Chapter 6

6

SCARLETT

W hat do you want?

The words played on repeat in my head when I told my parents that I was moving into the lodge and when I packed my things. My parents didn't say anything, but I sensed they were disappointed I wasn't staying with them. But I think they understood that I needed my space. I'd been a free spirit for so long I couldn't be tied down. Not by anyone.

But I'd never taken the time to ask myself what I wanted. The question unsettled me. What if I'd been driven by the wrong things all my life?

I felt bad for moving out of my parents' house, but that condo was the nicest place I'd ever lived. I was tempted to never leave. The view, the large kitchen, and that rooftop deck. It was pure decadence. For once, I could learn to cook.

I picked up a bunch of groceries, hoping to make my first meal in my new place. I attempted to carry all the plastic bags to the elevator, but then I couldn't get out my key for the elevator.

Eli rushed over. "Whoa. You need help?"

"Can you get the elevator?" I asked, wishing I could swipe the hair out of my face, but my hands were full of plastic bags that weighed me down.

He swiped his card, then grabbed the majority of the bags.

"I had it," I said as I stepped into the elevator and finally brushed the hair off my face.

He pushed the P button. "Let someone help you for once."

I rolled my eyes. "You're not going to let that go, are you?"

He winked at me. "Not while you're staying in my building."

I sighed. "So far, my neighbor is kind of irritating."

Eli's lips twitched. "You like it."

He was right. I didn't feel agitated around him. If anything I felt drawn to him. Like I wanted to spend more time in his presence, not less.

He was devastating in a suit but carrying grocery bags? My insides were quivering.

He lifted the bags. "You cooking tonight?"

"I thought it would be nice to cook for my first night in my new place."

His eyes flashed with satisfaction.

Did he hope I'd stay too? Maybe I said the wrong thing. "I don't have a kitchen when I'm traveling, so I thought I'd try my hand at cooking."

"You've never cooked before?" he asked as the door swished open.

"Nope."

"You want some help?"

I unlocked the door. "I'm sure I can handle it."

Eli dumped my bags on the counter and started pulling out items. "What are we making?"

I closed the door. "I don't recall inviting you to stay for dinner."

He lifted his head to wink at me. "You're living here rent free, remember. It's the least you can do to thank me. "

"I thought I owed you adventures." I tried but failed not to smile.

He grinned. "And now dinner."

"I don't know if this arrangement is working for me anymore." But inside, I felt excited. This exchange was fun and light. I was enjoying spending time with him more than I thought. I worried that the sexual tension would be too hard to resist, but this was more than that.

He hit Play on a playlist, and tunes filled the space. Outside, the wind howled but inside, it was warm and cozy. "I'll start a fire while you decide."

While he got the fire crackling in the hearth, I pulled up the recipe on my phone. "It looks easy enough."

"Lime chicken and cilantro rice." He scrolled through the directions. "We can do this. But I'm not a fan of directions."

"How is that possible? You wear suits, and you're buttoned-up all the time. You seem like a rule and recipe follower."

I shouldn't have said that because he shrugged off his suit jacket, draping it over one of the stools at the island, then slowly unbuttoned his cuffs, rolling up the sleeves, revealing forearms corded with muscles.

Suddenly, my mouth was dry, and my heart beat a steady rhythm, seemingly in tune with the beat of his movements.

Next, he unbuttoned his collar, showing more of his strong throat and a hint of hair on his chest.

I swallowed hard. I wasn't going to survive dinner. We were alone in this beautiful condo with music playing, the fire crackling, and I wouldn't be able to resist any advances.

Sweat beaded on my forehead, and my fingers shook as I opened the package of chicken.

Eli moved around the island so that we stood unnecessarily close together. It was difficult to draw in a deep breath. His masculine scent surrounded me, conjuring up sexy scenarios in my head. Him bending me over the stool. Me on my knees in front of him.

My panties were wet, but we were supposed to be cooking dinner. Who knew that cooking dinner with a man could be foreplay?

I shouldn't have moved into the lodge, and I never should have accepted his generous offer of this condo. And lastly, I never should have invited him into my space. I'd made one stupid decision after the other. Exactly what my family always accused me of doing.

Eli took the meat from my trembling hands and set it on a cutting board. I was incapable of thinking about cooking, much less following directions.

He cut it into smaller strips. "It cooks quicker this way."

"Oh? Are you terribly hungry?" I asked breathlessly. Either I was feverish or the fire was throwing off heat because I was hot.

