Bigger and Badder (A Caldwell Hope Billionaire Romance)

by Jackson Kane

  “No.” I took the glass, then glanced around again. No one rushed over asking us to leave. It started to dawn on me. “Is this you? Did you rent the entire mountain for us?”

  “I've always wanted to. Night riding is on my short list.” Garrett ignored my question and took a sip of his wine. “I've just never got around to it. Have you ever tried it?”

  “Once. In college.” I'd worked at a resort like this briefly. I'd seen private functions, birthday parties, and wedding receptions being held in certain halls here of course, but the whole mountain.... I'd never even heard of someone doing this before.

  Holy crap! How much did something like that cost? Hundreds of thousands? Millions?

  Who spends that kind of money on a whim?

  Garrett. That's who.

  “Great, I need a guide.” Garrett downed the rest of his glass, then waved someone over.

  “I don't have any of my gear.” I set my glass of barely touched wine on the counter.

  “That's fine.” Garrett cocked his head toward the ski shop. “Let's get you some.”

  Garrett refused my feeble attempts at protesting. Despite what I said, I loved the mini shopping spree.

  I got to try on all the gear I'd always wanted but could never justify. There was state-of-the-art antifogging goggles; Bluetooth-enabled helmet with built in speakers; sweat-wicking thermals with interwoven smart fabric that regulated body temperature; GPS-impregnated ski jacket with hard pads sewn into the cinched-up lining. The list went on.

  After an hour of playing dress up, we finally hit the slopes. All the lifts were running. We had free range over the whole mountain. It was still hard to wrap my head around. It was so surreal that it felt like I was swimming through a dream.

  “So, Garrett, is this what billionaires do to impress girls?” I slid my skis and poles into the square bin at the front of the gondola, then stepped inside.

  “Only if it's working.” Garrett wore an easy grin. He followed suit and slid his snowboard in the square bin as well.

  I was able to use his first name and even get a smile from him occasionally. Had he really changed that much in the last three days?

  I thought about the way he interacted with the resort owners and the staff, and realized I was wrong. He was still stern and cold around most people, but not me. Butterflies swarmed in my stomach as the gondola abruptly took off. I wobbled, but Garrett quickly steadied me. He lent me a hand to help me sit down as the great enclosed basket swung on the thick steel cable and began its climb up the mountain.

  That fluttering I felt had nothing to do with the gondola, I realized. He's let me in. I felt special and a little worried. Garrett was a notorious playboy. How much of this was truly for me?

  “You know this still isn't a date, right?” Jealously washed over me. It twisted my gut into a sailor’s knot. I tried to harden myself to it. Tomorrow, Garrett might be out of my life altogether. “We're just two people sharing a fun winter hobby.”

  I hated the idea of being won over by money being thrown around near me, but I loved to ski. Nearly everyone went their whole life without ever getting an experience like this. The whole mountain to ourselves.... It was unthinkable.

  “Not a date, huh? What scares you more?” Garrett asked, staring into my eyes. He leaned closer to me so that he was all I saw. His scent, the sound of his voice, the heat that emanated off him.... Garrett invaded my senses one by one in that lonely gondola on that empty mountain. He and I were the only two people in the universe at that moment. “That I might be interested in you, or that I might not be?”

  I swallowed hard.

  “What makes you think I'm interested in you?” It sounded ridiculous even before I got all the words out. Of course I wanted him. I've wanted him since the Halloween party so long ago, back before I even knew who he was.

  “A boy can dream.” Garrett winked at me, then began to bundle back up as the high-speed gondola slowed to a stop at the top of the mountain.

  I pulled my new mask up across my face just before a smile erupted across my face. It should be criminal to be that smooth. He should be locked away in some sort of jail for being too sexy, where regular girls like me can't get to him.

  I was flying too close to the sun and my wax wings were beginning to melt, but what a glorious way to go.

