Snow Job by Tara Wyatt (best classic books to read TXT) 📕

He sucked in a breath of cold air and stopped walking, staring out over the hills, the mountains, the pines. Yesterday had sucked, plain and simple. He’d come face to face with his former colleagues, because of fucking course they just happened to be having their retreat at the resort he’d escaped to.

“Just get through the next few days and you’ll never have to see any of them again,” he muttered to himself, taking a sip of his coffee. He’d been so humiliated yesterday, and coming face to face with the woman who’d gotten him fired and taken his job had been a new low. He’d managed to achieve a new level of self-loathing, especially because of the way he’d responded to her. God, he’d been so fucking angry when he’d first laid eyes on Kayla. Angry at her, yeah, but also angry at himself for still thinking that she was the sexiest woman he’d ever seen. She’d ruined his life and he still wanted her. It was totally fucked up, even for him.

Anger and lust simmered together just beneath the surface, a dangerously potent combination he hadn’t been able to soothe last night, even after he’d fucked his fist, imagining Kayla’s red lips wrapped around him. The idea of putting her on her knees, of wanting her to earn some kind of forgiveness had seared through him and he hadn’t been able to let it go. It would only ever be a fantasy, but it had pushed him to the edge so quickly that he’d come hard and fast with a long groan that had echoed in the too-small shower.

A couple of days and he’d be done with her. Maybe he’d run into her at Theo’s wedding next year since she was friends with Lauren, but he could easily avoid her until then. He hated how far under his skin she’d crawled. Hated that she’d ruined his life and had the fucking audacity to look so goddamn sexy while doing it.

His cock twitched and he took another sip of his coffee, then resumed his walk, pushing away his dirty, unwelcome and yet inescapable thoughts about Kayla.

He stepped inside the main building, a rush of warm air washing over his chilled face. He stamped his snow-crusted boots on the mat a few times before proceeding into the lobby, then turned down a narrow hallway that led to several staff offices, including Patrick’s. But as he approached Patrick’s open door at the end of the hall, a familiar voice had him slowing his steps.

“…would be inappropriate for him to be part of the retreat.”

He came to a stop a couple of feet shy of Patrick’s door as Kayla’s sultry voice filled his ears. Heat flashed through him as he curled his fingers so tightly around his coffee cup that the lid popped off, dropping silently to the carpet. His blood pounded in his ears, making it hard to hear anything else, so he carefully moved a little closer to the door, wanting to hear just how Kayla was trying to ruin his life again, since apparently once hadn’t been enough.

“I see,” he heard Patrick murmur, not sounding terribly convinced. “I understand your concern, but he’s one of the top instructors here. If he doesn’t mind, I’d prefer to keep him on.”

“As the customer, I don’t think my request is unreasonable,” she said in that tense, clipped tone she used whenever she was trying to get her way. “The fact is, Sebastian Prescott is not only a former employee, but was fired with cause, and as such, we feel it would be a conflict of interest to have him work as a part of this retreat.”

“So you want me to assign someone else to teach your group’s lessons? Because he used to work for you?” He could picture Patrick scratching his bald head.

“That’s right. I don’t…” She stopped and cleared her throat. “As the event coordinator, it’s my job to make sure this entire retreat goes off without a hitch.”

“Did something happen during yesterday’s group lesson?”

She hesitated slightly. “Well, no. No, the lesson was fine. I’m not concerned about Sebastian’s teaching ability. But…when he worked for our company, there were several issues.” She paused and cleared her throat. The implication was heavy in the air that he wasn’t the kind of person Blizzard Ridge should want to work with either.

“Son of a bitch,” whispered Sebastian, something hotter and brighter than anger beating through him. Fury. Rage. How dare she? How fucking dare she? It wasn’t enough to get him fired once. No, she had to do it again. She couldn’t seem to resist ruining his life whenever the opportunity presented itself. He didn’t understand what he’d ever done to her to make her hate him so much. He’d hired her, given her amazing opportunities, and what had she done? She’d stabbed him in the fucking back.

What the fuck was Kayla Bristowe’s problem?

“Right,” Patrick said stiffly, clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. “Well, I’ll take it under advisement. I understand where you’re coming from.”

“Thank you for your time.”

Sebastian barely had time to school his face into a neutral expression before she stepped out of Patrick’s office, closing the door behind her. Her eyebrows shot up and her mouth formed a tiny O.

“Sebastian,” she said, her voice soft. Her cheeks turned a shade of deep pink. “How…how long have you been standing there?”

He leaned against the wall, staring at her, his eyes narrowed. He felt too hot, like someone had cranked the heat up.

“Long enough to hear you try to get me fired for a second time.” She opened her mouth to argue and his control snapped. He took a step toward her, curling his fingers around her upper arm. “It wasn’t enough to ruin my life once? You’ve gotta try and take this from me too?”

“I’m not trying to ruin your life!”

“Sure as fuck didn’t sound that way, sweetheart.” He ground his teeth together, his nostrils flaring as he fought