Vacation (34 page)

I moved back a little, but gave him a
smile. "I'm good, but thank you. I really appreciate you saving me."

"Really? You sure?" He lifted an
eyebrow as if shocked that a woman would refuse him. He had playboy written all
over him in ten different colors.

No
thanks.

"Yeah, but have a great day." I
moved to the lift and took the older man's hand who was helping people get on.

"Good thing old Finn was there to save
you. That might have been ugly." The guy laughed and helped me onto the
lift.

Finn called from below, his hands over his
mouth and his eyes full of promise. "That's not fair; you have my name and
I don't have yours."

"Just call me baby." I laughed
at the look on his face. I'd known a lot of playboys in my day, and when they
didn't remember your name, you just became baby, or honey, or sugar.

Dime
a dozen.

Chapter 6

Finn

I was just being kind by reaching out and
saving the clumsy girl in front of me, not thinking anything of it. It was my
first day off in weeks and hitting the slopes was all I could think about. Not
being with a woman for a week had left me grouchy and depressed, but a promise
was a promise.

What I hadn't expected was the falling woman
to steal my breath when she turned around.

Her blonde hair was long and hung in wavy
lengths just above her perky breasts. Sun-kissed skin and sea-green eyes with
long eyelashes and incredibly kissable lips – she was everything I enjoyed
physically about a woman. Probably dumb as dirt, but I'd leave shortly after
the sex so we wouldn’t have to talk much.

I swallowed hard and offered to ride to
the top with her as my heart beat against the inside of my chest in a way it
hadn't before. It had to be withdrawals. Twelve years of holding a different
woman every night became a nasty habit after a while. I was addicted to being
wanted like some guys were to the bottle.

It's
just a girl. Slow your roll. No women for twenty-five days.

When she refused my offer, it was a slap
to the face. There had been very few women in my past who hadn't jumped at the
chance to do something with me. It was shocking and refreshing. It caused a
fire to ignite inside of me. She would be a challenge, if nothing else.

She got on the lift as Jerry, the old man
who owned the thing, gave the girl my name. He winked at me and I rewarded him
with a smirk, calling out to her and asking for her name in return.

When she'd called herself baby, I knew I
was in for a treat. She was either a player herself or had guys like me figured
out. Either way, I wanted to know.

I jumped on the platform and got on the
next lift as Jerry chuckled. "Good luck, son. She's not interested."

"I'm glad she's not." I wrapped
one arm around myself and waved as she looked back at me. She might not think
she was interested, but she was. If not, I'd subtly force it to happen.

It seemed like forever by the time we made
it to the top and she was quick to hop off and move toward the bunny slopes. A
chuckle left me at the thought of her learning to ski and I realized that I had
to tread lightly. My usual attack wouldn't work on this girl, at all. She had a
man or had been broken by one. Either way, her unwillingness to give me the
time of day meant something was up.

"Couldn't be me." I shrugged and
internally rolled my eyes. When the fuck had I gotten so cocky?

I dropped off the lift and moved toward
her, calling out with my hands around my mouth. "Baby. Wait up."

Several people from the bunny slope line
turned and smiled like we were a cute couple and she was leaving my ass in the
snow. She turned and put her hands on her hips, narrowing her eyes, and making
my cock twitch at the dominance in her gaze.

"I'm not your baby, and I don't need
your help." She kept her glare locked into place and some part of me
expected it to fade, but it didn't. She was serious.

"Well, if I knew your name, I
wouldn't have to call you by a common nickname for lovers." I shrugged and
moved up behind her. "You know my name. Give me yours."

"And then, you'll hop off? I'm not
interested."

She let out a soft sigh, and I worked like
hell to keep my eyes on hers and not take in the rest of her beautiful face. I
wanted to memorize her, but I hated it when people did that shit to me. I was
standing on the other side of the situation for the first time in my life – and
it was thrilling.

