Ducking a little deeper into the scarf I’d bought at the resort, I hid a small smile. I loved it here. I loved the energy in the air, the feeling of new beginnings, and the urge to rush into the closest place that sold cider or cocoa to warm my hands against the cup.
Living in California, I never experienced this kind of weather. Sure, we all got excited for fall and had the seasonal drinks and bought fall clothes that it never quite got cold enough to wear. Here, though, you could live it. You could feel it.
“This is pretty much the heartbeat of Caribou,” Alex said as we walked. “We don’t have any of those big chain stores. Those are all in the next town over. Everyone comes here for anything they need, and most tourists who come to ski never even have to leave the resort because we have everything up there.” As he spoke, I followed his gaze above the town toward the impressive mountain view and then to BearPaw Resort, which seemed to reside over the town, lit up like some kind of castle.
When I didn’t say anything, he cleared his throat. “It’s not much.”
I gasped, offended he would say that. “It is! It’s everything.”
He looked over at me. “You like it?”
“It’s something out of a storybook.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, well, most locals wouldn’t say that. Especially after back-to-back blizzards and shorter-than-short summers.”
“I think I’ve had enough summer to last me a lifetime,” I murmured, gazing at a storefront just two windows down. I gasped again, throwing out a hand to grab his arm. “Look! They have cider!”
He chuckled. “They have cider in Cali, too, kitten.”
My insides warmed a little at the easy affection in his voice. I became acutely aware that I was still griping his arm but pretended I didn’t notice because I wasn’t ready to let go yet. Instead, I made a scoffing sound. “Yeah, but we never actually have the kind of weather to enjoy it!”
I started to tow him forward. “C’mon!”
He laughed under his breath and followed dutifully.
“They have pumpkins, too! Wouldn’t those look so cute on your deck?”
“You want to put pumpkins on my deck?”
I glanced around at him, surprised at the surprise in his voice. “Haven’t you ever?”
His lips pursed. I couldn’t help but think of when he’d kissed me in Liam’s office and just how sinful those lips had felt. “Can’t say that I have.”
I made a rude sound. “You’ve got to be kidding. You live in a place like this and you’ve never decorated with pumpkins? Or carved them?”
He shrugged.
“I don’t know why I’m surprised. You don’t even have lights on the window.”
His feet stuttered, and his voice was bemused. “Lights on the window?”
I turned to face him, throwing up my hands in the process. “You have that adorable triangular window with a seat crying out for pillows and blankets that would look so inviting draped in lights, and how do you decorate?” I screwed up my nose. “By putting in bulletproof glass.”
I mean, frankly, it was a crime. And lame.
Alex’s expression grew curious. “You’ve been mind-decorating my house?”
I blinked, faltering. “What? No.”
A slow smile spread over his face. “You’ve totally been walking around my place, redecorating it in your head.”
I felt shy suddenly. Shy and insecure, as if those piercing eyes of his could see past all the layers and walls I’d purposely built to keep out perceptive men like him. Yeah, okay, maybe I had been imagining what his house could look like with some homey touches here and there… Who cares?
“There isn’t anything else to do while I sit around waiting for someone to kill me,” I muttered and turned away.
Alex moved like lightning, his hand shooting out to curl around the place just above my elbow and yanking. I spun back, stumbling a bit, colliding with his firm chest. I started to pull back instantly, my body on high alert because wayyyy too much of me was touching wayyyy too much of him.
He wouldn’t let me go.
Instead, the grip he had on my arm slipped down to my lower back and pressed so I had to stand there and feel him against me.
“Sabrina.” He commanded my attention, manipulating my eyes and body to betray me.
I looked up, finding him already staring at me intently. His eyes were icy and pale compared to all the autumn hues around us. I breathed in deeply, a hint of apple and cinnamon from the nearby shop mixing with his unique scent, and my body melted just a bit farther into his.
The hand at my back curled closer, holding me tighter.
“No one is going to kill you.” He spoke low, still holding my stare. The resolve there was unparalleled, almost hypnotic. Someone could literally have a gun to my head that second and be ready to pull the trigger, yet I would still be calm because Alex said no one was going to hurt me.
“You hear me?” he asked when I didn’t indicate I’d heard.
I nodded.
His hand rubbed over the spot he was holding, dragging away to briefly rest on my hip. “I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you.”
“I know.” My head was swimming. I couldn’t think when he touched me. When he looked at me as if I were all he saw and we weren’t standing on the street, but rather somewhere he could have me undressed in seconds.
Someone walked by and called out a greeting to Alex, and he nodded in reply.
Thank God for that. It snapped me out of whatever he was doing to me.
I wrenched away, adjusting my scarf. “You made a promise to my brother. I know you will keep it.”
His eyes narrowed. “Your brother isn’t the reason I made that promise.”
The bottom fell out of my stomach. I felt it land right at my cute booted feet.
“Alex!” someone called. Actually, she didn’t “call” his name at all. She purred it. A tall blonde with an ass that probably inspired the peach emoji sauntered over, inserting herself effortlessly between me and Alex. She was dressed in a pair of skin-tight black pants, high-heeled boots, and a bright-red fleece vest over a black and white-striped shirt. Her hair was curled to look effortless, but I knew for a fact it probably took an hour to get that tousled feel.
