by Layla Hagen
“Wow, this hotel looks straight out of a fairy tale. It’s gorgeous,” she commented as the driver pulled in front of the hotel. It had the appearance of a hut, a wooden structure with an A-frame roof, but on a larger scale. Snow was falling so thick that you couldn’t see much around. The driver climbed out, announcing he’d carry our bags inside and ask for an umbrella.
“Why are you smiling like that?” she asked when it was just the two of us.
“Just... proud I booked this hotel. I thought you might like it.”
I felt this incessant need to please her, to surprise her, to watch her light up.
I couldn’t help but slide closer to her on that back seat. Sienna’s eyes widened. She let out a shaky breath, casting her gaze down. It was all I could do not to wrap my hand in her hair and tilt her head for a kiss. I gripped the headrest instead before sliding my arm past her, reaching for the handle, opening the door. A hotel employee stood there with two umbrellas.
She climbed out of the car the next second, as if she couldn’t trust herself to be alone with me any longer. After check-in, the same hotel employee led us to our rooms—adjacent suites. Knowing she’d be just one wall away was torture.
She went on to check her room and then came into mine all smiles, clapping her hands.
“This room is amazing, and I might never leave it again,” she declared.
I waggled my eyebrows. “No problem. I’ll lock us both inside and toss the key away.”
She shrugged one shoulder. “I didn’t say I want you to keep me company.”
“I think you do. Why else tell me this?” I was in her personal space again. I just couldn’t stay away—not that I was trying too hard.
“I’ll go back to inspecting my room,” she said quickly, blushing. “Dinner in two hours?”
“Sounds good.”
After Sienna left, I couldn’t avoid thinking about tomorrow. It was a big day. It was just an interim presentation, but if the board ultimately didn’t like where this was going, I’d have to close the store or I risked exposing the entire chain to financial risk.
I barely had time to take out the printed version of the presentation before I heard a knock at the door. It was Sienna.
She’d changed her clothes. Her boots almost swallowed her whole. She’d put on her red cap again. She looked like a dork. An adorable, sexy-as-hell dork.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I was just about to go over the presentation for tomorrow.”
“I thought you might. But you said that this is a work-free trip, remember? You can’t expect me to follow the rules if you don’t. Besides, you know that presentation inside out.”
“Fine. What do you want to do?”
“Build a snowman. Want to join me?”
I looked over my shoulder at the window. The snow was falling even thicker than before.
“You want to go outside now? That’s a blizzard right there.”
“Coward,” she muttered. I laughed.
“You didn’t just call me that.”
“I did. And unless you prove me different, I’m going to keep thinking that.”
She flashed me a sassy, challenging smile. Gripping the door tighter, I stepped closer.
“Okay. I’ll go. But only if you promise to come to the sauna with me afterward.”
“Oh?”
“Sauna. That place you go to sweat, wearing just a towel.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I know what a sauna is. Why do you want to go?”
“Good to relax muscles after the long flight. And to warm up after we freeze our ass off outside.”
“Fine, Mr. Statham. We’ll do it your way.”
I couldn’t help myself then. I moved my hand from the door to her waist, looking her straight in the eyes.
“If I had it my way, I’d lock us together in this room and we wouldn’t leave it unless we absolutely had to.”
She was so close that I would just have to tip my head and claim her lips. I would have too, if a hotel employee hadn’t arrived to bring wood.
“Just in case you want to light up the fire tonight.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you need something else?”
“We’re good,” I said, still looking at Sienna intently.
“I’m going to wait outside while you change into thicker clothes,” Sienna whispered, eyeing the employee, who was arranging the wood as if it was a freaking piece of art. I wanted to be alone with her, damn it.
I smiled, waggling my eyebrows, dropping my voice to a whisper. “Or you can wait inside. Take a peek.”
She shook her head, pointing a finger at me. “Ten minutes. Outside. Don’t be late.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
When I stepped out of the hotel ten minutes later, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Sienna had already made a huge ball all by herself. I also noticed carrots and olives in the snow.
“Where did you get those?” I asked, setting to work with her on the second ball.
“Worked my charms on the kitchen staff.”
“In ten minutes?”
She laughed. “I’m very efficient. How else do you think I could have put up with you for so long?”
“I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”
I threw a small snowball at her.
She gasped, grabbing a fistful of snow herself. “It’s the truth.”
Just as she made to throw it at me, I grabbed both her wrists.
“So why do you put up with me?” I teased.
“Because you’re smart and I like working with you. And since you’ve returned, you’ve been far more... okay.”
“I’m okay. I see.”
“Hey. That’s a huge improvement from boss from hell.” She grinned as she spoke.
“I see. And yet you dragged your boss from hell out here. Something tells me you’re looking for any excuse to spend more time with me.”
I let go of her wrists.
“I wanted to keep you busy. If you stayed inside, you’d just worry about tomorrow, get lost in your own headspace.”
