Christmas Cowboy (A Standalone Holiday Romance Novel)

by Claire Adams

  The stories they shared left me wondering where my friends from school where. The hookers in the car with me and Cindy were a hoot to watch sober. I was almost scared to see them drunk.

  * * * *

  "I love this place!" Kinsey danced around, throwing her hands up in the air and sloshing her beer all over her sister.

  "Hey, bitch. Watch your drink," Janet laughed and turned to the bartender. "Another round, please."

  He looked over at me, and I nodded before shaking my head and smiling.

  "You want another Coke, pretty girl?" He leaned over and tapped the bar between us. He was handsome and looked like he belonged with me in California.

  "Nope. I'm going to float out of here if I'm not careful."

  "One beer won't hurt, unless you're a lightweight." He lifted his eyebrow and I chuckled.

  "I had a glass of wine at dinner; besides, I'm not used to driving in the snow. I'm from Los Angeles."

  "What? Me, too." He chuckled and extended his hand. "Caleb. Nice to meet you."

  "I'm Chloe. What are you doing here in Aspen?"

  "Taking a break for the winter. I love the sun and the snow, so half a year there, half here." He shrugged. "Living the life, I guess."

  "Sounds like it." I turned as Kinsey to wrap her arms around my neck.

  "Oh my God, Chloe. The finest boy in the whole universe is here. He's so fucking dreamy."

  I untangled her arms from around me and brushed her hair from her face. She was sloppy drunk, and the fun was about to begin. Being the designated driver sucked ass, but these next few moments would make it all worthwhile.

  "Where? I want to see the best looking thing in Aspen." I got up and walked to the edge of the dance floor before Janet pulled me back.

  "No, silly. He just walked in. Look at that group of guys. Hot. So hot!" Janet fanned herself, and I looked around for Cindy.

  She was against the bar, leaning in closely to Caleb.

  "Figures." I let out a soft growl and resigned myself to helping my friends have a good time. I didn't need anything more than a good laugh and a break from the house. Falling in love with some guy wasn't at the top of my list, and even if it was, it was a horrible idea. I was heading home in a few weeks, and the last thing I planned to leave behind in Colorado was my heart.

  "There. With the blue shirt. Tell me you see him."

  I narrowed my gaze and scanned the faces, finally finding a group of handsome guys. "Blue shirt...blue shirt..."

  A gasp left me as I spotted him. The twins were right. He was the finest thing in the bar, if not the city.

  Too bad he was off limits.

  Finn.

  Chapter Eight

  Finn

  I spent the rest of the day thinking about Chloe. There wasn't another time in my life that I could pinpoint the desire to hunt some girl down just for the chance to see her again. The good thing was that I knew she would be in Aspen for another two weeks. The bad thing was that I didn't have her last name. There was no smart way to go about finding her.

  The only option was to haunt the slopes she'd been on as often as I could. Surely, she would show back up.

  A smile lifted my lips as I finished getting dressed and walked into the kitchen for a quick sip of water. My place was only a few miles from my father’s, which was on purpose. He wasn't getting old just yet, but if he needed me for anything, I wanted to be available quickly.

  My studio log cabin was far too small for two people, but it was just me, and I didn't see my relationship status changing anytime soon. Besides, the only girl I wanted wasn't up for grabs and wouldn't be around to change her mind, anyway.

  I brushed my hands down the front of my dark blue button up shirt and made sure my jeans and boots were clean.

  "Alright. Let's go have fun being the designated driver." I rolled my eyes and grabbed my keys, not quite sure why I signed up for the job, but I did. My father had been more generous than I'd expected when I told him what I'd be up to. He was letting me borrow one of the fifteen passenger vans for the evening.

  After stopping by the shop to get it, I drove to Brian's and picked him up first. The rest of the guys were staying at the Sheraton downtown; it seemed like everyone was doing better financially than me. I couldn't afford half a night at the Sheraton, but dwelling on it was too depressing.

  "Hey, buddy. Looking good." Brian got into the front seat of the van and popped me in the chest.

