Hot Holiday Love

by Germaine Solomon

  “Louis and Glock, eh? Those sound like masculine names. Where were your two male companions when you were struggling to unpack that damn truck?”

  I smirked at his low-key sarcasm. “Louis was on post right behind the front door just in case I got an unwanted visitor, and Glock was still in my glove compartment right next to a brand-new box of ammo, waiting to be loaded.”

  His handsome face balled up in a grimace, confused briefly before he got my drift. I smiled, satisfied that he now understood that I was packing heat and had a baseball bat on ready for his ass if he got out of line. My Taser was my secret backup weapon that he didn’t need to know about.

  “I see.” He grunted and looked away for a split second before his gaze locked with mine, causing my belly to flip-flop. “Well, give my regards to Louis and Glock because I have no intention of meeting either of those fellows. I’ll be in my cabin minding my own business and nursing my strawberries . Schönen Tag noch.”

  “Say what?” I asked, confused as hell as Hayden brushed past me and headed up the side path leading to the monster of a cabin above mine.

  “I said have a nice day,” he grumbled over his shoulder. “It’s German.”

  “Tobias Brown, the rapper known as The Terror, and rap-music video queen, Jian, are on baby watch. What the hell?! That bastard went public with his shadiness already?”

  “Stop reading that shit and log off, Eesh,” Ravie insisted. Her voice was filled with anger as it boomed through the speaker phone. “Don’t let Tobias and his knocked-up trick mess with your head, girl. Get off that damn computer and go write your next Grammy-winning hit. Where is your digital piano?”

  “Rumors about a reality show starring the new couple are circulating around the hip-hop world. Sources close to the expecting parents report that a deal is in the works for a show that will chronicle Jian and The Terror’s debut into parenthood while navigating their respective careers through the music and video entertainment industries. Oh my God!” I could hardly breathe. It felt like all the air in the cabin was being sucked away from me.

  “See, Eesh? That’s why I didn’t want to call you with this bullshit. I knew it was going to upset you. The only reason why I reached out was because Uncle Dale and Auntie Shavetta made me. They felt like you needed to hear the news from family instead of the internet.”

  I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. “Well, I’m glad you gave me a head’s up. It’s not like it eased the pain in my heart or anything, though. It still hurts, Ravie! They seem so happy together. Just look at them!”

  I burst into one of those ugly, bitch cries with snot sliding over my lips and down my chin. Sure, I was devastated that Tobias had decided to go public with his relationship with Jian and her pregnancy before giving me a chance to announce our breakup. It was a painful sucker punch to the gut, but I think I was more embarrassed than anything.

  To the world, Zyeshia, the singing, songwriting, dancing, and acting phenom, was invincible and at the top of the stack of female music stars. In the eyes of my fans, I was the ultimate entertainer, second to none. Plus I was very beautiful with a pretty well-stacked body. Every man wanted to sleep with me and a whole lot of ladies wanted to be me. Hell, my only serious rival was Queen Bey, herself. And because of my youthfulness, girl-next-door aura, and organic look, I often found myself looking over my shoulder at her standing in my shadow.

  However, this Tobias fiasco had me second guessing Zyeshia, the woman . Was I sexy enough? Did guys really take me serious? Would I ever be able to satisfy a man to the point that he would be faithful to me?

  “Eesh, did you hear me, girl?”

  “Um…nah…nah, Ravie, I didn’t catch that. Come again?”

  “I said Uncle Dale wants you to release a statement through your publicist about your breakup with ole sleazy-ass Tobias.”

  I shook my head as if my cousin could see me. “I have no comment. What is there to say, Ravie? Music fans aren’t stupid. They can easily read between the lines. By now, the buzz is all about how Tobias cheated on me with Jian, got her pregnant, and left my ass in the dust to be with her and their love child. The end.”

  I got up and walked over to the kitchen’s center island to snatch a couple of paper towels from the roll. I wiped my face and nose as a few moments of silence lingered between Ravie and me. The only sounds I heard were the howling wind and thunder crackling as storm clouds hovered over the mountain.

