UNPLUGGED: a standalone novel

by LK Collins

  A knock on the door startles me. “Come in.”

  Willow is ready for the day; her long red hair pulled up, and makeup perfectly applied. “I brought you coffee.” I take the cup from her, wrapping my hands around it. The warmth settles the sexual tension that is rifling inside of me. “You sleep okay?” I hear her words, but my neck can still feel his damn fingers on me. “Quinn?”

  “Yeah, I…I, uh, passed out and slept super hard.”

  “No issues with Merritt?”

  “Nope,” I respond and take a sip of my coffee.

  “Okay, well…I was just talking to Ted about the driving situation today, and with everyone’s gear, we’re gonna have to take two cars. Are you okay driving?”

  “Sure.”

  “Awesome, thanks, babe.” She leaves the bathroom, and I don’t have long until we have to leave. So I have to pull my shit together.

  Digging through my suitcase, I pull out my thermals and ski pants. Getting dressed, I spot Merritt’s bag on the floor and am tempted to look through it for his iPad. Walking up to it, I look down and right as I bend down, Kami barges into the room and scares the shit out of me.

  “Do you have a hair tie I can borrow?”

  I pop up like I wasn’t doing anything wrong, and thankfully, she’s oblivious. “Yeah, in my makeup bag in the bathroom.”

  She rushes in and just as fast, charges out, tying her hair up on top of her head. “You ready?”

  “I think so; I need food.”

  As we walk out, I look down at Merritt’s bag and wonder why it even matters to me if he has his iPad or not. He’s the one that’s not getting the full experience of the trip, not me.

  “You want sausage or bacon in your breakfast burrito?” Ted asks me, cooking in the kitchen.

  “Neither.”

  “She’s a vegetarian,” Willow reminds him.

  “Really? Why?” Merritt asks like it offends him, chowing down on a burrito himself, the tips of his hair sticking out from beneath his beanie.

  “For a few reasons.”

  “Which are?” I’m not sure why the question peeves me so bad, but it does. It’s none of his damn business. “Are you a vegetarian or vegan?” he persists.

  “What’s it matter to you?”

  “I’m just asking, what’s your problem all of a sudden?”

  Everyone in the room looks at me, and I realize how ridiculous I’m being. Just because he’s driving me sexually mad doesn’t mean that I have to be such a bitch to him. Two can play at his game, and that is what I fully intend to do.

  “Vegetarian and for health reasons.”

  “That’s cool.”

  Ted passes me my burrito, and I peek inside, just to be sure there is no meat. As I begin to eat, we decide the driving arrangements for the day. Ari and Merritt will be with me, and Kami and Jacob will ride with Ted and Willow.

  Watching Merritt joke with the guys, I remind myself why I’m truly here—for a week of relaxation, unplugged from the drama of my life and definitely no guys. Time and time again, I’ve fallen into the same trap that always leaves me heartbroken in the end, and I won’t lead myself down that road again…no matter what.

  Chapter 6

  Merritt

  Sitting in the back seat of Quinn’s Jeep as she drives us to the ski resort, Ari is on his phone, which I have no clue why he was able to keep it with the fit that Willow threw when she saw I had mine.

  But that’s not what’s really on my mind. It’s Quinn. My eyes are on her in the rearview mirror as she drives, controlling the car effortlessly as we trek up the side of the mountain. Every so often, she keeps glancing at me, making me wonder if she wants me just as much as I want her.

  “Would you turn the radio up?”

  She smiles at my request as Ari gripes under his breath at his phone, emailing or messaging only God knows who, and I have to admit, even though I didn’t give her my iPad, being unplugged from the world right now feels really good.

  “You like Stateless?” she asks me.

  “Yeah, they’re one of my favorite bands.”

  “Me too.”

  “You ever seen them live?”

  “I really wanted to when they came to Denver and played at Red Rocks, but the tickets sold out in minutes.”

  “I’ve seen them a few times; they’re pretty incredible.”

  “Really?” Her eyes beam, and I love to see the excitement in her expression.

