by Claire Adams
I laughed, unable to help myself. "I like tart things. It's tart."
"Yes, we know. It will pucker your mouth up like you've sucked on a lemon." She sucked her cheeks in, and I rewarded her with a giggle for her efforts.
"I'm not at all looking forward to this trip. My father and I haven't been close since Mom died."
"Then, maybe now is the time to start working on your relationship with him." She reached out and squeezed my hand. "He's the only parent you have, and he obviously wants time with you, right?"
"I guess. He's forcing it on me. Who does that?"
"Someone who has no other choice." She gave me a knowing look, and I grumbled under my breath, repeating her words like an unruly child.
She laughed and turned onto the freeway, rolling her window down and nodding to mine. "Go ahead and do it. I know you want to."
"Really?" I rolled it down and sat up in my seat. Jessie hated the wind in her hair, but I couldn't think of a better way to live.
"What if all of this was part of the master plan?" she asked.
"What, my Dad dangling a carrot on the end of a string to get me to Aspen for the winter?"
"Yes. What if you meet the man of your dreams and fall madly in love?” She gave me a girlie look, and I gagged dramatically.
"The man of my dreams? He would have to be sexy, sweet, funny, and have a knack for fashion." I shrugged. "Probably not happening — ever. I'll just settle eventually like most people do."
"A knack for fashion?" She laughed and snorted. "What man has a knack for fashion, and while we're on the subject, what the hell is a knack?"
"He exists. I know he does." I shrugged and slipped my hands under my thighs. "My father has a knack for fashion. His ski and snowboard line sells pretty well. With a better color palate to pull from, he could double his profits, but I've told him that until I'm blue in the face."
"So tell him in a different way. Maybe if he sees you in action as a designer yourself, he'll start to respect your opinion a little more. You're still just his little girl. Prove to him that you've grown into an independent woman."
"Why are we talking about my father? Back to the man of my dreams."
She chuckled and nodded. "Yes, continue as you were."
"I want him to be built more like a quarterback than a linebacker, tall, and impossibly handsome."
"So like Seth?"
"Yeah, but brown hair and warm brown eyes. A great laugh, too. Seth's laugh is horrible and seems so fake to me."
"Agreed. He does that shit to get attention. All the football guys do." She tapped the steering wheel as a good song came on the radio. "And he has to like your family."
"Good luck on my Dad, but my brother...yeah. He has to be a good role model, too. Not a drunk or someone who sluts himself out, you know?"
"I think it's okay if he did that in his past, but not now. We're all stupid in our adolescence."
"I wasn't." I gave her a pompous look and stuck my nose in the air.
"You still are like that." She popped me in the shoulder, and I laughed.
I loved a good dark beer and a party as much as the next girl, but sleeping around was out.
"The plan is simple. I'm going to spend December with my Dad, mostly focusing on my little brother, and when it's all over, I'll have a zillion designs drawn up for my clothing line and the money to get rolling on it."
Twenty-five days with my Dad, and the money for my company will be mine. I can do this.
"Then, you'll come back home to us?"
"To you. Yes."
"Not Seth?" Jessie glanced my way.
"Why are you so concerned about Seth?"
"I just think he's a good guy, and you should be careful with his heart. I know he's head over heels for you." She shrugged.
"He wants a trophy wife, Jessie. I'd never be okay with that. I want a partnership with passion. Someone who can support my dreams and still follow their own, too."
"You don't think that's Seth?"
"Not at all. He wants me to support his dreams and smile for the cameras. Ain't happening." I huffed.
"Ain't isn't a word." She laughed and jerked out of my reach as I swatted at her.
"I love you. I'm going to miss you." I squeezed her shoulder as she turned, her eyes full of tears.
"Me, too, but this is going to be amazing for you. I can feel it deep down inside of me."
"And will I return to you after Christmas, oh seer of the future?"
"Absolutely not. You'll be in love and sold on the cold."
