His snow bunnies shoot red lasers at me. My giant smile eats them for breakfast.
Nutt grabs my arms. “H4, I’ll be right back. I want to introduce Sexy Lexi to BDB.”
“Sexy Lexi,” H4 says, “I like that.” He lays a trail of spit from my ear lobe to my lip and disappears into the crowd of new Ski Instructors.
I swipe my cheek with my sleeve. Nutt guides me over to a big guy with a beard who sits on a raised bar stool with his arms stretched along the bar holding court with his ski instructor minions.
“BDB, this is Sexy Lexi—the bump skier I was telling you about.”
“Sexy Lexi, you ever compete before?”
“Nope, but I’d like to.”
“You ski with me Monday. If you’re as good as Nutt says, you’ll work with your Pod leader in the morning and train with my crew in the afternoons. What Pod’s she in?”
“H4 claimed her. BDB, you know he doesn’t like to share.”
“I don’t give a fuck what Quatro thinks.”
Quatro might be an even better name that H4. It kinda says I don’t give a shit what Harrison Williams the fourth thinks.
“So Lexi, where’d you learn to ski?”
“Right here. My dad used to manage the mountain and my mom worked in marketing.”
“What’s your dad’s name?”
“John Banfield.”
“No shit. You’re that little ski rat who trained with me, aren’t you?”
“I remember skiing with a guy name Billy—I don’t remember BDB.”
“Shit-head Nutt gave me the nickname.”
“Do I even want to ask what it stands for?”
“Big Dick Billy.”
Well, that’s an awkward conversation to have with someone my father’s age, although Billy doesn’t seem to think so.
“Kid, if you’ve still got it, you’re on the freestyle team and Wolf Creek will sponsor you in the X-games. We lost Jackie two years ago. We haven’t been able to find a replacement—although we did have one, but…,” as if on cue, every person in the room falls silent. Nutt and BDB share a long, meaningful exchange. I didn’t think Nutt capable of such deep thought. His brain might explode with the serious turn of the conversation. “Well, never mind. You’re here now.” BDB slides off his stool. “Monday,” he says, drops a twenty, and leaves.
I punch Nutt in the arm. “What was that about? We were all buddy buddy happy happy and then suddenly, Mr. Serious joins the conversation. What happened to this Jackie chick and the mysterious non-replacement?”
“Well,” he says. He nods his head toward the end of the bar. I follow behind him. He keeps glancing over his shoulder as if what he’s about to tell me is a hulking secret no one else can know. “Jackie, well, Jackie…,” he pauses to scratch his ear. “She, well, she…”
Kendall peeks her head into the bar. “Psst…,” she whispers.
“You’re allowed in,” I say.
She shakes her head. “No way, I’m not upsetting the natural order of Wolf Creek. Listen, we’re hitting Ripstop after work. When you’re done with these yahoos, meet us there.”
Harrison the fourth appears out of thin air. “She’s staying at my place tonight.”
“You wish,” she replies.
He steps in front of me, blocking my view of Nutt and Kendall. “Sexy Lexi, I’ve got a hot tub and a king size bed I’ve been dying to get you into.”
Hmm, I’ve never done it in a hot tub and H4 might be just the guy to give it to me—I know I planned to wait until after ski school to have sex with him but I already made it into the program. After my killer run, a little sweet release might be just what the snow gods ordered. I also know guys like Harrison the fourth. He needs to keep wanting. Once I’m through with him, he’ll be wanting alright. “Ken, grab me before you go.”
She winks and disappears back into the kitchen.
A James Taylor song comes on. My parents listen to this song at the end of a long day in the hot sun to unwind. All the ski instructors raise their glasses and cheer. Really? James Taylor gets them excited? What about a little Dead Milkmen or Butthole Surfers to get us rev’d up instead of this shit that makes me want to pop in a pacifier and call it a day.
I drain the rest of my pint. If there’s anything worse than this music at 6:30 at night it’s mind numbing conversations dragging my endorphin buzz into comatose. I detach myself from H4 as he compares the merits of his pod instructor group to the other pods. Two lonely headlights make their way down the mountain. The groomer crunches and smoothes the trail on it’s descent. I press my open palm against the cold glass. As the headlights grow closer, it silhouettes my frame.
