She came hard, and I lapped it up like the total indulgence she was.
“Youare decadent and unforgettable.” I kissed up her stomach, her chest, landing on her lips. My cock found his own way to her entrance and I thrust inside of her, not giving her a moment to rest. “The gift that keeps on giving.”
“We’re going to be late for opening day ceremonies, you know.”
“My mountain. They’ll deal with it.” I wouldn’t let anyone stop me from claiming Lilah today.
Openingday at Snow Quest Lodge had lived in my head for two years—since the moment we broke ground, when blueprints turned into beams and the impossible became real.
Today, the mountain welcomed everyone in. Fireplaces roared. The lobby filled. Skiers thawed over cocoa, dripping snow onto floors. Outside, the runs buzzed with life, powder thick and perfect.
Thank you, Snowzilla.
It was everything I dreamed of—and still not the best part.
Through the kitchen window, Lilah stood at the counter in her chef whites, calm and commanding, giving direction to Ridley and her crew. Confidence wrapped around her like a second skin. I had a hand in that glow. Especially this morning.
She glanced up and caught me staring. I mouthedHey, Frosty.
She arched a warning brow, hiding her smile for the sake of her staff—but the spark was there, just for me.
Yes. I should’ve been focusing on the opening-day schedule. Instead, every internal compass I had pointed straight to her.
By nightfall,the lodge buzzed with celebration—staff, friends, family, and our first official guests gathered for New Year’s night slash opening night slash my birthday party.
My brothers arrived exactly as expected. Landon burst in, guitar slung over his shoulder, cowboy hat tipped back as he winked at every snow bunny in sight.
Atlas followed, all swagger and charm, tossing me an unwrapped gift—a flask filled with bourbon from a distillery he’d recently bought.
Beck arrived quieter, novelist-lone-wolf energy intact. Someone whispered he looked criminally good in Wranglers. He pretended not to hear.
Even Griffin and Jessa showed up with their baby and Theo, who immediately launched into pee-wee hockey stories with my brothers.
The room was chaotic, loud and perfect. Hard to believe there was a time when this place was just me and a setof architectural renderings, wondering if I’d ever pull off rebuilding this old lodge.
Lilah arrived, no chef coat in sight, at last leaving the kitchen to celebrate with me.
“Guys, this is Lilah,” I started.
“We met Frosty last night,” Landon tipped his hat at her.
“Don’t do that tipping thing at my girl. No one tips at her but me,” I warned him playfully.
“Hello, guys. Thanks for pointing my way last night to Holden. I arrived just in time for the countdown.” Lilah went on to explain about running into them at West Bar.
Atlas piped up. “I think I speak of us all by saying we’re glad the birthday boy isn’t sulking today.”
“No sulk needed.” I pulled her into my lap. She shot me an are-you-insane look.
“There are people here,” she whispered. We hadn’t exactly talked yet about how to make it known among the staff that we were together.
“I’m the birthday boy,” I argued. “Perks apply.”
Across the table, Beck snorted. “Oh boy.”
She rolled her eyes with sly smile—but slid her arms around my neck anyway, exactly where they belonged.
Atlas clinked a glass with a spoon, stood, and grabbed a microphone I didn’t remember owning. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to toast my little brother, Holden West. When you were young and wild, I didn’t think you could ever be contained. Then you honed in on snowboarding as your thing, and whoo boy, you were good at it, beating records for speed. But then came the fall.”
