Chapter 5
Jake
“A sshole,” she says as I walk upstairs. I stop, and turn around to look at her. Her brows knit together, her lips form a thin line, and her hands tightly clench at her sides. Those brown eyes pull me in for a second, holding me captive. Shaking my head, I force myself to continue walking. This confrontation wasn’t part of my plan.
In my room, I lie back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. My feet pressed on the floor, and my arms crossed under my head. The cover feels cool against my skin as I let out a sigh.
Well, that took a turn.
The image of her eyes flashing, and her lips trembling as she tried to control her anger, replays in my mind. I shouldn’t find it attractive, but I do. Damn it, Jake , get a grip.
Back at the gas station, I wanted her, but now that’s out of the question.
There are a few rules I go by. I don’t sleep with the same woman twice. We don’t exchange names or numbers. They only stay over if I’ve had one too many drinks. And we definitely don’t share a cabin. So how the fuck did I end up sharing a cabin with the woman downstairs?
I sit up, running a hand through my hair before checking my watch, and it’s already 5 p.m. I need to clear my head before taking a shower. Normally, I’d prefer a climb, but after the long drive, my body needs something less intense. A quick run will do for now. I grab my earbuds and start my playlist before heading out.
Outside, I take a few minutes to stretch properly, and then I begin my run at a steady pace. My heart rate picks up, and the world falls away. The only thing I need to worry about is the next breath, the next step, but my mind keeps drifting back to the woman back at the cabin.
I push harder, my legs burn as I try to outrun my thoughts. She is a distraction I didn’t ask for. it’s unnerving how my heart races, as if I’m hanging at the ledge of a mountain, or the way my skin prickles with a sharp, electric sensation when she stares at me with those big brown eyes.
My focus should be on the reason I’m here, to be closer to the hotel. A place to strategize, brainstorm renovation ideas, while still close enough to the mountains.
But I can’t get her sassiness out of my mind, and the fire in her eyes when she called me an asshole. I’ve only known her for a couple of hours, and she’s already under my skin. She is unpredictable, and I hate it. I am a control freak. It’s part of why I love climbing.
I could leave. That would probably be the better option. She looks like a walking complication, the kind I usually avoid at all costs. But the alternative is even worse. I don’t want to spend a second more at the hotel than necessary, and staying with my mom means facing memories I’m not ready to confront. The 1-hour drive from her house to the mountain is not the most convenient.
My hands clench into a fist, nails digging into my palm. Running usually helps me clear my mind, but not today.
By the time I head back to the cabin, sweat drips down my forehead, and my muscles are screaming. My lungs burn with each breath. I pause at the door, hands rest on my bent knees, taking in a few deep breaths to gather myself. Straightening up, I head straight to my room. The last thing I need is to bump into her, or her boyfriend.
In desperate need of a cold shower to cool both my mind and body, I walk into my bathroom. I strip off my sweaty clothes, and toss them in the laundry basket in the corner. I take off my watch and carefully set it down next to the sink. My hands reach behind my neck to remove my necklace. It’s an emerald crystal pendant. I’ve had it for years; it’s a family heirloom. My grandfather gave it to me, and although I don’t believe in his story about it helping me find my soulmate, since I don’t think soulmates are real, it’s nice to have a piece of him with me.
It goes next to the watch. I turn the shower knob, adjusting the water temperature so that it’s cool enough to be refreshing, but not too cold to shock me. The initial blast of cold water is exhilarating, a jolt that invigorates every sense. I sigh in relief, closing my eyes to enjoy the sensation, the water sluicing off the sweat and fatigue.
The last time I was at the cabin, it was during my senior year with my friends Alex, Sarah, and Jessie, though I don’t want to think about Jessie right now.
Alex, Sarah, and I have been friends since kindergarten. At this point, we're like siblings, even though Sarah is a year younger. She started kindergarten at four, and was the smallest kid in the class—not just because of her age, but because she was petite. When one of the bigger kids was picking on her, Alex and I stepped in to help at the same time.
We've been inseparable ever since, even when we’re miles apart.
