by J. H. Croix
Although it was late, the lodge bustled with guests checking in at the reception desk, and the murmur of voices from the restaurant spilled through the archway beyond the reception area.
“There you are!”
I glanced around, my eyes landing on my twin sister standing over to one side with her husband, who also happened to be my best friend. Nate Fox had his arm slung around Holly’s shoulders. Nate almost never had his hands off my sister. It had taken some getting used to, but I’d adjusted to their relationship and was happy for them. They’d gotten married just a few months ago.
“Hey, Holl,” I called as I glanced back at Delilah. “That’s my sister over there. Come on, let me introduce you.”
One of Delilah’s dark brows arched up. “Are you …?”
She stopped her question when I shook my head. “It’s my sister. Trust me, you’re not gonna be able to avoid her.”
Delilah looked uncertain, but she followed along when I began walking over to where Holly and Nate were waiting. I didn’t miss Holly’s curious gaze on Delilah as we approached.
“Alex,” Holly said immediately, brushing her long blond hair off her shoulders. “You’re late.”
“Nice to see you too, Holl,” I countered with a grin.
Nate chuckled, his brown eyes tipping up with his smile. “Holly thought you’d be here this afternoon.”
“The roads are pretty sketchy,” Holly said pointedly.
“I hit the road later than I planned, but I’m here safe and sound. Anyway, this is Delilah,” I said, gesturing to Delilah, who was hanging back slightly.
My twin sister’s sharp brown gaze shifted like a laser to Delilah. I could practically see her trying to X-ray the situation.
“Delilah’s rental car ran off the road, so I picked her up and gave her a ride. Oddly enough, we met once before at that summer camp in Colorado,” I explained.
Holly stepped forward. “Hi, I’m Holly,” she said, offering her hand.
“Delilah, Delilah Carter,” Delilah offered in return.
“What brings you here?” Holly asked. I considered clapping at her restraint. I knew my sister was about to burst with curiosity.
“I would imagine I’m here for the same reason you are,” Delilah replied. “To ski.”
Holly smiled slowly. “I guess that is obvious,” she said after a moment.
Nate caught Delilah’s eyes, casting her an easy smile. “Nice to meet you. Nate Fox.”
“My fiancé,” Holly chimed in.
“Oh, congratulations. When’s the wedding?” Delilah asked.
Holly wrinkled her nose, giving a sheepish smile when Nate rolled his eyes. “She keeps forgetting I’m actually her husband now. We just got married a few months ago.”
Holly poked him in the side with her elbow. “I don’t forget! It’s just you were my fiancé longer than we’ve been married.”
A cluster of guests filed past us, bumping into Delilah and effectively ending our brief conversation with Holly and Nate. “I should go check in. I’ll be right back,” she said.
Chapter Three
Delilah
“Go ahead,” Alex replied. “I called ahead when I left Willow Brook, so I’m already checked in. I’m assuming you guys are too?” He glanced at Holly and Nate.
“Of course. We were waiting for you so we can get dinner together. Why don’t you join us for dinner after you check in?” Holly suggested, looking at me.
Seeing as I knew absolutely no one here, other than Alex and now them, I had no easy way to refuse. Not that I wanted to. “That would be nice. Let me check in so I can drop off my bag and freshen up.”
“I’m going to go check out my room,” Alex said, just as I started to turn away. “How about we all meet back here in about fifteen minutes?”
“Sure,” I replied before heading over to the line at the reception desk.
A cluster of guests hummed around me, but I barely noticed. My mind was still reeling over running into Alex like this.
The nearly electric force of his presence had sharpened the edges of my memories of him. Although my attraction to him had been unsettling in its power before, I had forgotten how easy it was to be around him. He was funny, charming, and gracious. He exuded a confident masculinity. It didn’t hurt that he was so freaking handsome with his dark blond hair and espresso eyes.
When I got to the front of the line, a woman with auburn hair and jade eyes smiled over at me. “Hi there, how are you this evening?”
“Considering I skidded off the highway on the way here from Anchorage, I’m doing quite all right,” I replied with a wry laugh.
“Oh, no! Are you okay? How did you get here?” Her questions came in rapid succession. “I’m Marley, by the way.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Delilah Carter. I was lucky enough that another guest on the way here stopped to check on me and gave me a ride. Conveniently, he wasn’t a stranger. I’m feeling a bit like I’m in a movie. I still can’t believe I ran into someone I know on the side of a snowy highway all the way across the country from where I live.”
Marley grinned. “That’s wild. If you don’t mind me asking, who gave you a ride?”
“Alex Blake. Do you know him?”
“Oh, Alex. Of course I know him! He comes down here pretty often for weekend ski trips with friends and also does mechanic work at the airport every so often.”
“So I learned,” I returned with a smile. During the remainder of our drive, Alex and I had caught up with each other, so I had a sketch of his life.
“Well, let me look up your room,” Marley said, glancing down. “What name is the reservation under again?”
“Mine. Delilah Carter. It was originally under Remy Martin,” I explained, referring to an old friend who moved from North Carolina to Alaska. “They had a change of plans.”
