by Heather Long
“Five more minutes,” I called. Yes, my hands were stuffed into the pockets of my jacket and my sneakers were not at all waterproof. The wind sliced through my yoga pants like they weren’t even there. I couldn’t feel my nose. But there were snowflakes on my eyelashes and the whole world was covered in white.
It was downright magical.
Perfect.
Jake’s shoulder pressed into my stomach, and I went from being upright to over his shoulder. “Hey!”
He slapped a hand against my ass, and it barely registered against how numb my skin was, except for the fact that I heard the slap more than felt it. That might be bad. But still. I struggled to get my hands out of my pockets, but Jake was already marching over the snow and up the steps to the lodge—this gorgeous, oversized, sexy log cabin of my dreams.
Feet stomping, he slapped my ass again when I wiggled. “You’re freezing,” he gritted out through his teeth. “Inside, warm up, and put on some fucking layered clothes. Then you can play in the snow all you want.”
The heat hit me as we crossed the threshold, along with the scents of wood smoke, cedar, and that fresh, clean scent things get when they’ve been polished and dusted. I swore I could still smell the snow in there. The scent of coffee and sugar struck next, along with a rich scent of pine. The blood was also rushing to my head, but Jake didn’t slow in the front room or by the fire I caught from the corner of my eye.
Oh, was that a hand-thatched rug on the wooden floors?
He took the stairs two at a time.
“Dude!” Coop yelled after him.
“Of course he is,” Ian muttered.
I didn’t really catch the rest of it. Or see Archie for that matter.
Oh, the stairway was pretty. Someone had wound green garland around the railings, along with lights and bows. It was all kinds of festive. Not that Jake’s tight ass stopped long enough for me to enjoy it. I had one arm free, so I smacked his ass in retaliation as he strolled down the hallway, and he chuckled at me.
A minute later, I was flipped up and over, and landed on my back in the middle of an enormous bed.
Holy crap.
It was bigger than a California king. Pretty sure anyway.
Jake tugged one of my shoes off, followed by the other, and then he stripped down my wet socks.
“Hey,” I said, yanking my foot away, only to have him catch the ankle and haul me back to him. “I’m not five.”
“No, but your feet are blocks of ice, Baby Girl. So we’re getting you warm and then into warmer clothes. Strip.”
I frowned, then scooted to the end of the bed and glared at him. Jake motioned to me to stand up and then glared back when I didn’t move. Arms folded, I continued to stare at him.
“Frankie…”
“Don’t you Frankie me.” It came out more heated than I intended, but at the same time…nowhere near as angry as I really was. “I’ll grab a shower and warm up. If you guys would put my bags in here, I’ll also take care of undressing and redressing myself.”
He paused, eyeing me.
“But what I won’t do,” I continued, dropping my folded arms as I stood and poked him in the chest, thumping him once for each item on my list, “is be given orders, hauled around like a sack of potatoes, or be snapped at because I was having fun.” He backed up a couple of steps but I wasn’t done, so when he opened his mouth, I hurried on. “I adore you, but you are not the boss of me, nor do you get to just demand I comply because you’ve been looking after me. Thank you so much for everything, but I’ve got it right now. There’s the door. Don’t let it hit you in the ass on the way out.”
The last few words came out shaky, but my whole body was trembling, and I wasn’t sure if it was from adrenaline, the cold, or just me being pissed off. Either way, I needed a break. I’d been having a great time, and Captain Caveman here had gone too far.
He hesitated, and I tapped my chilled foot and tried to ignore the pins and needles sweeping through it as I glared at him. Movement in the hallway—the shuffle of a step—warned me before Archie stuck his head in. “We okay in here?”
I never looked away from Jake. The confusion wasn’t hard to read, but right now, I didn’t have it in me to explain what had ticked me off if he couldn’t see it.
“We’re fine,” I told Archie, trying to punch up my tone. “Everything is beautiful. Jake was just going to leave me to some time by myself while I shower before I put on warmer clothes to go out in the snow.”
Archie stared at me long enough that his gaze seemed like a tangible weight. I didn’t want him to push right now. And I really needed Jake to back the fuck off.
