Fresh powder covered the ground outside Patrick Dennison's living room window. He took a sip of the strong coffee in his mug while he looked at the mounds and valleys of white. His crew would be out soon, clearing pathways and roads for his guests. The people who came to his resort loved snow, but not when it was in their way.

Eighty-five percent of the rooms were already booked for the weekend. With the new snow on the ground, he wouldn't be surprised if the rest of the rooms were booked before the day ended.

Having a full resort normally made him very happy. Today, he had more on his mind. His cousin Jake and Jake's wife Amanda would be here this afternoon. He hadn't seen them in two years, not since he made the trip to Texas to visit them.

Patrick sipped his coffee again while he thought back to the evening of Amanda's birthday. Jake had wanted to give her a special gift, one she had playfully mentioned one night after lovemaking—sex with two men. Patrick had been floored when Jake said he wanted the two of them to have sex with Amanda on her birthday. He'd been hesitant at first, worried Jake would regret his decision to have another man fuck his wife. Jake's desire to give his wife her fantasy had convinced Patrick to go along with the plan.

It was the hottest sex he'd ever experienced.

He and Jake had kept in contact via email and phone calls, but Patrick had been too busy with the resort to make another trip to Texas. Establishing his horse ranch had kept Jake too busy to come to Colorado, until now. He'd called early in January and said he and Amanda wanted to visit Patrick's place as soon as possible. Patrick and Jake decided a four-day weekend right before Valentine's Day would be the best time for both of them.

Now that time had arrived.

Patrick had no idea what would happen between the three of them sexually. He didn't know if there would be a repeat of what happened in Texas, or nothing at all. Either way, Patrick would accept it. Simply seeing the two most important people in his life would make him happy.

* * * * *

Tera Connolly climbed out of her rental car and looked at the magnificent hotel in front of her. Resembling a Swiss chalet, the hotel rose five stories high against a backdrop of snow. Other buildings in the same architectural design spread out from the hotel, creating a village of shops and restaurants.

The literature she'd read on Dennison Resort hadn't exaggerated. It truly was a diamond in the Colorado Rockies.

Thinking of the word diamond sent a shaft of pain through her chest. She glanced at her left hand, now devoid of the engagement ring she'd worn for six months. The ring plus a wedding band should be there. Instead, her finger remained bare.

Don't go there, Tera. It's over. Roger left you. You have to get over that and get on with your life.

Pep talk complete, Tera squared her shoulders and popped the trunk to get her suitcases. A handsome young man with a name plate that said Sam appeared beside her, smiling broadly.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. Welcome to Dennison Resort."

"Thank you."

"I'll meet you at registration with your bags. If you'll give me your keys, our valet will park your car."

Excellent service so far. Tera liked that. She handed over her keys, pulled the strap of her purse over her shoulder and entered the hotel. Large, overstuffed chairs sat in front of a huge rock fireplace that rose two stories. Tera admired it for a moment before continuing to the registration area. Two women and one man stood behind the shiny counter. One spoke on the phone, the other two helped guests. Tera studied them, noting their smiles and relaxed demeanor. Even with one guest complaining about not getting the exact room he wanted, the clerk remained calm and helpful.

They'd been well trained. As the manager of a large department store known for its superb customer service, she always noticed how clerks treated their customers in the retail environment.

"I asked to be on the west side of the hotel," the man checking in said, his voice growing in volume.

"I'm sorry about the misunderstanding, sir," the male clerk said. "All the rooms on the west side are occupied. I can upgrade the room we have reserved for you at no extra charge."

"I don't want an upgrade, I want the room I requested!" He banged his fist on the counter. "I want to talk to your manager now."

The clerk—whose name tag read Bryan—still smiled and spoke kindly, but Tera knew he had to be getting frustrated. "Sir, our manager is no longer with us. I'll call the owner and see if he's available to speak with you."

"You do that."

"Would you move aside so I can help the next guest while we wait for Mr. Dennison?"

"Goddamn incompetents," the man muttered as he walked to the end of the counter.

Tera stepped up to Bryan's space. His smile remained in place when he looked at her. "I'll be right with you, ma'am. I just need to make a quick phone call."

"No problem." She'd dealt with many impatient people in her job. She knew exactly how Bryan felt right now.

She glanced at the rude man out of the corner of her eye. Mid-forties, expensive clothes, hair perfectly styled, a gold ring and watch that probably cost more than her yearly salary. He was very good looking, and undoubtedly knew it. She'd bet he'd inherited money, had never worked a day in his life, and expected the "peons" to cater to his every desire.

The jerk.

Bryan stepped over to the man. "Mr. Dennison is on his way. He'll be here within three minutes."

The man huffed out an irritated breath, but said nothing. Tera wanted to slap him.

She removed her driver's license and credit card from her wallet and laid them on the counter for Bryan. He gave her another friendly smile and started punching keys on the computer keyboard.

"Your room is ready, Ms. Connolly. We have you in suite 402."

Suite? That couldn't be possible. "There must be a mistake. I didn't reserve a suite."

"Just a moment and I'll check again."

While Bryan did his thing on the computer, Tera glanced over in the rude man's direction again in time to see a tall, broad-shouldered, incredibly handsome man open a door and step behind the counter. She blinked as her heart took off at a gallop.

Wow. Major hunk alert.

"I specifically asked for a room on the west side!"

Tera studied the man who now helped Mr. Rude. He had to be the owner, Patrick Dennison. She'd never met Jake, but she'd seen pictures of him via Amanda's email messages. Amanda had told her that Patrick and Jake looked so much alike, they could pass for brothers. This guy looked just like Jake's pictures.

