Page 65 of Winter Wishlist
Dale laughs, eyes bouncing between the three of us. “So what, you just wanted to mess me about and waste my time? Well, just wait until I getthisto the news. Whatever this sick little gang-bang porno situation is that you’ve all got going on. It’ll be viral by breakfast. That ranch, your land, the entire business won’t be worth shit by the New Year anyway. Come January, you’ll be begging for me to flip you a few dollars for it and pay for your U-Haul when you end up on the street, tossed out in the cold.”
Henri hums, somehow remaining the picture of tranquility. “One thing we excel at in Mistwood? We take extra special notice of our guests here; it’s one of the things we pride ourselves on. You’ve been busy with more than just trying to swindle me out of my land, haven’t you? On that phone of yours an awful lot for a man who’s newly engaged.”
Dale stiffens. “Defamation is a costly game, I doubt you can afford, Marcotte. You can’t touch me. I’ll sue your ass if you touch a hair on my head.”
Henri smirks. “No, I certainly wouldn’t dream of it… buttheycan.” Gesturing with his chin, he points toward a pair of rugby players who I now realize are standing guard to prevent anyone else from walking back here. Prop forwards, who are possibly the only two men able to make Reid look average size. “The guys here know exactly how dangerous it is for an unsuspecting tourist to wander around late at night in the dark. Frostbite is a real bitch when you’re walking through the snow unprepared. All kinds of wildlife hang around these parts, too.”
“You can’t be dumb enough. That’s an empty threat.”
“Oh, but you are certainly dumb enough. Considering you’ve already made plans to meet up withHottie up for anything 694Uin about… what did your message in reply say? Two hours from now? How about your new friends take you for a little drive out to the spot where you were gonna meet? They’ll be happy to leave you there.”
My ex starts spluttering in protest.
Henri remains cool as you like, reading messages out loud from his phone. “I can meet you after midnight. I’m working late on an urgent client contract for the holidays, then I’ll drive to see you. We can use my car. You look so sexy in your profile; you make me so hard. I need to screw you so bad. Don’t make me wait, I’ll be there by twelve thirty.”
Dale’s face drains of color.
“I don’t need to keep going, do I? Because you know exactly what you wrote. You know exactly how much of a creep and pathetic jerk off you are. And you really should know better than to be trying to stick your dick in random women you meet on the internet. Already cheating on your fiancée of barely forty-eight hours? You truly are a first-class piece of shit.”
“What kind of fucked up game is this?” Dale has almost turned purple with rage. “What is this? Some catfish situation? Or are you a freak, out here stalking tourists with a made-up dating profile?”
“It was about time someone lifted the lid on all those secrets you’ve been keeping. You manipulated our girl, and you thought you could walk in here and manipulate me? My property is not for sale, motherfucker, and you can bet your ass I’ve made sure your fiancée has seen the screenshots to prove just how much of a scumbag you are.”
Henri scrolls to the message thread where he pressed send only a few minutes ago, turning the screen to show him the truth behind his words.
“I’m guessing Polly is sitting in that bar, alone, reading through all those messages right now—we’ve organized a car and a driver to take her wherever she wants to go, by the way—you can thank our local Mistwood hospitality for that. I also can’t help but wonder if your employer would be interested to know how you’ve been spending company dollars this Christmas. Impossible not to notice it’s notyourname on the credit card your cabin is billed to.”
“I will fucking ruin you,” Dale seethes.
Reid steps forward, shielding us both. “Don’t bother trying. Your slimy ass left a trail that stinks, so I suggest you pack up your shit and leave Mistwood tonight. Consider it our Christmas goodwill that we won’t send those screenshots to your boss, butif there’s even a single hint of your foul stench still lingering in these mountains come the morning, all bets are off.”
My head spins. These two men are more than a miracle, and I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve their unwavering loyalty after such a short space of time.
“Oh, and one last thing…” Henri takes the opportunity to protectively secure me under his arm while standing shoulder to shoulder with Reid. “You’ll forget Mia’s name, you’ll forget her face… and you won’t ever dare to approach her, or even look in her direction ever again.Tu me comprends?”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“That was so hot.” Mia breathes, throwing her arms around my neck once we arrive home, and I stoop to help her out of the truck. “No one has ever done something like that for me before.”
Lifting her so that she can wrap her legs around my waist, I simply stare, taking in just how beautiful she is. The side of her face is illuminated by the soft glow from the light left on inside the house earlier.
“You really did that back there?” Mia hums. “I feel like I’m having an out-of-body experience.”
“He threatened you… and the minute he started hounding me for a meeting, sending me his pathetic proposal to buy the ranch, by extension, he threatened Reid. I did what needed to be done.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that youownall of this?” Her fingers dance over my nape. “Keeping secrets of your own, Henri Marcotte,” she whispers.
I exhale heavily through my nose and start to walk us inside.
“It’s okay that you didn’t want me to know,” Mia adds. “You don’t owe me anything.”
As we follow Reid through the front door, Stella stretches and whips her tail around with excitement at our return. As always, her heavy lids and big yawns give her away. This dog will contentedly sleep in front of that fireplace all day long at this time of year.
“Mygrand-mèreand all her Catholic guilt left a fortune in her miserable wake. She hated rugby—called it a waste of my time, and constantly informed me that I should take up a proper sport instead. The woman refused to accept that I was bisexual—she’d tell everyone who would listen that I wasconfusedand going through arebellious phasejust to punish her.” I keep hold of Mia so that I can walk us straight to the bedroom, while Reid quietly goes about making sure Stella is settled for the night. “So, I use the inheritance I got from her for all the things I know would be guaranteed to leave her rolling in the ugly as fuck mausoleum she chose to be buried in.”
Mia studies my gaze, holding tight to my neck with her bottom lip trapped under her teeth.
“You’re sneaky.” With a playful little twist to her plush mouth, she murmurs, all while doing that thing where she tangles her slender fingers in my hair. The slightest hint of her touch, and I’m ready to beg all night long for this girl to consider being ours, forever.
