Five-Star Cowboy Read online

Naked underneath, she felt self-conscious in the big robe with only her head poking out of the top and red-polished toenails visible at the bottom. Trent, on the other hand, looked like a million bucks, wearing black jeans, a white western shirt, a pair of shiny boots and a charming smile.

  Trent glanced at the large bouquet of deep crimson stargazers sitting in a vase on the sofa table and nodded his approval. The “We’ll do great things together” card, signed by Trent, had sent a surge of warmth radiating through her body when she’d read the sentiment. “You do flowers well.”

  Trent smiled again. “I can tie my shoelaces and cut my own meat pretty darn good, too.”

  “You’re a talented man.”

  He arched a brow and devoured her with a look. “You know I am.”

  The warmth stealing into her body turned to steamy sizzle. It had always been like that with Trent. Even the most innocent conversation could turn to innuendo quickly. And innuendo usually led to a fulfilling night of lust.

  “I’d better get dressed,” she said, turning away.

  Trent grabbed at her robe sash and the traitorous tie unfastened easily. As he stood behind her, his arms came around and his hands found the separation of the parted robe easily. He stroked her bare belly, generating pulse-pounding electricity. “Hmm, I thought so.”

  Julia closed her eyes. “Trent.”

  “You’re naked under this robe, Julia. And in my arms.” He nibbled on her throat, setting her nerves on fire.

  She stood with her back to him, allowing his caresses. His hands glided upward, teasing the underside of her breasts. “I work for you now,” she said, announcing the obvious.

  “It’s after hours.”

  “It doesn’t feel right.”

  A low ripple of laughter escaped his throat. “Don’t lie.”

  She had lied…to him. Oh, God, how she wanted him. But she’d lied to herself, too, because keeping a professional distance from her boss aside, Julia wanted more from Trent. She wanted what Laney and Evan had. She wanted true love. She yearned for a family. Her clock was ticking—at twenty-nine, she wasn’t getting any younger. She’d started out as a career woman, but Julia was too much of a romantic not to want a future with a loving man beside her. She’d made one mistake already with a coworker at Powers International. She’d almost lost her job and her reputation, with a power-hungry man who’d used her to get ahead. She’d long gotten over Jerry Baker, but the sting of his betrayal stayed with her. Now, she had her own company—Lowell Strategies—but her reputation was still on the line. And so was her heart.

  Trent separated the folds of the robe farther and stroked her from breasts to hips with hands on either side of her torso, his fingers sliding up and down like a skilled guitarist strumming an erotic rhythm.

  “You can walk away from me and get dressed,” he murmured in her ear, “or I can take this robe off you.”

  Julia was running out of excuses. “We need to talk about the hotel.” He’d been adamant about starting in a new direction as soon as possible. Trent made no bones about how important this project was to him. He’d summoned her to Tempest West immediately to start working on a new promotion for the hotel.

  “We will. After.”

  He pressed his mouth to her throat and her skin prickled from the intimate touch of his lips. Trent was so darn good at seduction. She knew what after meant and she wasn’t sure she could deny him.

  His cell phone rang and he cursed. Releasing her, he stepped away. “Damn. I have to get this.”

  Julia sighed with relief and slipped away from Trent, heading for her bedroom. She made sure to close the door and lock it. Then she leaned her head back and took some calming breaths as she overheard Trent issuing orders to whomever was on the other end of the phone.

  She slipped out of her robe and dressed in haste.

  It wouldn’t do her an ounce of good to fall in love with her boss. Especially since she was halfway there already.

  Two

  “N ice escape earlier,” Trent said with a grin, leaning forward in his chair and pouring Julia a flute of champagne.

  She watched the bubbly liquid rise up in the angled glass before casting her gaze his way. After the phone call that interrupted them in her suite, she’d come out fully dressed in a conservative black dress, holding her briefcase and claiming starvation. Trent hadn’t pressed her, but whisked her off to a private dining room within the hotel’s main restaurant, the Canyon Room.

