Stranded for Christmas with my Boss (Forbidden Billionaire Boss Daddies)

22. Jensen

Chapter twenty-two

Jensen

A lyssa and I made one crucial error before leaving for the Catskills.

We forgot to check the weather.

“It just keeps coming down!” Alyssa sighs as she leans forward in the passenger seat, staring through the windshield at the snowfall that keeps tumbling from the sky. It covers the roads, making our two-hour drive now closer to three hours as the traffic slows considerably.

“Where did this storm even come from? I didn’t hear anything about it,” I ask her as I edge down the road that leads to the Catskills, the mountain’s snowy peaks looming ahead. If it wasn’t snowing so damn much, I could admire the view better.

A cloudy, white haze surrounds us, and despite the heat being on in my car, it’s impossible not to feel the harsh chill outside somewhat. It slightly fogs up the glass of the windows, obscuring what should be a scenic, peaceful drive.

We have only just begun this mini trip, and it’s not off to a great start.

“You know how these storms are,” Alyssa replies as she checks her phone. “They can catch us off guard, and this one has caught everyone off guard. It could last through the holidays!”

Stress heats up beneath my skin, nearly making it too hot for me to wear my trench coat. I roll my neck a few times, pulling at the collar of my white button-down. This is exactly what we don’t need right now.

“It’s getting worse, Jensen,” Alyssa warns me before turning her phone screen toward me. The local weather radar plays in a loop, showing me an onslaught of snow that’s on the way. It’s a blizzard in the making.

As if that’s surprising. The wind has already started picking up, blowing the snow at an angle and making the trees on either side of the road sway. We’re about thirty minutes away from the resort we’re meeting Mila at, so if we can just make it there, we can wait out the worst part.

It’s getting more and more treacherous being out on the road, even with my new set of snow tires.

Alyssa’s phone suddenly dings, making her sit up even straighter. “Mila messaged me.”

“Read it aloud.”

“I’m so sorry, but I have to cancel our meeting today. This weather caught me off guard, and I’m not comfortable driving all the way to the Catskills in these conditions. Can we reschedule after Christmas?” Alyssa reads aloud before burying her face in her hands. “The meeting is off. We drove all of this way for nothing!”

“I can’t turn around right now. I have to keep going,” I tell her as I glance in my rearview mirror, only seeing white behind me. I’d rather not spend Christmas dead, so we’re getting to our destination, meeting or not.

Damn it. What the hell is going on today? This meeting was important! Now, the weather is going to act out after weeks of normal snowfall?

For the rest of the drive, our bodies remain tense as I focus on getting us through the snowstorm safely as it ramps up more and more. The wind howls around us, snow pelting against my car as I hope that I don’t hit someone, and no one hits me.

“I can barely even see the signs,” I tell her as I start to see glances of signs and buildings up ahead. We’re finally up close to the mountains, but the snow has refused to let up in the slightest. My tires push through the inches of snow already packing the road.

“Go to that building!” Alyssa says as she points to the right. “It looks like an office.”

Hell, I can barely see the side roads! The snow has covered them, forcing me to forge my own path to what I hope is an office building. There are a few other cars parked in front of it, and snow covers the top of the building.

Once I stop the car, I lean forward, straining my eyes to see through the snow whipping in front of my windshield. There is a sign over the door that sticks out to me.

Front office.

“Ready to make a run for it?” I ask her as I look over at her.

Alyssa is already tying the fabric belt of her trench coat around her waist. She glances over at me and gives me a determined nod, ready to trudge through the snow and get into a warm building.

“Go!”

We fly out of my car and hurry to the porch, snow tumbling off our boots with each step. We shuffle across the wooden boards, our breaths coming out in icy clouds with every huff and puff. The cold stings my face, the wind burning my cheeks.

Alyssa darts inside the office the moment I pull open the door, shuddering with chattering teeth. “I’ve grown up here all my life, but when it gets that cold…there is no getting used to that.”

I nod in agreement once I shut the door behind me, my chest aching from the chill in the air. I rub my gloved hands over my arms, relieved to see a fire burning in a nearby fireplace. A few employees linger around the fire or stock souvenirs, while some guests enjoy the lounge area.

Alyssa turns to me, snowflakes glimmering in her hair and on the shoulders of her coat. “What do we do? It’ll be snowing like this throughout the night.”

“Throughout the night? Damn it. We can’t drive in this.” I drag my hand over my hair, my frustrated mind working to come up with a solution. Any sort of solution.

But I come up empty. There is only one thing that we can do that’s reasonable.

“Looks like we’re snowed in for the night. We’ll head back when it’s safe.”

Alyssa chews on her bottom lip as her mouth turns down into a frown, but she nods. What else can we do?

I walk up to the front desk, catching the attention of a blonde-haired man wearing a blue vest over a white button-down shirt.

“Hello, sir. How can I help you?” he asks as he gives me a polite smile.

“Do you guys have any available cabins tonight? Or anywhere we can stay to wait this storm out?” I reply, figuring it’s a long shot given the season. People are itching to stay at a place like this around the holidays.

“Let me see,” the man says before turning to his computer and clicking around. He then looks over at me. “We actually had a reservation for a cabin cancel today because of the storm. It’s the last one we have available.”