After the shower, I dry off quickly, wrapping a towel around my waist. Stepping out, I grab my phone off the sink to text Alex and Sarah. Life took us in different directions after graduation. Alex and Sarah ended up in Los Angeles, while I moved to Boston for Harvard and stayed because I fell in love with the city. They’re back in town for the summer. Although it’s a two-hour drive from the mountains to Burlington, spending time with them is always worth it.
Ready to leave, I pause outside her room. The house is still quiet—no sign of her, or the boyfriend she mentioned. Part of me wonders if I should check in on her. Earlier, I might have seemed too harsh.
My knuckle reaches for the door before I stop myself. What am I doing? I don’t even know this woman. A text from Alex distracts me, bringing an involuntary grin to my face. I get in the car and drive to the bar we’re meeting at. Tonight is about good food, some drinks, and catching up with my best friends.
The place is alive with music and laughter as I walk in. Red velvet booths in a private seating area, paired with marble-topped tables and plush stool, giving it a classic, luxurious vibe. The walls are dark, creating a cozy ambiance. Gorgeous stained-glass ceiling that gives off a warm, inviting light.
As I approach, Sarah is lounging on the couch, drink in hand, completely absorbed in her phone. A smile naturally curls at the corners of my mouth. Sarah is always punctual, and the first to arrive. “You started without me,” I call out playfully, snapping her attention away from her screen.
“Jake! You’re here!” Her eyes light up as she stands to greet me, wrapping her arms around my waist for a warm, enthusiastic hug. Even in her heels, she barely reaches my chest, her head tilting back to meet my gaze.
“It’s good to see you too,” my smile mirrors hers. Her bubbly energy, as always, is contagious.
“Looks like I made it just in time,” Alex says, coming up from behind me. I turn around, meeting the grin on his face. We give each other a solid handshake, followed by a quick pat in the back. “Good to see you, man. “
He looks over at Sarah, his smile widening as he opens his arms for a hug. He embraces her warmly, holding on longer than needed.
We take our seats with Alex next to Sarah, and me across from them. It’s good to have the gang together again. There’s something different about catching up in person, beyond our usual group chats.
On the surface, we’re all so different from each other, but I consider them family, and I would do anything for them. Sarah is Blasian, with her mom from the Philippines and her dad African American. Alex was adopted as a baby. He was told his biological parents are from India, but he also looks Italian. I keep telling him to do one of those ancestry tests, but he doesn't want to. He says it doesn't matter.
“So, how’s the hotel going?” Alex pulls me away from my thoughts. The mention of the hotel brings a slight frown to my face.
I shrug. “It’s going.” They both exchange a glance, a silent communication between them. “I’m going to inspect tomorrow and see how bad it is.”
Alex leans forward, his brow furrowed with concern. “You know you have a choice. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”
Technically, I don’t. Sooner or later I would need to take over, but I didn’t expect for it to be so soon.
I sigh, laying back on my seat. “I know, but the hotel is struggling, and my mom needs my help.” Even though my mom and I are not that close, I will not turn my back on her when she needs me.
Sarah leans in too, her almond eyes soften even more, as she looks at me. “We’re here for you, whatever you need. If you need help with some marketing or website stuff, let me know.”
Alex nods, his hand brushing against Sarah as he moves closer. “We’re just a call or a text away.” He glances at Sarah before looking back at me.
“Thank you, guys, really.” I smile at them, feeling lighter. That’s why I love them so much. They understand me in ways few people do. We always have each other no matter what. Besides Uncle Mark, they are the only ones that have always been there for me.
“What’s new with you guys? Last time we talked, you were working with that new and hot tech startup company.” I turn my attention to Sarah as she scans the menu, even though I’m pretty sure she already knows what she wants.
“It’s going great. The company is growing fast.” Her whole face lights up when she talks about it. Sarah works in digital marketing, specializing in startups.
The waitress comes over to take our orders before walking away.
“So, any new famous client?” I look over at Alex as we wait for our drinks and food.
He smirks. “Well, I’m helping this football player with his injuries, but I can’t talk much about it.”
