I sucked in a sharp, silent breath and reinforced mynerves with steel. If it was a game of wills he wanted, well, I didn’t needfive years in federal prison to build the muscles to play. I was born withthem. “It’s like Maggie said, Mr. Smith, we don’t have anything available foryou. But there are other resorts elsewhere on the mountain that would be happyto take your money.” I leaned forward on my elbows, flashing Sayer a confidentsmile. A smile that said, you can’t rattle me, hotshot. You can’t show up afterfive years, looking like this, sounding like sin, and wearing glasses for God’ssake and get into my head.
I’m tougher than that.
Stronger.
Meaner.
Fucking determined.
His gaze dropped to my smile, the way it used to. Withmy new resolve bouncing around my head, I forced my face to keep it in place.“I don’t want to go elsewhere on the mountain, Six. I want to stay here.”
“Well, we don’t have a cabin available.”
“Well, maybe you should one.” Then he looked over atMaggie and added, “Please.”
“Maggie—”
She ignored me. The traitor.“Here’s the situation, Mr. Smith—”
“Sayer.” He smiled gently at her again, completelyfreaking wooing her. “Please call me Sayer.”
Maggie’s smile was uncertain, like she hadn’t beenexpecting a first name.
No, it was more than that. She hadn’t been expecting afirst name like that.
Nobody was, I wanted to tell her.
We were all caught off guard.
It was Sayer’s first breach of your defenses.
Damn him. What was that saying about old dogs and newtricks? Well, maybe the old dogs didn’tneedto learn new tricks. Maybe their old tricks worked just fine.
Maggie quickly recovered, “Here’s the situation,Sayer. I have three cabins out of commission. The first is flooded from abacked-up toilet. The second is littered with broken glass and freezing from ashattered picture window. The third is in working order, save for the hot tub,which has a rubber dildo shoved into one of the jets. The cabin itself is fine,but we’re hesitant to rent it out to paying guests. We don’t want them to feelawkward when they find out the reason the handyman has to have access to theirdeck.” Sayer’s lips twitched with the effort not to smile. “If any of those accommodationsseem habitable to you, you’re welcome to them. I’ll even throw in a twentypercent discount until whichever of the problem rooms you rent is repaired. Howdoes that sound?”
A respectful smile stretched across Sayer’s face,reminding me so fiercely of our daughter that my knees nearly buckled. “I’lltake the cabin with hot tub issues.”
“You won’t be able to use it,” I quickly reminded him.“Until we can get it fixed and that could be… months.”
Maggie slipped in a quick, “Days. It will only be afew days.”
He addressed Maggie, “I’ll survive.”
I gave it another shot. “Most of our guests demand aworking hot tub. That’s one of their favorite features.”
He tilted his head and glared at me. “Caroline, Ihaven’t been in a hot tub since we snuck into that Italian party six years agoand locked ourselves in the Don’s room. I think I’ll manage a few more days.”
Throwing caution to the wind and one last ditch HailMary, I turned to Maggie. “He’s been in prison for the past five years. That’swhy he hasn’t had access to any hot tubs.”
Her jaw hardened and she fully fixed her attention onme. It was like a wall went up between her and Sayer. Whatever charm he’d laidon her fizzled away, and she was herself again. “Did he go to prison forhurting you, Caroline?”
I could have said yes. I could have lied. She wouldn’thave let him stay then. She would have made him leave. And not just her resort,but the whole freaking mountain. She probably would have escorted him to theborder of Colorado and kicked his ass to the other side.
But that particular lie tasted like ash and died on mytongue. I couldn’t make myself say it. I couldn’t make myself stoop to thatlevel.
He had never put his hands on me without my consent ormutual desire. He had never done anything to my body that I didn’t absolutelywant him to do.
Fine, he’d broken my heart into a million littlejagged pieces. But that wasn’t exactly punishable by a court of law.