If Gabe sees me, he doesn’t acknowledge it. He doesn’t flick the lights or make a loop below the lodge, instead he makes a pass around the lift area and works his way back up the mountain.
I wonder if he thinks of me the way I try not to think of him.
Harrison clutches my midsection. “Don’t mind the help. I tried to get their hours pushed back until after Skier’s Edge closes, but I didn’t win that fight.” He starts kissing my neck. “You know Lex rhymes with sex.”
Profound thoughts coming from the Prince of the Mountain. No matter though. I don’t want to waste time talking. I moan as I relax into him. He presses against me, and I can feel all that makes him a man grow against my leg. I pull at his shirt and shift my hands into his boxer briefs.
“Hey H4, can I talk to you a minute?” Double D says.
His fingers slide into the back of my pants. “I’m a little occupied right now D.”
“H4, it’s important.”
H4 groans as he releases me. “Don’t go anywhere.”
Double D whispers in his ear. H4 stiffens. He pushes in his shirt, and his face rearranges into composure. “D, take Lex home.”
I purse my lips. He reaches out to touch them. His hand wavers inches from them.
Double D says, “She’s coming.”
Harrison the fourth sighs and shoves his hands into his pockets as if that’s going to stop him.
A blonde haired Amazon walks up behind him and slips her hands over his eyes. “Guess who?”
Well, that’s awkward. Guess, I’m not getting in that hot tub after all.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“So, the rumors that H4’s got an Olympic sized girlfriend are true?”
Double D shifts from foot to foot. “Well, you see as the owner’s son and Director of the Ski School, he travels all over the country. He meets a lot of people.”
“You mean he sleeps with a lot of girls.”
“Well…,” he says.
“What Double D is trying to say is that he nails them so hard they keep coming back for more,” Nutt says.
“You know, it’s a wonder that you don’t have girls falling all over you.”
“It is, isn’t? I think they’re intimidated by my Captain America-esque good looks.”
“That’s Captain America pre-superhero injection, right?”
“You know Sexy Lexy, I like you and I don’t mean that in a, ‘Hey, let’s have sex kind of way.’ I mean if you want to have sex with me I’m not going to say no, but you’re a smart ass. I like it.”
I laugh to myself. He’s so funny. So fucking funny. “I’m glad I meet your ‘Well, I would have sex with you if you forced me to, but you’re kinda funny, so I don’t need to ram you’ term of endearment.”
“Nutt, you coming with me to take Lexi home?”
I zip up my jacket. “D, I’m not going home. I’m meeting friends at Ripstop. You guys can go back into the Skier’s Edge and listen to some Neil Young, but it might get a little too intense in there if they play Simon and Garfunkel.”
“I don’t know Lexi. H4 told me to take you home,” Double D says glancing over his shoulder.
“Do you always do what H4 tells you to do?”
Nutt perks up. “Yes, he does. Now, me on the other hand, I go my own way.”
“I think you go your own
way, because you scare off every wanna-be ski instructor snow bunny with wildly offensive comments.”
“True, on all accounts, Lexi,” Double D says.
“And you, Mr. ‘Can-you-believe this-chick-wants-to-rent-skis,’ you laughed at me—you actually laughed.”
He shrugs his shoulders. “I can be an asshole, what can I say?”
“You know what I think…,” they lean toward me as if I am their prophet expelling terrific wisdom upon them, “I think your problems stem from hanging out with too many testosterone loaded Alpha males.”
Double D scratches his chin. Nutt bobbles his head. They remind me of little plastic Ken dolls I can pose anyway I want or pop their head right off.
I loop my arms through theirs. “Boys, you both need a little Ripstop.”
Nutt pulls away. “I don’t think we’re welcome there. Instructors and workers don’t exactly interact.”
I retrieve his arm. “Pshaw, you’re with me. I interact with everyone.”