“We’ll take it.”

It could be the tiniest cabin with the least number of amenities, and I would take it. As long as it has heat and a bed.

While I signed the paperwork and got our key, Alyssa was already thinking ahead and walked over to the gift shop and mini market to grab us some drinks and snacks to tide us over. This situation is hopefully only for a night, so we should try to make the best of it.

Stuck in a cabin together. With a lot of pent-up thoughts and feelings.

We finally locate the cabin and make a mad dash inside, shivering as warmth greets us, offering a welcome contrast to the storm outside.

“Smells like a cabin,” Alyssa comments as she drops off our snacks and drinks on the small kitchen counter, her boots thumping against the wooden floor.

It smells like we’re standing in the middle of the forest, but it’s a nice smell. With the mountains looming nearby and all sorts of activities at our disposal within the resort, this could’ve been a really nice day trip. If only.

“I’ll get a fire going,” I tell her, figuring this place could use a little more warmth and a little more light.

As I crouch in front of the fireplace, I swear that I can feel her eyes on me. My heartbeat quickens as I fully grasp what kind of situation we’re in. We’re stuck together for a whole night away from everywhere else.

This is the moment that I’ve been waiting for. We have no work to do. No one to hide from. It’s just us, and it’s the perfect time for me to not be a coward and actually tell her how I feel.

How are we ever going to become anything more than two people who hide and lie and sneak around if we don’t communicate? How can I figure out how I truly feel without hearing myself say the words out loud?

If I don’t take this chance, I’ll lose her.

Just as the fire starts crackling within the fireplace, I hear one of the floorboards creak behind me, making me spin around to see Alyssa approaching me with a nervous look on her face. “Are you okay?”

Alyssa nods, her fingers twining together like they do when she’s anxious. “I…I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something.”

“Me too,” I say, my heart pounding so quickly that my breathing can’t even catch up. I almost feel breathless.

Alyssa’s eyes widen before a nervous laugh drifts from her. “Do you want to go first?”

If I don’t say what I need to say now, I fear that I never will.

I step closer to her, my hand taking hers. The sound of her breath hitching makes my head spin, but I ground my feet and focus on the inviting hue of her eyes. “Things are complicated between us. We’ve crossed lines, broken rules.”

Alyssa’s anxious smile wavers as she nods.

“But, I know your job means a lot to you, and I never want to jeopardize your career.” I need her to know that because what I’m about to say is going to sound a bit contradictory. “But I don’t want to just be your boss. I want to be the person you call when you need to talk to someone or you need help. I want to be the shoulder you cry on and the arms you fall in. I want to be…yours. And I want you to be mine.”

Alyssa’s lips part in shock as she stares at me, letting every word that spilled from me sink in. She lets my hand go, making my heart drop.

“Alyssa, I know this is a lot, and I don’t want to push you into something you’re not ready for,” I say, trying to reel in the fear clawing at my chest. “But I need you to know that these feelings aren’t just temporary. I’ve been holding back because I wanted to protect you, to protect us. But the truth is, I can’t imagine my life without you in it, in every way.”

She takes a deep breath, her eyes searching mine, as if she’s looking for any sign of doubt. “Jensen…I’ve been scared too. Scared of what this could mean, of what we could lose if things didn’t work out. But I can’t keep pretending that what I feel for you is anything less than real. I want this, with you, but we have to be in this together. No more hiding, no more running.”

I step closer, cupping her face in my hands, my thumbs brushing over the soft skin of her cheeks. “I’m all in, Alyssa. Whatever it takes. We’ll figure it out together.”

She smiles, a mixture of relief and happiness flooding her expression. “Then let’s stop overthinking and just be in this moment, right here, right now. Because I want you, Jensen, and I don’t want to wait any longer.”

Alyssa throws her arms around my neck and crashes her lips against mine, knocking the air out of my lungs. My body tenses in shock at first, still recovering from the devastation I started to fall into.

But kissing her makes me feel alive in a way I hadn’t experienced before. My mind catches up, and my body follows, prompting my hands to caress the small of her back so that her chest presses against mine.

Alyssa’s lips curve into a smile. “Did I surprise you?”

I let out a breathless laugh as my hands slowly rub her back, hopeful warmth burning in my chest. A kiss is a good sign, right? “You could say that.”

Alyssa gazes up at me with a gleam of adoration in her eyes. “I want to be with you, Jensen. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I know about the rules and possible consequences, but we can handle anything. We’re kicking this update’s ass.”

That’s my firecracker. No challenge is too daunting for her. No task is too big. If there’s an obstacle, we’re going to overcome it.

After weeks of working together, we’ve learned a lot about each other. Strengths. Weaknesses. Future hopes and dreams. Painful past memories. Current desires. If I’m going to trust anyone to slip past all of my emotional defenses to reach my heart, it’s her.

It has always been her.

My hands glide upward until I can cup her face, my thumbs stroking over the pink flush on her cheeks. She’s so damn gorgeous, with snowflakes sparkling in her hair and a blush on her face. How was I ever supposed to resist her the moment she stepped into my life?

“Then, I’m going to make you mine.”

Alyssa’s eyes darken as her kissable lips form an eager smile. “I’ve waited long enough.”

Not any longer.