conversations cordial and brief. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her feelings.
Hunter went back to surfing his profiles until his eyelids grew heavy and he fell asleep.
“Hello!”
A woman’s voice broke through his slumber. At first he thought it was part of his dream.
“Excuse me!” The voice was laced with irritation.
Realizing the sound was outside his head, Hunter opened his eyes and beheld the caramel beauty in his blurred vision. With his forefinger, he rubbed his eyes and focused once again. She was still there. He was disoriented for a moment before remembering where he was—in a room that no longer belonged to him.
Hunter jumped up. The woman stepped back.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He looked around for his bags, blinked and finally got his bearings. “This is your room?”
“Uh...yes!” She held up her set of keys and then folded her arms across her torso.
“Then pardon me...” Hunter paused as his eyes traveled across her sweetheart lips and connected with her large brown eyes. His smile was involuntary. She looked skeptical and slightly confused. “I must have fallen asleep. I didn’t mean to alarm you. I’ll be out of your way in a moment.” He didn’t move.
Neither did she.
Their eyes remained connected. Finally, he tore his gaze away from hers and started walking toward his bags by the door. Halfway, he stopped, walked back up to her and held out his hand. “My apologies for being rude. My name is Hunter—Hunter Barrington.” At first she hesitated, but then she held out her hand to accept the greeting. Hunter could have sworn the temperature around them rose a few degrees when her hand touched his. He smiled again. “I guess I’ll be going now.”
Damn, she’s gorgeous! Hunter sauntered toward the door, grabbed his bags and walked out into the blanket of snow falling from the Utah evening sky. Only this time, he didn’t feel the cold.
Chey stood frozen in the middle of her floor. Not because of the cold. It was because of the encounter with that stunning stranger who had been sleeping in her villa when she arrived. She felt like Goldilocks even though she was the one who belonged there.
What had he been doing in her room? Who was he? She knew his name—Hunter...Hunter Barrington. She could almost hear him saying it again in that rich baritone timbre.
Despite the fact that his presence had practically scared her senseless, she’d hardly been able to tear her eyes away from his brown skin, dark eyes, inviting lips and tall, lean, muscular frame.
Finally, Chey unglued herself from the spot that she had been standing in since the stranger let himself out.
“Enough with him! I can’t believe I’m here!” Chey remembered how excited she was about this solo trip. Giggling, she flopped on the couch. “This feels amazing.” She reveled in her freedom. After a deep breath, Chey sank farther into the couch and smiled, but she didn’t stay long. After a few moments, she hopped up and went from room to room, checking out her lodging.
The villa resembled a cozy two-bedroom apartment with enough accommodations to sleep up to six people. The rustic Navajo-inspired decor created a warm and cozy vibe that made Chey smile and want to hug herself. On the back wall, there was a vivid view of snowcapped mountains through the large picture window, which looked like an enormous postcard. Chey imagined sitting in front of the stone fireplace, being serenaded by the crackling fire and mesmerized by the glowing embers. She decided right then that that would be her reading spot. The space was more beautiful than she had imagined, even though the hanging moose heads and the life-size bear in the corner proved a little creepy. The common area had an open floor plan, the kitchenette stretching into a great room with an area set aside for a large wood dining table. In front of the leather sofa bed there was a coffee table that looked like a chunk of wood someone had chopped out of a tree and propped on a smaller chunk of wood. Under it, there was a bearskin rug with talons still attached, as if whoever had caught the bear had forgotten to remove the claws. Still, this place was perfect.
Chey hadn’t expected the severe weather when she booked this vacation but didn’t let that deter her excitement. At some point, she’d get out and do all the adventurous activities she’d planned, but right now all she wanted to do was settle in and relax. Since this was her first time ever doing anything like this, she’d set up lessons for both skiing and snowboarding.
After her self-led tour, Chey called her sister and parents to let them know that she’d arrived safely. Then she went to take a shower. She removed her toiletry bag in search of her facial cleanser, body wash and toothbrush, finding everything except her toothbrush. Frantically, Chey dumped the entire bag on top of the vanity and rummaged through the contents. Then she looked in her purse and finally her suitcase.
Chey groaned, put her fingers to her temple and tried to think. “Where are you, toothbrush?” she asked aloud as if it could answer. Closing her eyes, she concentrated and then realized that she’d left it beside her sink at home. She could see it clearly in her mind. The reception desk would have courtesy toothbrushes, even though she hated those. They didn’t feel anything like her electric brush and certainly didn’t clean her teeth as well. Maybe when the roads opened, she’d find her way into town and go to a convenience store.
Chey took her time in the shower and then slipped into a pair of comfortable jeans and pulled a knit sweater over her thermal undershirt. Teasing her short tresses, she nudged her curls into place and rubbed her lips with a balm that held a hint of color. Her stomach rumbled and she remembered that the last time she had eaten was before her flight. Grabbing her coat, she put some money into her pocket and headed to the café.
The lobby had cleared out considerably since she’d first arrived. A few people who were obviously still waiting for rooms remained. Some were stretched out in chairs and some lay on the floor with their bags propped up under them.
Chey went to the clerk to ask for the toothbrush and shoved the small courtesy package in her pocket. “Are all these people still waiting for rooms?”
The clerk sighed. “Unfortunately, most of them are stranded and we have no more vacancies. Some of their flights were canceled and others weren’t able to get down the mountain before the roads were closed. Some guests have offered to take a few of them in, but there are still several left who don’t have a place to stay until at least the morning. We’re doing everything we can to find them some kind of lodging. We’ve set some up in our other resort, but it’s pretty much the same situation over there.”
“Oh.” That was all Chey could say. She felt horrible for them and almost guilty for having so much space to herself. However, as a woman traveling alone, she had to be careful.
Chey thanked the clerk for the toothbrush and headed across the lobby to the café. On her way she spotted the handsome stranger who’d been in her room earlier. Trying to be discreet, she watched him from the corner of her eye as he lay with his head back in a large rocking chair with his feet up on an ottoman. Damn! she thought again. He was ridiculously handsome. Just as she crossed in front of him, he lifted his head and attempted to shift his body in the chair. He opened his eyes and Chey quickly turned away. In her peripheral vision, she could see him nestling in his newfound position. He still looked incredibly uncomfortable.
Chey went into the café and ordered a salad and sandwich with a hot cocoa. Her mind kept drifting back to the stranger the entire time she ate and she wondered if he would end up sleeping in that chair all night.
“Excuse me.”
It was that voice again. Chey swallowed hard before looking up to acknowledge the person.
“Hi. Can I help you?”
“I was wondering if you would mind if I joined you at your table.”