Sydney stepped forward into Alex’s arms the minute the door opened.
“Hi, there,” Alex said after the welcoming kiss was shared. “You were able to get off early. That’s great.”
“Yep, I’m looking forward to the weekend,” Sydney said. “I was hoping to beat some of the afternoon traffic. Ready to go?”
“You bet.” Alex gave Sydney one more quick kiss then retrieved her bag and they headed out to the driveway. “How comfortable do you feel about driving my truck if it’s necessary?”
“Okay, I guess. Why?”
“Well, the weather report says Arrowhead might get some more snow over this weekend, so I figured my truck is a little more practical than your cute little sports car. But I want to be sure you’re comfortable with it in case you should happen to drive it.”
“In case I should happen to drive it?” Sydney asked. “You say that as if you think it’s not likely, like you’ll be doing all the driving. Sure you’re up to that?”
“Uh-huh,” Alex said. She set her bag down in the rear of the quad cab and proceeded to the trunk of Sydney’s car parked next to her truck in the driveway. “Pop the trunk and I’ll grab your bag.”
Sydney activated the button on the key fob and the trunk popped open to reveal a suitcase that, while somewhat small, was still twice the size of Alex’s duffle.
“You do know this is just a weekend trip, right?” Alex was smiling as she gingerly removed the case from the trunk. Sydney saw Alex wince and had to fight the urge to step forward and help. She knew Alex was frustrated with her ongoing physical limitations and so she was trying not to overreact and add to the discomfort.
“Yes, silly,” Sydney said. “I’m know it’s just for the weekend. I just didn’t want to leave anything important behind.”
“Clearly.” Alex smirked as they entered the truck. Alex set the GPS from a slip of paper in her pocket and backed out of the driveway. “All right,” she said. “We’re off.” She looked at Sydney and reached across the center armrest to take Sydney’s hand in hers. “Thank you for coming away with me.”
Sydney squeezed her hand in response. “Thank you for taking me away. So, what can you tell me about where we’re going?”
“Actually,” Alex said. “I’d kind of like to keep it as a surprise. I’m just hoping it lives up to my expectations.”
They traveled a few minutes in comfortable silence, then Sydney spoke once again.
“So, how was your first day of unsupervised freedom?”
Alex chucked. “Not bad. I do have some good news. I got a last minute appointment with the doctor this morning on the way home from your place. He agreed to put me back to work on Monday. It’s just light duty and half days, but that’s something at least.”
Sydney’s heart sped up slightly. She had known this was coming and that Alex would likely push to return to work as quickly as possible. She knew from the beginning she was getting involved with someone in a potentially dangerous profession and that she would have to deal with that. That potential had already been presented to her in very vivid detail in recent weeks. To her credit, Sydney showed little, if any, of the trepidation she was feeling. She simply squeezed Alex’s hand.
“Are you sure you’re ready for that?”
Alex gave her hand a reassuring squeeze in return. “Absolutely,” she said. “It’s just a release to light duty. I’ll be riding a desk and pushing paper for a while, and working shortened hours. It’ll be boring as hell but at least I’ll be doing something.”
“Just promise me you’ll be careful. Don’t push too hard?” Sydney said.
“Of course.” Alex raised Sydney’s hand to her lips and gave it a kiss.
Sydney gave her a critical, slightly disbelieving look.
“Uh-huh. I’m gonna hold you to that, Sergeant Chambers.”
They moved on to a discussion of other casual topics for the next hour as they continued east on the 10 Freeway then turned off at Highway 38 to begin the drive up the mountain toward Arrowhead.
Sydney noted Alex began to grow quiet and her movements stiff. In the dimming late afternoon light she noticed Alex wince the few times she adjusted in her seat. It was clear her first active day was starting to take its toll and had possibly been a little too much. Sydney pointed to a strip mall with a Starbucks in it.
“Let’s stop here for a second,” she said. “I’d love a coffee.”
