Epilogue

Kim

“It’s almost disgusting,”I mutter to myself as I look out the window at the picturesque mountains beyond.

The morning of Charlotte and Mason’s wedding is a perfect Colorado spring day. It rained last night, I could hear it on the roof, but today, the world is bright and shiny for the washing it received the night before.

The grass is a brilliant green, the sky a bright blue dotted with white puffy clouds, the Aspen pines a perfect shade of dark green.

I stare out the window of the honeymoon suite I shared last night with my best friend Charlotte and marvel at the perfection. When you have money, even nature works to please you.

We’re at some high-end hotel and resort in Aspen, the sort that I’ve never even dreamed of staying in. One night probably costs more than my whole month’s rent. I don’t know because Charlotte’s fiancé Mason paid for my flight here and my room, along with all the extras.

Which is crazy to me, I’m not even using the room he paid for since I kept Charlotte company last night. I keep track of every penny, I have to, and waste is currently not in my vocabulary.

This room is twice the size of my apartment in Las Vegas, and I share that place with three other dancers.

It’s a lavish display of wealth that makes my head spin.

But the money is not what deep down unsettles me. The Kincaids, all five of them, are what really make me nervous. They are all handsome as sin, with their dark hair and their piercing brown eyes. Each of them is as rich as he is successful.

But they all have this edge. You can feel it under the surface.

Dangerous.

They are as intoxicating as they are nerve-wracking, and I’ve been on edge since I got here. Especially when the second Kincaid brother enters the room, Leo Kincaid. He’s more of everything.

More muscles, more good lucks, more sinister charm that sets my teeth on edge and my pulse fluttering. Which is a reaction I can ill afford. I’m so close to realizing my dreams, I cannot afford a distraction now, no matter how tempting.

I’d be more worried about Charlotte and what she’s getting into, except Mason seems to worship her.

And by extension, he’s lavished me with gifts. Plane ticket, room, dress, spa day.

I have exactly enough money to pay for myself to fly from here to New York tomorrow morning to attend my interview with the New York ballet company and not a penny more if I’m going to pay rent this month.

In fact, I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to sleep in the airport before my return flight the next day.

But I don’t care about that. This interview is a dream come true and my one chance at having the career no one from my hometown would ever imagine. The one my mother dreamed of and never got the chance to have because she had me instead.

Charlotte is still asleep as I sit by the window, staring at the lush garden below, the staff already hard at work making the perfect garden even better for the upcoming ceremony.

The gazebo is decorated with a gauzy fabric that floats in the morning breeze while white chairs are set at perfect angles.

A little sigh escapes my lips. I might be cautious around the Kincaids, but I’m still a bit jealous about the way they live.

Still, I’m going to hold to the plan for a little while longer to make my dreams come true.

A soft knock sounds at the door, and I get up to answer it, tightening the lush robe around my waist, before I crack the door open.

Mason is standing on the other side. He’s the picture of business casual masculine elegance this morning. With his pressed slacks and his white shirt, tucked in but open a single button at the collar.

I’ve never been into guys who are that perfectly coiffed, not a hair out of place, but I can’t deny he cuts quite the figure.

Charlotte did well. Though, I always knew she would. Stunningly gorgeous, quiet and shy, she has this demure grace that makes men like Mason froth. Charlotte and I waited tables together at a Bar called Rebel’s. The serious businessmen who came in always gave Charlotte a long look.

“Morning,” I whisper.

“Good morning,” he murmurs back. “Charlotte still asleep?”

I nod. “Yeah. I can wake her if you want.”

“No,” he shakes his head. “I just wanted to know how she slept.”

Man oh man, this guy’s got it bad. I duck my head to hide my smile, a different touch of envy settling in my chest. What would it be like to have someone care for me like this? It makes me ache deep down to think it.

But with my gaze cast down, I almost miss the fact that Leo has appeared until he’s right next to Mason. I feel a blush climb my cheeks as our gazes connect.

If Mason is too coiffed, Leo is the exact brand of sexy that makes my brain fritz. He’s got on a fitted T-shirt and tight jeans, the kind that show off his many, many muscles.

Bulkier, rougher than his brother, he looks like trouble in the best way possible. Not that I’m looking for problems, but if I were…

My gaze snaps back to Mason, who is scowling at Leo. Charlotte mentioned tension between the two brothers, and I feel it now.

