Campbell laughed at the mention of Parker’s college mascot. “Oh, no, you’re much more of a Wisconsin Badger, don’t you think?” The dog whimpered in response and tried to burrow farther into her coat.
Parker shook her head playfully. “I think I’m outnumbered.” Then she patted the puppy’s head. “Okay, Badger it is.”
“When did you get him?” Campbell still marveled at the thoughtfulness of Parker’s gift. The puppy was so perfect, so personal, so much more than just a present.
“After we skied yesterday. I’d been thinking about it before, but after you saved me on the slopes once again I couldn’t resist. Since St. Bernards are search-and-rescue dogs, and since I’ve gotten very attached to my rescuer, I decided you should have one, too.”
Campbell’s chest ached as emotions welled up in her. If Parker kept saying things like that, Campbell would never remember why falling for her was a bad idea. The moment was so perfect that she didn’t know what to say, so she did the only thing that felt natural and moved toward Parker. Still holding the puppy in the crook of her arm, she lowered her head and brushed her lips across Parker’s cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered in her ear.
She meant to leave it at that. She hadn’t intended to take it further, but after she felt the soft warmth of Parker’s skin, her pulse accelerated. She broke the contact and searched the depths of Parker’s eyes. She was waiting for a reaction, a warning, any indication that she shouldn’t do what she was about to. Instead, she saw only an invitation. With little more than a breath between them, she couldn’t bear to pull away, so she neared once more.
This time her lips skimmed the corner of Parker’s mouth and then she shifted, searching for more until their lips came fully together. She barely had time to register what she had done before she realized that not only was she kissing Parker, but Parker was kissing her back.
The kiss was slow, tentative, as though neither of them was completely certain it was actually happening. Gradually their lips parted and the kiss deepened. Campbell thought briefly that she was falling, floating. Any doubt she had left evaporated as she surrendered completely to the wave of warmth that surged through her entire body.
Aching for more, she reached up with her free hand and curled it around the back of Parker’s neck, pulling her closer, but the puppy blocked their connection and wriggled and whimpered in protest, so they broke apart.
“Wow,” Parker murmured.
“Yeah.” Campbell was unsure of any other way to convey the gravity of what had just occurred. “Wow.”
“Do you want to come inside?” Parker asked, resting her back against the door as if trying to regain her balance. She seemed as unsteady as Campbell felt.
“Yes, I want that very much,” Campbell said honestly as her body cried out, every nerve ending buzzing with arousal, “and that’s why I’d better not.”
Parker gave a reluctant sigh. “You’re probably right.”
“I’ll see you when you get back from Chicago?” Campbell couldn’t imagine waiting that long to feel Parker’s mouth on her own again.
Parker nodded, and her sweet smile melted Campbell’s heart. If she didn’t leave immediately she’d end up doing something she couldn’t undo. Parker was smart, and sexy, and oh so alluring standing there in the doorway. It would be so easy to give in to the urge to take her in her arms and take her bed, but Campbell knew there would be hell to pay afterward.
Parker clearly wasn’t interested in sharing the life Campbell dreamed of, and Campbell knew too well the heartache that came from turning her back on everything she cared about to attempt to please a woman. She could try to be someone else, but in the end she’d always fall short, leaving them both unhappy.
So as hard as it was to turn down Parker’s invitation, Campbell summoned all the strength left in her and got in her truck.
Just before she closed the door, Parker called out, “Have a merry Christmas.”
Campbell couldn’t help but say, “I already have.”
Chapter Fifteen
Every detail of the elegant interior of the Lockwood restaurant said old money, from the plush upholstery to the crystal chandeliers to the impeccably dressed clientele. The restaurant was located in the Palmer House, one of the most luxurious hotels in the heart of Chicago’s Loop district. Parker was spending Christmas morning having brunch with Alexis before she went to a formal gathering of her parents’ business associates and Alexis attended a political function at the governor’s private residence on the lakeshore.