  Because I was hurting, my bestie and cousin was hurting as well. Ravie and I were closer than close, and it had been that way since we were two little girls growing up in our close-knit community in the Ben Hill section of Atlanta. We used to play together, sing as a duo in school talent shows, and fight as a tag team against anybody who wanted a piece of the Taylor cousins. We were cute, well-behaved, and always fashionably on point, but Ravie and I didn’t have a problem kicking asses if we had to.

  “You’re right, Eesh,” she finally said so softly that I almost missed it. “Don’t give Tobias and his baby mama the satisfaction of a response to their announcement. You’re too classy of a chick to even go there with their ghetto asses.”

  “Thanks, cuz. You always understand me and have my back. To hell with them! Tobias and his broad are dead to me. I’m just going to chill, enjoy my quiet time alone, and write some multi-platinum-selling, kick-ass music. Then I’ll return to the A in the New Year fresh and on fire for awards season.”

  “That’s my Eesh!” Ravie laughed. “Write a song dissing Tobias’ one-hit, wanna-be-relevant, broke ass.”

  “Nah, I ain’t about to stoop to his level. Like Granny always says, “What goes around comes back around.”

  “Damn straight! That fool will get his, cuz.”

  “Hell yeah, he will!” I giggled. “Well, I feel like taking a nap. Stormy weather always makes me sleepy. I’ll check in with you in the morning. I love you, Ravie.”

  “I love you more. Bye.”

  Chapter Four

  Hayden

  After watching the dark cabin below mine for about twenty minutes, hoping to see a flicker of light from at least one candle, I became concerned. The storm had knocked out the electricity to all of the cabins on the mountain, according to the power company. I had called them nearly an hour ago to see how long we would be in the dark. The nice woman had told me she wasn’t sure, but she said they expected to have the power up and running by morning. Luckily, I had brought four LED battery-operated storm lanterns with me, and there were boxes of candles and matches in every room of my twenty-two-thousand-square-foot property. The guy who’d assisted me at the home improvement center had guaranteed my satisfaction with my emergency lighting selection if I happened to experience a power outage, no matter my location. And he was right. My cabin was lit up like fireworks, and the small fire I had started in the fireplace in the den was maintaining just fine.

  I shook my head and stepped away from the window. The rain was still pouring down heavily, and the wind was showing no mercy to the trees. There wasn’t much lightning zipping across the sky, but the booms of thunder were steady. Unable to settle down, I returned to the window. I wondered how Natalie was doing. She hadn’t lit a single candle as far as I could tell, and I didn’t see any signs of a flashlight. I wouldn’t be surprised if there wasn’t a fire burning in the fireplace to keep her warm. The thought of her stumbling around in the dark freezing troubled me a great deal. Why would such a young and extremely attractive woman be up in the mountains alone? And why so close to Christmas? It didn’t make sense to me.

  I was on hiatus from my life—football . I didn’t want to hang around Munich while awaiting my fate with the league. The media would have harassed me nonstop. So, I came to the only place where I knew no one would recognize me and I’d be allowed to live in peace even if temporarily. Hayden Ellis, the German-American with family roots in Marietta, Georgia, was a nobody, but the German-born football player known as Viper Drachenberg was a world-renowned athletic superstar. He was
adored by millions around the world. His life was good. But with the fame and wealth that came along with international sports stardom, there was also a not-so-pleasant side. There was rarely a private moment to enjoy the simple things in life, and it was difficult to build meaningful relationships. You never knew who was interested in the real you and would care for you even if you didn’t have a dime as opposed to the self-seeking groupies that only wanted to ride your coattails. So, it was just safer to be alone. That’s why I was hiding out in the Blue Ridge Mountains. What the hell was Natalie’s explanation, though?