Marley clicked on the keyboard, and I could see her hand moving the mouse to scroll. When the moment stretched on, my gut churned. As her eyes met mine again, she looked concerned, her brow furrowing and her mouth twisting to the side.
“I’m sorry, we don’t seem to have a reservation for you. I found the record, but it looks like it was accidentally canceled instead of replacing Remy’s name with yours. There’s a notation with your name, and there’s no refund listed, so I absolutely know it’s our mistake. The problem is we’re booked solid. I am so, so sorry,” Marley explained.
My chest felt tight, and tears pressed hot at the backs of my eyes. I’d been trying to keep it together for too long, and it had just been that kind of day and that kind of year. It was a fitting end for everything, a dollop of one more thing going wrong on top of my train wreck of a year.
Marley clearly sensed my distress even though I hadn’t said a word.
“Obviously, we will offer you another stay at no charge,” she said quickly. “Unfortunately, I’ll have to see if we can find another place for you because we are at capacity.”
I swallowed, ignoring the tears stinging my eyes. “Um, okay, that would be great.”
Right then, Alex materialized at my side. “All checked in?” he asked.
I truly craved the power to go up in smoke and remove myself from this situation. I wasn’t up for rolling with the punches at this moment. I’d had an over twelve-hour flight to get here and managed to keep my spirits up even when I skidded off the road. I couldn’t seem to scramble up my composure, but I tried.
“Um, not really. Seems like my reservation got messed up. Marley, here, is going to find me somewhere else to stay,” I explained with a tight smile.
Alex sensed my obvious distress because his arm slid around my shoulders as he leaned over to ask Marley something. I prayed I wasn’t going to burst into tears in front of him, Marley, and the people milling about the reception area.
My eyes bounced around, taking in the holiday decorations. Evergreen wreaths were hung in a few places with cheerful holiday lights strung along the ceiling and winding around the doorways.
“You can share my room,” Alex said firmly.
“Are you …?” I stopped talking when he shook his head.
“If you’re about to ask me if I’m sure, of course I’m sure. You’re here for a ski vacation, so you’ll have one. What Marley probably doesn’t want to tell you just yet is that the likelihood of her finding another place for you to stay this time of year is slim to none.”
Marley grimaced. “Alex, you never know.”
“It’s a good bet you won’t. Almost everything is closed as far as hotels except for you.” His eyes shifted to me again. “I’ll sleep on the pullout couch. The bed is all yours. You’re here for a vacation, so you should have one. Even if Marley finds you a place, this is the only ski lodge around. It’s a great place to be over the holidays.”
As I stood there staring at Alex, I didn’t know what to say. What I wanted was my own room for the escape I had sought in coming here. With that slipping out of my grasp, I didn’t want to be floundering to find another place.
Breaking from Alex’s gaze, I looked over at Marley. “Tell me seriously. What are my chances of finding another place?”
Marley sighed. “Not great,” she said with a frown. “I promise we’ll get you a free week here. You pick the time, and we’ll make it happen. I’m really, really sorry about this. Honestly, I’d offer to let you stay in our private quarters, but we have family visiting for the holidays, so there’s no extra space anywhere.”
Calling on my depleted reserves of sanity, I took a deep breath and nodded at her before looking back at Alex. “If you’re sure you don’t mind, let’s bunk together. I’ll pay—” I began.
Alex shook his head. “You’re not paying for anything. The room’s already covered.” He didn’t wait for my reply. “Come on then.” He steered me firmly away from the reception desk. It was only then I noticed the line of people stacking up behind me.
I wanted to curl up into Alex’s warmth and strength, which made no sense. For God’s sake, I barely knew him. A heady two weeks of crushing on him that culminated in a few crazy hot kisses when we were teenagers almost fifteen years ago didn’t translate to knowing him well. I took a deep breath and tried to shake some sanity into my brain as he steered us through the crowded reception area and down a side hallway where we stopped in front of a bank of elevators.
I looked up at him, intending to thank him, but the doors swished open, and a cluster of people spilled out, filling the space with voices and laughter. We filed into the empty elevator, and quiet descended when the doors shut behind us. Alex tapped a button for the third floor.
The moment I looked into his dark gaze, my heart did a little flip, and my belly spun. In this tiny, enclosed space, my body fizzled with awareness. My mind flashed to those kisses so many years ago when I was younger. Even then, I had been cynical. But oh, I hadn’t forgotten how those kisses felt. Most definitely not.
The air filled with sparks. I distantly wondered if I was crazy. It was dawning on me that it might be a challenge to share a room with Alex for a week.
Chapter Four
Alex
Delilah stood beside me in the elevator. Her green eyes were dark, and her cheeks slightly flushed. Seeing that the distress had faded from her gaze gave me relief. Although I couldn’t say I knew her well even though the feel of her mouth was permanently burned into my brain, I sensed she was not a woman who accepted help easily. Even when our paths had crossed all those years ago, she had exuded a sense of fierce independence.
I hadn’t offered to share my room merely to grab the chance I never got the last time we met. Yet I was wondering if that wasn’t such a bad idea.
