He grinned and her breath rushed out. “Oh, that too. At least I’ll humble myself enough to beg the most beautiful and intriguing woman I’ve ever met to let me teach her to ski.”
They pulled into the cabin on the right and he put the vehicle in park. He turned to her and his eyes beseeched her even better than his perfect line had.
“Then it looks like I’ve found the right man,” Ayla said, cursing herself for the breathlessness of her voice and saying such a leading and presumptuous line. But he’d just said she was the most beautiful and intriguing woman he’d ever met so it seemed to fit.
“I hope you have,” he said, his voice husky and his dark eyes full of her. “I hope you have.”
Ayla’s pulse skyrocketed. What was happening to her? Could she have finally found a man she was interested in, and could trust? After the nightmare of Tim’s death and his infidelity being revealed, then all of his debts falling to her, she realized her marriage had been a farce and her trust was broken. Was Jace truly this genuine and kind and irresistible? Or was she lacking in judgment like she’d done the last time she’d fallen in love?
Love? Okay, she didn’t even know the guy. But so far, so good. Except for the fact that they lived in different worlds. Literally. And she knew the ski resort owner was never going to move to a desert.
He didn’t say anything more but got out and walked around, holding her door for her. What man did that? She loved it.
They walked toward the cabin. “So the cabin was cleaned this morning and the fridge is fully stocked. But if you need anything, let us know.” He smiled slightly to himself.
“Can you charge all of that to Bryan?”
He laughed but didn’t say he would.
They crossed the porch and he held open a screen door then typed in a code and the front door beeped. “2424 is the code,” he told her. He swung the door wide for her.
Ayla stepped inside and she couldn’t contain a happy smile at the fresh scent of pine, the real Christmas tree, and this absolutely perfect space.
She clapped her hands together. “Well this is better than perfect,” she said, grinning and letting her gaze travel around the open yet cozy room. It had a leather couch and loveseat in the living area, a four-person table in the dining area, and a beautiful kitchen with a long granite counter and top of the line appliances. If the fridge was really stocked she could stay in and cook for herself and save money on going out to eat or using the lodge’s restaurant. Her bonus had been for the flight, room, and a ski package with day passes and skis, but the food hadn’t been included.
There were numerous large windows showcasing the beautiful valley. The fabulous Christmas tree was next to the fireplace, it was decorated simply with lights, silver and red balls, and red ribbon strong throughout.
“I’m glad you like it,” Jace said. “It’s small but I love it.”
He loved it. Did he stay here sometimes?
He walked her through the main area and pointed. “That’s the spare bedroom and bath.”
The bedroom had a log bed and log furniture. The bathroom was also done in outdoorsy tones. He kept walking, pushing the door just passed the kitchen ajar. “This is the master.”
“Oh, my,” she breathed. She walked in, her eyes focusing first on the incredible view of slope side of the valley out the massive windows. It was all steep mountain, lush green pine trees loaded with snow and a thick layer of snow climbing the mountain. There was a gas fireplace in the corner and a huge four-poster bed made out of a dark wood with large wooden dressers to match. It had a very manly feel, very appealing. It even smelled like musk and man, a lot like Jace actually.
There were pictures on the mantle. She wanted to go look at them, but he walked her to another open door. “The bathroom and closet.”
The bathroom was spacious and had a walk-in marble shower, double sinks, a huge corner jetted tub, and a large walk-in closet beyond that. There were smoky glass windows that let light in but nobody would be able to see through.
As she peered into the closet her stomach flipped. There were clothes in there, lots of clothes, men’s clothes. At first glance she saw coats, a few nice business suits, lots of pants and long-sleeved and short-sleeved shirts and … Why was the closet full of men’s clothing, and was she the slowest person on the planet?
“I will have to remove some … personal items from the master bedroom and bathroom while you stay.”
“Personal …” her voice trailed off and she realized she’d been gullible and stupid, just like she’d been with Tim. This washiscabin. Jace’s cabin. And suddenly her perfect man didn’t feel perfect at all.
She whirled on him.
“I trusted you,” she said quietly, shocked by how quickly and instinctively she had trusted him. Had she learned nothing from men like Tim and Bryan? She had numerous examples of good, kind, trustworthy men as well, but she’d learned to be careful with duplicitous men. Apparently this man of her dreams had just tricked her into staying in his cabin and she’d fallen for his lines.
She stormed straight out of the master suite and hurried through the gorgeous cabin.
“Ayla, wait.” Jace caught her easily and grabbed her arm. “Please … let me—”
“Nope, no explanations!” She yanked her arm free and kept on stomping. “I should’ve learned my lesson by now but, no, gullible Ayla has a hot guy smile at her and catch her in his arms and she just impetuously assumes this is the first man who won’t trick her.” She was generalizing horribly but she didn’t care.
Jace followed her but didn’t touch her again.