The opulence of her surroundings constantly reminded her how far she was from the rustic lodge at Bear Run, and Parker wondered what it was all worth in the grand scheme of things. Were the people in this restaurant happier than the people at Bear Run? Did they lead better lives? Did they leave a legacy any more powerful than the ones the Carsons left their children? It was difficult to imagine any of them enjoying their holiday more than she had during those few moments she and Campbell exchanged gifts. The skis weren’t the biggest or most expensive present she’d ever received, but she couldn’t think of any that had been more precious.
“Merry Christmas, darling,” Alexis said, raising her crystal champagne flute and bringing Parker out of her philosophical musing. Parker’s best friend was stunning, a blonde with hypnotic green eyes that stood out against her porcelain skin. Her voice carried the slight lilt so common among Chicago’s North Shore elite. Her black slacks, cream-colored blouse, and sling-back heels held labels that read like a who’s who of the world’s most prestigious designers. She would easily be mistaken for a debutante or trophy wife, except for the wicked wit and sharp tongue she exercised on anyone who dared make such an assumption.
“Merry Christmas, Alexis.” Parker sipped her mimosa.
“Oh, God, I have missed you,” Alexis said dramatically. “You really are the only person in my life who’s neither an idiot nor a bore. Everyone else I know is either proficient or fun, but never both.”
“I find that hard to believe.” Parker laughed. “You know every major player in Chicago’s business, government, and fashion industries.”
“Yes, and business is boring, fashion is dim-witted, and politics is, well, let’s just say that it has certainly made for the strangest of bedfellows lately.”
“Oh, no.” Parker leaned a little closer. “Whose wife have you been sleeping with lately?”
“No one’s wife.” Alexis pretended to be offended, then cracked a mischievous grin. “Now, the deputy mayor’s mistress, on the other hand…”
“Seriously?” Parker asked, though she wasn’t surprised. “She has legs that go up to here.” She indicated her chin.
“And they are absolutely divine,” Alexis agreed. “However, I’m not sure they are worth the bitter divorce and political fallout that the deputy mayor is most certainly headed for.”
“He’ll bounce back. The men always do,” Parker said, feeling more sadness than venom.
“Hmm.” Alexis nodded reflectively. They were likely thinking of the same man, the one responsible for Parker’s career change and all the transformations that were coming about because of it.
Parker wasn’t surprised that being back in Chicago brought all her misgivings about her former occupation back to the surface. Old demons seemed to lurk around every corner. She had yet to run into any of her old acquaintances who weren’t tied to her political downfall in one way or other, and the afternoon gathering at her parents’ house was likely to offer more of the same.
“Anyway,” Alexis waved dismissively, “enough of that. It’s Christmas. We should be celebrating.”
“Right,” Parker said resolutely. “Happy topics.”
“I’m dying to see this little mountain of yours,” Alexis said, referencing the Blow-Off Bash that would have Chicago and Bear Run colliding in just over a week.
“It’ll be a little surreal to have everyone from here, up there,” Parker admitted.
“You sound nervous.”
<
br /> “I guess I am. The last time I saw most of those women was before the whole ordeal,” Parker said, referring to the unhappy topic they had just agreed to avoid.
“No one blames you for what happened,” Alexis said softly.
“Maybe not for what happened, but they certainly think I overreacted to the whole thing.” Strangely, the people with all the details about what had happened—who knew about every underhanded move and dirty trick—still thought she was out of her mind to give up a prime campaign slot when Campbell, who didn’t even know the half of it, seemed to accept her decision as though it were the most logical and sane thing possible. Alexis was the only other person she knew who supported her.
“Well, some people don’t share your moral caliber, but I say fuck ’em.” Alexis grinned. “And to one in particular, good riddance to bad trash.”
“Alexis, let it go. I know Mia will probably be there, and I’m fine with that.” She noted the hint of resignation that had replaced the sadness she used to feel when she mentioned her ex. “Really, I’ve moved on.”
