Chapter 5 Five

**Two Weeks Before**

"Excuse me, miss?"

Amanda looked up to find two vivid grey eyes on her. Grey eyes on an unbelievably handsome face that made her swallow. She blinked and placed her glass on the table.

"Yes?"

"Hello, I'm Lucas. Do you mind if I share your table? Every other one is occupied by couples or more."

Her eyes took a quick trip down his body. She had noticed the guy walk into the resort lobby a few minutes ago, thanks to his tall stature and dark clothing. Now that she could see his face, she confirmed that he was indeed her type.

Thick, dark lashes and eyebrows framed his intense eyes. His black hair was combed back, but a stray strand fell over onto his forehead. His lower face sported a five o'clock shadow that gave him an alluring appearance.

"Sure," she replied with a smile. "I don't mind."

He beamed, exposing a perfect set of pearl white teeth. His smile revealed a dimple at the left corner of his mouth. "Thank you..."

He said it in a suggesting tone, lifting a brow.

"Amanda," she filled in.

"Amanda," he said, taking a seat. "It's nice to meet you."

She smiled politely and gave a nod. "You too."

Sharing a table with a gorgeous man wasn't part of her evening agenda. But she wasn't complaining.

The waitress arrived with a tray loaded with Amanda's order. She arranged the dishes before her, then asked Lucas what he wanted.

"Can I have some water?"

He perused the menu as she walked away.

Amanda grabbed her fork and knife, mouth watering at the sight of the roasted chicken. It looked so good.

"Yours looks really delicious, maybe I should order the same," Lucas commented.

Amanda looked up, chewing on her first bite and nodding vigorously. She swallowed. "It's good."

Lucas put the menu away. "It's decided, then."

The waitress came back with his water and he ordered the same dish as Amanda.

"Are you here alone?" he asked when they were alone again.

"Yeah."

"Running away into the mountains like me?" he teased, breaking into another smile.

Amanda was enamoured by the sight, but she wished he would stop doing that. He looked attractive enough without flashing a smile that probably had women falling for him left, right, and center. She didn't want to start getting ideas about all the fun she could have with such a gorgeous guy.

"Maybe," she replied, wearing a smile of her own.

She wondered what a guy like him was running from. A busy life, perhaps? From his clothing and the watch peeking beneath his coat's sleeve, she could tell he was well off.

He was alone. Did that mean he was single? Looking around the lobby, they appeared to be the only people not in the company of a partner.

"I don't know what you're running from," he said, his grey eyes glinting under the lights, "but I'm glad I ran into you."

***

Lucas Erikson hadn't thought he would end the day sitting across a beautiful woman, having dinner.

He came to Riverside Park to be alone and get away from everything for a week. Being alone meant leaving everything that made his days behind. That included women.

It was true that it was the lack of an empty table that forced him to share a table with Amanda. But, it was also true that long before he realised he didn't have another option, he had already singled her out and was debating whether to approach her or not.

He was waiting for his details to get processed at the check-in desk when his eyes wandered to the cafe and landed on her. She looked gorgeous under the dim light of the cafe. Her curly hair was held in a bun with a curly fringe covering her forehead.

Unbidden, an image of her with her hair sprayed over his pillow flashed through his mind. He cleared his throat, as if that would clear his mind too. No need to get ahead of himself.

She was a beauty, no doubt.

And that's why he was a little too excited when he realised her table was the most viable option for him.

"Smooth, ain't you?" she asked, her voice mingled with concealed laughter.

Lucas liked how she talked. Usually, when he was in the company of women he had just met, they dropped their voices and spoke with an intonation that made it clear they were flirting with him. Often, that was accompanied by a host of facial and hand gestures that informed him they were ready to get down and dirty with him at the slightest indication. Not that he was complaining. He wasn't any different when he had his eyes set on someone. He just really liked it when he came across one who wasn't quick to adapt a certain facade in his presence. It made for an interesting interaction. If he ended up in bed with such a woman, it was more exciting.

He chuckled. He couldn't help flirting with her.

He took a sip of his water. "Have you ever been here before?"

She shook her head. "This is my first time."