"Yes, but if you're trying to learn
to ski, I'm a local and there are much better bunny slopes around the back side
of this mountain. I would be more than happy to help you learn. Nothing else.
Promise." I held up my hands and gave her my best innocent expression.

"I'm Stacy, and I'm not buying that
face for a second." She shook her head.

The smell of strawberries and vanilla
filled my senses and I stifled a groan at the sweet smell of her shampoo. I
glanced behind me and pointed to the narrow passage that would lead to a little
bit of privacy.

"Well, Stacy, which isn't your name,
at all," I looked back at her and winked, "if you can get through
that narrow passage, I'll show you a secret slope that honestly will help you
much better than what these guys are going to do."

"Nothing else? No phone number, no
see you around and then you stalk me?" She lifted an eyebrow.

"Nope, so giving me your real name
would be good. If I need to call out to you, you
ain't
responding to Stacy."

"
Ain't
isn't a word." Her hand dropped from her hips and she shook her head.
"Okay on the teaching session, but I only have an hour. So cut to the
chase and save your flirting for someone it might work on."

I reached out and took her hand, helping
her to the opening in the mountain and squeezing in behind her as I let her go.
She had to be the most naturally beautiful woman I'd ever seen. If she were
wearing makeup, she hid it well.

"So, California or Florida?" I
asked and moved up beside her, offering my hand.

She slapped it as if we were exchanging a
greeting. The smirk on her face caused my stomach to tighten. I had to have
her. The cocky bitch needed a man like me for the night, and she would bring me
back down to reality, if nothing else.

"California, and my name is
Mindy." She winked, and I chuckled, unable to help myself.

"Alright, Lindy."

She turned and growled softly.
"Mindy. You've already forgotten my name. You should switch to baby or
hun."

"How do you know that trick?"

"I go to school at UCLA. Man whores
are a dime a dozen." She positioned herself at the top of the slopes and
glanced over at me as I flinched from her comment, without meaning to. "Oh,
I'm sorry. I was just teasing."

"Sorry about what?" I deflected
and nodded toward the slope. "Alright, so let's try this little one first
and we'll move up. I'll go right beside you should something happen. You skied
at all before?"

She watched me for a second, analyzing
something about me, but I didn't ask what. Two could play her game.

Man
whore…

It was a proud badge to wear, as most guys
would know. Only girls seemed to use it as something derogatory.

"As a kid, I skied. Up here,
actually." She turned and bent her knees a little before pulling her
glasses into place. "How long have you lived here?"

"All my life, baby." I winked at
her and moved up beside her. "Take it slow and if you need me, well, you know
my name. Let's hope I don't need you."

She chuckled and lifted her pole, smacking
me in the chest with it. "It's Chloe and stop being so damn cute. I'm only
here for a few weeks. I don't sleep around, and I'm only looking for a friend.
Be nice and I might let you put in an application."

"Ha! Who said I want to?" I
pushed off and she moved up right beside me as the wind blew around us.

Her voice was sexy as hell and filled to
the brim with confidence as she responded. "Oh, you want to."

I did. Badly.

We made it to the bottom of the circle and
I pulled her to a stop, seeing that she didn't seem able to figure out how to
slow herself.

She turned toward me and reached out,
taking a hold of one of my arms as she wobbled a little.

"Wow. What a rush." She turned
and looked back up the mountain. "I love it. Let's do it again."

"You skied as a kid, but you don't
remember how to stop yourself?"

"It's been a long time. I much prefer
the beach and the heat." She turned back to me and smiled before reaching
up and brushing something from the side of my cap.

Her nearness stole my breath and for the
second time in the hour I felt light-headed over this woman. I needed her
number, needed to figure out something I could offer her that would have her
taking up another one of my afternoons.

"You only have an hour. We can do
this two or three more times and then we need to get back." I pointed down
at my skis and turned both of them inward. "Do this to stop, okay?"

"Okay. I'll try it this time, but
stay close just in case." She licked her lips and looked back up the
mountain. "How do we get back up there?"

