Page 90 of You, Me, & Après-Ski
“Thank you and fuck off.”
“Asshole.”
“Dickwad.”
I disconnected, feeling strange. My first conversation with him in years, and we’d fallen into our old habit of bickering like teenagers. But the axe of Cressida was hanging over us, giving our banter an edge. One day, Raife and I would have it out over that. But for now, I was grateful he’d agreed to help.
Time to update Val.I grabbed the rental car keys—a Jaguar, luckily, and a fast one—and opened the door.
Straight into my woman.
Then I noticed the tears streaming down her face.Fuck.“Is it Juanito? Did something happen?”
She turned her phone screen to me. On it was a video of me, speaking to the boardroom and outlining my plan to save Hale’s Peak. The name at the top of the text thread saidDaphne.
“This was your idea? And they approved it?” Val’s voice trembled as she looked up at me, eyes shining.
“I just found out. I wanted to tell you, but with Juanito gone—”
Val launched into my arms, pulling my face down to hers. When our lips met, sparks exploded inside me like flint finally catching a flame.This. This is exactly where I’m supposed to be.The feel of her body against me, her skin under my hands, her lips moving with mine. My personal paradise. All too soon, she pulled away.
“I’m stillsomad at you for lying to me”—she kissed me again, a long, lingering one—“but that conversation can wait until later.” She noticed my outfit and the tangible bulge in my waistband that definitely wasn’t my dick—well, maybe it wasalsomy dick, because Christ, did I fucking miss her—and her eyebrows slowly went up. “Where are you going?”
“I found Juanito.”
“Let’s go.” She grabbed my forearm and yanked me into the hallway. “We’ll grab Diego on the way.”
“It’s too dangerous. Things could get ugly.”
Val spun toward me, fists locked and loaded on those lethal hips of hers. “You need me.”
Wrapping an arm around her waist, I pulled her close, fitting my hand to the curve of her neck.We can spare one minute.“You have no fucking idea how much.”
At my words, her breath hitched and I caught the sound with my lips, giving her a taste of how desperate I was for her. When her teeth found my lower lip and her tongue slicked against mine, I smiled against her mouth.She missed me too.
But sooner than I wanted, she pulled away, although with more fire in her eyes than before. “I mean, Juanito might not go with you if you’re alone,” she said, back to business. “Wait, shouldn’t we be calling the police?”
I shook my head. “Too slow. They’re already out of jurisdiction. If anything, we could get the local sheriff involved once we get there. I called Raife for some muscle to drive the point home in case Antonella and Hal don’t want to play nice. But I’m hoping they’ll see reason.”
“You don’t know Antonella. Once she makes up her mind, there’s no changing it.”
“Sounds like someone else I know.”
“You changed my mind aboutyou,Nolan Keller.”
“I did?” I blinked, taken aback.
“When you stopped contacting me, I thought we were finished. But this whole time, you were planning all of this.” She gestured to the video. “And you dropped everything, abandoning your work at a critical time, just because I needed you. No one has ever done anything like that for me before.”
I opened my mouth to tell her not to let me off so easy, but she fastened her hands around my biceps with a fierce look, and I shut up.
“Actions mean everything to me, Nolan. I’ve learned not to rely on people because of how much they can let you down. You made some bad choices.” Her hands tightened on my arms and unshed tears glistened in her eyes.
Bringing a thumb up, I caught one before it could spill over. “Fuck, baby. Please don’t cry.”
But when she smiled into my touch, the boulder of guilt rolled off my chest. Clasping my hand, she said, “It takes a person of integrity to not only admit when they fucked up, but to stick around and try to makeit right. And what you’re planning for Hale’s Peak? Showing up for me and my brothers like this? It’s everything to me, Nolan.”
Both of my hands were on her face now, rubbing circles on that silky-smooth skin, staring at her in awe. “So I didn’t completely destroy any chance I have with you?” I asked.