  Quietly, she sings along to the song; her voice is beautiful, and then Ari blurts out, killing the moment, “You know what, man? Your father is a fucking prick.”

  “Ha, and you think I don’t know that?”

  “I swear, he’ll throw money away, just to make my life hard.”

  My father was pissed when Ari made the decision to leave his company and join forces with one of the big timers in oil and gas. I couldn’t care less—I just wanted to see my friend happy, and working under my father, Ari wasn’t. “What did he do?”

  “He got word of our bid on the Matrix land in North Dakota and offered the seller a million dollars more than us when he wasn’t even part of the bidding.”

  “A million dollars?” Quinn chimes in, obviously she thinks she didn’t hear the amount correctly.

  “Yeah, a million.”

  “You don’t know his father; he’s ruthless,” Ari says, and I couldn’t agree more. When it comes to business, he doesn’t let anyone or anything get in his way. I don’t agree with half of the stuff he does, but at the end of the day…he’s my boss, and if I want to inherit his company one day, then it means I’ve gotta put up with his shit…all of it.

  Ari is glaring out the window, deep in thought, and I wish I could fix what my dad did.

  “I’m really sorry, man.”

  He nods, brushing me off as Quinn parks her SUV. We all get out of the car; my balls are already freezing. Ari’s phone rings and he answers it, walking away from us and towards the lodge.

  “It’s gorgeous here,” Quinn says, taking in the view. The sun is peeking through the clouds, trying to warm the day, but it’s not helping.

  “It might be pretty, but what’s it, like, ten below?” I complain.

  “Don’t be such a baby,” she tells me as we get our gear out of the back of her vehicle.

  “So, you ski a lot?” I ask her.

  “When I’m not working I try to, you?”

  “Not as often as I’d like. Work seems to run my life these days, and when I get a moment away, I end up catching up on sleep.” God, that sounds lame, but it must not be because she agrees with me.

  “I totally get what you’re saying. I took a long weekend last month and had all these plans, but got nothing done. All I did was sleep.”

  Jesus, not only is she hot as hell, but her work seems just as important to her as mine is to me. She is a one-eighty from the chicks I’m normally interested in—the first issue is always that I work too much.

  “You guys ready to get smoked down the hill?” Ted asks with his head out the window as he pulls up next to us.

  “You wish,” Quinn says, and the other guys gather their gear before we all walk inside the mountain lodge to get suited up. The girls are in front of us, and I find my eyes on Quinn’s body…again. Even beneath her ski outfit, every curve is calling for me. “You hit that shit last night?” Jacob asks me.

  “Nah, she passed out.”

  He nods and says, “You gonna?”

  “Fuck, I’d like to.”

  “Did you bring extra hand warmers, baby?” Kami asks him, and I hope the girls didn’t hear us. He passes them to her, then offers me a pair. Gladly, I accept, really wishing they made a pair you could tie around your ball sack. After we are all suited up, I spot Ari at the bar. He’s still on his phone and waves us to go ahead.

  “He’ll find his way,” Willow says, not caring that we leave him, and I kinda feel bad for leaving him.

  “What about his gear?”

  “I left my car unlocked,�
� Quinn says.

  Getting in the line for the chair lift, it’s apparent that Quinn and I will be riding up together. The other couples are lost in conversation, and I’m not sure where to begin. It’s a long ride up and being so close to her has my mind on other things.

  We take a seat, our thighs touching as we make our incline up the mountain. Quinn looks out at the vast Rocky Mountains, taking in the view once again and I swallow, wishing I could find some damn words to say. Thankfully, she makes it easy and pulls out a small flask from the pocket of her light blue coat. She takes a swig then passes it to me and says, “Let it all go, Merritt. There’s nothing you can do about anything from up here.” She reads me well, and I knock back a drink, her words resounding inside me.

  I hate that my father has upset Ari, and I want to undo what he’s done, but with my dad, no one tells him how to do things, and out of anyone, I know that best. The sting of the tequila warms my throat, reminding me of the body shot I took off Quinn last night.