  "Thanks, bro. Not too shabby yourself." I glanced at him and nodded to the window. "Fix that side mirror for me. Something hit it, and it's crooked."

  "Yeah, sure." He rolled the window down, and I floored it, causing the snow from the window and hood to fly back, a good chunk of it hitting him in the face.

  "You fucker!" He jerked back in the van as we both laughed like teenagers.

  My father swore that we were the dumbest idiots ever, but it only got worse when we were together. He was my best friend and the only one from our group that still lived in Aspen. We had decided years ago that going out to look for women together wasn't at all beneficial. We were childish when together, and they all seemed to realize that.

  "Tonight should be fun." I let out another laugh and turned toward the city lights. "Don't push any women on me. I'm taking December off."

  "Off? What the hell does that mean?" He wiped at his shirt and pants as the snow began to melt. I turned the heater up and reached over, pulling a chunk of ice from his collar and slinging it at him.

  He moved across the front seat like he was going to tackle me, and I swerved the van, scaring him.

  "Hey, stay over there, you behemoth," I growled and swatted at him.

  Brian had twenty pounds on me, but he wore it well. He wasn't nearly the man whore I was, but looking good was something he always seemed to care about.

  "I'm going to get you back for that shit. I'm going to hand out your number to the whole damn room tonight. That should go over well." He snorted and gave me a shit-eating grin.

  "Yeah, I've probably been with most of them." I let out a sigh. "This is why going to the club sounds like a good idea until we actually do it."

  "Shut up about your problem of having too many women want you. No one is interested in that shit." He ran his fingers through his brown hair once more and turned to pin me with a hard stare. "Talk. What's up with you giving up women for most of December? This a new thing, like no-shave November? I don't like it. Count me out."

  "No, you idiot. I'm just tired of waking up next to a different woman every morning." I shrugged, wishing I hadn't brought it up.

  "Yeah, that sounds horrible. How about you take my problem of not finding one who will actually give me ten minutes of her time, and I'll beat back the ones that want you for a while. Your arms getting tired?"

  "Very funny." I stopped in front of the hotel. "No saying anything to the other guys, just deflect for me tonight. I'm serious about not taking a girl home."

  "I'll believe it when I see it." He got out of the van and jogged toward the hotel as I leaned back against the seat.

  What were the odds of finding Chloe? I would break the rules for her in a heartbeat. Just the thought of her caused my body to stiffen as need began to pulsate along my pressure points.

  "Where are you, baby?" I closed my eyes as a smile lifted my lips at the memory of her talking trash. She was ballsy, bold, and impossibly beautiful. The fact that she wasn't interested in a one-night stand was one of the main reasons why I couldn't shake her. I was tired of them myself, but when that's all that made sense, what else could you do?

  * * * *

  The club was new, and you could tell by the number of people packed into it by the time we arrived. The guys piled in behind me as we approached the bouncer at the front of the long line.

  "Finn. My man. What's up, brother?" The large meat-head guarding the front door extended his hand, and I shook it. His father was a good friend of my old man's. It paid to know people.

  "Hey, Jeff. Any way w
e get out of standing in this line? I left my jacket at home, and my boy Jared here is down for his bachelor party." I tugged Jared up to the front with me, the poor bastard already too drunk to stand.

  Jeff chuckled and opened the door. "Only for you. You know it's the ladies who usually get this treatment."

  I moved back and shuffled the five other guys in the door before me. "Well, I've been with most of them. That count?"

  "Lucky bastard. Get inside before I change my mind." He patted my back as I walked in and took a quick inventory of the room. Large dance floor to the left, bar to the right, very few seats, loud, sexy music, and pulsating lights.

  Yep. It's officially a night club.

  Brian snagged the only remaining table in the place, and I glanced toward the bar before looking back at the guys.

  "What are we having? Bucket of beers?"

  The all grunted their replies, and I walked off, not caring much what they wanted. I was buying the first round, and it was going to be the cheap stuff. It was the quickest way to get someone else to pick up the tab for the rest of the night. I had no shame and certainly wasn't spending my last dime on a bunch of drunk guys.