Clearing my throat, I give Mason a bright smile. “We went to bed early, promise.” I draw an X over my heart.

His gaze returns to me, softening. “Thanks, Kim. Don’t forget to go to the desk and get a key for your room tonight. I’ve also arranged for a car to take you to the airport tomorrow morning. If there is anything else you need, don’t hesitate to ask.”

I nod as I look the other way, not meeting the eye of either Kincaid brother. “Thank you, Mason. I really appreciate it.” My dad was never around, I was raised by my mom, and she worked three jobs just to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table.

“Not a problem at all.”

I swallow down a lump. I won’t ask him for hotel money for New York, I know he means if I need anything for this wedding, but I briefly wonder if I should give dating another try.

I’ve had one boyfriend in my entire life, and it was an underwhelming and somewhat humiliating experience. But it would be nice to have someone look out for me now and then. “I’m really happy for you and Charlotte.”

Leo has been silent next to his brother, his dark brown eyes assessing me. My skin goosepimples as I turn to meet his gaze again.

Did I call the Kincaids dangerous? Leo’s eyes alone are downright lethal, and my gaze drops as I nip at my lip. I’ve never had a reaction like this to a man and I’m not quite sure what to do with it.

“Morning, gorgeous,” he says with a one-sided grin that makes my stomach do somersaults.

He’s got this stubble that’s not quite a shadow but it’s not a beard either, and it only highlights the fullness of his mouth and the square jaw that makes him look all man. His hair is a bit mussed, but somehow, it only adds to his appeal, like he just got out of bed…

I clear my throat. “Good morning.”

Mason scowls at Leo. “Your dress should be delivered in the next half hour. I took the liberty of choosing a pale green that should complement your hair and eyes.”

I don’t even ask how he might have gotten the size correct. Something tells me it will fit perfectly. “I’m sure it’s lovely. Thank you again, Mason.”

Leo’s smile grows and I shift in the doorway.

“Mason? Is that you?” I hear Charlotte call from behind me.

I look back to see her rising from the bed. “You’re not supposed to see him,” I say, closing the door a little tighter around my body to block the view.

“I won’t,” Charlotte says as she wraps a robe about her body, the same white hotel one I’m wearing. The difference is she has a high-end negligee under hers and I’ve got a ratty T-shirt under mine. “I just want to talk to him through a crack in the door.”

I’ve no choice but to step out into the hall, my bare feet on full display. At least Mason had sent a manicurist to do our fingers and toes last night. Mine have a fresh coat of pale pink polish on them that should go nicely with the dress. I curl them into the carpet as Leo gives me a long look up and down, the sort that makes my skin heat. “I don’t know if you remember, but we’ve met before.”

I shake my head. I don’t really, and I feel like I would. He’s not the kind of man a girl forgets.

I know the story. Charlotte went on a couple of dates with Leo a few years back and that’s how she met Mason.

Leo came into the bar on a night we were both working. Case in point, he asked Charlotte out that night and not me. I don’t make an impression on rich and successful guys. Not like she does.

Then again, I was probably hustling like nobody’s business the night he came in.

I have a full scholarship to UNLV so I don’t have to pay tuition, but the rest of my life, including all the costs of training as a dancer, I’ve had to finance on my own and tips is the way I make it happen most nights.

My mom has nothing to spare to help me.

“Sort of…” I say as I look down the hall. Anywhere but at him.

“I remember you.”

He steps closer and I can feel the heat of him, my nipples actually stiffen as I wrap the robe tighter around me again.

What would it be like to have a man like this in my bed? My body pulses with a delicious ache at the idea of it, a feeling I try to tamp down.

I have a confession to make. I’ve only ever slept with one guy and he never actually made me…

I swallow down a lump. “You do?”

Next to me, Mason is whispering to Charlotte through the crack in the door, his hand pressed to the thick wood as though he’d like to bust down the door, but I can’t make out a word he’s saying. My whole body is focused on Leo.

I close my eyes, my chin titling up and to the side. Why I’m exposing my neck to a man I just called lethal, I don’t know…

“I do.” His hand comes to the wall behind me, the one I just realized I’m leaning against, his thumb brushing the indent of my waist. “And I have to confess, I’m disappointed you don’t remember me.”

