Mia crept closer to Sera, and she whined instead. Mia was able to sit down on the bed and pet her head, but the dog wouldn’t budge an inch.
“Don’t bother him. She can stay here until he comes back. I’ll leave a note on the door.”
“Are you sure?”
“I have a whole book to read. I’ll be up late. Don’t worry about it.”
Frankie wiggled his eyebrows at her. “And I’ll be sure to be the one to bring you both breakfast in bed tomorrow.”
Mia shoved Frankie in the shoulder. “Would you stop? I have zero intention of starting anything with him.”
“You know what they say about intentions…”
Mia scrawled a quick note and handed it to Frankie. “Can you put this on his door?”
“Sure thing. Have a fun night.” He winked and left her room.
Mia opened the door to the bathroom, and her mouth dropped. It smelled like a desert bar. Pink bubbles floated in the tub, and a bottle of chocolate wine chilled on ice. A chocolate-rimmed glass sat next to it, and a plate with chocolate-covered strawberries perched on the other side of the tub.
Mia grabbed a book from her suitcase, stripped off her clothes, and sank into the heavenly tub. Sera stuck her nose over the edge.
“Oh no. No doggies in the tub.”
Sera snuffled and curled up on the rug.
This was vacation.
Chapter Six
Tristan grabbed the note off his door. It was scrawled in distinctive female handwriting.
He read it and chuckled. This woman thought she was being all subtle, but he knew better. That bath must’ve worked better than he thought. He knocked softly.
“Hang on,” her voice called.
She answered the door hastily wrapped in a dark brown robe. Water still dripped down her legs.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your bath.”
“No, it’s okay. I fell asleep.”
“That good, huh?”
She flushed. “Yeah. Thank you. It was incredible.”
Sera peered around Mia’s legs, which looked much more attractive naked than they had in those mom jeans.
“How’d she end up here?”
Mia sighed. “She ran in after her walk with Frankie and then growled at him every time he got close to her.”
“Sounds like Sera. Thanks for taking care of her.”
“She’s a good dog.”
“Come on, Sera. It’s time for bed.”
Sera ran away into the bedroom, and Mia stepped back. “Looks like you’ll be carrying her out of here.”
Tristan smelled the chocolate coming out of the bathroom. It wasn’t one of his favorites, but women loved it. He noticed an open suitcase full of books and studied the titles. Not a trashy romance among them. Well, there went that one. She hadn’t been giving him any vibes that she wanted him to stay, and her choice of literature pretty much confirmed it.
He picked up a whining Sera and headed for the door. “Thanks again.”
“No problem.”
He brought Sera into his room and took off his shirt. He should be tired, but he was having trouble clearing his head. Mia and the smell of chocolate haunted him. She’d been hard to resist, but she wasn’t the type to just sleep with him and forget him. She’d want something real.
Women who were into books never wanted a one-night stand. It was actually the first question he asked in a bar—Movies or books?
But her bright green eyes and deep red hair wouldn’t get out of his head.
Chapter Seven
Mia stared up at the white slopes. Drew had scheduled her ski lessons, and she wasn’t about to let the money he spent go to waste. She was going to hate it, that much she was sure of, but then the next time someone asked her to go skiing, she could answer with conviction. She fumbled with the skis. She was supposed to meet her instructor here.
She felt like a fool with a snowsuit on and silly glasses.
The door next to her flung open, and she looked up expectedly. But it was only a group of skiers all wearing expensive, sleek snowsuits, and no one had those silly glasses on yet.
She recognized Tristan at once, and she ducked her head. She didn’t want him to see her. One of the women in the group shoved Tristan on the shoulder, and he laughed. He scooped up some snow and threw it at the woman’s retreating back. It hit her dead on. She gasped and spun around. Tristan dropped his skis and ran right toward Mia.
The woman threw another snowball, and Tristan ducked. The snow hit Mia right in the face.
“Oh shit,” Tristan muttered, standing up. He trudged over to Mia. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it would get you.”
Mia brushed the snow off her nose. “It’s okay.”
“Mia?” Tristan asked.
“Yeah.”
He eyed her bulky worn coat and bibs. She was certain she wasn’t nearly as attractive as she was last night. But a librarian couldn’t afford a brand new snowsuit for such a short vacation.
He chuckled. “We keep running into one another. You waiting for someone?”
“Yeah.”
He nodded and looked as if he wanted to say something else. “Maybe I’ll see you on the slopes.”
“Maybe.” Mia couldn’t seem to find her words around him.
“I’m really sorry about the snow. I’ll make sure to get Jessica back for you.”
A young Asian guy walked up. “You Mia?” he asked.
“Yep.”
“I’m Jeff. I’ll be your instructor.”
Tristan smirked. “You ever been skiing before?”
Mia shook her head.
“Well, then I take it back. I won’t see you on the slopes. Good luck today.” He gave her a sexy crooked grin. She couldn’t tell if he was making fun of her or just stating the fact.
He turned around, scooped up some snow, and chucked it at Jessica. She squealed and tackled him. Man, that guy got around. Mia wondered how many women he had on his beck and call on this trip alone.
