Honestly, Dane hadn’t known just how much he would appreciate Stella until he arrived and saw her in action. He’d never taken into account just how much she did for Mirage. Because of her, his mother’s business was back to thriving. The resort was moving into a stronger year of sales and coming back from the brink of near financial ruin.
Dane went to the window and shoved his hands into his pockets as he looked out onto the fat flakes coming down. The storm was going to hit hard and fast. People accustomed to Montana weather wouldn’t be fazed by this blizzard, but those who had traveled in from places that didn’t measure snow by the foot might be in for a surprise.
The mountain would be cut off to all traffic if the storm came in as wild and ferocious as predicted.
Dane blew out a sigh and cocked his neck from side to side. Even analyzing the damn weather did nothing to squelch his arousal. He’d had Stella spread out before him, arching against his touch, and—
“I have
to go.”
Dane turned to see Stella pulling her hair back into a low ponytail, her dress now all buttoned back up as if nothing had ever happened. His heart rate was still accelerated and now that he knew exactly what she hid beneath that dress, he couldn’t shut down quite so quickly.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Stella turned and headed through the penthouse, pocketing her cell and charging toward the door. Dane followed behind her. “Emergency with one of the rooms. I’ll tell you more later. Stay and have more to eat or...whatever.”
And then she was gone.
Dane could search her entire penthouse if he wanted, but he knew there would be no hidden secrets kept here. Everything he hoped to learn would come from the tidbits he picked up from Stella herself.
And from the little time he’d spent with her, he’d learned a good bit about her father. Other than the fact Ruiz was a bastard, something Dane already knew, he also discovered there were very likely spies in place throughout Mirage, which meant Dane had to be careful.
Ruiz was stringing his daughter along, making her do his grunt work at this resort, all while waiting to bring in the extra cash.
Dane was willing to up his offer, but there had to be something he was missing. A man like Ruiz Garcia let his entire life revolve around money. The first amount Dane proposed had been turned down flat without so much as a counter. What was it that Ruiz was holding on to? And why?
That was what Dane needed to find out and he wasn’t done with Stella until he did.
Seven
After three hours of trying to calm down the newlywed couple in the Summit Suite, Stella was beyond exhausted.
She’d run out so fast on Dane that she was a little embarrassed—but she’d been nothing less than honest with him about how married she was to this place. Everything fell in line behind keeping Mirage in the best standings with each guest that came through.
Good thing she wasn’t looking for a relationship because she was not the prize any man would want. Every man she knew had an ego that was too large for him to stand behind her career. That was fine with her.
Stella stepped off the elevator and crossed the hall toward her penthouse. Once she was inside, she closed her eyes and leaned back against the door. She wasn’t sure what time it was, but she knew she was dead on her feet. She also was well aware the storm outside was raging and come morning, the mountain road would likely be shut down.
One worry at a time.
“You look worn-out.”
Stella startled and blinked as she focused on the man across the room. Oh, what that man could do to a simple tee and a pair of jeans.
“Dane.” She pushed off the door and bent down to pull off her knee boots. “I never thought you’d still be here.”
Dane remained across the room near the fireplace. Clearly he’d made himself at home because he held a tumbler of the bourbon she knew had been tucked away in a cabinet when she’d left. Stella didn’t care for the stuff, but when her father came, she tried to have his favorite brand on hand.
“I wanted to make sure you were taken care of,” Dane replied. He tipped back the last of his drink and crossed the room to her. “Go soak in the bath and I’ll bring you a glass of wine.”
Stella dropped her boots next to the door and laughed. “It’s after midnight. I don’t have time to sit in the tub no matter how amazing that sounds.”
When he came to stand in front of her, Stella let out a sigh and that pretty much stole the little bit of energy she had left.
“Dane, if you came for—”
He framed her face with hands that held her so very gently, all while looking at her like she was made of glass. Right now, that wasn’t too far from the truth. The days were catching up with her and she was starting to worry maybe she did need help and couldn’t do this all by herself. But if she admitted any type of weakness, her father would immediately deem her unsuitable to run his business.