehicle, even with a driver inside.”

  “Got it. Thanks.” He walked out to the parking lot, settled Gabby in her crate, and sent Kenzie a text message to warn her about the armed robbers. Then he checked the pistol he kept in his glove box—his dad’s old Colt Python. There were six bullets in the cylinder. Satisfied, he put the firearm back in the glove box and drove back down the canyon to the office of the Scar
let Gazette to set up an interview.

  Chapter 17

  Kenzie’s behavioral training class hadn’t even started when Tom, the basset hound puppy, went after Dixie, a young Miniature pinscher. She told the owners to pull them apart—both dogs were on leashes—but Tom had Dixie by the collar and didn’t want to let go. The owners’ panic didn’t help.

  Dixie’s owner kicked at Tom. “Get that damned dog off her!”

  “Don’t kick my puppy!”

  Kenzie reached down to detach the frightened Miniature pinscher’s collar when Tom turned on her and bit her hard on her left wrist, his jaws clamped tight. “Shit!”

  It hurt like hell.

  She managed to pry the dog’s jaws open to free herself, then grabbed Tom by the collar and pulled him away from the other dogs. She did her best to keep her cool, despite the pain and adrenaline. “You need to take Tom home. I work privately with dogs who have aggression problems, but he can’t be here with other dogs.”

  “That damned dog could have bitten Dixie!” the Miniature pinscher’s owner yelled.

  But Tom’s owner was staring at her wrist. “You’re bleeding.”

  Well, of course, she was bleeding. She’d just been bitten.

  She glanced down, saw blood spatter across the floor, then looked at her wrist. There were two puncture marks from the puppy’s canines, and one of them was spurting blood in time to her pulse. “Class is canceled for tonight. We’ll deal with refunds later.”

  While her clients filed out, she grabbed several paper towels from the dispenser and pressed them hard against the bite, but they soaked through almost immediately. She grabbed more, pressed down harder.

  “You’re not going to sue, are you?” Tom’s owner asked.

  “I’m going to have to report him to animal control. Expect to hear from them.”

  “He didn’t mean—”

  “Please, just go.” She needed to get to the ER.

  Even as that thought gelled, she realized she couldn’t drive herself. She wouldn’t be able to hold pressure on the bite and steer her truck at the same time, and she wasn’t sure how many spurts it would take before she passed out. Besides, she’d make an awful mess of her vehicle.