Page 33 of Final Temptation (Alpine Peak #2)

Our trip to Las Vegas felt like a dream.

Almost a month had passed, yet I thought about it every day.

How seamless it felt being somewhere away from home, without the thoughts of everyone around us getting in the way—real-world life and issues, all a million miles away.

In between meals, shows, and moments spent with Paige and Declan, it was just Myles and me in a hotel room, exploring each other’s bodies, getting to know each other better than we’d ever known anyone else. Taking full advantage of one another.

A weekend away in Vegas was the perfect excuse to be open and wild, unlike any version of myself I’d seen before. Myles brought out another side to me, and I found myself wanting to spill all my secrets, willing him to use my body however he pleased.

Here at home? Life was still great. But we were stuck in a continuous loop of real life. Me, trying to figure out the first steps to take regarding my future and wanting to run a business. With Myles, his routine was important—it kept him sober, and I supported that.

After he confided in me about feeling tempted, I threw out all the alcohol in the house. The occasional glass of wine and a dirty martini while watching reality TV wasn’t worth risking his sobriety or the itch to have a drink after a hard day.

I’d be lying if I said being back at home didn't dim what I thought Myles and I could be. We slept together every night and fooled around for hours, denying ourselves any sleep. But something was off in that head of his. His mind didn’t seem clear, and I felt him holding back.

While our physical connection was through the roof, our conversations seemed to stay surface-level these days.

I couldn’t solve each and every one of his problems. I couldn’t change the past, but I wanted to try. He needed to work on himself and fix his troubles on his time, not mine.

Every time the selfish feeling wrapped around me, reminding me of how badly I wanted him to be one hundred percent mine, I had to knock myself out of it.

We hadn’t thrown labels on anything—as badly as I wanted to—I was holding out hope that one day, he would wake up and call me his girlfriend.

I’ll be right here, entirely ready for him when he is ready.

My eyes roamed the small living space of the apartment we shared, scanning over every mason jar I’d collected with dried wildflowers—every mason jar that Myles had given me.

Every Saturday since he moved in, he brought me a coffee and a new batch of flowers. I didn’t dare throw them away, even when they died. Wildflowers still had a way of looking beautiful, even when they began to dry up, losing their life.

I took advantage of each part of himself he was willing to give, and this little gesture was the highlight of my week.

Saturdays were always a good day.

They were ours.

He started his Saturdays with a meeting, filled every moment in between with us, and ended it with a workout at the gym. It was the day I felt most connected to him.

It would only be moments now, and Myles would walk through the front door, making today ours. Until then, I had some wedding planning to do.

Paige and Declan’s big day was months away, in the spring, but weddings weren’t something you planned last minute.

My computer rested on my lap as I scanned through multiple pictures, creating a mood board to send to Paige.

She gave me a few ideas and color options for what they wanted, giving me free rein to do the rest.

I loved that she trusted me with her wedding, a once-in-a-lifetime event, the day you’d remember forever.

She wasn’t picky; her only requirement was that she get to marry the love of her life down by the creek on their property.

The place we all gathered for many nights of barbecues and bonfires.

Other than her picking the location, she trusted me to be the one to make the day memorable for her.

Photos of cake, dresses, party favors, and décor flooded my screen, taking away every thought of Myles floating around in my head.

That was, until he walked through the front door, and like always on a Saturday, he had a new jar of flowers, and a hot coffee calling my name.

I closed my laptop, setting aside the plans I’d been working on for later. Right now, there was a gorgeous man with a killer set of forearms walking over to where I sat, and with the way he was looking at me, he deserved every ounce of my attention.

“Hi there.” Myles handed me the warm Americano, the fresh smell of roasted coffee instantly relaxing me, and the new bundle of flowers immediately brightening my day with the pop of color.

“Well, hello to you, too. What’s the occasion?” I took a sip of coffee before swapping it with the flowers, taking a big whiff.

“It’s Saturday.” He chuckled.

I’m aware. I just love to hear him say it.

“I know what day it is. I meant, what’s the occasion?

You’re all dressed up with your forearms on display for the entire town to see.

” My fingers grazed his strong arms, where he had his long sleeves tugged up.

