by Amanda Rose
“Louisa, are you okay?” Hudson asks concern creasing his brow. He reaches out, but I flinch away from his touch.
“Don’t,” I say, resigned now. “I will go with you, but not because I want to, but because I cannot bear to go home, and because I don’t want to go to prison,” I add, moving into the middle of the room and crossing my arms defensively. I hear the spite in my voice and cringe internally. Even when saying the words, I know I am not being entirely honest with myself.
“Then you’ll need to pack. We’re leaving in half an hour,” Hudson says, his voice clipped, on edge.
“Half an hour?” I step out of his way as he walks past me. He stops at the door, turns around and considers me a moment. “Yes, Bryce and Max have been out this morning and got everything we need for a few days away. Believe it or not, we are able to put together a pretty good Christmas dinner,” he says attempting to lighten the conversation.
I narrow my eyes at him. “I don’t care about your skills as chefs. I won’t be eating it anyway.”
“Fine,” he snaps. “Just be ready in ten.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The atmosphere in the car is as frosty as the layer of snow covering the winding mountain road. Bryce is driving, Max up front with him. Hudson is sitting on the backseat next to me. I haven’t said a word since leaving the chalet despite both Max and Bryce trying to make friendly conversation. I don’t care. I am upset and angry and I feel betrayed. I thought that we were friends. Stupidly, I had begun to believe that they cared about me, that they didn’t just see me as a piece of flesh, but as a person. Then last night they had caught me in a vulnerable state and had tried to seduce me and now, this morning, Hudson had blackmailed me into going with them on this stupid bloody trip.
“Not much longer, the cabin is about ten minutes away,” Max says turning to face me. I don’t bother to answer him, I just keep my eyes fixed on the view. Below I can see the resort that the brothers Freed own, getting smaller and smaller, the peaks of the chalet roofs and hotel disappearing the higher we climb. I still can’t quite believe that they own the damn resort? I mean that information kind of jarred with the fact that they were all brought up in a care home. That sounded really shitty of me I know. Why couldn’t three boys from a care home grow up to be successful businessmen? It’s just in my experience, a shitty upbringing usually meant a shitty life. In a different state of mind, I am sure I would have found the view beautiful and thought very differently. As it is, I feel a cold, empty, hollow inside where my heart should be.
A couple more miles up the road, Bryce takes a left turn. The snow is deeper on the side road, but not deep enough that the 4x4 can’t manage to traverse it without too much trouble. We pull up outside a small, single-story wooden cabin that has a wrap-around porch. It sits nestled in the crook of the mountainside. Over to the left of the cabin is a forest of evergreen trees that fall away and down the side of the mountain. There are piles of logs stacked up on the porch and icicles hanging from the corner of the roof. Bryce jumps out of the car and opens the door for me.
“Here we are. Welcome to Petite Cabane,” he grins.
“Thanks,” I mumble, following Bryce across the crunching snow and inside the cabin whilst Hudson and Max fetch our luggage and supplies from the trunk.
Inside, the cabin is a smaller version of the chalet back in the resort. It has the same layout with a kitchen on one side and a small living room on the other, but instead of a flight of stairs separating the space, there is a single door. I assume that just beyond are the bedrooms and bathroom. It is a cute space, homely, cosy even, with red throws and pillows that match the kettle, toaster, and utensils hanging from little hooks in the kitchen.
“There are two bedrooms through the door. Take the one on the left. Hudson, Max and I will share the other room.”
“There are only two bedrooms? I’ll sleep on the couch,” I say quickly.
“Absolutely not,” Hudson says as he enters the cabin, a large box in his hands. “You shall take the room Bryce suggested.”
“But…” I start to protest.
“No buts, do as you're told, Louisa,” Hudson insists, giving me a look.