Alex obeyed and they parked and exited. Alex’s breath caught as she climbed down from the raised truck and her movements were slow and stiff. Sydney pretended not to notice as they moved inside and awaited their order.
Several minutes later as they made their way back to the truck, coffee in hand, Sydney reached over and took the keys from Alex.
“I’ll drive the rest of the way.” Alex opened her mouth to protest and Sydney put a finger to her lips. “No. I can see you’re uncomfortable. This is the first time you’ve been up and active for most of a day. You’ve probably pushed too hard and done too much. I’m not letting you drive us over the edge of the mountain just for the sake of trying to prove you’re infallible.”
They re-entered the truck and Alex clipped her seatbelt.
“Just for the record,” she said with mock indignation. “I am infallible. And I most certainly would not have driven us over the edge of the mountain.”
“Yes, sport,” Sydney said, not even attempting to hide her patronizing tone as she reached out and patted Alex’s leg. “Why don’t you put the seat back and try and relax.”
Several minutes later, as they began the winding turns that would begin the steeper climb upward, Sydney looked over to find her clearly exhausted companion fast asleep in the seat next to her.
ALMOST FORTY-FIVE minutes later Sydney followed the directions provided by the GPS unit and passed through a very small community called Fawnskin. Soon afterwards she pulled off the mountain highway onto a somewhat secluded smaller road called North Shore Lane. She would occasionally see the glint of moonlight off water through the trees as she made her way farther from the highway. After a couple of miles she turned into a partially full parking lot and saw before her a moderate sized ski chalet style resort surrounded by trees and snow. She smiled at the beautiful setting. It was going to be a wonderful weekend. She parked then leaned over to Alex and gently stroked her cheek.
“Hey, you. We’re here.”
Alex opened her eyes and looked at Sydney, then looked out the window and smiled, apparently satisfied with what she saw.
“Hmm, it looks like the web site so far. Well, shall we go check in?”
They proceeded into the lobby and noted the large sitting area, still carrying the ski chalet look. A large bar took up one corner, and a casual sitting area was gathered around a large central fireplace and windows looking out onto a shoreline meadow and Arrowhead Lake beyond. Sydney admired the view as Alex checked in then joined her and led her to the elevators and up to the third floor.
They entered a large mini-suite room with a king bed to one side and a sitting area surrounding a large fireplace to the other. Sydney moved to the covered window and drew back the curtains. The view from their window was unobstructed, giving the impression they were looking out the picture window of a single cabin on the shoreline as opposed to an exclusive fifty-room resort. The lake glistened in the light of the full moon, which could be seen over the trees on the opposite shoreline across the lake.
Alex walked up behind Sydney as she stood looking out the window and reached her arms around her.
“Happy to be here?” she whispered in Sydney’s ear. Sydney leaned back into Alex’s embrace.
“God, yes. It’s beautiful.” She turned in Alex’s arms to face her then leaned up to kiss her. “Thank you.”
Alex smiled. “I’m glad you like it. But I’ve got something else to surprise you with. Why don’t you go have a nice relaxing bubble bath in what should be our Jacuzzi tub.” She nodded toward the yet uninspected bathroom. “And
I’ll see you when you’re done.”
“What about dinner? Should I dress for the restaurant downstairs? It looked kind of nice,” Sydney asked as she removed toiletries from her suitcase.
“Nah. Why don’t you just put on something comfortable and we’ll figure it out. Maybe I’ll just pick something up and we can save the restaurant for tomorrow night.”
A little more than twenty minutes later Sydney exited the bathroom wearing a silk négligée and short silk robe. She first saw the bed covers drawn back expectantly. As she looked farther into the suite she saw Alex seated in front of the large picture window at a small candlelit table set for two. The lights in the suite were dimmed, allowing the candles to cast a romantic glow. Alex stood and walked to Sydney, taking her once again into her arms.
“Maybe you’ll just pick something up, huh, Sergeant Chambers?” Sydney asked quietly with a smile as she looked at the table setting.
