Stranded (2 page)

Some of the ice inside Erika melted and she
grasped his hand. “Thanks for coming to meet me, Mr. Kennedy.”

“Dawson.” He squeezed her hand before
releasing it. “Paige broke her leg skiing in Aspen, and she didn’t
make it back in time. She should be in the office tomorrow.”

Erika frowned. “Other than the leg, is she
all right?”

He nodded. “If my cousin’s anything, she’s
determined. You can’t keep her down for long.”

Without asking if he could help her with her
things, he took her rolling carry-on and briefcase, and gave a nod
toward a big black truck parked in the passenger pickup zone. “Your
limo awaits.” She cocked one eyebrow at him and saw from his
expression that he was teasing her. “Stay here and let me put your
things in the truck so that you don’t get too wet.”

She flipped her hood over her hair as she
watched him stride toward the big truck. What a freaking hot
view—that ass was incredible.

He opened the passenger side door before
opening a smaller door. A bench seat was behind the front seats,
and he quickly put her bag on the floor behind the front passenger
seat along with her briefcase. She noticed a zippered clothing bag
hanging from a hook behind the driver’s seat.

As Dawson moved, the collar of his bomber
jacket shifted and she saw wolf prints tattooed along his neck.
Something about them felt wild and deeply masculine. She wanted to
trace her finger from one paw print to the next.

He turned back to her and smiled when he saw
her watching him. He gestured to her to come to the truck. Rain
pelted the hood of her trench coat as she hurried toward him.

When she reached him and he moved close to
her, she caught the scent of leather. Despite liking a refined man,
she had to admit that she loved the smell of leather on a man. He
took her hand and helped her step onto the running board so that
she could climb into the vehicle. People rarely, if ever, drove
such big trucks in New York City. Even though Colorado Springs was
a city of just over four hundred thousand, compared to the eight
and a half million residents in the Big Apple, this was a small
town.

Dawson shut the door behind her and she
realized she was shivering. The heated truck cab began to defrost
her and she pulled off her gloves and tucked them into her coat
pockets before removing her coat. She was putting on the seatbelt
as he climbed into the driver’s side and closed his door.

He flipped on the windshield wipers. “I’ll
bet you’d like to head to your hotel first to get ready for
dinner.” He checked for traffic and then pulled out into the lane
next to them. “Although you look great just the way you are.” He
glanced at her, his gaze lingering a moment too long.

“Yes, I would like to make a stop at the
hotel.” She looked at him, ignoring his comment about her
appearance. “We’re still going to dinner even though Paige can’t
make it?”

“Holden will be coming along, too.” Dawson
kept his eyes on the road.

Erika had done her homework and Paige was the
only owner of the company listed. “Do you mind if I ask who Holden
is?” Erika gripped her coat in her lap, feeling strangely unnerved
by Dawson, his lingering glances, and such a rough, attractive
male. She didn’t get nervous around men, no matter how attractive
they were. Maybe it was because she never mixed business with
pleasure, and just about the only men she saw were clients. But
there was something different about this man.

Rain pelted the windshield and the wipers
thumped in a rhythmic movement. Back and forth, back and forth.

“Holden is Paige’s brother and my cousin.”
Dawson glanced at Erika. “We own the business together. Holden and
I are silent partners.”

Despite the fact that she didn’t consider
Dawson to be her type, a slight wave of disappointment went through
Erika. Not mixing business with pleasure was a hard and fast rule,
especially when it came to the owners of the corporation.

The drive to the four-star Wyndham Grand
Hotel was close to twenty minutes from the airport. Erika preferred
to stay in four or five star hotels when she could, a perk of
owning a successful law firm.

During the drive, Dawson told her a
good-sized snowstorm was due to come in that evening. “We don’t
usually get storms like this one as early as November.”

Erika frowned, her brow furrowing. “How bad
is it supposed to get?”

“The forecast is calling for a few inches.”
He shrugged. “I doubt if it will affect your trip back to New
York.”

She was used to snow in the winter, and as
long as it wasn’t a big storm, she wasn’t going to worry about
it.

