Matchless Millionaires: An Improper Affair

So that was where Ryan went when he left the lodge alongside her in the evenings. She’d wondered where he was going, even though she’d told herself not to.

“Both times there’ve been women hitting on him, too,” Erica supplied.

She felt a stab of jealousy.

Stop it, stop it, stop it, she told herself.

Still, she steamed over Ryan’s double standard. Apparently, he was willing to paint her as a wanton hussy while he hung out with the swinging singles crowd at the White Fir Tavern.

She, meanwhile, had spent her evenings the way she usually did—quietly at home, alone. Often, she was simply trying to catch up on billing and other correspondence for Distressed Success.

Erica shrugged. “You’d think Ryan would expect to see you there, offering lap dances to the male patrons, from the things he’s said to you.”

“Yes,” she mused, “he would, wouldn’t he?”

This wasn’t the smartest idea she’d ever had, Kelly conceded.

Still, now that she was here, she had no choice but to brazen it out.

Inside the White Fir Tavern, she spotted Erica and Greg sharing a table near the center of the pub.

The second thing she noticed was Ryan, sitting at the bar holding a beer, turned mostly away from her and the entrance.

Kelly noticed Erica’s eyes widen when she saw her.

She’d told her assistant to go on home, since she just needed to finish closing up shop for the day. Instead, she’d gone to the back of the store and changed clothes before coming on over to the White Fir Tavern herself.

She knew Erica and Greg would be there, maybe sharing a quick drink or some finger food before heading home to the kids and relieving the babysitter, who happened to be Erica’s mother.

Of course, the other person Kelly knew she’d find at the White Fir Tavern was Ryan.

But as she moved toward Erica’s table, she refused to look around because she didn’t want to lose her nerve.

And judging from the look on Erica’s face, Kelly knew exactly how she must appear. Her whole outfit begged for attention, from the bronze halter top to the black skirt and three-inch spike heels.

She got plenty of looks from the male patrons—admiring, appreciative and lustful.

As she approached Erica, Greg turned around, too, and his arrested expression put both courage and fear in Kelly’s step, since it was probably a good indication of what Ryan’s reaction would be.

“Hi,” Kelly said brightly, stopping at their table.

“What are you doing?” Erica asked in a low voice.

“Just what we discussed,” she responded. “Living up to what’s expected of me.”

Greg looked from Kelly to his wife. “Anyone care to fill me in?”

Erica nodded her head toward the bar. “It’s about the guy over there who’s staying at the lodge this month while Kelly is decorating. Ryan Almighty Sperling. He thinks Kelly is a—” she paused and threw Kelly an apologetic look “—slut. Kelly has taken it into her head to make a point.”

Kelly watched as Greg looked up at her. “Well, I’d say she made it, all right.” His glance moved beyond her, and his lips twitched. “And to the guy at the bar, too.”

“Good,” she said emphatically, though she felt the hairs at the back of her neck prick. “I’m going to get myself a drink.”

She sauntered to the bar, taking care not to look directly at Ryan, though she could sense the heat of his gaze.

“Jack and diet,” she instructed the White Fir Tavern’s bartender, a genial-looking man in his sixties.

The bartender’s eyes crinkled and he set down a napkin before her. “Coming right up. Lady knows what she wants.”

She smiled. “Today I do. Thank you.”

“What the hell are you doing here?” Ryan said roughly.

She took her time turning to face him.

His expression was grim as his eyes raked her, pausing at her cleavage, where her breasts threatened to spill from the restraint of her halter top.

“What am I doing here?” she challenged. “I thought you were the newcomer.”

His lips thinned. “You know what I mean.”

“I’m acting the way you expect me to,” she said with defiance. “Isn’t this where you thought I’d be?”

Given his opinion of Hartleys, he should think she’d fit right in here among the women hanging out at the White Fir Tavern—and pawing him, if Erica was to be believed.

The bartender set her drink down before her and she picked it up and took a sip, scanning the room. More than a few men continued to look her way—and enjoy.

Ryan threw some bills down on the counter and said grimly, “I’m settling the tab for both of us.”

Kelly threw him a flirtatious look, then turned to walk away.

Without invitation, Ryan followed.

She stopped at her table and gestured at Erica and Greg. “Have you met my friends? Erica and Greg Barnes—” she waved a negligent hand in Ryan’s direction “—this is Ryan Sperling.”

Erica smiled and Ryan and Greg shook hands.

She and Ryan sat down at the small round table.

Erica turned to Ryan. “So, Kelly mentioned you’re staying at the lodge while she’s decorating.”

“Yes, I am.” Ryan shot Kelly a look, but she refused to turn his way. “Just for the month.”

“How do you like Tahoe?” Greg asked.

“I haven’t been here in several years,” Ryan responded, shooting her another look. “It’s interesting coming back. Some things have changed and others are really familiar.”

While Erica and Greg continued to make desultory conversation with Ryan about the local area, the atmosphere at the table continued to carry an undercurrent of tension.