“So, how are you feeling so far?”
“Well, I’m no longer worried about being alone for Christmas,” I said. “That alone makes me feel so much better. As far as Grant is concerned, it’s a little confusing, I guess. I can see now what kind of damage he was doing to me, the abuses he was putting me through. I’m relieved that I’m now out of that situation and that I didn’t end up making a lifelong choice with him. At the same time, I feel like I’m a little lost. I don’t really remember who I am. I have been Grant’s slave for three years now, and then, poof, I have to remember what it’s like to be me again. It’s a bit overwhelming.”
“I think that is natural,” Hailey said. “I mean, even in the best relationships, when they are over, you are left with a bit of an identity crisis, and with this one, he sucked the life right out of you.”
“Yep,” I replied, sipping my wine. “But all in all, I am fine. I definitely will use some of this time for some soul searching, but I am much better than I ever thought I would be if Grant and I broke up.”
“Good,” Hailey said, drinking her drink. “Now, all we have to do is get some warm clothes for skiing and get out on the slopes in the morning.”
“I’m not sure if I am too excited about this,” I said, laughing. “But it’s vacation, so I am open to trying just about anything.”
“And don’t forget your promise to find yourself a hunky skier and shack up in the light of the fireplace.” She laughed.
“Yeah, yeah,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I’ll get there.”
We finished up our wine, talking about the people in the hotel, what we were planning to do while we were here, and the guys she planned on searching out as well. I almost forgot that Hailey was single, too, which made this a single girls’ weekend. I was hoping she would find herself a guy and forget all about my promise to hook up with someone. It just felt like the complete opposite of where I had been, but maybe that was point. Maybe that was what it would take to do a complete reset on my life. I sighed, thinking about it, never having been the girl that just randomly hooked up with men. Hailey had a great personality, but I was the brooding author, too shy to really talk to anyone, and from what I’ve found out, society only finds brooding authors to be sexy if they are men.
I took the last gulp of wine and set down my glass, looking at Hailey. She was already dressed to go, but I wanted to freshen up just a bit after the drive to Aspen. I looked down at my watch and then back at her.
“I’m going to run upstairs and freshen up before we go,” I said. “Give me like ten minutes, and I will come back down, and we can jet out of here.”
“Sounds good,” she said, ordering another glass of wine. “I’ll be right here.”
“Cool,” I replied, getting up and grabbing my coat from the back of the chair.
I walked out of the lounge and across the marble floors to the elevators. I pressed the button and waited, smiling at the other guests as they exited the adjacent elevators. The door opened, and I climbed inside, turning around and looking up as the doors began to close. A man walked in front of the elevators and stopped, looking around like he’d lost someone. I thought about opening the doors so he could get inside, but I was frozen in place. This guy was probably the most attractive man I had ever seen in person. He had a definite ski boy look to him, but at the same time, was incredibly masculine. His hair was black and shaggy, and his eyes were a sparkling light brown. The contrast was almost breathtaking, just like people told me about my eyes. He had a strong, muscular physique that filled out his Henley. His sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, and I could see tattoos covering his arms.
I had always thought a muscular man with tattoos was extremely sexy, but on him, it was like ten-fold. The doors squeezed shut, and my body relaxed. My shoulders pushed back against the mirrored walls. I hadn’t been taken aback by a man like that ever in my life. Sure, when I met Grant, I thought he was extremely handsome, but nothing that stopped me dead in my tracks. I almost had to assume that someone that good looking had some sort of major character flaw. They never were handsome and amazing at the same time. However, with the feeling bubbling up in my chest and the heat between my legs, I was starting to think that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to hook up with someone on this trip after all. Maybe I could even catch Mr. Tattoo’s attention.
Chapter 9
Cameron
It was Friday and the start of another very busy weekend. My first class was one of the more extensive ones. It was a beginners’ class, but we took more time with them, really getting them acquainted with the equipment, how to wear it, and what to do while on the slopes. Most of the class was actually held outside, since they would be putting on and taking off their skis the whole time. It was a cold class, but nothing I wasn’t used to since at most of the resorts, we did the entire thing outside. The class had filled up after two people canceled the day before, so I didn’t have to make any adjustments, which was a good thing since I was a bit sore from heading out to the slopes the whole day Thursday. It had been a while since I had been out like that, and my body definitely let me know how it felt about it. I had come back and taken a hot bath, but I still woke up with sore muscles.
“So,” Glen said, pulling the box of equipment across the snow. “Did you find that mystery girl from yesterday?”
“Yes and no,” I said. “When I went upstairs, I looked down in the courtyard, and there she was. I threw on my shoes and coat and ran out there, freezing my ass off. However, by the time I got there, she was gone, and I didn’t see her anywhere inside. I ended up going back to the bar and having a drink before heading out when the wind died down and spending the evening skiing.”
“Is that why you look like you are about a hundred years old today?”
“I guess I should have stretched beforehand,” I said, laughing. “But it didn’t help, anyway. I pretty much thought about that girl the entire time I was out there.”
“Uh oh,” Glen said, smirking. “A girl that has finally gotten to you enough for you to think about her more than just the typical time.”
“I don’t need your hell.” I laughed. “It doesn’t mean anything, besides the fact that she was pretty, and I am attracted to her.”
“Sure,” Glen said. “I mean, I chase down girls and think about them for hours because I’m just attracted to them.”
“Shut up,” I groaned. “She is not the typical girl. You didn’t see her. I can promise you, if you had seen her, you would have been bounding out into the snow after her, too.”
“No, probably not.” He laughed. “But I do wish I had been able to see you out there freezing your ass off, chasing a ghost of a woman through the snow. I have to admit, it warms my heart a little to know that maybe, just maybe, you aren’t a complete and total douche bag from hell.”
“Don’t count on it,” I said with a smirk.
We finished setting up everything just as the group of beginners made their way up from the bottom of the hill. One by one, we helped them off the lift, instructing them on where to go and how to set up for the class. Everyone had bright and shiny new gear, and most of them had bright and shiny new snowsuits. I was assuming neon was in fashion these days because the class looked a bit like a group of highlighters in the snow. The only exception were two girls, and I could only tell they were girls from the shape of their bodies, standing in the back row. They were completely bundled up from head to toe, including shaded goggles for the sun. At least their outfits were neutral colors. Otherwise, the brightness of it all might have blinded me. I looked over at Glen as he looked over the troops, shaking his head and lifting his shoulders. As usual, he started the class out, and I stood by, lifting up gear as we explained each piece and the purpose of those pieces.
“So, this is the latch that you will slip your boot into,” Glen said, holding up the boot. “Don’t do it yet. Just watch. We will get to all of it very shortly.”