Page 3 of Stuck With Mr. Frosty (Delectable Protectors #5)
MIA
I t might not be too late to switch cabins. I could go to Steph and ask her if it’s possible not to be roomed with the hot guy and his dog.
No amount of chiseled jaw is worth putting up with the disgusted look he gives me, his upper lip curling. He leans in the doorway to the one room, Honey shoving past him, her tail going a mile a minute.
I grin and crouch down. She barrels into me, nearly knocking me to the ground, her tongue dragging across every inch of visible skin she can find.
She yips and wriggles backward, circling around and going to sniff my bags. I get up and brush past the man as he comes to get the dog, keeping my gaze straight ahead instead of spending time admiring the way his dark, long-sleeved shirt clings to his muscles.
Rosie appears in the doorway to one of the rooms at the back of the cabin. “I was hoping it was you!”
For someone who just met me, the welcome is warm, and it helps ease some of the worries in the back of my mind. I follow her into the bedroom, glancing at the two beds and the two dressers, a single desk in the corner.
“This is such a cute room.” I run my hands over the dusty rose duvet. “I didn’t think that the staff cabins were going to be this nice.”
“Aspen Adventures likes to make the staff as comfortable as possible.”
“I might have missed that part of Steph’s speech.” I inspect the window above one of the beds, looking out at the snowy forest that surrounds us. “I can’t believe I’m here.”
“I can’t believe how much you look like your mom.” Rosie gives me a sheepish smile. “Sorry, it’s just the more I look at you, the more you look like Heather.”
Tears spring to the corners of my eyes. “Thanks.”
The man walks into my room, dropping my bags on the ground. “Don’t leave your things in the common area.”
I fight the urge to snap at him. “Sorry, I?—”
“Doesn’t matter. Just don’t. It’s a small cabin. Not a lot of room to spare.” He spins and leaves, though Honey trots in and makes herself comfortable at my feet, her tail thumping against the floor.
Rosie sighs and starts unpacking the bag on her bed. “Don’t mind Aiden. He’s always been cranky, and it seems to get worse every year. And there was drama last year that I’m sure he’s trying to avoid this year, so he’s going to be a bit of a dick.”
“A bit?” I unzip my bag, taking out the picture of me and Mom in Italy the week after we found out she was sick.
She had been insistent on taking one last trip together since the chemotherapy wouldn’t start for another week.
Tears well in my eyes as I run my fingers over the white frame, tracing the intricate carvings. My chest tightens as I set the picture down on the dresser, setting my makeup bag, a mirror, and some perfume beside it.
Rosie hums and sets out a small speaker. “Any particular music you want on while we unpack?”
“Doesn’t matter to me.”
She puts on something upbeat, cranking the volume. As she unpacks, she dances around the room.
And before long, I’m dancing with her, both of us prancing around the room with cans of dry shampoo for microphones.
“Would you turn it down?” Aiden glares, looking at Honey, who has moved from her position on the floor onto my bed. “Some of us need to work.”
Rosie turns down the music a little. “What could you possibly have to work on right now?”
“Reviewing the maps of the slopes.” He doesn’t so much as glance my way while he speaks.
I set the can of dry shampoo down and sit on the bed beside Honey. “You should lighten up and have a little fun. It’s only the first night. There will be plenty of time to study the maps in the morning.”
“I have other things to do in the morning.”
“Like what?”
He finally looks at me. “Work.”
“Got it. Workaholic.” I smile and cross one leg over the other. “Well, if you change your mind and want to have a bit of fun, you know where to find me.”
The color drains from his face, his mouth setting into a thin line. “Not likely.”
He spins and storms out of the room, whistling for Honey. She yawns and rolls over, stretching out on the bed and not bothering to follow him. I doubt that’s going to put him in a better mood, but that’s not my problem.
Even if he doesn’t want to have some fun, that’s his issue.
Rosie shuts the door behind him. “I don’t think he’s ever had a day of fun in his life.”
I flop back and look at the wooden slats on the ceiling. “So, what are you doing in Aspen?”
“Seemed like a good break. I’m twenty-two, and I have no clue what I’m supposed to be doing with my life.” She lets out a small laugh. “Dodge college in favor of making massive tips in the hospitality industry, though I’ve been coming here for a few winters to teach skiing.”
“Where do you work otherwise?”