"Possibly. Perhaps. Nope, never."
We laughed and enjoyed the silly banter that continued between us through the rest of the night. I would go to Aspen and play my father's absurd games until the time came for me to get back on a plane and return to my life. There was nothing I could possibly find in Colorado that would change my mind.
Not even love.
Chapter Two
Finn
A subtle movement beside me in the bed caused me to wake and shift over to my side. The pretty brunette from last night was watching me in a way I would quickly categorize as stalker-ish.
Great. Another one.
"Morning, baby," she purred softly and reached out, rubbing her fingers down the side of my face.
"Hi, beautiful." It wasn't a lie. She was breathtaking, but it was muted due to her incessant need to talk about herself. I knew every moment from her childhood, her sex life, her dreams, aspirations, favorite color, hobbies, past lovers...you name it, I knew it. Getting my ass up and out of her house was the first thing on my list of things to do.
Unless she wanted to fix me breakfast.
"What are we doing today?"
We? Shit.
"I actually have to go to work in about," I lifted my head in search for a clock, "an hour."
"Let's go have breakfast somewhere, and then after you get off, we'll go shopping or something." She scooted close to me, pressing her breasts against the side of my chest and ran her nose over my earlobe. "Sound fun?"
Ummm...no.
"Let's have breakfast here, and then I'll call you when I get off. My hours are a bit odd, thanks to my boss being a dick." I failed to mention that my old man was my boss. Never seemed to impress women too much.
In my twenty-seven years of whoring around, I’d learned that there were few things that turned a girl off than a full-grown man still tied up with his family. Seemed odd to me, but that's the conclusion I'd come to. It saved me from a lot of awkward situations thereafter, though.
A woman who got too needy or wouldn't let me be? I could just tell them I lived at home with my Daddy and worked shoveling snow for him for a living. Nothing like real life to turn a girl around and have her gathering her shit from the floor as fast as possible.
It wasn't right, but it was what it was. They took what they wanted, and I got a moment of warmth out of the deal.
"Yeah, okay." She slid her hand down my stomach and cupped me in her hand, squeezing softly. "Let's have a little fun before we cook together."
"Oh, baby. You got me all wrong." I rolled away from her and got out of the bed, walking to the bathroom. "I can't cook worth a damn, and sex in the morning isn't fun at all. I need a nap after the way I fuck. Not happening today."
I slipped into the bathroom and locked the door behind me before starting the shower. Turning and leaning against the counter, I examined the dark circles under my eyes and let out a long breath.
This life was getting old, yet it was the only one I knew. No woman wanted a man like me. Not for the long-term.
I shoved my depressing thoughts out of my head and got into the shower, enjoying the hot spray far more than I deserved. I'd spend another night with the pretty girl in the other room just for a chance at another shower like this one. If she could cook, I'd definitely be calling her after work. Besides, she was only visiting Aspen and would be gone in a matter of days. Problem solved.
The handle on the door shook, and I ignored it
. If she came in, she'd want more sex, and while I wasn't one to pass up a good romp in the sheets, I needed to eat and get my ass to work.
My father's business was booming, which was somewhat expected. We'd lived in Aspen my whole life, and we knew just about everyone. Shoveling snow was a necessity for anyone who wanted to go somewhere, and those with money subcontracted out that type of hard labor. I was grateful for the opportunity, but as the years flew past me, I realized how much more I wanted in my life.
It was getting there that was the problem.
I toweled dried myself and wrapped a big, fluffy, white towel around my waist before walking back out into the bedroom. Tiffany or Terri or whatever her name was walked into the bedroom and pulled me close, sliding her fingers through my wet hair and leaning in to kiss and lick at my mouth.
I took hold of her and gave her a kiss that had her sagging against me, pawing at my towel.
"I want more," she murmured against my lips. "Call in sick. Please?"
"Nope. Not even for something as cute as you." I squeezed her pert ass and moved away from her, working to get my t-shirt on before finding my jeans. "We having cereal?"