She cared about me enough to worry. I’d never been closer to just taking her in my arms and carrying her upstairs. I didn’t want to share her with the world. I just wanted to have this lovely creature all to myself.
She returned her focus to the snowman.
“If I didn’t love San Francisco so much, I’d move somewhere with snow during winter,” she said wistfully. “It doesn’t really feel like Christmas until it snows, you know?”
I laughed. “I’ll take your word for it.”
It took us almost an hour to finish the dwarf-sized snowman, but I had to admit, it looked damn good. Especially once Sienna placed the carrot as the nose and the black olives as eyes. Then she took off her own cap and scarf, placing them on the snowman.
Her eyes were a little misty.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
She shrugged, smiling sadly. “Last time I made such an elaborate snowman, I was a kid. It just brings back a lot of memories with my parents. Good memories.”
She sighed, fumbling with the ends of the scarf.
“You should put those back on. You’ll get a cold,” I said gently. “And if you leave them out here, they’ll get covered in snow.”
She nodded, snapping a quick picture of the snowman before taking her belongings back.
“Let’s head inside,” I said. “The snow is getting thicker.”
She nodded, but her smile was still wistful when we reached the elevator. She was the one in danger of getting lost in her own head now.
I wasn’t going to allow that. Luckily, I already had an excellent plan.
Chapter Sixteen
Sienna
I sent the picture to my siblings. Chloe and Lucas didn’t remember that trip, of course, but Victoria had replied with an “Awwwwww,” which about summed up how I felt about the whole thing.
I took a hot shower, because my feet were so cold
that I almost couldn’t feel my toes. If I could have snow without the cold... But it had been worth it, spending the time out there to make that snowman. I’d intended to do it all on my own but leaving Winston alone the evening before the presentation was dangerous. I risked walking with the grinch into that meeting tomorrow.
I didn’t really have to go to the sauna though, did I?
I knew I’d promised, but it felt too much like playing with fire. I should stay here. In fact, I should order room service and spend the rest of the evening by myself.
But a deal was a deal. I couldn’t back out. Besides, there was still enough time for him to get lost in his own head. Yeah, that was why I was going, I told myself. For a good cause. Not because I wanted to see Winston seminaked and sweaty.
Wow... was I good at lying to myself or what? I’d spent so much time doubting the decision that I was nowhere near ready when Winston knocked at the door.
“One minute,” I called out in a panicky voice. I put on one of those fancy sauna towels that had a clasp to keep it fastened above my boobs, grabbed the spa bag the hotel had laid out, and opened the door.
My knees instantly softened. Winston had wrapped an identical towel around his lower half, which meant his torso was completely naked. Pure muscle, everywhere I looked.
Six-pack? Check.
Biceps? Check.
Muscle-laced upper arms? Double check.
I had to force myself to look him straight in the eyes after my quick perusal.
“Ready?” he asked, his smile growing more pronounced. The honest answer was no, but I nodded anyway.
The sauna was on the top floor of the hotel. There was also a relaxation room with dim lighting, and a reading area with comfy armchairs and small lamps.
We each grabbed an additional towel, which we placed on the wood inside the sauna.
Being this close to Winston while wearing practically no clothes was more than I’d signed up for and certainly more than I could handle.
The room would have been claustrophobic if not for the large window overlooking Lake Champlain and the Adirondack mountains in the background. The view was simply breathtaking.
“This glass... can people see inside?” I asked.
Winston smiled. “Technically yes, but we’re too high up for anyone to see anything from the street. So if you have any sexy plans in mind, feel free to act on them.”
Shaking my head, I nudged his arm with my shoulder. Big mistake, because that one touch made me eager for more.
Despite the grand view and the eucalyptus smell in the air, I decided after two minutes that I wasn’t a fan of the sauna.
“This isn’t very relaxing,” I murmured, fanning myself.
“Is it the heat that makes you uncomfortable, or is it me?” His grin made my stomach flip. I was determined to last for at least five minutes, but I felt as if I was suffocating. When I couldn’t take the heat anymore, I excused myself, leaving the sauna, heading straight to the counter with drinks. After downing a glass of water and one of orange juice, I finally felt as if I could breathe again.
Then I headed to the shower. Even though I’d read that icy-cold water was recommended after a sauna, to close the pores, I wasn’t brave enough to do it. I spent an inordinate amount of time under lukewarm water, washing my hair too... biding my time.
I wasn’t sure what to expect when I stepped out.
When I was finally done, I wrapped a fresh towel around me and dried my hair with a second one.
I found Winston in the reading lounge. He’d showered too and was wearing a fresh towel. He’d laid another one on the armchair.
Do not look under chin level. Do not look under chin level.
“Ready for dinner?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“We can also order room service, if you want.”
I placed both hands on my hips. Belatedly I realized that the motion had dislodged my towel. I caught it just in time.
“Almost dropped it,” I said.
“Couldn’t have that, could we?”
I cleared my throat, holding the towel tightly to my chest with one hand.
