“Oh,” she fumed. She spun away from him and, with the advantage of light, easily made her way back to the secret door. He was chuckling in satisfaction as he followed her.
At the exit, he murmured only loud enough for her to hear, “You’re on borrowed time, Hailey. You’ll be in my bed before we get back from Fontana.”
“I’m not going, Tyler,” she had said then. He had only laughed.
And he was laughing now three days later, as he carelessly leaned against the railing around her deck. “You’re going. I’ve had someone in to clean the cabin, stock the pantry and refrigerator, and spruce up the place just for you. You’re going.”
“We closed the park to the public today, but there’s still so much I have to do.”
“Am I going to have to fire you to get you away from there?”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
“You’re right. But you’re going with Faith and me tomorrow. That’s why I insisted you come home early tonight. Pack, get a good night’s sleep, and we’ll pick you up at eight.” He kissed her soundly and left confident that she was going with them.
And of course she was.
Arguing with herself the whole while she was packing, she tried to talk herself out of going. He had promised that he would complete his seduction while they were away. Why, then, was she going with him? She waltzed around the answer to that until she could deny it no longer. She wanted to be seduced.
The risks involved in having such an affair were too numerous to count. No man had ever been worth those risks before. Until Tyler. She had been attracted to him from the moment she saw him. He had changed her. She wasn’t the same person she had been before meeting him. Her life was different. No matter what the stakes, she wanted to savor the magic he had brought into her world for as long as it lasted.
What joy had she known before him? He had barreled into her life with the impetus of a steamroller and hadn’t let up for one moment. And though she had fought him in self-defense, she had secretly relished the excitement he had introduced into her staid, stale existence.
On the one hand, she had resented his overbearing manner, and on the other, she had welcomed it. Competence and self-reliance were admirable traits, but they were also tiresome. Tyler had showed her that vulnerability had its merits, too. Privately, she confessed to loving the way his hands and mouth reduced her to womanhood in its purest form. She wanted to be a woman for Tyler Scott.
He had treated her to more affection than she had ever had. He had brought her to a higher plane of emotional response than she could ever have guessed she was capable of. She wanted to lie submissively in Tyler’s bed and know the culmination of all his seductive promises.
She had only a moment’s trepidation before she fell asleep. Was she doing the right thing? Did it matter if it was right? All her life she had done as she was expected to, striving not to disappoint anyone. She had performed as others dictated that she should. Where had circumspection gotten her?
Her parents had died weeping because Ellen wasn’t with them. Her sister “loved” her only when she needed her. One can only win so many silver medals for good conduct before they tarnish and become worthless. For once Hailey Ashton was going to do what she wanted, right or wrong, and damn the consequences.
“I’ve never had a picnic in a river before,” Hailey said, biting the crunchy crust off a piece of fried chicken. They had stopped at a carry-out restaurant to pick up their lunch before leaving Gatlinburg.
“I think we’re real pioneers,” Tyler said as he leaned back on his elbows. Surrounding them was the swirling white water of the Little Pigeon River. They had taken the winding two-lane highway through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park toward the North Carolina state line. When they became hungry and began looking for a picnic spot, Tyler had pulled the car into one of the scenic rest areas along the highway.
Rather than settle for the mundane, he had suggested that they eat their lunch in the river on one of the large, flat rocks that littered the riverbed. Brushing aside their cautious protests, he had led Hailey and Faith from one rock to another until they reached the largest and most level. As usual, he had gotten his way. And, as usual, he had been right. It was delightful.
“I’ve never been on any kind of picnic before,” Faith said, munching on her drumstick.
Hailey and Tyler stared at the girl in dismay, looked at each other, and then back at Faith. “Of course you must have, Faith,” Tyler said gently.
“I don’t think so,” she said, matter-of-factly. “Unless it was before I can remember. Mommy never took me on one. She didn’t even like to eat on the patio because she said it was a lot of trouble and she didn’t like bugs. Once my Brownie troop went on an all day camp-out, but I had the chicken pox and couldn’t go. No, I think this is my first picnic.” She seemed totally unaffected by this deficiency in her childhood, and that made it all the more pathetic.
“Well, this is certainly not the last,” Tyler said and tugged on her pigtail. “From now on, we’ll have all the picnics you can stand.”
“Can Hailey come on all of them?” Faith asked.
Tyler turned laughing eyes on Hailey and struck a pose of deep concentration. “I don’t know,” he said, slowly stroking his chin. “Do you think we ought to ask her?”
Caught up in the game, Faith giggled. “It might hurt her feelings if we don’t.”
“Well then, I guess we will.” He sat up and pulled an embarrassed Hailey between his raised knees, drawing her back against his chest. He nuzzled her ear with his nose. The display of familiarity in front of Faith surprised Hailey, but it felt right, comfortable.
“Oh, Daddy, gross,” Faith said in exasperation.
“You think this is gross, huh? Watch this.” He tilted Hailey’s head back and kissed her with comical passion, grinding his mouth over hers.
Faith was overcome by giggles. “That’s just th