"No. Turkey bacon and egg whites." She smiled like she'd created something incredible from scratch.
I tried not to show my disdain. Besides, being rude wasn't at all my style. Nefarious? Wicked? Yes. Rude? Hell no.
"Sounds delicious." I dropped my towel, and she moved over, reaching around me to stroke my cock a few times before pulling on it softly.
"Let me taste you one more time, Finn. Then we'll eat."
I glanced at the clock and let out a short sigh. "Yeah. Alright. One more time, but only because you need it. You need it, right?"
"Yes. So bad." She moved to her knees and leaned in, taking me in her mouth as she slid her hands up my thighs and latched onto my hips. I was a big guy, but she seemed to have been with a few of us. Her moans filled the air as I hardened. She picked up her pace, and I groaned loudly.
"Good, you eat, and I'll get mine in a minute." I stroked her hair and closed my eyes as heat rose deep in my belly.
My phone buzzed, and I hated to stop her, but my Dad was an asshole without reason. To give him one just meant my life would be hell for another day.
"Hold up, baby girl." I pulled away from her as she pouted.
The text was from my old man. He needed me in early and wanted me to grab donuts for the guys.
"Shit." I grumbled and reached for her, helping her to her feet and kissing her once more before tugging my jeans on. "They need me in now. I'll call you tonight."
"Give me your number, and I'll text you today."
"Nope. I'd be hard all day. Not happening." I popped her ass and jogged for the door. "Thanks for last night. Best night of my life."
"Me, too!" she yelled after me.
I grabbed a piece of turkey bacon from the plate on my way by and spit it out in the yard before chucking the rest out in the large, snowed-over parking lot at her place.
"Disgusting. Turkey bacon? What the hell is that?"
I got in my truck and turned on the radio. I wasn't interested in commitment. It never turned out well for me, anyway. Sex was all they were getting and all I was asking for.
Don't like it? Fuck off.
* * * *
"You're late." My father looked up from his desk in the back of the warehouse.
I lifted the bags of donuts and shrugged. "You asked for breakfast and told me to come in an hour early."
"That doesn't change the fact that you're late. Go drop those off in the kitchen and hand out schedules for today. Then, come see me."
He handed me a stack of schedules. Each guy would be given two or three locations to shovel or plow, and if they got done early, they just called in for more. My dad glanced back down, and I stood there for a minute more before turning and doing what was asked of me.
My dad’s dark hair was buzz cut and his eyes dark blue, which made him look like a military man with a kiss my ass attitude. It was pretty close to the truth, and he was a good looking old guy, but he never dated. My mom had been dead for over ten years, and where I still missed her, he was still lost in the pain of losing her. I had tried a million times to set him up with some of the middle-aged women in the town. They were more than willing, but he wasn't. Shame, really.
"Here's your donuts and your schedules, you bitches."
I walked into the break room and got a warm reception. It was the food, no doubt. My father had ten to twelve guys working for him — some of them friends of mine from high school, but mostly transients.
The majority of my friends had gone to college or off to the military, but as my father's only child, I figured he needed someone he could trust to help run his ever-expanding business. Too bad he didn't seem to like me most days.
"Hey, donut boy." Cliff, one of the older guys, walked up and extended his schedule toward me. "I'll pay you fifty bucks to switch schedules. I need to use a mover today. Pulled my back out yesterday working on that damn tree Martha gets every year."
I tugged the schedule from his fingers and gave him mine as I growled. "Damn. All of these are shovellings."
"Yep. Sucks. Being the new guy on the crew means kissing a few asses to get a decent schedule. I'm not an ass kisser, so welcome to my world."
"Not sure my dad would want your ugly lips on his ass anyway." I laughed as he popped me in the chest. "Keep your money, old man. I'm good right now."
"You sure, Finn? I don't mind paying for the switch."
