by Claire Adams
I zipped up the last bag as my roommate Jessie walked into the dorm room.
"Why twenty-five days?" Parker asked.
"No clue. I think he's hoping that I find my love of the freezing-ass weather and want to stay up there to run his clothing line."
"Or to add to it. It's good, but it ain't great."
"Ain't isn't a word," I corrected him and sat down on my bed as Jessie plopped down next to me, her lips down turned in a frown. We had been together for five years in our dorm room. Leaving her was the hardest part of leaving school without a doubt.
"Leave your grammar in Cali and bring your wicked cooking skills. I'm as thin as a rail, and the ladies seem to like the beefy guys. Help?"
"That I can do. I'll see you soon. Love you."
"Hey," my brother's voice was nothing more than a whisper, making him sound all of eight years old.
"What?"
"I got some new Mortal Kombat games. You're up for an ass whooping, right?"
I laughed loudly. "You're so going down, buddy. Someone needs to teach you how to treat a lady."
"Bring it, old woman." He dropped the call, and I slipped my phone in my back pocket.
The men in my life were comical, if nothing else.
"You all packed?" Jessie released me and stood.
"I am. How about we grab a burger and then hang out on the beach tonight? One last adventure before I head off to the Arctic?"
"It's not that cold, Chloe." She breathed in deeply and looked around the room as if expecting someone to just pop out of the nothingness. "Was Seth here?"
"Yeah, trying to talk me out of going or into taking him with me." I pulled my hair into a high ponytail and stopped by my dresser, grabbing my debit card and slipping it in my pocket. "You smell his cologne?"
"The people in the next room over smell his cologne." She opened the door and moved back, holding it for me. "You think you guys will survive this break?"
"Nope, but he said if he found someone I would be tough out of luck, so hopefully that’s the case. Maybe I’ll find someone, too." I walked to the end of the hall and turned as confetti exploded from the open door just behind us.
Jess laughed as she jogged past me. "You're going to miss all the parties around here. The holidays are so much fun." She pulled her keys from her pocket and held them up. "I'll drive."
Memories assaulted me as we walked to her old Honda. I hadn't been to see my father for Christmas break since coming to Los Angeles five years ago. He had a tradition of spending December through the end of January in Aspen, Colorado, which my brother loved. I hated it. As a kid, I would live in front of the fireplace for two months, waiting for the minute we could rush back to Arizona.
No friends, no family, and nothing but a little brother and bitchy father to keep me company during those times. It left a sour taste in my mouth. The minute I arrived in the warmth of southern California, I was lost to it. No more going to the snowy mountains and pretending to love it. Living a lie was a part of my past. Hopefully.
We got in the car, and Jessie tried to turn on the heat, but I playfully popped her hand back.
"It's perfect here. Don't waste your gas." Her parents were dirt-floor poor, and she'd made it through college on various scholarships and several jobs. I tried to help out where I could, but Jessie Miller was proud, if nothing else.
"It's freezing in here!" She started the car and pulled out into the busy streets that ran up and down the campus.
"Girl, you don't know what freezing is." I glanced toward her as my heart constricted in my chest. "Come with me to Aspen? It's going to be so damn lonely without you."
"What?" She looked over at me and smiled. Her dark chestnut hair was a mess, like it always was. She was warm and loving, the kind of friend that no one deserved and everyone wanted. "No. I'm going to see my parents. My little sisters would never forgive me if I didn't come home for Christmas."
I let out a short sigh and turned to watch the lights of the city grow dim as we headed south to San Diego. It would be a bit of a drive, but it was one the two of us made often.
"You'll have to tell them why I'm not there this year." I crossed my arms over my chest and pulled my legs into the seat with me. "And save me some of your mom's fruitcake."
"They're going to be hella disappointed." She wrinkled up her nose. "You don't actually like that crap, do you? We all thought you were just being nice. Even Mom thought so."
I laughed, unable to help myself. "I like tart things. It's tart."