“Right, we’ve moved on to a mountain that comes complete with its own lesbian ski instructor.”
Parker flushed involuntarily and tried to hide her reaction by focusing on her eggs Benedict.
“Please tell me there’s something about the mountain that just made you blush,” Alexis said seriously, “because if it was the mere mention of your ski instructor, you’ve failed to tell me something, and I know you wouldn’t keep any juicy details from your best friend.”
“It’s probably nothing,” Parker answered. At least it might not have meant anything to Campbell, she told herself. She, on the other hand, hadn’t been able to think of anything else for the past few days. Even now the dull throb of arousal pulsed though her when she remembered the kiss they’d shared. She knew it was a bad idea to let herself fall for Campbell, even temporarily. It would complicate matters both at work and in relation to her long-term plans. She didn’t want to be pinned down, at least not metaphorically. She had a sudden mental image of Campbell holding her down on the bed while she did all sorts of delicious things to her, and her body reacted accordingly. She shook her head in a futile attempt to clear it and said, “I mean it. It’s nothing.”
“What, may I ask then, is this ‘nothing’ you’re referring to?”
“We just gave each other our Christmas presents, and she kissed me, and then she went home and I came here.” Parker rattled off the abbreviated sequence of events, trying not to put too much emphasis on the kiss, despite the fact that she could still feel Campbell’s lips claim hers. Just thinking about it sent goose bumps up her arms. Why couldn’t she get Campbell out of her head? All they’d done was kiss.
“She kissed you where?” Alexis asked coolly.
“On the mouth,” Parker answered. “Well, on the cheek, and then on the mouth.”
“I should hope it was on the mouth, dear. I meant where were you when this happened?”
“Oh.” Parker flushed again. “We were standing outside my apartment.”
“And then she dragged your sexy ass inside and had her way with you?” Alexis asked expectantly.
“No, then she said Merry Christmas and left.”
“She’s sexy, right?”
“God, yes,” Parker almost gushed. “She’s got this gorgeous mane of golden-brown hair that curls up at the ends, and blue eyes you could drown in.”
“Tight body? Firm ass?” Alexis prodded.
“Uh-huh.”
“And kisses like a wet dream?”
Parker let out an exasperated sigh. “Yes, are you trying to torture me?”
“Just trying to get a visual here so I can understand why the hell you didn’t invite her inside and rip her clothes off.”
“I did,” Parker exclaimed, a bit too loudly, attracting the attention of a few other patrons. She lowered her voice. “I mean we didn’t, but not for lack of trying on my part. I asked her to come in, but she said no.”
Alexis’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you sure she’s really a lesbian?”
“Yes, I’m sure. All other evidence aside, there’s no way a straight woman could kiss like that.”
“Okay, okay.” Alexis took another sip of her champagne. “I just can’t think of another logical reason why any hot-blooded lesbian wouldn’t jump at the chance to ravish that sexy body of yours.”
“Oh, she wanted to.” Parker smiled at the memory of the way Campbell’s breath caught when their lips met, and the anguish in her eyes when she turned to leave. Yes, Campbell had wanted it as badly as Parker had. She was almost certain of that, which made it even harder to focus on anything else. “Trust me, we both wanted to.”
“And yet, no sex was had, darling. Something isn’t adding up here.”
“Yes, it is. It all adds up, Alexis.” Parker sighed. “She’s been hurt, and so have I. We both need to work through a lot of things. She’s my colleague. I’m not sure what I want from life in the future, and she isn’t likely to trust anyone with her heart anytime soon. If anything’s going to happen, and that’s a big if, it won’t be a quick roll in the hay. She’s not like that. She’s, well, she’s a gentleman.”
“And are you seriously thinking about sticking around to play Waltons Mountain with your own little lesbian family man?” Alexis asked seriously.
