Page 26 of Tough Luck

I slumped into a chair, staring at the whiteboard. We were trying to build a masterpiece, but we were doing it in the middle of a freeway. Ten minutes passed. Then fifteen. I was just about to start erasing a section on the board that felt too much like Leonard’s initial “Bros and Brews” vibe when the door swung open again.

Rick walked back in, but the tight, stressed expression on his face was entirely gone. He looked completely relaxed, a definitive, victorious smirk playing on his lips.

“Pack up your markers,” he said smoothly, walking over to his desk and snagging his car keys.

I blinked, confused. “What? Did we get fired?”

“No.” Rick chuckled, the deep, rumbling sound instantly warming the tense room. “I had a genius idea.” He walked over to the mahogany table, leaning his hands on the surface as he looked down at me. “I just realized that if we stay in Golden, Leonard wins by default because this building won’t let us think. So I pulled a few strings. I arranged something for us so we can actually have some real, uninterrupted time to work on this together.”

My heart did a sudden little flutter against my ribs. “What kind of strings?”

“My family has a cabin up past Estes Park,” he said, his voice dropping into that low, thrilling baritone. “Where there’s no cell service, no corporate directors, and absolutely no office gossip. Just four bedrooms, a massive dining table, a fireplace for cold mountain nights, and, best of all, zero distractions.”

I stared at him, my mind scrambling to catch up. A cabin? Alone? With the boss?’ “I… is that a good idea?”

“It’s the only idea I have to save this account,” he said with a shrug, his gaze holding mine with total, unyielding professionalism, though there was a deliberate warmth behind it. “You can bet that Leonard believes that he’s locked the account down. We need to be better. We can’t do that here. But I get it if you don’t want to be alone with me for a week. I can give you references if you need. I’ll give you my mother’s phone number. You can call her and⁠—”

I held up my hand. “No, it’s not that. Nova and Jax are friends. I trust Jax and, therefore, I trust you. Besides, who would plan a week getaway in the mountains with one of their employees just to…” I made a knife motion toward my chest, which had him chuckling.

“Okay, so at least you agree I’m not a killer.”

No, that wasn’t what I’d been worried about. Gossip in the office was my main worry. Me getting the big office, getting Leonard fired, then going on a trip to the boss’s family cabin in Estes Park? Even if it was a work trip, gossip was going to be going wild when we came back.

He straightened up and then checked his watch.

“Go home,” Rick suggested gently. “Tell whoever you need to that you’re going on a deep-dive creative retreat for a week and you’ll be out of reach. Pack a bag with enough warm clothes for a few days in the mountains, gather every single notebook and marker you own, and get some actual sleep tonight. I’ll pick you up first thing in the morning.”

Chapter 10

Sofia

The hum of the finely tuned engine of a lone car broke through the crisp, early morning quiet of the foothills.

I was standing on my front stoop, wrapped tightly in an oversized cream knit sweater, a steaming travel mug of coffee clutched in both of my hands. My bag and a heavy box of blank presentation boards were sitting by my boots. The sun hadn’t quite cleared the peaks yet, leaving the valley below draped in mountain air that was sharp enough to bite.

Right at six thirty, Rick’s sleek dark-gray Audi rolled up and stopped directly in front of me.

My heart did a sudden, violent flip against my ribs. I’d spent the entire night tossing and turning, my brain trapped in a vicious loop. Half of me was fiercely plotting how to destroy Leonard Whistler’s smug face next week, and the other half was hyper-fixated on the fact that I was going to a remote mountain cabin. Alone. With my incredibly attractive, entirely-off-limits boss.

Rick stepped out onto the sidewalk and headed toward me.

He had completely shed the corporate armor and was wearing a charcoal thermal shirt with the sleeves pushed up his forearms, a pair of rugged dark jeans, and heavy boots. He looked less like a high-powered San Diego executive and more like a man who belonged out in the wild Colorado timber. The look was devastatingly sexy on him.

“Good morning,” he called out, his voice cutting through the quiet of the morning. A slow, easy smile spread across his face as he walked up the porch steps. “Look at you. Packed and ready to conquer the world before the sun is even up.”

“I figured if I didn’t have a head start, you’d leave me behind,” I teased, trying to keep my voice steady despite the way my pulse was suddenly racing.

“Never,” he murmured, his voice dropping into that low, warm register that made my toes curl inside my boots. He held my gaze for a beat before looking down at my bags. “Is this the entire arsenal?”

“Yup, this and the brain trust right there,” I said, tapping the side of my head. He chuckled.

“I’ll take the heavy stuff. Go ahead and get in where it’s warm,” he suggested, already hoisting the heavy canvases under one arm and grabbing my bag with the other like it weighed absolutely nothing.

I hurried down the steps and slid into the passenger seat of the Audi. The cabin instantly enveloped me in the luxurious scents of rich leather and expensive cologne, and toasted-warm air surrounded me.

Rick climbed into the driver’s seat and shut the door. The space felt incredibly intimate. He shifted the car into gear, his right arm stretching across the back of my headrest as he looked over his shoulder to back out of the spot. His forearm was inches from my cheek, the clean, masculine scent of him completely overwhelming my senses.

“All right,” Rick said, shifting into drive and looking over at me with a brilliant, competitive spark in his blue eyes. “Next stop, Estes Park. No distractions, no corporate red tape. Just you, me, and a blank slate. I’ve called ahead and had the place stocked for us, so we don’t have to stop off at the store. I had a local company fill the freezer with planned meals, so we don’t have to cook either.”