“Think about your father,” she said finally, a tearful note in her voice.
Oh, come on. “You just said Dad’s fine.”
“He’s fine as in he’s still breathing, yes. But Scott, you know that he can’t travel. If the wedding doesn’t happen here, he won’t be able to attend. That would crush both him and Derek. He would be devastated to miss the most important day in his oldest son’s life.”
Shit, shit, shit. He should have known she’d play that card. Closing his eyes, he rested his head against the back of his chair and rotated slowly. How the hell could he allow this without seeming to be on board with the event? This was not something he supported. At all.
If only he’d told his brother the truth before, they wouldn’t be in this situation. There was no way even Derek would marry a woman who’d cheated on him.
Unfortunately, Scott knew all too well the pain of realizing that he’d put his trust in the wrong person. His one and only real relationship had ended when he’d discovered the woman he’d been falling in love with was married. Married with two small children.
They’d met in the airport when Amy, a flight attendant, was on his Bahamas-bound flight. She’d invited him to spend his days off with her at the five-star beachside hotel, and next, they were taking their vacation time in two-day stints, falling in love in different tourist destinations. For eight months, they kept the affair going, enjoying luxury treatment in resort suites, massages on the beach, snorkeling and boating their days away, and making love every night. Her only rule was that they never saw one another back in California. She’d claimed their relationship was so much more exciting on exotic soil. He’d been too caught up in their whirlwind passion to argue.
Then one day the real reason was waiting at the airport to surprise her. A man and two kids were at arrivals to welcome her home, while Scott had watched her look of desperation and anxiety from a distance, feeling his heart break apart. She’d reached out to him in apology, telling him that she had fallen in love with him and that if things were different...but he’d wanted nothing to do with her. He hadn’t wanted to hear her excuses for almost ruining her family and using him to do it. And he’d made sure she wasn’t assigned to any more of his flights.
He never wanted to feel that pain again.
He didn’t want his brother to feel that devastating betrayal, either.
“Scott, please,” his mother said, interrupting his thoughts.
He released a deep breath. If he agreed, there was still time to convince Liz to tell Derek the truth...or he would. He could go along with this for now, but ultimately, he refused to let his brother get married without knowing the truth. Then if he still wanted to marry Liz? Fine.
Damn. He was already regretting this. “They can use the resort for the wedding, but I won’t be his best man.”
* * *
KATE, WEARING A BIKINI she’d purchased from the gift shop, removed the white terry-cloth robe provided by the resort and shivered in the cold mountain air before she submerged herself in the outdoor hot tub. She’d seen it on the wraparound deck from her third-floor window, and she’d waited for a nauseating couple to vacate so she could enjoy it without watching the two make out in front of her. Despite her “I believe in happy-ever-after” facade, the sight of a new couple made her cringe.
She’d once been that oblivious to the harsh reality of relationships. She’d thought she could have it all—the successful career, the loving husband, the two and a half kids and loyal dog. Then her dreams were shattered.
The steam rising from the tub held the faintest smell of eucalyptus and jasmine, and the jets hitting her lower back were exactly what she needed. The tense drive up the mountain had left her muscles aching. Positioning her towel behind her head, she sank lower in the water, closed her eyes and rested against the edge. She could stay there all night.
In fact, if she was so inclined to spend time in the mountains—she wasn’t—this would be a great place to stay. After getting off the phone with Liz, who confirmed the venue was a go, she’d checked in and then toured the facilities. The grand ballroom was the perfect size. It could easily accommodate the guest list of almost three hundred. She was already envisioning the ceremony being held near the floor-to-ceiling windows with the view of the mountains. The reception would be held in the same space with tables set up for dining, later removed for dancing. She’d loved that the decor of the ballroom was dark wood—not horrible wood paneling—cozy and surprisingly in great shape while boasting its original hardwood floors and rounded archways. With the right decorations and the right light streaming through the windows the day of the wedding, the place would be magnificent.
The resort had over four hundred rooms, and a quick, friendly chat with housekeeping had revealed that they were hardly half-full. Late reservations for the wedding wouldn’t be a problem. And if all the rooms were as large and modern as her suite had unexpectedly been, the high-profile guests wouldn’t feel at all as though they were slumming it in Big Bear.
She was impressed. With the resort, at least. Its owner could kiss her ass.
“How’s the water?” a deep voice asked across from her.
Opening one eye, she sighed, her relaxed muscles immediately tensing. “I was enjoying it better before you arrived.”
“Well, I was enjoying a lot of things better before you arrived, too,” Scott said, his voice tight. “Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I’ve changed my mind.” He coughed before continuing. “You can plan the wedding here.”
She grinned, opening both eyes and sitting a little higher. “I know. Your mother told Liz an hour ago.” That was the only reason she was trying to relax in the hot tub instead of going another twelve rounds with him in his office.
His eyes narrowed as he approached the edge of the hot tub. “Here’s the thing, Ms. Hartley. You can go ahead and plan a wedding here. Invite as many guests as my maximum capacity limit will allow. That doesn’t mean my brother will actually be getting married.”
“We’ll see about that.” Clearly he had no idea who he was up against. There would be no runaway grooms on her watch. She closed her eyes again, dismissing him, but the smell of his musky cologne only continued to mix with the jasmine and eucalyptus and the smell of fresh mountain air. The combination was intoxicating. She waited to hear the deck doors open and close, but a long minute later, all she heard was the sound of water lapping.
Opening her eyes wide, her mouth gaped. “What are you doing?”
“Relaxing. It’s been a stressful day,” Scott said, leaning his arms out over the edges of the tub. The steam rising in front of him did absolutely nothing to hide the muscular chest and sculpted arms sticking out of the water.
Her mouth went dry as she tried to stare only at his face. His gorgeous face with the tempting-as-hell five-o’clock shadow along the jawline. The enemy had no right to be so good-looking. “If I’m a source of stress for you, don’t you think you’d relax better elsewhere?”
He grinned, and her stomach tightened. Any other place, any other circumstance and he’d be the best rebound fling she could hope for after Cooper. Casual sex with a hot man was just the glue she needed to piece her heart back together.
“Actually, just knowing I’m irritating you is helping quite a lot,” he said.
She swallowed hard and shrugged. “Who says I’m irritated? I got what I wanted.” Forcing a deep breath, she sank lower in the water, closing her eyes once more. If he thought he could intimidate her, he was wrong. She’d turn into a prune before she’d get out of this water first.
A second later his breath was inches from her cheek. “Did you?” he murmured.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she opened her eyes, turning slightly to face him, putting more distance between