"Yes, we know. It will pucker your mouth up like you've sucked on a lemon." She sucked her cheeks in, and I rewarded her with a giggle for her efforts.
"I'm not at all looking forward to this trip. My father and I haven't been close since Mom died."
"Then, maybe now is the time to start working on your relationship with him." She reached out and squeezed my hand. "He's the only parent you have, and he obviously wants time with you, right?"
"I guess. He's forcing it on me. Who does that?"
"Someone who has no other choice." She gave me a knowing look, and I grumbled under my breath, repeating her words like an unruly child.
She laughed and turned onto the freeway, rolling her window down and nodding to mine. "Go ahead and do it. I know you want to."
"Really?" I rolled it down and sat up in my seat. Jessie hated the wind in her hair, but I couldn't think of a better way to live.
"What if all of this was part of the master plan?" she asked.
"What, my Dad dangling a carrot on the end of a string to get me to Aspen for the winter?"
"Yes. What if you meet the man of your dreams and fall madly in love?” She gave me a girlie look, and I gagged dramatically.
"The man of my dreams? He would have to be sexy, sweet, funny, and have a knack for fashion." I shrugged. "Probably not happening — ever. I'll just settle eventually like most people do."
"A knack for fashion?" She laughed and snorted. "What man has a knack for fashion, and while we're on the subject, what the hell is a knack?"
"He exists. I know he does." I shrugged and slipped my hands under my thighs. "My father has a knack for fashion. His ski and snowboard line sells pretty well. With a better color palate to pull from, he could double his profits, but I've told him that until I'm blue in the face."
"So tell him in a different way. Maybe if he sees you in action as a designer yourself, he'll start to respect your opinion a little more. You're still just his little girl. Prove to him that you've grown into an independent woman."
"Why are we talking about my father? Back to the man of my dreams."
She chuckled and nodded. "Yes, continue as you were."
"I want him to be built more like a quarterback than a linebacker, tall, and impossibly handsome."
"So like Seth?"
"Yeah, but brown hair and warm brown eyes. A great laugh, too. Seth's laugh is horrible and seems so fake to me."
"Agreed. He does that shit to get attention. All the football guys do." She tapped the steering wheel as a good song came on the radio. "And he has to like your family."
"Good luck on my Dad, but my brother...yeah. He has to be a good role model, too. Not a drunk or someone who sluts himself out, you know?"
"I think it's okay if he did that in his past, but not now. We're all stupid in our adolescence."
"I wasn't." I gave her a pompous look and stuck my nose in the air.
"You still are like that." She popped me in the shoulder, and I laughed.
I loved a good dark beer and a party as much as the next girl, but sleeping around was out.
"The plan is simple. I'm going to spend December with my Dad, mostly focusing on my little brother, and when it's all over, I'll have a zillion designs drawn up for my clothing line and the money to get rolling on it."
Twenty-five days with my Dad, and the money for my company will be mine. I can do this.
"Then, you'll come back home to us?"
"To you. Yes."
"Not Seth?" Jessie glanced my way.
"Why are you so concerned about Seth?"
"I just think he's a good guy, and you should be careful with his heart. I know he's head over heels for you." She shrugged.
"He wants a trophy wife, Jessie. I'd never be okay with that. I want a partnership with passion. Someone who can support my dreams and still follow their own, too."
"You don't think that's Seth?"
"Not at all. He wants me to support his dreams and smile for the cameras. Ain't happening." I huffed.
"Ain't isn't a word." She laughed and jerked out of my reach as I swatted at her.
"I love you. I'm going to miss you." I squeezed her shoulder as she turned, her eyes full of tears.
"Me, too, but this is going to be amazing for you. I can feel it deep down inside of me."
"And will I return to you after Christmas, oh seer of the future?"
"Absolutely not. You'll be in love and sold on the cold."
"Possibly. Perhaps. Nope, never."
