Hot Stuff (Hot Zone 1)

He turned to see Annabelle standing in the office doorway, a breath of fresh air in an otherwise sooty, smelly place. She wore her trademark miniskirt but, thanks to the combination of construction and fire damage, she'd traded her flimsy sneakers for bulky sheepskin boots. In pink to match her bright lipstick and skirt. Enjoying the combination, he let his gaze travel downward. Damn but she had sexy legs no matter what she wore.

And he vividly remembered those long limbs wrapped around him as he drove deep inside her body. He shivered at the memory and a sudden realization struck him. He'd never have enough of her.

Ever.

Though he recognized his obsession with Annabelle had taken him away from the lodge at a crucial time, he couldn't deny he was glad to see her now. So much so that even Laura's potential betrayal didn't affect his trust of or feelings for Annabelle.

"Hi there." He welcomed her with a big grin.

"Mind if I come in?" She didn't smile in return.

He shook his head. "Not at all."

"Where is everyone?" she asked as she stepped inside and glanced around the otherwise empty office.

"Nick's with the insurance guy and Mara's home sick today."

She placed her purse down on Mara's desk. "I dropped Boris off at the house. I didn't want him inhaling the smoke."

"Not a problem."

She seated herself at the desk farthest from him and he suspected she was taking her cues from him. His biggest one being that he'd left her alone in New York City after promising he'd be there for her after her family meeting. He'd gone over that move in his mind and still wasn't sure whom he'd been protecting, but he suspected if he looked deeply enough he wouldn't like what he saw.

"Look, Annie-"

"What's the damage assessment and what do the police say?" she asked, briskly cutting him off.

He cleared his throat. Talking about the lodge hurt badly, the pain slicing through him each time he thought about it. It hurt almost as much as her cool demeanor did now. "The bad news is that the north section is completely destroyed."

"Oh, Vaughn." She reacted instinctively, the sympathy and caring in her gaze and in her tone overwhelming. Touching. Comforting in a way he needed badly. She rose from her seat and he could almost feel her arms around him. Then just as suddenly she sat down, obviously rethinking her decision as she clasped her hands tightly in front of her.

Something inside him froze as he realized he'd caused the change. He'd pushed her away. Leaving her in New York had seemed prudent at the time but he hadn't expected to feel so empty now.

"What's the good news?" she asked, all business.

Thrown by his emotional reaction to her distance, he decided business was best. "As you can see, no damage to the main part of the lodge. We'll have to rebuild what's been destroyed and we'll lose a good number of bookings as a result, but because there are rooms in the main section, too, we can still open on time."

"That's fantastic!" she said, her voice rising, her pleasure obvious.

He was nearly drawn in by her enthusiasm until he realized she'd grabbed a pad and a pen and had begun to take notes and scribble down ideas. Deep in PR mode, she'd found a damn good way of avoiding discussing anything personal between them.

She glanced up. "Any solid leads on who might have started the fire?"

"The police think Laura's the best suspect. She has no alibi."

Annabelle frowned. "I don't know. That sounds like an awfully flimsy tie in to me."

"Yesterday I'd have agreed with you. Today I'll grasp, any lead or possibility if it means this being over." He swept his arm around him.

She nodded in understanding.

"It's like this person is either a genius or so damn lucky it defies description. Either way he-or she- is winning." He slammed his hand against the desk as he'd done too many times before.

"Interesting analogy." She cocked her head to one side. "Do you look at everything in terms of win or lose?"

"Pretty much."

"Do you think the person responsible views things the same way?"