Chapter 29
CHAPTER 29
MARIAM
T o my utter surprise, once Arland and I returned to the table, the rest of the evening went great. Brian had distracted Mom and Dad by sending them on a tour of the facilities, and with them out of the way, I could relax.
Arland stuck close to my side regardless, apparently wanting to make sure that I really was okay. It turned out that since I was his assistant, no one blinked an eye at us spending so much of the evening together. Naturally, that made me question why I’d been so worried about it in the first place.
I certainly wasn’t about to complain, though. I simply knew now that we didn’t have to stay miles apart in order to avoid suspicion. I couldn’t think of anything better than being able to spend more time with him without having to worry about people catching on.
A while later, the evening was winding down and I even got around to calling Gemma and Laurel back. I switched them to video call almost immediately when they answered and finally got to catch them up on everything that had been going on at the Chalet.
After I showed them around a little bit more, wanting to show off how far we’d come since the last time I’d given them a video tour, they were so supportive and complimentary that a deep sense of achievement settled into my soul. Tears pressed at the backs of my eyes, and of course, Arland noticed, motioning for me to hand him the phone.
“I’d like to talk to them too,” he said loudly enough for them to hear. “If you don’t mind.”
Wordlessly, I smiled and handed over the phone. As I watched him interact with them on the call, I was surprised by how well they were all getting along. Right then, things were so blissful and I was so happy that I kept having to fight against the tears that wanted to appear in my eyes.
“Who is City Lights anyway?” he asked Gemma when she finished telling him about what had happened between her and Noah. “If that’s more important to him than you, then it’s for the best. Even if it doesn’t feel like it right now. Take it from me, you’ll know when it’s right and you’ll know when it’s not. If he doesn’t come around, then it wasn’t right and it’s better to let it go before things become even more complicated.”
“It sounds like you know what you’re talking about,” she murmured, her voice thick with tears of her own.
“That’s because I do.” He shrugged but flashed her a small, understanding smile. “In my case, I knew it wasn’t right and I ignored my gut. Worst decision ever, but the silver lining is that it ended before we had kids who would’ve suffered because of our mistakes.”
For a moment, she stared at the screen with a faraway expression in her eyes before she blinked and looked at him again. “What if it feels right?”
Arland glanced at me and smiled. “Then by this time next week, he’ll be back.”
He lowered his gaze to Laurel’s face below Gemma’s on the screen. “I’m not entirely sure what’s going on with your guy, but I do know exactly how you’re feeling right now. Walking in on something like that changes a person, but if there’s any chance that what he’s saying is true and that there’s another explanation, hear him out. You’ll never be able to move past it if you don’t.”
“You’re speaking from experience.” She stated it as fact, looking at him like she knew what had happened with his previous marriage without me ever having given her any of the gory details. “I’m sorry.”
Arland’s gaze met mine for another moment. I’d told him how perceptive Laurel was and how each of my friends looked at the world in such unique ways, and I had a feeling he was starting to understand it for himself.
Gemma lived her life loud, excited, and proud. She went for whatever it was she wanted without fear or concern, or maybe it was more that she simply refused to let either of those things hold her back. She took people at their word and held them to it, calling them out if she felt wronged.
Laurel, on the other hand, saw the entire world as a story yet to be written. She looked at a person and didn’t see only who they were on the outside. She considered possible motivations for their actions and she tended to be very black and white about the real world, preferring to leave the gray for the worlds she created in her books. To her, people were either good or bad. Either right or wrong.
Life had disappointed her in a big way when we’d been teenagers, and after that, her sense of justice had completely solidified. There was no room for uncertainty or error. Those things got a person killed; just like it had killed her father.
Arland sat down on one of the new couches in the lobby and gave her a gentle smile. “My ex-wife cheated on me with my brother. They’ve been happily married since the month after our divorce was finalized. For me though, there was no if, but, or maybe about what I saw. At the time, I kept wishing I hadn’t walked in on them, but I’m oddly happy now that I did. Our marriage was over that very minute. There was no going back.”
She nodded slowly, taking onboard what he’d said. “Did you believe it when you saw it?”
“Yes.” He looked right into her eyes. “I believed it before my brain had even computed what I was looking at. It clicked like the trigger of a gun being pulled.”
