Henry headed for the airport once we were back in the car and about half an hour later Heathrow airport came into view. I kissed Lily’s head and inhaled her sweet scent, then she shifted and looked up at me. I tried to ignore her tear stained face, but she was one of those people that still looked beautiful even after she’d been crying.
“Ready to have some fun?” I asked, hoping to lift her mood and change the tone of the day now that we were officially on vacation.
“Lead the way, superstar,” she replied, her voice was a little croaky, but she tried to sound more upbeat than I knew she was feeling.
A VIP airport ambassador was waiting to check us in and lead us to our plane. I hadn’t intended on ever buying one, but with Lily’s band and mine constantly hopping from one country to another it made sense. I could see Lily wondering where everyone was. I knew they were already on board, the security guy had commented that we were the last. Lily was getting frisked at the security check at the time and couldn’t have heard them.
Climbing the steps to the cabin, we heard Jack’s voice with about three steps to go. Lily’s pace quickened, and she almost ran onto the plane shoving impolitely past the blonde female cabin attendant on her way.
“Jack,” she exclaimed in her excited tone, and I could see her mood was instantly much lighter.
I knew it was stupid, but another small pang of jealousy shot through me and struck at the edge of my heart. I glanced at Mya, who was smiling casually, totally relaxed with her man wrapping his arms tightly around what was mine.
My jaw ticked from how tightly I was grinding my teeth. Whenever I saw them do that together, I had a small internal struggle with how I was going to live with that behavior for three whole days. I’d agreed to share a cabin with Jack and Mya. I thought maybe I wanted to do it to prove to myself that there was nothing there. We had all moved on…mostly. Everyone told me I had nothing to fear with them. Hell, I’d told myself that until I almost believed it, then Jack would do something that made me think twice.
Jack squeezed Lily and kissed her on the lips. They always kissed, and it bugged the shit out of me. It was only a peck, but still. I’d never dream of kissing Mya like that. Then again, I told myself they had probably been doing that from such a young age that it became a force of habit, rather than something they thought about.
I knew we were supposed to be the last people on the plane although I couldn’t see Rick anywhere. Mya was very intuitive and immediately put me at ease.
“Uncle Rick is taking his own transport, Alfie. He isn’t sure he’ll be able to stay for the three days. He says he’ll wait on his plane until we arrive.”
I was surprised when Mya suggested inviting him. Even more surprised that he’d agreed to come. I figured maybe once we were all together it may be too much for him, and he’d use it as an excuse to leave. As long as he stayed for a day or two, I’d settle for that.
Lennon, one of Lily’s band mates and a really great guy, was talking to Emma, the only female that was not attached. Cody, another member of XrAid, was deep in conversation with Dave and Emily, two more of Lily’s friends. If I was honest, I envied how close everyone was before I was a part of their group, and now that I was on the inside, I felt blessed we all get along so well.
I had initially wanted to go large and have luxury cabins for everyone. It was Mya that convinced me small was beautiful. She had the foresight to think that if we were in huge places it would be all too easy for everyone to disappear to their own devices, and the purpose of the vacation and spending time together would be lost.
We agreed the cabins should be rustic and not elaborately furnished, but should offer accommodation for six comfortably. The cabins we chose slept twelve, and we divided the group into who we felt would want to spend the most time together, but that we’d spend an evening in each cabin altogether.
So, Lily, Jack, Mya, and I were together in the biggest cabin, along with Henry my close security detail. Rick, and Jed, his bodyguard, in another. Cody, Lennon and Lance, one of XrAid’s security, in another. Dave, Emily and Emma had yet another. We had two extra cabins booked just in case any of the guys started to exhibit their rock star behavior around everyone. Rick and Cody were usually the main culprits that hooked up with random women.
Chapter 7 Frigid
The two-hour flight from London to Kuusamo, in Finland, went in the blink of an eye, and it was times like those when every second counted and I was thankful we had invested in a Learjet. Loud, excited chatter took up all the flight time as everyone caught up on what was going on in each other’s lives. By the time we’d eaten and drank, it was almost time for the descent. When the plane touched down, Dave gave Henry a hand to dole out padded coats and hats, gloves and scarfs to protect us against the minus twenty-eight wind chill factor outside.
