Straight Up [Frostbite Falls Christmas 4]

by Willa Edwards

  With one last quick look over her shoulder, she stepped into the back hallway, and they dutifully followed after. There were no lights on, leaving the whole space in milky shadows.

  The semidarkness was so intimate, it felt like at any moment he could wrap his arm around her waist and yank her into his embrace. He could have his mouth on hers in under three seconds and her body between his and the wall in less than ten. Just like that night six months ago. With a little work he could have her moaning against him all over again, only this time he wouldn’t stop when she cried out her release. If he ever got his hands on her again, he wasn’t letting go until his cock was inside her and she had come around him at least twice.

  But the thought of Sam had him stopping in place. He couldn’t pull Vic into his arms or hold her tight. Not with Sam standing right behind them. And certainly not with how his cousin felt about her.

  Even if he wanted to go after her despite Sam’s feelings, he’d never be so callous as to flaunt his relationship with Victoria in front of Sam. Victoria might be amazing, but Sam was more important than any woman. He was more than just a cousin. Sam was his best friend. His savior and protector when Trevor needed it. He could never be that cruel to anyone, let alone Sam.

  A light turned on in the back offices, flashing across the corner of his eye. He turned his head just in time to see three people enter the room before shutting the door behind them. Good for them. At least someone was getting lucky tonight.

  Back in San Francisco, he would have been part of a group like that. Finding a dark corner to play around in. They’d worked hard on their business back then, but he played hard, too. If he’d been at a big party like this, there’s no way he’d go home alone. He always found some cute girl to warm his bed for the night, then the next morning he’d be on to the next.

  He’d never been a commitment guy, preferring to go where the wind sent him, and hardly ever regretted the trip. Unlike Sam—always steady and true in his affections.

  Until they’d moved here, and a week later he met Vic. Suddenly casual and easy didn’t sound so good. Not when the other option was her. She was more fascinating than any of those women had ever been. She was mysterious and exciting, a puzzle wrapped in the hottest package he’d seen. What he wouldn’t give to be able to touch all that soft skin, to caress her gorgeous heart-shaped ass anytime he wanted. Like right now.

  “Be careful,” she whispered through the quiet intimacy of the darkened room. “These stairs are steep.”

  He nodded, though he didn’t know why. She couldn’t see him.

  Silently, they followed her up. The thought of her ass swaying in front of him, close enough he could almost feel the brush of her lacy dress against his crotch, had him close to tripping a few times. Luckily, a quick grab to the railing was all he needed to right himself again.

  The fumble of her fingers on the doorknob and the creak of it twisting filled the air only seconds before light flooded the small stairwell, almost blinding him after so much time in the dark. He blinked as purple, pink, and red orbs floated in his vision. When his eyes finally adjusted he could see Vic had walked up the remaining stairs and disappeared into the mayor’s private rooms.

  He followed after her, assessing the room as Sam entered behind him. The space was small but comfortable, like a studio apartment without a bed. A kitchenette took up one side of the room. A big microsuede couch sat opposite the entryway, with a matching armchair to its right. The only light in the room came from a lamp on the table between the two pieces of furniture. The third wall was a floor-to-ceiling bookcase, filled with old worn books. Some looked as old as the town.

  “Sorry about the dark. I didn’t want to turn on the lights in the hallway and draw attention to us leaving.”

  Sam closed the door behind him shutting out all the sounds of the party below, leaving them in a quiet intimacy of their own. Just the three of them in their own little world. It could be any day, any place in the world. A party in Bahrain or in his bedroom across town. Nothing existed beyond the three of them.

  “No problem.” He would walk through fire for her. An unlit back hallway didn’t even rate on the list of inconveniences.

  “This used to be the mayor’s quarters, back in the old days.” She motioned to the small room, which would barely hold one person now, much less a mayor’s whole household.

  It was nothing compared to the home she actually lived in. While he’d never been inside the mayor’s residence, from the outside the house looked grand and imposing. Perfect for the woman before him.

