Thunder Canyon Homecoming / A Thunder Canyon Christmas

Chapter Two

Erin had let down her guard. It was the only excuse she had for being caught so unaware. But when Corey had followed Trina onto the dance floor, Erin had been certain her coworker would keep him thoroughly occupied. She hadn’t expected that he would walk away from an obviously willing woman and come looking for her.

But she’d barely started to nibble on the hors d’oeuvres she’d put on her plate when he lowered himself into the empty chair beside her. She popped a coconut shrimp in her mouth, slowly chewing then swallowing.

“I believe you owe me a dance,” he said, choosing a stuffed mushroom from her plate.

She lifted a brow. “Do I?”

“At the very least.”

“Why don’t I share my dinner and we’ll call it even?” she suggested.

He grinned, and she felt the now-familiar weakness in her knees again. “I’ll get you some more mushrooms as long as I get the dance.”

She nudged her plate toward him. “I’m really not that hungry.”

“What are you afraid of?” He bit into a petite quiche.

“That you’ll stomp all over my toes with your cowboy boots.”

She’d meant to insult him, hoped the affront would dissuade him. Instead, he laughed.

“I’m sure you’ll survive,” he told her. “My previous dance partner was barely limping when she walked away.”

“She was plastered so close, you wouldn’t have been able to step on her toes if you tried.”

Too late she realized what she’d said—that her response proved that she’d watched him with Trina.

Corey’s smile confirmed that he’d caught her slip, but thankfully, he didn’t call her on it.

“What do you say?” he prompted.

Erin knew that to refuse again would only succeed in making a big deal out of something that shouldn’t be. After all, it was just a dance.

So she took the hand he offered and let him lead her away from the table. Though her heart was hammering furiously against her ribs, she decided that there really wasn’t any danger in spending time with Corey on a crowded dance floor.

The minute he put his arms around her, she realized she was wrong. Because every fiber of her being was acutely aware of his nearness and every nerve ending in her body was suddenly humming.

She should have guessed that he’d be a good dancer. Contrary to her earlier teasing remark that she feared for her feet, he moved smoothly and confidently around the dance floor. No doubt he knew all the right moves in any situation, but despite that warning to herself, it required no effort on Erin’s part to follow his lead, nor was it a hardship to be held in his arms.

She saw Erika and Dillon dance by and was grateful for the distraction. “They look so perfect together,” she murmured.

“I’ve never seen my brother so happy,” Corey admitted to her. “It almost makes me forgive him for pulling up stakes and moving to Montana.”

She tipped her head back. “Almost?”

He shrugged. “A Texan is always a Texan, regardless of where he parks his horse.”

The mental image of a horse tethered outside of the medical clinic made her lips curve.

His gaze dropped to her mouth, lingered. Her breath caught.

“You have a beautiful smile,” he told her.

Immediately, her smile faded.

“Why do I make you so nervous?”

She couldn’t—wouldn’t—tell him that it was her own response to him that made him nervous. Instead, she said, “Because I don’t know what you want from me.”

“Right now, just a dance.”

“And later?”

His smile was slow and filled with sensual promise. “Why don’t we figure that out later?”

“If you’re looking for a good time while you’re in Thunder Canyon, you should be looking in Trina’s direction,” she told him.

“You don’t think we could have a good time together, darlin’?” The challenge was issued in that same lazy tone that skimmed over her like a caress.

“I’m sure we could,” she replied honestly. “But I’m not the type of woman to go home with a smooth-talking stranger.”

He pulled her closer so that her thighs were aligned with his. They were more swaying than dancing now, and the light brushes of his body against hers felt disturbingly like foreplay.

“I’m hardly a stranger,” he said.

“I just met you yesterday.”

“And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since then.”

She wasn’t entirely sure she could trust what he was saying. Because while he sounded sincere and the look in his eyes confirmed that he felt at least a hint of the same attraction that had her whole system tied up in knots, she couldn’t help but feel that Corey Traub was the type of man who had a line for every occasion—and a woman in every town he’d ever visited. She’d be a fool to fall under his spell, and she was already halfway there.

He dipped his head toward her, his dark eyes sparkling with a hint of playfulness. “So tell me, are your toes black and blue yet?”

“You know they’re not,” she said.

He grinned, and again her breath caught. Damn. The man’s smile was a seriously dangerous weapon.

“So why do you sound annoyed?” he teased.