An icy blast met us at the door, and where my skin was exposed, it contracted hard against the painful bite in the night air. It was so cold the air crystallized in front of my eyes and for a minute I couldn’t get my head around that. Lily slipped her gloved hand in mine, and I could feel her small, slim fingers were almost lost inside them. When I squeezed, it took a bit of pressure to actually feel her hand in the padded material.
Watching Lily’s eyes dart excitedly from the large snowman that stood at the entrance of the tiny airport building, to watching the reactions of her friends was wonderful. All of her London friends had been skiing together before. I hadn’t, and as far as I knew Rick, Lennon and Cody hadn’t either. Growing up in the sun, I’d have given my right ball for a trip like that as a teenager.
My gaze roamed over the tarmac, and I saw one other plane on it. Rick was headed our direction. He came to stand next to me and close to the main building.
Glancing back to the group I saw Jack was hugging Mya, their heads together sharing something intimate between them. Mya smiled lovingly at Jack as he held her chin. He bent his head and gave her an unhurried kiss despite the cold. When they broke the kiss, Jack looked over at me and grinned proudly and I wondered if his public display of affection was because he just couldn’t keep his hands off of Mya. If so, he felt every bit as much for Mya, as I did for Lily.
After we cleared immigration, Rick rounded the corner having been stopped to be searched. I suspected his appearance was not in compliance with a winter destination. That he hadn’t dressed accordingly left them little choice; he looked odd. His attire was completely incongruent to the setting. When Henry had offered warm clothing, Rick glanced at it with disdain and shook his head.
There wasn’t a murmur from Rick about getting into the transport we’d arranged for our transfer to our cabins, though. I suspected that was because he would at least be out of the cold. We chuckled when we saw our cars. The transport consisted of two metallic purple MPV’s, which had tiny lights twinkling against a black background like stars in the ceiling. They weren’t the kind of vehicles we were used to herding around in. Thankfully, Rick decided to share with Cody, Lennon and their bodyguards, so we didn’t have to listen to any complaints about his mode of transport on the way.
Thick snow covered everything around us as far as we could see. Splitting time living between California and Florida, we never really saw anything like that unless we are out on tour, and even then, we didn’t get to enjoy it. Snow becomes an inconvenience to the traveling band and is often avoided, so this weekend was a big adventure for me.
I pulled my black woolen beanie from my head and ran my hand back and forth through my hair while I stared in wonder at the view from the window. It was dark, but the headlights of the MPV shone on the dazzling white snow covered the pine trees, and there were millions of those. Well, that was an exaggeration, but the landscape consisted of snow and trees. Nothing else.
I wasn’t sure how long the ride was because I was so engrossed in the wilderness on the other side of the glass. Somehow I pulled my eyes away and glanced at the effect the scenery had on Lily. She was sitting with both hands against the
window, her gloves discarded and her expression was childlike. She had wide, shining eyes and rosy cheeks from the wind; her lips were slightly parted as she stared in wonder. My girl was in awe of it all.
“Hey,” I said gently, drawing her out of her reverie.
Lily turned to stare up at me. “You brought me to Christmas, Alfie. I love it. You’ve given me snow and all the people close to me, and I’m spending long overdue time with everyone. Thank you for doing this. I love you so much.”
“Honey, I’d give you the moon if you hadn’t already hung it for me,” I told her honestly, smiling down at her with affection as I tapped the end of her nose with my fingertip.
She gave me a playful nudge with her shoulder then unbuckled her belt and climbed on my lap. Her delicate little fingers sifted affectionately through my hair while she leaned in and kissed me slowly on the lips. It started as one of those slow burning kisses, but ended with us fighting to control ourselves. If we’d been alone, I know I definitely would have done her in the back of that thing.
“Alright, you two, time out,” Jack scolded, sitting with his arm around Mya.
He shook his head at how horny we were. Mya smirked knowingly at us as if she knew what was coming.