  "You're not spending it on a woman, either," I grumbled to myself and stopped by the bar before turning around and catching the eyes of a pair of twins who were having far too much fun dancing together.

  I politely declined when the thinner of the two motioned for me to join them. Some guys were good with more than one woman, but not me. I was too much of a selfish bastard. I wanted to leave the girl I was with panting for more.

  "Whatcha having, buddy?" The bartender pushed a bowl of peanuts in front of me and smiled.

  "Bucket of your cheapest beers. My friends are already tanked."

  "Sucks." He laughed, and I nodded in agreement before tempting myself by looking back out to the dance floor.

  A pretty blonde next to the twins caught my attention as I waited for our drinks. Her back was to me, but the way she rolled her hips left her ass jiggling subtly in her tight skirt, and I couldn't help but watch attentively. She needed a man up behind her, taking the brunt of her movements.

  I sucked in a deep breath and turned to pay the guy before carrying my bucket back to the table. It would be better for me to steer clear of the dance floor. I had a few moves of my own and didn't need to be pulling them out if I were planning on going home alone, which I was.

  "The cheap beer? You bastard." Brian pushed at my shoulder and drank half the bottle he grabbed. "Actually, that's not bad. Reminds me of high school."

  "Which was a long time ago." I lifted to my toes and scanned the crowd again for the blonde. A smile touched my mouth, and my pulse sped up. "No fucking way."

  Chloe.

  "What's up?" Brian pushed his hand against my shoulder as he lifted to his toes. "You see someone we know?"

  "Someone I wanna know." I turned and took a beer from the buckets, draining it in a few gulps and walking out to the dance floor. I dropped the empty bottle in the trashcan and slid past the twins. "Excuse me, ladies."

  Chloe kept her back to me as I moved up and slid my hands over her hips, pulling her back a little and rocking against her. I pressed my face against the back of her hair and moved in tandem with her, breathing in slowly to taint my lungs with her scent.

  Her fingers dug into the back of my thighs, and I bit my lip to keep from crying out.

  I pushed my luck a little and ran my hand over her stomach, spaying my fingers and pressing backward to lock her against my body. She would know without a doubt that the man behind her was turned on, but most guys in a club were. The smell of sex was everywhere, and inhibitions were usually left at the door.

  She pulled away a little before glancing over her shoulder.

  "Hi, baby." I smiled.

  She spun in my arms and slid her hands up my chest and over my shoulders before licking her lips seductively.

  "Have we met?" Her voice was soft and sensual. She was playing the same game she did the day before, but I couldn't care less.

  She moved down, rubbing herself against me as her eyes closed.

  I gripped the back of her head as the music turned into a beat with a pulsing throb that had the crowd locked into seduction. "So beautiful."

  "Me or you?" She opened her eyes, and the light caught her perfectly, leaving her to look like something out of my wildest fantasy.

  "You, honey. You." I moved down and pressed my lips to the side of her neck, kissing softly until I reached her ear. "You didn't let me give you my number, Chloe."

  "Oh, so you remember my name." She stopped dancing and turned, leaving her face so close to mine that I could feel the warmth of her breath on my lips. She was the seductress here, and I was holding on for dear life. Every cell in my body screamed for me to seal the deal and kiss her—hard.

  "Of course, I do. How could I forget?" I glanced down at her mouth and moved in for the kiss as she spun away from me.

  "Not interested, playboy. Find someone else."

  I didn't realize how much I wanted her until she moved to the center of the floor, dancing with her friends and leaving me to watch. My breathing was off kilter, and for the first time in my long life, I yearned for something that I couldn't have: her.

  After forcing myself off the dance floor, I rejoined my friends and let out a long sigh.

  "The girl of my dreams is on that dance floor." I ran my fingers through my hair, not quite sure I had it in me not to go back after her and throw her over my shoulder like the caveman I was starting to feel like.

  "Go get her, man!" one of the guys yelled and lifted his beer. "You're Finn Fucking Warner. You get any girl you want."