“Thanks, Arland,” she said after hesitating for a beat. Then she smiled up at both of us when I peered over his shoulder. “You two should go enjoy the rest of your night. Stop worrying about us.”
“The dinner is over,” he said. “I suppose we do need to go help with cleanup, though. It was great to talk to you both. We’ll chat again soon?”
“You bet,” Gemma chimed in. Then she and Laurel both waved and hung up.
Arland stood and held my gaze as he handed back my phone. “It’s weird, but I felt like I’ve known them for ages all of a sudden.”
I smiled. “Well, you did say that when it’s right, it’s right. Maybe you were always meant to be friends with them.”
“Or maybe I was simply meant to get along with them because it’s right with you, and you three are a package deal.”
My cheeks flushed, my heart fluttering in my chest. “You’re definitely right about that last part.”
He chuckled. “Come on. Let’s go help them clean up so we can get to our room. I’m exhausted and I’m so very over not being able to touch you.”
Tingles shot through me at his words. They also gave me one last spike of energy that saw me through the cleanup with the rest of the team. For the rest of the weekend, most of our rooms and lodges were fully booked, but for tonight, we were all staying over here to be able to jump back in early in the morning.
I couldn’t believe that tomorrow was the official opening, but as we put everything back in its rightful place, it was undeniable that we were completely ready. I grinned at Arland as everyone else headed to their rooms for the night.
“Congratulations,” I murmured as he fell into step beside me. We weren’t touching or holding hands, but we were close enough that I could feel the heat of his arm even through my coat. “That was quite a night, Mr. Stone.”
“A night we would never have been able to pull together on time if it hadn’t been for you,” he replied. “Should we go for a walk before we head to the lodge? I’m suddenly feeling the urge to take one last look at everything while it’s all new and quiet. Starting tomorrow, this place is going to be crawling with people and I hope it’s going to stay that way from then on.”
“Let’s do it,” I said. “It’s beautiful out here at night. I know my parents weren’t exactly encouraging, but I love it. There’s nothing quite like a snowy landscape at Christmastime, is there?”
“Not as far as I’m concerned.” As we meandered in the opposite direction from the rooms that were booked by our families and coworkers, Arland slipped his hand into mine and I twined our fingers together, my heartrate spiking at having his skin against mine once more.
The Chalet was beautiful at night now that all the work was complete. Christmas lights covered every one of the many trees. Strings of them swirled around the branches from up high and wound their way down. A dusting of snow covered the ground and more of the white stuff was expected to come down overnight, which we were all relieved about considering that we had a skiing competition lined up this weekend as well.
The moon hung high in the sky, a bright white ball currently completely unobscured. All around us, the buildings were lit up with warm downlights placed in the ceilings, and the tiled floors of the walkways shone like stars as the light reflected from them.
I still couldn’t quite believe I’d had any part in getting a place like this up and running. As I looked around, a dreamy sigh escaped me and I rested my head against Arland’s shoulder. “It’s so freaking gorgeous here. I can’t get over it. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it either. It’s magical.”
He chuckled, the sound a low rumble that sent tingles down my spine. “Even if you do get used to it, there will still be some days that it will take your breath away.”
“I totally believe the taking my breath away part,” I said quietly, wrapping my arm around his. We kept meandering around the grounds. “Every morning when I wake up and look outside, I feel like my lungs forget for a moment what they’re supposed to do with oxygen. The view from my bedroom window is literally breathtaking to me.”
“Do you want to know what makes my lungs stop working the way they should?” he asked, amusement lightening the warm sincerity in his tone.
I glanced up at him with a smile tugging at one corner of my lips. “Of course, I want to know.”
“You,” he said, staring right into my eyes. “You’re the girl of my dreams, Mariam Walker. You take my breath away every time I see you. I’ve loved spending this season with you.”
My heart skipped. Then it seemed to slow for a beat before it started racing, my chest cavity suddenly feeling much too small. My eyelashes fluttered and I felt heat blooming across my cheeks, but despite the urge to avert my eyes, I also couldn’t seem to look away from him. “The things you do to me when you say stuff like that.”
One of his eyebrows arched ever so slightly. “Oh, yeah? What things do I do to you when I say stuff like that?”
