Page 84 of The Lodge

“How are you feeling about the project?”

It’s emotional whiplash, going from thinking about Tyler and his lovely eyes to… Sebastian.

I scrunch up my nose in a way that must be particularly telling, because Tyler laughs.

“No good?” he says, amused.

“Oh, my work is fine,” I reply. “I’m just struggling to find a nice way to say, ‘If I could throw this guy’s voice memos in that fireplace, never to be recovered again, I might be doing the world a favor.’?”

His mouth falls open, and I snort out a laugh.

“Okay, maybe I’m just being dramatic because the latest ones were super obnoxious. It hasn’t been this bad the whole time—though I am pretty irritated with him right now. We were supposed to plan a meeting, but he’s been ghosting me for days. I feel like I’m the only one invested in making his life story sound good and that I’m basically all on my own.”

“That must be challenging,” he says. “Writing a book about someone you don’t like.”

It’s the first time I’ve thought about it so plainly, but it really is that simple. The whole world might be in love with Sebastian Green, but I, Alix Morgan, am not sure I’m a fan.

“Challenging is one word for it.”

Suddenly, the lights flicker. The night sky is fully dark now, but in the ambient glow of our building, the flurries are falling fast and furious, blown sideways by the wind.

“I know this isn’t the same,” Tyler says. “But when I was in the band, there were so many days when I just wasn’t sure I could do it anymore.” He smirks. “Spoiler alert, I know.”

The lights flicker again, wind swirling so hard the decorative pillows fly across the patio. I probably should’ve brought those inside.

“But yeah,” Tyler goes on. “For a long time, there was just this disparity between what I’d signed on for and what it actually became. I never wanted to be the guy who broke his contract or, like, ghosted people in the media. If I had known what I was in for when I agreed to it—”

He breaks off, lets out a sharp exhale.

“I thought the band would mean doing what I loved, having the time of my life, and getting paid enough that I’d never have to work again unless I just wanted to. I thought it would mean fans loved me too.” His face goes dark. “I didn’t sign up for all the drama, or for Jason’s bullshit. I didn’t sign up to be the bad guy to Seb’s hero.”

If only he knew Sebastian Green was at the center ofbothour professional problems.

“I’m so sorry,” I say, but that’s all I manage—I’m interrupted by an intense gust of wind, loud and howling just outside the windows.

The lights flicker three times and then go out completely.

The Yeti isn’t even here yet: if this is only the beginning, I shudder to think of how bad it might get tomorrow.

We’re drenched in darkness, everything pitch-black except for the warm glow of the flickering fire. When my eyes adjust, I can’t help but marvel at the way the shadows fall on Tyler’s face, making the cut of his cheekbones look exaggeratedly chiseled. His eyes sparkle even in near darkness.

“Well,thisis an adventure,” I say, my insides doing a little flip.

“It might be like this for a while,” Tyler says. “Even with backup generators, it can take hours for maintenance to get the whole resort up and running again.”

“If only there were things we could do in the dark to pass the time.”

“If only,” he says with a grin, and that’s it—that’s all the invitation I need to close the distance between us. His long legs are stretched out on the rug; I climb onto his lap, facing him, one knee on either side.

“Maybe something like this?” I say, as he settles his hands on my hips and gives a little tug so we’re pressed even closer together.

I feeleverything.

“Or even this?” he says, his lips so close I can practically taste them already.

He kisses me, soft and slow, his tongue flicking lightly over my bottom lip and my teeth—every teasing second makes me want to kiss him harder, deeper—but he takes his time. I savor the slowness for as long as I can, but at a certain point even he seems impatient for more, and once we give in, the kiss takes on a hungry new life of its own.

Tyler shifts, sitting up straighter, somehow pulling me evencloser as I curl my legs around him. He’s hot beneath me, every solid inch of him extremely present despite the layers of clothing between us. His hands find the bare skin of my back under the hem of my shirt; his touch is electric, and the feeling that courses through me only makes me want more.

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