Bryan gave her a surreptitious pinch and assured her mother that he’d be more than happy to wear anything such a beautiful woman recommended. Callie rolled her eyes at his flowery language. Jesse Lawson gave him a Leatherman pocketknife, and Cynthia and Addie gave him a set of guitar picks and elastic bands for his hair.
Addie smiled up at him shyly. “Callie told us you’re always losing your picks and hair bands, so we gave you super-sized boxes.”
Much to their delight, he gave each girl a peck on the cheek. “It’s so nice to have my own personal elves. Now if you could only find a way to help me keep up with my keys.”
Callie sighed dramatically. “Hey, there’s only so much us curly-toed creatures can do. Helping you keep up with everything you lose would be a full-time job.”
“Yeah,” he whispered back, “but I give great benefits.”
Addie and Cynthia’s second gift to Bryan was a double picture frame. On one side was a snapshot of Callie as a baby, on the other a more current portrait taken when the family did a session with a local photographer the previous summer. Callie was wearing a simple rose-colored wrap dress, her hair was pinned up and she had the same shy smile he remembered from the first day they’d met. In the baby picture she looked to be about a year old and was clad only in a diaper. Her hair formed a huge curly afro around her head and she was grinning, showing all four of her teeth. As he gazed intently at the baby picture, he felt a warmth and tightening in his chest as he suddenly realized that he wanted a replica of that tiny, chubby-cheeked creature of his own. He wondered how Callie would feel about having his babies. Callie had moved over closer to look at the pictures, and when she glanced up, their eyes locked. She knew he’d been thinking about babies. She lowered her eyes immediately, surprised by how much she wanted them too.
She moved back over to her end of the love seat and watched closely as he opened her present to him. It had taken hours to purchase the autographed Johnny Cash boxed CD set on eBay. She was convinced she had paid far too much for it, but when she saw the way his lips trembled as he traced the signature with his finger, she knew that it was worth any price. When he turned to look at her, the emotion in those tempestuous blue eyes was more telling than even the most passionate kiss.
Knowing his penchant for giving her extravagant presents, she opened her gift very cautiously. All the goodwill he had engendered from her family during this trip could be undone in that very moment. The box was small, just the right size for another shockingly expensive piece of jewelry, but instead it contained a small card indicating that she was the recipient of the complete six-volume set of Edward Gibbon’s History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. The gift was pricey, but it was not the type of thing a man would give his kept woman.
The gift pleased Edith Lawson as well. As a librarian she realized its expense, but more importantly, it showed that this young man understood her daughter and was clearly on a mission to win her heart. If he’d taken the time to appreciate what such a gift would mean to Callie, she could no longer doubt his intentions. Especially in light of the fact that he was willing to go out of his way to impress her family. She would still watch Bryan closely, but she was more than half convinced that he was sincere in his feelings for her daughter.
Callie looked up at Bryan, one eyebrow raised inquiringly.
Bryan knew exactly what that silent query meant. His Callie was mercenary to the end. “Yes, Callie, I bought the set through Books and So Forth. Tonya helped me. And yes, I paid retail.”
Callie grinned at Bryan, happy that such a lucrative sale had been channeled through her store. Then maintaining a sedate demeanor in front of her family, she reached over to give him a brief peck on the lips.
Bryan grinned back, “Now don’t forget, you’ll have to share. I’ve always wanted that set for myself.”
Vancouver, British Columbia, was one of the most breathtakingly lovely cities Callie had ever seen. As they drove up the mountain towards the ski resort Callie thought that the copywriter who had coined the slogan “From Sea to Sky” in describing the city, had earned every penny of what was undoubtedly a huge bonus check. Deep, crystal-clear alpine lakes were surrounded by spiraling snowcapped peaks. Having grown up in a region of tall, skinny, loblolly pines, Callie was astounded by the height and size the pines here attained. Expecting the type of arctic weather for which Canada was famous, she had been surprised to find that it wasn’t much colder than it had been in Alabama when they left. Bryan explained that this part of Canada was actually rain forest and experienced moderate temperatures because of the warm, Pacific currents. Callie was surprised to learn that there were rain forests at this latitude, but was grateful for the pleasant weather.