I shrugged, knowing that if he had been anyone else, I would have been too shy to admit this. But given that it was him, I didn’t only admit it. I even managed a teasing smirk as I said it. “All the things, but we’re going to have to get to our room if you really want to find out.”
Groaning quietly, he changed our course without hesitation, practically dragging me to a lodge at the far end of the property. I giggled, but I completely shared his sudden sense of urgency. Even so, there was one more thing I wanted to say while we were on this topic. “I never thought I’d meet someone like you by saying yes to helping my brother open his ski resort. This last month has been one of the best of my entire life.”
“Same here.” We reached the small patio at the front of our chalet and Arland pulled a key out of his pocket, making fast work of unlocking the door and leading me in.
Using my hip, I bumped the door shut, sealing us into our little sanctuary for the night. I tugged at his hand to bring him to me, then finally looped my arms around his neck.
I pushed my hands into his short, silvery hair and dipped my head back to smile up at him, still struggling to believe that a man like him could really be so interested in me. As unbelievable as it sometimes felt though, I definitely didn’t doubt it anymore.
Arland cared about me. Maybe even loved me. I loved him too, even though I hadn’t told him yet. Our situation at the moment was complicated enough as it was, but soon, the time would be right and I would tell him.
For now though, I hoped my smile and the way I was about to kiss him said enough. As if he’d heard the thought, he threaded a hand into my hair in turn, his lips descending to mine. I moaned as soon our mouths met, feeling a surge of chemistry and perhaps even love flowing freely between us. He walked me backward to the bed.
Just as I felt the mattress at the backs of my knees, he swept me off my feet, picking me up only to lay me down as gently as if I was made of glass. He climbed onto the bed with me, his mouth never leaving mine. His kisses were so feverish that it soon felt like the heat between us was going to make our clothes melt off.
I wasn’t about to wait and see if that was possible, though. Instead, I reached for the buttons of his shirt, undoing them one by one before pushing his jacket and the shirt off in one motion. Arland didn’t even try to stop me, using the time to undress me in return.
All of this was like a well-choreographed dance for us these days, the act of getting each other naked just as soon as we were alone. We never seemed to be able to keep our hands off the other. It was an experience I’d only had with him but I couldn’t say I minded it at all.
Especially not when his naked chest molded to my own as he pressed me back down on the bed, his lips devouring mine and his arms wrapped around my body. Soft moans kept spilling out of me, every inch of me hungry for his touch.
He didn’t disappoint, his hands soon roaming along my sides, my thighs, and even my back. We rolled around on the bed like lovestruck teenagers, making out until we were both panting for more.
When he finally covered himself with a condom and sank into me, I swore I saw stars, but I was also staring deep into his eyes, my hands on his cheeks where I could feel his pulse spiking underneath my thumbs. Meanwhile, his fingers were on my hips, holding so tight that it was possible I might have bruises in the morning, but I didn’t care.
I’d come to crave his intimate touches in these moments and I could never get enough. My heart thrummed in my chest as he started moving. My tongue popped out to lick my lips as pleasure raced through me in response to his rhythmic thrusts.
Arland groaned and crashed his mouth back to mine, and I kissed him as intently as he was kissing me. Our bodies moved together, both of us entirely focused only on the other. It was like I could feel him giving himself to me, removing whatever last mental barriers had been left and deciding to trust that what we had between us would see us through the challenges we would face.
The pleasure intensified with the knowledge that he was committing himself to me and my toes curled, my breath catching in my lungs. Whether or not we managed to work things out, in this moment, right here, Arland was mine and I was his.
Kissing him harder, I dug my nails into his back and hung onto him, riding him for all I was worth. He moaned into my mouth, and I felt him starting to lose control as the perfect rhythm of his thrusts faltered.
My muscles tensed, my climax so close I could almost taste it. On the next roll of his hips, I couldn’t hold back anymore. I let go and the pleasure crashed into me like a tidal wave, arching my back and making me scream his name as the orgasm took over.
Arland cursed loudly, swelling deep inside my body, and he found his release right along with me. Our bodies melted together in the aftermath, both of us panting and breathless and neither of us moving at all for as long as we dared to lie there.
Arland finally got up, quickly disposing of the condom before he came back to bed. He pulled me to him, enveloping me in his arms before he pressed a gentle kiss to my temple. “Get some sleep, my love. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”