Snowy Mountain Nights

by Lindsay Evans

  “Then come play with me.”

  His gaze was searing, hotter than the water covering her flesh and even more tempting. Before she knew it, an agreement tumbled from her lips. Satisfaction flashed briefly in his eyes before he stood up and passed her the towel.

  “Don’t think this little playdate means I’m just going to fall into bed with you.” Reyna shot him a look.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” Garrison murmured.

  She slipped from the water and quickly dried herself before pulling on her calf-length parka, socks and boots. She tried not to be self-conscious wearing next to nothing in front of him, but it didn’t quite work. Garrison made her hyperaware of her femininity with the way his eyes devoured every inch of her bared flesh before she had donned the heavy coat.

  But he didn’t touch her or offer to dry her off as she imagined some men would have done. “Where should I meet you?” she asked.

  “I’ll come by your cabin,” he said. At her skeptical look, he shook his head. “No games. You’ll need more time to get ready, and I have to get a few things from my place first.”

  Despite what she thought about Garrison, it never occurred to Reyna that he would try something she didn’t want. She only worried that she would be the one throwing herself at him.

  “Okay,” she agreed. “Meet me in half an hour. I’m in cabin number nineteen.”

  “Good. I’ll see you there.”

  They parted ways on the private walkway toward the more isolated cabins. He continued even farther back, and she watched in surprise as he unlocked the cabin where she and her friends usually stayed. Reyna fumbled her key in the lock, paying more attention to a sudden thought—did he now sleep in one of the beds she’d slept in before?—than getting into her own cabin. She finally opened the door on the third try. By then, Garrison had long disappeared through his door and shut it behind him.

  Idiot.

  But once the thought of him in her bed came, others like it naturally followed.

  She easily imagined him sprawled in the bed where she once slept. Spread out on his back in pajama bottoms—bare-chested, of course—and reading through briefs or whatever it was that workaholic lawyers did on vacation.

  Or did he sleep naked? Reyna stumbled on the perfectly smooth living room floor of her cabin, cheeks burning, even though no one else could see.

  Stop your foolishness, she chided herself.

  In her room, she didn’t waste any time. She quickly showered, smoothed lotion into her skin and dressed in her thickest snow gear. She was sitting on the couch and pulling on her boots when Garrison knocked. He stood in the doorway wearing the same outfit she had just seen him in, except he had goggles perched on his head instead of sunglasses. His gaze skimmed with appreciation over her body.

  She welcomed him in. Thankfully, she and her friends had kept it relatively neat. Only a few items scattered here and there, including the nearly empty liter bottle of Baileys Irish Cream on the kitchen counter, hinted at what they’d been up to since being in the cabin. When Garrison glanced toward the bedrooms, Reyna ignored the speculation in his eyes.

  She grabbed her yellow parka. “Let’s go.”

  He took her to the aerial ski lift. It carried them high into the air, an altitude Reyna was used to from making the journey with her friends. But there was something different about being in the glassed-in car with Garrison. Anticipation curled in her stomach. As if she was about to do something both forbidden and dangerous. Jump off a cliff into the ocean. Take a rocket ship to Venus.

  Reyna smiled at her fanciful thoughts. They sailed above a dizzying drop, high above bright white snow, majestic trees and a few intrepid souls hiking the route. The car, though large enough to hold at least ten people, was nearly empty and swayed with the wind.

  “So where are we going?” she asked. “Should I be worried?”

  A few seconds of silence ticked by. “The days of me hurting you are in the past,” he said.

  She looked away from his intent stare and fiddled with the cuff of her glove. They got off the lift far from the highest peak, where she suspected her friends were. Instead, they made their way through a noisy area with the sound of laughing children, the wind through the trees and excited conversation from more people than Reyna could see. They walked under a sign that said The Tube of Your Life.

  They were going tubing.

  “Are you serious?” She stared at Garrison.

  “You said you wanted to play, so let’s play.” He tipped an eyebrow at her. In Garrison-speak, she was beginning to realize, this amounted to a smile.