There is no point in lying. Tomorrow I’ll leave and then I’ll likely never see Leo again. “I seriously doubt I’ll forget you after today.”

I feel him grin. Don’t even ask me how that’s possible but I do as he shifts closer. “Oh yeah… why is that?”

“You’re…” I search for the right word. Hot as Hades? Tall, dark, and sinister? “Magnetic.”

His hand slides down the wall, his thumb tracing my hip. “Right back at you.”

“Hello,” a female voice calls from the other end of the hall. My eyes snap open. Mason and Leo’s sister, Arabella, is walking toward us with an army of people behind her. “The cavalry has arrived!”

A rack of dresses is at the back of the group, along with several women carrying cases of different shapes and sizes.

We’re all about to get major makeovers. Again.

This is Charlotte’s life now? It’s not without its appeal.

Leo pushes back and regret lances through me as I stand up straight, pasting a smile on my face.

An hour later, my long red hair has been twisted into some amazingly elaborate coif at the back. The dress is the perfect shade to highlight my green eyes, only further accentuated by the subtle shades of eyeliner and shadow.

And the mermaid style dress hugs my dancer’s body like it was custom made for me though I never gave anyone a single measurement.

And Charlotte…

She’s never looked more beautiful. Draped in white, the strapless princess gown shows off her lusher curves and classic beauty.

Her hair is down, one section pulled back with a comb at her right ear, and styled in lose waves that only make her cheekbones look even more classic and her large gray eyes even wider.

I sigh next to Arabella, Charlotte’s other bridesmaid.

Charlotte is perfection.

A spread of food has been laid out in the room as we wait for the ceremony to begin, but I only pick at it. I’m nervous, which is odd. I don’t mind being in front of people, it’s part of being on stage, so I try to determine why I’m feeling so off.

And then I remember. Leo Kincaid. He’s going to see me in this dress. And for once I look like I actually belong in their world.

Maybe I can pretend for one night…

Leo seemed interested.

And I’d love to know what all the fuss was about. And by fuss, I mean sex. Charlotte is discreet, she hasn’t said much, but what she has shared tells me that the bedroom is steaming hot between her and Mason.

Making our way outside, we’re not waiting for more than a minute before the delicate strains of a melodious violin announce it’s time for us to walk down the aisle.

Grace is kind of my thing, but my gaze catches Leo’s as he waits at the other end of the aisle with his brother. His gaze locks on mine and I nearly trip.

It takes all my concentration to focus on Mason and Charlotte as they say their vows, promise to love, honor, and cherish each other for the rest of their lives.

I can hear the happiness in Charlotte’s voice, the promise in Mason’s just before they seal their bond with a kiss.

It’s so beautiful, I forget about the danger a man like Leo would bring into my life. He’s a predator and I’m no match. But I don’t care about that or my carefully crafted reasons for not having meaningless trysts. And after a glass of champagne, every reservation I had has disappeared as I step out onto the veranda to watch the sun set behind the mountains.

It was a perfect day. One I’d like to remember when I’m back in Vegas hustling drinks at Rebel’s.

Or maybe, I’ll be in New York preparing to be a professional dancer…

With a sigh, I look back and that’s when I find Leo standing in the doorway behind me. My pulse stutters as a blush fills my cheeks. “Hello.”

“The bride and groom are about to retire for the evening.”

“Already?” I ask, and then my cheeks heat even more. Like I needed to ask why.

“My brother is very enamored with his bride.”

I nod, determined not to make this anymore awkward. But Leo does that for me, moving so close I can feel my nipples tighten again.

Only this dress didn’t really allow for a bra, the spaghetti straps and draped neckline making sure my small bit of cleavage is on full display.

Leo looks down and I see his eyes darken. He’s noticed my nipples too.

“You know…” he leans close to my ear. “I’ve got a beautiful view of the rising moon from my room and tonight, it’s full.”

My pulse rushes in my ears as I nip at my lip. Do I actually dare to do this? Wetting my lips, I force myself to look over my shoulder and meet his gaze. He’s even more handsome in his tux than he was in his T-shirt this morning.

What’s more, the promise I see in his eyes has me gasping for breath.

Yeah. I think I dare…