Drake: A Rocky Mountain Romance

by Alexis Winter

  Drake still didn’t know what he was going to do, but whatever time he had left to manage it in was growing short. Celeste was quitting in two weeks. He didn’t know if she was planning to move back to California when that time was up or if she was sticking around. He didn’t know what her motivations were, but he knew that he had something to do with it. He felt a pang of guilt for that. It hadn’t been his intention to ruin her career. She was good at her job. He would have told anyone that, and it had been evident since she’d walked into his life that she knew what she was doing as far as law was concerned. And now she was leaving it all behind to do god only knows what thanks to him.

  He at least owed her an apology for what had happened between the two of them, and if she wasn’t going to answer her phone, then he was just going to have to do it in person.

  13

  It had been over a week since Celeste had gotten back from the hike, and she’d avoided making any kind of contact with Drake since then. She had business to handle with him, but it wasn’t anything she could manage through a courier, just a few contracts that needed his signature. Normally, she would have gone out there herself to take care of it all, but after what had happened, she didn’t really want to see him. In fact, she’d done her level best to avoid even having to email him.

  She had a million things running through her mind ever since then. She’d been so distracted that she let her coffee go cold every morning while she sat at her desk and daydreamed all her mornings away. The afternoons weren’t any different, and all of that was scaring the ever living hell out of her.

  Colorado was supposed to be a bump in the road, a blip on the way to bigger and better things. She was only here for a temporary stop before she made her way into a partnership back in California. This wasn’t supposed to be what happened.

  And what exactly was happening to her? She couldn’t fully make up her mind about that either. They’d been on a hike, and he’d driven her to the point of distraction with his stupid little comments and remarks until she’d snapped and done something absolutely stupid. What had happened the night after that was something else entirely. She’d gone into that completely in her right mind and on her own. She didn’t know what had possessed her, but she couldn’t get Drake Fulton off her mind. That was absolutely dangerous, and Celeste knew it.

  A relationship was a distraction. A relationship with a client was nothing short of a huge no. It wasn’t a good lawyer was supposed to do. Celeste wasn’t supposed to go having sex with a client, and if she didn’t manage to keep that much control of herself, she definitely wasn’t supposed to be falling in love with that same client. Because that’s what this was, right?

  She recognized that stupid feeling of butterflies and nerves that left her flustered and distracted morning and night. She knew what was keeping her awake at night, and why thoughts of him had invaded her dreams long before the two of them had even shared their first kiss. It terrified her to think that maybe that’s what was going on, even though she knew for certain she was starting to have feelings for Drake.

  That fear had driven her to do some strange things. She’d been searching around for a position back in California for the better part of the last week when she could get her brain to work, even if it meant leaving Myers, Murphy and Associates. That was the second to last thing she wanted to do, but something in her panicked brain told her that it was a preferable alternative to falling in love with a man whose life was so entwined with the land here in Colorado. There was no way he was ever going back to California, and that had been her goal since she’d first set foot on the plane leaving it. Everything she did was about getting back there. At least it had been until she’d really started getting to know Drake Fulton.

  Part of her mind was cursing his name every time she thought of it. The other part was a lovesick teenaged girl who was lost in dreaming about the guy she’d woken up in the arms of one morning out in the middle of nowhere. This wasn’t supposed to be what happened out here. She was supposed to come out here, show them what she was made of and return triumphant back to the place she’d called home her entire life. Instead, she’d spent a week here and ruined everything that she touched in that small amount of time. She was doing the firm a favor by putting in her two weeks’ notice, and she was doing Drake a favor by leaving so that she didn’t have to either disappoint him or make him have to let her down easy.

  She was back at work, but now everything was just about her getting things in order to leave all her cases in the hands of her replacement. It wasn’t that difficult since she’d just started. She’d barely gotten into the files of some of her clients, and the only case she’d worked on for any amount of time had been Drake’s. It stung to see his name on pieces of paper she was preparing to be ready for signatures and for passing onto the next attorney who took his case on, but it was a necessary evil.

  The sound of a knock at her door woke her up from her downward spiral. She hadn’t been working on anything for the better part of an hour when it shocked her awake. She didn’t even bother to ask who was there before she yelled out an answer.

  “Come in.” Her attention stayed focused on the paperwork on the desk in front of her.

  “What the hell are you doing, Princess?” She knew that voice, but it wasn’t the one she’d expected. She wasn’t even sure Drake Fulton had ever set foot in the city of Denver, much less in this office, but here he was standing in the doorway with a hat in his hand staring at her.

  “I’m getting your files ready to pass off to whoever they send out here to replace me in two weeks. Is there something I can help you with?” She tried to keep it professional, but the fact that he was standing there in the doorway had already sent her heart into her throat. She swallowed, trying to get the sensation of her throat closing up to go away unsuccessfully.