“Are we going to be watching tonsil tennis between you two for the next few days? Mya said this trip was so that we could spend some time with each other. That means you have to face us not have yours stuck to each other. The only upside is there is plenty of snow to treat Alfie’s dick. It must get worn smooth at times from all the exercise it gets.”
Lily’s jaw dropped open as she stretched across and smacked Jack’s arm. “Stop it, Jack. We aren’t that bad. You’ll have Mya thinking we’re like rabbits. We have a normal, healthy, sexual relationship. What’s wrong with that?”
Jack smirked wickedly and began chuckling. He tried to cross his leg in the limited floor space of the MPV.
“Yeah, it would be healthy and normal if you were in training for a sex marathon at the Olympics,” Jack blurted out snickering and smiling at Mya before drawing a deep breath and then continuing.
“I hope we’ve got ear plugs with us, Mya, because they aren’t capable of being quiet either, love.”
Mya glanced sympathetically at Lily, then at me, and I held my tongue. I was more careful about what I said around Lily’s friends than I had ever been with anyone else. With anyone else, I’d have just shot the bastard down for fucking with my woman. But that was Lily and Jack, and in Lily’s eyes, Jack had wide boundaries that he could step outside as far as she was concerned. Slipping her hand from around Jack’s waist, Mya threaded it through his arm.
“Get you, Mr. ‘Oh, yeah, baby, right there. Yep, Yep, right there. Damn, baby, that feels good. Mya suck and stroke, love. Ride my dick, baby. You’re so fucking sexy, baby.’ More than once I’ve had to cover your mouth with my hand at your parents place, Jack. So before you go casting aspersions make sure you can practice what you preach. People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones you know.”
Hearing Mya’s southern tone gritting out her response had Jack doubling over with laughter. He wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest. Moving his arm again, he pulled her into a hug.
“Fuck! Mya that was one of the hottest things I’ve ever heard you say. You sounded domineering and managed to talk dirty simultaneously. Your tongue will be now and forever more, be cherished. That little speech has my dick rock hard. Wanna feel?” Jack said, laughing while he grabbed hold of her hand and tried to drag it towards his groin. Mya elbowed him in the gut muttering for him to behave, and Jack chuckled again. He looked at me and grinned then nodded as if defeated.
“Alright, honey, I get it. We need to pretend we’ve only been to first base in front of the horny rock stars in the corner. Gotcha.” Jack winked, and Mya shook her head biting back a grin.
When I saw how Mya reined Jack in, her way of dealing with him reassured me. I felt more comfortable about not having to kick his ass if Jack’s flirting ventured near the imaginary line between being friends and what I perceived to be more with Lily.
A few minutes later the driver turned off the main road and on to a small single track. We could feel the crunch of the snow chains straining to grip the road as we drove up a steep incline before the road levelled and wove around a few bends. We came to a small clearing in the forest with six cabins. It looked like a fairy tale setting with the full moon high above the open space.
The rustic log cabins stood in a small smattering around the open space with snow mobiles parked in the driveway. A small tree in front of each cabin was cleared of snow and decorated with golden yellow and white twinkling lights. The warm glow emanating from inside each cabin was definitely an alluring sight.
I was fascinated by how perfect the location in front of me looked. From the snow covered trees surrounding the precise circular clearing to the white twinkling fairy lights covering the outline of every cabin. Huge holly wreaths hung in a central position on each of the doors. Smoke billowed out of every chimney and the smell of natural wood burning filled all of our lungs. Every single thing about the place just complimented it. Had I been a child, I’d have probably described it as magic. When I had that thought, I felt my rock star image was in jeopardy. Shit, I’ve turned into a girl.
Turning to look at Lily, her wide toothy grin was enough to know I’d hit the bullseye. The look of euphoria on her face said it all. Jack leaned in and bumped my shoulder with his.
“Jesus Alfie, you’ve just made your girl’s world. Lily loves the snow, Christmas, and winter sports. Check out that grin. You’ve definitely guaranteed yourself a blow job tonight.”