“I’m not annoyed,” she denied.

But she was wary.

Corey could see that in her eyes. And he couldn’t blame her. She was probably used to being hit on by guys who wanted nothing more than to get naked with her, and although Corey wouldn’t deny that idea appealed to him, he was trying not to objectify the woman who was obviously a close friend of his new sister-in-law.

Sister-in-law.

The word echoed in his mind, made him shake his head.

Erin raised a brow.

“I was just thinking about the fact that I’m dancing with the most beautiful woman at my brother’s wedding,” he answered the unspoken query, “which made me realize that Dillon is actually married.”

“Is he one of those guys who swore it would never happen?”

“I don’t know if I’d say that, but he and his first wife divorced after their son died and he never gave any indication that he was looking to settle down ever again. And certainly no one expected that, when he came to Thunder Canyon to fill in for Marshall at the resort, he would fall in love and become a husband and a father only a few short months later.”

“Especially not Erika,” Erin noted.

He chuckled. “Yeah, I think she fought against falling in love again even more than he did.”

“She had reason to be wary.”

“I guess she did,” he agreed. “And so did he. How about you?”

“What about me?”

“Why isn’t there anyone here with you tonight?”

“I didn’t see any point in bringing a date when I would only neglect him to perform my maid-of-honor duties.”

Which answered his question without actually telling him whether or not she was involved with anyone right now. He decided to trust the reports of the local grapevine and assume that she was currently unattached.

But there was something else he was curious about. “You’ve known Erika for a while?”

“Since I moved here in the summer.”

“So why were you uncomfortable in the limo when she thanked you for standing up with her?”

She lifted a shoulder. “Because I didn’t really do anything that required thanks.”

“You were—are—her friend.”

“And she’s mine.”

He nodded. “But why—”

Someone nudged his shoulder.

He scowled and turned, an irritated retort on the tip of his lips until he saw that it was his cousin Dax.

“Come on, Cor. We’ve got bottles of champagne ready to toast the bride and groom.”

“And I’ve got a beautiful woman in my arms,” Corey pointed out to his cousin.

“I’m not suggesting you let go of her,” Dax said and winked at Erin. “Bring her along.”

And that was how she ended up with Corey at a table where his friends and family were gathered.

During the time she’d been in Thunder Canyon, she’d already met most of the others at the table. The Traubs—Dax and Shandie, DJ and Allaire, and the Cates—Marshall and Mia—now back from their vacation, Mitchell and Lizabeth, Marlon and Haley and Marlon’s twin brother, Matt. Erin realized that Matt Cates was the only one not married or engaged, though he had brought Christine Mayhew as his date. Her boss, Grant Clifton, was also there with his wife, Stephanie, and Grant’s best friend, Russ Chilton, was in attendance with his spouse, Melanie. Erin had met the rest of the groom’s family at the rehearsal, but other than the parents—Claudia and Peter—she didn’t remember any of their names, and she was grateful when Corey repeated the introduction of his brothers, Ethan, Jason and Jackson, and his sister, Rose.

Erin hovered on the periphery as glasses of champagne were passed around, thinking that she might be able to sneak away. But Corey kept an arm around her shoulders, making it clear that he had no intention of letting her go. So she stayed beside him as toasts were made and glasses refilled, and she found herself following the various conversations with avid curiosity.

When conversation shifted to the Thanksgiving holiday, only a few weeks away, Grant remarked that he expected his mother and his sister would both return to Thunder Canyon for the occasion.

“It’s been a long time since Elise has been in town for her birthday,” Grant said. “So I’m planning a surprise party for her while she’s here.”

“How old is she going to be?” Erin asked.

“Twenty-six,” her boss replied. “On the twentieth.”

Erin paused with her glass of champagne halfway to her lips.

Her twenty-sixth birthday was on the twentieth, too.

It was probably nothing more than a coincidence, but a sudden startling thought occurred to her. All this time she’d been looking for a man who might have had an affair with her mother, but maybe aunt Erma had been referring to something completely different.

Erin lowered her hand and focused her attention more intently on her boss, noticing—for the first time—that his eyes were the same blue color as her own. And that his hair was dark blond, also similar to her own. She shook her head, as if to rid it of the fanciful imaginings. But the questions that had rooted in her mind wouldn’t be easily dismissed.

“I haven’t seen Elise since high school,” Matt remarked. “I’m not even sure if I would recognize her.”