“There’s a fireplace in the dining room. I’m not missing out on that.”
“We have fireplaces in the living room too.”
“Yes, but the one on the main floor already has Christmas stockings hanging on it.”
“Got it, ma’am.”
“What happened to I’m the boss?”
He gave me a look that told me I did not want to know the answer to that.
“Let’s go change,” he added.
I nodded, walking in front of him, feeling his gaze on me, the heat of his body and his mere presence like a physical force.
When I was finally in my room, I took a moment for myself, leaning against the door, closing my eyes. There was no such thing as a reprieve when it came to Winston.
I changed into a sweater dress. It seemed appropriate for the hotel. The atmosphere on the ground floor was cozy and just... happy. Every server wore a Christmas-themed shirt.
Winston was waiting for me by the entrance. He was wearing jeans and a black sweater. He looked like a model in a Calvin Klein ad.
To my surprise, we were shown to the table nearest to the fireplace. I couldn’t believe our luck. The dining room was packed. A few seconds later, I had the slight suspicion that Winston had everything to do with said luck.
“How did you get the table?” I asked after we ordered two glasses of wine and roast beef.
“Used my irresistible charm. I knew you’d like it.”
“I do. It’s amazing. You look relaxed.”
“I am. A certain sassy woman took care of it.”
I grinned. “And how did she manage that? By talking you into building a snowman?”
“That, and also by just being herself. Fun, warm.”
He placed his hand on top of mine over the table. I all but melted. Looking around the room, I noticed pictures of the family that owned the hotel hanging everywhere.
I’d been so taken with the Christmas decorations that I hadn’t paid attention to the photos.
“Look, they have family pics all around.”
“That’s right. Hadn’t seen them.”
“I read the welcome letter in the room. The couple running it have been married for forty years.”
“My parents celebrated their forty-second anniversary last year.”
I grinned. “I know. Everyone’s still talking about the party they threw for the team.” Wistfully, I added, “My parents also had a happy marriage. I’ve been spoiled by it, and then by watching all the Bennetts fall in love. I know it sounds crazy, but I kind of thought I’d be married by now.”
“Why crazy?”
“Well, you probably know all the statistics about the number of marriages going down, divorce up.”
“I think statistics are just a numbers game and a matter of luck. If the right person comes along, every statistic is meaningless.”
“Winston! Is it possible that you’re a closet romantic?”
He glowered. I laughed. He shook his head, smiling.
“Why didn’t you mention that a couple of weeks ago? I would have upgraded you much faster.”
“Does that mean I’m finally in your good graces?”
“Yes, but careful. Don’t rest on your laurels.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
I shimmied in my seat, smiling. I was just so full of energy that I didn’t know what to do with my hands. Put them on the table? Hold them next to me?
And why was I overthinking every tiny action?
After the waiter brought our wine, Winston and I clinked glasses. He held my gaze the entire time. I didn’t know why, but I seemed even more susceptible to him this evening. The roast beef arrived quickly, and it was delicious. Usually, I’d pay more attention to the food and the ambiance, but now I was too consumed by him—feeling his skin on mine every time he touched my hand, agonizing over hi
s nearness whenever he shifted his legs closer to mine under the table, but not quite touching me.
“You’re happy,” he stated. That dreamy smile on my face was a dead giveaway.
“This is a fabulous evening. Of course, I’m in a great mood.”
I felt so in sync with him tonight, as if the mere fact that we were out of San Francisco had allowed us each to shed some of our walls, to be ourselves.
We stayed at our table long after we finished our roast beef, ordering another glass of wine and speaking about our families. We only went up when they announced they were closing the restaurant.
When had the evening flown by? I didn’t want it to end.
Winston walked side by side with me. I was so aware of his nearness. Our arms were almost touching.
I stopped in front of my door.
“Well, goodnight,” I said.
Winston merely smiled.
“What?”
“This is my room.”
“Really?”
To demonstrate, he held his keycard in front of the handle. It unlocked. He pushed the door open, brushing my shoulder. My breath caught. He stepped closer. He’d never looked at me with so much intensity—his gaze was almost feral.
Chapter Seventeen
Sienna
When he touched his lips to mine, I forgot what I was about to say. I couldn’t even think anything beyond how much I wanted him, how much I needed him. Winston cupped the back of my head as if he didn’t intend to let me go. He kissed me as if he was determined to possess me, claim me. And I wanted nothing more than to relent.
He guided us both into the room. The door closed with a bang. I shook in his arms, already overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of his body.
He kissed me so determinedly that I couldn’t do anything else but give in.
Was I afraid that this would end badly? Yes. But I was more afraid of not getting to know this man who stirred so many things inside me. I’d never felt so appreciated, as if he embraced every side of me.
He feathered his fingers down my back, resting them atop of the zipper. My entire body pulsed with anticipation. He stopped the kiss, pulling back a few inches, locking his eyes with mine. The heat in them overpowered me. I was drunk on the anticipation hanging thick in the air.