Alex is a professional athlete trainer. He helps them after injuries, and prevents any future ones. I know he’s worked with a lot of big athletes, but he likes to keep who they are a mystery.
“Huh, always the mysterious one,” I chuckle. “How did you charm yourself into that?”
Before he can answer, the waitress returns with our food and drinks. The smell of Sarah’s chicken tenders fills the air.
Alex laughs, then shakes his head. “I’m pretty sure I can charm my way into anyone’s life.”
Sarah giggles, loud enough to hear over the music, and gets a few head turns from some of the nearby booths. “Yeah, right. Just like you charmed your way out of that speeding ticket last year?”
Alex rolls his eyes, his grin widening. “Hey, that cop had no sense of humor.”
“Unlike us,” Sarah adds as she pokes Alex on the side.
“You mean unlike Jake? I’m the one who’s actually funny here.”
“Oh, please.” She tosses a piece of fry at me.
I catch it, laughing. “Okay, okay. You’re hilarious.”
“Yes, I am.”
We all laugh.
I missed this.
“I love you, idiots. But let’s plan something soon. It’s been too long since we all had fun together. Something epic.” Her lips pursed together into a pout.
“Epic.” Alex smirks, his eyes locking with Sarah’s. “Like when you tried to climb that cliff and got stuck halfway up?”
“Hey, I made it on top, didn’t I?”
“Barely,” Alex teases. “Jake had to talk you down from panicking.”
It was hilarious, she wouldn’t move once she realized how high up she was.
“Shut up,” Sarah punches his arm, which makes him laugh even more.
“Well, do you remember that time in middle school when we skipped class to go into the woods and you got us lost?” She tilts her head at him. Okay, this one was one for the book.
“We promised to never talk about this,” Alex groans, rubbing the back of his neck. “Besides, it wasn’t that bad.”
“Not that bad?” Sarah giggles. “We walked for hours! You swore you knew the way.” In Alex's defense, he was trying to distract Sarah because she was heartbroken over this boy who didn’t invite her to the dance. Although he would never confirm it, I think he got us lost on purpose.
“I wanted to show you guys that place I found, but I should have marked the trees or something.” Alex tries to defend himself.
“You think?” I shake my head, still grinning. “We got grounded for weeks.”
Alex laughs along with us. “Maybe it was a bit of a disaster.”
“A bit?” Sarah raises an eyebrow. “What would have happened if those hikers didn’t find us? A bear probably would have eaten us!”
Alex’s voice softens. “Well, that trip was one of my favorite memories. You weren’t sad about that jerk that didn’t ask you to the dance.”
“Mine too.” Her laughter fades into a smile.
As we continue talking and laughing, my attention drifts to a beautiful woman at the bar who smiles in my direction. Seizing the moment, I gesture for the bartender to send her a drink, spicing up the evening.
“Some things never change?” Alex spits out, smiling.
“I got to make the night a little more interesting,” I say in amusement. Looking at the bar again, I catch the girl looking at me. She raises her drink with a wink.And that is my cue. “I’ll be right back,” I say, sliding out of the booth. Alex shakes his head.
Approaching the bar, I take the seat next to her and lean in slightly. “Thanks for accepting my drink.” I try to keep my tone light yet suggestive.
Her lips curl into a flirtatious smile, and her eyes alight with intrigue. “It was a pleasant surprise.” Her voice is smooth and inviting. “So, what brings you here tonight?” she adds.
“Looking for a good time.” I inch closer, my eyes locked on hers. “Seems I might have found it.”
“Is that so?” she laughs, her attention fully on me.
“Yeah, I met the most beautiful lady.” I smirk at her. We fall into an easy conversation, our bodies moving towards each other naturally.
I watch her reaction. Her lips part and her eyes drop to mine. Right when I’m about to suggest we take this somewhere quieter, Alex calls me over. This guy has the most impeccable timing.
I groan. “Sorry, I’ll be right back.”
She nods and smiles. “I’ll be here.”
I slide off the bar stool, and walk back to our booth where Alex is waiting with a knowing smile. Cockblocker.