She barely flicked a glanced toward me with her perfectly made-up eyes and winged black eyeliner before focusing completely on Alex.
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you,” she said, leaning into him. Her claws—excuse me—her hand curled around his arm just as mine had minutes before.
I could take her out. In two seconds flat. My brother taught me things… things she probably didn’t even know existed.
“You know how it is,” Alex replied smoothly with a smile. “I’ve been keeping busy up at the resort.”
“Well, as part owner, I’d expect nothing less.”
“Part owner?” I said, unable to keep the words in. He owned part of BearPaw?
The blonde didn’t even acknowledge I’d spoken. Instead, she ran her claw—excuse me—finger down the center of his chest. “So when are you going to take me out again? Maybe we can double this weekend with Liam and Bellamy.”
He was dating her? Oh, gross. Queasiness made me press a hand to my stomach and turn away.
What the hell was I doing? Standing here completely charmed by this little town, decorating his house in my head, and being hypnotized by his eyes.
No. No, no, no. I was stupid. Just like last time.
Ahead, someone stepped out of the shop I’d been dragging Alex toward, carrying a white paper cup with a red lid. The scent of cinnamon wafted close, and the person glanced at me and smiled.
I forced myself to smile back, though I was still trying to swallow back vomit. The glowing lights of the interior of the shop beckoned me like a safe haven, like the bright light offering reprieve from death.
God. That was what this felt like right now. Seeing Alex with some woman, a woman who clearly knew him well. Who’d hung out with him and
Liam. It felt like a piece of me was dying.
I took off, rushing into the store, catching the glass door before it even closed behind the person who’d left. I heard Alex call my name, but I kept going.
I nearly vaulted inside, making a few people nearby, as well as the woman behind the counter, glance up. The second they saw me, everyone smiled, and I felt the embarrassing rush of tears at the backs of my eyes. I couldn’t do kindness right now. No. Right now I needed someone to give me an attitude so I could pull out mine and not feel so vulnerable.
“Hiya!” the woman said. “Did you come in for some cider? It’s the perfect afternoon for it.”
I blinked and took a breath. Forcing a smile, I nodded. “I could smell it all the way outside, and I just had to come in.”
“It’s a family recipe, a secret family recipe.”
“Don’t even bother asking what the secret is,” a man at the counter turned to tell me. “‘Cause this one won’t give it up for nothing.”
The woman behind the counter laughed. “He’s right.”
“I’m sure it’s delicious,” I said, feeling much more at ease. I came farther into the store, glancing into the glass case. Inside, the most divine-looking pastries were artfully arranged, including a stack of apple cider donuts.
“Here we go,” the lady said, placing a paper cup with the familiar red lid on the counter in front of me. “I added a cinnamon stick just for fun.”
Immediately, I wrapped my palms around the cup, sighing when the warmth from the liquid seeped into my pores.
The door behind me chimed, and I knew it was Alex. I kept my back turned and sipped at the drink. The woman watched me, so I knew I would have too ooh and ahh, even if it tasted like crap.
It didn’t. In fact, it was so good it made me sigh and roll my eyes toward the sky. “Oh goodness, this is the best cider I have ever had.”
The woman clapped. “I’m so thrilled you love it.”
I took another sip and nodded.
“Alex!” the woman called out, glancing up.
My back stiffened, and still, I refused to look in his direction.
I felt hurt, and I was angry I did. He made me feel out of control inside my own body, and I hated it.
“Donna.” He charmed. “Looking as beautiful as always.”
She giggled. I wanted to choke. “Oh, you,” she cooed.
Alex stepped up beside me, his palm pressing to my lower back. “I see you’ve met Sabrina.”
The woman’s eyes rounded as she took in the way he stood close and touched me so casually. “Are you two…?”
“No!” I burst out.
The woman jolted and looked at me. I felt Alex vibrate with unreleased laughter. I wondered how he’d like a face full of the cider I was holding.
“We’re just friends,” I said, trying to lessen my previous outburst.
She pursed her lips and busied herself behind the counter, bending down to get something.
I stepped away from Alex and glared. He smirked.
“You can’t have my famous cider without some donuts to go with it,” Donna said, placing a stack of the donuts into a paper bag.
“I’m sure they are just as amazing as this,” I told her, reaching to take the offered treats. “Thank you.”
“Of course.”
“How much do I owe you?”
The woman waved her hand. “For a friend of Alex? It’s on the house.”
“Oh, I couldn’t,” I said, reaching for my bag.
“I insist.”
“Thanks Donna,” Alex said, giving me a gentle push toward the door. “You’re my favorite girl.”
Donna giggled again. Good Lord. Were all women reduced to piles of hormones when he smiled at them?
As we passed the register, Alex produced a ten-dollar bill and stuffed it into the tip jar sitting nearby.
“Save me some of those pumpkins,” he called out as he pushed the door open for me to go ahead. “I think we’ll be coming back to pick up a few for my deck.”
“Tell your parents I said hi!” she called as the door was closing behind us.