* * *
The resort was designed like a lodge. The main building, the hub, housed the public spaces, restaurants, and meeting rooms. It was connected to the various chalets through a courtyard. The owner of the resort was a friend of B.T.’s and, as Storm Crow would be playing there on New Year’s Eve, Callie and Bryan were rushed through check-in procedures with a minimum of fuss. Their chalet was dominated by a massive slate fireplace that was complemented by natural stone flooring and oversized furniture. The living room opened into a small kitchenette and there were also two bedrooms. However, it was understood that they would be using only one. After arriving in their room, Callie and Bryan moved into each other’s arms for a long embrace. The lack of close contact during their stay at Callie’s parents’ house had been brutal for both of them. Callie almost purred with pleasure from being in Bryan’s arms, and Bryan closed his eyes, savoring every moment. In all too short a time, he would be separated from her again.
The other band members had already arrived and had left a message for Bryan and Callie to join them for dinner at seven o’clock. Bryan groaned when he got the message. He’d planned to order room service, have a leisurely dinner with Callie, then spend the rest of the evening making up for their long separation. He looked at Callie, noting her drooping shoulders and the shadows around her eyes. The cross-country trip had been hard on her. Though they’d only had to change planes twice, it had still been a grueling trip. Maybe dinner with the guys and an early bedtime would be better. After all, there was always the morning…
“Baby, you look really tired. You want to lay down and take a nap? We’ve still got a couple of hours until dinner.”
Callie snuggled her face closer into Bryan’s neck. “Are you going to join me?”
Bryan grinned widely. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a better invitation.”
* * *
Dinner was a riotous affair. The main restaurant, with its stone walls and timber-framed ceiling, was filled with après-ski revelers, and Callie and Bryan’s table was one of the rowdiest. Soothed by one another’s presence after their extended separation, they had overslept and joined the others much later than scheduled. This, of course, caused rife speculation as to why they were late. Callie blushed furiously. Though she and Bryan hadn’t made love, she was terribly disconcerted that everyone assumed they had. Bryan, who was not embarrassed in the least, finally took pity on his shamefaced girlfriend and shushed the rest of the band members.
Callie was disappointed to discover that she would be the only woman on the trip. Apparently Twist and Naysa had had yet another disagreement and she had decided not to come. Cinnamon was spending the holidays with her family and hadn’t joined them either. Callie liked both women and had looked forward to spending some time with them on this trip, especially when the band was rehearsing.
As the evening wore on the teasing got progressively worse. Undoubtedly the copious amounts of wine and beer added to the merriment, but soon the conversation turned to various exploits of Storm Crow on the road in previous years. Twist was clearly trying to impress Thad and elevated the raunchiness level with each subsequent beer. Groupies were a favorite topic and Callie was fascinated when Twist mentioned a unique interlude that had involved Bryan, crunchy peanut butter, and an especially enthusiastic young lady.
“Bryan, what on earth did you do to that poor girl, and why did it involve crunchy peanut butter?” Callie asked, wide-eyed at the possibilities. Everything she could think of seemed preposterously uncomfortable and maybe even dangerous.
Bryan scratched his head. “Well, I do prefer crunchy, but everybody knows it only works with the creamy kind,” he responded obliquely.
This was greeted with hoots of laughter from the band, and Bryan joined in when Callie hissed her irritation. “What only works? What did y’all do?”
Gasping for breath, Bryan rasped out, “Believe me, baby, you really don’t want to know. Besides, I was much younger then. I haven’t touched the stuff in years.”
Jon and Twist booed their disbelief at Bryan’s comment. “Okay, I swear, I haven’t done peanut butter in months.” He glared at his friends, daring them to say otherwise. “And you guys really need to give it a rest.”