“We should get going,” Jeff said. Mia jerked her head around and gave a stiff nod.
“We should.”
She studied the mountain Tristan and his friends headed up. It stretched so far into the sky that the skiers coming down looked like tiny ants on a pile of sugar. She and Jeff would have to stick to the smallest hill they could find.
As soon as they were on the ski lift, she started breathing heavily. She gripped her poles and grabbed the arm of the chair with the other. This had been a mistake. She didn’t want to try skiing.
“Are you okay?” Jeff asked.
“I will be, once we start going.” She choked down her fear. It was just lessons. She wasn’t attempting any death-defying stunts or going down an impossible trail. Still she had to force herself to calm down.
Skiing was definitely on Mia’s never-again list. She fell more often than she stayed on the skis, and she only made it down the small slope once without falling. Her whole body ached. At one point Jeff took her to the kid’s slope. She’d made it down okay, but then, when she held the rope that pulled her to the top, she’d managed to fall again. There were some small kids behind her, and they’d laughed at her and went around.
Jeff finally came to her rescue, but she didn’t want to do it anymore. She thanked him for his time and told him she was done.
Mia was kidding herself that trying new things might be fun. She fully planned on spending the rest of her vacation in her room, doing nothing but reading. She thought about taking another bath in that divine tub, but collapsed on her bed instead.
It was only five. She couldn’t go to bed now, but maybe she could take a little nap. She curled into a ball and wondered what it would be like to have Tristan here with her.
What a pipe dream.
Chapter Eight
The restaurant was noisy and crowded, but Tristan and his friends still managed to snag a table for eight. The hundred-dollar tip probably helped. One whole wall of the restaurant was a large
fish tank, and several exotic fish swam back and forth. They’d put Christmas accents inside, like a Santa Claus wearing Bermuda shorts and little Christmas trees next to the castles.
Tristan looked around at his friends. The day had been spectacular. The snow was fresh, and he and his friends fell right back into the ease of conversation like they always did. Sure, it wasn’t terribly deep, but he still enjoyed it.
This was the fifth Christmas Jessica had spent with them and a first for Liz. He liked them both, but he was more comfortable with Jessica.
“Adam tells me you’re a mechanic,” he said to Liz.
She set down her glass of wine. “Yeah, but I don’t really get my hands dirty much anymore. Running a business is a lot of work.”
Adam took her hand. “Especially when you’re good at it. Do you know she’s going to open up three more shops next year?”
“Impressive.” Three was ambitious for even experienced businessmen. Liz must really know her stuff.
Liz chuckled. “Adam’s money helps. I miss being covered in grease though.”
“I miss that too,” Adam said and wiggled his brows.
Liz was good for Adam. She brought him out of his shell. He’d seen more of Adam’s personality this year than he normally did.
“Selfie time,” Adam said. He was probably the only one of them with an active Instagram account. Tristan didn’t see the point, but he still followed all his friends. They scooted close together, and Adam snapped the picture. Then he planted one on Liz and took another.
Seth nudged his shoulder. “So what’s the lady situation like this year?”
“Always a few of those around.”
“You’re holding out on me. Come on, surely you’ve met one or two.”
“There’s a blonde hanging around. Her name is Tara. Be careful though, she invited me to have dinner with her family.”
Seth winced.
“Also, next door is a pretty redhead named Mia. I don’t know what her deal is.”
“I like redheads.” Seth winked.
“If we see her around, I’ll introduce you.” Tristan was conflicted on Mia. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to hook up with her first or not. There was something intriguing about her.
“You’re the man.”
Conner held up his glass. “To another great holiday season.”
They all followed.
Jessica clapped her hands together. “Time for favorite Christmas memories.”
Tristan rolled his eyes. Jessica was always trying to get them to be all sentimental. He played along, but only because Conner would get upset if Tristan told his wife to stop with all the girly stuff.
“I’ll start,” Jessica continued. “My favorite Christmas memory is when Seth tried to pick up a girl on the slopes and then found out she was only seventeen.”
Seth tugged at his collar. “Her dad gave me a black eye.”
“How about the time we went snowmobiling up in Mackinac, and Jamie got stuck in a snow bank,” Conner said.
Jessica frowned. “I don’t remember that one.”
“That’s because it was a few years before we met. We were all jerks and just left him there.”
Adam guffawed. “We were going to make him walk back to Lukas’s house, but then Delilah took pity on him.” He looked like he swallowed something sour. “Oh, sorry, man.”
Tristan’s stomach clenched, and he met Grayson’s eyes, who immediately looked away.
The whole table went quiet, and no one would look him in the eye. “Excuse me.”
He set his napkin on the table and rushed to the bathroom. He splashed water on his face. It’d been six years, but her name still hurt. No one ever used it. He was pretty good at keeping her memories at bay when he was with his friends. He loved how they kept him at a distance, but still had a good time. It was the closest he got to human connection, and he liked it that way. Being close to people meant feeling pain when you lost them.
The door opened, and Conner eyed the bathroom. “All clear,” he said, and Jessica slipped past him. The door shut, leaving him and Jessica alone.