  “Now my father uses it as a place to rest and relax during long nights.”

  “And he won’t be needing it tonight?” The slight hitch in Sam’s voice had him glancing toward the door. It hadn’t occurred to him that someone might follow them in here, but one glance at the door showed there was no lock. No reason someone couldn’t intrude at any moment into this quiet world they’d created.

  She rolled her eyes. “No. He’s too busy getting pats on the back to come up here.”

  Shouldn’t she be doing the same? Surely, everyone in the ballroom downstairs would love to tell her how beautiful the event was, how fantastic a job she’d done creating a magical Christmas wonderland. Because she had. Even he had been impressed with the event, and he wasn’t interested in all that glitter and stuff.

  Instead she was up here with them. That had to mean something. He was sure of it.

  “My father only continues to be elected mayor because he keeps the town the same.” She walked into the small kitchenette, grabbing three glasses from the cabinet. “And a little bit because they are afraid of him. But that’s understandable.”

  Trevor had only spoken to the mayor once, but he well remembered the occasion. He had the same challenging, interested eyes as Vic, but with a large imposing frame to boot. It was an intimidating combination for anyone. And he wasn’t embarrassed to say he was on the list.

  “Doesn’t sound like you approve.” Sam sat on the couch, and Trevor followed suit, sitting on the opposite side.

  Victoria deposited their three glasses on the coffee table. She’d kicked off her shoes at some point, and Trevor couldn’t take his eyes off her bare feet on the floors. Her bright red toes matched her nails, yet called to mind a whole different set of images in his head. Vic looked more natural and at ease here than he’d ever seen her before. Besides of course the Fourth of July festival when she’d been moaning between him and the barn wall. She’d seemed pretty damn natural then.

  She walked to the bookcase, pushing three books aside from the middle shelve to reveal the bottle of whiskey she’d promised. The clever girl retrieved the prize as if she’d done in hundreds of times before. Maybe she had.

  “I love Frostbite Falls, I want it to always be the same sweet wonderful town it is.” She deposited the promised whiskey bottle on the coffee table beside the three glasses. “But it can’t stay exactly the same either. We have to change some, change with the times, or else we risk having the world pass us by.”

  She seated herself on the floor on the opposite side of the table, crossing her legs in front of her. Her cute toes spread out across the carpet, calling to him. He almost wanted to drop to the floor and kiss them just to see what the great Victoria Willis would do with a man bent at her feet. Of all the women he’d ever met, he’d never encountered one he wanted to bow down before, yet with Vic he couldn’t imagine not enjoying his submission. Even if she only wanted him to lick and kiss her feet all night. That was starting to sound like a fantastic way to spend his hours.

  “Sounds like you would be an excellent mayor someday.” Sam offered her a bright smile, bringing Trevor back to reality. Or as close as he could get next to her.

  She only shrugged her shoulders. “It’s not my plan, but I wouldn’t rule it out.” Twisting off the top of the whiskey, she poured a generous amount in each glass. “For now, I’m happy with my store.”

  He couldn’t imagine she’d be satisf
ied with her store for good. Vic wasn’t the type of woman to ever settle. She was already the unofficial leader of town. Eventually she’d want to make the title official. But for now he was happy she hadn’t. If she were mayor, she’d have to be at the party, shaking hands and kissing babies. He much preferred her up here with them.

  If she wanted to kiss someone, he’d gladly volunteer. Any day or night. It was the least he could do for Frostbite Falls.

  Chapter Four

  Victoria watched the two men gulp down their whiskey. Thankfully they didn’t seem to notice how little she drank. She’d never been much of a hard liquor girl. When she and Lydia and Grace went to the Two Step, she always got a cosmo. But from the Fourth of July festival, she knew Trevor and Sam preferred whiskey. They’d sucked the stuff down like sailors that night. Which was fine by her. Besides, she’d had enough of those Mistletoe Mimosas to be tipsy enough to think this was a good idea without being so drunk she couldn’t handle what she wanted.

