Chapter 11
eleven
T he lodge is a vast open space hotel decorated to the nines in green and red. You’d expect a swanky hotel to be closed to anyone who wasn’t a guest. Still, in this tiny town, they welcome the locals and other visitors to join in on the holiday fun.
Their annual movie night draws a massive crowd with a double feature. One for the whole family this year, they went with The Grinch, which will be the third or fourth time I’ve watched it here. After Cindy Lou gets her way, the lights rise for an intermission.
The audience clears out of the banquet room, taking little ones off to be tucked away, with dreams of Whoville. I follow Jennifer to the makeshift concession stand to restock our popcorn, soda, and candy.
“The guys said they’d be here for the second half. Apparently, Christmas classics are beneath them, but bring out the holiday horror, and they’re all for it.”
“To be fair, Krampus is a kickass Christmas movie. And I’m not just saying that because I’m German.”
“Here you two are.” Luke’s voice rises over the crowd, still waiting in line for their snacks.
“Here we are.” I turn to hand over the extra buckets of personal popcorn we ordered. But it’s not just Luke and Zach waiting there like I’d been anticipating. He hovers behind them, an air of disinterest wafting off him.
Fucking lovely.
Jennifer leans into me, whispering under her breath as the guys take the snacks from our hands. “Isn’t that the guy from the mountain?”
“Yep. That’s Zach’s cousin, who caught me doing the after-sex saunter.”
Her loud sputtering draws his gaze. The disinterest wanes, replaced by a smug smirk directed right at me.
“Damn, he looks like he wants to eat you girl.”
“Or tear my head off. He gives off some weird signals.”
“You all coming, or what?” Luke calls, his arms weighed down with half the snacks.
He waits until I pass to finally trail after and join the group. It’s easy to find five chairs together with a smaller crowd here to watch the second movie. I don’t think twice about sitting next to Zach, though now that I have a second to think about it, he’s been quiet since they got here. His cousin drops down on my other side, and I noticeably scoot closer to Zach. He laughs at my childish ways.
“Oh, by the way, that’s my cousin, Cole,” Zach says, acknowledging me for the first time.
“Koda. Nice to meet you.” I turn and wave quickly as if it’s our first meeting.
He returns it with the slightest head tilt and goes back to watching the previews.
“Hey,” I whisper, leaning into Zach. “Are we good?”
He looks down at me, his eyes pinched, but he must notice something, and they soften. “You tell me. I’m the one who woke up to an empty bed after one of the best nights of my life.”
His candor makes me melt, leaning further into his chest. “We’re good. As long as you don’t make this weird.”
“Friends?” he asks with a quirked brow.
“Friends with benefits?” I counteroffer.
He doesn’t confirm, but his arm coming down around the top of my shoulders is all I need. We didn’t ruin anything by sleeping together. If anything, maybe we’ll be able to have a little repeat before we both leave after Christmas.
The movie starts, and it’s even better on the big screen. I feel the heat of Cole’s eyes on me throughout, but I take each time in stride by snuggling in closer to Zach. Luke takes the trophy for the loudest scream, and Jennifer won’t let him live it down as we exit the lodge’s huge double-door entrance.
“Woah.” I stop in my tracks, still under the portico.
“It dumped while we were in there,” Zach says, his arm still wrapped around me. His body heat keeps me toasty.
“There’s no fucking way my car is going to make it home. Did you drive?” Jennifer turns to Luke and Zach; Cole hangs off to the side, quietly observing the situation.
“How many years have you been coming up here?” Luke asks her, popping her on the nose.
“Don’t ask stupid questions. You know the answer to that,” she snarks back, snapping her teeth at his finger.
“Ten-plus years, and you drove a car up to the lodge. What a rookie mistake,” he teases.
“So, you walked is what you’re taking forever to say while we all freeze.”
He drags his hand out from his pocket dangling a set of keys in her face. “We brought the snowmobiles, actually.”
Her hand is fast like lightning, snatching them from the air. “Great, I’m driving,” she calls over her shoulder, taking off into the parking lot to the section for snow vehicles.
“I need to head back. My parents should be getting in any minute. You can ride back with Cole, though, right?” He’s not asking me; his eyes lift to Cole’s over my shoulder.
