I sighed. “Can you at least tell me how long the flight will be?”
“Seven hours,” he replied.
“Seven?!”
“Want the drugs now?” he asked with a smirk.
“No,” I snapped, turning away to pull out my iPod and listen to my music.
Two naps, dinner, and seven hours later, I felt myself being woken up.
“Jaden, wake up. We’re about to land,” came Darren’s voice.
I groaned in my sleep, slipping off the blanket that had magically appeared
around me, and stretched like a cat. I moved to lift the window blind when Darren
gripped my wrist.
“Leave those shut,” he ordered.
“Why?”
“Because I told you to, that’s why,” he said sternly.
“Fine,” I replied and lifted my hand away from the blind like it was a wild
animal.
“Clothes have been laid out for you on the bed. I need you to quickly change into
them. It’s very cold outside.”
“Cold, huh?”
“Extremely,” he confirmed.
That was when I noticed Darren had changed his clothes. He wore a black
turtleneck that showed off every muscular inch of him, dark jeans, and black
leather boots. Goddamn him. The man could probably look good in a fucking potato
sack.
“Now, hurry up,” he said, pulling me from my seat and giving my ass a light
swat.
Making my way into the bedroom, I found a long-sleeved gray sweater dress,
thick black fleece-lined leggings, a pair of sleek looking black knee-high snow
boots, and a long black wool pea coat, gray scarf, and gloves neatly laid out on the
bed. Everything fit perfectly, the dress falling just above my knee, the leggings
warm and soft, and the boots sturdy and comfortable. The coat was a little
restricting, but most pea coats were. When I was dressed, I made my way back over
to my seat, buckling myself in and waiting for the dreaded descent to begin.
When the plane finally landed, and we were cleared to exit, Darren pulled a large
black blindfold from his pocket. I instantly groaned.
“Oh, come on. Really?”
“Turn around,” he ordered.
I released a minor huff and turned around so he could tie the blindfold around
my eyes.
“I want to keep my surprise intact.”
I rolled my eyes behind the blindfold. “I think you’re taking this surprise
business too seriously.”
Darren chuckled.
30
A GIFT
A s soon as the door to the plane opened, cold air instantly blasted my body and
face. I immediately stepped back, shrinking away from the cold only to press
myself into Darren. He helped me down the stairs and into the backseat of a warm
car. I could hear more people around us, men shuffling around before car doors
slammed shut, and we were on our way.
I could tell it was nighttime from the lack of light and warmth from the sun and I
was busying myself in my mind with where the hell we could be that was seven
hours away and cold as fuck. There were too many damn possibilities, but I had a
lingering hope that it just might be exactly where I thought it was.
I knew Scott was in the driver’s seat, and by the way the car rocked up and down,
we were driving on a rough trail. It took us nearly an hour to get to wherever we
were going, and as each minute went by, the incline steadily increased. I wondered
if Darren would be really that mad if I sneaked a peek under the blindfold. I was
beyond tempted.
Eventually, we finally pulled onto another road, and a few minutes later, we
stopped. I could hear Scott roll down the window, eliciting the sound of buttons
being pushed, followed by the squeaky creak of metal on metal. Gates opening?
We pulled forward, the car making a slow, wide turn before finally stopping, and
doors suddenly opening.
“Stay here, Jaden,” Darren said, so I sat back and waited, even more tempted to
pull off my blindfold. Barely a minute later, I felt my door being opened and my
hand gripped. “Come on,” came Darren’s voice.
I followed his guidance out of the car, allowing him to take both of my hands and
lead me off. “Just follow my footsteps,” he said.
We walked for a few short minutes, my boots crunching into what was no doubt
snow until it met pavement. Pavement turned into wood and wood turned into a
metal railing where my hands were placed.
“Ready?” asked Darren, his voice slightly smug.
“Yes,” I nearly snapped.
And then he lifted the blindfold.
Eagerly blinking away the blurriness, my vision finally focused on the most
amazing scene I had ever laid my eyes on. Mountains. Beautiful snow-covered
gigantic mountains. It was as