Eli lifted his head, his eyes darkened with a promise I hoped to witness one day. "Very."

Was he thinking about food or something else? Maybe what I would look like naked. My knees went weak at the idea that Eli wanted me as badly as I wanted him.

I was out of my depth in this situation. Eli was older, more sophisticated, and experienced. I should have been regrouping and figuring out my life. Instead, Chance's friend was cooking in my kitchen, looking sexier than any man I'd ever spent time with on a regular basis.

"Can you crush the tortilla chips while I flatten the meat?" Without waiting for an answer, Eli searched the drawers for a mallet and started pounding it into thinner strips.

My cheeks heated still on the use of the word meat. I grabbed the bag of lime tortilla chips, crushing them in the bag.

I readied the flour, egg, and chips in a bowl. Then Eli dredged the strips of meat in the mixture before placing them in a casserole dish. I preheated the oven .

Eli placed it into the oven, then washed his hands. "Cilantro rice?"

I grabbed the bag and carefully measured two cups of rice while Eli diced the cilantro. He showed me how to cook the rice and season it with the cilantro and lime. At this point, we moved effortlessly around the kitchen, shifting out of each other's way.

The kitchen filled with the scent of lime and cilantro.

When everything was cooking, Eli asked, "You want a glass of wine?"

I'd been drinking ice water, hoping to cool my overheated body, but wine would be even better. "That would be great."

"I'll grab a bottle from my place. Be right back."

He walked out, and I sagged against the counter, feeling like I'd run a marathon without eating anything. I was weak and exhausted from my efforts not to touch him.

We were cooking dinner together. This was a neighborly thing to do. Chance had asked Eli to keep an eye on me, and this was his way of doing that.

He wasn't attracted to me. He probably saw me as a young woman who couldn't get her life together. Whereas he was a successful businessman who wore suits daily.

We weren't in the same hemisphere when it came to dating. He probably went for the sophisticated women who worked high-powered jobs, and I hung out with creative theater types. We had nothing in common other than my brother.

He'd report back to Chance that I was settling into the apartment and I hadn't managed to set the kitchen on fire the first time I cooked. I wiped the sweat from my brow, downing another glass of water.

I moved to the windows that lined the living room, touching the cool glass. I wished there was snow outside. It was the only cure for the heat overtaking my body .

The door opened, and I turned to find Eli holding up a bottle of white wine. "This will go with our meal."

Our meal? How had I allowed Eli to hijack my evening? Nothing good could come from this.

I purposely waited by the cool glass. The heat of the kitchen was too much. Eli popped the cork, pouring the wine into two glasses. Then he crossed the room to me. "What are you doing over here?"

"I was warm, and I love this view." I turned to face the windows before he could scrutinize me anymore. If he looked too closely, he'd see my desire for him written all over my face.

He handed me a glass, and I sipped the wine, knowing I was playing Russian roulette with my brain. If I drank too much, I wouldn't be able to resist the deliciousness that was Elijah Wilde. I'd climb him like one of the trees that lined the ski slopes.

Something told me he'd be wild in bed but attentive and tender too.

"How are you liking the place so far?" he asked as he stood next to me.

I was hyperaware of his presence. His body exuded strength, his brain intelligence. He was sexy.

"Scarlett?" Eli prompted me again.

I had to pull myself together. He was being neighborly and satisfying my brother's overprotectiveness. This was not a seduction, even if it felt like that to my body. My brain was reminding me that no intelligent, successful man would be attracted to me. I was a mess on a good day. "It's too much." He was too much.

Eli's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Are you going to move out?"

I laughed then. "Absolutely not. You offered me this place. Now you won't be able to get me out."

"I have no plans to kick you out. I like having a neighbor. As nice as it was when my brothers moved out, it's been too quiet up here."

"You miss your brothers?" That sent a pang through my heart.

"We're close. But eventually everyone wanted their own space. Xan lives in town. He prefers walking to the bars. Oliver bought a house because that was the responsible thing to do, and it was within walking distance to the elementary school for his son, Joey. But Killian and Walker crash here when they're in town. That's never for very long. They're kind of like you; they need to travel.

"If I had this to come home to, it might be harder to leave."

"Is that so?" Eli asked.

A timer sounded on the microwave.

"What's that?"

I moved toward the kitchen. "I set a timer for the chicken."

"I'm a little surprised you follow recipes so closely," Eli observed as he lifted the lid for the rice, then turned the heat down to simmer.

"You assumed that I'm not serious about anything?" I could be responsible.