  “It was necessary…for my equilibrium.” That much was true. Trent always made her dizzy, but no more so than now seeing him so comfortable and at ease in his own element.

  “Well, then…I guess I’d better make sure you’re well nourished.”

  Their eyes connected for a moment then he lifted his glass. “To you, Julia. Thank you for coming here and saving my butt.”

  Julia smiled and touched her glass to his. “I haven’t saved anything yet.”

  She sipped her champagne, savoring the cool bubbly as the liquid slid down her throat.

  “You will,” he countered. “I checked out your track record. In less than a year, you turned the Fitness Fanatics Gym around. It was a dying enterprise. Only wannabe bodybuilders and weight trainers joined. Now it’s family-oriented—parents bring their children with them. Kids learn good eating habits, self-esteem and keep physically fit. Developing Fit Fans For Kids was brilliant.”

  Julia accepted his praise without modesty. She’d worked extremely hard on that project. “Thank you. I’m still a little bit in awe at how well that turned out. The project exceeded my expectations.” She slanted her head somewhat and searched his face, impressed that Trent went the extra mile to learn about her recent project. “You checked me out?”

  “Many times, darlin’. And you’ve always exceeded my expectations.”

  Julia melted at the way his dark eyes flickered when he spoke the endearment. She took another sip of champagne, thinking about how his rough hands had touched her skin tenderly minutes ago and how his fingers had grazed the underside of her breasts.

  Trent was a force to be reckoned with.

  “You know that’s not what I meant.”

  He smiled before sipping champagne. “I know. But I also know we’re great together. I haven’t been with another woman since we met.”

  Julia swallowed and cleared her throat. They’d never spoken of commitment. They’d had a fling that kept on flinging, but she knew going in that Trent wasn’t serious about a permanent relationship. He’d never mentioned wanting to be exclusive, but it thrilled her knowing he hadn’t been with other women. It still surprised her that he expected to pick up where they left off.

  “I haven’t, either—been with another man.”

  How could she? She’d never find anyone better than Trent Tyler. Not in or out of bed.

  “Okay, as long as we’re straight about that,” he said.

  His expression told her he was as glad as she was. Granted, it had been only two weeks since he’d shown up on her doorstep bearing gifts and apologizing for taking so long to see her again. Months before, after Evan and Laney’s wedding, they’d had a weekend of shameless sex that Julia would never forget.

  She squirmed in her chair and changed the subject. “Have you spoken with Evan lately?”

  “No. I imagine he’s beside himself with the baby coming soon.”

  Evan was the perfect doting husband and father-to-be. Julia envied Evan and Laney’s relationship and hoped to have that kind of love in her life one day. “He is. I’m hoping to surprise them both with a baby shower. Laney knows I’m throwing her a shower, but she thinks it’s a few months away. You’re going to have to give me some time off to make the arrangements.”

  Trent seemed to mull the idea over and then lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “Have the shower here.”

  “Here?” Julia blinked, surprised by the suggestion. “As in Tempest West, here?”

  “That’s right.” Trent nodded. “One, I can’t spare you for
too long. Two, the family hasn’t seen the hotel completely finished. I’d planned to bring them all out here soon anyway. Three, I can send the company jet to bring the guests here without any problem. And four, it’ll make your life easier planning the thing.”

  “And you’re all about making my life easy, right?”

  Trent smiled wide and a dimple that Julia thought was extremely sexy popped out along the right side of his cheek. “That’s right. I keep my employees happy.”

  Julia thought about the idea for a moment. “I really wanted it to be from me, Trent. I’d promised Laney this shower from the minute she became pregnant.”

  Trent put up both hands, surrendering with a gesture. “I won’t stand in your way or say a word. Use the hotel any way you see fit.”

  “I’d want to pay for it.”

  Trent cast her a crooked grin. “We’ll work something out.”

  Julia laughed. “You are impossible, you know that?”

  He shrugged. “How many guests did you have in mind?”

  Julia did a mental calculation in her head. “About forty.”