“I’m sure you would.” Grant reached into his back pocket for his wallet. “She hasn’t changed much.”

Erin, who had been wondering how to ask Grant if he had any pictures of his sister, leaned closer as her boss tugged a photo out from its holder and slid it across the table toward Matt.

“This was taken last summer,” Grant told the other man.

Matt leaned closer to look at the photo, and Erin did, too.

“You’re right,” Matt said. “In fact, she hasn’t changed at all.”

Erin’s first thought was that Grant’s sister was an attractive woman—her blond hair was worn in a pageboy style that brushed her shoulders and she had pretty blue eyes and an innocence about her that made her appear younger than her years. Her second thought was that Elise didn’t look much like her brother. In fact, the shape of her eyes and her chin was more like that of her own brothers, Jake and Josh.

She pulled back, her stomach suddenly churning, her heart pounding. The conversation continued around her, but she didn’t hear a word of it. She couldn’t think of anything but that picture of Elise.

“More champagne?”

“What?”

Corey held the bottle of champagne over her glass. Erin shook her head and set her glass on the table. “I, um, I need to get some air,” she said, and slipped away from him and toward the exit.

She hadn’t expected that he would follow her, but she’d only just pushed through the doors and barely registered the cold November wind on her bare shoulders before they were covered.

“You shouldn’t be out here without a coat,” Corey said, draping his tuxedo jacket around her.

“Now you are,” she told him.

“I’m not wearing a sleeveless dress.”

Her lips curved, just a little, at the thought of the all-too-masculine Texan in any kind of dress, and she slipped her arms into the sleeves of his jacket.

She could feel the heat from his body, smell the scent of his skin, and the quivering that reverberated low in her belly was almost enough to take her mind off of the kaleidoscopic thoughts swirling in her mind.

Twenty-six years earlier, on November twentieth, she’d been born in Thunder Canyon. Elise Clifton had been born on the same day in the same town. And Elise looked a lot like Erin’s brothers—certainly more than she resembled Grant. Which made Erin wonder—was it possible that the hospital had somehow mixed up the two babies? Was it possible that the man she knew as her boss could be her biological brother?

“Erin?” Corey frowned and touched a hand to her cheek. “Are you okay? You look a little pale.”

“Actually, I’m not feeling all that good,” she told him. “I think I’d better call a cab and head home.”

“I’ll give you a ride, if you’re sure you’re ready to go.”

“I am,” she told him. “But you don’t have to—”

“I’ll take you home,” he insisted.

Because he’d had a couple of beers earlier in the evening and knew he would be driving, Corey had barely touched his own glass of champagne. He didn’t think Erin’s had been refilled more than once, but she was obviously feeling the effects of the bubbly, and because he’d been the one who refilled her glass, he felt responsible and was determined to ensure she got home safely.

As they waited for the valet to bring his truck around, he noticed that some of the color had returned to her cheeks. Or maybe they were just pink from the cold. In either case, she didn’t really look intoxicated. Her words weren’t slurred and her steps weren’t unsteady, but her eyes were a little glassy and, even with his jacket on, she was shivering uncontrollably.

He settled her in the passenger seat and immediately cranked up the heat. After a few minutes, her teeth stopped chattering but she kept her arms folded across her chest and continued to stare straight ahead out the window.

She was quiet during the short drive to her condo on the outside boundary of the resort property, only speaking when it was necessary to tell him to turn left or right. He kept stealing cautious glances at her, hoping for some clue as to how she was feeling, but neither her posture nor her expression gave anything away.

He’d been talking to DJ and Allaire and hadn’t really paid attention to any of the other conversations. She’d been chatting with Grant and Matt, and he wondered now if either of those men had inadvertently said something that might have upset her. If so, no one else in the group seemed to have picked up on anything that might have caused her distress. Because the more Corey thought about it, the more convinced he was that Erin wasn’t drunk—she was upset.

But whatever was on her mind, her silence clearly indicated that she had no intention of talking about it. Not with him, anyway.

“Right here,” she said.

He pulled into a narrow driveway, behind a dark-green Kia, and turned off the engine.

“Thanks for the ride,” she said, reaching for the handle before Corey could come around to help her out.

“I’ll see you to your door,” he told her.

“That’s really not necessary.”

“Necessary or not,” he said, falling into step beside her, “my mama would never forgive me if I left without making sure that you were safely inside.”

