Hot Property (Hot Zone 4)

She changed and headed for the spa and gym area where the pool was located, deciding to leave her captive to his own devices for a while. And since it was winter, and most of the guests were skiing, she had the pool to herself.

She dove in and swam laps, taking the length of the pool with the crawl stroke she’d perfected as a teenager living down south. She made her way through the water, up one end and back down the other, over and over until exhaustion threatened to overwhelm her. Satisfied she’d burned calories, as well as nervous, excess energy, she drew herself up and out of the pool.

But she wasn’t ready to head back to her room just yet, so she settled on a chair and relaxed, planning to wander the area and get familiar with the other amenities before going back up to shower and face Roper’s anger over dinner.

As it turned out, he didn’t show up for the reservation she’d booked at one of the lodge’s most exclusive restaurants, nor did she see him for the next three days. She kept track of him via the staff and by checking up on him with the physical therapist and others around the resort, so she knew he hadn’t escaped her so-called prison. She caught glimpses of him wandering the grounds or working out in the gym, but she left him to his own devices, grateful he hadn’t attempted to borrow a phone or hitch a ride home.

She had to admit she was impressed. Even if she was growing increasingly upset and frustrated by his refusal to talk to her at all.

THREE DAYS HAD PASSED SINCE Roper arrived at the lodge. He’d relaxed for the first time in ages, though it had taken a while. He had no idea unwinding from the reality of life could take so long or be so difficult. Hell, he hadn’t even realized how physically and emotionally taxed he’d been until his first massage.

At first, being out of touch from his family had been difficult. He’d worried constantly about his mother and how she was dealing with Harrison Smith. He wondered how many expenses she’d incurred without his sister’s permission in planning the huge wedding. He didn’t worry much about Ben, since without money, his brother was unlikely to get into too much trouble.

After a while, though, a funny thing happened. He stopped thinking about his family’s problems and he started focusing on himself. Not on the negative things, like not returning in time for spring training, but on what he could do to work harder and smarter in order to get back to the game he loved. Without his time being divided, he started to get into the routine set up for him, and he began to see how distracted he’d been before. How much he’d needed this escape.

How right Amy had been.

At first he’d deliberately avoided her, missing planned meals out of spite, wanting to make a point that he might have chosen to stay here but he was still in charge. He justified his actions by telling himself that he was just doing as she’d instructed, thinking only of himself for a change. Which he was. Yet he’d catch her watching him through the gym windows or eating with some of the guests she’d obviously met during her time there. He knew she was giving him space just as he knew he was being childish by avoiding her.

He waited for her at lunch at her normal time. When she didn’t show up, he asked Lisa about her. The woman told him Amy wasn’t feeling well. She was laid up with a cold and said she’d be in her room if he needed anything. He didn’t need anything, he was just starting to miss her.

Hell, he’d missed her from the minute he’d shut her out. But if she wasn’t

feeling well, he doubted she’d want to see him, so he had chicken soup sent to her room with a Feel Better note that he signed himself.

The next day, she was still out of commission. When he called, she told him that she felt awful and didn’t want to give him her cold, so it was better he not stop by. He sent the doctor over instead, but respected her wishes and stayed away. Her cold lasted another three days.

In the meantime, he worked out, relaxed and fell into bed exhausted at night, earlier than he was used to. He woke each day feeling refreshed and ready to start over again. And he began to sense that his body was responding to routine, consistency and lack of stress.

Everything was progressing well. The only thing missing was Amy, and he figured by tomorrow, she’d either come out or he was barging in. After this past week, he’d come to the definite realization that if he was going to remain here next door to the woman he wanted more with each passing day, he was damn well going to do something about it.

His scheduled routine was finished for the day and he eased his aching body into the warm, bubbling water of the hot tub, soaking and unwinding. Every time he began to wonder how his family was doing or what their reactions were to not being able to reach him on demand, he pushed the thought out of his mind. He’d become an expert at it, and with each passing day, the guilt lessened. Amy was right—he trusted Micki to handle them. If a true emergency had cropped up, he’d have heard. He closed his eyes, tipped his head back and thought about absolutely nothing.

Much too soon, a female voice broke into his blessed silence.

“Mind if I join you?” she asked.

He forced his heavy eyelids open to see a gorgeous woman in a tiny string bikini sinking into the tub as if his answer was a foregone conclusion. Since he didn’t own the rights to its usage, he supposed it was.

Her chocolate-brown hair screamed perfect dye job and her wide smile indicated perfection. Celebritylike perfection. Everything about her seemed familiar, but he couldn’t place her name.

“John Roper, pleased to meet you.” He extended his hand in greeting.

She grabbed it for a surprisingly strong shake. “Hannah Gregory,” she said.

He snapped his fingers in the air. “‘Lies Lost,’” he said, suddenly remembering her Top 40 hit. “I’m a fan.”

Her smile grew wider. “Thanks. Since I have three brothers and I was born and raised in New York, I’m a die-hard Renegades fan. Nice to meet you, too,” she said. Leaning back, she let herself grow more comfortable in the water.

He waited for a negative comment on his season, but it never came.

“So what are you doing here at the lodge?” he asked.

“The band wanted to get away, so here I am.” She waved one arm in the air. “They went skiing. Brr,” she said, her distaste for the outdoor sport obvious. “How about you? What brings you to Greenlawn?”

He contemplated how to phrase his kidnapping diplomatically. “R and R,” he finally said, opting for discretion.

“That seems to be what this place is known for.”