Page 21

“No children. No criminal record but I was caught having sex in public once. I was let off with a warning. Think the cop liked me.” He chuckled then sipped his coffee. Sadness swallowed his eyes. “My fucked-up family is about it.”

“You’ll fit right here into LA then. Everyone’s a mess in this town.”

“Can’t be worse than New York. Let’s hope I survive recording and make the move at the end of February.”

“If you’re lucky, I might show you ’round when you do.” Providing this uncanny draw I had toward him had died by then.

“Yeah...I’d like that.”

As Flint came out of the music room, the boys arrived home with In-N-Out. The scent of fried food made my tummy grumble. We took seats at Flint’s huge wooden dining table and dug into our burgers and fries. The conversation revolved around which song to work on during the afternoon.

But Cole kept swiping and reading something on his cell phone. Every message made him wince and groan. “Fuck! You wouldn’t believe it.”

“What?” Slip said with his mouth full of fries.

“There’s been another huge dump of snow up at Big Bear. It’s the best season ever. We should go snowboarding. We won’t have a vacation for months once we start recording and rehearsing, and promo kicks in.”

“You mean, go up there for Christmas?” Flint picked up his cup of cola and sucked on the straw.

“Yeah.” Cole chewed and swallowed a bit of his burger. “You can spend the morning with your folks, then we can head up after lunch. Slip’s spending Christmas Eve with his family. Tia and I have no plans. We don’t have to be in New York until the thirtieth.”

My calf muscle seized just thinking about snowboarding. Another activity I’d loved that was no longer in my future. “I can’t board anymore.”

“So?” Cole grimaced. “Come and hang out.”

“Tee, Sutton will come.” Flint wiped his fingers on a napkin. “She’s not a big skier. You two can go shopping or to the spa, and stay toasty warm while us guys hit the slopes.”

I slumped my shoulders. “Flint, you know I’m not one for being pampered at a spa.” I hated long fingernails and facials, but I loved a good deep-tissue massage.

“You scrub up okay when you have to.” Flint threw me a sly smile. “I’ve seen you on the red carpet.”

“That’s work.”

“I don’t know, Tee.” Slip dipped his head to one side. “I’m sensing change in you. There might be a princess inside of you yet.”

I pegged a fry at him. “No chance.” I had to change my life, but it wouldn’t involve becoming a princess. “I’m a dragon slayer, not a princess who needs rescuing.”

“What about you, Lewis?” Flint asked. “Do you have plans for Christmas?”

“Nothing that is set in concrete. On Christmas Day, I usually go to lunch with a bunch of friends. But other than that, with Pop gone, no boyfriend, and Hayden in London with the rest of Everhide, I guess I’ll be home alone for most of the holidays.” He shot a breath of air through his nose. “That sounds kinda sad, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. We can’t have that.” Cole rubbed his hands together, like he always did when he came up with a wicked idea. “Would you like to come with us? My parents own a cabin up at Big Bear, so accommodation is covered. We can board all day, then run through the songs or hit a tavern or two at night.”

“Um...I don’t have gear for the mountains.” Bewilderment swept across Lewis’s face. “I came to LA for two days, and I’ve been here for four. Clothing is an issue.”

“We’re the same size.” Slip waved a few fries at Lewis. “I’ve got a ski jacket and pants you can borrow, and a hoodie or two. We’ve got spare boards. If you can grab a few other things to last another few days, are you in? It would be a great opportunity to get to know you better.”

Lewis took a bite of his burger. As he chewed, he looked at me across the table. Doubt and concern flickered through his eyes.

Why was he looking at me like that? I had nothing to do with this invitation.

But, oh yeah. The invisible threads of tension between us grew tighter and tighter. Heat crept up my neck and settled in my cheeks. I didn’t like it one little bit.

He swallowed hard and dragged his gaze away from me and turned to the guys. His worry morphed into cool excitement. “I’d love to. I’m in.”

Shit. My blood pressure pounded against my temples. Why did the universe keep putting Lewis in my path? Stuck in the mountains. In a cabin. With him. Crap. Crap. Crap. Maybe I needed saving. My sanity needed rescuing if nothing else.

“Awesome.” Cole tossed a small fry into his mouth. “Let’s hit the slopes.”