While Dawson drove, he asked about her
flight. For some reason she didn’t feel like mentioning Brody
because it was too close to that part of her that she didn’t share
with anyone else. So she told Dawson the flight was pleasant and
she got a little reading in.

“What were you reading?” he asked as she
glanced at the scenery outside the window.

She turned her gaze on him. “A David Baldacci
thriller called
The Target
.”

“The Will Robie novels are damned good.”
Dawson gave an approving nod. “Everything Baldacci writes is
great.”

“That’s true.” She didn’t know why it
surprised her that he read one of the same authors she did. “He’s
an auto-buy for me.”

Dawson looked in his rearview mirror,
checking the traffic. “Do you read James Lee Burke?”

“I adore him.” Erika would have gushed if she
was the gushing type. “His work is brilliant.”

By the time they’d reached the Wyndham,
they’d discovered they both also enjoyed reading Lee Child, John
Sandford, Greg Iles, and J.A. Jance.

Dawson pulled up to the front of the hotel to
have the truck valet parked. Erika had slipped on her trench coat
and dashed through the rain to the glass doors. Before the valet
left, Dawson grabbed Erika’s bag and escorted her into the lobby of
the luxurious hotel. Erika drank in the warmth, enjoying getting
out of the cold.

While she checked in, he settled into a lobby
chair looking comfortable and like he belonged, even with his faded
jeans, hiking boots, and scruffy look. While she waited behind a
couple at the registration desk, she glanced at Dawson more than
once. It just wasn’t fair that a man so good looking, a man who
really intrigued her, had to be a client.

She went up to her room just long enough to
get ready for dinner and unpack her suitcase. She slipped into a
simple but elegant black dress that hit just above the knees, and
freshened her makeup. She slid her feet into chunky heels that were
stylish yet sturdy enough to avoid slipping in the rain. As she
studied her reflection in the mirror, she fixed a stray strand of
hair that had escaped the chignon.

After she took out her favorite perfume
bottle from her toiletry bag, she used one pump of the fine mist at
her throat. The scent was light but sensual. She wasn’t sure why
she wore such a sensual scent—she wasn’t planning on picking up
anyone and clients were off-limits. But she loved the perfume.

She put on simple diamond stud earrings and a
necklace with a lovely diamond pendant she had bought herself as a
gift when she’d landed the firm’s biggest client. The pendant was
understated, but elegant. She added a bracelet in the same design,
a piece she had added to the collection as a celebration for the
following client she had brought on to the firm.

When she was finished, she quickly unpacked
the rest of her things. She didn’t like to make clients wait, so
she hadn’t planned to take long before she would be dressed for
dinner and then on her way to the lobby.

Unpacking included hanging up her clothing
for tomorrow and putting her latest vibrator in a drawer with her
panties and bra. She never went anywhere without one of her battery
operated boyfriends.

Dawson Kennedy made for good fantasy
material, and since she wouldn’t be getting the real thing, she was
glad to have B.O.B. with her. Tonight, after dinner, she had a
feeling she and B.O.B. had a date.

***

Dawson raised an eyebrow when he saw Erika
approach from the bank of elevators. He was used to women taking
their time, but Erika had only taken thirty minutes from the time
she headed to registration, went up to her room, and then
returned.

She was wearing her long coat, but he got a
look at her knockout legs and sexy shoes and he wondered what she
had on under that coat. No doubt whatever she wore would look great
on her.

He shrugged back into his jacket as she
walked toward him. He studied her and she unabashedly returned his
stare. It appeared that she wasn’t one to shy away from anything
and she didn’t seem to embarrass easily. He liked that about
her.

She was stunning, an icy beauty who needed
thawing in the worst way. Maybe the best way. She had warmed when
they’d talked about their favorite suspense and thriller writers,
but she was reserved in a Snow Queen kind of way.

And damned if it didn’t turn him on. He’d
love to be the one to melt the queen as he took her and made her
climax time and time again.

He grimaced. He’d better change his train of
thought because his attraction to her would be very obvious if he
didn’t.

Better to think about things like football,
puppies, or his grandmother.

Grandmother did it. Instant deflation.

Dawson gave his valet ticket to guest
services and in no time the truck was pulled up in front of the
hotel. The rain had stopped and it had started to snow lightly.