"Naw. It's good. You have three kids at home, and it's almost Christmas. Use that on them. I'm alright right now. Honestly."
He patted me on the back, and I grabbed three donuts and a napkin before returning to my dad's office.
"You want one?" I lifted my hand to show two of the donuts hanging from my fingers.
"No. I want them both." He reached out and took them, giving me a wicked smile and shoving a whole one in his mouth. "Sit."
"Shit?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.
"No. Sit," he mumbled around the donut and reached for his massive mug of coffee that went wherever he did.
"No shit?"
I sat down and smiled, unable to help myself. It was rare for my father to be in a good mood, and he wasn't that morning, either, but I'd take anything I could get.
"Did Cliff talk with you?"
"Yes, sir. I switched with him."
"And, he's paying you to do that, right?" My father lifted his eyebrow.
"He wanted to, but I'm good. He's got kids at home, and I don't mind the manual labor. Keeps me in shape for the ladies." I rubbed my chest and wagged my eyebrows.
"You moved out two months ago and have had to borrow money each month to make your rent. You need to stop being so damn nice and start getting paid for all of these favors, Finn. A real businessman makes money, not gives it away."
I nodded. "I know, I just couldn't take it from him. I'll pay you back. I'll pick up a few extra days on the schedule."
"That'll work." My father glanced down before looking back up at me like he had something else to say.
"What?"
"You spending Christmas at the house?"
"Of course, Dad. I'll be there on Christmas Eve and that morning. Don't expect nothing big, though. My boss is a stingy mother fucker." I stood up and leaned over, rustling some of the papers on his desk.
"Get out of here. Pain in my ass." He kept his face turned down, but I could see the hint of a smile on his lips. It made my day.
I stopped by the supply room, stole a pair of thick gloves and lifted three shovels from the bin that held them before walking back out into the freezing cold wind. We'd had a great snow a few days back, which was kick ass for the slopes and the tourists, but for those of us who worked and lived on the big mountain, not so much.
"Be safe out there, Finn," Milly called to me as she walked out of the front door of the warehouse.
My dad's secretary would
have made him a perfect girlfriend, but he saw her as a business associate and nothing else. The woman was beautiful, with long blonde hair that she braided down one side of her shoulder and big blue eyes. Her body was a little on the thick side, but curvy and feminine. If she wasn't twenty years my senior and so good to my father, I'd have already taken her to bed.
"Yes, ma'am. Take care of my father? Make sure the old bat eats something healthy today."
"Will do, baby. Just be safe."
I smiled and climbed into the truck. I had to find a way to get them together soon. Milly was starting to grow restless in life and would do what most women who didn't get what they wanted did...she'd leave and find it elsewhere. That would be a huge loss for my father.
I popped my cellphone into the hands-free device and hit the button for my best friend Brian before turning on my lights and windshield wipers. The snow had started to fall again, which would make for a long and painfully cold day.
"Hey, buddy. Why are you calling me so damn early? Not all of us work our asses off for a hot meal and warm body to sleep next to."
I shook my head at the bastard. "Right. I forgot that some of us sleep with men in suits to make millions. Remind me next time you've got your head up some old guy’s ass and I'm fucking the hottest thing in Aspen. Who's got it better?”
"Point taken," Brian laughed. "What's up? You wanna grab a beer tonight?"
"Maybe tomorrow. I have a full schedule today and had a long night last night."
"Did you score with that Terri girl?"
"Was that her name? I kept having to call her baby because I couldn't remember. Embarrassing."
I turned down a long back street that had more snow than I should have been able to traverse through, but having done it all my life, it was nothing new.
"Man whore."
"You know it." I pulled off into the driveway and left the truck running idle. "Are we getting together with the guys next weekend?"
"Yeah. Jared's bachelor party is here, remember? They fly in Saturday morning, but he's gotta go see his folks for most of the day. Let's plan on taking him to the club that night. Play a few games with the old bastard.”