  I looked over at him and laughed as the guys all hit their bottles together.

  Any girl but the one I suddenly want. Karma's a bitch.

  "What are you waiting for, dude? Go get her." Brian patted my back. "The blonde who was pressed to the front of you, right?"

  "Yeah," I responded a little more breathlessly than I wanted.

  "She's all yours, dude. Finest chick in this bar. Go show us how it's done." He pushed at my shoulder, and I nodded, walking back toward her with determination.

  Enough with the games. I didn't have much time with her as it was.

  Chapter Nine

  Chloe

  "Oh my goodness. Who the hell was that?" Cindy moved up beside me, sliding her arms around my neck and forcing me to lock gazes with her.

  "No clue. He was cute, though, huh?" I played it off and tried like hell not to follow after Finn. He was bad news, and though I couldn't stop thinking about him, nothing was going to become of us. It was silly to lead him on, anyway. He would just move on to someone else. Guys like him always did.

  "Cute? He's the sexiest thing I've seen in a long time." Cindy shuffled us toward the edge of the floor. "You don't know him?"

  "Nope." I shrugged and turned to find him watching me with an intensity that left me wanting to throw caution to the wind and give myself to him for a night, but it wasn't my style. It was a good thing I wasn't drinking. Nothing good could come of it.

  "He seems to want to know you." She laughed and turned her attention back to me. "I'm going after him if you're not interested."

  I shrugged and pulled out of her hold as the music changed. "Do what you want, girlfriend. I'm dating someone back at UCLA. A fling would be fun if I were single, but I'm not."

  It wasn’t actually truthful, but it was my quickest excuse.

  "Not the cheating kind, hmm?" She wagged her eyebrows as if cheating was the sexy thing to do nowadays.

  "Um, no." I laughed and took her hand, helping her back toward the bar.

  She moved out in front of me as I took a seat, her attention in the direction of Finn and his friends. "I want him. Can I take him back to your place?"

  I'd just taken a drink of a glass of ice water the bartender handed me. I spit it all over the back of her little black dress thanks to her question.

&n
bsp; She turned toward me, her eyes wide.

  "Oh fuck, Cindy. I'm so sorry." I reached for a napkin and moved behind her, cleaning it up as she laughed loudly. The sound of her having fun with it ushered in much needed relief. I had worried she was going to be furious.

  "It's all good." She swatted at me. "It was hot as hell in here, anyway. That actually felt good."

  "No bringing anyone home to my dad's. Sorry. He would have a heart attack. I was picturing the look on his face when I spit my drink. It's too funny to even think about."

  "No worries. We'll just get a room." She bent in like she was going to whisper something to me, but instead, slipped her hand in the top of her dress and tugged her breasts up.

  I turned from her and gave the cute bartender a look that screamed “save me.”

  Cindy leaned in beside me and smiled right next to my face. "Wish me luck. He's exactly my type."

  "Good luck." I reached for the peanuts, but the bartender jerked the dish away.

  "Don't eat those. Who knows who has been touching them." He smiled and pulled the jar from under the counter, reaching for my hand and pouring some out for me.

  "Thanks." I picked at them, ignoring the horrible feeling that rose inside of me over the idea of Finn going home with anyone, especially my closest childhood friend. Why did it matter? I was being ridiculous.

  "What's got you down?" Caleb leaned forward, pressing his forearms to the bar and giving me a kind smile.

  "It's stupid."

  "Guy problems?"

  "Not really. I don't have a guy to have problems with." I shrugged and looked over my shoulder as Finn, Cindy, and the whole group with him were walking toward us. The twins were still on the dance floor, and I turned back to the bar as horror rushed through me. "Kill me."

  He laughed and shook his head. "You could have any guy in this bar, pretty girl. The problem isn't not having a man; it’s which one to choose."

  "Chloe Burke. You have to meet these guys." Cindy's voice was loud and slurred.

  I stifled a flinch at her using my last name and turned, smiling at Finn and then around the circle at his friends. "Nice to meet you, guys."