“Love you, Con.”
“Love you too, Mom.” I end the call and call my brother back. “Royce,” I say when he answers.
“What did she rope you into?”
“Well, she wants me to leave for the cabin early. She’s worried about Aspen being up there all alone.”
“Hmm, not a bad plan, really. I’m sure that will make Aurora feel better to know you’re going to be there too.”
“She wants me to leave tomorrow since that’s when Aspen is leaving.”
“Anything I need to handle for you this week at the office?”
“Nah, I had an easy week. I’ll take my laptop and can work remotely if needed. I’ll be able to keep up on emails and anything else that arises from the cabin.” Now that I think about it, this is going to be nice. A few days away from the office sounds like just what the doctor ordered.
“All right, brother. I guess I’ll see you later this week.”
“See you then.” I end the call, and even though I want another beer, I pass instead and detour to my bedroom to start packing.
“I’ll be sure to bring your suit,” Mom tells me. “Oh, and here.” She hands me a cooler.
“What’s this?”
“Snacks for the trip as promised. There’s another one in the back seat. I had Dad load it when you got here.”
“How did I miss that?” I ask with a shake of my head. This woman never ceases to amaze me.
“I have my ways. If there is anything you forgot, just call me, and I’ll make sure to bring it with us on Wednesday.”
“I think I’m good but will let you know.” I pull her into a hug and kiss her cheek. “See you in a few days.” With a handshake for Dad and another hug from Mom, I’m pulling out of their driveway for my impromptu road trip.
The sky is gray, and from the looks of it, it could bring a winter storm. I’m kicking myself in the ass for not driving my truck. The weather wasn’t even a factor, and it should have been.
“Perfect. Here comes the snow,” I murmur to myself a little more than three hours into the trip. Huge flakes are falling from the sky, and from the temperatures and the size, I know it’s going to stick. I just hope I can make it to the cabin before the roads are too treacherous to drive on.
“Damn.” In a matter of minutes, I’ve driven into an all-out snowstorm. Both hands grip the wheel so tightly my knuckles are white. Reaching over, I turn down the radio and can’t help but laugh. My mom used to do the same thing when I was a kid like it was going to make her a better driver or something. We would always give her a hard time, and here I am acting just like her. I don’t want the music to be a distraction. I need to stay focused on the road. I also keep my eyes peeled for Aspen’s SUV. I’m not sure what time she was leaving. I hope she missed this or at least caught the tail end of it before arriving at the cabin.
“Maybe I should call her,” I say to myself as I go to reach for my phone. My car spins, and in my haste to put both hands back on the wheel, I drop my phone. Thankfully, I have Bluetooth. I hit the button on my steering wheel, and it pops up on my screen that there’s no phone connected. Damn it. My phone battery has been draining quickly, and I’ve been turning off my Bluetooth to save battery life. I didn’t even realize it wasn’t connected when I started out earlier.
The snow is falling so hard I can hardly see the road, and I’m worried that if I pull off, I won’t be getting back on the interstate. The GPS on the dash says I’m about thirty minutes away from the cabin. I can’t really tell from this whiteout I’m driving through. I just hope Aspen is there and she’s safe.
Thirty minutes turns into an hour, but I’m finally pulling into the driveway of my family’s cabin. Aspen’s silver SUV is parked in the drive. Her window is covered in snow, and there are no tire tracks, which tells me that she’s been here for a while. I feel my shoulders ease from the knowledge and the fact that my drive is over. We are definitely hunkering down for the evening.
Pulling the hood of my sweatshirt up to ward off the cold, I climb out and feel around on the floorboard for my cell phone. I find it wedged up under the seat. Slamming the door, I start to head to the front porch when I remember Mom saying she packed extra snacks. I don’t know how prepared Aspen is, but we’re definitely not going back out in this mess tonight. Retracing my steps, I grab my suitcase, as well as my laptop bag. I’ll have to make a second trip for the cooler. It’s just one suitcase, but this cooler is a full-size cooler, and it’s heavy as hell. It’s hard to tell what Mom has sent with me. One thing’s for sure; I know it’s going to be good, and I’m starving. The small bag of snacks she sent disappeared an hour into the trip.
Arms loaded down, I make my way up the steps of the porch and manage to open the door without setting anything down. My feet haven’t even passed the threshold when a blood-curdling scream pierces my ears. I stand frozen, letting the cold air and snow seep into the heated cabin. My legs are frozen in place, but it has nothing to do with the cold.
It’s her.
Aspen Steele.
She’s standing in the living room in nothing but a small white towel wrapped around her body. Her hair is hanging in wet tendrils down her face, and she’s shivering. That’s what kicks me into gear as I tear my eyes away from her creamy skin.
“Aspen, it’s me. Conrad.”
“C-Co-Con,” she sputters out through her shivers.
“What’s going on?” I drop my bags and slam the door closed. In a few long strides, I’m standing in front of her. The smell of lavender washes over me, and my dick takes notice. He and I are on the same page. How could we not? She’s a goddess, an almost naked, standing in front of me, soaking wet and freezing goddess.
“The heat is out, so I took a hot shower to warm up. I didn’t realize that the hot water would be out too. The water was warm, and then it wasn’t.”
“Shit. Where are your clothes?”
“In my car. I w-was so c-cold I forgot that I hadn’t brought in both of my bags yet. Just my toiletries.”
Reaching around her, I pull the thick blanket from the back of the couch and wrap it around her. She’s still shivering, so I do the only other thing I can think of at the moment to warm her up. I tear off my sweatshirt and T-shirt all in one go, open the blanket, and pull her into my arms.
Chapter 3
Aspen
Conrad wraps his arms around me, and I melt into him. My teeth are still chattering, but I’m still able to release a sigh as the warmth of his bare chest and the blanket surround me. His hands are roaming over my back. I know he’s just trying to help me, and he is, but he’s not just warming me from the cold. He’s turning me on. Conrad Riggins has been hiding a perfect six-pack under all those suits he wears, and even on the verge of hypothermia, I can appreciate how damn sexy he is.
“Better?” he asks when my body stops shaking.
I don’t want to say yes, because I’m not ready for him to pull away. It’s been way too long since a man has held me in his arms, even if it’s for survival purposes. “Yes,” I eventually say. I go to pull away, but he tightens his hold on me.