  “Yeah, you can help me by listening to me. I know you probably hate my guts, but I’ve got a few things to say before I just let you get your shit together and just run away. I don’t know what happened between us out in the woods. Well, maybe I do, but I don’t know if I know how to process it. I do know this though. The thought of you leaving Colorado makes me sick to my stomach. I want you to be here. I want to give whatever the hell is going on between us a shot, but I won’t make you stay if you really want to go. I know better than to try to do that, but if you want to stay, I just want you to know that you’ve got something here to stay for.”

  It took her a moment to process what she heard. Drake Fulton was standing here in the doorway to her office spouting off about how he wanted to give whatever there was between them a chance. She had no idea how to respond to that. It was what she wanted, deep down, but it was also what she was terrified of.

  “And what if I’m scared?” She said it. That was the only way she could think to handle all of this was to be up front and honest.

  “Then you’re not alone in that either. I’m scared to. I changed my mind a dozen times about coming here to see you this morning. I got halfway here from the ranch and nearly turned around, but I know for a fact that something like this doesn’t just come along every day, and I wasn’t going to be able to forgive myself if I didn’t at least try to see what this was.”

  He was right, and she kind of hated it. She wanted to stay and see what was going on here, but she’d already put in her two weeks’ notice here at the firm.

  “I’ve already quit my job, Drake…” He didn’t let her finish before he stepped fully into the room, and she saw that he had a file folder in one hand.

  “Yeah, I heard about that. So I’ve got a little bit of a solution. It seems to me that with this expansion and everything that being the biggest small time brewer in Colorado is going to entail. I’m going to need more than just an attorney on retainer. I’m going to need a corporate lawyer to represent Broken Saddle Brewing Company full time, so if you’d like to take me up on the offer, the job is yours.”

  She wasn’t sure she could believe what Drake was sayi
ng. He was standing in her office offering her a job and a chance at figuring out what was going on between the two of them. She stood up from behind her desk and walked around to meet him on the other side, knitting her brows together.

  “I’m not sure. What are the benefits like?”

  The grin that spread across his face was brilliant as he leaned in closer, almost whispering in her ear.

  “Well, the dental plan is alright, and I hear the owner is a stubborn asshole. But the fringe benefits are beyond amazing. I can’t promise it pays as much as the managing partner position, but it’s yours, and so am I as long as you want to give this a shot.”

  Celeste reached out and took the file from him, tossing it onto the desk behind her as she leaned up on her toes to plant a kiss on his lips.

  “Yes.” She grinned against his lips without breaking the kiss. “I accept.”

  He pulled her into his arms, almost lifting her feet up from the floor in the motion before planting another kiss on her lips. “Good because I have some seriously naughty thoughts about what I’d like to do to you on the hood of that God awful car of yours.” She laughed as he nibbled on her neck. “And make sure you wear those ridiculous fucking stilettos.”

  Celeste had no way of knowing if this was going to work out, but her heart told her it was worth a shot. She hadn’t thought she was going to like Colorado but turns out she actually loved it. She thought she had her life all figured out…Instead, it seemed like it was handing her everything she’d never known she wanted.

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  Resisting Her

  Resisting Her

  Chapter 1

  The snow had just begun to fall as Madeline rushed around her apartment. "Great…late on my first day" She muttered to herself as she slipped on her favorite black pumps. She grabbed her lunch, coat and purse and headed to the front door, stopping to give herself a once over in the mirror one more time. She had chosen a sensible sheath dress and heels and kept her makeup natural and her long blonde hair in loose curls.

  "Ok here we go, first day…you got this!" She gave herself a quick pep talk as she put on her coat and headed for the train.

  Madeline nervously bounced her leg as she waited in the lobby for the HR rep to meet her and show her to her desk. A tall, young brunette approached Madeline with a file, badge and an outstretched hand.

  "Hi Madeline? I’m Janelle from HR here to show you around and get you started today." Madeline smiled and introduced herself in return and followed Janelle to a large bank of elevators behind the reception desk.

  "So I know you’ve obviously been here a few times through the interview process but I’ll be showing you where your cubicle is located, introducing you to your team and giving you a quick tour of the building. We have the top three floors of the building, your team and cubicle are located on the second floor and the top floor is where Mr. Windsor’s office is located." Janelle continued to rattle off general office information and explain what paperwork Madeline still needed to fill out. Madeline nodded her head and tried to take it all in as Janelle exited the elevator and quickly navigated the large halls of the second floor.