  “You gonna let it go?” she asks me.

  “I’m trying.”

  “You don’t want to be like Ari, stressing over work when you could be enjoying all of this, do you?” She opens her arms wide, making me take in the sights of the ski resort.

  “I don’t, but he’s pissed at what my dad did, and I feel bad, like I’m partly to blame.”

  “You didn’t do it, did you?” I shake my head, and she says, “You’re not your father. Let it go and Ari will too.”

  She’s right, I need to, and he will as well.

  We each take another sip, the chair lift smoothly taking us up the mountain, and she asks me, “So, are you going to give me your iPad or what?”

  “No way!”

  “Come on.” She bites her bottom lip, and I’d love to feel her mouth around my cock.

  “Let’s say I do. What do I get in return?”

  “Nothing!” she exclaims, like thinking of repaying me is a cruel punishment.

  “Come on; I can think of a lot of things I’d do in exchange for handing my iPad over to you.”

  “Okay, then name some.”

  I’m still holding the flask and take another swig before giving it back to her. “I’d like to kiss you, for starters.”

  “But I wouldn’t kiss you back,” she says, and I lean into her, smelling her sweetness, knowing she can’t resist the sexual tension. She’d kiss me, and she knows it, and right as I go to connect our lips, the chair lift reaches the top of the hill. “Welcome to the top,” someone says, and she panics, tossing me the flask as she wraps her hands around her ski poles. I screw the top on it as I position my board on the ground. She pushes herself forward, and we get off the lift just in time, making our way over to the group. I stick the flask into my pocket. “You guys all cool if we start on this blue slope?” Ted asks everyone, and I buckle my left foot into my board, stoked to head down. We all agree, and Quinn asks me, “You have the flask?”

  “Yup, and you still owe me that kiss.” I take off, following everyone, leaving her behind. Looking back at her, she’s right behind me as she digs her poles into the thick snow and pushes right on past me. “Fine…if you can catch me.” She breezes on by, and I cut the edges of my board, working to get traction as I try and catch up to her, but damn, she’s fast.

  “She always that quick?” I holler over to Willow.

  “No, she must be showing off.”

  I smirk and make my way down to the bottom, loving the feeling of the alcohol coursing through my system and not focusing on anything else but my next move.

  I lose sight of Quinn, and once I reach the bottom, I don’t see her. Then I look to my left, and she’s in line for the chair lift. I throw my arms up at her, and she gets on a chair, riding up to the top…alone.

  “Man, she dogged you,” Ted says, and I get in line with the group riding up by myself. With the flask in hand, I take advantage and finish it.

  The alcohol is flooding my veins, and I realize how it makes me feel warmer. When I get off the lift, Quinn is waiting for us. “Why’d you dog me?” I ask her, using Ted’s word.

  “I told you to catch me, but I guess you were too slow. So now it’s your loss.” I laugh at her remark as she reaches into my pocket and takes the flask out. She’s gonna be pissed that I drank it all, so I strap up my left foot into my board and get a head start, laughing as I hear her coming after me.

  Up ahead I spot a grove of trees and bank left, turning into them. I have to slow my speed, and when I glance back, Quinn is still following me. Once my board comes to a complete stop, I unstrap both of my feet and look at her, desire running through me as I step to her.

  “You drank my entire flask?” she huffs, and I don’t answer her, just stalking towards her, wrapping my arms around her body, zoning in on those sexy fuckin’ lips.

  She doesn’t protest or say another word; she just stands there all bundled up and naturally beautiful. The only sounds are her ragged breathing and the tall pine trees as they sway in the wind above us.

  “I’m gonna kiss you,” I tell her and then my lips are on hers. Our cold noses seem warm against the bitter chill, and I relish in the feeling. Her lips so full and soft, I love how she tastes. Her tongue strokes in sync with mine, and I don’t want to stop.

  Holding her body close to mine, she whimpers, and my cock begins to grow—

  even in the frigid winter temperature, she can still turn me on. God, she tastes so amazing. I want more with Quinn. I need to have more. I will have more. I’ll have every single bit of her if it’s the last thing I do.