"I don't know you. Just what Chance and others have said about you over the years. I know that your family hates when you leave."

"So you formed opinions about me that might not be true?"

"I'd like to get to know the real you."

"Now you know that I prefer to read directions."

"I have a feeling that's only the tip of what makes Scarlett St. Claire tick," Eli murmured as he sipped his wine, a hip against the counter.

He looked good enough to eat in my kitchen. If he were mine, I'd be exploring how quickly he could make me come before the food was done cooking .

"There's something enticing about a woman who's not what I expect."

My cheeks flushed again, and my body tingled with awareness. Eli was interested in me? When had a man ever been intrigued by me? Most were usually irritated with my desire to travel and never settle in one place. It made relationships impossible, and now I was starting to think that was my end game.

I wasn't good at relationships, so why even bother? If I stuck around long enough, I'd disappoint them. I couldn't be what people wanted. And I wasn't sure who I was.

"Can you check the chicken? I'm not sure how to tell when it's ready." I gestured at the open oven, the heat only making me feel hotter.

"A few more minutes," Eli observed before I closed the oven and downed the glass of wine. Then I poured another. Getting tipsy wasn't a good idea, but I didn't know how to deal with Eli getting to know me. Would he like what he discovered? Or would he be just as disgusted as everyone else in my family?

I was drinking from my second glass, my hand still on the bottle, when Eli touched my arm. I lowered the glass and turned to face him. "What?"

"There's nothing wrong with showing someone your true self."

I laughed uncomfortably. "What if they don't like what they see?"

"Then they're not someone who's meant to be in your life."

His words settled deep in my chest. I wasn't sure what they meant. But I wanted to turn them over later when I was alone in my bed. Eli Wilde saw more than other people. Was that what made him a good businessman, or did he only see me?

"You want to play a game? My brothers and I always played to pass the time. "

"We do the same while we're waiting at the theater to practice or for the show to start."

Eli grinned. "I always keep a deck of cards in the kitchen." He went through the drawers until he found one. He easily shuffled the cards. My eyes were fixated on the commanding way he handled them.

His fingers were strong even though he probably didn't do much with his hands. He spent most of his time walking the grounds, talking to employees and guests, and working at his computer.

He also frequented the gym he'd mentioned on this floor. Maybe I should take up exercise so I could get a better look at his body?

"Let's sit at the table." Eli led the way to the large table in the living room near the windows. Outside, it was dark. The lights that lined the slopes weren’t on yet.

It felt like we were the only two people in the world.

"What's your poison? Rummy?"

I smiled, amused that he played card games. "Sure."

He reminded me of the rules and dealt the cards. He was confident and sure of his movements. It made me think he'd work my body over good in the bedroom and maybe even the kitchen. I wish I wasn't the only one thinking about that.

When the timer for the chicken dinged a second time, Eli deemed it to be done.

He plated the chicken and the rice, and we sat at the table with the lights in the condo dimmed so we could see outside more easily.

"This is delicious," I said, pleased I was able to make something edible.

"I'm available any time you need help in the kitchen."

"I'd like to say that I could have done this myself. But I was worried I'd forget an ingredient." I was easily distracted by things, and Eli was the ultimate diversion .

"I'm sure you could."

Something about his declaration felt right. He wasn't just saying something to be nice. He actually believed in me.

The only time I was confident was when I was acting or singing. "Thank you. That means a lot."

"Since you cooked, I'll clean up." Eli stood and made a move to clear the dishes.

"We both cooked," I corrected him.

After the dishes had been cleared and the table wiped clean, Eli said, "Let's go up to the roof. I haven't been able to share it with anyone in a long time."

He showed me again to the door to the outside, and we stepped onto the huge deck. He turned on a gas fireplace and sat in one of the chairs. "When we built this, only family lived up here, and we wanted a place we could congregate."

"This place is pure decadence. If you're not careful, I'll never leave."

Eli winked at me. "That's the idea."

I laughed, unable to stay serious around Eli.

"Just wait until you take a bath in the master bath." When I tipped my head to the side, he added, "I made sure each unit had similar amenities."

I stretched out my legs. "I'll have to try it out later tonight." I had visions of a steamy bath and climbing into my bed to read. I wasn't lying to him. This place was so amazing and relaxing; I might never leave.

The only problem was that there was nothing for me to do here. Telluride was nestled in the mountains. There might have been a theater at one point, but it had closed years ago. And I couldn't stay in one place. It went against my nature.