Deserted - Auctioned

“But I’m not tired anymore!” Jayden made an ungraceful return to the cleared path and sent snow flying in every direction. He laughed and brushed the snow out of his hair. “That counts as a shower.”

Gray snorted in amusement.

When they got closer to the main house, Gray spotted the silhouette of a woman stepping out onto the wraparound porch. Then she was running down the steps, her ponytail bouncing.

“Quinn!”

Gray turned around as the woman passed him, heading straight for Darius, who caught her with a smirk when she jumped into his arms.

So, this was a reunion.

The sight shouldn’t bother Gray, but it really did. To the point that he had to look away and swallow his jealousy. What a fucking idiot he was. Now he couldn’t even let two friends greet each other?

“I didn’t think I’d see you again,” the woman said. “Then I heard through the grapevine that you were involved in the clusterfuck in Florida. So much for retiring, huh?”

Darius let out a chuckle. “It was a special case.”

“I’ve heard that one before.” The woman paused. “God, it’s good to see you again, Darius.”

“You too.”

Gray glanced back at them around the same time as Jayden snuck close, curious. Darius touched the woman’s cheek, another sight that twisted Gray’s insides, before Darius faced him and Jayden.

“Leah, Gray and Jayden. It was Gray I was sent to find.” Darius introduced them, and he nodded at Leah next. “This is Leah Connor.”

Connor…was a woman.

Gray forced a polite smile on his face and extended his hand. “Nice to meet you. Darius has talked a lot about you.”

Leah grinned and shook his hand. She was stunning. Dark-blond hair, blue eyes, pouty lips. “No, he hasn’t. He’s told you a lot about my ranch, though. Right?”

Gray’s forehead creased in confusion.

She tinkered a laugh and slapped Darius’s arm playfully. “I’m sorry. I just know he likes this place more than me. It was how I realized we were never meant to last.”

Well, of-fucking-course. They used to date. Fantastic.

Gray’s chest felt tight, and the flush he felt spreading over his cheeks wasn’t only from the biting cold. Jealousy turned everything ugly, and he despised the feeling.

Had Darius loved her?

The man in question pulled out his cigarettes and lit one up. “Any chance we can catch up tomorrow instead?”

Something was wrong with him; Gray could sense it. Maybe the headache was worse than he let on? Or it was more than that. Either way, Darius wasn’t feeling well.

“Oh, come on,” Leah pleaded. “One drink—a quick one. I made the cookies you used to love.”

Barf.

Gray adjusted his grip on the bags and waited impatiently.

Darius took a drag from his smoke as he glanced toward the cabins.

“I’ve prepared a cabin for you already,” Leah added. “Fresh linens, new towels. There’s even a case of beer in your fridge.”

That settled it. Darius was a kind man, despite the asshole front he put up sometimes. He was too polite to decline, and he mustered a stiff smile and nodded once.

“One drink,” he agreed.

“Perfect!” Leah turned to Jayden next. “How about a hot cocoa for you? With whipped cream and marshmallows?”

No eight-year-old in the world would say no.

“Fuck yeah,” Jayden said.

Leah found that funny.

She led the way inside the house, rambling a mile a minute about people who’d visited lately—fellow friends of Darius’s. And he hummed and commented in all the right places.

Gray set down their bags once they were inside before he looked around. The little lobby of sorts was mostly just a corner of a very large, open space. Gray spied a kitchen and a sign for the dining hall at one end; it was the only area that was walled off. The rest—a seating area with cushy chairs, couches, and a big open fireplace, as well as a bar, some more tables, and a dart board—was all within his view.

The dark floorboards gleamed in the firelight.

Leah shrugged out of her down vest and gestured to the left. “There are bathrooms there if you need to go. Showers downstairs next to the gym.”

Gray nodded absently and snatched up a brochure from the front desk. It showed a picture of the log cabins. He opened it and found a list of the amenities of the cabins, and they were pretty basic. Two queen beds, a kitchenette, a bath, and a loft with an extra bed. Judging by the picture, it was a loft you couldn’t stand up in. There was a thick mattress on the floor, two nightstands, and small bistro lights along the slanted ceiling.

It looked cozy.

Had Darius shared one of these cabins with Leah?

Probably.

“Anyone I know here now?” Darius asked.

Leah shook her head. “Just a few guys from Canada.” She faced Gray next and smiled. “What would you like to drink, Gray?”

Bleach.

Did she have to be so damn nice? It was irritating.