“Well, yeah, something like that. Do you like it?” Alex asked, leading her by the hand to the table and holding the chair for her as she sat. Sydney could only nod as she took in the candles and dinner. Alex removed a bottle of Champagne from a nearby ice bucket and filled two glasses. She sat down and lifted the champagne flute. Sydney followed suit and Alex gently tapped the glasses together.
“To us,” she said. Once again Sydney could only nod.
When dinner was finished they moved to the sitting area in front of the crackling fireplace. There they cuddled and polished off the champagne while feeding one another dessert from a platter of chocolate covered strawberries.
After several minutes of cuddling and watching the fire, Sydney took Alex’s empty champagne glass and placed it on the low table in front of the couch. Then she turned and climbed onto Alex’s lap, straddling her hips with her knees on the couch on either side of her. Sydney rested her hands on Alex’s shoulders as she gazed into her eyes.
“Thank you,” Sydney said. She leaned down and tenderly kissed Alex. “This is all wonderful.” She kissed her once again, then pulled away slightly. “You’ve definitely made me feel special,” she said with their lips just touching, then she re-engaged the kiss, gradually increasing its intensity.
Alex undid the sash of Sydney’s robe, then moved her hands up each of Sydney’s hips within the garment. Sydney removed her hands from Alex’s shoulders momentarily, shrugging the robe off and allowing it to fall to the ground. Sydney pulled at Alex’s shirt, drawing it up and over Alex’s head in one smooth move, then plunged her tongue into Alex’s mouth once again.
Alex slipped her hands under the front of Sydney’s negligee to her breasts where she gently massaged and squeezed. “Bed?” she asked.
“God, yes,” Sydney replied in a gasp, rising from Alex’s lap, taking her by the hand and pulling her toward the bed across the suite.
Chapter Twenty-two
SYDNEY AWOKE TO the comfortable sensation of Alex’s arm draped protectively across her stomach. She gently traced the wrist and fingers as she looked over at her lover. A smile slowly developed on Alex’s face and she opened still drowsy eyes.
“Hi,” Alex said, somewhat seductively, as she tightened her arm around Sydney. Sydney didn’t resist as Alex pulled her into her embrace. The kiss that began gently soon grew more aggressive, and just as Sydney extended a leg over Alex’s hip and began to pull Alex on top of her they were disturbed by a knock on the door.
“Damn. Didn’t we put out the ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign last night?” Sydney said in humorous exasperation.
Alex smiled down at her from her position on top of Sydney.
“Uh, this is probably my fault,” she said. Sydney raised her eyebrows in question and Alex continued. “I arranged for room service at eight a.m. You know, breakfast in bed.” She gave Sydney a quick kiss then started to rise. “I’ll get it,” she said.
“Wait a minute. You can’t just throw the door open to room service. I’m naked!”
Alex removed a hotel robe from the nearby closet and turned back to Sydney smiling. “And you’re gorgeous when you’re naked,” she said as she leaned down and kissed Sydney.
A second knock came at the door, slightly louder and more insistent, accompanied by a male voice. “Room service.”
“Just a second!” Alex called, then returned her attention to Sydney, momentarily resuming the kiss. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ll protect your virtue.” She straightened up and walked to the door, ensuring the robe was secure around her own otherwise naked body.
Alex opened the door to the room service delivery, leaving it standing only partially open so it obstructed the view of the bedroom portion of the mini-suite.
“I’ll take it from here,” she said, pulling the rolling cart into the room then turning back for the bill. She signed the bill, handed it back to the uniformed gentleman, and then closed the door.
Alex pushed the cart closer to the bed then began uncovering several plates. Sydney started to get out of bed to help but Alex stopped her.
“Nope,” she said, pushing Sydney back into the pillows. “Allow me.” She placed a tray containing an assortment of pastries and juice across Sydney’s lap. “Besides,” she added as she poured coffee for each of them. “This is likely as close as you’ll ever get to me cooking for you.” Alex sat down on the bed, lounging against the pillows beside Sydney as they enjoyed a leisurely breakfast together. Neither was in a hurry to get out of bed, even long after the breakfast was done.
