Billionaire Unmasked ~ Jason (Billionaire’s Obsession #6)(25)
Author: J.S. Scott

The sporting goods shop had a wide variety of hiking gear, clothing, and other items that she’d wanted to purchase. Jason had handed her the keys to his rental car hesitantly, as though he thought she was going to run away.

Like I’m really going to leave the man who gives me the most incredible orgasms I’ve ever experienced.

She wanted more, much more, and she’d shared that little secret with him as she’d snatched the keys, being rewarded with a heart-melting grin and breathtaking kiss before she left the guesthouse.

After she signed for her purchases, she took them to the car, opened the back hatch with a click of a button, and stored them safely in the roomy back of the black SUV. As the door started to close, she smirked as she realized that even though the Escalade was a more expensive vehicle than the one she owned, it was probably the cheapest automobile Jason had ever driven. There was very little need for expensive sports cars in this area, and it was probably the only thing that was available in the small town.

Jason had always liked high-performance vehicles, and one of his hobbies as a teenager had been restoring old classic sports cars. She wondered whether he still did that, or whether he’d dropped the hobby because he could afford any car he wanted already fully restored.

Hope stopped, looked up and down the street, and smirked as she spotted a gourmet chocolate factory. That would have to be her last stop or the chocolate would melt before she got it back to Jason.

Rocky Springs was a lovely mountain town that reminded her of several other quaint, small mountain towns and villages in Colorado. The downtown area, the main street, was a collection of useful and eclectic shops, mostly small businesses and specialty shops.

Not seeing what she wanted, she squinted into the sunlight, trying to see what was across the street.

“You look lost,” a friendly female voice said beside her genially.

Hope turned her head to glance at the woman, a beautiful brunette with hair as dark as coal that fell in a long, straight curtain down her shoulders and back. The woman’s crimson lips were turned up in a smile, her eyes covered by a pair of black sunglasses that had plenty of rhinestone bling. Whoever she was, she was exotically beautiful, even dressed in a simple red cotton shirt and a pair of jeans, similar to the attire Hope had put on hastily before she left the guesthouse.

Hope smiled back at her. “I’m visiting. I’m staying at the resort, and my—” She hesitated before she continued. “My husband wants to take me out for dinner. I don’t have a dress. I was looking for a women’s clothing store.”

“You’re staying with us?” The woman’s smile grew wider. “I’m Chloe Colter. I live at the resort.” She put her hand out readily.

Hope clasped and shook it. “Hope Sinclair,” she answered back automatically. As she withdrew her hand, she surveyed the woman quizzically. “You’re Tate’s sister.” The gorgeous, petite woman looked nothing like Tate Colter.

The woman removed her sunglasses. “The only thing we share is the Colter eyes,” Chloe answered with a chuckle as she revealed a pair of the same long-lashed smoky gray eyes as Tate’s. “And you’re Hope Sutherland now, I understand. Congratulations on your marriage. Tate stopped by yesterday, and he told me and Mom that Jason Sutherland had married and was staying here. We were both dying to meet you.”

I actually am Hope Sutherland. At least for a little while. She was still stunned to hear herself called by her married name, and it had never even occurred to her to introduce herself with Jason’s surname.

As she recovered from her admission, she realized that looking Chloe in the eyes was like looking into Tate’s. “Your eyes are exactly the same,” Hope replied, surprised.

“All five of us share the same eyes,” Chloe replied. “Tate’s actually the odd blond sibling, in more ways than one. The rest of my brothers are all dark-haired, like me. He favors my late father. The rest of us all look like Mom.” Chloe put her sunglasses back on and pointed across the street. “There’s a very nice shop across the street and to the left, a few blocks down. I’ll walk with you.” As she turned, her head snapped back. “Holy crap! Your ring is stunning.”

Hope held up her left hand. “It is,” she admitted. “Jason has amazing taste.” She squirmed a little as she reminded herself she wouldn’t be wearing it for long, but she let Chloe take her hand. The woman turned her hand to different angles to admire the diamond.

Chloe snorted. “Obviously. And we know he has endless funds. But he made a great choice. It’s stunning without being gaudy. I’m engaged, so I looked at a lot of rings.”

Her eyes automatically glanced at Chloe’s left hand. Hope noticed it was bare. “You haven’t decided yet?”

Chloe sighed. She dropped Hope’s hand and gestured for her to walk with her. “James wants to wait to get a ring.”

A startled laugh escaped from Hope’s lips. “Your fiancé’s name is James?”

“Yes.”

“I had a fiancé named James once.” Hope couldn’t help but laugh as the two women crossed the street. The full force of the Colorado sunshine beamed down on them as they scurried across the street during a break in traffic. She stopped as they arrived under the shade of the awning over the shops on the other side of the road.

“Why are you laughing? You obviously broke up,” Chloe asked curiously.

Hope shook her head as they walked sedately down the paved sidewalk. “It’s a long story,” she told Chloe, her voice laced with humor.

“Tell,” Chloe insisted.

As she gazed at the woman next to her, Hope’s heart lightened. It felt good to be in the company of another woman who really knew her identity. Other than David, she’d really never had any friends, out of necessity. It was difficult to get close to people when you couldn’t really tell them much about your life. She stayed quiet, kept to herself in Aspen. Even her neighbors didn’t know who she really was, and it had been a very lonely, very solitary existence.

With a deep breath, she told Chloe the story of her fake fiancé, but only revealed the part about wanting to keep her older brothers from interfering in her life. The other woman stopped occasionally, almost bending over with laughter, and commiserated about being from a wealthy family and having overprotective brothers.

By the time the shopping trip was over, Hope felt as if she’d made a new friend, and it felt incredibly good.