by Nicki Night
“A week.”
“Are your friends joining you tomorrow?”
“No. I’m here...alone.”
Hunter noticed her hesitation, assuming that she didn’t really want to share that she was vacationing solo—especially with a strange man she’d just met and invited to spend the night in her villa.
“Cool. Brave, but cool.” Hunter turned his attention to the TV to keep from staring at her lips. “But why?”
“That’s how I planned it. I needed the downtime.”
“Hey. Sometimes rolling solo is the only way to do it.”
“Yeah.” Chey’s response hung in the air.
Hunter wanted to know if she was traveling alone because she was single, but he didn’t ask.
“Want to watch a movie?” Chey asked, changing the subject and shifting the atmosphere with her cheery tone.
“Sure. I’m not keeping you from getting any work done, am I?”
“No! Pfft.” Chey waved away his concern. “I planned to catch up on a few movies while I was here anyway. I brought a bunch with me—plus, I have Netflix.”
Hunter put his mug down and stood. “Cool. There’s a DVD player here and cables to connect devices. What would you like to watch?”
“Be right back.” Chey put her mug down and ran to the room to retrieve her movies and iPad. “Okay,” she said as she was heading back. “I have The Best Man Holiday, which you probably don’t want to watch, and I have Avengers: Age of Ultron.”
“Seriously!” Hunter chuckled. “You like the Avengers?”
“Absolutely.” Chey looked at Hunter as if he’d asked a ridiculous question.
“Whichever you want to watch, I’m fine with. It’s your call, since you’re supplying the entertainment.”
Chey sat on the opposite end of the couch and folded her legs. “Let’s start with Best Man and if you can hang, then we will watch Avengers. Deal?”
“That sounds like a challenge and I like challenges.” Hunter wondered if Chey picked up on his innuendo.
Chey laughed, and for some reason, it was the sweetest sound Hunter remembered hearing in his thirty-two years. He reached for the DVDs that Chey held in her hand and did the honors of setting up the first movie. Chey went to her room and grabbed two bags of popcorn and placed them in the microwave.
For the next few hours, they laughed at the antics of the characters from both movies. When Chey got teary eyed from the sad scenes in The Best Man Holiday, Hunter fought the urge to pull her into his arms and wipe away her tears. By the time the movies were done, Hunter fought sleep just to continue spending time in Chey’s presence. As she grew more comfortable around him, conversation flowed more easily and she sat closer to him on the couch. There was something about this woman that Hunter liked.
When they finally retreated to their respective rooms, Hunter checked his phone and found that he had missed a few calls from Tricia. He was glad he had left his phone in the bedroom. Then he wondered if Chey had anyone calling her and assumed that she probably didn’t, since she was here vacationing alone. In the morning, he’d try to find out more about the mysterious Chey.
Chapter 8
Chey woke with a start, looked around the room and remembered that she wasn’t at home. Memories of watching movies with Hunter brought a smile to her face. She pulled back the covers, got out of the bed and headed to the adjoining bathroom. As she showered, she wondered if Hunter was awake.
After dressing again in layers with jeans and a thick sweater, Chey walked quietly to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. To her surprise—and delight—Hunter had already prepared a pot of coffee and laid out several selections for breakfast on the table.
“Good morning!” he said and smiled. She could have sworn she saw his perfect teeth sparkle.
“Good morning to you. I see you’re up and ready to go.”
“I’m going home today!”
A twinge of sadness sprang up in Chey. She was starting to enjoy his company. “Oh! Did it stop snowing?” she asked, then walked toward the window and peered out at the snow still falling.”
“Nope!” Hunter said with confidence.
Chey raised a brow. “Uh...”
Hunter walked toward her with one of the steaming cups. “I’m being hopeful. Coffee?”
“Sure!” Chey took the cup with her brow still raised and followed Hunter with her eyes as he made his way over to the large dining table.
“As a token of my appreciation, I took the liberty of getting breakfast. You could have left me in the lobby last night. I couldn’t imagine having to sleep in that chair all night long. I wasn’t sure what you’d want, so I brought a few options.” He held up packages of cream and sugar. “I didn’t know how you liked your coffee, so these are for you, and in case you didn’t like coffee, I also have picked up tea.”
Chey nodded her approval. “How considerate!” She looked over the options. “I’ll take the egg sandwich. Thanks!”
Hunter pulled out a chair and gestured for Chey to have a seat before sitting on the opposite side.
“Such a gentleman,” she said, shaking a package of raw sugar.
“I try.” Hunter flashed that smile again and something squiggled in her chest.
Was that my heart skipping a beat? What the heck! Chey kept a smile on her face for Hunter’s sake and then set an intent focus on opening her egg sandwich. What was happening?
They ate in silence for several moments.
“What—?” Both of them started at the same time.
“Sorry. You go first,” Chey said.
“No!” Hunter shook his head adamantly. “Ladies first.”
“I was going to ask, what time is your flight?”
