by A. K. Evans
“You heard correctly,” I told her.
“Is it with that Wes guy from last week?” she asked.
“Yep.”
“What have I missed?”
“He came back on Friday to snowboard, but he saw me trying to nap in my Jeep in between jobs. I let him in the car, we talked a bit, then I went in to work while he went riding. He walked me to my car again after work and we kissed…a LOT. We exchanged numbers, he texted me over the weekend and told me he was thinking about me. Then, on Monday he was waiting at Parks Ridge when I arrived and gave me a bag filled with snowboarding gear. He’s been giving me lessons every day this week before I start my shift at Brew Stirs. And while I work he either rides or leaves, but he’s always there to walk me to my car after work. Hannah asked earlier this week if I’d switch shifts with her so she could have next Tuesday afternoon off. I told her I would. Wes found out and insisted on giving me my lessons today and having dinner tonight.”
Emme stared at me a beat processing what I’d just said and then asked, “Is he a good kisser?”
I let out a sigh. “That was not the reaction I was expecting to get out of you. Nikki? Yes. You? No. You and Monroe are my voice of reason. You are supposed to tell me that this is a bad idea. I’m standing on the edge of a cliff and as my best friend it is your job to talk me back from the ledge.”
Emme smiled at me, but stayed silent.
I sighed again. “He’s an amazingly talented kisser,” I gave in, pausing for a brief moment. “Now, do your job and talk sense into me. Help me out of this mess. You and I both know this is a bad idea and it won’t end well. Wes seems like a genuinely great guy and I am worried more that I’m going to hurt him. I can’t get close.”
Emme took a deep breath and then spoke, “Sweets, I can’t do that. You need this. You haven’t smiled, like really, truly smiled, in almost a year. Sure, you can fake it at work and hide how you really feel, but I know you and from what you told me last week and what you just told me now I can see how badly you need this. Your face lit up when you talked about him last week and just now. You even said he makes you feel safe. I know you need that again. Of all the people you could ask, you should know I am going to be the last one to stand in the way of any potential for you to feel happy again. Especially since, I was the reason…” she trailed off, tears filling her eyes.
“Stop, Emme. Don’t even say it,” I interrupted her.
She looked at me a moment, sadness in her eyes. “Charley, whatever you decide about Wes is going to be your decision. I’ll support you no matter what you decide, but don’t ask me to be the one to stop you from doing something that could bring happiness into your life. I won’t take that away from you again.”
“Emme, honey…” I stopped not knowing what to say and not needing to because Emme knew how I felt.
We sat in silence a few minutes. This always happened. Here we were again, we had opened up old wounds and would now end it by sitting silently with each other. I needed my art again and since I had the time before work started I got up. “Want some tea?” I asked Emme.
“No, thanks. I’m good. I’m going to shower and get ready. I need to leave shortly anyway. Enjoy your night tonight. I will be home all day tomorrow and I’ve got nothing planned for the evening except a bottle of wine with my best friend. I want to hear all about your date.”
“Ok. Wine and details tomorrow then. Love you, Em.”
“Love you, too, Charley,” she said as she walked down the hall towards her bedroom.
I made my coffee, toasted a whole grain bagel, slathered it with some cream cheese, and made my way back to my bedroom. I set my alarm, pulled out my art supplies, and lost myself in it while eating my breakfast.
The alarm sounded all too quickly and I had to stop. I put away my supplies, got ready, and went to work.
My shift was over before I even had the chance to check the time. I made my way out to my Jeep. It was odd. I was making the drive to Parks Ridge; yet, I wouldn’t be working. I was going to get snowboarding lessons and I was going to have a good time. It felt a bit surreal and I realized I could take this moment to panic or just go with it. I thought about Emme’s words this morning and decided to just go with it.
I pulled into the lot and looked to our spots. Our spots. I was surprised at how good that felt. Wes was just parking as I pulled up. I parked next to him, looked over at him, and smiled. He winked and smiled back at me. I felt my belly warm and got out of the car. I walked around to the back of the Jeep so I could grab the gear out of the back, but Wes was already there. He pulled me close to him, bent his head, and gave me a quick kiss on the lips.