“Sailing yachts in the Med. Spend a lot of time going out on overnight trips with some very rich people. They’re jerks, but when I make more in two days than I do in a month, it’s hard to complain. What about you?”
“I’m twenty-five. Just graduated college. I’m going to be a kindergarten teacher next fall, but until then I’m just trying to figure out what to do with myself.”
The words are hard, and a lump sits high in the back of my throat. I used to know what to do with myself.
“You’re just graduating?”
“This past May, actually, but I know it’s late. Mom first got sick right after high school, so I took a year off. She got better, so I went to school, and she was back teaching skiing. Had a year left of college when she got sick again, so it put things on the back burner.”
“I’m sure she was happy to have you there with her.”
The corner of my mouth twitches as I sit up, catching a glimpse of the picture. “Sometimes. Before she died, I was back in school because she wanted me to go back.”
There’s a knock at the door, thankfully cutting off the conversation about my mom.
Ryder pokes his head in. “Hey, there’s a party down at the staff mess tonight. Either of you planning on going?”
Rosie nods and hauls a knit dress out of her closet. “I’ve been waiting for the staff welcome party all year.”
Ryder snorts and shakes his head, his gaze wandering over to me. “Good luck keeping up with this one.”
Rosie mimics him, going to the door and giving it a light nudge to push him out of the room. She shuts it behind him before turning to me, mischief in her eyes.
I swallow hard. “We’re going to a party?”
“Yes. Did you bring anything to wear?”
“Ripped jeans and a black corset top good enough?”
Rosie fans herself, slumping against the wall. “You’re going to knock ’em dead. I would kill to have boobs like yours, and in a corset top, man. The men are going to be following you around like lost puppies.”
I roll my eyes and get up, rummaging through my clothing until I find what I want to wear. A smokey eye and some loose curls later, we start heading to the mess hall for the party.
My breath comes out in white little puffs in front of me, the wind whistling through the trees and snow falling around me.
Rosie loops her arm through mine as we trek down the snow-covered path to a long, low log building.
Heavy bass pounds into the otherwise quiet night, and bright pink and blue lights swirl in the windows.
“Seems like the staff really know how to party.” I lean close to Rosie, nearly shouting in her ear to be heard above the music as the door swings open.
Her grin stretches wide as she nods. “Work hard, play hard.”
We step into the mess hall, and all the wooden tables have been pushed to the edges of the room. Groups of people are scattered at them, some playing board games and drinking from red Solo cups, others leaning close together and chatting.
In the middle of the room are people dancing along with the music that’s pumping out of the speakers, only leaving long enough to get a drink at the bar before going back to dance.
And in the corner is Aiden, though Honey is nowhere to be seen. Probably didn’t want to hurt her hearing with the loud music.
Just when I think he’s going to spend the rest of his night alone and miserable, people approach him, and he starts talking and laughing with them. The smile he gives one of the women is enough to have my heart melting.
Rosie tugs me over to the bar. “Tequila!”
I wince but accept the shot she shoves in my hand, throwing one back and then a second. Though I probably should’ve taken some time to load up on carbs, it looks like a couple of people are in the kitchen and cooking, the scent of burgers mingling with the mix of cologne and perfume.
“Come dance.” Rosie takes me by the hand, spinning me around as we get to the middle of the dance floor.
I laugh as we dance to the music. I can’t remember the last time I went out with any of my friends and just let my hair down. It’s been a long and hard few years.
But being here now, it starts to feel like I’m living my own life again. I don’t feel like I’m coming apart at the seams.
Aiden glances over at me, his gaze connecting with mine as I dance next to Rosie, rolling my hips to the music as she makes her own unique moves. I spin away from her and rake my hair back from my face with one hand.
His eyes are burning a hole through my back. I know they are. I can feel the heat, my heart beating faster. I take a deep breath in, my focus on his attention broken as Rosie pulls me in and dips me low when the song ends.
When I stand up straight, we dissolve into laughter. She smiles and motions to the kitchen. I nod, and she’s gone, wandering through the crowd and disappearing through the doors at the back of the room.
I run my hand through my hair, the strands a little sweaty as they cling to my fingers. I wince and slide the hair tie off my wrist, tossing my hair into a messy bun at the nape of my neck.
Aiden is still looking at me, even as I make my way over to the bar. He glances away the moment I decide to stare back at him.
Maybe now is a better time to introduce myself.