Smiling devilishly at his comment, I glanced down at Lily, who obviously hadn’t heard his comment, so I tested that out. “So what do you think of Jack’s suggestion, honey?”
Lily’s face registered fleeting panic at being caught. She nodded, pretending she had been listening. “Sure I’m up for whatever Jack has in mind.”
Jack and Mya howled with laughter, and Rick wandered over, looking every inch the rock star. Still dressed in black leather pointed boots, skinny jeans, a black t-shirt and leather bomber jacket, he was obviously too cool to wrap up for the weather. He looked like he was going to solidify if he stopped moving. I guessed that was his excuse for the little dance he was doing wiggling his legs as he stood beside me. He looked…frigid. The thought of that word and Rick in the same sentence almost made me lose my shit, and I started laughing with the others.
“What the fuck is funny? I’m freezing my ass off out here. It’s minus fucking insane degrees. Can y’all get the fucking keys, and crack the jokes on the inside of the wood instead of staring at how pretty the place is? We’re not fucking here waiting to see fucking Santa.” His breath was blowing hot puffs of mist into the air as he stood shivering with his hands stuffed as deep as he could get them into his jeans pockets.
I knew which cabin I wanted for us. It stood on its own. Rick quickly claimed the one nearest to us. Cody and Lennon were directly across from us but some distance down, and the rest of Lily’s friends in the one opposite cabin of Rick’s. Our security detail shared one, leaving one free in the event any of the guys found a female to hook up with. Even though individual arrangements were in place, everyone gravitated toward our cabin.
Before we could enter, a young blonde woman opened the cabin door I’d chosen in my mind and greeted us warmly.
“Hello, I am Dita, your cabin maid for your stay. I’ll bring food and supplies for you. Whatever you wish, please tell me and I will do my best to make you happy.”
Rick smirked wickedly, his mind immediately going into the gutter and he pushed past us. Closing the space between them, he slung his arm over her shoulder and tugged her into his side.
“Hello, darlin’ my name is Richard. Pleased to meet you. Let’s get inside the cabin and down this hallway, hon, there’s a lot more of us. They’re freezing their asses off out there.”
I don’
t know why it never occurred to me, but it suddenly clicked that he was Richard Fars. Rick was a secret Dick. I bit back a grin and looked over at Jack. When his eyes met mine, I saw he’d had exactly the same thought as me. As a reporter, it was obvious that Jack knew this already, but we shared a small smile and a silent mutual acknowledgement to store this information about Rick to use at a later date.
Rick wasted no time wrapping his other hand around Dita’s waist and began walking her backward into the kitchen area. From the look of pure adoration on her face, she definitely knew who he was and was making no attempt to distance herself from his grip.
The rest of us struggled out of the padded outdoor wear we were sporting before entering the open plan living room. We were all exhausted from the effort of stripping the layers off. I watched as Lily flopped onto the plush sofa with a sigh of contentment. Her face displayed how happy she was as she glanced around our accommodation.
Mya had called it exactly right. Small was beautiful. Heat radiated from a huge fireplace set against one wall. An oversized burgundy velvet sectional and an oversized sofa faced each other, and on the wall opposite the fireplace was a vaulted bank of floor to ceiling windows, which brought the nature outside into the room. Or so it appeared anyway. I had been in some pretty luxurious places but after a while they had all felt the same. Not this place. It was very different and even better than the pictures in the brochure.
Dita had prepared open sandwiches and a large pot of warm soup to thaw us out. We all tucked in, and Rick had three bowls of soup. Lily noticed Rick hadn’t touched the meat filled sandwiches.
“Don’t you want a sandwich, Rick? They’re delicious.” Narrowing her eyes, she questioned Rick’s lack of enthusiasm for the food.
“I heard Dita tell Jack it was venison. I’m not fucking eating Bambi,” Rick barked loudly in a stern and serious voice. His nose was wrinkled in disgust.
Jack snickered, but it was Mya that laughed out loud first, then the whole table erupted in fits of laughter. Jack struggled for breath and placed his hand on his chest before responding.
Everything Is Yours (An Everything Novella) Page 5