CHAPTER TWO
Miller
I paced as Chris returned from the hallway and headed into the kitchen.
“You had to roll out the fucking red carpet for her, didn’t you?” I grumbled as I ran a hand through my dark hair.
“Did you want me to send her back to her car to freeze?” He asked as I walked into the kitchen to see him making coffee.
“We came here to stay away from women. I’ve had enough of that shit and she looks like Liz,” I said softly as I stared at the floor.
“A bit yes, but that’s no reason to let her die out there. It’s going to be snowing soon.” He smirked at me before his face grew serious. “We’ll just deal with this for now. She can’t go anywhere in her car and there’s nothing for miles.”
“We can take her to the cabin she was supposed to stay in.” I offered as Chris stared at me with dark eyes.
“I’m not driving in this. It’s too dangerous. Let’s have some drinks and make the best of it. We’re not complete assholes," Chris said as I shook my head. “She’s probably fucking exhausted. She’ll probably pass out within two hours.” I thought back to the pretty, pale girl. She did look tired and exhausted and Chris didn’t have the heart to kick her out.
“Now she’s sleeping here,” I grumbled as Chris pressed a button on the coffee maker. He reached into the cabinet for a bottle of Jameson as I raised my eyebrow at him. “You need to fucking relax, Miller.”
We both turned as she cleared her throat from the entrance to the kitchen.
“Thanks for the shower. It helped a lot.” Her voice was soft as she twirled her hair between her fingers. She was a gorgeous girl out of the wet clothes and I nodded before turning away. She looked too much like my ex.
“It’s not a problem. I made coffee for you.” Chris offered as she looked at him. “I also have some whiskey if it suits your mood.”
She let out a bitter laugh as I stared over at her.
“Yeah, that might be a good idea. It’s been a… shitty day.” She sighed as if it was much more than her day that was bad. “I’m Ellie, by the way. Ellie Smith.”
“Chris Jenkins.” He nodded at her. “This is Miller Adams.” I offered her a hard stare as she blushed and glanced at the floor. “Coffee? Or do you prefer whiskey?”
“Both.” Ellie replied as Chris shot me a look. He poured coffee, asking her how she took it. “Black is good. Thanks.”
Chris grabbed the bottle and three glasses before heading to the living room.
“Let’s sit down and relax.” He called to us as she took her coffee and stared at me for a moment before following him. Chris took a seat in the center of the plush, black couch and opened the bottle as I took a seat at the end. Ellie sat in the oversized chair, sipping the coffee as Chris poured three glasses of the liquor. He handed her one, leaning over the table to reach her before offering me a glass. “How far is your friend’s place from here?” Chris asked before he took a long drink.
“I have no idea. I lost the signal miles back.” She slumped her shoulders “I wish I’d never come. I was in such a hurry to get out of Aurora…” Ellie’s voice trailed off before she set the coffee down and drank the whiskey in a few sips. Ellie winced as she swallowed, blinking her wide, blue eyes. “Holy shit.”
“That’ll make your troubles go away,” Chris urged her as she laughed weakly. He poured her another glass as I sipped mine slowly, watching her.
“Something like that,” she agreed as she set the glass down by the coffee cup. Ellie sipped the hot liquid, taking a break from the whiskey for a moment. He drank his glass in one long sip, letting it slide down his throat.
We kept drinking, and I watched as Ellie loosened up. She started laughing more and fussing with her clothes. I noticed her hard nipples in the shirt that was showing her generous curves despite the size of it.
Fuck that. I hated women after my wife fucked around on me six months ago. That’s why I was up here and I shot a dark look at my best friend. Chris was here after he ended his engagement for the same reason just after I caught Krista in bed with her coworker. We were both bitter and pissed off and since we had the money to step away from life for a while why the fuck stay?
We kept drinking and finally started to talk once she was starting her third glass. I gathered that Ellie wasn’t a big drinker considering how her walls were slipping away and her anger towards the day faded away. She was laughing a lot, and I downed my second glass of whiskey as I watched her. Chris had her in a conversation about Colorado and her former job as a nanny for a well-known hockey player. I sensed that there was something under the surface with Ellie as she spoke, suspecting that she’d been through something big as well. I shared a long look with Chris, seeing that he saw it as well as he gave me a slight nod.
This might end up being a fucked up situation.
We moved into talking about cabin fever and what we did when we got bored. We told her that we’d been here a month already but worked remotely, which was only partially true. We did help with the security company that Chris owned with a partner here and there but for the most part, we were just being hermits. We were getting away from the world.
Ellie laughed when she mentioned playing truth or dare on school, drinking the last of the glass of whiskey that she was on. Was it three or four now? I was feeling a little fuzzy myself. Chris took the bait and asked her if she wanted to play and she blushed before nodding.
Chris said that it would be him, me, and then Ellie. He thought for a moment before looking at her.
“Truth or dare, Ellie?” His voice was teasing, and I raised an eyebrow as I leaned forward. Where was he going to go with this?
“I guess truth,” she said hesitantly as he leaned back, sipping his whiskey.
“Have you ever had a one-night-stand?” Holy shit. Her was jumping right in. I watched as she blushed, blinking a few times.
“No. I haven’t.” Her voice was shy, and I wondered why as he glanced at me. I thought about my question, deciding to stir Ellie up a bit more.
“Truth or dare, Chris?” I asked as he chuckled.
“Truth for now,” he replied, his eyes shimmering at the prospect of what I might ask.
“Have you ever banged sisters before?” Ellie’s eyes widened, and I knew I freaked her out. I also knew that answer to that.
“Multiple times,” he replied, even though we both knew it was only twice and not both at the same time. Chris was going for the kill and she breathed in slowly.