Page 117 of The One I Love

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This season again I am all ready for my next set of girls at Aspen

But one look at Bea and I realise, I’m in trouble…

Her beautiful looks, and those perfect curves steal my heart;

And one hot night of passion,

Leads to more than what I bargained for.

I am not sure I’m even ready for…this baby.

Chapter 1

A Few Weeks Before Christmas

Cameron

Traveling as a ski instructor all across the country, from peak season to peak season, was pretty much my dream job, and the most exciting life I could have picked for myself. I had loved to ski since I was a child, competing in Colorado competitions and really throwing myself into it. When it came to choosing a career, ski instruction was already in my blood, having started doing it when I was a teenager. I fell into freelance travel instruction on a whim, with my best friend Glen, and haven’t looked back ever since. This time of the year was my favorite, though, because we were instructing at St. Regis, one of the premier and oldest ski resorts in all of Aspen. This place had it all, from the ski bunnies to the top-notch services.

“Try not to be your normal self this time,” Glen whispered as we walked toward the Resort Manager, Pierre Bellsworth. “Remember where we are.”

Bellsworth was a tall man with perfect hair, perfectly groomed eyebrows, a perfectly pressed, extremely expensive suit, and a nervous twitch that I always found it hard to not chuckle at. We were only going to be at this location for a month, but they were desperate to have us here, the resort being three times as booked this Christmas than others. That was good for us since it meant we would receive extra-large bonuses before we left.

“Mr. Bellsworth,” I said, reaching out my hand for him to shake. “It’s so good to see you. I can tell this last year has treated you well.”

“Mr. Phase and Mr. Young,” he said, shaking my hand and nodding at Glen. “We’ve missed you here at the resort. Let’s just say my instructors never quite match up to your expertise.”

“Thank you, sir,” I replied. “We do our best to make sure that all your clients are well taken care of and have an absolutely amazing time on the slopes.”

“And that is why I always book you well ahead of time.” He smiled nervously. “They are setting up your lodgings, and the front desk will have your keys in just a few minutes. Please feel free to grab a drink at our Shadow Mountain Lodge.”

“Thank you, sir,” I replied, nodding my head and turning to walk away.

I walked swiftly across the floor, trying to get out of the way of the massive influx of guests entering and exiting the lodge. I looked around at the ornate décor and marble floors that created a warm, but grand appeal to anyone entering the resort. What I loved most about this place was the concierge service that took care of everything, including delivering the guests right to us at the top of the slope. There were no worries for us at this resort.

Glen and I walked into the lounge and took our seats at the bar, ordering two beers and relaxing into the chairs.

“You handled that well,” he said, nodding.

“I’m growing a bit, I suppose,” I replied with a chuckle. “Besides, I have to know how to handle all aspects of this, so when you finally find that girl you’ve been looking for and decide to bolt on me, I can continue on.”

“Pfft. Although that sounds nice, I don’t even know where to start.” He laughed.

“Look around you,” I replied. “This place is packed full of hot little ski bunnies, ready to let go on their vacation away from reality. Take your pick, bro.”

I met Glen at a ski instruction conference when I was just twenty years old. That meant we had been putting up with each other for eight long years, something that was a feat for me, since I tended to be a bit of a loner. He was smart, attractive, with a square jaw line and that toothpaste commercial smile, but his heart was soft like cotton. He had gotten on a kick about finding true love, and I was just trying to ignore it.

“Yeah, they’re all absolutely gorgeous,” he said, showing signs of thinking too much. “But don’t you think that we’re getting too old to be sleeping around? I mean, I’m really starting to think that it might just be time to start thinking about settling down. I just want—”

“Glen,” I said, interrupting and smiling over at a hot girl in the corner, who was flirtatiously twirling a cherry from her drink around in her ruby red lips. “If you acted as much as you thought, you’d have women begging you for your attention. I can promise you, now is not the time to settle down. It’s just the beginning of the Aspen snow season, man, and I’m looking at my future right now. At least, my very near future in my suite. What do you think? You think I can bag that in under an hour?”

“You’re seriously hopeless.” He chuckled, looking over his shoulder at the girl in the corner.

“Hopeless, but man, I have a good time.” I laughed, slapping him on the back and starting to walk over to the girl.

She was sexy, with strawberry blonde hair, green eyes, and big pouty lips that she had put my favorite color of crimson lipstick across. Freckles speckled her cheeks and nose, and she was wearing stretch pants and a very low-cut sweater. Her snow boots came up to her calves, and white fur fluffed out at the top of them. She was the definition of snow bunny, and I could feel the vacation vibes emanating from her as she sipped her drink and smirked at me.

“Hey.” I smiled. “Would you mind if I sat?”


Tags: Mia Ford Romance