“That’s what I hear…,” Double D adds.
I wink at him. “Boys, let’s get this train grooving.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Our threesome shuffles into Ripstop a half hour later with a buzz on from the extra hours of drinking. If there was a record playing, someone would have shoved the needle across the record in his hurry to stop the music. Everyone spins on their bar stools and twists in their chairs in a curious-kinda-pissed-why-the-hell-did-you-bring-them-here stare.
“Bartender Devon,” I yell from the entrance. “Bring forth the Fireball. These fine gentlemen are buying the first round.”
Cheers erupt. Moe, the chairlift operator, who let the bench smack into our calves, slaps Nutt on the back. “Nice!”
Devon fills the shots and Kendall passes them around the room. Most take one. Some double fist. Randy hands Double D a second shot. “Sweet powder today, huh?”
I search the room for a red slouchy beanie in the off chance he showed up early, but his chair sits empty.
“1…2…3…,” Nutt chants. Twelve lift operators, four food servers, six maintenance works, eight locals, and two ski instructors knock back their shots.
Chloe pulls Nutt from his seat. She places his hands on her hips and starts dancing. He grins over at me. I give him the thumbs up.
Double D knocks into me. “Hey, we were hanging out with the wrong people. Ripstop’s fucking awesome.”
“Sexy Lexi, you got a shot to finish. My buddy here is buying the next round,” Nutt says, gesturing toward Moe.
The Fireball goes down easy. The Ramones blast from the stereo. Screw Harrison the fourth and his Amazonian. Screw Gabe and his stupid groomer.
Screw them all.
***
Shots of Fireball and Crown Royal Apple flow freely. No one turns down a free shot. That’s just idiocy.
Through the thick, alcohol filled haze, a flash of red catches my eye. I follow this red down the narrow hall. I follow this red into the men’s bathroom. It’s not until this red whips out his penis that I realize that I’ve followed the wrong red.
I fumble with the door and stumble back into the hall. I decide to call Red. The real Red. The red beanie Red.
A tired, sleepy man voice answers. “Hello?”
“Hey baby.”
“Who is this?”
“It’s Lex, I mean Arizona. I’m so fucking hot for you right now.”
“Hold on a second,” he whispers. A door closes. “Where are you?”
“Let’s play hide and seek. I hide. You seek,” I giggle and power down my phone.
I hop onto Gabe’s seat and wait for him to seek. The room spins around and around. Somehow I slide to the floor. Climbing all the way back up seems like a lot of work. Work I’m not interested in doing right now. Sitting on the floor’s easy. So, so easy.
“Hey Lex,” shouts Kendall. Chloe walks up beside her. “Whatcha doing down there?”
“Taking a break. I’m waiting for Gabe to come and ravish me.”
They slide down on either side of me. “Honey, Devon said Gabe doesn’t usually show for a few weeks after his…, uh…,” she glances at Chloe, “his slip.”
I show them my phone. “He’ll come. I called him.”
Chloe grabs my phone and presses some buttons. “Lex, you don’t have Gabe’s number. You called H4.”
I giggle. “That’s funny.”
“You took a picture of your…, oh god, is that a nipple?” She shows the phone to Kendall.
Kendall slips it in her pocket. “I think I better keep your phone, and you need some water.”
I smack my lips together. “Water sounds delicious.”
They heave me back onto Gabe’s stool. Chloe holds me upright while Kendall whispers in Devon’s ear. He glances at me and laughs. He shakes his head while he calls someone. He turns his back, so I can’t hear what he’s saying. “Alright man, no worries. Catch you later.”
He hands me a pint of clear fluid. “All taken care of.”
Kendall and Chloe release sighs of relief. “That was a close one,” Chloe says.
I down my drink in one mighty chug, then slam it down. “Bartender, I’ll take another.”
He sets his phone on the side bar.
“I don’t think he’ll come,” Kendall says.
Chloe rubs my back. “She seems much better. If she sits for a while and drinks some water, she should be fine.”
“Lexi honey, you need anything else?” Kendall asks.