“Hello, gorgeous. How was work?”
“It was a good morning. A friend of mine who works at the diner with me is on cloud nine, so everybody else reaped the benefits of his great mood. How has your day been?”
“Work is busy. I managed to get a bunch of work done early this morning before I had to run an errand this afternoon. Now I’m here and I’m thinking my day just got better.”
I smiled at him.
“Ready?” he asked.
I nodded.
We walked towards the lodge, got our gear on, and made our way out onto the mountain.
“I think I’d like to try one of the trails today,” I said, surprising both myself and Wes.
He looked at me, smiled, and said, “I think that’s a great idea.”
I was an idiot. What was I thinking? Moments after my declaration of bravery, Wes had me parked in a lift and we were making our way to the top of one of peaks. I felt myself getting nervous the higher the lift climbed and by the time we got to the top and I strapped my second foot to the board I realized how stupid I was. I looked down from the top and felt my panic rising. I’m not sure what made me think I could do this.
“I think I was too ambitious. We’re really high up and that’s a long way down,” I admitted to Wes who was standing next to me at the top.
“You can do this. Trust me. I’ve seen how much you’ve improved over the last couple of days. You are ready, Charley. We’ll take our time and if you need to stop, just say the word. I’ve got all the time in the world so you go when you’re ready and I’ll be behind you the entire way.”
I nodded, staring straight ahead, not looking at him. After taking a few deep breaths I went. I spent the first little bit riding my heel edge trying not to panic. I couldn’t see him, but I could feel Wes behind me. I knew he was there and with me as I made my descent. Eventually, I decided I was ready and I got off my edge and turned the board, the tail pointed towards the top of the mountain. I was riding down the trail, picking up speed, and I tried to tame my excitement. The last thing I wanted to do was ruin this glorious moment. I would occasionally slow myself down using my edges as Wes had taught me and then got right back to gliding almost effortlessly down the mountain. Before I knew it, I had reached the bottom. I turned on my toe edge and stopped myself completely at the bottom. As I did, I saw that just as I knew from the time I started at the top Wes was right behind me the entire time. He slowed and stopped on his heel so he was facing me and he had a bright smile. It made my knees weak.
“Gorgeous, that was fucking awesome. I told you that you could do it. I’m so proud of you,” he said.
My eyes filled with tears and I reached out to Wes. I put my arms around him and hugged him. I hugged so tight trying to tell him everything I couldn’t say with words. We stood like that for quite some time and when I managed to pull away I looked up at Wes. His eyes were warm and he had a smile on his face. I think he understood what I needed him to understand. Certainly not everything, but enough that I didn’t need to offer any explanations. I smiled at him. “Thank you, Wes.”
“My pleasure, Charley.”
After our moment, it took me a second, but I realized how much I enjoyed riding the trail.
“Can we do it again?”
“I’ll do that as many times as you want because anything that m
oves you to the point you smile and hold on to me like you just did is worth doing again.”
A smile spread across my face. I bent down, freed one of my feet, and we made our way over to the lift. Over the course of the next two hours we rode a few different trails. I did wipe out once, but Wes was right there to help me up onto my feet and at my back again as soon as I took off. I hadn’t taken a day off from work in all the months I’d been here in Wyoming and given this opportunity for even a half day of enjoyment felt unbelievably good.
After we decided to call it quits on the riding for the day Wes and I walked back through the lodge and out to our cars.
“So, I’ll need your address,” he stated.
“For what?” I asked.
“Please tell me you didn’t forget about dinner with me tonight.”
“No, but I thought I’d meet you wherever we are going.”
“Charley, that’s not a date. At least, not in my book. I’m picking you up.”
I realized I’d quickly lose this battle so I gave in and gave him my address. He bent his head down, kissed me quickly on the lips, and said, “I’ll pick you up at seven, gorgeous.”
“Ok, Wes.”