“It was supposed to leave around one, but now I’m seeing that it’s been pushed back to five in the evening.”
Chey sucked in air. “Oh.”
“Yeah. I know. What time is your ski lesson?”
“Nine.” Chey looked at her watch. “I have about forty-five minutes. I hope they don’t cancel it because of the weather.”
“You should be fine.”
Silence swelled between them for another few moments. Chey thought about asking Hunter if he wanted to join her on the slopes since he had so much time before leaving. Then she decided not to waste her time. What sense did it make getting to know him when she would probably never see him again? Then again, it would be nice to have some company.
“What time are you heading to the airport?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be out of your hair very soon. I just wanted to make sure you enjoyed your breakfast.”
Chey held her hand up. “I didn’t mean it that way. I was just wondering how you planned to pass the time. It’s still pretty early and you don’t have to be at the airport until later this afternoon. That’s even if you are still able to get out of here today.”
Hunter sighed. “As long as the roads are open, I can find something to do.”
“Want to join me on the slopes?” There. She’d asked.
“That’s not a bad idea, but I don’t do bunny slopes, though.”
Chey playfully rolled her eyes. “Hey! It’s my first time.”
“I’m sure you’re a quick learner.”
Chey chuckled. “We’ll see. So what do you say? Slopes or nah?”
“Slopes it is!”
Another twinge shot through Chey. This time it was excitement.
“Before I go, I just need to check in with the airlines and find some transportation to the airport.”
“Cool.” Chey took the last bite of her sandwich, clapped the crumbs from her hand and cleaned the area with a napkin. “I’ll be ready in ten minutes,” she said, pushing back from the table.
“I’m going to jump on
the phone.”
Chey left Hunter to handle his business as she got everything together for her first skiing lesson. Exhilaration whirled through her, giving her more vigor than the coffee. Hunter was going to be around for another few hours and she liked the idea of spending more time with him. She was glad to have his company.
As Chey pulled out the gloves that she’d bought especially for this trip, she heard Hunter groan. The sound bellowed through the villa and seemed more like an animal’s growl. Chey grabbed her things and jogged to the great room, where Hunter stood with the phone to his ear and his other hand firmly planted on his forehead.
With her expression she asked, What happened?
Hunter frowned, briefly closed his eyes and shook his head.
Chey left him to his call and continued getting her stuff together. By the time she came back to the great room, Hunter was pacing.
“Bad news, I assume.”
“The flight was pushed back another hour, but that’s not the worst of my problems.” Chey frowned as she awaited the additional news. “The roads are still considered unsafe and even if I could catch my flight, I’m unable to get to the airport!” Hunter huffed and let his head fall back.
“I’m so sorry. How long do they anticipate the roads being closed?”
“They don’t know. The snow has been falling for almost twenty-four hours straight. They can’t start trying to clear them until the snow stops or at least slows down some. They said it’s one of the worst storms the area has seen in years.”
“Oh, no! I wonder if my ski lesson will be canceled.”
“Maybe you should call. In the meantime, I’ll check in with reception to see if there’s any chance that I can get into another room, even if I have to share with another guest. Either way, I’ll be out of your hair today.”
Chey didn’t want him out of her hair.
“Listen, don’t worry. You can have the room another night if you need. I don’t mind.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”
Chey waved off his look of concern. “I’ve already spent one night with a complete stranger—what’s another night?”
At least she made Hunter smile, and again that twinge danced in her belly.
“I’ll pay for these two nights. Thanks.”
“No need. I didn’t think I’d enjoy your company, but I do.” Chey froze, sorry that she’d been so brutally honest—a “problem” she’d developed when she freed herself of Todd.
“Okay?” Hunter responded as if he wasn’t sure how to take her comment.
She was slightly ashamed at her bluntness. “I’m sor—”
Hunter put his hands up, stopping her. “No need to apologize. That’s how you really feel. I have always appreciated people who weren’t scared to be forward.”
“Shall we see if the slopes are open?” Chey was happy to change the subject. Calling the front desk, she tried to find out about her lesson. After being passed around a few times, she finally confirmed that the lesson and all other activities had been canceled for the day due to the weather. Besides the fact that the weather conditions made the activities unsafe, many of the instructors lived in the area and were unable to get to work.
Chey was disappointed but tried to stay positive. “I guess I’ll work on my book and catch up on some reading and more movies.”
“Let me know if you feel like company. I saw that they have a few board games on the bookshelf over there.”
“Hmm. That could be a fun way to pass some time.” Chey started toward the bookshelf. “What do they have?” Sitting on the floor, she looked through the games. “Oh! Scrabble! That’s my favorite. Monopoly. Yahtzee. Taboo. Oh, and 5 Second Rule!” She hoisted herself up on one hand. “Oh my goodness. I love this game. It’s so much fun. Let’s play this.” Chey carried the game to the table.
“I’ve never heard of that game.”