  Fourteen

  Garrett

  I pulled the neoprene bandanna down to my chin, closed my eyes, and filled my lungs with pure mountain air. Steam escaped me. I did it again. Of all my dangerous vices, I didn't realize how much I missed snowboarding until I felt the crunch of graded snow beneath my feet.

  The elated feeling of freedom was intoxicating.

  I looked over at Judy. She was wrapped in the pink hues of light dying miles behind her. Here on the mountaintop, the sunlight hadn't completely faded. She had already strapped herself in and was waiting patiently for me to do the same.

  The view was magnificent. She was magnificent.

  It actually pained me to look at her, especially after that kiss last night. The phantom taste of her lips echoed across my tongue all day. I'd waited half a decade to do that, and it was every bit worth the wait.

  This was the last night of the three days I promised her. Our commitment was over. It all felt too sudden, but it was necessary. For Jackie's sake, I needed to break whatever Judy and I had off before my daughter got hurt.

  “You ready?” I yelled over the screaming wind, after snapping into my bindings.

  “I'm waiting on you, old man,” she shot back, then planted both poles and thrust herself forward past me.

  Old man? I scoffed, hopping forward on my board, then cutting in after her. So she wants to play a game?

  I got low and flew down the trails after her. We stayed only on the ones that were lit with the massive flood lights. Everything else was too dark even for me. Judy was good, real good, but I was still faster. My back leg carved tight, fast grooves in the snow and soon enough I became her shadow.

  “Tag,” I shouted, slapping her square on the ass as I passed by.

  Her head cocked around so abruptly that I thought she might fall. Worried, I slowed down to make sure she was alright. The fox played me like a flute, capitalizing on my compassion to blow by me. She tagged my shoulder as she passed.

  Trail after trail, I led most of the game, taking unfair advantages where I could. She was great on the open trails, probably a little better than I was even, but I excelled everywhere she was afraid to go. Occasionally, I'd slip into the trees and do some night forest riding—always staying close enough to the edge of the trail to use lit sections of woods—or I'd take her through the parks and soar over her head on some of the bigger jumps.

  We played that way for hours as the snow fell faster and wetter. If Judy minded, she didn't show it. I told the owners to send most of the staff home including the lifties. We'd only be riding the gondola and that was completely automated. There was no reason to make lift attendants suffer unnecessarily for our childish games.

  Both of us knew what it was like to endure cold, shitty days. It turned out that each of us had worked for a season at a ski resort when we were younger—her during a break in university, and me just after school before football training camp. On the gondola up, we shared a flask of whiskey I kept in my pocket and shared war stories from the times we worked on the mountain.

  “No way! You did not seriously spray paint his car.” Judy roared incredulously between fits of laughing.

  “It was his own damn fault. Our landlord had us living virtually on top of one another. You get that many drunken mountain rats partying in the same house for two months and....” I smiled, remembering a half dozen other equally crazy stories. I took a long pull of the flask and continued. “Well, let’s just say, that wasn't the worst of it. It was a real shame, too. The place was gorgeous before we arrived. Three floors, game room, fully stocked bar, two entertainment centers, and Jacuzzi on the patio.”

  “Sounds like ninet
een-year-old Garrett was in heaven.” Judy's eyes twinkled as she looked at me. It wasn't hard to see the admiration there. It was an incredible feeling. I wasn’t famous in her eyes. I was special.

  She was my dancing partner again—someone to share in a grand adventure with. I'd done so much by myself, but with her, I felt as if I was getting the whole experience. I got to see the excitement in her eyes and knew that we went through it together. I could see myself plainly in her brilliant green eyes and it warmed me more than the whiskey.

  Dangerous, a small careful voice said deep within me. I tried to push it away but, it lingered, growing only louder. Don't fall for her. You know it can never work, especially not after what you're about to do to her.

  “Garrett?” Judy repeated, snatching the flask away. “Are you in still there? Us American girls aren't that boring, I hope.”

  “No, of course not. Sorry. My mind ran away from me for a moment.” I snapped out of the ominous thoughts and regarded her fully again. “What was that?”