“Fine, have it your way. I’ll just go unpack,” I say ungratefully. I take my overnight bag from Max who has just entered the cabin and head through the door off the kitchen. On the other side, there is a corridor with two bedrooms facing each other. The one on the left has a huge super-king sized bed that’s big enough for several adults to have a small orgy, on the other a similar sized room with a normal sized double and a single bed in the corner. I wonder which of the brothers will share the bed and who is going to get the single. At the end of the corridor is the bathroom. When I push open the door I am surprised to find a large room with a pretty impressive jacuzzi bath in one corner and a large walk-in shower in the other. In the centre, between the two, is a sauna. Closing the bathroom door, I go back to my room and put away the few items of clothing I brought with me into the large wooden wardrobes, then sit on the bed wondering what to do next.
“Louisa, do you have a minute?”
I turn my head to see Hudson standing in my doorway. He has his hands pushed into the pockets of his jeans and a strange expression on his face.
“Fine,” I sigh, not really in the mood but knowing I am going to have to listen whether I wanted to or not.
Hudson walks in the room and shuts the door behind him. He leans against the door and closes his eyes for a moment before swiping a hand through his hair.
“Why don’t Bryce and Max know about the money I stole?” I ask him before he can make up some story that I don’t want to hear. I knew he hadn’t told them, Bryce and Max were acting like I had wanted to come and wasn’t bribed into coming.
“Because I didn’t tell them.”
“Well that’s obvious, but why didn’t you tell them?”
Hudson pinches his nose and gives a heavy sigh. “They wouldn’t have agreed to me using that piece of information to get you here.”
“I see.”
“I don’t think you do. From the moment you walked out on us last night, I knew that you wouldn’t have come along no matter what any of us said. I did the only thing I could think of to get you to agree to come here…”
“So, you decided to blackmail me?”
“No,” he starts. “I mean it might have seemed like that, but I would never have sent you home or called the police.” Hudson pushes off the door and comes to sit by me on the bed. He doesn’t try to touch me or sit so close that he invades my personal space and I am glad of it.
“This isn’t normal behaviour for me, Louisa. I swear to you, I am not normally such an arsehole.” He looks at me and I raise my eyebrows at him. “Okay,” he says, holding his hands up. “You think I am a womaniser, I am. You think I treat women badly, perhaps I do in the long run. But in the moment, when I make love to a woman, she is all that exists in the world. I am not a selfish lover, Louisa. Neither are my brothers. We worship women. Last night we would have worshipped you too.” My heart does a flip-flop in my chest at his words and I curse myself, yet again, for being so damn mixed up when it comes to these men.
“What about respecting a woman? What about friendship, love? What about those things Hudson?”
“Those are like the holy fucking grail, for me. For Bryce and Max,” Hudson says, swiping a hand through his hair.
“Sex isn’t everything,” I whisper.
“But it’s all I know. At least it was until…”
“Until what?”
“Until I met you. Until we met you.” Hudson takes in a shuddering breath and I have the sudden urge to reach across to him, to pull him into my arms. But I don’t. I still don’t know whether this is all a game, another ruse to get me into bed. Isn’t this what he does, what they all do?
“How do I know that this is not one of your tricks?”
“It’s not. I know you may find that hard to believe after what you have heard abo
ut us, what you’ve seen, experienced. But this is me being honest. Completely and utterly honest. You’ve got under my skin. I know Max and Bryce feel the same. They were gutted to have upset you last night.”
“All three of you? But there is only one of me, do you always share?” I laugh, and even though I’m pretending to be relaxed about it, really my stomach is full of butterflies that I don’t want to acknowledge.
“Never, but we’d be willing to share you if you were willing to have us. We wanted you to come here to Petite Cabane, so that we could just be with each other without distraction, without everything else getting in the way. Does that make sense? This is alien to us too.”
I can see the raw emotion on his face. I consider Bryce’s words. If this is all an act, then he’s a damn fine actor. “It’s hard for me to trust people, Hudson. I’ve been let down over and over again.”
“I can see that,” he says. “Perhaps that’s why we are all drawn to you, we understand what that feels like.”
“Truly, I am sorry about the money. I feel sick every time I think about it.”
