Chapter Text
The closer the car got to Tobias’ cabin, the more nervous Tris became about her impulsive decision to accept his offer to join him for the week. It hadn’t seemed like a big deal, but now that she was here, the doubts were beginning to set in. What in the world had she been thinking? Canada was an awfully long way to travel just for sex.
Okay…great sex. Incredible sex. Stupendous sex.
All with a man who turned out to be so much more than she’d thought. As her fingernails drummed lightly on the hired car’s windowsill, Tris thought of Tobias. Starting this…thing…with him wasn’t something she’d anticipated. At first, it was just a one-night stand. Then it was a couple of days followed by a ridiculously hot encounter in a bathroom. And now here she was, heading off for an entire week with him. Tris had never spent an entire week alone with a lover before. This was all new territory for her. She wasn’t anti-commitment—at least she didn’t think so. Most of the men of her acquaintance were ones she didn’t want to waste her time on, let alone have sex with.
But Tobias was different, so different. Maybe that was why she was here. He intrigued her. She shifted a little in the seat as she took a deep breath. She was making way too much of all this. She and Tobias enjoyed each other’s company, had amazing sex, and that was that. Most likely after this week, they’d burn out this crazy attraction for each other and they’d go their separate ways. There was no need to panic, no need to read anything more into it. Tris was tempted to laugh at her own overreaction. This week would surely get him out of her system.
Realizing how close they were to Tobias’ cabin now, Tris dug into her purse to pull out her cell phone. She tapped the shortcut for his number and waited for him to pick up. As the phone rang, her nerves returned, this time over whether her decision to take the earlier flight out might not have worked in her favor. He wasn’t expecting her for a few more hours and was supposed to pick her up from the airport himself. When he answered on the fourth ring, Tris let out a relieved breath.
“Hey! You in the car?” Tobias’ voice was a little breathless.
“Yeah,” she said, a slight smile on her face at the not-quite lie, aware that he thought she was in the car on the way to the airport. “You sound like you were running.”
He chuckled. “I was in the shower. I’d just gotten out when I heard the phone.”
Naked Tobias…Tris grinned at the mental image; an image she’d replayed in her mind quite often in the last few months. “So, does that mean you don’t have any clothes on?” she teased, her voice husky and smile widening as the car began to slow down in front of a cozy one-story cabin with a huge bay window and attached two-car garage.
“That’s exactly what it means,” he said, his voice having dropped an octave. At her chuckle, he responded, “Like that, do you?”
“You have no idea,” she said as the car pulled into the driveway, “but you should throw some pants on.” She nodded to the driver who got out of the car at the same time she did.
“Why’s that?”
She took the handle of her roll-on suitcase and smiled at the driver again. The man smiled back, touched his fingers to his forehead in salute and got into the car to drive away. Tris walked up to the door and rang the doorbell. “Because someone’s at the door.”
“What? Wait, how…shit. You’re here?” His voice was tinged with excitement and moments later; Tobias swung open the door, dressed only in a pair of sweatpants.
Smiling widely, Tris hung up the phone, stuffing it in the pocket of her wool coat. “Yup, I’m here.”
Tobias reached down and pulled her suitcase into the house as Tris stepped over the threshold. She pulled off her coat and draped it over a chair, but before she could take in the view of the room, Tobias wrapped an arm around her waist. Tris grinned as he pulled her into his body, his lips descending on hers.
xXx
Tris nuzzled her nose into the hollow of Tobias’ neck, letting out a contented murmur as Tobias’ fingers traced her spine. With her muscles lax and her body sated by his, Tris had a hard time remembering why she’d been second-guessing her trip. At the moment, there was no place else Tris wanted to be. The quiet of their lazy dozing was interrupted by a loud growl from Tris’ stomach.
Tobias chuckled. “Hungry?”
Lifting her head, she grinned at him, pushing her hair out of her eyes. “Well, we did just burn a lot of calories.”
“We sure did,” he leaned forward and brushed his lips across hers. “I’d planned on us having dinner in Toronto since I couldn’t get grocery delivery before tomorrow. We could run into town and pick up something, if you want. There’s a ton of good restaurants.”