“Okay, you walked me to my door,” she said, stopping under the porch light. “Now your mother can hold her head up, confident she raised her boys right, and you can go.”

“Not just yet,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

“Fine.”

She did look better, as if the effects of the champagne had already dissipated. If the champagne had truly been the reason for her abrupt departure.

“No nausea? No dizziness?”

She shook her head. “I’m fine,” she said again. “Really. It was probably just too warm in the ballroom and once I got out into the fresh air, my head cleared.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” She smiled up at him, and though the smile didn’t quite erase the shadows in her eyes, it made him forget his concerns and remember how much he wanted to kiss her.

“Good,” he said and lowered his head to taste the sweet curve of her lips.

It was a testament to how preoccupied Erin’s thoughts were that she didn’t anticipate his kiss.

She’d been kissed plenty of times before, and she knew how to read the signs and signals that usually led to the first touch of lips on lips—and how to dodge that touch if she wanted to.

Not that she wanted to dodge Corey’s kiss. In fact, she’d spent an inordinate amount of time wondering what it would feel like to be kissed by him. She’d wondered if the same spark and sizzle she felt when he looked at her would translate through actual physical contact…or if the anticipation of his kiss would be more exciting than the actual event.

No worries there, she thought, as his lips brushed against hers again, sending tremors of longing through her body.

He kissed the way he talked—softly and smoothly, as if he had all the time in the world. And as if he intended to spend all of that time just kissing her.

His hands skimmed up her back and, even through the fabric of the jacket she still wore, she could feel the heat of his fingertips tracing the ridges of her spine. Then his hands moved across her shoulders and down her arms.

The keys that she held slipped from her fingers and crashed to the ground.

Erin didn’t even notice.

She was far too busy enjoying the slow, sensual assault on her mouth.

His tongue slid between her lips, licked lazily.

There was nothing leisurely or casual about her body’s response.

Each flick and flutter of his tongue shot flame-tipped arrows of heat and hunger spearing toward her center. Every careful and unhurried pass of his hands made her blood pulse and pound.

She moved against him, and both the tempo and intensity of the kiss changed.

He drew her closer, his arms wrapped around her tighter, he kissed her deeper.

Erin felt her own arms glide up his chest, her hands sliding over impressive pecs and broad, hard shoulders to link behind his neck. He was so big, so strong, so wholly and undeniably male.

And her response was completely and helplessly female.

She shuddered and melted against him.

Corey groaned into her mouth and delved deeper.

Yeah, she’d been kissed before. But never like this. In her experience, most men approached kissing as nothing more than a brief prelude to the main event, but not Corey Traub. His kisses were worthy of top billing. He kissed her as if she was the object of all desire and the source of all pleasure, and as if he never wanted to stop.

And Erin never wanted him to stop.

But just when Erin was about to throw all common sense and caution to the wind and drag Corey inside with her, he eased away.

“I think I should say good-night now, before I forget that my mama raised me to be a gentleman,” he said.

She should have been grateful he’d backed off. She didn’t know him nearly well enough to even kiss him the way she’d kissed him, never mind indulge in any of the other erotic fantasies her mind had conjured up while he’d been seducing her with his skillfully creative mouth and his dangerously talented hands.

He bent to scoop up the keys she’d dropped and put them in her hand, curling her fingers around them.

His other hand lifted to her face, his fingertips skimming lightly over the swollen curve of her bottom lip.

The gentle touch set off bursts of erotic tingles that warned her to put some distance between them before she urged him to forget his mother’s teachings.

“Good night,” she said softly.

He stepped back, and Erin fumbled with the keys in her hand for a moment before she found the right one for the door. She fumbled some more fitting it into the lock, but then the bolt released with a click.

Corey didn’t say anything else, but he waited on the step until she’d slipped inside and locked the door again, then he turned away.

Erin watched from the window as he walked back to his car and reminded herself that she’d done the right thing, the smart thing, in letting him go. There was too much uncertainty in her life to consider any kind of personal involvement right now.

But that knowledge didn’t stop her from wishing otherwise.

Chapter Three

It was a kiss, Corey reminded himself—for the umpteenth time—as he got dressed the next morning.

Yeah, it had been pretty spectacular as far as kisses go, but it was still just a kiss. Certainly there wasn’t any reason for him to have lain awake into the wee hours of the morning thinking about that kiss—and the woman he’d shared it with.