“Cool,” Archie said after a beat. “C’mon, Jake, I’ll show you your room and then we’ll grab Frankie’s stuff. Bathroom’s right through there.” He pointed somewhere to my right. “Everything you need should be stocked, and we’ll set your bags just inside.”
When Jake didn’t move right away, Archie hooked his arm and tugged him back.
“We’ll see you in a few?” Archie continued as Jake took one reluctant step after another backward and away from me.
“Yep,” I said, not moving to follow them because now my feet were really starting to hurt. The carpet was thick on the floor, and probably very plush and nice, but the cold had done a number on me. Once they were clear of the door, Archie pulled it closed and I let out a long breath.
Once alone, I hobbled into the bathroom, wincing with every step. Oh, cold shouldn’t hurt when you warmed up. Though as soon as I was in the bathroom, I just stared. There was a huge picture window looking out onto the snowy landscape. It was gorgeous. An oversized tub that reminded me of the one in Archie’s room occupied one corner, while a shower stall big enough for three or four people occupied the other. There were three showerheads.
Everything about the bathroom cried out luxury. One hand braced against the doorframe, I glanced back into the bedroom. The massive bed was the centerpiece, but the room also had a fireplace of its own, fat, cushy chairs, a television and all the amenities, and another gorgeous picture window where I could see the snow coming down.
The tears burned in my eyes again. It was really fantastic. I groaned. At the sound of the door opening, I hurried inside and closed the bathroom door. A minute later, I figured out how to get the water on, and it wasn’t long before steam began to fill the bathroom.
I stripped out of the jacket and clothes. The trembling grew more pronounced because I was actually shivering. I clamped my teeth together rather than let them chatter. Bracelet and necklace set aside, I slipped under the hot water and groaned. It was almost too hot and not hot enough. I just let it beat on me for a few minutes.
The last thing I wanted to do was fight with Jake or spoil our first hour here by getting mad. At the same time… I huffed out a breath. The bossy thing was sexy to a point, but I wasn’t a child, nor did I require manhandling, and maybe it was time they remembered that.
Maybe what I needed to do was remind them. Decided, I helped myself to the shampoo and the conditioner. It was the pricy stuff and smelled fantastic. Coconut and vanilla—wow. The soap was equally divine and a bit on the spicier side. It reminded me of the crisp air, and I had to wonder if I’d end up smelling the alpine lodge.
The thought was enough to make me giggle. By the time I finished and shut the water off, I’d warmed everything up and the tension bunching my muscles eased. Guilt had also begun to nibble at me. I toweled off my hair and debated using the dryer or just letting it air dry. My intention had been to run back out into the snow, but maybe we should all talk first.
“Here for two weeks, Frankie,” I reminded myself. “Now is not the time to piss on everyone’s fun.”
I cracked open the bathroom door after I hung up the towel to find my suitcases waiting, as promised. The bedroom was also empty. It wasn’t until I’d dragged one of the suitcases over and set it on the bed that Archie’s earlier words registered.
He was showing Jake to his room.
The guys had their own rooms.
I had this giant room and giant bed all to me?
My stomach bottomed out. I mean, it made sense, we were all staying in this huge house. We didn’t need to be crammed into one room. Having our space was important, and I’d just gotten irritated with Jake for invading my space and being all bossy.
Even if he was sexy and growly when he got all overprotective.
Ugh.
It took me a minute to locate panties and a fresh bra, but once I had them on, I dug out another pair of thicker leggings and an oversized t-shirt. Fuzzy socks completed my sexy ensemble. I eyed the suitcases and then the dresser. I should probably put shit away, but the disagreement with Jake nagged at me.
I slid back into the bedroom to grab my necklace and bracelet. Once I had both on, I left the suitcase open on the bed. I’d put shit up before I went to sleep, later. Or maybe I’d live out of the suitcase.
Probably not, that would drive me a little crazy.
But only a little.
Pulling the door open, I paused to study the hallway. There were big ass windows on either end. The views were incredible. There were other doors along the way, a couple open, a couple closed. I had to wonder if the closed ones were where the guys were.