  The tubing area was a wide stretch of downhill slope, snow-covered and smooth. Very steep. Eight divided troughs of snow stretched all the way down the hill. The snowbanks between each trough were no more than three feet high. Rubber mats that slowed down the speed of the tubes rested at different intervals near the end of the downhill trail.

  In brightly colored tubes, both children and adults hurtled down the slope at wild speeds, most of the women and children screaming, the men shouting out their macho calls.

  Garrison paid for their tickets and grabbed a bright blue tube for each of them, and they were off.

  “Are you sure about this?” she asked as she stared down the hill in consternation.

  “Absolutely.”

  He smiled, an unexpected flash of white teeth against his clay-colored skin, and held the rubber tube for her to step into. She drew a quick breath, stunned by the beauty of that smile, realizing this was the first time she was seeing it. Reyna smiled back at him.

  She automatically curled her gloved fingers in the straps on the top of the tube, convinced that otherwise she would fall out and break her neck. Garrison climbed into his tube then held on to one of her straps.

  “Ready?”

  “Not really.”

  “Perfect.”

  With his tube in front, he propelled them down the slope. They hurtled down the hill at God knew how many miles per hour while Reyna screamed with the surprise of it all. Snow flew up into her face, cooling her cheeks even more and getting her wet. She screamed while he laughed, and their tubes bumped together. They spun beneath the wildness of the blue sky as more snow flew into her face. Garrison’s deep and booming laughter rained over her like confetti.

  Her tube bumped against the snow wall then stuttered over the rubber stops. Reyna was breathless from her screams and laughter when they hit the bottom of the slope. She struggled out of the tube and to her feet with Garrison’s help.

  “Again?” she asked.

  “As many times as you want.”

  They spent the rest of the morning and afternoon on the mountain, going up and down the slope until Reyna was too exhausted to do it anymore. She was surprised with how accommodating and gentlemanly Garrison was, making sure she was doing all right, checking with both his words and his eyes. Reyna had to keep reminding herself of who he was, what he was and what he had done. The blazing sun of their unexpected snow day threatened to melt all that away.

  “I think I’m done!” She gasped, laughing, when her tube triumphantly bumped to a stop for what had to be the twenty-fifth time at the bottom of the hill. She wasn’t the only one who was done. Around her, a few children were laughingly sprawled out in their tubes while their parents dragged them, tube and all, across the snow.

  Reyna’s face tingled from the cold, and her teeth felt frozen. The muscles from her arms ached from dragging her tube over the snow—she’d insisted, although Garrison offered to carry it for her. But the happiness bubbling inside her, unexpected and pure, made it all worth it.

  Reyna tumbled against Garrison, and he caught her easily, letting go of the strap of his tube. Their gasping breaths frosted the air. Reyna braced her hands on his chest. “That was so much fun.” She dropped her head back and grinned at the sky. The hoodie of her parka fell off her head.

  Garrison pulled it back up with his usual restrained smile. “Good. It’s no less than what I
wanted for you today. The view from your hot tub is beautiful, but I’d much rather have you here like this.” His arms slipped around her waist. “I love the way you laugh.”

  The smile faded from Reyna’s face at the serious look in his eyes. “Garrison, I don’t…” Her voice trailed off into nothing. This was the time for her to tell him to stop touching her, to stop looking at her as if their lovemaking was a forgone conclusion. But the words died in her throat.

  He smelled like fresh air and sweat, pine trees and a hint of the aftershave he had used that morning. A bolt of awareness darted inside Reyna. Up close, his long-lashed eyes were full of emotion, but none that she could name. How could she have thought this man cold and unfeeling?

  Everything around them faded. For Reyna, it was just the two of them and the growing warmth in her belly. She felt an overwhelming need to kiss him.

  His actions completed her thought, cool lips touching hers gently. She sighed and draped her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. Ah. Want snapped between them, the instant spark of desire that picked up where they’d left off the night before. No. Her mind protested, called her a traitor. But her body melted shamelessly for him.