Delilah stared at me, her tongue darting out and moistening her lower lip. I took in the delicate arch of her brows, the clean lines of her face, and the determined set of her jaw. My eyes dropped down, noticing the rapid flutter of her pulse in her neck.
Although a corner of my mind was telling me, rather sternly, not to kiss her and that I should be a gentleman, I moved on instinct.
As if her body was prey to the same magnetic force humming around us, Delilah stepped in my direction just as I moved toward her. Her scent—which had driven me nearly insane after I picked her up on the side of the snowy road—drifted up to me. She was sweet, sultry, and so damn sexy she made my knees weak.
I held the handle of her bag in one hand. I let go because I needed both hands for this. Brushing her hair away from her face, I let the fingers of one hand slide into her silky locks as I cupped her nape. I slid my other palm down her spine, satisfaction rolling through me at the soft hitch in her breath.
“What are the chances we’d meet again like this?” I asked.
Her eyes darkened, her mouth curling at one corner as she shrugged. I sensed she wasn’t one to give away smiles easily, so I felt as if I’d won something.
“I don’t know. I’m wondering the same thing myself.”
“I need to test a theory.”
“A theory?” One dark brow arched high.
“Well, maybe a memory. I’m pretty sure that last kiss we shared was the best kiss of my life, so I need to double-check.”
Delilah’s cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink, and her smile stretched to the other corner of her mouth. “Okay. Go right ahead.”
When I stepped closer to her and heard the catch in her breath, desire bolted through me. I didn’t know what the hell I was doing here with Delilah. Yet I’d never been able to shake thoughts about what might have been with us.
There had been no glorious heartbreak and no ugly breakup. We had simply gone our separate ways after those hazy summer days. I’d never forgotten her, though. Every so often, I’d wonder where she was and how she was doing. Each time I thought of her, I figured I’d always be left with nothing but my memories.
Yet here she was.
Shifting closer, I could feel the heat emanating from her. Her scent—one I hadn’t even known I remembered—spun around me like smoke, sweet and spicy with an edge to it. Just like Delilah. My thoughts and my usual sense of control were slipping.
I tightened my grip on the reins, struggling to check the lust coursing through me. It was rushing with a force I couldn’t ignore. “So tell me, Delilah,” I murmured. “Did you ever wonder what might happen?”
Her breasts pressed against my chest when she took another breath, her flashing green eyes holding mine. The girl I remembered had a prickly exterior. She still did, but it was even more sharpened by the years. I sensed she didn’t want to answer my question, but she didn’t back down.
“Maybe,” she replied, her tone husky.
“I definitely did.”
I was pushing her, and I didn’t know why. The random chance of our encounter galvanized me. The chance of finding her on the side of the road on a snowy night when we both happened to be going to the same place was like a bolt of lightning out of the sky. I was going to capture the residual charge from that lightning, and I didn’t intend to let go.
As I threaded my hand into her hair, it gave easily, sliding like silk between my fingers. With her eyes like fire on mine, I bent my head, brushing my lips across hers, almost as if to test what might happen. This moment was so surreal I wouldn’t be shocked if we burst into flames.
Her lips were warm and soft. Electricity hummed around us, my lips almost tingling against hers. A low sound came from her throat, and I distantly heard my own growl in return as I angled my head to the side and fit my mouth over hers.
Delilah sighed, her lips giving way and inviting me in. Sweet hell, she tasted so good. The crisp, cool scent of snow clung to her. Her mouth was warm and sweet, and the moment she let me in, it was just as I
had remembered.
Her tongue slipped out to tease against mine. She was no passive kisser, not Delilah. One of her hands slid around my lower back, and she tugged me closer. My arousal nestled perfectly in the cradle of her hips, nudging against her core. She was a tall woman, fitting against me just so, and all soft curves in contrast to my hard planes.
Our kiss started as a slow, sensual tease before it shifted gears, our tongues tangling as it became wet, hot, and messy. I was gripping her hair tightly as one of her hands mapped its way over my chest.
The Delilah I’d kissed before had been young. Our kisses had been those of two untried, wild teenagers who didn’t quite know better. And as hot as those kisses had been, they didn’t hold a fucking candle to this one.
I knew my way around a woman’s mouth now. Even though I’d all but lost my mind and wasn’t thinking at all, my years of experience kicked in. By the time I broke free from her mouth, it was out of near desperation for air. I sucked in a breath, opening my eyes just as she did. Our gazes collided, hers hazy and unfocused and likely matching mine.
We stared at each other, the sound of our breath heaving loud in the small space. Blood rushed through my ears with the thundering beat of my pulse pounding through my body.
Delilah’s lips were puffy and swollen from our kiss, and her cheeks flushed. I could feel the restless beat of her heart against my chest, and I imagined she could feel mine. We were plastered together with one of her feet hooked around my calves.
Lifting a hand, she traced her fingertip along my cheekbone, leaving a trail of fire in the wake of her touch. “That was better than I remembered,” she breathed.
I felt my lips kicking up into a smile on one side. “I’ll say.” My words came out gruff.
I had imagined absolutely none of this. I just knew I wanted a chance to take things to the place we never got to go before. Yet this suddenly felt heavy, weighted with a startling intensity.