“Hmm…I read online there was a French restaurant in town that serves pommes aligot.” The ridiculously indulgent whipped potato and cheese dish was one of Tris’ favorite comfort foods and she smiled at the very thought.
He grinned at her. “Oh, yes. They serve it with red wine braised short ribs.”
“Oh, sold.” Tris sat up and stretched, the sheet falling around her waist. Tobias’ eyes drifted down to her breasts and when she cleared her throat playfully, he looked up at her with an unrepentant grin. She rolled her eyes. “Okay, lover boy, let’s get up and get dressed. Otherwise, I may never get fed.”
Tobias laughed. “Yes, ma’am.”
xXx
The sun glittered off the fresh snow, sparkling like glitter in the early afternoon sun. Tris watched through the window as Tobias shoveled snow off the walkway to the cabin. He just kept surprising her. Tobias was a multimillionaire, had been born one, and there he was shoveling snow just like a regular guy. When she’d expressed surprise that he was going out to clear the walkway, he’d just laughed at her and said that was part of the fun of owning a ski cabin.
Tris took a moment to regret that Tobias had to wear so many layers of clothes in order to be outside. She could just imagine the muscles in his strong arms and back bunching and flexing as he lifted the shovel and threw the snow to the side. Chuckling at herself, Tris noticed he was nearly finished. On impulse, she slid on her own boots and coat, pulling one of his caps over her ears, as she opened the door. Shoving her hands in her pocket, she pulled out her gloves as he looked up at her and smiled.
“Hey, what’re you doing out here?” he asked, slightly out of breath from exertion.
“Just thought I’d see if I could give you a hand,” she returned, smiling a little as she leaned against the side of the garage to don her gloves.
Looking at the clean walkway, Tobias laughed. “You know, that’s a generous offer but I think I’ve got it covered.”
Tris nodded and stepped off the walkway and into the snow. “I love snow,” she declared.
Tobias leaned against the shovel handle and regarded her with amusement. “You should. I’m sure you see enough of it in Chicago.”
“I do indeed. I used to love going outside as a kid, making snowmen. Whenever it snowed, Anthony would make sure we had carrots, rocks, and a scarf at the ready for me and Caleb to put on a snowman. We got really creative when we were almost teenagers and made our family out of snow once.” Tris smiled at the recollection. “We stole clothes from Mom and Dad to put on them. Then, we made them come outside and take a picture with everybody posing next to their snow doppelganger.”
“Hey, didn’t you guys put that on a Christmas card one year?” Tobias laughed as he remembered. Tris’ grandfather had kept one on his desk and Tobias remembered seeing it. He’d snorted at it, all teenage derision, but secretly he’d been envious of the obvious closeness of the Prior family.
“Yeah, but only to family. We had regular, dignified ones that went out to everyone else but when we were kids, we’d do those silly ones for our grandparents.”
Looking around at the pristine snow next to the walkway, Tris was seized by a sudden impulse. Turning around, she let herself fall back onto the snow, giggling at Tobias’ surprised shout. She lay in the snow for a moment before she began to open and close her arms and legs.
“What the hell are you doing?” Tobias came to stand over her, perplexed amusement lining his face.
“Didn’t you make snow angels as a kid? You spent a few winters in Chicago, so you must have.”
“We lived in a penthouse on Michigan Avenue, remember? No yards.” Truthfully, Marcus and Evelyn would never have allowed it in any event. Tobias could imagine the looks of horror on their faces if they’d caught him doing something they’d considered to be undignified.
Tris sat up in her angel, careful not to mess up the arms and looked up at him with mock pity. “You poor, deprived child! You have to do it now.”
“Do what?”
“Make a snow angel. Come on, fall down.”
Tobias frowned. “Has the snow frozen your brain cells?”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be a stick in the snow,” she chided.
“I’m not. Snow is cold.”
“Aw, come on,” her voice turned cajoling. “You know you want to.”