  "This is your cubicle which is surrounded by all the other creative members of your team so other graphic designers, copy writers, editors, etc. You’ve obviously met your boss Vince already, his office is located just over that last cubicle wall. This floor has its own kitchen, fully stocked break room and several conference and huddle rooms."

  Madeline set her stuff down on her desk and continued to follow Janelle around the second floor, stopping to introduce her to several key people on her team. When she finally got back to her desk she took a few deep breaths and tried to take in everything she had just heard.

  After grabbing some coffee she headed into her boss Vince’s office to get direction on what projects and campaigns she would be working on, more general office information and an invitation to an upcoming happy hour with the team.

  The day went on with more introductions, lunch with a few coworkers and diving head first into the files she would be working on for the next several weeks. By the time she made it back home she was exhausted but genuinely excited for this next chapter of her life. She had loved college but was ready to say goodbye to dorm rooms and house parties and ready to embrace her independence.

  She kicked off her shoes and laid back on her bed pointing a finger in the air as if she were looking at herself in a mirror and thought aloud…"I am going to kick ass at this job…I didn’t work as hard as I did through college to just be another lackey barely getting by." Her pep talk to herself was interrupted by the sound of her phone buzzing.

  "Hey Jazmine, how’s it going?" Jazmine was Madeline’s best friend and former college roommate. They had only known each other a few years but it seemed like a lifetime…They just seemed to click when they first met and were inseparable ever since.

  "So how’d the first day go? Was everyone sitting around smoking and drinking Old Fashions?"

  Madeline scrunched her face in confusion, "What the hell are you talking about?"

  Jazmine laughed, "You know, like in Mad Men? I just can’t help thinking that’s what all marketing firms are like...I’m just kidding of course."

  "Oh ok, yeah no it’s nothing like that. The office itself is very modern and nice, very bougie but most of my team looked more hipster or could be confused for Urban Outfitters employees. I knew what I signed up for when I decided to pursue an art degree but hey it’s what I love."

  She continued to tell Jazmine about her first impressions of the place and her determination to make something of herself at this job by using it as a launching pad for her career. They continued to talk about their days as Madeline walked around her bedroom changing into her gym clothes.

  "Ok so are we going to boxing tonight or what? I’m already changing so you can’t back out on me now." Madeline put the phone on speaker and threw it on her bed as she laced up her tennis shoes.

  "Nope I’m already dressed and ready to go, just walking to the train now." Jazmine replied as she ran out her front door.

  "Great, see you in a few muah!" Madeline threw her phone and water bottle in her bag, threw on five more layers to survive the Chicago winter and ran out the door to catch her train.

  Madeline and Jazmine laughed and talked about their weekend plans as they came out of the locker room and headed over to their ring. "Whoa who in the hot hell is THAT?" Jazmine gasped as she subtly pointed to a tall, dark haired guy in the corner doing some warmup moves. Madeline literally tripped over her own feet as she made eye contact with him through the mirror he was standing in front of.

  "Oh that’s Ben, he’s a regular here. You ladies ready to stop drooling and get your butt’s kicked?" Damon said as he tightened the band on his mitts.

  "Listen Damon that man looks like he needs friends and Maddie and I here are very friendly so honestly you should do him a favor and introduce us" Jazmine said as she batted her long eyelashes.

  "Ha-ha let’s get to work you lazy bums, you’re looking like you might be fighting off some holiday weight" Damon responded with a smirk.

  "Okay it’s go time bitch!" Jazmine said as she and Maddie started punching Damon.

  "Hurry up and get your stuff so we can see that guy again!" Jazmine said as she scooted around Madeline.

  "Uh why are you so obsessed with meeting this guy, aren’t things just dreamy with Ethan?" She said as she reached for her coat in her locker. "Oh wait…NO! You’re not going to hook me up with someone again Jaz, your last attempt called me "bro" and offered a threesome on our first date…so PASS!"
<
br />   "Maddie come on, it’s been like 9 months since you and Jake broke up and I’m starting to worry your virginity is going to grow back." Madeline rolled her eyes and picked up the rest of her stuff.

  "I’m fine, honestly. I’m over Jake, I’ve just been focused on this new job and transitioning from college to “adult-hood.”

  Jazmine turned to her friend and put her hands on her elbows, "Fine I’ll let it go for now, but if I come over and you’ve adopted cats I’m sending for help." Both girls laughed and headed out of the gym to go home.

  Chapter 2

  Madeline grabbed her coffee and settled into her desk. The last two and half months had gone by quickly and she had settled into a nice routine with work, going to the gym and her social life…There still hadn’t been a lot of dates but she had gone out with her coworkers a few times and there was always her weekend brunch dates with Jazmine.

  She had been working diligently on a recent campaign for a watch company that would run in some major fashion magazines so she was determined to bring nothing but perfection to the table.