Blazing Bedtime Stories, Volume VI Page 8

  It was difficult to watch him blow through shallow relationships one after the other, to see him brush aside women who might be able to make him happy simply because of some silly flaw he detected. And yet, she was happy with each breakup, knowing that he’d be hers for just a little longer.

  Greta knew that finding a man who would tolerate Alex’s presence in her life had already created problems. Her last boyfriend had given her an ultimatum—“him or me”—and she’d chosen Alex.

  “Complete honesty is overrated,” she said.

  “So you wouldn’t want me to tell you your hair looks a little…poufy this morning.”

  “Poufy? How? What’s poufy about it?”

  He reached out and patted her on the top of her head. “I don’t know. It’s just sticking up kind of funny in the back. You might want to take a look in a mirror.”

  Greta glanced at her watch, then cursed softly. “I don’t have time to fix it. They’re going to be here any minute.”

  Alex sighed impatiently. “Just stand still and give me your brush.” She retrieved it from her purse and Alex tugged it through her hair once or twice, then nodded. “All right. That looks better. It was just sticking up kind of funny. It made you look like a chicken.”

  “Thanks,” Greta muttered, tucking her short-cropped hair behind her ears. There were some things she didn’t like about their friendship. Sometimes he was too honest with her.

  “If this goes well, we’ll have to go out for drinks tonight,” Greta said. “Very large appletinis. On you.”

  “Can’t,” he said. “I’m driving to Aspen for the weekend.”

  “Hot date?”

  “No. No date, actually. Thea Michaels invited me and Dave MacDonald to use her mountain cabin this weekend. We were going to do some skiing, but Dave had to cancel.” Alex paused. “Do you want to go?”

  “The last time we skied together, I sat in the lodge and got drunk and you skied. I can’t keep up with you on the black diamonds and you don’t enjoy the bunny hill.”

  “Then you can…shop. Or sleep. Or work. Thea has a really nice place and she’s been nagging me about it for months. She’s my biggest client, so I figured I ought to accept her generous offer or risk pissing her off.”

  Greta had heard all about Thea Michaels and her divalike disposition. She’d demanded to choose her own creative team, then ignored all the talented women at the agency and surrounded herself with the young and attractive men on staff. Alex was Thea’s account manager, and Dave, her art director.

  “All right,” Greta said. “I guess I could go.” Except for their one-night stand, she and Alex had never spent twenty-four hours together, much less an entire weekend. At first, she wondered if their friendship could tolerate more than an eight-hour encounter. The last time they’d traveled to an auction in Colorado Springs, they’d gotten into a huge argument over sports in the car on the way home and hadn’t spoken for a week after that.

  “It’ll be fun,” he said. “Just don’t insult my favorite hockey team and we’ll get along just fine.”

  “As long as you don’t go off on my taste in music, we won’t have a problem.”

  * * *

  “THIS IS A PROBLEM.”

  “We’re almost there,” Alex said. “And I’m used to driving in bad weather. You don’t have to be so nervous. Relax. We’ll get there when we get there.”

  “I’m not nervous,” Greta snapped. “I just think we should have turned around and gone home once they decided to close the Denver airport.”

  “Where is your sense of adventure? It’s a snowstorm, not the apocalypse. And if you grip the dashboard any tighter, your fingers are going to go gangrenous.”

  “You’re doing this just to bug me, aren’t you?”

  “I’m doing this because tomorrow morning there’s going to be fresh powder at Aspen and I have every intention of being the first one down the mountain.”

  “I think I might be having a stroke,” Greta muttered. “My blood pressure has to be through the roof. If I start to slur my words, you need to turn around.”

  Alex chuckled to himself. That’s the thing he loved about Greta. She had no filter and never tried to be anything but herself when they were together. Had he invited another girl for the weekend, she would have been acting exactly how she thought he wanted her to act, as if driving into a blizzard was an exciting adventure and not a calculated risk. And if she’d acted like Greta, he would have tossed her into the nearest snowbank. But Greta was Greta, his most annoying and adorable friend.

