Page 11 of Final Temptation (Alpine Peak #2)

It’d been one week.

One week had passed since Myles moved in with me, and I had to admit, it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.

I didn’t really have any expectations with him moving in, since I’d never lived with anyone before.

But he was right, we hardly ever saw each other.

He was so busy with work, meetings, and going to the gym that I rarely saw him.

Maybe only for a few minutes every night while he ate dinner.

Then he’d be off to shower and get ready for bed, preparing to do it again the next day.

I had plans to ask him to hang out tonight—hopefully, he wouldn’t find that weird. I just wanted to break the ice with my new roomie. Since it was the weekend, he didn’t have to work, and I didn’t really know what he’d be up to, but I knew that not long ago, he left for the gym.

My stomach dropped when my phone pinged, showing a new message.

The only people to utilize my phone number these days were Paige or my dad, but Dad and I hadn’t talked in quite some time.

As of lately, you could add Myles to that list now, too.

And because of him, I had this weird, excited, yet nervous feeling inside every time my phone lit up.

Not sure why, but when it wasn’t his name on my screen, I felt a slight pinch of disappointment.

Paige: Mind if I swing by before work to talk about plans for the wedding party?

The disappointment I felt just moments ago quickly shifted back to excitement.

When Paige recently announced her engagement to Declan, I was so giddy for all the fun we were going to have.

I’ve always loved weddings, parties, and everything that came with it.

As the best friend, that made me her Maid of Honor, and along with that title came planning all the fun events.

Paige wanted a summer wedding party. She didn’t want the typical bachelorette party but a combined party.

Something small, and most likely just the four of us.

Briefly, she mentioned Las Vegas, so if that ended up being the final decision, Chase wouldn’t be able to tag along since he wasn’t twenty-one yet.

Maybe her mind had changed, but mine sure hadn’t. I’d kill to get away to Vegas right about now, but at the end of the day, it was her party, and I’d help her plan whatever she had in mind.

Me: Come on over. Can’t wait to fill you in on everything I have in mind!

“I’m grabbing a glass of wine. Want one?” I hollered from the kitchen.

“Soph, you know I have to work later, and your dad would kill me if I came in tipsy.”

“That would make two of us he’d want to kill,” I mumbled under my breath.

Rounding the corner with a glass of red wine, I took a seat next to my gorgeous best friend. She was all done up for her bartending shift, wearing tight blue jeans, a black tank that read Peaks across her tits, and her long brown hair cascaded over her shoulders in perfect beachy waves.

“How are things going with your dad, anyway?” Paige asked.

“Eh. Taking it day by day. I haven’t talked to him since he basically said he didn’t support me wanting a change in my life. For the life of me, I can’t understand why he wouldn’t be happy about me venturing out on my own.” I rolled my eyes.

“What is it that you think he’s really upset about?” I’ve been rolling this thought through my own mind for a while now.

“I think he’s being selfish. From what I’ve learned over the years, my mom and him bought the bar with all the money they had left to their name.

They bought it as an investment, and with it being the only bar in town, it’s obviously taken off.

I think he always envisioned passing the torch to his kids one day.

Only thing is, since my mom left so many years ago, there wasn’t a chance for more kids.

The only opportunity for him to keep it in the family is me.

” I swirled the red liquid around in my glass before taking a sip.

The topic of my mother didn’t come up in conversation often.

I grew up with my dad and hardly ever thought about Mom.

There wasn’t a good memory with her I remembered in the slightest. Dad saved a few pictures of us as a family, and even fewer of just her and me.

But I didn’t feel a connection when I looked at her; the person in those photos had always been a stranger to me.

We had the same bright blonde hair and big doe eyes, but that’s all she was—someone who resembled me.

When I was just five years old, my mom left us.

According to my dad, she got caught up with an out-of-towner who stumbled into the bar all those years ago.

From what he said, she chose a life of sex, drugs, and alcohol.

The addiction was so overpowering, Dad couldn’t take it anymore—he wanted to protect me from all those things.

He had a better life in mind for me, and it didn’t include my mom being around me, higher than a kite.

When I thought about my dad wanting a better life for me, I didn’t think it had to be his way or the highway.

I always thought he’d be okay with me choosing what path I wanted to take.

But maybe he had an attachment to the bar.

Maybe he truly wanted to keep it in the family, or maybe he wanted to get rid of the memories he held with my mother there.

Ugh. This was not how the conversation between Paige and me was supposed to go today. She was supposed to come over to talk about wedding party plans. Switching gears, I shifted the conversation to something lighter and brighter. The reason she came over.

“Anyway,” I patted her knee, plastering a smile on my face, “let’s talk about the wedding party. I was thinking Vegas, baby!” I clapped my hands together enthusiastically.

“Vegas, huh?” Paige lifted an eyebrow.

“Look, I know you didn’t want a crazy bachelorette party, but we could still have a wild, fun couple of nights in Vegas.