"We walk around to the lift. That's
why we'll only get a few more times to make the run."

She growled and the sound of it shot an
arrow of lust into the center of me. "I want more time. I might actually
get this down this year."

"You're already doing
good
. Tell you what..." I bit my lip and looked out
toward the valley below as she turned her attention on me. "Let's do this
and then I'll give you my number. If you want to learn the next level up, just
call me and if I'm free, I'm your man."

She chuckled and moved toward the lift.
"Let's go, playboy. You can give me your number, but whether or not I call
it is an entirely different story."

"And, why wouldn't you?" I moved
up beside her and reached out to catch her as she stumbled again. I tugged her
back as she dropped her poles and pressed her hands to my chest as she looked
up at me.

"Because you're dangerous." The
smirk that lifted her lips did something to my insides and a shot of fear ran
through me. I could fall for this girl, which would be bad – really bad.

"Dangerous? I've saved your ass twice
today. I'd say I'm safe." I smiled and released her before bending over
and picking up her poles.

"Yes, a gentleman in the devil's
disguise." She moved up beside me and took my hand and Jerry's to help her
get back up on the platform.

I got up beside her and chuckled as Jerry
winked at me again. "Jerry. She thinks I'm trouble. Tell her I
ain't
."

She turned and pinned me with a stare –
over using the word
ain't
, no doubt. I chuckled
again, enjoying the feeling of freedom to just be me and nothing else with her.

"He's a good man and has been far
better than most of these boys around here. He's pushed the pause button on his
own life to help his daddy." Jerry patted my chest and smiled with pride.
"He's a great boy, and I'm glad to know him."

"Well, damn, Jerry. I didn't need you
to go that far." I smiled and moved up to the lift, taking Chloe's hand
and making sure she was safe as the back of the chair hit our legs.

"You're helping your father
here?" She glanced over at me, her attitude seeming to have dulled a
little.

"Yeah, but it's nothing like Jerry
made it seem." I shrugged and pulled my goggles off. "Dad’s worked
his whole life to build up his snow removal business, and I plan to open a
lodge one day up here, so leaving wouldn't work, anyway."

"So, you're helping him with his
business?"

"Yeah." I looked over at her and
smiled.

"What?" Her eyes narrowed a
little and I shook my head.

"Nothing." I leaned back and let
out a long sigh. "You're staying through Christmas?"

"Yep, and not a minute longer."
She turned and looked out at the horizon. "It's beautiful here, but my
home is in California now."

"Your family there, too?" I
couldn't help but dig a little.

"My mother passed away eight years
ago, but my father and brother are in Arizona most of the year and here for the
winter." She looked back over at me. "We've been doing the back and
forth thing since I was little. Used to be fun. No so much anymore."

"Skiing in the winter isn't fun
anymore? Why not? Seems absurd to me." I extended my hand as we got
closer.

"Thank you," she mumbled and
took it before hopping off with me. "My dad's an asshole and quite the man
whore himself."

Is
she still referring to me as a man whore?

"Finn! Oh my goodness. It's my lucky
day." A pretty brunette moved toward me as we got off the lift. She
glanced toward Chloe and smirked in a less than kind fashion.

"Hey, girl. How are you?" I
smiled and returned the awkward hug. I mouthed, “I don't know her” to Chloe as
she rolled her eyes and turned, moving toward the narrow passage we used to get
to the back of the mountain.

"Oh
my gosh
.
I've missed you so much!" The nameless girl puffed out her bottom lip.
"Why didn't you call me? You said you would."

"I was going to, but my damn phone
ended up in the washing machine." I glanced up to see Chloe gone and knew
I had
a
only few minutes to catch up with her.

Any chances of snuggling up to her were
lost, no doubt. Knowing that her father used woman like I did made it apparent
that she wasn't calling me out by mistake, but because she knew how to spot us.

My heart ached at the thought of not
having a chance with her, and I carefully unwound myself from the girl in front
of me and smiled down at her.