  “Turn left, fifty yards,” the GPS voice said.

  “Turn left, fifty yards,” Greta repeated.

  Alex glanced at the GPS on the dash. “See. We’re almost there. Just another mile down this next road and we’ll—”

  “What road?” Greta asked. “You can’t even see the road we’re on right now.”

  “I used my considerable powers of deduction, since there are trees on either side of this big white path through the forest.”

  “Turn right, twenty-five yards,” the voice said.

  “Turn right, twenty-five yards,” Greta said. “This place better be worth it.”

  It should be. Hell, Thea had described the place in perfect detail and there wasn’t a woman on the planet who would be disappointed—hot tub, steam shower, French bedding, a gourmet kitchen. Thea had even promised to stock the refrigerator with tempting selections. The moment they arrived, Alex planned to pour Greta a big glass of wine, draw her a hot bath and encourage her to relax after their six-hour drive.

  An image flashed in his head at the thought of Greta in the bathtub. That would require her to get naked in very close proximity to him. It was an odd concept, he mused. Usually when women took their clothes off around him, hot sex followed.

  He and Greta had enjoyed that pleasure only once in their seven-year friendship. The passion had been fueled by too many margaritas, Greta’s recent breakup with the perfect boyfriend, and a two-month drought in Alex’s sex life.

  In all honesty, the sex had been really good, but Greta’s hangover had been accompanied by a huge dose of remorse and very hazy memories of the event. He’d remembered every single moment. It had been wild and passionate and real…very real. Something he hadn’t been able find with any other woman.

  But Greta had wanted to forget that night and move on, so he’d agreed that in order to remain friends, they’d have to put their mutual indiscretion in the past. Still, the memory of her body, her perfect body, was seared indelibly into his brain. Even now, after a few years, he could still recall how she felt beneath his hands, how she tasted and how the desire between them had flamed out of control.

  “Turn right, now,” the GPS ordered.

  “Turn right!” Greta said.

  Alex squinted into the dizzying snow, searching for the turn. “Where? There’s no road here.” He’d been able to follow some earlier tire tracks on the main road, but there was nothing to indicate where he was supposed to turn. No sign, no tracks, just snow.

  He slowed the car to a crawl. “I don’t see it,” he murmured. “Do you?”

  “Maybe we missed it,” Greta said.

  “No, the GPS would have told us to turn around as soon as—”

  “There,” Greta said.

  The road was narrow and covered in a deep blanket of snow. The Subaru wagon had done pretty well on the plowed surface earlier, but this side road hadn’t been touched. “Shit,” he muttered.

  “Shit? What is that supposed to mean? We can’t turn around now. We’re six-tenths of a mile away from a warm bed. We are not turning around.”

  “I don’t know if we can get through.”

  “I can’t go for another three hours of this stress.”

  “I guess if we get stuck we can walk. I’ve got snowshoes in the back and a flashlight in the glove box. We should be able to see the lights once we get close enough.”

  “I hope you brought a loaf of bread,” Greta countered.
/>   “There’s food at the cabin.”

  “No, to leave a trail back to the car in case we get lost in the forest.” She glanced over at him. “Hansen and Greta? Now all we need is a wicked witch and we’d be set for the weekend.”

  “This will be worth it,” he said as he carefully turned onto the side road. “In a few minutes, you’ll be safe in a warm mountain cabin. I’ll even make you dinner.”

  “Damn right you will!”

  They continued down the unplowed road, Alex watching the GPS as the tenths of a mile ticked by. They were past a half mile when he felt the front wheels sink into a drift of snow. He pressed the accelerator, hoping the momentum would carry them through, but the increased speed brought on a swerve and in the blink of an eye, they slid off the side of the road.

  Alex cursed. Even with the four-wheel drive on the Subaru, the drift was too deep. He could spend the next half hour shoveling, but they were so close to the cabin, it wasn’t really worth it. They’d walk the rest of the way and he’d get the car out in the morning.

  Right now, he needed to get Greta in front of a warm fire with the least amount of trouble as possible. He snapped the GPS out of its bracket and tucked it into his jacket pocket.