“Yeah, not a problem,” Cole answers his cousin. “She can ride me, I mean, with me,” he adds under his breath.
Zach doesn’t hear him, he’s too busy leaning down to my lips and popping me with a quick kiss. “See you tomorrow, beautiful.” Then he’s gone, leaving me with a stranger for all intents and purposes.
“Let’s go, little liar.”
He climbs on the snowmobile, and I follow him, holding onto the seat to ensure I don’t fall off.
“You know how to drive this thing, right?” I ask over the nervous ringing in my ears.
He twists around, eyes scanning my rigid form and fingers death gripping the seat. His eyebrow raises as he meets my gaze. “You know how to ride bitch on one of these things, right?” he asks in a mocking tone.
“It’s definitely not my first time,” I snark back.
“Then you should know it’s safer to hold on to me. Not to mention, you might lose a finger since you’re not wearing any gloves.”
“That’s a bit dramatic.” But his pointing it out only makes my brain realize how cold my fingers really are.
He shrugs and turns around, unfazed by my stubborn streak. It’s less than a fifteen-minute ride home, depending on his speed. The machine roars to life, rumbling under us.
I let go of the seat, scooting forward until I’m pressed snuggly against his back. Drawing in a deep breath, I wrap my arms around his waist.
The warmth from his fingers cupping around mine is shocking, and I try to pull away. But his grip only tightens as he pushes my hand lower. I’m two seconds from freaking out from their southern trajectory when he tucks them under his jacket. The heat of his skin is jarring, sending tingles through my icy fingers. My body likes it, taking over my common sense in search of more against my skin.
I hear a gravely chuckle before we lurch forward, heading away from the lodge. He doesn’t crank back the throttle like I expect. Cole gives off the vibes that he likes things fast, dirty, and slightly unhinged. Don’t ask me for a reason why. It’s just how his eyes darken whenever he looks at me.
The ride is surprisingly nice. The fresh snow leaves a clean and crisp look to the town. Even with how loud the snowmobile is, the snow dampens the echo. Letting my head rest against his back, his scent invades my lungs, and it’s not fair that he smells this good. The fresh air, mixed with his spicy cologne, could be a top-selling candle for Christmas.
My street comes into view, and I tap against his flexing stomach. He gets the hint and lets off the throttle, coming to a stop and idling in place. I pull free quickly, swinging off the back.
“I’ll walk from here. I don’t want to bother the entire street,” I yell over the engine.
It cuts out, and the night descends into an eerie silence. “Where’s your place?”
“A few houses down at the end of this street.”
He tucks the keys in his pocket and nods, climbing off beside me in the snow.
“What are you doing?”
“Walking you to your house. It’s like one in the morning.”
“Yeah… and?”
“I’m not letting you walk around in the dark alone,” he answers as if I’ve said the dumbest thing on earth.
“Didn’t realize I needed your permission to walk home.”
“Maybe I’m just trying to be nice and make sure you get there in one piece.”
“I didn’t take you as a guy that would care.”
“Are you always so bitchy, or do you reserve it just for me?”
“You bring it out of me,” I sigh. The cold is starting to creep under my jacket. “Fine, whatever. Let’s go.”
“Or maybe I just want to walk behind you and check out your ass in those jeans.”
“See, that right there. That’s what I mean. There’s always another layer. I might be bitchy, but you’re a dick.”
“Whatever you say, little liar. Lead the way before said dick falls off. I’m rather attached to the guy.”
“Oh my god.” I throw up my arms in frustration, stomping off. He’s infuriating. From the moment he opened his mouth at the ticket counter, every single word he’s uttered has gotten under my skin.
I don’t turn around the entire trek home. It takes less than five minutes for me to reach our front porch. When my hand closes around the cold metal doorknob, I finally give in and peek over my shoulder.
He’s standing there, shoulders hiked up to his ears, hands shoved in his pockets. My idea of sneakiness obviously doesn’t work because he drops me a head nod. I should be nice and throw him a quick wave, but I can’t bring myself to be the bigger person here. So, I step inside quickly and let my body thud against the front door.
Fuck my life.