“Nope, I’m perfect. Much better. Go dance.” Chloe glances at Kendall and raises an eyebrow. Nutt shouts from the dance floor for them to join him.
“Go, he wants you.”
“Yell, if you need anything,” Chloe calls over her shoulder.
While Devon pours another round of Fireball, I type his code into his phone.
When your roommate dates the bartender, you learn things—like how to make a car bomb and how many times he can bring Kendall to orgasm—three, and the four digit date of his birthday, which he uses for the key code on his car and his phone. I page through his contacts until I get to Gabe. Of course, I push send.
“What’s up Devon?” He says in his deep, sexy voice.
“This isn’t Devon.”
The radio goes quiet, followed by a long pause. “Who is this?”
“I think you already know that answer.”
“Arizona?”
“Yeah!” I clap. “You won. Now, you need to collect your prize.”
“Arizona, go home and go to sleep.”
He really is very bossy. He should work on his people skills. “I’m not tired.”
He groans. It’s very sexy and bothersome. I shift around.
“Ready for a threesome?” Double D shouts over to me.
“Hell yeah,” I shout. I leave Devon’s phone on the bar and skip over to Double D and Nutt.
I lift my shot to knock glasses with my new best buddies, but an arm stops in midair. “Oh no, she’s cut off,” Kendall says. “Boys, play nice with Lexi.”
“Oh, I’ll play nice,” Double D says.
“In your dreams,” I laugh and dance away from him.
Someone catches me and pulls me into the dark corner behind the snowmobile game. Large, sure hands cradle my boobs. Soft, firm lips suck on my neck. Five o’clock shadow bristles my chin.
“Mmmm,” I sigh. “I can’t believe you came. You really came.” I try to twist around, but his arms hold me in place.
He reaches down to my front jean pocket. He slips in deep, almost touching me right where I want him to. Where I need him to. I reach behind me toward his jeans. He grows hard against my hand as I rub him.
“Oh Sexy Lexi, you know all the right moves.”
I freeze. Sexy Lexi?
I twist around, but he resists me. “Baby, just relax and let it happen.”
I throw an elbow into his stomach. He grunts. I take advantage of his weakness and jerk away from him. “H4? What are you doing here?”
> He steps toward me. “You like it rough, don’t you?”
My stomach lurches. I put my hands up to block his advance. “I’m not feeling so good.”
His eyes narrow. “I came all the way out here to have sex with you.”
“I made a mistake. I thought I called someone else.”
He grabs my hand. “In the bathroom. Now.”
I stumble behind him. I try to stop but he’s so strong, and my feet aren’t working right. “No, Harrison, no.”
Double D and Nutt glance at each other. They stand up and cross their arms.
“Move it,” he hisses.
“H4, leave her alone. She obviously doesn’t want to go,” Double D says.
“And what do you know of it?”
I struggle to break free, but Harrison’s grip won’t yield.
The sound of bone cracking finally loosens his hold. Someone throws me over his shoulder and my face smashes against a red check flannel shirt.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
“Keys?” He holds out his hand.
“You’ll have to get them yourself.”
“Arizona, I don’t have time for this. Give me your keys.”
“Nope, you’ll have to search for them.”
He steps toward me. My heart races. This is what I’ve been waiting for. He shoves his hands into my front pockets. I smell wood smoke and machine grease. I rest my hands on his chest as he digs around.
But my keys aren’t there.
He embraces me as he gropes my ass. I’ve longed for his touch. His strong, capable touch.
“This is nice, isn’t it?” I whisper into his chest. My fingers find curly chest hair and below that, warm skin, and below that, a slow, steady heartbeat that interestingly enough starts to speed up with each tap of my finger.
“Arizona,” he warns. He tries to guide me inside, but I dance away from him. I’m not ready to go inside. Not if it’s alone, not without him.
“Fine,” he says, “have it your way.” He tosses me over his shoulder again. I like this position. I stretch down and slide my fingers into his jeans. He flicks on lights as he walks through the apartment. “Which room’s yours?”
Valentine Kisses: A Kiss to Last a Lifetime Page 23