The weird feeling bubbled back up. There was a reason for them to have their own rooms, I told myself. Hadn’t we all been kind of on top of each other at the apartment? It wasn’t always easy to get alone time with any one of them when it was all of us.
Jake and Coop didn’t seem to mind.
A shiver went through me. They really didn’t seem to mind. And the less I focused on that, the better. Better to resolve the issues we had before I worked out how to steal away with one of them because I got horny.
Halfway down the stairs, I had to snicker at myself.
Horny.
My life had gotten so strange.
And more than a little wonderful.
But definitely strange.
The stairs were even better than they’d been when I was upside down on Jake’s shoulder. Christmas music played softly from somewhere. A huge tree stood center in the living room, lights twinkling on it. The fire burned merrily in the huge stone fireplace, surrounded by a half circle created by three oversized sofas. I didn’t see a television anywhere, but I knew the guys—there would be at least one. I stole a look at the ceiling as I hit the last step.
The crossbeams were amazing. This whole place was awesome. The only problem so far—the living room was empty.
Maybe all the guys were upstairs?
My stomach grumbled. Maybe I was a little hangry. Following the scent of coffee, I promised myself I’d go up and dig them out from wherever they’d gone—Jake in particular—after I got at least a cup of coffee.
Trusting my nose, I headed down the hall away from the living room and paused at the closed door when Coop said, “Did you seriously have to just pick her up like a sack of potatoes? Seriously, man…”
“Yeah, yeah. She was fucking cold and her lips were turning blue and she had zero intention of coming inside.”
“Still,” Archie countered. “You managed to take her from being enchanted and delighted to fucking furious. Thanks for that.”
“Bite me, Archie.”
“Guys,” Ian said with a sigh. “The point is, she’s annoyed. Apologize.”
“I’m not going to apologize for caring.” Aggravation discolored every single word.
I sighed, a sound Coop echoed almost perfectly. I could picture him, even with the door closed. He would be standing there, arms folded with one hand up as he pinched his brow. “Why don’t you apologize for being a dick then?”
I could live with that apology.
“So you’re saying I should have just let her freeze?”
“I’m saying maybe not just tossing her over your shoulder and spanking her as you carry her up the stairs and then ordering her to strip like she’s property,” Coop drawled. “You know, maybe talk to her instead of at her? Maybe that could work.”
The lack of actual verbal response didn’t mean there wasn’t any kind of response. I chewed my lower lip. I could sit here and let them continue to debate it, or I could just walk in there and resolve it.
Yeah, that was a no brainer.
They had coffee.
I pushed the door open and found all four of them staring at each other as they framed the island in the kitchen. The coffee smell wrapped around me like a siren pulling me in. Now that I was also in the kitchen, there was no mistaking the smell of biscuits.
All four heads turned, and the weight of their stares settled. As uncomfortable as it might be with tension prickling the air, some of my earlier unease of their noticeable absence in the room fled. They were all right here, and this was our holiday.
“I was a jackass,” Jake said abruptly. “I shouldn’t have just…picked you up and dragged you inside like that.”
I paused to consider him for a moment. A muscle ticked in his jaw, and his lips thinned and then released like he was actively compressing them to keep from adding any more.
“Do you actually think you were a jackass, or are you saying that so I’ll stop being mad?”
Those pale blue eyes were unflinching as he met my stare. “You were freezing,” he half-growled. “Blue lips. Wet feet. Your socks were soaking when I got them off, and your feet were really cold.”
“I was there,” I told him. “But I return to my question, do you actually think you were a jackass?”
He cut a look to the ceiling as he sighed. “No, I think you were too caught up in how gorgeous it is out there to be safe and I didn’t want you hurt. I tried to coax you, but you didn’t want to listen, and these assholes were too delighted with your delight to say something.”
“But you’re never afraid to call me on my crap,” I pointed out helpfully. Coop’s eyes widened. Smart boy recognized my tone. Archie raised his brows and then turned to the coffee maker. Apparently, he wanted no part of this action.
