Sweet Dreams (Colorado Mountain #2)(5)

One of the hotel room doors opened and the woman in the mini-jeans-skirt ran out and threw herself at the tall man. Her arms wrapped around his neck and I couldn’t see it but I could tell her lips latched onto his.

He didn’t even go back on a foot when her body impacted his. He just curved his arms around her and leaned into her kiss.

That’s something special.

The thought just popped into my head and I didn’t know why. I didn’t know what was happening. I didn’t know these two people. All I knew was that it looked special. So special, all I could do was stare.

They stopped kissing and she tipped her head back and laughed with pure delight, the sound ringing through the air, filling it with music.

I decided I hated her and I didn’t know why. I didn’t know who she was or what was happening. I just knew she had something special and I didn’t and never would and that sucked. It wasn’t a nice thought which was unusual because I was normally a nice person but it was the one I had.

She disengaged from him and came to his side, wrapping her arm around his waist and propelling him forward.

He looked down at her and I saw his profile in Reception Betty’s bright parking lot lights and when I did I held my breath.

If he was that handsome in profile, so handsome he was breathtaking; he’d be sensational full on.

That’s when I decided I really hated her.

They got close to the door and he moved suddenly and quickly. Swinging her up in front of him, she wrapped her legs around his hips, her arms around his shoulders and tipped her head down to look at him. But he seemed to be peering in the room like he expected to see something or someone, something or someone important, something or someone he was looking forward to seeing. But before he found that something or someone, she fisted a hand in his hair, tilting his back, her mouth went down on his and they entered the room necking.

He closed the door with his booted foot.

Yes, sensational. If he could pick her up like that and carry her anywhere, he was beyond sensational.

“Like the pool?”

I jumped and pushed off the side with my foot, my head jerking around as I stared at the Reception Guy who checked in Lucky as Hell Girl that I hated. He was standing at the side of the pool and looking down at me. I was so engrossed in Handsome Harley Guy and Lucky as Hell Girl I hadn’t heard him coming.

“Sorry?” I asked.

“The pool,” he answered. “Like it?”

“Um…” I mumbled, staring up at him. “Yes.”

“It’s heated,” he informed me.

“Um…” I mumbled again. “I can tell.”

“Betty ‘n me got it relined last year. One or t’other of us clean it every day. Best pool in the county.”

I couldn’t disagree. It was a fantastic pool, clean, heated and everything.

Therefore I said, “It’s really nice.”

He rocked back on his heels and took in the pool with his eyes before he looked back at me.

“Thanks. Ned,” he said.

“Uh, my name is Lauren,” I said back and he laughed.

“No, pretty lady, name’s Ned.” He jerked a thumb at himself. “I’m Ned.”

“Oh,” I replied, feeling like an idiot. “Hey Ned.”

“Hey back at cha Lauren.” He grinned. “Betty tells me you’re stayin’ awhile.”

“Yeah,” I told him thinking he seemed friendly enough but not certain how much to share because, well, I didn’t know him and every girl in a pool in the parking lot of a hotel on the edge of Nowheresville should be smart and not tell their story, current or past, to some random man who snuck up on them. In fact, girls like that should get out of the pool, get into their room and lock the danged door.

“That’s great.” Ned was still grinning. “We don’t get a lot of long timers. Weekenders. Nighters. Yeah. Long timers. No.”

“Oh,” I replied, my eyes going back to the long block of hotel, specifically to my room where I figured I should be at that present moment.

“That’s Neeta,” Ned said and I looked back at him.

“Neeta?” I asked.

Ned nodded. “Neeta and Jackson,” he shook his head, “bad news.”

My gaze slid back in the direction of the hotel. He’d misinterpreted where I was looking. He thought I was looking at Harley Guy and Lucky as Hell Girl’s room.

I didn’t inform him of his mistake. Instead, I asked softly, “Bad news?”

“Yeah,” Ned answered. “She swings into town and shoo!” My eyes went to him to see he’d put his hands up at his sides and had taken a step back. “We brace.”

“Brace for what?” I asked.

He dropped his hands. “Brace for whatever Neeta’s got up her sleeve.”

“Is that…” I stopped and motioned toward the Harley and the convertible with my head, “Neeta with that man?”

“Jackson, yeah. He’s great, a good man, smart, solid, salt of the earth. Loses his mind around Neeta, though. Then again, not many men wouldn’t but I’m guessing you know all about that.”

My eyes had wandered back to the Harley as I treaded water and Ned talked but I looked at Ned when I heard his comment.

“I do?”