No strippers, nothing crazy since it would just be us, Declan, and Myles.

It’s also an excuse for all of us to leave the mountains, be in a different environment.

” I bit down on my lip, silently pleading for her to agree.

“I did mention Vegas a while back, didn’t I?” A smile formed on Paige’s face but slowly faded. “My only concern is Myles. He’s only six months sober. Do we really think Vegas is the right place to take him?”

“I did give that some thought, and I figured I could talk to him about it before we made any plans set in stone. But maybe we all stay sober?”

“You know, sober isn’t usually the norm in Las Vegas, but just being there with something to celebrate will be fun as hell, especially with Declan by my side.

” If you thought pregnancy glow was real, let’s talk about the engagement glow .

My best friend hasn’t stopped smiling since she met her man, and I could tell she was looking forward to this trip no matter what it entailed—as long as we were all together.

“Exactly!”

“So, if Myles is down, I don’t see why there would be any other issue. What did you have in mind as far as things we’d do there?”

“So glad you asked.” The list of ideas went on for days.

My lips lifted into a mischievous grin before I listed off all the research that had been playing in a loop in my head.

“Drag brunch, maybe a sexy show or two like…like a burlesque show! We could feast at the best restaurants. Maybe go to Hell’s Kitchen —have a run-in with Gordon Ramsey himself.

The wax museum or the massive Ferris Wheel that looks over the strip.

Or we could even take a helicopter ride at night that flies over all of Las Vegas so you can see all the beautiful lights. Or?—"

“Okay, okay,” Paige cut in before I could ramble off any more ideas. “I can tell you have really thought about this, so first of all, thank you, and second, I had no idea you were so passionate about party planning.” She giggled.

“Well, I’ve been thinking about something. Promise not to judge?” I pursed my lips before I spoke.

“What’s up, Soph? You know I never judge.”

“All this party planning has me thinking—I’ve really enjoyed everything about it.

The planning. The research. The feeling I get that I’m taking this task off your plate.

And I think I know what I want to do with my life—or at least try to do with my life,” I shyly admitted, spinning a strand of hair around my finger.

“Sophie! That’s great, tell me everything!” Paige’s eyes went wide in excitement. My heart warmed at the feeling of having someone’s support, especially someone I loved as much as her.

“I’d love to help other people who are getting married.

Wedding planning or party planning—all of it.

I think I’d like to get into the wedding industry, even though I have no idea where to start.

But I think taking these business classes is as good a place as any.

If my dad could buy a bar with no business experience all those years ago, then why not me?

I could start a business from the ground up, one I’m truly passionate about.

” I puffed my chest with confidence, excited for what was to come.

“To be fair, I don’t think anyone else could be more perfect for a job like that.

” Paige reached over and gave me a tight squeeze.

“Look, I have to head out and get to work, but I’m so fucking proud of you.

I can’t wait to see what you have planned for Vegas.

Let me know what Myles ends up saying, and we can go from there. ”

“You got it, babe.” I stood up, setting my glass of wine on the end table, wrapping her in a hug before walking her to the door.

I reached for the doorknob, stumbling backward.

At the same time I was opening the door, so was Myles from the other side.

He bulldozed his way in like he was on a mission to escape a winter storm in the middle of summer.

His chest ran straight into my face, his arms reaching out to grab mine, stabilizing us both.

His six-foot frame towered over me, and my gaze lifted, checking out his features one by one.

Straight from the gym, he wore his usual athleisure wear, slightly wet from the sweat that peeked through.

It seemed like each time we saw each other, his hair grew just a little bit longer, his scruffy facial hair not far behind.

The light brown strands were tousled, perfectly messy from his workout.

Completely forgetting I was in the middle of walking Paige out, she helped herself to my front door, but not before shifting my attention away from the tall, sweaty brute in front of me.

“Well, I’ll just head out and leave you two to whatever this is.

” She gestured between me and Myles, winking, before she took off.

I shook my head, breaking eye contact with Myles. “I should, uh, close the door.” His hands disconnected from my arms as I moved around him, shutting the door behind him.

I still wanted to ask Myles to hang out tonight, but why did I have this feeling there would be an overwhelming amount of sexual tension in the air?

Because it never left.

Because, apparently, this is just how it will always be when we are in the same room together.

“What was Paige doing here?” The deep timber in his voice cut into my thoughts.

“She stopped by to talk about the wedding party. I was actually going to talk with you about it when you had a moment.” I moved back to the couch, sitting down and grabbing a much-needed sip of my wine.

“Yeah, sure. Mind if I shower really quick, then we can talk?” I nodded my head in agreement before he could make his way down the hall to the bathroom.

Do I mind if you shower really quick?

How about, do you mind if I join you in the shower really quick?

When I heard the restroom door click shut, my head flung back, hitting the soft cushion. I took a deep breath and hoped to release every ounce of sexual tension that pooled between my legs—hopefully before he made his way back out here.