  She fingered her glass as she stared at the two men she’d been dreaming about for six long months. They’d lost their ties and jackets moments after sitting down. Both had kicked off their shoes only minutes later. They looked natural and slightly disheveled, in a dangerous way that had her heart beating a little faster. Trevor had unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, releasing a delicious slice of chest. The sight was almost as distracting as the scruff that bristled along his jaw. Her thoughts continually wandered off to think of how those rough hairs would feel against her fingertips, and the other many lovely places he could rub against.

  “It really is an amazing party downstairs. Are you sure you don’t want to go back?”

  Victoria shook her head. She was right where she wanted to be. “I’m fine. The party is more for my father and his supporters than anyone else.” No doubt her father was there right now shaking every hand he could find, laughing and joking with the townspeople, showing them the best time he could as a voter registry counted off in his head.

  If she were down there, she’d have to do the same. Putting on a show, playing the role of perfect daughter, dutiful town supporter and participant. She’d played that part since she was old enough to walk. She didn’t hate it. She didn’t even think of it as a role anymore. It had become just who she was.

  But today it felt more difficult to pretend than it had been before. She had no doubts she’d rather be here. Here with them. Where she could be herself. The real her. Without worrying about playing a role, or maintaining the perfect presence. She could just be. Or at least the closest she could get in the same room with them. Sam and Trevor set her off-kilter, in a way that felt odd but not completely wrong at the same time.

  “If you’re sure.” Sam poured himself another glass, sloshing the liquid around as he did so.

  “It really was nice.” Trevor nudged his own glass toward his cousin, who filled it an inch deep without being asked. A quality she rather liked in a man. “I’m not really into decorations and stuff, but even I thought the place looked wonderful.”

  “Thank you.” Victoria was surprised by the blush that colored her cheeks. She didn’t usually get embarrassed by compliments. As the mayor’s daughter, she’d received them her whole life, often when she didn’t deserve them. They were as easy as hellos and good-byes to her. But something about hearing that praise from them had heat flooding face.

  Sam smiled back at her, sipping from his glass. Lucky number three.

  With each successive drink, she got a little more comfortable in her spot on the floor. First drink she’d folded her feet under her ass in a way that arched her back and pressed her breasts forward. Then she’d let the strap of her dress accidentally drift down her shoulder, revealing a few more inches of skin and just how easily the dress would come off. But now that they were sucking down their third drink, it was time to make the big move.

  As they sipped from their drinks, Victoria reached up and yanked the clip from her hair. Her shoulder-length tendrils fell down her neck, settling around her face in a mess of soft curls. Plucking the few bobby pins she’d used to keep the bundle in order and deposited them on the coffee table in front of her.

  She glanced up at them, gauging their reaction. For most men, the sight of a woman’s hair coming undone, and all the connotations it offered, got them hot under the collar.

  But even she hadn’t anticipated how much it would affect the two men in front of her. Which said a lot. Their eyes went hot and hungry. Sam’s jaw clenched, while Trevor’s flapped open in a surprise. Both their whiskeys lay forgotten on the coffee table.

  She had their undivided attention. And she liked it. She really liked it.

  Trevor grabbed a lock of her hair and twisted it around his finger. He didn’t tug, but the pressure of his fingers tangled in her hair had tingles racing across her scalp. “I’ve always loved your hair.” He brushed it between his thumb and forefinger, as if testing the feel against his skin. “I thought I remembered how soft it was, but I was wrong. It’s so much silkier than my poor memory could hold.”

  The look in his eye had her stomach fluttering. It was more than attraction or desire there. Something deeper reflected back to her in his eyes. Something she was afraid to even dream was there, but desperately hoped for since the moment he’d pushed her up against that barn wall.

  “When did you touch her hair?” Sam’s intruded on the quiet moment.