My eyes traveled from the top of his head, where his perfectly messy light brown hair laid, down to the navy blue thermal he wore, tight enough that each of the muscles in his chest poked through, and even lower to the khaki joggers he sported, rolled up at the ankle.

Jesus Christ, he looked so good I could hardly focus on the flowers in my hands.

“You mean, because I’m not wearing work clothes or gym attire, there has to be some sort of occasion?” He lifted an eyebrow.

“Well, uh…yeah?” I laughed awkwardly.

“Looks like you’ve got me pegged, Soph. Get ready. I’m taking you somewhere.”

I knew it.

“Really?” My eyes lit up.

“Yes, really. Wear something casual. As much as I love your little skirts and dresses, where we are going won’t be the place for those.” Myles winked.

Today was a good day. His spirits were up; he had something up his sleeve, and I was excited. Moments like this, where I felt him letting me in, felt him wanting to spend intimate time with me outside of the bedroom, made me melt inside.

Moments like this gave me hope that my heart would remain intact, and he was getting better every day with each meeting and day that went by.

Standing up, I smelled the stunning purple and blue wildflowers before setting them back down. “Thank you for these. I think they’re my favorite so far. They match the color of your eyes.” I kissed his cheek before heading to my room to get ready for this mysterious plan he had for the two of us.

“I’m dying to know where we’re going.” My leg bounced in excitement, his hand reaching out, resting on my thigh to settle my nerves.

“You’re just going to have to wait and find out. We will be there in about ten minutes.” His thumb brushed my inner thigh.

“You know, I like this side of you.” My head fell back, turning in his direction. With one hand on the steering wheel and the other brushing against my leg, I took in his hard jaw, lined with scruff, and his focus on the road ahead of us.

“Yeah? What side is that?” he asked, his eyes still straight ahead.

“The side where I get to feel more of you, see you in a different light.”

“You get to feel me whenever you want, Princess.” His head turned, looking at me just quick enough to wiggle his eyebrows at his joke.

Lately, it seemed that every time I tried to dig deeper, he would put his mask on, making jokes of most things.

“That’s not what I mean, and you know it.” I shoved his shoulder playfully.

“How are you seeing me any differently then?” he asked, offering me the opening I needed to dive deeper.

“I think we can both agree, since we went to Vegas, our situation has elevated…” I paused, gathering my thoughts.

“Yeah, I’d agree to that.” His lips were tight.

“But part of me feels we may have only elevated our physicality. Sometimes, it feels like you’re closing yourself off, like you’re hiding something from me.” My hand found his, joining it to rest on my leg, afraid the topic of conversation would cause him to pull away.

He stayed silent as he continued to drive, heading straight into the windy roads of the mountains.

“I do have something I’ve been holding on to,” he admitted, swallowing the lump in his throat.

“I haven’t even been able to talk about it in AA.

I’ve struggled, fearing what complete strangers would think of me.

If I can’t tell them, how could I possibly tell you? ” His grip tightened around my thigh.

I tossed his words around in my mind, trying to figure out how to respond. In the meantime, Myles pulled his Jeep over into a gravel parking lot located somewhere within the Rocky Mountain National Park .

Maybe now that we had parked, I could have more of his attention, and in return, he could really feel the depth of what I was about to say.

“Myles, I know most of our relationship is fun and playful, and we don’t spend too much time getting personal, but I want those moments.

I need those moments. I need to be able to trust that you wouldn’t hide anything from me.

” Myles put the Jeep in park, turning it off, giving me the opportunity to get closer to him.

I unbuckled my seatbelt and swung my leg over his, straddling his lap. Getting as close to him as I possibly could, looking him straight in the eyes.

“I don’t know what it is that’s been brewing inside you all this time, but I’ve been able to feel it.

I feel when you’re happy, and I feel each one of your struggles like they’re my own.

I just want to help, even if I can only help by listening and being a shoulder to lean on.

Don’t turn it off when it comes to me. Please,” I begged.

His hands rested on my hips as I ran my fingers through his hair, and he took a deep breath, relaxing just a bit.

“You’re best friends with Paige,” he stated.