She hopped onto the counter. “You okay?”
He shook his head.
“You want to talk about it?”
“No. Definitely not.”
“Have you talked to anyone? A therapist maybe?”
“No. That’s what the ocean is for.”
“But you can’t keep it bottled up. It’s been six years. You shouldn’t still react to her name that way.”
Jessica meant well, but she didn’t know what she was saying. “I know you’re a therapist, but I’m fine.” He wiped his face off with paper towels. “Come on, let’s go before you get busted for being in the men’s room.” He held the door open for her, and she looked like she wanted to say something more, but she didn’t.
Back at the table, Seth was trying to see if he could get croutons in Adam’s drink. Grayson had already disappeared. Tristan didn’t blame him.
“Score,” Seth yelled, pumping his fist in the air.
Adam fished the crouton out and threw it back, hitting Seth square on the forehead. All was well in their world again. The waitress came, and they all ordered.
“David?” A woman had stopped right next to him. She was older, with short gray hair and fine lines, but she held herself well.
David jerked around. “Carol Ann, what are you doing here?”
She gave him a tight smile and indicated the man next to her. “Just spending the holidays with my fiancé.” Her voice had a thick southern accent.
“Congratulations,” he said curtly.
“Thank you. Maybe we’ll see each other around.”
David swallowed. “Yeah, maybe.”
Her fiancé tugged on her arm. “Dear, our table.”
She gave David another smile and then followed her fiancé.
“Who was that?” Seth asked.
“A judge.” David rubbed his eyes.
“I’m sensing a history…”
“Nope. Absolutely not.” He clenched his drink a little too tight.
“You protest too much. You need more alcohol. We’ll have that story before the night is over.” Seth chuckled and waved the waitress over.
Mia was scared awake from a thud in the hallway. Darkness had fallen, and she yawned and sat up. Moonlight shone in little ribbons on the mountains, lighting up the slopes. How long had she slept? She pulled out her phone. Midnight. She wasn’t in the mood for reading. She needed something to do with her hands and checked out the cupboards. The kitchen was fully stocked with cooking utensils and mixing bowls. She just needed ingredients.
She chewed on her bottom lip and called downstairs. An unfamiliar female voice answered.
“Is there a twenty-four-hour grocery nearby?”
“Yep. If you head down twenty-two, there should be a Walmart on the left.”
“Thank you.”
And thank you, twenty-four-hour Walmart.
She threw on a pair of leggings and an oversized sweatshirt, not even bothering with a bra, and slipped out her door to raucous laughter. Tristan and his friends were standing near the elevator.
Maybe she should go back inside. But one of the guys spotted her.
“Wow, you weren’t kidding, were you?” he said way too loud and hit Tristan on the shoulder. He bounded over to her. He looked younger than Tristan, but still handsome in a boyish way. “Tristan’s been holding out on us. I’m Seth.”
“Mia.”
“Beautiful name for a beautiful lady. You here alone?”
Mia was nervous to answer that question.
“You’re drunk. Why don’t you leave Mia alone?” Tristan inserted himself between Mia and Seth.
Seth put a finger on the side of his nose. “Ah, I see. You already have dibs. We’ll see about that.”
He turned back to Mia. “Your choice, sweetheart. Which one would you rather go to bed with? Me or him?”
Mia flushed. Her answer would absol
utely be Tristan, but there was no way in hades she was going to say that out loud.
“Seth, it’s time for bed.” Tristan rolled his eyes.
Seth wiggled his eyebrows at her. “I know. Her room is closer.”
Another guy came over and put his arm around Seth. “Come on, buddy, your room is this way.”
Seth didn’t argue as he was led away.
“Sorry about him,” Tristan said through clenched teeth.
Mia gave him a tight smile. “No worries. Excuse me.”
She moved past him and punched the button to the elevator. A few of his friends were still chatting, but they didn’t pay any attention to her.
Tristan wanted to call after Mia and find out where she was going this time of night, but after Seth, he was afraid anything more would just be weird. He didn’t know when this redhead had gotten into his head, but she sure had. Though that could be the alcohol talking. He might not be as wasted as Seth, but he’d had more than normal.
He hadn’t thought about a woman like that since… no, no way. He wouldn’t go there with another woman. He must be drunker than he thought he was.
He pushed open his door and collapsed on the couch next to Sera. She stuck her cold nose into his cheek. He pushed her away, pulled out his phone, and clicked on the folder marked “Delilah.” Normally, he’d only look at these pictures when he was home alone and felt like being miserable, but she’d definitely been on his mind since Adam mentioned her name.
She was so beautiful. Most pictures showed her blonde hair in a ponytail, but a few had it down, those soft curls framing her face. These were all pre-cancer and were usually in some exotic locale. He didn’t have any pictures of her after her diagnosis. She didn’t want them. It had been an aggressive brain tumor, and she lasted less than six months after they found out.
A knock sounded on the door. He wiped his eyes.
“Come in,” he called. He’d asked Frankie to take Sera down one more time.
Christmas and Commitment (Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Book 6) Page 3