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It’s crisp and cold and clear. The enormous floor to ceiling three story windows of the main lodge look down on the village, alive with people and twinkling lights. Inside, fires crackle away in twin fireplaces at either side of the grand room, which is still filled with towering Christmas trees and other festive decorations.
“I still can’t believe you made us all fly to buttfuck Colorado for New Year’s,” Shiv snarks settling next to Roman as he looks out over the scene of holiday merriment.
“It’s fucking Aspen,” he bites back, “American’s winter paradise… look around… the snow… the lights… I know guys who’d give their left nut to be here.”
“Well, that’s an image for next year’s Christmas card,” she mutters taking a sip of her champagne. “There’s snow in New York.”
“Not mountains.”
“Uh… upstate…” she challenges with her trademark superior sneer.
“But not these mountains… not the Rocky Mountains. It’s like being inside a fucking snow globe.” He wasn’t about to admit the real reason that they were in Colorado, that it was closer to Gerri’s daughters. She was determined to spend time with them over the holidays and he was determined to spend time with her, so here they all were. Besides, it’s not like Shiv wouldn’t be bitching no matter where they were.
“You didn’t have to come,” he offers.
“And that would look oh so good when I’ve only been officially working for the company for three months and the whole rest of the executive floor and their families are here doing whatever the fuck it is we’re supposed to be doing.”
This whole trip, the post-Christmas Waystar family holiday extravaganza, was nothing more than Roman’s elaborate plot to get to spend New Year’s Eve with Gerri which he wasn’t admitting even to the woman in question and certainly wasn’t going to cop to with his sister.
Roman chugs his nearly full glass of champagne then tips the empty glass in her direction. “Oh, look at that… my glass is empty… gotta go take care of that…” he says and drifts off away from Shiv’s irritating presence.
He’s not going to let her or anyone else ruin this night or this trip. Most of the others at least seem to be enjoying themselves. They’d had organized skiing and tobogganing and games for the kids and adults alike, spa days for those who wanted extra pampering, and the big event, this New Year’s Eve party.
With just minutes to go before midnight, his focus is on locating Gerri because he has a plan. A plan that involves the two of them getting a few moments alone at midnight. She’s easy to spot wearing the red cashmere wrap he’d given her for Christmas, her golden hair nearly glowing in the amber light, soft waves just kissing her shoulders. Pausing a moment to take her in, he enjoys the sight of the rare red lipstick she’d chosen for the night, the slight shimmer in her cream sweater, how fucking sexy her legs look in those heels.
She’s standing alone by one of the giant Christmas trees watching as a few couples brave a makeshift dancefloor nearby. God how he’d love to take her in his arms, whisk her onto that dancefloor right alongside the others, kiss her at midnight no matter who was watching, but he knows that’s not in the cards, not this year anyway. With any luck maybe next year will be different, but for now, his plan to steal just a few precious moments will have to do.
On his way over he passes a waiter and exchanges his empty champagne flute for two full ones. Sidling up next to her, he bumps her shoulder with his as he hands her a glass. “What do you think they’d do if I pulled you into my arms and spun you out onto that dance floor?”
“I don’t know what they’d do, but you’d probably trip over your own feet and drag me down with you.”
“Hey. I can dance,” he argues defensively.
“I don’t know that I’ve ever seen that to be the case.”
He turns toward her, “Challenge accepted.”
She glances at him a moment then returns her gaze to the dancers. They both watch as Karolina’s husband spins her out and back. “Not happening.”
“Oh, come on,” he mock pouts.
She ignores him in favor of taking a sip of her champagne.
“You remember the upper terrace where we had the executive brunch yesterday?”
“Yes…” she draws the word out questioning what he’s up to.
“Sneak out and meet me there…. five minutes.”
“Why?” she asks blinking at him, her face impassive.
“Humor me… okay?” he asks, dropping his chin and looking up at her through his lashes.
