Everything agreed to, they’d hung up shortly after that.
For both their sakes, Sebastian hoped the buyer and his realtor would at least make good company, seeing as they’d be spending a lot of time together over the next couple days.
Now he watched the sea of people flooding through the hall. Which one was this McKinley woman?
A heavyset woman pulling a wheeled case gave him a friendly nod but quickly passed him by and left through the sliding glass doors into the frigid air outside.
He’d wanted to ask for a physical description of Riley to make it easier to spot her among the travelers, but somehow it had felt strange to actually make such a request.
Hopefully, Riley McKinley knew to look for him and would be able to not only find his sign but also read its nearly illegible scrawl. Hey, Sebastian was a man of many talents, but calligraphy had never been one of them.
Several more people passed him by, some going straight outside and others stopping at the luggage carousel to collect their things. He turned to watch a particularly curvy blonde as her hips swished in time to the song made by the squeaky wheels of her carry-on bag clacking against the linoleum.
When he turned back toward the terminal, a petite woman stood before him with a poorly hidden smirk on her face.
“Hi,” he blurted out.
“Hi,” she answered, her voice like a soothing wave amidst the raging sea of airport traffic. He instantly liked it… and her.
Even more than the now forgotten blonde.
“Are you Riley McKinley?”
“Is that what the sign says?” she asked, turning her head in an exaggerated gesture and moving her lips slightly as she read. “It looks like Kulg Mc-something else.”
“Yeah, well, I was in a hurry. Just found out about this gig and about you a little while ago.”
“That makes two of us, and I’m guessing you’re Sebastian Rockwell, then?” She stuck her hand out toward him with a confidence he found irresistible.
“That’s me,” he answered, taking her hand and holding it for a few moments longer than the convention dictated.
“Shall we get out of here?” she asked, slowly wedging her hand out of his but smiling as she did so.
“You had me at hi,” he answered, thinking of the old timey movies his mother loved to watch in the colder months. And living in Alaska, that meant most of them.
Riley smirked at him before looking back toward the doors. At last she said, “It’s going to be a long couple of days, so we may as well get them started. Can we please get on with it?”
Before Sebastian could even agree, she’d grabbed her bag and strode confidently forward in search of the parking lot.
Suddenly, his job had just become very interesting. Despite what Riley had said, he was pretty sure she could feel their chemistry, too. And, now, on this dark and dreary day before Christmas Eve, there was nowhere else in the world he’d rather be.
Riley studied Sebastian as he drove them both toward the sale property. “So what exactly is your connection to this deal?” she asked, rummaging through her purse until she found a tin of Altoids, then popping one into her mouth.
She offered the mints to Sebastian, but he declined with a grimace and a quick jerk of his head.
“I’m your tour guide, I guess. I’m supposed to show Mr. Evers a good time. Help seal the deal.”
“Uh-huh,” she said, moving the mint from one side of her mouth to the other. “So why are you here with me?”
“Good question,” he answered, turning toward her for a brief moment before his eyes drifted back to the open road ahead. “Do you wish I wasn’t?”
“No, no. I just mean… Sorry, this is all kind of weird. Not only am I representing a deal fifteen hundred miles from home, but I’m doing it on Christmas Eve. Then you showed up, and…”
He nudged her with his elbow and a smile. “And what?”
She shrugged, not really knowing where she’d wanted to go with it, and definitely not understanding why she was already opening up to this perfect stranger.
“It’s not Christmas Eve yet,” he pointed out, signaling to switch lanes as they drove farther and farther from the airport and apparently from civilization, too. “Not today anyway.”
Riley unlocked her phone and waved it toward him, but he kept his eyes glued firmly on the salty roads ahead. “It will be in, oh, eight and a half hours or so.”
Sebastian let out a quick fit of laughter. “But who’s keeping track, right?”
Riley had to bite her lip to keep from making a comeback. Whether it would be sassy or flirty, she had no idea, which is why she’d rather keep it inside. When she felt the unspoken words retreat from her mind, she reached for the buttons on the SUV’s dash.
“Mind if I—?” She turned it on before he had a chance to answer, and hip hop blasted through the speakers.
“Not what I would have guessed from you,” she mused, flicking through the unfamiliar channels. Luckily, it didn’t take long to find a holiday station. Maybe the most wonderful time of year could still be wonderful yet. She certainly had a handsome companion here to share it with her. Maybe that would be enough.
Maybe…
Riley scolded herself as she sank back into the bucket seat. They lived practically a whole country apart, and she was only here for a day or two, tops. No need to flirt with the charming tour guide, no matter how much she felt the urge. And definitely no matter how hard he tried to tempt her into it.
The song switched from the end of “Carol of the Bells” to the start of “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas”, and Sebastian groaned. “Are you done with this yet?” he demanded, his tone completely changed from their light banter earlier.
“It’s only been like two minutes.”
“Yeah, two minutes too long, if you ask me.”
She stared at him, disbelieving. Who could hate Christmas, especially when he lived in a beautiful snowy place like this? “Are you seriously telling me you don’t like Christmas music?”
“Don’t care much for Christmas, either.”