We laughed and enjoyed the silly banter that continued between us through the rest of the night. I would go to Aspen and play my father's absurd games until the time came for me to get back on a plane and return to my life. There was nothing I could possibly find in Colorado that would change my mind.
Not even love.
Chapter Two
Finn
A subtle movement beside me in the bed caused me to wake and shift over to my side. The pretty brunette from last night was watching me in a way I would quickly categorize as stalker-ish.
Great. Another one.
"Morning, baby," she purred softly and reached out, rubbing her fingers down the side of my face.
"Hi, beautiful." It wasn't a lie. She was breathtaking, but it was muted due to her incessant need to talk about herself. I knew every moment from her childhood, her sex life, her dreams, aspirations, favorite color, hobbies, past lovers...you name it, I knew it. Getting my ass up and out of her house was the first thing on my list of things to do.
Unless she wanted to fix me breakfast.
"What are we doing today?"
We? Shit.
"I actually have to go to work in about," I lifted my head in search for a clock, "an hour."
"Let's go have breakfast somewhere, and then after you get off, we'll go shopping or something." She scooted close to me, pressing her breasts against the side of my chest and ran her nose over my earlobe. "Sound fun?"
Ummm...no.
"Let's have breakfast here, and then I'll call you when I get off. My hours are a bit odd, thanks to my boss being a dick." I failed to mention that my old man was my boss. Never seemed to impress women too much.
In my twenty-seven years of whoring around, I’d learned that there were few things that turned a girl off than a full-grown man still tied up with his family. Seemed odd to me, but that's the conclusion I'd come to. It saved me from a lot of awkward situations thereafter, though.
A woman who got too needy or wouldn't let me be? I could just tell them I lived at home with my Daddy and worked shoveling snow for him for a living. Nothing like real life to turn a girl around and have her gathering her shit from the floor as fast as possible.
It wasn't right, but it was what it was. They took what they wanted, and I got a moment of warmth out of the deal.
"Yeah, okay." She slid her hand down my stomach and cupped me in her hand, squeezing softly. "Let's have a little fun before we cook together."
"Oh, baby. You got me all wrong." I rolled away from her and got out of the bed, walking to the bathroom. "I can't cook worth a damn, and sex in the morning isn't fun at all. I need a nap after the way I fuck. Not happening today."
I slipped into the bathroom and locked the door behind me before starting the shower. Turning and leaning against the counter, I examined the dark circles under my eyes and let out a long breath.
This life was getting old, yet it was the only one I knew. No woman wanted a man like me. Not for the long-term.
I shoved my depressing thoughts out of my head and got into the shower, enjoying the hot spray far more than I deserved. I'd spend another night with the pretty girl in the other room just for a chance at another shower like this one. If she could cook, I'd definitely be calling her after work. Besides, she was only visiting Aspen and would be gone in a matter of days. Problem solved.
The handle on the door shook, and I ignored it. If she came in, she'd want more sex, and while I wasn't one to pass up a good romp in the sheets, I needed to eat and get my ass to work.
My father's business was booming, which was somewhat expected. We'd lived in Aspen my whole life, and we knew just about everyone. Shoveling snow was a necessity for anyone who wanted to go somewhere, and those with money subcontracted out that type of hard labor. I was grateful for the opportunity, but as the years flew past me, I realized how much more I wanted in my life.
It was getting there that was the problem.
I toweled dried myself and wrapped a big, fluffy, white towel around my waist before walking back out into the bedroom. Tiffany or Terri or whatever her name was walked into the bedroom and pulled me close, sliding her fingers through my wet hair and leaning in to kiss and lick at my mouth.
I took hold of her and gave her a kiss that had her sagging against me, pawing at my towel.
"I want more," she murmured against my lips. "Call in sick. Please?"
"Nope. Not even for something as cute as you." I squeezed her pert ass and moved away from her, working to get my t-shirt on before finding my jeans. "We having cereal?"
"No. Turkey bacon and egg whites." She smiled like she'd created something incredible from scratch.