After Dawson tipped the valet, he helped
Erika climb into the truck. He caught the scent of her perfume and
it damned near made him hard again.

He gritted his teeth. How was his grandmother
was doing? He really should call her more often.

“We’ll stop at Holden’s place first.” Dawson
held his hand on the handle to the passenger side door. “I need to
change for dinner and he lives close to the restaurant we’re going
to.”

Erika gave a nod. “That sounds fine.”

Dawson closed the door and went around to the
driver’s side and climbed in. “It’s close to twenty minutes to
Holden’s. He lives on the opposite side of town.”

Snow fell in lazy flakes that melted as soon
as they landed on the windshield as Dawson drove to Holden’s
home.

Dawson glanced at Erika as a streetlight
illuminated her beautiful features for a moment and he saw that she
was watching him. “Do you ski?” he asked.

“Yes.” She nodded. “I’ve been skiing since I
was a child.”

“What slopes?” he asked.

“Jackson Hole, Wyoming.” She tilted her head
to the side. “Snowbird, Utah, and Squaw Valley, California, among
others. I’ve also skied in Vail and Telluride a couple of times
each.”

He smiled, pleased that she shared a passion
of his. “Those are some of the best ski resorts in the States.”

“What about you?” she asked.

He fixed his gaze on the road. The snow was
coming down a lot faster now. “I used to compete.” He glanced at
her. “I’ve skied all over the world.”

She looked impressed. “What’s your favorite
place?”

He looked back to the road, but didn’t
hesitate in his response. “St. Anton, Austria.” He grinned as he
met her gaze. “There’s nothing like it.”

“I’ve heard of it.” She studied him. “Extreme
skiing at its best.”

“You’ve got it.” He focused on the road as he
turned into an exclusive neighborhood. He drove down a couple of
streets, turned right, and headed to the end of a cul de sac and
pulled up into the driveway of a large home. “This is Holden’s
place.”

After Dawson parked, he went around to the
passenger side and assisted in helping Erika down from the truck
before grabbing his clothing bag.

The shoes Erika wore were high but had flat
bottoms rather than a stiletto type of heel that definitely
wouldn’t have done well on the cold wet concrete. Still he held her
arm, enjoying the close feeling as they walked up to the house.

He rang the doorbell and in moments, Penny,
the elderly housekeeper, opened the front door.

“Good evening, Mr. Dawson.” Penny had a deep
southern drawl. She insisted on speaking formally to Holden, his
family, and guests.

“Hi, Penny,” Dawson said.

“You must be Ms. DuBois. Come on in out of
the cold.” Penny gave a slight bow of her shoulders to Erika and
stepped back as she opened the door wide. “I’m Mr. Holden’s
housekeeper.”

“Erika, please.” Erika smiled as she stepped
into the warmth of the house. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,
Penny.”

“All right, Ms. Erika.” Penny gave a nod.
“Would you like me to take your coat?”

“I’ll help Erika.” Dawson closed the door
behind them, shutting out the cold, the remnants of the outside
chill starting to fade in moments. “How are you doing, Penny?”

“My bones tell me this storm’s gonna be a
good one.” Penny shook her head. “Ought not to be heading out to
dinner.”

“The weather report disagrees with you.”
Dawson flashed a grin at Penny as he helped Erika out of her coat,
trying to keep his mind off the fact that Erika smelled so good.
“But maybe we should pay attention to those bones of yours,” he
added as he spoke to Penny.

“Sure as sugar, you should.” Penny took the
coat from Dawson. The coat was damp from rain and snow, and she
hung it on a coat rack near the front door.

Dawson swung his clothes bag off his
shoulder, slid out of his own jacket, and hung it on the coat rack
next to Erika’s.

Penny gestured toward the living room. “Go on
and have a seat. Mr. Holden is on a call and he’ll be a minute or
two.”

Dawson gripped his clothes bag. “I need to
change. I’ll use one of the guest bedrooms.”

Penny nodded and headed off as Erika settled
on a sofa in the formal living room. She crossed her legs at her
knees and her black dress slid up a couple of inches above her
knee. Damn, she was sexy.