“Really? My family and I play this all the time. It’s easy. I’ll show you.” Chey spread the board out on the table and shuffled the cards. “Basically, you have five seconds to name three things in a specific category. We’ll do a test run.” Chey gave a few examples, all of which Hunter fumbled, failing to get his answers out during the five seconds allotted. Each time the buzzer went off, signifying another unsuccessful attempt, he groaned. By the third try, both he and Chey were doubled over in laughter.
“This is embarrassing. I’m a lawyer. I’m supposed to be able to think fast on my feet! Set that timer!” Hunter pointed to the small object. “Let’s see how well you do.”
“Come with it! I’ve got this!” Chey welcomed the challenge.
Hunter asked the first question and pressed his face closer to Chey’s, waiting for her answer. She tried to think fast. Answer fast. Hunter’s face was inches from hers. She laughed. Then stuttered, snapped her fingers and then fumbled. The timer buzzed.
“Ha! See! And you were laughing at me.”
“That’s not fair. You made me laugh.”
“That was strategy!”
Chey gasped and tossed one of the couch pillows decorated with scenes of mountain wildlife. “That’s cheating!”
“No. That’s winning!” Hunter sang in true Charlie Sheen fashion.
“Okay, Hunter. It’s on!” Chey took on a competitive stance and pulled out a new set of cards. “You ready? Let’s go!”
Hunter leaned in, matching her stance. “Ready.”
Hunter fumbled his way through an entire round, hardly able to speak because he was laughing so hard. Chey managed to get a few answers in before the buzzer went off and declared herself the undisputed winner. Chey victory-danced around the table with her fists in the air. She bobbed and weaved and rubbed her win in Hunter’s face.
Hunter sat back and smiled, entertained by her clowning around.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Chey feigned innocence. “I don’t mean to be a sore winner. Boo-yah!”
They cackled for what seemed like forever. Each time their laughter subsided, they’d start up all over again. It took several minutes for them to reel themselves in.
Finally, Hunter went back over to the bookshelf and came back with a deck of cards.
“I Declare War?” he challenged her, holding up the deck.
“What do you know about that game?” She twisted her lips and shot him an amused look.
“My brothers and I played that all of the time.”
“No. I want to play a game of Spit! What do you know about that?”
“Oh! I’m the master at Spit! I was the only one able to beat my dad. Are you sure you want to play with me? I never lose.”
“Is that a challenge?” Chey put her hand on her hip. “Because you’ve never played with me.”
“Be careful,” Hunter said with all confidence.
Chey sucked her teeth, dismissing his warning. “I Declare War, then Spit. Now deal the cards!” she commanded.
With a slick smile, Hunter split the deck in half and then counted to make sure they each had an equal number of cards. For the next hour, Chey was lost in the sheer joy of playing nostalgic games that had been some of her family’s favorite pastimes—games that her father had taught her and her sister as children. Games that Todd would have never spent time playing with her, because he would have been too busy declaring them silly wastes of time. She won two rounds of I Declare War and boasted hard.
They switched to Spit, and Hunter was too fast for her. After losing the first game, she insisted that he’d cheated and challenged him to another game. She lost that one, too. Her hand tingled from his touch when they reached for the same pile of cards and his hand landed on top of hers. They lingered there, the masculine feel of his palm covering the back of her hand sending currents up her arm and straight to her belly, releasing a gang of butterflies. Their eyes m
et and connected. A beat passed. Then two. She cleared her throat. Slowly he lifted his hand and she pulled hers out from under his.
“Movie?” she asked when she was able to find her words.
“Sure.” Hunter held her in his view with the same level of intensity as he had when his skin touched hers.
Chey cleared her throat again. “I’ll go get them.” When she got to her room, she closed the door, shut her eyes and breathed.
Chapter 9
By the time the sun made its full ascension the next morning, Hunter had already called the airlines, checked on the mountain roads and called the concierge to see if he and Chey would be able to indulge in any of the winter sporting activities. The snow had finally taken a break, but the number of trees that had fallen left the main roads even more unsafe. The airlines were taking reservations, but with the thousands who had been stranded, many of whom had beaten him to the phone, he couldn’t get confirmed on a flight until the next afternoon. This meant he’d have to spend a third night at the resort and pray without ceasing in hopes that roads would finally be safe enough for him to travel home tomorrow.
Blake interrupted his flow when he called for an update.
“You’re up early.” Hunter flicked the television off.
“Coming home today, bro?”
“No!” Hunter sighed, but wasn’t as perturbed as he pretended to be. He looked forward to spending another day with Chey. It had taken all of his willpower to resist stroking her supple skin and shiny black hair when she fell asleep across his lap after the third movie.
“Seriously? You must be going crazy. I’d lose it...” Blake whistled, punctuating his point. “Where’s the honey that let you stay in her villa?”
Hunter looked toward her room before whispering, “I think she’s still sleeping. She hasn’t come out of her room.”