“To be honest with you,” Parker replied, “I know it sounds crazy, but I haven’t been able to think of anything else since the moment her lips touched mine.”
Alexis studied her for a moment, then said, “Well, then, this is something I’m simply going to have to see to believe.”
*
Campbell slowed the lift as a father and his young daughter approached. The girl was about six years old and was obviously breaking in her Christmas present, a brand-new bright purple snowboard. The mountain was full of people just like them, families decked out in new gear and giddy with the excitement of the holiday. Christmas was a big day at Bear Run with all the locals itching to try out their newest toys. A fair number of vacationers were also making use of the inn and cabins for their Christmas getaways. While the entire Carson family spent the afternoon working in order to give some of the staff the flexibility to be with their own families, they also made the most of their time off the slopes.
A traditional Carson Christmas consisted of Christmas Eve with the entire extended family attending church, something Campbell had missed over the past few years. While not particularly religious, she loved the golden candlelight and familiar hymns that accompanied the service. After church everyone congregated at her parents’ house to exchange presents. Lynn had never wanted to spend the night, so it had been a while since Campbell had seen her cousins open the gifts she bought them. This year she made up for all those missed holidays by giving them several years’ worth of presents, but the fun she’d had playing with the kids was worth it.
Christmas morning was more intimate, spent with Sammy and her parents before the slopes opened at noon. They shared a big breakfast of decadent pastries and hot chocolate while checking out their stockings and a few extra gifts always labeled “from Santa” even after they passed into adulthood. This was the only part of the ritual she had been present for lately, and while Lynn had conceded that sliver of the holiday with her family, Campbell had been tense knowing that Lynn didn’t really want to be there.
This year Campbell allowed herself to relax and savor every minute of those family traditions. She was home for Christmas, in the place she loved, surrounded by the people she loved. It had been everything she’d wanted it to be, everything she’d longed for during those years away, and everything she’d looked forward to when she finally returned home. The holiday had been virtually perfect, so why was she sitting at the base of the lift thinking about the one thing that was missing?
“Hey, Cam,” Sammy called as he slid to a stop next to her. He was on his snowboard and wearing a new coat and boots that he’d gotten the night before. His head
was uncovered, his sandy brown hair a windblown mess.
“Hi, Sam. What’s up?”
He nodded toward the lift. “It’s closing time. Go ahead and shut her down.”
Campbell glanced at her watch. She’d been so lost in thought she hadn’t noticed the sun dropping below the horizon. No matter how hard she tried, she hadn’t been able to get Parker off her mind all day, or all week for that matter. She had mentally replayed that kiss ever since it happened, but that hadn’t done anything to lessen the effect the memory had on her. Just thinking about it now made her warm all over.
She absentmindedly powered down the lift and locked the control booth, then whistled for Badger, who had fallen asleep under a tree a few yards away. The pup immediately woke and looked up at her, then yawned and stretched before flopping back into the snow. Campbell and Sammy both went over to pet him.
“Parker sure did a good job picking him out,” Sammy said as they started up the hill toward home. Sammy had fallen in love with Badger immediately, and the pup spent as many hours following Sammy as he did Campbell. They were taking turns letting him out between their classes, and Badger had ridden in the groomer with one of them every night that week. “He’s the perfect little ski-patrol dog.”
“Yeah.” Campbell smiled. “He certainly loves being out in the snow.”
“So have you heard from Parker since she left?” he asked nonchalantly.
“No. Why would I?” Campbell tried not to sound jumpy. She hadn’t told Sammy about the kiss, but she sensed that he knew something was up.
“No reason.” He shrugged. “I just thought that maybe, I don’t know, you guys have been getting pretty close lately.”
You have no idea, Campbell thought. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to talk to Sammy. She just didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t sure where her relationship with Parker stood. At least now she knew their attraction wasn’t one-sided, judging from the way Parker returned the kiss—but attraction didn’t mean the same thing to everyone.
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