He can see the softness in her eyes, knows she’s going to agree, knew she’d agree before he even asked. But this is what they do, this dance, her pretending to be cold and aloof while he’s known for months just how much of a put on that icy façade of hers really is. He’d learned fist hand just how deep her passion and tenderness runs. It’s on full display when they’re alone, but sometimes in public she’ll drop the mask, just for second, just for him. Those are moments he’s started to live for, when she’ll shoot him a glance across the room, give him a nod or a little quirk of a smile. There’s a way her eyes sparkle when she has a smart ass comment she can’t let loose. He loves knowing that he’ll be the one to laugh with her about it later.
~*~*~*~*~
Minutes later, she joins him on the terrace, drawing her wrap more tightly across her shoulders. Immediately he pulls her into his arms and under the outdoor heater, his hands snaking under the soft cashmere and one layer closer to the heat of her body. She sighs and relaxes against his chest. “Thank God this awful year is almost over.”
“Yeah,” he agrees reluctantly adding, “but it wasn’t all bad,” a question in his gaze.
“10… 9… 8…” the crowd gathered below begins the big countdown.
“No, it wasn’t all bad,” she agrees, her thumb stroking across his stubbled jaw.
He pulls her closer while the countdown continues, “…3… 2…” His lips connect with hers just as explosions sound overhead, fireworks filling the sky with color. She draws his top lip between her teeth lightly, then opens her mouth as his tongue slides past hers. The strains of Auld Land Syne begin in the distance, but they’re still locked in their own private moment. She tastes like champagne and chocolate and he can’t get enough. His hands slide down her back across her hips and pull her against him while her fingers glide through the short hair at the back of his neck.
Finally coming up for air, he nips at her bottom lip once, twice, three times as she sucks the cold, thin mountain air into her lungs blinking up at the sky as the fireworks continue to go off. After a moment, her eyes drift back down taking in his deep brown, soulful gaze. She can see the reflection of gold and red sparks dancing against the inky black of his pupils. “Happy New Year,” she sighs, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
"It’s already starting off pretty great, so I expect good things to come.”
“Well, don’t get your hopes up too much. We need to get back to the party.” She’s already leaning away from him, beginning to wipe the red smudges of her lipstick from his mouth with her thumb.
He nods his head over her shoulder. “Hey, I paid for a full fucking 30 minutes of pyrotechnic diversion and I plan to use every single second.”
She chuckles but resists when he tries to pull her closer. “We’ve already been gone too long. The girls will be looking for me to say ‘Happy New Year.’ We need to get back downstairs.”
“You’re enjoying the time with them, aren’t you?”
“I am, surprisingly. They’ve been on their best behavior since the blowup over me missing Thanksgiving. This was a good idea, reviving the Waystar family ski trip.”
“Yeah, I actually remember having fun at a few of these when I was a little kid. Running around the mountain with all the other kids, adults knocking back hot buttered rum and jumping in and out of each other’s hot tubs. I still can’t believe you were never on one before.”
“The girls were too young and Baird always wanted to spend the holidays with his family. Anyway,” she glances away from him a moment then back, a vulnerability in her eyes that he hasn’t seen before, her voice is soft, “I just wanted to say thank you.”
“What for?”
“Rome, I know why you did all this.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he counters. “Everyone’s worked their asses off shoveling out from under the shit pile my family left on our doorstep. They deserved some family downtime.”
“Okay, play it your way.” She nods her head while her eyebrows scream ‘Bullshit,’ but she leans forward capturing his lips in a searing kiss that steals his breath away. Her hand finds his and turns it over as she slides her room key into his palm. Breathing, “See you later,” into his ear before moving away from him again, casting a glance over her shoulder and quirking a half smile and wink at him as she ducks back inside.
He’s left alone on the balcony smiling like an idiot at the smooth plastic card in his hand. With one last look up at the colorful fireworks, he heads back into the party, a spring in his step, already thinking of what this New Year will bring to them.