“Yeah, no.”
“I promise I’ll warm you up after,” she teased, her voice dropping a seductive octave. “It’ll be fun. You’ll see.”
Tobias smiled at the joy in her face, the laughter dancing in her eyes was turning them more blue than gray, and felt himself weakening. “What do I do?”
“Just fall back.”
Moving just a few feet away from her, Tobias allowed himself to fall backwards onto a patch of undisturbed snow. Tris giggled at the grimace that passed over his face from the cold, wet snow. “Okay, now move your arms and legs up and down. Yeah, like that.” She applauded a little as she carefully stood up and moved to the walkway in front of him. “Now, sit up really carefully so you don’t disturb the snow. Okay, good. Now, stand up and try to get to the walkway without messing it up.”
Tobias carefully stood, taking a big step and managing to get out of the snow, only disturbing a small part of the feet.
“There!” Tris exclaimed proudly, winding her arm through his. “See? Perfect. Your first snow angel.” Tobias looked down at the two indentures in the snow and chuckled. He felt young, free even, and when he looked at Tris, a wave of affection rushed through him. Turning, he cupped her face in his snow-crusted gloves and kissed her deeply. Tris moved into him, getting as close as she could in all their bulky clothes. Kissing Tobias felt like holding a live wire, sending electric sparks through her. When he raised his head, he grinned at her.
“Didn’t you say something about warming me up?” he asked, his voice low with arousal.
“Yeah. Come into my lair, said the spider to the fly,” she quipped, grabbing his hand. Tobias chuckled a little and pressed his lips to her forehead.
“I need to salt the walkway and put the supplies away. Join you in a minute?”
“Sure.” Tris brushed her lips against his and walked back into the house as Tobias headed into the garage. Tris made a beeline for the bedroom, quickly changing out of her wet clothes and into a comfortable pair of cotton pants and a sweatshirt. She’d just finished braiding her hair when her stomach gave a loud growl. Deciding that lunch before sex was probably a good idea, she padded into the kitchen, opened the pantry and stared. They needed something warm and comforting, she decided, reaching for a box of roasted red pepper and tomato soup. She grabbed a loaf of bread, having settled on soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Quick, easy, comforting and most importantly, within her culinary abilities. She’d just poured the soup into a small pan when she heard the door to the garage open and Tobias stomp the snow from his boots. Minutes later he entered the room and stopped short when he saw her in the kitchen.
“You’re not naked,” he complained teasingly.
Tris laughed. “I decided I wanted food first.” At his mock sigh, Tris shook her head. “Why don’t you take a shower? The soup and sandwiches should be done by then.”
“Sandwiches?”
“Mm-hmm, grilled cheese.” Tobias’ eyes lit up and Tris laughed. “Go, get washed up.”
He didn’t linger in the shower, the scent of the sandwiches tantalizing him with images of warm, crusty bread and stretchy cheese. As he was pulling on a sweatshirt, he heard a frustrated, “Shit!” With raised eyebrows, he finished dressing and walked into the kitchen. Tris stood, staring at a charred grilled cheese sandwich with active annoyance. Biting his lip to keep from grinning he asked, “Everything okay?”
Tris looked up, her face scrunched in annoyance. “I keep burning them!”
Tobias looked over and saw two sandwiches piled on a plate, both charred and smoking. Coming around the counter, he noticed that she had the flame on high. “Um, maybe we should turn the stove down.” At her scowl, he broke into a wide grin. “Why don’t you open a bottle of wine? It can breathe while we finish up.”
Sighing, Tris turned to the pantry and considered their options. Choosing a fruity Cabernet sauvignon that would complement the cheddar and tomatoes, Tris opened the wine swiftly and turned to watch Tobias flip over the first grilled cheese sandwich. She wrinkled her nose, both amused and annoyed that his sandwich was golden brown and perfect. Looking over at her burnt offerings, she snatched up the plate and dropped them into the trash. Tobias grinned at her. “They weren’t that bad,” he said.