I hopped in the Jeep, noted it was already five, and realized I needed to get home quickly to get ready. After driving slightly faster than was legal to make it home, I parked the Jeep and made my way to the front door. I barreled through the door and ran to my bedroom. Immediately, I went into my closet to inventory my wardrobe. After I had mentally taken everything in I made my way to the shower and considered my options for an outfit for my first real date with Wes. I finished up in the shower and went back into the closet. I selected my favorite pair of dark wash skinny jeans, a crisp, white short-sleeve top with a scoop neckline that showed the barest hint of the top swells of my small c-cup breasts, my black faux leather motorcycle jacket, and my just-above-the-ankle black booties.
I set everything out on my bed, put on a night shirt, and went back into the bathroom to fix my hair and makeup. I dried my hair and then used the curling iron to put some loose waves in it. I had a smoky eye, pink cheeks, and a matte pink lip. I made my way back into the bedroom, got dressed, and, as I was zipping up my second boot, heard a knock at the door. I took one last look at myself in my full-length mirror, decided I looked ok, and went to the front door.
I looked out the peephole and saw Wes. I unlocked the door and opened it.
“You look beautiful,” he said immediately after I opened the door and he did a full body scan from head to toe and back up again.
I smiled at him, “Thank you.” I took a moment to look at him and noted he was wearing a pair of dark wash jeans that fit extraordinarily well, black boots, and a long sleeved, light grey henley under his black leather jacket. I licked my lips. “You don’t look so bad yourself,” I said.
“Lick those lips again, and we aren’t going to be eating dinner any time soon.”
Oops. “Sorry,” I said, biting my lip.
He just shook his head and tried to suppress a laugh. “Are you ready to go, gorgeous?”
“Yes, let me just grab my purse and keys.”
I grabbed my things, locked the door, and walked with Wes to his truck. He held my hand the whole way there.
Chapter 8
Charley
Wes opened the passenger’s side door to the truck for me, closed it when I got in, and then made his way around to the driver’s side. We sat in comfortable silence and since I hadn’t really taken in the views since moving to Wyoming I enjoyed the scenery. He drove for about fifteen minutes before he pulled into a private driveway. I looked at him and asked, “Is there a restaurant here? I thought we were going out to dinner.”
“We are having dinner, but I never said we were doing it at a restaurant,” he answered glancing over at me. He then continued, “We are going to my place. I’m cooking dinner for you.”
He could cook? Seriously? I was beginning to wonder if there was anything he couldn’t do.
We drove further down the driveway when finally, a massive and absolutely breathtaking home came into view.
“Wow,” I murmured quietly.
I’d never seen anything that said mountain home more than Wes’ home. The exterior was finished in what I believed was timber from the main floor and up and stone around the base of the home. There were plenty of large windows, an enormous deck, and many more stone accents around the exterior.
Wes parked in the garage, hopped out, rounded the front of the truck, and came over to open my door. I got out and walked inside with him. As we walked inside I realized that like the mountain exterior the home boasted, the interior could be described as rustic mountain. We walked into the mud/laundry room, which sat opposite of a half bathroom, and through to the open floor plan kitchen, dining room, and great room. The floors were natural wood throughout. The great room had a floor to ceiling natural stone fireplace, a huge dark brown leather sectional sofa with cream throw pillows, two matching leather arm chairs, two wooden end tables on either side of the couch while a coffee table sat in front of the couch. Other than this basic furniture there were no other pieces of decor or personal touches to make it feel like a home. I found this odd. The dining room housed a large wooden table that would easily seat twelve people. There was a beautiful matching china closet; however, it was rather sparse with very few pieces in it. And lastly, there was the kitchen. It had dark brown (almost black) custom cabinets with quartz countertops that had brown, white, tan, and hints of black and red throughout. There was an island in the center of the kitchen that had a matching kick panel made from the same stone adorning the outside of the house. Four chairs with leather backs were seated around it. Four pendant lights hung over the island while the rest of the kitchen was lit by recessed lights. There were two sinks, one in the corner of the kitchen and one in the island. Stainless steel appliances finished off the look of the kitchen.
“You have a beautiful home,” I said.
“Thanks. I’ll show you the rest later. Right now, I am going to feed you,” he responded.
And he did. Wes poured me a glass of red wine and grabbed himself a lager. He then cooked and plated a piece of filet mignon, a baked potato, and some asparagus for each of us.
“This tastes excellent, Wes. Where did you learn to cook?” I asked.