  “I said—” She gave me a playful sidelong look while taking a sip from the flask then continued, “—was that your first time in the States?”

  “Yeah. Then football took over.” I chuckled. “Apparently I couldn’t keep away from your country after that.”

  “Dad played football briefly in college.”

  “Yeah?” It would make sense why he held on so tightly to the stadium, despite not being the best choice to run it. “Was he any good?”

  “He was all right, I guess.” She shrugged noncommittally. “I think he’d have been better suited to be a ref instead, honestly. He knows everything there is to know.”

  I tucked that bit of info into the back of my mind. I could picture Paul as a referee. “I can tell you’re not much of a sports fan, are you?”

  “Oh, yeah?” she replied with a sassy shake of shoulders that was adorable. “And what do sports fans look—”

  The entire mountain abruptly closed its eyes on us.

  Fifteen

  Garrett

  In huge chunks, all the lights went out on the mountain, including our gondola which whirred to a lazy stop high above the trail. Judy screamed and we pitched to the side as the wind picked up and forced our little cabin into a heavy swing.

  “It'll be all right.” I grabbed her tightly. Whatever happened I wouldn't let her out of my arms.

  Without the whir of the engine and soft music playing, the whipping, driving wind smashing against our hanging carriage was uncomfortably loud. If turbulence were a sound, it would be a lot like this.

  Red emergency lights flicked on, first at the lodge far below, then at each lift including ours. The gondola engine winded up and at about half speed, ambled on toward the top of the mountain. We were just over one pole away from the drop off point. If we could only make it....

  In the red light, the blizzard we'd been ignoring took on a demonic presence. The regular white trail lights couldn't catch just how hard it was snowing. The sky was a falling red haze that looked more akin to fire than ice.

  Then again, the winter swallowed that too. The backup power cracked off with a loud, frightening pop.

  “Fuck!” Judy cried, as another gust took hold and rattled us in what was quickly becoming an oversize coffin.

  This light fun time just took a hard turn. My instincts turned with it. A surging need to protect this woman in my arms took over. The only thing that mattered was getting Judy to safety.

  When the wind settled down, I realized that the conditions were too dangerous for them to send anyone up for us and with the heat off in the gondola, we wouldn't last the night without freezing to death, despite our fantastic gear.

  We needed to get off this thing ourselves.

  “I-I can't. NO fucking way.” Judy lowered her head. She'd begun shaking when I explained my plan. The carriage swung in defiance, as if reinforcing the idea that she wasn't going to make it.

  “Judy.” I stripped off my gloves and took her face in my hands. “I promise that I will keep you safe.”

  She wasn't convinced; fear had overcome her. I needed to get her to safety, and to do that I had to connect with her.

  The wind howled and smashed against us again, which caused the suspension cord that held us aloft to start creaking. I knew it wasn't going to snap, but it certainly sounded like it might.

  “You owe me,” I said gruffly. She finally looked up at me, confused. “On that dance hall floor I saved your life. Now I need you to save mine. I won't leave here without you, so the only way I'm ever getting down is if you're safely with me. Do you understand?” I waited a beat and then repeated. “You owe me.”

  She just swallowed and stared at me for a long breath, then eventually nodded. I kissed her on the forehead for reassurance.

  I pulled the emergency release lever on the sliding doors and opened us to a blast of arctic cold. Fortunately, the extra backup power—as brief as it was—got the gondola to within easy reach of the suspension pole. We were way too high to jump out safely, but at least we had a way down.

  The rest was agonizingly slow going. I went out first, testing my grip and the foot rungs. Satisfied, I waved her over. It was a one-man ladder; two people on it at the same time was dangerous and uncomfortable, but I stayed close in case she needed me.

  Judy was on the inside center of the rungs, and I wrapped myself around her like a security blanket. We descended, one rung at a time, until we hit the trail fifty feet below. Our gear was out in front of the gondola and getting to it was impossible. Even if we did, the trails were nearly pitch black. Traversing them without a light would be fatal.