IT WAS EARLY afternoon when the two finally dressed warmly and walked down to the lobby of the hotel. Alex had convinced Sydney they should at least take a walk along the shoreline, if for no other reason than to allow the maid service access to the room at some point. Alex carried a folded wool blanket under her arm and both were dressed warmly. They picked up a map of the immediate area from the concierge desk, then headed out of the hotel and down to the shoreline. A path ran along the edge of the lake, between the trees and the water, ending about a hundred yards down the shore from the hotel at a small hotel dock. They turned and took the cleanly shoveled path in the opposite direction, headed away from the marina. Within minutes they had rounded a slight bend in the path and were completely out of sight of the hotel.
Looking back and noting their apparent solitude, Alex took Sydney’s hand in her own, interlacing their fingers. Sydney responded by giving her hand a gentle squeeze and moving closer to Alex as they walked on for several minutes in companionable silence. They soon came across a rocky outcropping that jutted out into the water. Alex laid the folded blanket on the top of the rock and they sat down with Sydney leaning back into Alex’s embrace. There they sat and watched the sun get lower on the horizon, sending shimmers of shifting light across the lake.
“I could get used to this,” Sydney said after a while.
“What’s that?” Alex asked. “Being served breakfast in bed? Staying in bed after breakfast? Making love for most of the day? Spending the weekend in a romantic secluded resort on the side of a mountain lake? Snuggling together in the cold watching the sun set?”
“All of that is very nice, wonderful in fact,” Sydney said, snuggling against Alex as they sat together. “But I was actually referring to you.”
“What about me? You could get used to me?”
“Yes. I could get used to waking up next to you. When you go back home and then go back to work next week I’m going to miss you. I enjoyed coming home to you each evening last week, and waking up with you next to me each morning.”
“Well, I have a key now. So I can stop by whenever I please. I can surprise you anytime.”
“Promise you won’t be a stranger?” Sydney asked.
“I can definitely promise that,” Alex said and hugged Sydney to her. Moments later she felt Sydney shiver.
“I think I heard it may snow later,” Alex said. “And it’s going to be a cold night.” She drew Sydney closer, wrapping both arms around her then leaning down and nuzzling Sydney’s neck. “We’ll have to
figure something out to stay warm.”
Sydney giggled. “Subtle, Sergeant Chambers, very subtle.” She pressed her body further into Alex’s embrace for a moment then leaned forward to climb off the rocks, pulling Alex with her. “Come on, let’s head back before it gets too cold and dark.”
“What about dinner?” Alex asked. “What would you like to do tonight?”
When they returned to the hotel lobby they decided to have dinner in a little Italian restaurant they’d been told about in the small town of Fawnskin a few miles down the lake front highway from the hotel. They checked with the hotel desk and discovered the restaurant was casual dress and a local favorite. The desk clerk told them the restaurant did not take reservations and on a Saturday evening was likely to get busy. They decided to set out immediately in hopes of beating the rush.
The restaurant turned out to be all that it promised. They found parking close by, and while the restaurant looked popular it was not yet packed. They were immediately seated in a private booth near the back. They found the food very good and the service was outstanding. When they made their way out almost two hours later they found a light dusting of snow had gathered on the road and parked cars. The snow continued to fall and seemed to be growing heavier.
“WE’D BETTER GO right back to the hotel,” Alex said to Sydney as they made their way back to the truck. Sydney climbed into the cab as Alex held the passenger door for her. “I’d like to get back to the hotel before chains become necessary. I don’t want to get stuck trying to put them on in the dark,” Alex added.
As they pulled onto the lakeside highway Sydney reached out almost unconsciously as Alex’s hand met hers near the center console. This had become a very natural act for the two of them. Sydney found it very comfortable and reassuring, with no words needing to be spoken.
White Roses Calling Page 31
