3. Jean
Chapter Three
JEAN
The cabin is gorgeous. And empty.
I walk into the kitchen, duffel bag in hand, picking up the note propped against a bottle of champagne on the island.
Jean! Emergency change of plans - Grayson PROPOSED!
We're driving to my parents' to tell them in person before the news gets out. Back in a few days! So I can’t give you the grand tour in person, but use everything, eat everything, enjoy everything.
The fridge is stocked, wine cellar is open, hot tub is ready.
You deserve this break, honey. Love you! - Shelby xxx
So I'm alone, entirely alone, in a luxury mountain retreat with enough food and wine for a small army. After the week I've had, this should be paradise.
Instead, my body is on high alert, and a wave of emptiness floods through me. All I can focus on is the way Viper's voice rumbled when he called me Red. The heat in his dark eyes when he stepped close to me on the porch. How his huge body was so solid and warm against my chest on his bike.
I shake my head and explore the cabin, trying to distract myself. The place is stunning; all exposed beams and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the valley. There's a massive stone fireplace, a kitchen that belongs in a magazine, and a bedroom with a bed so big I could get lost in it.
But even the luxury can't quiet this restless energy humming under my skin.
I charge my phone and call Shelby, squealing appropriately when she confirms the engagement news. We talk for twenty minutes about her excitement to share the news with her parents, and somehow I manage not to mention the motorcycle-riding stranger who's got me all twisted up.
After we hang up, I pour myself a generous glass of wine and stand on the deck, looking out at the twinkling lights of Snowflake Falls below. The night air is crisp and clean, nothing like the smoggy city I left behind.
I want to relax. Instead, I'm wound tight as a spring.
The rumble of a motorcycle engine in the distance makes my pulse jump. It gets closer, then fades away, and I’m ridiculously disappointed.
Get it together, Jean. You've known the man for two hours.
I'm on my second glass of wine, watching a romcom, when the roar of a big bike makes me sit up. It’s getting closer by the second, and this time, it doesn't fade away.
Headlights sweep up the driveway.
My heart hammers against my ribs as the glossy black bike sweeps in front of the cabin. Viper parks and kills the engine, sitting there for a moment like he's having second thoughts. He swings off the bike and looks up at the deck where I'm standing.
“Everything okay?” he calls up.
“Fine,” I call back, though my voice comes out breathier than I intended. “Just... alone. My cousin got engaged. Drove to her parents' to share the news.”
“Ah.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Good for them. I heard. I know Kieran, Grayson's brother. He's in the club with me.”
“Small world.”
“Small town,” he corrects with a slight smile. “Kieran's pissed his brother’s going to beat him to the altar. Anyway, I thought I’d check on you.”
Maybe I should be freaked out that he came back so soon. But I like it. And I like that he knows the family.
I hold up my glass. “Want some wine? I’ve got a whole cellar to get through.”
He hesitates, and for a second I think he's going to climb back on that bike and disappear into the night.
Instead, he says, “Thanks, Red. I’ll take an alcohol-free beer if there’s one.”
He climbs the steps, his boots thudding against the creaking wood.
Up close, he looks even more dangerous than he did on the mountain road.
His jacket is unzipped, revealing a black skull t-shirt that clings to his broad chest. His hair is messed up from the helmet.
There's something about the way he fills the doorway that makes my mouth go dry.
“Nice place,” he says, looking around.
“It makes a big change from my tiny apartment in the city. I’m enjoying the fresh air.” I hand him the beer. Our fingers brush, and an electric thrill runs down my arm to my core.
I gesture toward the living room. “Want to sit?”
We settle on opposite ends of the massive couch, but even with all that space between us, I'm hyperaware of everything about him.
How he holds the beer bottle in those big hands.
The pull of his jeans stretching across his thighs.
The way he keeps glancing at me like he's trying to figure something out.
“So…” I say, because the silence is making me crazy. “Four sisters?”
He grins. “Yeah. All younger. All a pain in my ass.”
“That's sweet.”
“Sweet isn't the word I'd use. More like expensive. You know how much weddings cost these days?”
I laugh. “Are you paying for all of them?”
“When our dumbass father walked out, someone had to step up.” He shrugs like it's no big deal, but there’s protectiveness in his voice.
“That's lovely.”
He looks uncomfortable with the praise. “What about you? Family?”
“Parents. I’m an only child. They're…” I search for the right words. “Disappointed in me right now.”
“Because of the job?”
I nod. “They pushed me into accounting because it was 'stable' and 'practical.' Never mind that I hated every second of it.” The wine is making me honest. “They think I'm a failure.”
“Are you?”
The question should sting, but his voice is gentle. “I don't know. Maybe. I don't even know what I want to do instead.”
“You'll figure it out, Red.”
“You sound pretty confident about that.”
“You seem like the kind of girl who lands on her feet.”
I study his face. “You don't really know me.”
“No. But I'd like to.”
The air between us shifts, becomes charged. I set down my wine glass with hands that aren't quite steady and move closer to him.
“Viper… that can’t be your real name.”
“It’s not.”
“What is?”
“Russell. But nobody's called me that in fifteen years.”
“Why Viper?”
His smile is rueful. “Because I used to be venomous. Quick to strike, slow to forgive. Had a hell of a temper. There’s a snake called Russell’s Viper, so the nickname stuck.”
“Used to be?”
“Recovery changes you. Has to, or you don't make it.”
I want to ask more, but something in his expression tells me that's all he's sharing tonight. Instead, I say, “Russell suits you.”
“Does it?”
“It's strong. Solid.” I'm definitely too wine-buzzed for this conversation, but I can't seem to stop. “Viper makes you sound dangerous.”
"I am dangerous, Red."
I shake my head. “Not to me.”
“How do you know?”
I lean forward, close enough to smell his spicy cologne. “Because you could have kissed me on that porch, and you didn't.”
His eyes darken as he smiles. “Maybe I should have."
“Maybe you should,” I agree.
We're staring at each other now, the space between us crackling with electricity. My heart is beating so hard, I'm sure he can hear it.
“Red.”
“What?” I whisper.
“You're playing with fire.”
“Maybe I want to get burned.”
That breaks something in him: his control snaps. He closes the distance between us in an instant, before I have time to breathe, and kisses me.
His lips are warm and firm, and he's kissing me like he's been starving for it. Like he's been starving for me .
The kiss is everything I hoped it would be. Hot and demanding, with a possessive, commanding edge that makes my feet kick out. Wetness pools between my thighs as his fingers run through my hair, pulling my head back as his tongue explores every inch of my mouth.
When we break apart, both of us are breathing hard.
“Fuck,” he breathes.
“Is that good or bad?”
“Good. Too fucking good.” He closes his eyes. “This is a bad idea, Jean.”
“Call me Red. And the best ideas always are.”
He laughs, low and rough. “I knew you were trouble. Now give me your keys.”
I suck my breath in. “What do you want with my keys?”
“I’m going to take my buddy up to fix your car. It’s still on the mountain. Unless you want me to hotwire it.”
Shit. My car.
“Oh, thank you! You don’t have to–”
He waves a big hand. “My pleasure, Red.”