Out on the sidewalk, I glared.
“Damn, girl. If looks could kill,” he quipped.
“You’d be dead.”
“This about that bunny earlier?”
“Bunny?” I asked, blank.
He gestured to where I’d left him before. “That girl.”
“You call her bunny?” I didn’t know why, but that made me feel one hundred times worse. Like I couldn’t even be pissed because the hurt was too sharp.
Did he have a cute nickname for every girl he dated?
He drew back. “What? No.” Then his eyes widened and stupid realization dawned there.
I hated that look. The look that said he knew exactly what was going on. A look that proved my walls weren’t working in keeping him out.
He stepped forward, and I held out a palm, warding him off.
He came closer anyway, disregarding my desire for physical space. “That’s what we call the girls up here. The ones who are regulars at the resort. Snow bunnies. Well, actually, I call the tourists at the resort that, too. It’s easier than remembering their names, and they all feel special when…”
He must have realized his explanation was only making things worse, because he stopped talking.
“Shit.” He scolded himself beneath his breath. “It doesn’t mean anything.” He backtracked. “It’s just something stupid I say.”
“Like kitten.” I shut my eyes the second the words tumbled out. Way to be even more obvious, Sabrina!
Ladies and gentlemen, the winner of this year’s dumbass award: me.
“No!” he hurried to say, stepping even closer and bending so we were nearer to eye level. Despite his effort to look at me directly, I avoided his gaze. “That is not at all the same thing.”
Anger rose in me again, and I welcomed the way it scorched some of the pain. I met his eyes. “Did you sleep with her?”
He glanced away.
And the anger was gone again. I clutched the cup and bag like a shield.
“That’s not fair,” he murmured.
Maybe it wasn’t. But neither was the way he affected me.
“Can we go?”
His shoulders lifted and then settled. “No.”
My eyes flew to his. “No?” I echoed, dumbfounded.
“We haven’t done what I brought you down here for.”
“You mean you didn’t bring me down here so I could see the parade of women you’ve slept with?” I snapped.
He sighed dramatically. “I brought you down here so you could meet my parents.”
“What?” I squeaked.
“Their candy shop is right down there.” He pointed down the street. “I wanted to show you The Confectionary.”
I gazed down the street to the shop he pointed out. “Your parents are there?”
“Well, they own the place.”
My gaze fell on his once more, and damn if I didn’t feel a little of that hypnotic pull. I pushed at it, though, forcing it back.
“What do you say, Kit—” He stopped speaking when I glared. Clearing his throat, he started again. “What to meet the ‘rents? My mom will give you a shit ton of free chocolate.”
“Well, who am I to say no to free chocolate?”
He smiled, relief in his eyes. He moved to slip his hand against the small of my back again, almost as if he thought that was where it belonged. I side-stepped so he couldn’t, and his hand fell back to his side.
“I gotta warn you,” he said as we walked along the pavement. “My mom is gonna fawn all over you, probably ask you a thousand questions, and then tell you you’re too skinny and try to force chocolate down your throat.”
I laughed at the picture he painted. “I don’t think she’s going to have to force any candy on me.”
He made a rude sound. “Say that after you’ve already eaten a pound of it.”
I laughed, sipping
at the cider. It had the perfect amount of spice and the perfect amount of sweet. We approached a shop with ornate wooden trim around the door and the words THE CONFECTIONARY in gold overhead. The trim was all dark brown, but the large wooden door in the center was a pale robin’s egg blue. In the middle hung a wreath made of white pumpkins that looked like they were dunked in chocolate.
Out on the sidewalk with the door closed, I could already smell rich chocolate, and my mouth watered.
Over to the right of the door and trim was a lit-up window with an elaborate display of truffles and boxes of candy.
Before Alex opened the door, he touched my arm briefly, drawing my attention. “I’m serious, Brina. She’s probably going to ask a million questions.”
My brow wrinkled. “Why?”
“Because I’ve never brought a girl in here before.”
A light, dizzy feeling came over me. As did a sense of giddiness. I held all of that back, though, refusing to let him see. Instead, I rolled my eyes. “Yeah right.”
“For reals. The only other girl I brought here was Bellamy, but she’s Liam’s.” Honesty and something even more convincing rang in his voice. Nervousness. He was nervous about this.
“Well,” I remarked, “I promise I won’t tell her what a pain in the ass you are.”
He laughed. “She’d never believe you anyways.”
I made a face, and he reached for the handle, pride enveloping his features. “Welcome to The Confectionary.”
Alex
My parents’ love of candy started in the kitchen of our simple three-bedroom house and the fact that winters here stretched on forever, forcing people who weren’t into snow sports to find something to do indoors.
My mom was a bomb-ass cook, making the kind of dishes that should be featured in magazines and on TV. But she never wanted any of that. All she wanted was a quiet life in the small town of Caribou, her husband, and two kids.
She started crafting chocolates out of our kitchen, sharing them with friends and neighbors until the demand for them grew to the point her and my father pooled everything they had, took a leap of faith, and opened the store I ushered Sabrina in today.
Subzero (BearPaw Resort Book 4) Page 11