“I don’t care about the money.” Hudson presses his finger and thumb against his eyes. “I never did. I would have given that money to you in a heartbeat. I was a prick for using it as an excuse to get you here.”
I consider Hudson for a moment. “I can’t promise anything to you, to Max or Bryce. For now, all I have is friendship.”
“We’ll take whatever you can give,” he says.
CHAPTER TWELVE
We spend the evening cooking together, laughing and talking about our interests. For the first time in a while I feel happy. Hudson has lost his guilty look, Max and Bryce seem completely at ease in my company.
“So, you’re telling me that last year Bryce went off piste and managed to ski himself into a tree?” I laugh so hard at the story my eyes are streaming.
“Yep, he had to hold a bag of cold peas against his groin for a week. It’s a wonder his manhood still works,” Max says, slapping Bryce on the back.
“Don’t listen to Max, he’s exaggerating. I’ll have you know that my crown jewels are in perfect working order, thank you very much.” Bryce glances at me and for the briefest of moments there is a flash of flirtation there, but he hides it quickly.
“Well, who’s up for a walk outside? I feel the need to burn some calories. I feel like the side of a house,” I joke. Hudson really had surprised me with a beautiful dinner of marinated lamb, honey roasted vegetables and smooth, creamy, mashed potatoes. I am completely stuffed.
“Side of a house?” Max laughs. “Do you not know how incredibly sexy you are?”
I feel my cheeks burn at the compliment. I’d never considered myself sexy. For the most part, I felt awkward in my body choosing to cover it up rather than flaunt it.
“Max.” Hudson’s voice has a note of warning.
“I’m just saying the truth,” Max says to his brother. He turns to me. “Sorry, Louisa. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I’m not hitting on you, I’m just stating a fact. You are sexy. Sexy as hell. Whoever manages to capture your heart will be one lucky man.” He smiles at me; a genuine, heart-warming smile.
“Thanks,” I say flapping my hand in an attempt to dissolve the sudden tension. “Walk anyone?”
“We’ll all come,” Bryce says, grabbing his coat and hat.
Five minutes later we are all wrapped up in hats, gloves, and scarves and are trudging through the snow. It’s deeper up here on the mountainside and is trickier to walk in but it is so worth the effort. I follow Hudson to the edge of the forest. Snow has begun to fall in thick, heavy flakes and all I can hear is the steady breathing of the three men standing next to me. The silence is as captivating as the snow and I breathe in the cold air as a gentle peace settles within me. “It’s so beautiful,” I say, completely enamoured with the place. “Is Petitte Cabane yours too?”
“Yes, we bought the cabin and the surrounding five acres a couple years back after we fell in love with it. Even though we enjoy the chalet and the resort, this is our sanctuary.”
“What do you guys do exactly?” I ask, curious as to how three relatively young guys had become so successful.
“We’re into property,” Bryce explains. “Hud worked his arse off after leaving the children’s home. He had five jobs at one point. Then once we got out we worked our arses off too. It wasn’t long before we managed to buy a studio flat. We did it up, we sold it on for a profit.”
“Yep, then we kept buying, doing the places up and selling them on. We made a business out of it,” Max continues. “Hudson here is the brains, Bryce and me the brawn.” Max smiles and does an impression of the World’s Strongest Man. I laugh.
“We owe all our success to Hud,” Bryce says. I am caught by the love in his eyes. These men may have trouble committing to women, but they sure as hell were committed to each other.
“This business works because we all make it work, it’s as simple as that really. Somehow, together we are better at all things,” Hudson says, and I am reminded of what happened last night. My cheeks flush at the thought. All three men are looking at me and I can’t help but think that they are reminded of last night too.
“Right,” I say, clapping my hands together in an attempt to divert their attention. “It’s beautiful, but it’s damn cold. Who wants to go back in for a Baileys hot chocolate?”
“I wouldn’t say no,” Bryce says, and we make our way back to the cabin. Halfway through the walk back Max stops. When I turn around to see what he is doing I can see him rolling up a snowball. He puts his fingers over his mouth then throws it directly at Bryce, hitting him square on the back. I let out a delighted laugh at the look of mischief on Max’s face.