“What?”
“Look, it’s not a big deal. It’s just not my thing. Okay?” His brow furrowed, belying the fact that it was, in fact, a very big deal.
“Not a big deal?” she exploded. “Who spiked your egg nog with sour grapes?”
“Ugh, you’re like a walking Hallmark channel movie!”
“I do love the Hallmark channel. And, even more than that, I love Christmas. You know, like any normal warm-blooded American.”
“So what, does that make me un-American? Or perhaps a reptile?”
She shrugged, searching for the Altoids again.
“You were right,” he said with a sigh.
She smiled, thinking she had won whatever small battle this had been, but Sebastian used the controls on his steering wheel to switch the music off.
“This is going to be a long couple of days.”
Chapter 4
“Well, here we are,” Sebastian announced, going around to the back of his SUV to collect Riley’s bag. “The Frosty Peak, Fairbanks at your service.”
The realtor clambered out of the vehicle and stood squinting at the horizon. “All I can see is white. And black. And then more white.”
“Well, that’s no way to look at the world,” he quipped, even though he knew she was referring to the uninterrupted field of fresh powder and the darkening sky above.
“Har har. Looks like I’ll be getting dinner and a show.” She crossed her arms over her chest in a futile attempt to shut out the icy wind that had just kicked up.
Though Sebastian was accustomed to cold, it always surprised him anew how much colder Fairbanks was than Anchorage this time of year. “Who said anything about dinner?”
She followed as he began walking toward the chalet. She needed to power walk in order to get her short legs to match his long stride. “Me, I did,” she called from behind him. “Can we order a pizza or something? I’m starved.
”
“Way up here and so close to Christmas? Think again.” He reached the large wrap-around porch and turned to offer his hand to help her up the icy steps. He’d have to come back out here with a hefty dose of salt before the buyer arrived. The last thing they needed on their hands was an accident.
Now seeing the look of upset that pinched at Riley’s pretty features, he quickly added, “I did a quick run to the grocery store before picking you up. How does steak and a salad sound?”
She smiled up at him and accepted his hand, climbing up the three short stairs with careful steps. “Perfect after the long day I’ve had.”
“Same here. You go wash up and make yourself comfortable, and I’ll see to dinner.” He flipped through the tangle of keys on the loop he’d grabbed from his boss Petrov before making the drive up.
“Wash up?” She sniffed at the air. “What are you trying to say?”
He shook his head at her gently, at last finding the key he needed. “That you smell like airplane and could probably use a hot shower to unkink your legs after being cramped up for so long.”
He saw the fight leave her eyes. Her posture slackened as she smiled. “You’re right, and I’m too tired to argue about it.”
Sebastian unlocked the door to the main guest cabin and let Riley in ahead of him.
“This place is huge,” she said with a gasp.
“It’s the biggest and has been the most recently updated, which is why Roman insisted we stay here. You can have any room you want. Just save the big one at the far end for your client.”
Her face twisted up with an unreadable emotion as she asked, “Oh, is he not here yet?”
“I haven’t seen him, but for all I know, Roman could be out showing him the sites, trying to make him fall in love with the city before he even steps foot onto the Frosty Peak. Now go pick a room. Meet me in about fifteen to eat.”
He watched as she pulled her case up the stairs after refusing to let him offer any additional help, then he turned toward the kitchen to get to work. As much as he’d refused to let on, Riley wasn’t the only one who was starving here. Something about her made him want to fight—whether for her or with her, he wasn’t sure. Maybe he wanted both at the same time.
Ugh, he was becoming such a sap. His mother would be proud, really. Here he was pining for a presumably single and very attractive woman who just happened to love Christmas to boot. Yup, he could practically hear his mom’s matchmaking gears grind from hundreds of miles away. She’d love Riley the instant she met her.
Good thing she was far, far away at home in Anchorage.
Because if this was how God made them in the lower forty-eight, no wonder his brother, Noah, had fallen for a South Carolina girl.
This is for work, he reminded himself as he fired up the stove. But who’s to say it can’t be a vacation, too? A working vacation. Yeah.
So maybe he’d flirt a little, steal a few kisses if she let him, make sure both realtor and buyer were extra happy with their time spent up at the Frosty Peak Fairbanks. He’d spend just enough time to get out of whatever ridiculous Christmas activities his mother had planned for the next couple days and then head home with an extra fat lump of cash lobbed onto his year-end paycheck.
Ho ho ho.
This was turning out to be the best Christmas yet!
A savory mix of peppercorn and meat juice exploded on Riley’s tongue and she couldn’t suppress the happy moan of appreciation that escaped as it did.
“That good, huh?” Sebastian asked, eyeing her from across the oversized pine dining table. “You know, if you like my cooking, then you’ll really like—“
“Stop right there, Mister. I’m nobody’s conquest,” she said, punctuating her statement by slamming the heel of her knife down onto the table like some kind of Viking.
“I was going to say snow machining,” he answered with an eye roll.
She stared back, unmoving. The challenge was issued.
And he stared right back, unwilling to apologize for his brazen statement. “I really was, honest! That’s kind of why I’m here.”