Tris gave a snort and reached up for a couple of wineglasses. “Burnt is for hot dogs and marshmallows,” she declared. Tobias turned to give her a half grin just as she was stretching up, allowing him to catch an eyeful of her bottom. Shaking his head, he returned his attention back to the grilled cheese sandwich lest he burn it like she did.
While Tobias finished up the sandwiches, Tris turned on the gas fireplace, tossing one of the throw blankets on the floor and moving the coffee table out of the way. When she went back into the kitchen to retrieve the wine and their glasses, she noticed he’d finished up. “I thought we could have a picnic by the fire,” she said.
Tobias grinned and after ladling the soup into two bowls, turned to expertly slice the three sandwiches diagonally and arrange them onto a plate. “Sounds good to me. Why don’t you help me bring everything over to the living room?” They set the food and wine on the coffee table and settled themselves down onto the floor, eating in silence for a moment before Tris abruptly stopped and set down her sandwich.
“Ok, I just have to ask. Where on earth did you learn to cook?”
“Grilled cheese is hardly cooking, Tris,” he teased.
Tris rolled her eyes as she spooned soup into her mouth. “You know what I mean. You looked pretty comfortable there in the kitchen.”
Tobias laughed. “It’s not rocket science, Tris, but basically I had to learn,” he confessed. When Tris still looked confused, he continued on. “When I first went out on my own, I refused to have any live-in help. I wanted to do it all on my own. Totally drove my parents nuts. So, you could say I learned to cook to spite my parents. Eventually, I caved when Helping Hands really got going, and now I have a crew come in once a week to clean and a wonderful woman does the cooking.”
Finishing half of her sandwich, Tris tilted her head slightly as she looked at him. “Why did it bother your parents that you wanted to do things on your own?”
Reaching over to top off their glasses, Tobias gave it a moment before he responded. “My parents believe that since we can afford to hire people, we should just hire people. Doing things for yourself is what you do when you don’t have money.”
Tris took a drink of her wine. “I don’t get it. Your parents are very generous—they donate regularly to numerous charities—but it sounds like you’re saying they think they’re better than others.”
Taking a drink of his own, Tobias thought about it for another moment. “They do think they’re better, but they aren’t total assholes about it.” At Tris’ laugh, he continued. “Seriously, they are snobs, but they also understand that if you are too arrogant about it, eventually, regular people will come after you with torches and pitchforks. They want to stay rich, but are really very well aware that they have to project a certain image—my dad especially. He has power—the ability to do whatever he wants, for the most part—yet the idea of losing it all horrifies him. He’ll do whatever it takes, even pretending to be noble, in order to keep the status quo.”
Tris ate a little more soup. “I guess I never really gave them that much thought.” Pausing, she glanced at him then looked down. “I knew your family wasn’t quite as close as mine,” she said carefully, “but I guess it goes a little deeper than I thought. My parents really seem to enjoy working on their charities.”
Tobias laughed. “My parents aren’t monsters, but they are entitled and want to stay entitled.” He shrugged and finished off his own grilled cheese. “Maybe that’s why I’ve wanted to chart my own path. I don’t want to live like that. I want to do more.”
“Well, you have. Helping Hands is really growing from what I’ve heard.”
“I love it,” he confessed with a little laugh. “I didn’t expect to. I’ve spent so many years trying not to be my dad that it’s been weird to realize how much I enjoy the business side of the charity.” Tobias chuckled a little. “On the up side, it confuses the hell out of my parents.” He took a drink of his wine and shrugged. “I’m making them out to be so bad, aren’t I?”
“A little,” she agreed with a smile. “But it’s okay, this is a safe place.”
Impulsively, Tris pushed up on her knees and leaned over to kiss him. Tobias pulled her onto his lap, deepening the kiss and burying his hands in her hair. He sank into the kiss, losing himself in her. He realized he was becoming addicted to her taste, to her touch. Tris played with the curls at the nape of his neck and Tobias pulled her in closer, losing all sense of time as he held her. He didn’t care about his parents, the charity, anything; right then, the only thing he wanted was to stay in Tris’ arms.