“Oh no, you just didn’t,” Bryce says, scooping up a handful of snow and chucking it back at Max. It smashes against his chest, sending a spray of snow up in his face. Max’s eyes widen as another snowball comes hurtling towards him, this time from Hudson who is grinning wickedly. Before long we are all throwing snowballs at each other, running through the snow like a bunch of kids until we are laughing and wet from the fight. Ten minutes later I am holding my hands up in defeat, giggling. Having lost my hat in the fun, my hair is a wet, snowy mess and even though I have a snow jacket and jumper on, the snow has somehow worked its way under my clothes and I am beginning to feel cold.
“That’s it, boys. I’m done. Time for that hot chocolate, yes,” I say, my teeth chattering.
“Sure thing,” Hudson says.
“Just what I need,” Bryce agrees, then swears as Max hurtles one last snowball that hits him square on the jaw covering his beard in snow.
“You look like Father Christmas,” I laugh, and the brothers laugh with me.
Inside we take off our jackets, boots, and gloves and I head into the kitchen to start the hot chocolate. Max comes over as I am fetching the items I need from the cupboard.
“Here, let me do that. You look freezing, your lips are going blue,” he says, his eyes firmly fixed on my mouth.
“I’m not that cold. Don’t exaggerate,” I say.
“Seriously. Go take a shower, you shouldn’t sit around with wet hair and clothes, especially since you said you weren’t feeling well yesterday. We’ll call you when it’s ready,” Hudson says, pointing to the patches of wet on my clothes from where the snow has melted.
“Well, if you insist.” I smile, grateful for their concern. “I was going to melt the chocolate add milk, cream, and Baileys. Do you think you can manage that?” I ask nodding to the items.
“Leave it with us, Ice-Queen,” Max says, saluting me.
I laugh. “Thanks, Jester.”
Leaving Hudson and Max squabbling over the best way to melt chocolate, I head into the bathroom and strip off my clothes. The shower is surprisingly powerful and deliciously hot, and I spend a good five-minutes just enjoying the feeling of the spray massaging my body, before rinsing off the remaining soap suds and stepping out of the sh
ower. I grab a fluffy towel from the rack and wrap it around myself, almost jumping out of my skin when I see Bryce standing at the door watching me.
“Shit, sorry, Louisa,” he says turning away, but not before taking a good look at my naked body. “I knocked but got no answer, I just wanted to tell you that the hot chocolate is ready,” he rambles, a rather cute shade of pink rushing up his cheeks.
“It’s fine, it’s not as if you haven’t seen me naked before,” I laugh trying to lighten the growing tension.
“Don’t remind me,” he grinds out. My eyes snap up to his face, to his hand that is gripping the door frame so hard his knuckles are white. Our eyes lock, and for a moment I am taken aback by the hunger I see there.
“I’ll tell them you’re coming.” Bryce rips his eyes away and closes the door gently, allowing me the privacy to let out a shaky breath.
“Don’t go there, Louisa,” I say to myself sternly, even though my mind is thinking all sorts of dangerous things.
When I head back into the front room dressed in a soft grey jumper and matching slacks, my hair still damp from the shower, I find the brothers sitting on the L-shaped couch in the living room. Bryce looks up at me briefly before becoming very interested in the hot chocolate he is drinking. Max and Hudson smile.
“Come sit,” Max says, patting the empty space between him and his brother. I look at the spot, then remember what happened last night.
“I’ll sit by the fire. It’ll dry my hair quicker,” I say. Best to stay well away from close contact. I didn’t want another repeat of last night, did I? I shake my head of the wayward thought. “Is that mine?” I ask pointing to a mug of delicious smelling hot chocolate on the coffee table.
“Sure is, darling,” Bryce says. Darling?
Choosing to ignore the term of endearment, I swallow a mouthful of the delicious tasting hot chocolate, loving the taste of Baileys as it hits the back of my throat.