  Fuck it! I couldn’t take it any longer. I was going over there. Maybe I would meet Louis and Glock after all, but I didn’t give a damn. It was cold and wet outside and she was alone and probably freezing her cute little buns off inside a dark cabin. Oh, and her buns were cute. I wouldn’t mind palming each of them like an Adidas soccer ball and squeezing her into sexual submission. But that wasn’t what Natalie needed right now. She needed lights and heat, and I was going to make sure she got both.

  I ran upstairs, grabbed an Adidas hoodie from my bottom dresser drawer, and slid it over my head and down my body. Then I returned to the den to collect a lantern, a box of candles and matches, and an umbrella. When I realized the only umbrella I’d brought with me was a Bayern Munich collector’s item, I growled and threw it across the room. I paused for a moment with my free hand on the knob before I opened the door. I didn’t want Natalie to shoot me or beat me to death with her bat, so I had to proceed with caution. My motives were pure, and it was important to show her just that. I slid the hood over my head and opened the door.

  I left my cabin and jogged the few yards down the path and around to the front of Natalie’s dark cabin in the heavy downpour. I slowly tiptoed up the steps to the porch. I was a bit nervous because visions of Louis and Glock were stuck in my head. I didn’t move for a beat as I listened for movement on the other side of the door. With the exception of the wind, raindrops, and the occasional clap of thunder, I heard nothing. I knocked on the door with my fist.

  “Natalie! It’s Hayden. I came down to check on you. I have a lantern, a box of candles, and some matches for you. I guess you know by now that the storm knocked out the power up here. Um, anyway, I’m going to leave everything on the porch right outside the door. I’ll check on you again in the morning.”

  I stood still briefly before I turned and started down the steps. Halfway down, I heard the locks disengaging before the door creaked open.

  “Thank you.”

  The silkiness of her voice gave me hot flash. It was half angelic and equally salacious. I held my breath and took my sweet time turning around, and when I did, the sight before me caused my blood to simmer with raw lust and rush to my dick. But in my horny state, I felt a twinge of compassion. Natalie was cold inside her dark cabin. The bulky clothes she was wearing covered by a coat with a blanket draped loosely over her shoulders told me so. There was a cute, pink, wool beanie on her head, covering those untamed curls I loved. The matching mittens on her hands completed her Eskimo look.

  “It wasn’t a problem. Hey, if you’re cold, you can light a fire with those matches. There should be some wood stacked inside somewhere. Now that you’ve got the lantern, you should be able to find it.”

  “Do I look like I know how to light a fireplace?” Her tone was dripping with sarcasm.

  I couldn’t hold back my laughter even I’d wanted to. “No, but I bet Louis and Glock could.”

  Her eyes fell to the wooden planks of the porch before they rose slowly and merged with mine. “Can you please light a fire for me?”

  Hell fucking yeah, I’ll light your fire, babe! “I’d be happy to do that if you promise not to shoot me or bludgeon me to mush.”

  “I promise to let you live if you behave.”

  “I’ll only look for the firewood and pitch a warm fire for you and leave. You can even search me before I come inside.”

  “Okay. Give me one minute.” She stepped back and slammed the door in my face. About forty-five seconds later, she opened the door again with a heart-stopping smile. “You can come in now.”

  I walked toward her with my hands in the air. I side stepped the lantern and other items and stopped directly in front of her. She smelled so fucking good that I wanted to devour her whole, but I fought the urge with vigor. “Search me.”

  I closed my eyes as she patted me down, more than likely how the police officers did in the movies she’d seen on TV or at the theater. Her petite hands were soft, exploring carefully over my hip and back pockets and down both legs. She was thorough in her search even as she patted my chest and arms. I was impressed and relieved that she had taken my suggestion for her safety. She was a smart young lady. I liked that.

  “Come on in.” She stepped aside and gave me a clear path into the cabin.

  I grabbed the lantern, candles, and matches before I joined her inside. “I’ve only been in this cabin once. It was one day last year when I met the owner and his family. They’re from Seattle, Washington.” I placed the candles and matches on the coffee table. Then I looked around the room, trying to gather my bearings. “If I remember correctly, the woodshed is in the back near the kitchen.”