  It was as if they still stood under that snow-laden sky, the evening cold and hard while the passion between them was a hot and honeyed thickness that threatened to drown her.

  His tongue was firm and hot in her mouth, his hands solid on her back. Through the layers of clothes, her body flushed and readied itself to receive him, growing damp and swollen. Reyna whimpered and pressed closer.

  What she had meant to be a shared kiss of celebration, an acknowledgment of the childlike pleasure they shared tumbling down the hill, suddenly became something else. Knee-weakening. Overwhelming. She ached to feel his hands on her. Inside her.

  “I bet they’re on their honeymoon.”

  The too-close voice dragged Reyna abruptly from her fever. She pulled away at the same time Garrison did. His eyes had darkened to nearly black with his desire. He cleared his throat and licked his lips. Reyna fought the urge to do that for him, stroke her tongue along the full curve of his mouth, sink her teeth into the beautiful flesh.

  What’s wrong with me?

  Garrison cleared his throat again, lashes falling down to hide his eyes. When he looked at her again, his expression was calm. He said her name and touched a gloved finger to her cheek. “Let’s go get some hot chocolate.”

  She pressed her damp and swollen lips together. “Okay,” she breathed.

  They left the slopes for the lodge and a table by the fireplace, the same one Reyna and her friends had watched him occupy the day before. She felt pleasantly worn, her muscles stretched and invigorated, especially her smiling muscles. It had been a long time since she’d had that much fun with a man. It had been even longer since she just relaxed and let someone else take control of her day. It felt good. For now, she would ignore what had flared between them at the very end, the nearly overwhelming desire to drag him back to her bed and feast on him until they were both satisfied.

  While Garrison got their drinks, she sat at the table with her mind in turmoil. He was attractive. But he was also the Garrison Richards. Ruthless lawyer. Workaholic. Out of her league. It didn’t seem smart to get involved with him, in any capacity. But it was difficult to forget the way he had handled her sketches and how perfect his lips felt against hers. Reyna’s insides had already melted for him just a little.

  “I hope you don’t mind all this whipped cream. The guys in the kitchen must think you deserve something extra special.” Garrison put a large mug of hot chocolate in front of her. Or she assumed there was some hot chocolate beneath the gorgeous hillock of whipped cream, chocolate chips and trails of fudge. His eyes danced.

  “Oh, my God!” She laughed, nervous about picking up the mug. It looked as if one small breath would tumble the whipped cream all over the table, or over her. “I didn’t even know it was possible to make them this big. I’m scared to drink it.”

  Garrison sat down with his own cup. “Don’t be nervous. It’s all about technique.” He pulled the cup between them. “Come, let me show you.” He invited her with a twitch of his fingers to mimic his movements.

  Reyna giggled. “Really?”

  “Don’t be a coward.”

  He bent his mouth to the dark-and-cream concoction and sucked. His mouth came back with a smear of whipped cream. He effectively licked it away. “Now your turn.”

  She bit her lip, smiling. She was nervous that following his technique might result in inhaling a chocolate chip. Reyna tipped her mouth toward the cup and licked. “Mmm. That’s good.”

  Across from her, Garrison’s face grew hard. His eyes fastened on her lips. Suddenly self-conscious, she licked her mouth and tasted the remnants of whipped cream and fudge. “You’re right, this is much better.” She licked the hill of cream and chocolate chips, sighing in pleasure at the combined flavors on her tongue.

  “I’d respectfully ask you to stop doing that.” His voice was a deep growl. For the first time, she noticed the signs of his arousal, the darkened eyes, the way he couldn’t stop staring at her mouth.

  “Oh!” She turned away from his lust-darkened eyes. “Sorry.”

  Garrison shifted in his seat. “Are you, really? You know I’d gladly watch you do that all day, especially if we could take the cup back to my cabin.”

  He had to be joking. She quickly shook her head. “I don’t think that would be very smart of me,” she finally said once she could speak. But the traitorous part of her wanted to see what would happen back in his cabin, with or without the aid of whipped cream and chocolate.