I tried not to show my disdain. Besides, being rude wasn't at all my style. Nefarious? Wicked? Yes. Rude? Hell no.
"Sounds delicious." I dropped my towel, and she moved over, reaching around me to stroke my cock a few times before pulling on it softly.
"Let me taste you one more time, Finn. Then we'll eat."
I glanced at the clock and let out a short sigh. "Yeah. Alright. One more time, but only because you need it. You need it, right?"
"Yes. So bad." She moved to her knees and leaned in, taking me in her mouth as she slid her hands up my thighs and latched onto my hips. I was a big guy, but she seemed to have been with a few of us. Her moans filled the air as I hardened. She picked up her pace, and I groaned loudly.
"Good, you eat, and I'll get mine in a minute." I stroked her hair and closed my eyes as heat rose deep in my belly.
My phone buzzed, and I hated to stop her, but my Dad was an asshole without reason. To give him one just meant my life would be hell for another day.
"Hold up, baby girl." I pulled away from her as she pouted.
The text was from my old man. He needed me in early and wanted me to grab donuts for the guys.
"Shit." I grumbled and reached for her, helping her to her feet and kissing her once more before tugging my jeans on. "They need me in now. I'll call you tonight."
"Give me your number, and I'll text you today."
"Nope. I'd be hard all day. Not happening." I popped her ass and jogged for the door. "Thanks for last night. Best night of my life."
"Me, too!" she yelled after me.
I grabbed a piece of turkey bacon from the plate on my way by and spit it out in the yard before chucking the rest out in the large, snowed-over parking lot at her place.
"Disgusting. Turkey bacon? What the hell is that?"
I got in my truck and turned on the radio. I wasn't interested in commitment. It never turned out well for me, anyway. Sex was all they were getting and all I was asking for.
Don't like it? Fuck off.
* * * *
"You're late." My father looked up from his desk in the back of the warehouse.
I lifted the bags of donuts and shrugged. "You asked for breakfast and told me to come in an hour early."
"That doesn't change the fact that you're late. G
o drop those off in the kitchen and hand out schedules for today. Then, come see me."
He handed me a stack of schedules. Each guy would be given two or three locations to shovel or plow, and if they got done early, they just called in for more. My dad glanced back down, and I stood there for a minute more before turning and doing what was asked of me.
My dad’s dark hair was buzz cut and his eyes dark blue, which made him look like a military man with a kiss my ass attitude. It was pretty close to the truth, and he was a good looking old guy, but he never dated. My mom had been dead for over ten years, and where I still missed her, he was still lost in the pain of losing her. I had tried a million times to set him up with some of the middle-aged women in the town. They were more than willing, but he wasn't. Shame, really.
"Here's your donuts and your schedules, you bitches."
I walked into the break room and got a warm reception. It was the food, no doubt. My father had ten to twelve guys working for him — some of them friends of mine from high school, but mostly transients.
The majority of my friends had gone to college or off to the military, but as my father's only child, I figured he needed someone he could trust to help run his ever-expanding business. Too bad he didn't seem to like me most days.
"Hey, donut boy." Cliff, one of the older guys, walked up and extended his schedule toward me. "I'll pay you fifty bucks to switch schedules. I need to use a mover today. Pulled my back out yesterday working on that damn tree Martha gets every year."
I tugged the schedule from his fingers and gave him mine as I growled. "Damn. All of these are shovellings."
"Yep. Sucks. Being the new guy on the crew means kissing a few asses to get a decent schedule. I'm not an ass kisser, so welcome to my world."
"Not sure my dad would want your ugly lips on his ass anyway." I laughed as he popped me in the chest. "Keep your money, old man. I'm good right now."
"You sure, Finn? I don't mind paying for the switch."
"Naw. It's good. You have three kids at home, and it's almost Christmas. Use that on them. I'm alright right now. Honestly."
He patted me on the back, and I grabbed three donuts and a napkin before returning to my dad's office.