“You really had to call me over right then, huh?” I narrow my eyes at him before sitting down.
He is grinning, obviously finding the whole situation amusing. “We’re leaving,” he says, nodding towards Sarah. “We wanted to let you know.”
A quick glance at my watch shows it’s almost midnight. With a nearly two-hour drive ahead of me and an early start at the hotel, I need to get going too. We say our goodbyes and promise to meet up again soon.
The girl at the bar catches my attention one last time. Her eyes sparkling, and her invitation so clear. For a second, I’m tempted, but I have to say no. I walk over and apologize once more. “Maybe another time,” I say, knowing well we’ll probably never see each other again.
“I’ll DM you.” She says, and it sounds like she might actually do it. Which means she already knows who I am. I’m no celebrity, but my Instagram has millions of followers.
With that, I turn and walk out of the bar, and the quiet differs from the ambiance inside. I pause for a moment, taking in a deep breath of the cool night air before heading to my car.
The drive is quiet and feels longer somehow; all of the thoughts that I’m pretty good at keeping tucked away are trying to dig their way out.With everything swirling around my head, she manages to sneak in. Maybe the boyfriend is here now, they’re probably fucking each other. But again, that is none of my business. I turn up the music to drown out the noises in my head.
Finally, I pull up into the driveway. I’m planning on going straight to bed. But as I walk in, I see her in the kitchen trying to reach for something. She’s wearing an oversized T-shirt that says moody before coffee on the back . It’s a little too short, almost showing her butt cheeks, which I am trying not to stare at. Okay, that’s a lie, I’m definitely staring.
I move closer, noticing she has on her earbuds. She probably didn’t hear me coming in. I grab the cup before she does. She turns around, startled, her eyes widening which make them look so much bigger now. She punches me in the arm, the sudden contact makes me flinch, and I instinctively catch her wrist. She holds my gaze only briefly before pulling her hand away from me.
“You love creeping up on people, don’t you. You almost gave me a heart attack.” She pulls out her earbuds, and her breath is now coming in quick, shallow bursts.
“And you, do you enjoy hurting people? First, you threatened to chop me with a knife, and now you almost broke my arm.” I step closer to her.
She rolls her eyes dismissively. “O,h please, I thought you followed me here, and then you scared the life out of me, and as for your arm, my knuckles probably hurt more than your hard muscles.”
I laugh. “So you’ve noticed my muscles?” Standing this close to her, I catch a whiff of her scent, roses and sweet coconut. A smell that is as sweet as it is intoxicating.
“More like my knuckles noticed,” she says as she frowns. Clearly, she’s still mad. I hand her the cup that is still in my grip.
“I could have gotten it myself,” she says under her breath, almost snatching it from me.
“A thank you would be nice.” A slight smirk spreads across my face.
She rolls her eyes at me again, and I chuckle. “Why is the princess up so late? Missing your Prince Charming?” The words are out before I can stop them. Her glare sharpens, and I swear if looks could kill, I’d be six feet under ground. But she’s so easy to tease that I can’t stop now. I’m enjoying this too much.
“Don’t call me that,” she snaps, sharp as a knife. “And it’s none of your business.”Her long eyelashes flutter, casting shadowy veils over her eyes. She is gorgeous, the kind that can make a guy nervous.
Her irritation, and spice just draws me in more. Each step I take forward, she takes a step back until she’s flushed against the cabinet. I lean a bit closer, my tone low and teasing, “So, where is this mysterious boyfriend of yours, anyway?”
She hesitates, a visible swallow tracing the line of her throat she probably wishes I didn’t notice. “His flight got delayed,” she says. A quiver in her voice that draws my focus to her full lips, caught between her teeth. Is she nervous?
Part of me wants to know why she’s nervous, but I shouldn’t care. I straighten up, breaking the intensity of the moment. “Goodnight, princess,” I say over my shoulder. I can feel her stare burning into my back.
“It’s Mia,” she yells, obviously still pissed. “Don’t call me princess.”
I chuckle quietly as I head upstairs. Mia, huh? At least now I know her name.
But I prefer P rincess .