Lucky Amanda.

"I can drop the price of your suite by one hundred dollars per night and give you a voucher for a free night the next time you visit us."

"There won't be a next time if you can't fix this!"

"Ma'am?" Bryan said. Tera dragged her attention off Patrick trying to reason with the guest and back to the clerk. "Your reservation was made by Amanda Dennison. She specifically requested a suite." He pushed her credit card and I.D. back to her. "The room is already paid for. Mrs. Dennison took care of it."

If she didn't love Amanda so much, Tera would kill her. "She wasn't supposed to do that."

Bryan shrugged, as if to say the situation was out of his control. "Would you like your bags taken to your room?"

The shouting match next to her raised in volume. . .not by Patrick, who remained calm and reasonable, but by the man who insisted on his way or no way. Tera looked at the paperwork in her hand that held her room keycard. "Bryan, is my suite on the west side?"

"Yes, ma'am, it is."

"Could you change it to a different room? I'd like to give that man my suite."

For the first time since she'd spoken to him, Bryan's smile faltered. "You would?"

Tera shrugged. "I'm not that picky about where I sleep. He apparently is."

Bryan looked shocked that she would do something nice for a man who obviously wouldn't appreciate it. "Just a moment."

He stepped up to Patrick and said something too low for her to hear. Patrick's gaze snapped to her face. She stared into eyes the color of milk chocolate. Something stirred in her stomach, something she hadn't felt in a long time.

Awareness.

Patrick turned back to the irate guest. "The generous lady at the counter has offered to give you her suite. It's on the west side."

The man looked at her, but didn't bother to smile or thank you. "Good. I want my bags taken to my room and unpacked immediately."

"Yes, sir," Patrick said. "I'm glad we could work out things to satisfy you."

Tera handed him her keycard. "Enjoy your stay."

He gazed at her from head to foot, but still didn't thank her. He turned and headed for the elevator.

"You're welcome," she muttered.

"Bryan, I'll take care of Ms Connolly," Patrick said. "Why don't you help the next person?"

Bryan mouthed a "thank you" to Tera and returned to his post. Tera moved down the counter until she stood before Patrick. His hair was pulled back, so she couldn't tell the length. A neat Van Dyke, the same dark brown as his hair and eyebrows, covered the bottom of his face. High cheekbones, a straight nose, and strong jawline completed the package.

His gaze passed over her face, lingering on her lips for a long moment before he looked into her eyes again. "That was a very nice thing you did."

Tera shrugged again. "I don't mind staying in a different room and it saved you from having to get physical with him."

Patrick chuckled, a low sound that sent a curl of pleasure to her belly. "How do you know I thought about throwing him out?"

"Because I work with the public too. I know how frustrating people can be."

Between the warmth in the room and the interest in Patrick's eyes, Tera grew uncomfortable in her heavy coat. She slipped it off, draped it over her arm. Patrick's gaze dropped to her breasts. That didn't surprise Tera. Her large breasts drew a lot of male attention, especially when she wore a sweater like she did today.

Instead of leering at her chest, as so many men did, he looked back into her eyes. "You're Amanda's friend, the roommate from college."

He didn't phrase it as a question, but a statement. "Yes."

"She and Jake haven't arrived yet. They should be here in about an hour."

"That gives me time to unpack and get settled in my room."

Patrick studied the computer monitor in front of him. Tera took the opportunity to study him at a closer range. His skin was very tan. He either spent a lot of time outdoors or had Mediterranean blood in his ancestry. Or perhaps a combination of the two.

He wore a gray sweater and loose black pants. She could see a sprinkling of dark chest hair in the V-neck of his sweater. She wondered if it spread all over his chest, perhaps tapered down his stomach before it widened again at the base of his cock.

An impressive cock, of that she had no doubt.

"I'll switch you to the suite I had reserved for Mr. Harding. That's the man you gave your suite to."

"I don't need a suite. A regular room is fine."

"Amanda paid for a suite for you."

"You can refund her the difference, can't you?"

"Of course, but—"

"No buts. Please do so and give me a regular room."

His eyebrows drew together in a slight frown as he studied the monitor again. "The only rooms I have available are small studios on the first floor. Amanda would hurt me if I put you in one of those."

Tera would like a little more room than a small studio, but she didn't feel right having Amanda pay for a suite. "Would you refund my room cost to Amanda and let me pay instead?"

"I won't do anything to make Amanda mad at me." He ran a keycard through the scanner, slipped it into the card holder and laid it on the counter. "Suite 419. Sam will take your bags up for you."

Tera picked up the card holder with a sigh. "You realize I'm mad at you."

"Rather you than Amanda."

The humor in his eyes made her chuckle. "She can be completely unreasonable when she's angry."

"That's what Jake said. I don't want that anger directed at me."

Despite Patrick refusing to do what she wanted, Tera liked him. She'd always believed in first impressions. Patrick seemed to have a great personality and a wicked sense of humor. The drop-dead good looks didn't hurt either. If Jake was anything like his cousin, it was no wonder Amanda loved him so much.

"I hope you enjoy your stay with us, Ms. Connolly," Patrick said.

"I'm sure I will. Thank you."

She turned to walk away. Patrick's next words stopped her.

"I'll see you at dinner."

She looked back at Patrick over her shoulder. "What?"

"The four of us are having dinner in my suite at seven. See you then."

Before Tera could sputter out another comment, Patrick disappeared through the door behind the counter.

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