Page 16 of Moonlit Colorado

“I didn’texactlysay that. I didn’t have friends at this party, but now…” He gestured at me.

“We’re strangers, not friends.”

“You’re tough. But that’s even better. I like when I have to earn it.” The rasp in his voice, combined with the heat in his eyes, traveled down my spine like a caress.

“You’re not earning anything.” But I couldn’t stop smiling, no matter how much I tried to rein myself in.

He was the kind of man I should stay far away from. Yet I wasn’t walking away. Maybe it was the mask, like Ms. Scarlet had said. A chance to be someone else for one night.

Ms. Red.

I’d done Ms. Scarlet a favor, but perhaps she’d done me a favor too. Without knowing it.

The bartender arrived with his fresh glass, and Mr. Black took several folded bills from his pocket and passed them over. “You’re a local, right?” he asked me. “Tell me. What do the Silver Ridge locals think of this place? The ski resort and the hotel.”

I spun to face the room, resting my elbows on the bar top behind me. “It’s mixed. The first ski runs opened on the mountain a few years ago. People were excited. But as the resort has expanded, everything’s gotten more expensive. Seems more like a place for tourists than for us. Especially with this new hotel.”

“Huh.” His eyebrows drew together. “The resort has a new owner though. He probably wants to make the locals happy too.”

“Dane Knightly?”

Mr. Black’s eyes sparkled. “Yes. Knightly. What do you think of him?”

“Do you know him?”

“We’ve crossed paths before.”

I didn’t want to badmouth Ashford’s best friend. But the man hadn’t even come to his own grand opening. He had better things to do. “Knightly has never bothered to visit Silver Ridge. Hard to make the locals happy when you have no clue who they really are or what’s important to them.”

Mr. Black’s lips pressed into a line. His gaze was assessing. “You’re absolutely right.”

The wine had made my limbs feel warm and languid. Throw in the mask I was wearing, and it served to loosen my tongue. “I’m sure Dane Knightly is a nice enough person. For a rich guy. It’s fine to have money. But the wealthy tend to lose touch of what it’s like for everyone else.” I glanced at him. “No offense.”

He chuckled. “You assume I’m rich?”

I pointed at…well, all of him.

“Fair enough,” he said. “Life is easier with money. No denying it. But it can’t fix everything.”

“It fixes a lot.”

He sipped his drink. “If someone handed you a million dollars tomorrow, tax free, what would you buy first?”

“That’s easy. I’d pay off my student debts. Pay for my brother’s wedding and honeymoon. Buy a big playhouse for my niece.”

“That’s generous. But what about something indulgent, just for you? The first time my bank account was flush with money I’d earned, I bought myself a vintage Rolex MilSub 5517. A thing of beauty, craftsmanship, and engineering. Just because I could.”

He stretched out his arm, showing off the watch. Without even thinking, I reached out and stroked the smooth metal, catching his wrist at the same time. He was so warm.

I pulled my hand back and looked up at him, realizing he’d been staring at me. His eyes had darkened, pupils swallowing most of the gray.

I tugged my lower lip between my teeth. “A cheeseboard.”

“Pardon?”

“That’s what I would buy.”

He lowered his arm and stuck his hand in his pants pocket. “A cheeseboard? That’s it?”

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