He peered over his shoulder at the guest house. "Is my room ready? I'm a little early."
I fanned myself with one hand, suddenly hot despite the temperate weather.
"Ms. Holt?" he said. "Are you all right?"
Shit. What was wrong with me? I cleared my throat and stuffed my hands in the pockets of my shorts. "I'm fine."
He raised his brows. "My room?"
My mouth opened, a response on my tongue, but I froze before uttering a syllable. His room. The one that had been flooded. Double shit. This man, this human supernova in designer slacks, was going to be sleeping in my spare room. Oh no, this wasn't a disaster at all.
It wasn't like I had to sleep with him.
No, I didn't have to…
"Come with me," I said, waving for him to follow as I headed for the house. "Your room was flooded, so you'll be staying in my house until the cleanup is done."
He grabbed his bag from inside the truck and came up beside me, smiling in a way that made my heart skip. "In your house? That's very generous of you, Ms. Holt."
"Call me Eve."
"Thank you, Eve. I don't want to put you out, though. Maybe I should stay in town."
"All the motels are booked up."
"I could sleep in my truck."
"You are my guest," I said, flashing him my professional smile, "which means it's my responsibility to take care of you."
My body had some very, very wrong ideas about how to take care of Val Silva. I ignored those thoughts. I didn't sleep with guests anymore. Besides, I was way too busy to waste time on a roll in the hay with a hot newcomer.
I glanced back at his vehicle, the spiffiest rental any guest had arrived in. "That's one fine truck you've got there. Somebody who can afford a luxury pickup could afford to stay at a luxury naturist resort too, I'm guessing. I hope you won't be disappointed by the accommodations here."
"Not at all." He stopped to gaze out at the large lawn where the miniten net was still set up and where guests lounged in Adirondack chairs or on chaises. "It's beautiful here, very quiet too. I'm used to the noise and crowds in LA."
I stopped too. We were halfway to my house, but I had to let my newest guest enjoy the scenery a bit. He was paying for the scenery. A forest of conifers covered the property, though the two acres around the guest house and my home were open. Puffy little clouds dotted the blue sky. With a temperature in the seventies, we were enjoying perfect weather for nudists.
"Since we're out here," I said, "let me point out the main features of the resort."
He threw me a sideways glance. "Well, I can see there's badminton or tennis. Or could it be miniten? Nudists love that game."
"All of the above. But we have a lot more to offer." I pointed in the appropriate direction for each feature as I listed them. "The lawn also hosts flag football and other sports. That little brown building over there is the sauna, but that's mostly used in the winter. The big building is the guest house, and inside it you'll find rooms with private en suite bathrooms, an exercise room, a dining hall, a game room, and a self-serve pantry filled with snacks. There's a pop machine in the downstairs hallway, along with a coffeemaker and water cooler in the dining hall. Those are available twenty-four seven, along with the pantry."
"Sounds like you have everything."
"There's more." I pointed at the dirt trail that disappeared into the woods. "We have nature trails too, and a natural hot spring as well as a small private lake."
"Impressive. A resort with all these amenities should be more expensive."
"There are plenty of luxury resorts in the world. I want to offer an affordable, family-friendly place where naturists and nudists can experience the wilderness without sacrificing the creature comforts."
"And that's why I decided to come here." He turned toward me. "For the friendly atmosphere. Your website says I'll find that here."
"You will. My guests are good people." I eyed his truck again and couldn't hold back my curiosity any longer. "Where did you find a fancy truck to rent? I would've picked you up at the airport if you'd told me when your flight was arriving. You left that question blank in the online registration form."
"That's because I didn't fly. I drove here in my own truck, not a rental."
"You drove from LA? That's a twelve-hour trip."