  I took Judy's hand and we started the arduous climb up the mountain.

  The roofed drop off point for the gondola was high enough that the faint remaining natural light silhouetted it. I trudged a path for us through knee-high snow until we reached it.

  This wouldn't be a good shelter, I decided, taking a long look around. Typically the gondolas came up, slowed to a crawl around a wide rotary, people exited, grabbed their gear, then the gondolas sped up again and made the return trip down the mountain. This building was basically a gazebo with an enclosed maintenance room. No, we'd have to make it to the satellite lodge near the actual peak of the mountain.

  That meant more hiking.

  We rested for a time. I checked Judy for signs of hypothermia or frostbite, but the gear she had on held up to the price tag. When she'd caught her breath, we began the trek further up the mountain. This time it was much more difficult. Not only was it nearly three times longer of a walk, but pushing through the now waist-high snow was like walking through cold, loose sand.

  It took us nearly an hour, but we made it up to the small lodge. All the doors were locked, save the kitchen entrance. It was completely dark inside. Although I had no reception, my watch had a fairly bright flashlight app. It wasn't the best, but it helped me navigate the small rooms.

  The lodge was a tenth the size of the one at the bottom of the mountain but was laid out in a similar way. There was a main entrance with a fireplace, which was a staple for every ski resort I'd ever been in. I’d never understood the concept—the lodges were always warm enough for me without it, but I read something somewhere about a crackling flame having a calming effect on people.

  Instead of a restaurant and bar, there was a cafe, instead of a merch shop, there were a few racks of smaller portable items. There was of course a ski repair shop, but it only dealt in minor stuff like loose bindings and board and ski waxing.

  Judy was exhausted. She tripped over a chair in the main hall. Gloved hands slid down my jacket groping for purchase but finding none. When I turned around, she was already on the floor.

  “Leave me. I'm a goner,” she said between breathless pants. She wore an exhausted but not pained expression on her face. She was so heavily padded with skiing gear and snow that I doubted she even felt the impact. She tried to get up, then just laid on the floor and sprawled out.

&nbs
p; “There's no hope for me,” she continued on dramatically. “I'll only slow you down. Let my epitaph read Judy Sullivan, world renowned player of video games and beater of Garrett Walker at racing.”

  Even with the heat completely off, the lodge itself was still warm from a full day's use. It would eventually get cold, but we'd survive, especially if I found the split logs they were using for the main fireplace.

  “Should I have them carve delusional above or below your name on the headstone?” I laid on the long bench above her and let my arm fall to the floor. The light from my watch brightened our whole section. “You didn't win.”

  “Yes, I did.”

  I craned my neck over to look at her. “For someone who was nearly hyperventilating with fear earlier, you're surprisingly chipper.”

  “You promised to keep me safe,” Judy said sweetly enough to make my heart skip a beat.

  “You fell for that?”

  “Jerk.” She slapped my arm.

  I recoiled playfully but otherwise stayed silent. I was exhausted, too. Between contacting the authorities, the resort management, my company, and making sure we could get rescued soon, there was still so much to do. I just needed a few minutes to rest first.

  “Thank you.” Judy took my gloved hand in her own and squeezed. I didn't respond. I didn't need to. I was telling the truth earlier. I’d protect her with everything I had. It gave me an overwhelming sensation of purpose.

  If I could save her, maybe she could save me....

  I pushed the silly thought away, and for a while, we rested and basked in being alive.

  “What do you think happened?” she asked.

  “No idea. Some sort of critical failure, I'd guess.” I took off my gloves and unzipped my jacket; a plume of steam escaped. I was sweating like crazy from the hike. “Whatever it was, it had to be bad. I'll go look for a walkie in a minute.”

  “What if it's the zombie apocalypse?” Judy sounded so serious that I almost considered it. Then her lips curled, telling me she was joking.