  Chapter 7

  Quinn

  Walking back into the lodge after a day full of skiing, my legs are so sore and tired. I don’t feel like I can take another step, and as I sit down, relief heats my limbs in the most delicious way.

  “Hey, did you see Ari at all today?” Willow asks me.

  “No, I thought he was just in here drinking.”

  I glance over at Merritt who is bullshitting with Ted and Jacob, the three of them oblivious to Ari’s absence. “Do you guys know where Ari is?” Willow asks them, and they all three give her a blank expression and shake their heads.

  She walks away from us and over to the bar, asking the bartender a question. “What did he say?” I ask her as she comes back to us.

  “He doesn’t know shit.”

  “Should we go back to the house?” I offer.

  “I think so; it’s not like him to just disappear. You know he loves skiing.”

  Loading up in my car, Merritt sits in the front seat. Since our kiss in the trees, nothing has changed, and I like that. “Where do you think he is?” I ask him

  “You wanna know my honest opinion?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “He’s probably banging some chick he met today.”

  “Really? You think so?”

  “I do. I bet he met her at the bar and after getting pissed about work…” he trails off and I couldn’t imagine Ari doing that. He’s such a nice guy on these trips. “You look shocked.”

  “I am.”

  “Why? We all fuck.”

  “I know, I just think of Ari like a brother, so I can’t imagine him doing that.”

  “Well, you don’t know the guy I do.”

  “Is that the way you are?” I ask him, wondering if he’s only coming on to me so we can fuck.

  “No way,” he’s quick to answer like he’s the total opposite. With my hands wrapped tightly around the steering wheel, I put my car in park back at the house, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s lying. “What, you don’t believe me?” he asks, sensing my doubt.

  “Not really.” And I’m not sure if it’s that I don’t believe him, or I’m just trying to push him away. Men have me so twisted up lately, I don’t know what to believe anymore.

  “Whatever, Quinn, you don’t know me.” He gets out of my car, pissed, and I follow behind him, heading inside and straight for the liquor, needing a fuckin’ drink.
/>   “Ari?” Willow calls out, and before he can answer her, Ari is in Merritt’s face, shoving him backwards. “Did you really think I wouldn’t find out?”

  “What the fuck are you talking about, man?” he challenges back, looking down at him.

  “My stocks, man. You fucked me.” Ari shoves him again.

  “I didn’t do shit, man!”

  “Fuck you!”

  “You don’t know the whole story.” And this time Merritt pushes him back, obviously agitated, so hard Ari falls to his ass. He flies to his feet and swings, catching Merritt with a hard right hook in the face. The sound of Ari’s fist against Merritt’s skin echoes in the room, and I close my eyes clenching the bottle of tequila. The noise somehow pierces from my gut to my head.

  I open my eyes and thankfully Ted and Jacob have jumped in and are pulling the guys apart.

  “That’s enough,” Willow shouts, and Merritt has his hand over his face, blood streaming down his arm as he walks away from all of us and towards our room. Running after him to make sure he’s okay, I realize I’m still holding a bottle of liquor as I enter looking for him. I find Merritt in the bathroom, leaning on the counter with a towel pressed to his face where Ari’s fist hit him, and I pass him the bottle.

  “You okay?” I ask and he nods. “What’s he talking about?”

  He takes a swig and looks right at me. “After he left, he’s been waiting for the money from the stock he had in the company. My father has been stalling on signing off on them, dicking him around and shit. So I had them transferred into my name and was going to pay him what they were worth. I hate seeing him get screwed over by my dad, you know?”

  “And now he thinks you bought them behind his back?”

  “Yeah, and what pisses me off the most is that he’d even think I’d do something malicious to him. He’s my best friend.”

  “Then talk to him.”

  “No, fuck him, he swung first.”

  Obviously, Merritt is letting his feelings get the best of him, so I figure I can’t push him. “How did he even find out?” I ask.