  “Grab your bread crumbs, little girl. We’re going to walk from here.” He pointed to the glove box. “There’s a flashlight in there. I’ll get the snowshoes.”

  “We can’t leave the car here,” she said.

  “It will be fine. I doubt that anyone will be out on the road tonight. But I’ll call the sheriff’s department and let them know where it is once we get to the cabin. I can shovel it out in the morning.”

  Alex pulled his hood over his head and ventured out into the snow. He kept most of his outdoor equipment in the back of the station wagon, always ready to take off for a fun weekend. He had a tent, two down sleeping bags, outdoor cooking equipment and freeze-dried food. If he and Greta were forced to rough it, they’d be warm and fed until the snow stopped.

  He retrieved two sets of snowshoes from the back and then helped Greta out of the car. “How are we going to carry our bags?” she asked.

  “We’ll leave them here,” he said. “I’ll come out later and get them.”

  “No, you’re not coming out here alone, in the dark. I just need to grab a few things.”

  “I’ll carry your bag,” he said. “We’ll leave mine here.”

  He grabbed the flashlight, then helped her fasten the snowshoes to her boots. Greta held the flashlight out in the swirling snow. “If I fall down on these things, I’m not going to be able to get up.”

  “I’ll pick you up,” he said. “We’re not that far. And if the cabin isn’t where it’s supposed to be, we’ll come back to the car and snuggle up for the night.”

  “Don’t think you’re going to seduce me like you do all your other women. I’m immune to your charms,” she muttered. He turned the flashlight on her face and she managed a smile.

  “You think I’m hot,” he said. “I know it. I can see it in the way you look at me. Like you’re undressing me with your eyes.”

  She reached out and slapped away the flashlight. “If you don’t stop, I’m going to walk back to the nearest town and find a cheap motel. You are so full of yourself.”

  “All right, start out slowly. The shoes will feel a bit clumsy at first. Don’t shuffle. Just pick up your feet and place them in front of you and you’ll be fine.”

  He hoisted her bag over his shoulder, closed the car door and took her hand. They hadn’t taken more than ten steps before she got her feet tangled and pitched forward into the snow. Alex tried to catch her, but her bag shifted and he lost his own balance, coming down beside her.

  He turned the flashlight on her as she sat up, her face covered with snow. Greta looked so ridiculous, he couldn’t help but laugh. Reaching out, he brushed the snow from her cheek with his gloved hand.

  “Stop!” she shouted. “This isn’t funny. People die out here. They’ll find our frozen bodies in the spring. We’ll become a cautionary tale. Look at the two fools who drove into the middle of a blizzard for a free night at some dusty old cabin.”

  Alex gently brushed the snow from her hair, illuminating her features with the flashlight. “Do you want me to carry you?”

  “I can walk,” she said. “But I want to hold the flashlight.”

  Once on their feet, they started down the road again, guided by a narrow stream of light on the sparkling snow. The only sound breaking the silence of the forest was the gentle shush of their feet. There was no wind, and snowflakes silently drifted down on the chilly night air.

  “Beautiful,” he said.

  “Lavishing me with compliments is not going to make me walk any faster,” Greta said.

  “I was commenting on the weather,” he replied.

  She stopped in her tracks and aimed the flashlight into the dark forest. Alex prepared himself for another sharp comment, but then she took a deep breath and smiled. “Yes, it is really beautiful. It’s so quiet. You can almost hear the snowflakes hitting the ground.”

  “I’m glad you decided to come along,” he said. He reached out and took her hand, then dropped a friendly kiss on her forehead. “We’re going to have lots of fun.”

  But as they walked toward the cabin, Alex found himself thinking of more than just fun. As he’d leaned over to kiss her, he’d almost made a detour to her lips. The impulse to really kiss her, full-on, lip-to-lip, with a little tongue, had been almost too much to resist.

  Alex drew a deep breath of the cold night air. So what had changed? Did he want to alter the rules they’d made? Or was he just a little horny? Whatever it was, he had the whole weekend to figure it out.