  I rushed to the back of the cabin, gathered a small stack of wood, and returned to the den. Natalie was sitting quietly on the sofa watching me closely. Damn ! The depth of her beauty under the illumination of the lantern was fucking intoxicating. My overwhelming desire to reach out and touch her…kiss her plump lips…taste the sweetness of her naturally tanned skin wreaked havoc on my loins. Out of respect, I suppressed my lustful thoughts and simply smiled at her before I grabbed the matches from the table, made my way to the fireplace, and got busy. It was important that I hurry before…

  “You have a strong accent, Hayden. Exactly what part of Germany are you from?”

  “I was born in Landstuhl on the U.S. Army base there. My dad was an American soldier. He met my mom, a native of Frankfurt who’d attended college in the States to study English, at a nightclub close to the base. Papa said it was love at first sight for him.” I laughed, recalling the many times my parents had told me their completely different versions of the story. “My mom said my dad was a real cocky son of a bitch. Arschloch , she called him.”

  “What’s that?”

  “An asshole.”

  Natalie’s sexy giggle gave me a testosterone surge. The sound was mysteriously arousing.

  “Evidently, she didn’t feel that way about him too long.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? She married the pompous bastard three months later, and I was born the following year. Twenty-nine years later, and they’re still madly in love—those two. It’s sickening .”

  “What’s sickening? The fact that your mom and dad are still in love after all these years or their short courtship before tying the knot?”

  “Both, I suppose.”

  “Why?” Natalie pressed with a hint of displeasure in her voice. “Love is magical . When you meet the right person…you…you just know! And you don’t want to wait to give them your heart. You go with the flow, you know? Surely, you’ve been in love before, right?”

  After the flames had spread across the carefully-stacked wood, I looked over my shoulder and got lost in Natalie’s midnight orbs. I swore her eyes could lure me into that “love flow” crap she was gushing about. I broke eye contact and returned my attention to the fire. “Nah, I can’t say I’ve ever been in love before. Relationships are much too complicated and messy. There’s not enough time in my life for that. I’m too damn busy for love. I have better things to do, my dear.”

  “I have a very busy life too, but I’ll always make time for love. I mean the real kind . You know like when the man and woman are all into each other and they give their all to the relationship to make one another happy no matter what. He’s faithful to her, and she’s faithful to him and— ”

  “Wirklichkeitsfremd .”

  “What did you say?
”

  “I said this love foolishness you’re talking about isn’t real. It’s fake…a fantasy…make believe.”

  Chapter Five

  Natalie

  My eyes bucked wide with shock at Hayden’s harsh words. I couldn’t believe how negative he was about something as beautiful as love.

  “No, it’s not. True, pure, romantic love between two people is very real. You just told me how much in love your parents still are after twenty-nine years. And my mom and dad have been crazy about each other since they were sixteen-year-old high school sweethearts. They still have hot chemistry today.”

  “Yeah, but our parents are a different breed of people from a period in time when men and women were genuine and believed in something greater than money, power, and popularity. You and I are a part of a cursed generation. Nothing is real. It’s all fake . Life is just one big scripted reality show.”

  “That may be true, but I believe true love survived the change of time and still exists today.”

  Hayden turned away from the fire and stood to his full, towering stature. Then he walked over to the sofa and stopped directly in front of me, massive arms folded across his chest, displaying an impressive set of biceps over pecs. Once again, his steel grey eyes flashed and pulled me into a trance.

  “Have you ever experienced this special kind of love you described?”

  “Well…um…no…not yet . But one day— ”

  “Exactly.” He nodded with a satisfied smirk. “Come and lock the door behind me, Natalie,” he ordered and marched toward the front of the house.

  I hopped up and scurried behind him, clutching my Taser in my left hand hidden securely out of view underneath my blanket. “Thanks for checking on me and starting the fire. I probably would’ve been an icicle by morning if you hadn’t come along.”

  “It wasn’t a problem. I’ll check on you again in the morning. Good night.”