Ian was the only one who didn’t seem to react. If anything, he had his arms folded and his legs rigid like he was planted in that spot.
“No,” Jake agreed with me. “I’m not afraid of calling you on your crap.” Coop, groaned, but Jake ignored him as he continued, “But that wasn’t crap out there. That was adorable, and I hated pulling you away from it. At the same time, I’m not risking your health. You’re too damn important, and we made sure you had the clothes and gear you needed so you could play out there to your heart’s content. That only works if you bring that beautiful ass inside before it freezes off.”
He scowled, and I chewed my lower lip. To be fair, he wasn’t wrong.
“So, if that makes me a jackass,” Jake added when I didn’t say anything, “so be it. You’re warm, your cheeks are pink and your lips are, too.” The fact that he fixed on them as he said it sent a wave of real heat through me. “I can live with being a jackass.”
Archie held out a mug of coffee toward me wordlessly.
“So can I,” I said after a beat, and that earned more than one blink of surprise. I took the coffee and wrapped my fingers around the mug. The warmth was glorious. I mouthed “thank you” to Archie before I looked at Jake, then swept my gaze over Coop and Ian to include them, too. “But I think you all need to stop treating me like spun glass or just picking me up when whatever I’m doing doesn’t suit you. Yes, I got carried away out there, I can admit that. I’ve never seen snow before like this, and it’s awesome.”
That earned me an indulgent smile from everyone except Jake. “I know you haven’t, Baby Girl. But I also know just how dangerous it can be if you get too cold. So, I’ll try to dial it back, but if you are risking yourself, no way am I backing off.”
“Wow, you can’t just let her have the win and back off,” Coop muttered with a groan.
“I don’t need him to let me have anything,” I informed Coop, and he grimaced. “I need you guys to just listen, a
nd I’ll try to do a better job myself.”
“Angel,” Ian said before Jake could speak. “We get it, and I think you’re both right. Jake was right to get you out of the snow, but maybe not the rest. You were right to get pissed with us for being too protective, but we’re not wrong to want to protect you.”
“Agreed,” Coop said after a beat, even as Archie nodded.
“Definitely agreed.” All three of them looked at Jake, then at me.
I raised my brows and the corner of Jake’s mouth twisted up into a smile. “I wasn’t totally wrong.”
“No,” I agreed with him. “But I wasn’t totally wrong either.”
“So, we weren’t wrong,” he said slowly, and a spark lit his eyes. I rolled mine and shook my head.
“It kills you to admit it, doesn’t it?”
“Nah,” he said slowly. “I just don’t like being wrong where you are concerned, and I am never letting anything happen to you again. Not if I can stop it.” The ferocity there made me smile, even as I snorted.
“You’re impossible.”
“No, I’m infinitely possible,” he told me drily. “I’m just not built to let you get hurt.”
“But we have a compromise,” Coop interceded eyeing both of us. “Or do you two intend to keep this crap up?”
Jake and I both stared at Coop. I stuck my tongue at him at the same time Jake snorted. Then we all cracked up.
But the tension in the room dropped several notches, and I took another sip of my coffee. “Do over?” I suggested.
“Fuck yes,” Archie said. “Sold.”
Before Jake could open his mouth, Ian wrapped his arms around him and Coop clapped a hand over his mouth. “Yes,” they both said, and I grinned. Jake rolled his eyes and then winked at me.
Laughter bubbled up again, and the last of my unease floated away. “I reserve the right to go over rules again.”
“Done, babe,” Archie told me as he slung an arm over my shoulders. “Allow me to show you this place. Then we’ll grab some food, and you can get on the warm gear and we’ll build a snowman.”
Almost immediately, I hummed the song, and it was Ian groaning. The house was huge, but it was still cozy. Sure enough, there was a television in the living room, and it slid out from behind a panel. It was very James Bond, if he went rustic. In addition to the living room and kitchen, the downstairs boasted an office and a ‘den,’ but that was where all the games were set up. There was also an enclosed porch that was cold as hell, but you could be outside and dry.