  Trevor dropped her hair like it burnt his fingers. He eased back in his seat, and it took everything in her not to reach for him again, and pull him even closer. She’d waited so long to be close to him again, she hated to giving that up. But if there was anything Victoria understood, it was the necessity of the right timing. And having the patience to wait for it.

  Instead, she answered Sam’s question. There was no point in being secretive or shy anymore. “When he kissed me at the Fourth of July festival.”

  Sam’s eyes widened, his shoulders edging up to his ears. “You kissed her at the Fourth of July festival?”

  “Don’t be upset. You did, too.” She grinned, throwing more fuel on the fire between the cousins. Another woman might be afraid of inciting the two of them. Victoria wasn’t most women. Most women didn’t have a plan, but Victoria always did.

  “You kissed her at the Fourth of July festival?” The surprise in Trevor’s voice confirmed a truth she’d suspected but hadn’t known for sure until this minute. Neither of them had told the other about what had happened with her. For people who spent almost every minute together, they’d both managed to keep a decent-sized secret from the other. She wasn’t sure if she should be impressed or concerned.

  “Like you’re in any position to judge.”

  And neither was she. She hadn’t told anyone about their summer lovin’ either.

  It wasn’t because she was embarrassed. At first she’d stayed silent because she wasn’t sure what that night had meant. She hadn’t known Sam and Trevor back then. They’d only been in town a week. She’d had no idea who they were or what that night meant.

  But as time moved on, she’d continued to stay quiet about their night together. In fact, she held it closer, kept it tight, like a precious jewel. It had been so out of character for her to do something as wild and reckless as kissing two men she hardly knew. Yet it had been one of the most amazing experiences of her life.

  And that’s how she wanted to remember it. Amazing, phenomenal, earth-shattering. She wanted to keep it safe, away from the slings and arrows of other’s judgment.

  The silence also helped her to enact her plan.

  “You didn’t tell me you kissed her.” Sam crossed his arms over his chest. The condemnation in his eyes almost ripped her in two, and it wasn’t even directed at her. At least with his arms crossed he couldn’t hit his cousin.

  Trevor was a different story. His hands fisted at his sides. Tension vibrated off him in waves. His muscles shook as if he approached some final line she didn’t want to see.

  “N
either did you.” Trevor’s eyes flared. His lips were one harsh line.

  This wasn’t the direction she wanted the conversation to go. The two of them coming to blows would do nothing for her plan. Time to redirect them toward the most important part of that night. Her.

  “I don’t know what you two are so upset about. That was one of the best nights of my life.”

  Their eyes were so wide and it took everything in her not to let the smug smile fighting to curl up her lips free. They both shifted toward her, leaning close enough she caught the whiff of their scents, all warm and masculine. That was more like it.

  “What?” Sam stared at her with open interest.

  “Really?” The flare of lust heating Trevor’s gaze had her temperature ratcheting up a degree.

  Both their stares focused on her calmed some of the butterflies in her stomach to stillness. This was going to work. She’d created this plan with the same determination she did all her schemes. But even she had to admit this one was more far-fetched than her average ploy. Sure, she knew how to convince Mr. Herbert to carry organic tomatoes and mixed greens, or how to manipulate the town matriarchs into trying yoga. But convincing two men to take her to bed together was far beyond any plan she’d put in place before. And somewhere deep inside—a place she’d never admit to anyone, ever—she’d worried this wouldn’t work. That she’d set this whole plan in motion, and the two of them would reject her.

  But of course that wasn’t true. How could they stay away from her? They both perked up, leaning closer, and her whole body shook beneath the effect of their interest. She flattened her hand against the floor beside her, to prevent them from seeing her tremble.

  “I’ve thought about that night a lot.” She eased up on her knees to meet them closer to eye level. “The heat, the sensation of your hands on my body. The pleasure of your mouth on my skin.” She pressed far enough forward to give them a glimpse of what she had to offer, even though she had no doubt they already knew. They’d both felt her all over before. But it never hurt to show off the goods a little. Given the way Sam shifted closer, it had done the trick. “It was the most erotic night of my life.”