“I am. But what does she have to do with this?” My eyebrows dipped.

“I’m not ready to get this off my chest at AA, which means I’m definitely not ready for Declan to know anything.”

“If you’re insinuating I would tell Paige, and it would get back to your brother, I can promise you that’s not the case. You can trust me, Myles.” My eyes were laser-focused on his, begging him to read my mind, knowing I was telling the truth.

“Kiss me first,” he said in a raspy voice.

“What do you mean, kiss you first?”

“I’m afraid if I tell you, you won’t want anything to do with me. I need to taste your lips on mine one more time,” he pleaded.

I had no idea what it was that he was so afraid to get off his chest, but there wouldn’t be a thing he’d admit to me that would cause me to leave him right now.

Refusing to wait another second to fulfill his request, I pulled him closer to me, dipping my head down for a sweet kiss to his lips.

I could taste every ounce of his fear. I could feel the longing in the way he pulled me closer to him, even when it wasn’t possible.

There was a desperation behind his kiss that hadn’t been there before.

Myles’ hands fell from my hips, lowering toward my ass.

His grip grew tighter, the fearfulness running through his body being passed on to me through each swipe of his tongue.

With each touch to my body and movement he made, the anguish grew, as if this was the last time we’d be together in this way.

Tears built behind my closed eyes, threatening to drip down my cheeks the moment they flickered open.

Inside me, the butterflies ran wild again, dancing and fluttering around, making me feel the slightest bit of joy that he was so scared to lose me that he asked me to kiss him one last time, like this could possibly be the end.

How can he even think I’d leave his side?

Why is this kiss the most tragic type of joy I’ve felt in my entire life?

The sweet sadness and warmth of his mouth immediately disappeared when his lips parted from mine. The fear was written across every feature on his face. His heart raced, and his posture tightened.

When he caught his breath, “I almost relapsed” slipped from his lips, like he couldn’t hold it in a second longer.

The tears I harbored during our kiss moved closer to the front lines.

How can he think I’ll ever leave his side because of his struggle with alcohol?

I didn’t allow myself to hold back the emotion washing over me.

I was sad because he felt like he had to hold this in and couldn’t confide in anyone to share his story.

I was sad because there was an internal battle going on in his body so badly, he wanted to throw away every day of progress he had made.

I was sad because I couldn’t imagine what he was going through.

I wasn’t sad for me, but I was devastated for him.

His thumb brushed away the tears trickling from each side, worry etched so deep inside his eyes that the blue in them turned the color of a midnight sky.

“I’m so sorry, Sophie. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I’m sorry I almost relapsed. I’m so fucking sorry for making you cry.” He continued to wipe away the tears.

Saturdays are supposed to be good days.

I want a good day for him more than anything.

“You have no reason to be sorry, Myles.” I tipped forward, my forehead meeting his.

“I can’t believe you’d ever think I would leave you because you almost had a slip-up.

Being on your journey to recovery doesn’t mean you’re perfect.

It means you’re doing everything in your power to get better.

And with good days, come bad ones. It’s okay that you’ve had a bad day.

But don’t ever think I would leave you because you weren’t at your best.” I could feel the tension disappear from his body with every breath he exhaled.

“Please, Myles, don’t be afraid to call me in those moments.

Don’t be afraid to ask me for help. It’s not my place to tell Paige, Declan, or anyone else.

It’s your job to tell your loved ones of your mistakes and faults when the time is right for you.

Admitting your slip-ups is all a part of your journey, and I’m so proud of you for confiding in me today. ”

“Fuck, Soph. I don’t deserve you.” His head hung low.

“You deserve more than you give yourself credit for.” I lifted his chin, picking his head back up. Myles remained speechless.

I needed to turn this Saturday around. I needed to show him that the bad days didn’t need to stay bad. They always had the ability to turn around.

Combing my fingers through his hair, I leaned in, placing a soft kiss on his lips before whispering, “Now if you don’t tell me what we’re doing out here in the middle of nowhere, I’ll have to assume that you brought me out here to take advantage of me.”

Finally, a smile. His lips curved up, the bright blue in his eyes sparkling back at me with a shimmer of hope and happiness behind them.