  Trent nodded. “Very manageable.”

  “Actually, Trent, it’s a good idea.” Julia peered out the window. Hundreds of stars illuminated the sky, casting a warm glow onto the grounds as night sounds stirred the restless quiet and a soft glimmer twinkled on the lake waters. “Laney will love this place.”

  Trent leaned back in his seat. “Problem solved.”

  “Now, on to the next.” Julia lifted her briefcase onto her lap and took out a manila folder filled with her notes. “I brought along a few ideas. We can hash them out over dinner.”

  “Sounds good to me. I’m eager to fix what’s broken here and you’re the woman for the job. Work your miracles.”

  If only, Julia thought. She wondered if it would take a miracle for Trent to think of her as more than his hotel’s savior and bedroom partner. First, she’d save the hotel and then, she’d work on the other.

  After dinner, Trent introduced Julia to his staff and showed her around the interior of the hotel. Once he’d answered all of her questions about the hotel’s inner workings, he led her outside and they strolled the grounds.

  “I’m glad you’re here, Julia. We really need a fresh outlook,” he said, taking her hand as they walked past the garden patio and away from the lights.

  “I wouldn’t be here if you hadn’t shown up in Los Angeles when you did.”

  “Luck and good timing,” Trent said, passing off her remark easily. He didn’t want to have this conversation with her.

  “I’d put all my cookies in that one basket. When I lost the Bridges account, I was devastated. It shook my confidence. I really thought I’d nailed that job.”

  He stopped and pulled her up against him, his hands on her hips, coaxing her closer. Distracting her wouldn’t be a chore. He needed to change the subject. “Don’t look back, Julia. Their loss is my gain.”

  When she was in Los Angeles and miles separated them, he’d put her out of his mind. But now that she was at Tempest West, Trent found himself incredibly drawn to her. Recently, all of his energy had gone into the hotel and he hadn’t had time for women, until he’d met Julia and they’d connected like two lightning rods.

  He stared into her eyes and bent his head for another kiss. The last one had been chaste and far too brief for his liking.

  “Trent,” she said, leaning back, “this isn’t a good idea. We really do need to set some boundaries. I can’t have your employees seeing—”

  Trent looked around the grounds. “No one’s out here, Julia. And they’d damned better not say anything to you.”

  “Someone could walk outside any second. I’m not worried about what they might say to me, but I need their respect. I doubt I’ll get that if they think I’m your main squeeze.”

  Trent smiled. “My main squeeze?”

  Flustered, Julia waved her arms. “Or whatever they call it these days. We’re all going to have to work together.”

  Trent backed off and put his hands on his hips, staring at her. He gave in, just for a minute, to hear what Julia had to say. “Okay. Fine.”

  “Thank you.” She nodded, more than likely surprised he’d given in so easily. “Actually, I’m glad you agreed without an argument, because you and I…we’d never, uh…” Her gaze drifted to his lips. “We’d never be able to get work done…I mean…I don’t work that way…” She slowed her speech, her eyes lingering on his mouth. “I, uh, we need to keep a professional distance.” She looked at him with an expression of desperate longing.

  Trent knew enough about Julia to know when she was hot for him. The damn feeling was mutual. “That does it,” he said. He grabbed her hand and tugged her along. “C’mon. We need to talk about this in private.”

  “Where are you taking me?”

  “Somewhere where my employees won’t see a thing.”

  “But that’s not the point,” she argued feebly.

  Trent wasn’t buying her resistance.

  “It’s exactly the point. You want what I want, darlin’. And I’m going to see that we both get it.”

  Trent walked briskly, Julia just a step behind him as he tugged her along to the farthest single-dwelling cottage on the grounds. He opened the door and allowed her to enter first before closing the door, shutting out starlight. Trent blinked a few times and it took a while for his eyes to adjust.

  Julia stood close. Her rapid breaths caressed his face. The soft scent of gardenias teased his nose.

  He leaned against the door. “You just about had me, until you started talking about professional distance.”