"Same," he revealed.

It was the first time he was able to truly get away from work in five years. Yes, he did have vacation on a yearly basis, but he was never able to completely plug away. He would be tanning on a beach in Hawaii and his phone would ring, his assistant on the other side with a problem they needed him to see through.

But, finally, he was free of all responsibility.

For a month, at least.

He hadn't planned on taking up a new job so soon. But his father had called up a favor for an old friend. Apparently, one of his father's friends had to fire a CEO of one of his companies suddenly. It was a fashion house.

Lucas had been CEO of the most successful up and coming fashion house in New York up until a month ago. He hadn't planned on remaining in the States for long. So when his contract ended after five years at the company, he didn't renew it.

He was looking forward to new, challenging opportunities, but wasn't planning to get back into the grind of work so soon.

However, given his experience in the industry, his father was convinced he was the right guy to take over the gap left at the other company. Now, Lucas only had one more week of freedom before he was back to work. He thought retreating into the mountains for the remaining days was the perfect way to get himself ready for the task ahead.

"What do you do?" he asked Amanda. "If you don't mind me asking."

Amanda smiled, stabbing her fork into the chicken on her plate. The waitress came around again, this time with Lucas's tray of chicken and salad.

"I'd rather not talk about it," Amanda said. "We can talk about anything, but not about me."

"Okay," he agreed. "I understand."

She gave him an apologetic smile before pouring herself another glass of wine.

Her reply made him wonder what exactly she was running away from. He guessed it had something to do with her work or personal life.

"Would you like some wine?" she asked, indicating the bottle. "It's so good, I'm tempted to down it all. But that would leave me silly drunk. I don't want to make a messy impression so early."

He chuckled. "Why, Amanda. Are you a chaotic drunk?"

She tilted her head side to side, in thought. "Maybe. But in a good way."

He raised his brow. "How so?"

"I get all excited and start doing things that I regret later."

"You lose your inhibitions," he concluded.

"Yes, that."

He chuckled. Why was he so happy just talking to her? He didn't know her, but he already had a long list of things he liked about her. And now, he was busy wondering what she was like, drunk.

"I'll help you along, then," he said, signaling for a nearby waitress and asking for a glass. He would share her wine, then one of these coming days, he would return the favor.

He was happy to get an excuse to hang out with her some other time. Speaking of which...

"How long are you staying?"

"Two weeks," she replied. "I just got here too, by the way. What about you? How long?"

"A week."

Great, she wasn't leaving any time soon. He had an entire week to look for all sorts of excuses to hang around her. Maybe one of these fine days, he would end up lying on the rug in front of the fireplace in his cabin, sipping wine with her in his arms.

"Maybe we'll run into each other a few times," Amanda said.

He smiled. "I'd love that."

They had dinner in comfortable company, talking about what they planned to do in the mountains. Lucas was interested in skiing, while Amanda said she wanted to go hiking and camping. They found out that their cabins were on opposite ends of the grounds. So, running into each other wouldn't be all that easy.

Lucas was determined to not let that get in his way.

The night slowly grew, and they cleared their dinner. The bottle of wine was almost gone, and he suspected Amanda was getting tipsy. She was smiling and laughing a lot, and he was no longer the only one doing the flirting.

"What's a gorgeous guy like you doing here alone, anyway? The ladies are gonna pounce," she said, doing an impression of claws with her hands. Her nose wrinkled up, supposedly in a growl.

Lucas laughed and held her gaze. "I'm not alone, am I?"

She waggled her index finger at him. "Such a smooth talker, you are. I should stay away from you."

"Not if I chase after you," he teased.

"Don't," she mumbled.

"Why not?"

She simply smiled and shook her head. "I think I better get going now."

"I'll walk you to your cabin," he offered.

"Really? It's on the other side, you know."

"I don't mind the walk."

Amanda hesitated, reaching for her bag. She chewed on her bottom lip, and he wondered what she was thinking about.

"You don't have to," she finally said. "I'll be fine on my own."

"I know," he said. "Maybe I just want to spend a few more minutes in your company."

She smiled at that and came to her feet.

"I don't mind a few more in yours, either."