She wasn’t buying it, though. “You’re here to show off your skills on a snow mobile?”
“Snow machine,” he corrected before taking a huge gulp of water from his goblet. For a quick, casual meal, they sure had fancy accommodations. “And yes, it is. I’m Winter Sports Manager down at the Anchorage location, and I’m kind of the best at what I do.”
“Is that so?” She arched an eyebrow and dragged a finger around the rim of her goblet, creating music the way she’d learned to do in a school science lab so many years ago. “Then you’ll definitely have to prove it.”
“It’s late now, but I can take you out in the morning if you’re okay with waking up early so we can go out before the business stuff begins.”
“Sure,” she answered enthusiastically while picking through her salad and pushing the grape tomatoes to the side.
“Seriously? Do you really not like tomatoes?” Sebastian teased, reaching toward her plate to pluck the discarded fruits for himself.
“Do you really ride around on a snow plow for a living?”
“Snow machine, and yes. I do, because I’m awesome.”
She chuckled and had to avoid meeting his eyes. Otherwise, he’d see how much she was eating up everything he’d served her way—and not just the steak.
“Okay, fair enough,” she acquiesced, unwilling to admit how much she agreed with him on that point. “So we have a ridiculously full day tomorrow, even fuller now that we’re going for that ride. So, what can we do to keep ourselves busy tonight?”
Sebastian dropped his fork and it clattered loudly against the edge of the china plate. She looked up just in time to see the rose that had risen to the apples of his cheek before he could turn away to hide his embarrassment.
So smooth one moment, so shy the next. Sebastian Rockwell seemed to be a little bit of everything all rolled into one. She liked that he kept her on her toes.
After taking another large gulp of water, he shrugged with a faked ease and motioned around the room with his arms. “We have pretty much everything you could want up here. Books, board games, TV, all the classic comforts to make the Frosty Peak your home away from home.”
“Hmm, that doesn’t sound rehearsed at all,” she said with a laugh. “Do you have any hot cocoa around here?”
“Yeah, I mean, there’s gotta be some in the pantry.”
“And do you have a speaker I can plug my iPhone into?”
He nodded and picked his napkin up from his lap, putting it onto his now empty plate. “Anything else, your majesty?”
“I don’t suppose you have any Christmas decorations in that storage unit I saw out back?”
“We might,” he answered carefully. “But I refuse to give you the key.”
“What? Why?” She stopped herself when she realized she’d actually batted her eyelashes as part of her pout. She was flirting far too much for a simple work trip.
“Do you really want to spend all night putting up decorations you’re just going to have to take down after a day and a half anyway?”
“Actually, yes, I do.” She crossed her arms over her chest as a way of forcing distance between them. “It’s only Christmas once a year, you know.”
“Yeah, but somehow the danged thing lasts more than two months.”
“You have got to be kidding me. How did I get stuck with the Grinch on Christmas Eve?”
“It’s not Christmas Eve yet, and I’m far too handsome to be the Grinch.”
“Says you! I don’t suppose there’s anything I can do to make your heart grow two sizes while we’re up here?” Oh no, flirting again. Why couldn’t she stop herself when it came to Sebastian Rockwell?
Sebastian flung his hand to his mouth, but it wasn’t enough to suppress the huge current of laughter that floated across the room and danced circles around their heads.
Soon Riley joined in as well. “I’ve changed my
mind,” she said as they both carried their dishes to the kitchen.
“About this ridiculous Christmas stuff?” he asked with a sparkle in his eye.
“No, about you. You’re not the Grinch. You’re Jim Carrey playing the Grinch!”
“Oh, well, that makes all the difference, doesn’t it?” He flashed a smile her way as he rinsed the plates and tucked them into the lower level of the dishwasher.
What he didn’t realize was that she was only half kidding, and that ever since she’d seen Liar, Liar as a girl, she’d always had a huge crush on Jim Carrey.
And it seemed she was destined to flirt with her handsome guide whether or not she wanted to. Some things were like Christmas—impossible not to love with everything you’ve got.
Chapter 5
After lighting a fire for a cocoa-sipping, carol-listening Riley, Sebastian excused himself to check on the various out buildings and equipment around the resort so that everything would be perfectly prepared for Mr. Evers tomorrow.
After all, that’s why he was here—not to woo the tiny but feisty realtor he liked more and more every moment he spent with her.
“Don’t stay up too late, or we’ll have to skip the snow machining in the morning. And we probably won’t have another chance after that. Because work and all that,” he warned before bundling himself back up against the cold.
Soon they’d be out of moments.
Soon she’d be heading home to Seattle, and he’d take the long drive back out to Anchorage to spend whatever remained of the holiday with his family, to stuff his cat, Sting, into the hand-made sweater and pose for ridiculous pictures that his mother would share with everyone in the family from here clear across the country.
He tromped out into the snow, noting that the fresh fall had stopped for now. The Northern Lights danced above in a beautiful show of greens, blues, and purples, and he almost turned back toward the cabin to bring Riley outside so she could see, too.
The Alaska Sunrise Romances: A 9-Book Sweet Romance Collection Page 16