  “Why?”

  “You and I can’t work together all day and not ache for each other at night. You know it’s true, Julia. We can survive keeping a professional distance for about as long as we can hold our breath. Eventually, we’d have to give in. Or face the consequences.”

  She tilted her chin up in question. “Is that the reason you hired me, Trent?”

  “I hired you because you’re brilliant. You know darn well how important Tempest West is to me. If I’d wanted a woman to have sex with, I—” Trent held up on that thought. His mother hadn’t raised a fool.

  “You wouldn’t have to hire her, right?”

  Trent let go a sigh and reached for Julia. “Come here.”

  She walked to him with her shoulders squared, and the tension melted the minute he caressed her. He tipped her head with his thumb and kissed her lips. “I’ve missed you.”

  “You’re saying all the right things,” she murmured softly, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  He took her in a deep kiss and pressed her closer, until she was hip-to-hip and chest-to-chest with him. Splaying his hands along her behind, he heard the softest moans escape her lips. His senses stirred and his body grew hard and tight.

  She parted her lips for him and he stroked her tongue until her breaths whooshed out. Her breasts crushed his chest. His erection strained against her belly. He hiked up her dress. His hands inched up her smooth thighs. He pushed aside the scrap of material covering her womanhood and cupped her.

  “Ohh…Trent,” she groaned.

  After that, things got crazy. He peeled her clothes away. She ripped off his shirt. His belt and boots came next and within seconds, he lifted Julia and she wrapped her legs around his waist. She moved on him and he couldn’t hold back another second. He drove himself deep inside her in one frenzied thrust and welcomed her to Tempest West, the way he’d imagined since the first moment he’d met her.

  Julia skimmed her finger along Trent’s jaw. He pretended to sleep, but his wide smile gave him away. They lay together in bed in a spacious room in the cottage. “Do you really think I’m brilliant?”

  Trent grunted.

  She leaned down and kissed him on the mouth.

  “Do you?”

  He opened one eye. “Fishing for compliments before dawn won’t win you Brownie points.”

  “Do I need
more Brownie points?” Julia asked, feigning innocence.

  Trent rolled onto his side and pressed a finger to her nose. “Don’t get cute. Any more Brownie points and you’d have to drag my lifeless body into work today.”

  She flopped onto her back to stare at the ceiling. Last night, they’d quaked the room and she’d ended up having three powerful orgasms along with Trent. “Why do you suppose it’s like this between us?”

  Trent remained silent and she didn’t think he’d answer. Finally, he admitted, “Haven’t a clue. It just is. Don’t analyze, just enjoy.”

  Julia enjoyed their lovemaking too much. She’d never had casual affairs, though the one long-term relationship she’d had ended badly. She’d vowed to never get involved in the workplace again. And now, she was in bed with her boss and loving every second with him.

  She turned to him with apprehension. “This could get complicated.”

  He leaned over and kissed her. “Not if we don’t let it.”

  “Aside from Evan being your brother and Laney being my best friend, you’re my employer. Don’t you see a potential problem here?”

  “No, not at all.”

  Was it so easy for him to dismiss the notion that if things didn’t work out, they’d always have a connection through the people closest to them? Her better instincts told her to back away from this situation. But how could she? How could she give up on a ruggedly handsome, strong, intelligent man who made her tingle with just the slightest touch?

  “Trent, I really meant it when I said I don’t want the employees and staff to know about you and me.”

  He nodded, his dark eyes sincere. “Got it. Anything else?”

  Julia shook her head and blew out a breath. “No, I guess that’s it.”

  “Good.” He stroked her breast, his thumb making lazy circles around the tip, bringing her a new wave of sensual heat. “Enjoy, darlin’,” he said before he brought his mouth down to suckle the now-erect rosy bud.

  Julia squirmed, her body responding to him without qualm or restraint. He knew every button to push and he pushed them so well. “Uh, Trent, we used up the last of the condoms last night.” Between the both of them, they’d come up with three.