  “I’m not thinking with my brain at this moment,” he said huskily. “And, although I understand, I’m a bit disappointed that you are.” A pained expression crossed his face. “And I’m only kidding a little.” He cleared his throat and shifted again in his chair. “Do you want some lunch a little later?”

  Yes. Lunch. If it involves spreading you out on a blanket and having my way with you. She bit the inside of her cheek at the thought.

  No. No. No.

  But her body wasn’t listening to common sense. Lunch and a cathartic roll between the sheets with Garrison sounded better the more she thought about it. What could it hurt? Chances were that she’d never see him again anyway. “I’d love to—”

  “Reyna!”

  She turned when she heard her name. Bridget hurried across the lodge toward her. Her friend looked fresh and healthy from her morning in the snow and sun, but her face was twisted with worry. When Bridget got to her table, she realized her friend was on the verge of tears.

  Fear tightened Reyna’s throat. “What’s wrong?” She jumped to her feet.

  “It’s Marceline.” Bridget sobbed. “I don’t know where she is. None of us do.”

  Chapter 6

  Reyna gasped and gripped Bridget’s cold fingers. “How long has she been missing?”

  “Since maybe eleven. We all went up on the hill together, but then we just lost track of her. We’ve called her cell, but there’s no answer.” She drew a shuddering breath. “Please tell me you’ve seen her.”

  “No, I haven’t. I just got down from the mountain a few minutes ago.”

  “Marceline seemed okay, but I think it was all an act. On the slopes this morning, she couldn’t stop talking about that assh—” Bridget broke off and bit her lip. “Anyway, she seemed too distracted and sad to ski. She said she felt lonely, especially since it’s Valentine’s Day.” Bridget grasped Reyna’s fingers until they hurt. “She fell behind, even though we tried to keep an eye on her, and then she disappeared.” Her eyes filled with tears. “If anything happens to her, I’ll never forgive myself.”

  Reyna agreed with Bridget’s words. Although Marceline had tried to pretend for them, she hadn’t been exactly stable since she announced that she was getting divorced. She never told them the reasons for her separation, but her friends had trusted she was doing the right thing
.

  Even with that, Reyna never thought of her as the suicidal type. But then again, she had never thought her friend would get a man’s name tattooed on her body, either.

  “Where is Louisa?” she asked.

  “She went back up to the mountain to search in case we just missed her.”

  “Okay.” Reyna bit her lip, a half dozen possibilities of Marceline’s whereabouts flitting through her mind. She turned to Garrison. “I have to go.”

  “I know.” He stood and picked up his gloves from the table. “If you’ll accept my help, I can join the search.”

  “Okay.” She turned back to Bridget. “Did you tell the staff here?”

  Her friend nodded. “At first I wasn’t sure if I should, since I didn’t want her to be embarrassed in case it was nothing. But I finally told someone at the front desk, and they notified security.”

  “It’s going to be okay,” Reyna said, trying to believe her own words. “Go talk with security and get Louisa. I’ll check the places I think she might be.” She named all the places that Marceline loved at Halcyon.

  “I’ll probably go back up to the slopes with the security guys to find her,” Bridget said. “Whatever they think is best.”

  “Okay, okay.” Reyna grabbed her gloves then zipped up her jacket.

  She and Garrison quickly left the lodge. Reyna shoved her trembling hands into the pockets of her jacket and hoped that Marceline was all right. Even though Reyna had been with Ian since she was fifteen and married to him for nine years, it would have never crossed her mind to harm herself after their split.

  “Divorce affects different people in different ways.” Garrison’s words were low and soft, as if he’d peeked into her mind. “She’s going through her own process. I’m sure she’ll be fine with support from her friends.”

  “I never thought it would be this bad for her. She has always been the most stable and well-adjusted of us.”

  They rushed out into the cold and down the walkway to the cabin Reyna shared with her friends. She opened the front door with hands that shook, hoping as the door swung back that her friend was sitting on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate and a romance novel to help her through her crisis. But the couch was empty. So was the rest of the cabin.