  * * *

  THE CABIN APPEARED out of the snow like a golden beacon. Every light in the place was on and from a distance, it looked exactly like a snow globe, all hazy and picturesque.

  As they walked closer, Greta saw that the place wasn’t exactly what she’d consider a cabin. Though it was constructed of logs, their destination was more like a primitive-looking mansion. When they came close enough to the light spilling from the porch, she stopped and glanced over at Alex. His eyes were wide.

  “Thea must have sent the caretaker up here to turn on the lights,” he muttered.

  “Why is she being so nice to you?” Greta asked. “I thought she was completely self-absorbed.”

  “She offered us a cabin for the weekend. I suppose she was trying to reward me and Dave for the work we’ve done.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think that’s it,” Greta replied. “She’s probably got some ulterior motive. And calling this a cabin is like calling the White House a cozy Colonial.”

  “Our ad campaigns have increased her business by thirty-seven percent over the past year. She’s grateful. And after all the long hours I put in for her, I’m glad it’s luxurious. Besides, what ulterior motives could she have?”

  “She probably wants to get into your pants,” Greta muttered. “After a weekend here, you’re going to owe her.”

  “No!”

  “You know, sometimes guys can be so dense,” she said, shaking her head. “She’s a cougar if I ever saw one. Just because she’s over forty doesn’t mean she can’t be attracted to you. And she uses her power and her money to get exactly what she wants. Why do you think her whole team is young, sexy and male? What do men know about cosmetics? Let’s face it, she likes the eye candy.”

  “She picked us for our talent,” Alex said. “And she says that men are more inclined to see women as sexual objects, which is what she’s trying to sell.”

  “She picked you because you have a pretty face and a hot bod.”

  “I should be insulted,” Alex said. “But I promised myself we weren’t going to fight this weekend.”

  The log structure was set into the mountainside, with walls of glass windows overlooking the rugged landscape. A covered porch circled two sides of the home and wide steps led up to the front doors.


  Greta noticed an SUV parked in front, covered with snow. “I thought you said Dave couldn’t come.”

  “He can’t. His sister was coming to town.”

  “Someone is here,” Greta said, pointing to the car. “Maybe he changed his mind.”

  Alex stopped dead in his tracks. “That’s an Escalade. Thea drives an Escalade.”

  “Oh, well, there it is,” Greta said with a satisfied laugh. “Adler scores. Game, set and match. I think we can finally agree on the motives behind this invitation.”

  “Maybe she came up to stock the cabin and got stuck in the snow,” he said, continuing to the porch. “Or maybe she just wanted to get us settled before leaving for the weekend.”

  “Maybe she came for a ménage à trois,” Greta suggested. “Dave plus Alex plus Thea does equal three by my count.”

  When they reached the front steps of the wide wraparound porch, Alex unhooked his snowshoes and stuck them into a snowbank. Then he helped Greta out of hers. They slowly walked up the steps.

  “She said she’d leave the key on a hook under the porch swing.”

  Greta reached out and rang the doorbell, then stepped aside. “Why don’t we try this first.”

  A moment later the door swung open and Thea Michaels appeared in all her splendor. She wore black silk lounging pajamas that were open in the front to reveal a lacy black bra. Her ash-blond hair was strategically mussed to look as if she’d just crawled out of bed and her lips were stained a luscious red. She just oozed sex appeal. Greta felt like a frump in comparison.

  Alex drew a sharp breath and Greta smiled to herself. She wasn’t often right, but when she was, it was pure pleasure. For a guy who prided himself on his intimate knowledge of women, Alex really was naive.

  “Thea!” Alex said, stepping forward. “I didn’t expect to find you here.”

  “Alex, darling. Come in, come in. You look like you trekked from the Arctic Circle. You’re covered with snow.” She looked at Greta. “Is that Dave?”

  “No,” Alex said as he stepped inside. “This is one of our art directors. Greta Adler. Dave couldn’t come. He had a family obligation, so I invited Greta.” Alex paused, then quickly draped his arm around Greta’s shoulders. “She’s my girlfriend.”