I was inside the warmth of the Inn for all of ten seconds, and he started taking care of me in a way I hadn’tbeenin my life.
I don’t know what I expected to find in Bear Valley, but the dark-haired and stormy-eyed beauty ofa man was a pleasant surprise.I definitely did not expect to be met in the early morningbya man who could make me tongue-tied. And his last name was Mann, which I already knew meant quite a lot in Bear Valley.
I was not in any state to deal with even a little piece of all that information right then. So, I decided to use as few words as possible and maybe be able to make it to my room before I did something stupid and predictable — like beg him to join me or fuck him first and remember his name later.
I had knocked on the door expecting nothing. I traveled enough to know it wasexcessively early in the morning for the doors to be unlocked to the public. I was hopingjust to get into the vestibule to wait out the morning in something like warmth. I changed my flight to avoid the storm, but I had relied on an Uber to get me from Denver to the slope-side village, since the car I ordered wasn’t at the airport whenI arrived. Then, my ride kicked my jet-legged ass outin the middle of a snowstorm, rather than at my actual destination.
Somehow, I managed to find a sign in the swirling snow that matched the reservation the hospital, my new employer, had made for me as a place to stay the next few weeks while my condo was finished. I just wanted to collapse from theideaofgetting partially warm. Suddenly, here was this dark haired stranger, pulling me in and warming me up before a fire.
The combination of travel fatigue and time changes, life changes, too little sleep, and the mere presence of such a nurturing person who is also a goddamned beautiful man put my brain on autopilot, allowing him to help me out of my soaked snow gear.
“Sorry,” I told him, “we moved theflightup so I could miss the storm, and it still got us.”
I saw the recognition that I had taken a chartered plane, not flown commercial, flick across his face and get quickly tucked away into his brain. I instantly wondered what kind of entitled asshole he took me for. I mean itwasa bit pretentious and damaging to the environment, and not really my thing, but I had my reasons. Enough reasons to swallow my dislike of the environmental impact and fly privateand mostlyuntraceable.
His eyes moved to my luggage like they were covertly gathering evidence. He briefly glanced at my large, hard-sided Louis Vuitton trunk, and then my Louie duffel andfinally a HellyHansen backpack, all in some state of wetness from the snow. Maybe not the best impression or introduction as to who I really was, but I traveled too much for anything that wouldn’t keep up and although interactions with my family were not exactly something I looked forward to, my brother had sent me the excellent traveling gear about five yearsago when I needed it most. It was sort of a consolation prize on our relationship since it was the last time we hadspoken to each other.
I remind myself that this is Jack Mann, someone whose family practically owns everything in Bear Valley there is to own — unsure why I actually cared what the guy thought, and why I so easily slip back into being afraid of being seen asthat guy.
You know the one, the guy who expects the world to be handed to him because he has a pretty face, or a big bank account, or a last name that matters. Or all three. It wasn’t even two hours since my feet had touched U.S. soil for the first time in years, but the same old ghosts were still here.“It’s a strange one, we usually don’t get this much snow in one of these surprise storms,” Jack said, easily throwing out small talk while collecting my snow-soaked things as I took turns staring at him and the fire. I still felt numb from the snow but an actual firewashelping, now that I wasn’t wet.
“Well, it was fine until the Uber driver dropped me off at the wrong corner;I think he was getting nervous with how fast the storm was coming. Didn’t take long for me to get a bit lost,” I admitted.
Jack nodded in understanding, giving me a gentle touch to the shoulder, offering comfort, without telling me he couldtell Iwasdead on my feet. He took all my wet layers, and steered me to a chair.
“If that chair is as comfortable as it looks, I will fall asleep,” I warned him.
“I’ll have you set up with a real bed in just a few minutes, Perrin,” he assured me.
My name off his gorgeous mouth seemed intimate. I shifted slightly. No need to alarm this guy with my instant attraction that is making my pants tight and giving me fantasies of pulling him down in-front of the gigantic fire. I made a mental note that right after gettingsleep, I definitely needed to get laid.
“I feel like it’s noon, how early is it?” I asked, just too damn exhaustedto find my phone in whatever pocket of whatever layer. He laughed under his breath as a low buzz came from the front desk.
“It’s almost five a.m.,” he told me, before speaking into the house phone at the front desk.Jack Mann’s ass is a work of art, I noted as he bent slightly over the front desk to take the call. The travel fatigue and the rush of him was enough to make my ears buzz. My eyes were working fine, however, as his ass bent over the desk again to hang up. Halfway across the damn lobby and it was still hot.
Please don’t be straight, Jack Mann.
“Once you warm up, I will get you settled in your room. I’ll bring your gear up when it’s all dry again and when we have some staff on hand,” he assured me, and I just nodded. I knew he had to bemakingthat happen, having my room ready this many hours before check-in when the Inn seemed a little short-staffed even for five a.m. Plus, New Year in a ski town had to mean full-capacity.
“Where did you go, Matt?” Jack said, his voice pitched louder while he was looking down a hallway I can’t see, clearly not talking to me.
“We aren’t the only ones up at this hour,” a voice said, before a tall, blond-haired man strides in with a little girl - maybe seven or so - clinging to him.
Jack laughed, and tickles the girl from where she is wrapped up in the other guy’s arms.
“Don’t pretend to sleep, princess. I know you better than that,” Jack teased with a smile.
The girl was set on her feet and instantly went to the elegant coffee bar.
“Any hot chocolate, yet, Uncle Matt?” she asked the blond guy.Hekinda had a Gus Kenworthy thing going on, but taller, blonder, and leaner.
“I’ll go make you some if you will hang out here with Uncle Jack and our new friend,” the guy - Matt - said.
Matt heldout a hand for me to shake, but madea motion for me not to bother to stand. “I’m Matt Mann. Don't bother to get up, but there is hot coffee - even decaf or tea if that’s your thing or you just want to get warm.”
“Coffee is definitely my thing,” I agreed, but Jack made the same shooing motion toward the fire when I started to stand.
“Just tell me how you like it - but stay there and stay warm,” Jack said. “At least until your lips are less blue.”
