Page 38 of Stuck With Mr. Frosty

He shrugs and puts Honey’s harness on.

He opens the door and jogs down the steps, Honey darting in front of him to go wait by the truck. I follow them and open the door for her. Aiden tosses the bag in the back first before picking Honey up and putting her in the back seat as if she barely weighs anything at all.

He shuts her door and opens mine. “After you?”

“Maybe I want to drive.” I give him a teasing smile and hop into the truck, getting settled in my seat.

He snorts and shakes his head. “If I was going to let you drive, then you’d know where we’re going. You get to remain in the dark until we get to the surprise.”

“I don’t think that’s very fair.”

“You can choose the music.”

Beaming, I wait until he’s in the truck, the engine running, before connecting my phone to the sound system. If it’s going to be a bit of a drive to the surprise, I may as well enjoy myself on the way there.

We pull up outside a cabin made of more glass than wood, overlooking a frozen lake. I glance at Aiden, my eyebrows rising and my heart stopping in my chest. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a place like this. It’s so stunning.

“Where are we?” I ask as we get out.

“Still the resort,” he says as he lifts Honey out of the truck and sets her on the ground. “It’s a private cabin. It’s the one I like to stay at when I come to Aspen to ski.”

“You didn’t have to get us a private spot.” I hug him before ghosting my lips over his. “But I’m glad you did. I think a little alone time is going to be just what the doctor ordered.”

“I’m sure it will be.” Aiden grabs the bags and slings them over his shoulder. “I was thinking that we first eat the dinner that should be delivered soon, and then I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to a night in the hot tub.”

“How long are we here for?”

“Couple days.” Aiden pulls the key out of his pocket and hands it to me. “Why don’t you go explore inside? I’ll bring these in and then wait for the food.”

I nod and take the stairs up to the cabin two at a time, unlocking the door and pushing it open. I’m met with all the comforts of a luxury cabin in the woods. There’s a small kitchen and flannels in shades of warm beige and chocolate brown. Pops of a deep burgundy stand out, making this look like the perfect place to cuddle down for the night and have a good time.

As I move into the only bedroom, the tension in my shoulders immediately fades when I look out at the back deck. “This place is beautiful!”

Aiden laughs from the other room. I continue through the bedroom to the bathroom. There’s a massive tub in front of a window that overlooks the forest and the sunset. It’s starting to look a little haunting out there, but it’s still beautiful.

I could spend forever in a place like this.

The front door opens and shuts, the scent of steak and garlicky potatoes filling the cabin. My stomach grumbles, and I make my way into the kitchen as Aiden doles out the food onto plates.

“Help yourself.” He pushes one of the plates toward me.

I load it up with another scoop of potatoes before going to sit at the wooden dining table by the sliding glass door that leads out to the deck and the hot tub. Aiden lights a fire in the hearth before joining me, sitting across from me with a serene smile.

This is the most relaxed I’ve ever seen him.

Out here there’s nobody to worry about except the two of us and Honey. There’s not a chance that our roommates are going to come walking in — or that somebody is going to want something from one of us. We get to be entirely alone.

Butterflies erupt in my stomach at the thought.

We eat our food without saying much, the sipping of wine and the clink of forks against plates filling the air. I slip Honey a couple pieces of my steak beneath the table, her tail thumping against the floor.

“She’s going to be the best friend you’ve ever had for that.” Aiden leans back in his seat and sips the last of his wine.

I reach for my own glass and shrug, crossing one leg over the other. “She abandoned you for me the day we met. I don’t see what difference anything I do now is going to make.”

He laughs. “Yeah, I know. She’s your dog now. I’m just that guy who takes her around the world and feeds her every morning.”

Grinning, I take my plate and his into the kitchen, putting them in the sink to be washed later. When I turn, Aiden is behind me, his hands falling to my hips and heat burning in his eyes. The way he looks at me is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before, and it brings something to life in me. Something I didn’t know I had.

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