They calmed down somewhat, and the rest of dinner was more subdued. They made arrangements for an early morning ski run on one of Brodie’s favorite trails. In keeping with Brodie’s impetuous nature, it was a double black diamond, one of the toughest courses at the resort. It would be challenging to everyone but Twist, who was the daredevil of the group. They looked at the run as a tribute to Brodie and a welcoming ritual to Thad, who had fit in with the band as if he’d always been there. Callie intended to sleep in, then join Bryan later on one of the green trails, maybe a blue one if she hadn’t lost all her skiing ability. She’d learned to ski on a school trip to Vermont and was happy to hear that skiing on powder was significantly easier than on the wet snow back east.
The exercise would be good for Bryan, but she worried about the emotional catharsis that might occur. Although Bryan seemed to have put Brodie’s death in perspective as a tragedy, one he didn’t have the power to prevent, would making this ski run evoke memories and emotions better left undisturbed? Additionally, she had studied the map of the route they planned to take, and was concerned about their skiing such a dangerous trail. While they all seemed to be experienced on this particular course, they’d never skied it under stressful circumstances. Bryan probably wouldn’t have a breakdown or anything that dramatic, but his feelings could distract him from what he was doing, and on a course like that, inattention could be dangerous.
* * *
As the sun rose over the jagged spires of Blackcomb Mountain, Callie awakened to Bryan’s soft, loving kisses on her neck and face. His hair unbound, his eyes heavy-lidded with desire, Bryan was stroking and caressing her body to arousal. Callie smoothed her hands over the golden flesh exposed by his lack of a pajama top. Bryan’s long torso and arms were defined by sleek, ropy muscles, and his lanky form radiated heat, a warmth that her own body longed for.
Bryan slid his hands along the curves of her thighs underneath the short cotton knit nightgown she’d donned the previous evening after he rejected her flannel “granny” gown as something old ladies wore to bed. As he again kissed the side of her neck, Callie asked about the ban on sex for athletes. Bryan replied that obviously none of those guys had awakened with her in his bed.
Callie demanded that Bryan do a striptease, slowly, planning to enjoy every moment of having a hot rock star in her bed. Bryan got out of bed and languidly doffed his pajama bottoms, clearly savoring Callie’s delight in his body. He insisted that Callie reciprocate, and she did so awkwardly, but with a certain amount of pride because his eyes caressed her every curve.
They continued the teasing foreplay for as long as they could until suddenly the need to join their bodies overwhelmed them. Bryan moved his hand from her thigh to the center of her womanhood, caressing her to even greater readiness. Then he moved between her parted legs, and Callie gasped as he finally brought their bodies together. The pleasure was excruciating as Bryan took his time dragging out each stroke for maximum sensation. Finally toward the end, he could no longer control himself, and his movements became fierce, almost harsh as his body crashed into hers. Callie felt the incredible release of her completion just as Bryan, with a final thrust, was catapulted into his own orgasm. He growled his fulfillment as his body shuddered uncontrollably.
When he could catch his breath, he grinned down at her wolfishly. “See, those jocks don’t have a clue what they’re missing.”
* * *
After his morning ski run with the rest of his band, Bryan and Callie enjoyed a leisurely lunch before hitting the slopes together. He didn’t say anything about the morning’s activities, other than that they had all made it down the mountain without incident. Since he seemed to be in a good mood, Callie assumed that all her worries were for naught, and her own spirits lifted. It took her a while to get her form back, but before very long, she was skiing quite proficiently on the green trails.
They stopped for a while to watch Twist and Thad snowboard in the half-pipe. His bandmates tried to convince Bryan to join them, but he demurred, reminding them that the resort belonged to one of B.T.’s numerous friends, who no doubt was also part of the legendary grapevine he cultivated. Given his reaction to Bryan’s previous episodes of recklessness, B.T. would probably have a seizure if he ever heard about the treacherous ski run they’d taken that morning. God forbid word should get back to him that his band was anywhere near a half-pipe.