I went in for a hug. Monty wrapped his huge arms around me, and I breathed in the concentrated scent from between his bulging pecs. A lump in my throat and a stone in my stomach, I tore myself away.
My chalet waited for me. My vacation and quality alone time. Finally.
Monty and Jordy had been an amazing distraction, but I hadn’t exactly solved anything, had I? Now I had to do what I came here to do—get my shit together.
“Maybe you can come to dinner soon?” Monty sounded hopeful.
“Yeah. I’d love that.”
Hell, I wanted into his bed again. No way was I denying myself the pleasure Jordy and he were capable of giving me. And I didn’t want Monty to think that my leaving meant more than it did.
“Look, I need space, and I think I really need to be alone to deal with…you know…”
He nodded like a bobble head. “The creative block?”
“Sounds better than burnout. Let’s call it that.”
Monty’s lips curved into another despondent not-smile. “I understand.”
“But I want to see you again. You and Jordy.”
That made him grin genuinely for the first time since he’d seen my luggage at the bottom of the stairs.
“You have my number,” he said.
I rose on my tiptoes and kissed him.
Monty grabbed my nape, and our tongues touched briefly. I breathed in the scent of cocoa, missing the hints of whiskey and smoke to make the smell of comfort complete.
The car rumbled to life outside. I leaned back, and he let go of my head.
“Thank you, Monty, for everything.”
“Thank you.”
I wouldn’t look at his face anymore. I couldn’t. I just pivoted and strode out, my jaw clenched. I blinked, chasing away the pressure behind my eyes.
This was ridiculous. It wasn’t like we were saying goodbye for long. Hell, I could invite myself over tomorrow already and spend the night getting fucked and loved like the needy omega I was.
The question remained whether it would be a smart thing to do.
Probably not.
Sam had stocked the fridge and pantry for me, and the fire in the living room was crackling happily.
The first thing I did in my new chalet was take a bath. When I got too hot, I grabbed the strawberry-and-mascarpone-flavored ice cream from the freezer and climbed back into the warm water. I ate straight from the container.
Wearing a wonderfully fluffy bathrobe, I took a walk around my hideaway. The house smelled like freshly cut pine wood with the slightest hint of smoke from the fireplace, and I adored that. It made me think of the way Jordy smelled when he was just out of the shower.
I paused in the living room, where only hot coals were left of the large fire. I threw two thick birch logs onto it and closed the glass door. The flames flew up quickly, engulfing the white bark, and I watched them dance for a while.
Then I gazed through the glass wall at the black silhouettes of trees against the night sky. It must have been cloudy because I could only see small patches of stars in the inky darkness above.
My guitar case stood leaning against the wall by the fireplace. I moved it further away from the heat.
I stepped back and stared at it.
If I touched the guitar, would I freak out?