He smiled and answered, “I’m not a master chef or anything and haven’t had any formal training. I can do the basics and cook a really good steak. My mom always cooked meals for us growing up, so she sometimes forced us into the kitchen with her.”
“Us?”
“I have one sister. Her name is Elizabeth.”
My heart clenched. I wanted to know more, but wasn’t going to open myself up to that line of questioning. I nodded my head and quickly changed subjects.
“So, Wes, am I your first success story or do you teach all the ladies how to snowboard?”
“Not only are you my first success story; you’re my only story. I’ve only ever ridden with my buddies. Prior to starting my company, my friends and I rode for fun and then got noticed by other companies. We became rep riders for those companies and competed in contests. When I decided to put all my focus in building my company I needed to take the time off to focus on just that. It’s been a lot of work, but I’m happy with where the company is right now and where it’s headed.”
“That’s incredible. Why didn’t you just stick to snowboarding?” I asked, putting a forkful of potato in my mouth.
Wes took a bite of steak, chewed, swallowed, and answered. “I love riding, but I’ve always had a dream of owning my own company. When I was out riding with the boys and we did so well that other brands were noticing us I realized that if I was going to be out there promoting a brand it should be my own. Decided it’s what I wanted to do, put everything I had into it, and never looked back. My parents have always been big supporters of my sister and I pursuing our dreams, so that helps, too.”
I nodded a
nd smiled, not saying anything. We continued eating and Wes told me all about his company and his early days of snowboarding.
Wes then turned the conversation to me, “What I want to know is, how is it that you live here in the mountains and have wanted to snowboard, but have never done it before?”
“I actually only just moved here about six months ago from southern California, Ventura to be exact. I’ve been working a lot so I haven’t really had much time for learning to ride,” I answered.
Wes’ eyebrows drew together and he had a puzzled look on his face.
“I guess that explains it. You arrived and the season was over.”
“Yep,” I answered, looking toward the great room and out the floor to ceiling windows there. It was dark out, but I wanted to change topic again so I said, “You’ve got an amazing view here.”
Wes stood, gathered the plates, and took them to the sink. While he did this, I walked to the great room and stood in front of the fireplace looking out the windows into the dark night.
Moments later, Wes came up behind me, put his arms around me, and rested his chin on the top of my head.
“I have always wanted this,” he said and I grew tense. He must have felt it because he continued speaking, “This home on this land with an amazing view. It’s just another reason I’ve put so much time into my business. I knew I’d be able to have this if I worked hard enough.”
“You’re rare,” I said.
“Come again?”
“You. You’re rare. You followed your dream; and in the end, you got what you wanted. That doesn’t always happen. In fact, more often than not it doesn’t happen.”
He turned me around so I was facing him and he said with a sexy grin on his face, “I haven’t gotten everything I’ve wanted yet.”
The butterflies were fluttering madly in my belly. Wes smelled so good and I could feel the warmth emanating off his large, lean, body. He pressed his knuckles on my cheek and slid the back of his hand down the side of my face. His thumb swiped across my bottom lip after which I moistened it with my tongue. Wes’ hand traveled down along the side of my neck while my hands gripped his shirt at his waist. His fingertips lightly traced along the scoop neckline of my shirt across the swells of my breasts. He then brought his hands up to frame my face and brought his lips down to mine. The kiss was slow and sensual. I needed to feel Wes’ skin with my hands so I loosened my grip on his shirt and placed my hands at the hem of it and lifted. He broke the kiss and helped to pull the shirt over his head. I drank in the sight of him with my eyes. He was breathtakingly beautiful. I bit my lip and put my hands on his chest. I took a cue from his earlier movements and lightly ran my fingertips down his chest and across his abs. I looked back up into his eyes and saw his emerald green eyes were smoldering. He lifted my shirt at the hem and pulled it over my head and quickly moved to my jeans. After unbuttoning and unzipping them, Wes slowly pulled them down my legs. He bent down and unzipped my boots and after I stepped out of each one he slid my jeans the rest of the way off. Wes stood up, took a step back, and stared at me. I stood there in my matching pale pink panties and lace trim bra.