1. Leo

1

LEO

7 AM.

I slowly cracked open my eyelids and stared up at the ceiling. I was a little tired from getting in so late last night, but that was the sort of thing I could shake off after having my morning coffee. Besides, I wasn't really allowed to be tired, not when I always had so much on my plate.

I yawned as I turned over in my expensive, satin sheets for good measure, enjoying the feel of them against my skin.

One of the perks of being in a VIP suite.

I couldn't deny that I enjoyed all the benefits that came with my job, which included having the best sleeping arrangements in whichever city I landed in. This time, it was Roanoke, Virginia and I knew that I needed to get the team ready before I?—

Wait.

I took a deep breath and stepped out of bed. I was trying to get better at living in the moment, trying not to just rush into the next thing as soon as I could. That meant that I needed to not start my day by focusing on work. Instead, I was going to take a few minutes to look out my gorgeous, oversized window, in my gorgeous, oversized room and take in the view of the snowy, majestic mountains.

I walked over to the curtains and excitedly pulled them open, happy to greet the day and spend a few moments appreciating natu?—

Snow.

There was way too much snow.

I felt myself frowning as I stared out at white, rolling hills, snow as far as I could possibly see. Instead of being the portrait of a winter wonderland, it felt more like it was threatening to suffocate everything in the city, like it'd completely taken over.

The worst part? There was still more snow coming down from the sky, a flurry of it whipping right past my window.

"This is fine. This is nothing," I murmured, wondering if it counted as lying if I was only lying to myself. "Give it a few hours and this won't even be a problem."

I closed the curtains almost as fast as I'd opened them, right before I headed toward my closet.

A few minutes later and I was dressed in a pair of pajama pants and a fancy robe. It wasn't exactly business casual, but I had more pressing things on my mind than dressing the best that I could. My plan was to slip past everyone and maybe find a manager to talk to, someone who could give me more info about the weather situation.

Someone who could reassure me that everything wasn't already turning to shit.

"Leo? Leo!"

Shit.

Tommy, one of the lead photographers for the photoshoot, was suddenly standing right in front of me.

"What the hell is going on, huh?" Tommy pressed. "It looks like a winter storm out there. How are we supposed to do a photoshoot with all the guys in that kind of weather?"

"Tommy—"

"Don't bullshit me, Leo," he interrupted me before he chuckled. "Don't do your usual PR crisis thing. This is a serious question."

My usual PR crisis thing?

If only Tommy knew that my usual PR crisis thing was having internal freakouts and trying my best to hide it on the inside. Today was turning into a total disaster, and we'd only gotten into town last night.

"I think it's still going to happen, Tommy," I replied. "I think we're still going to get all the athletes together for a nice photoshoot. The storm is going to clear up."

"Right. And who gave you that intel?"

"It's all about positive thinking."

"Uh-huh. And your positive thinking is going to keep this photoshoot on track? You're sure?"

"You just gotta believe." I smirked, even though I was dying inside. "Give me a second, okay? I need to talk to someone and then I'll be right back."

I patted Tommy on the shoulder before I stepped around him. I went back to hastily making my way through the lobby, doing my best to ignore the snow swirling in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Everything is going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay.

It has to be.

This was my first big photoshoot project as a PR manager and I knew I couldn't screw this up or else. I'd confidently pitched it as a behind-the-scenes sort of intimate look at some of the hottest athletes from the last few years, giving fans full spreads of photos and in-depth interviews. I'd chosen a snowy location since I thought it'd be fun to offset all the shirtless poses and give things a sense of comfort and warmth, too.

Seriously. How perfect would it be to have a football guy only wearing his helmet in the snow and nothing else?

It was going to be like a fireman's calendar but in reverse.

"Leo! Wait!" Tommy called out for me again, and I heard his footsteps trailing behind me. "What do you want me to tell the rest of the crew? Everyone's feeling pretty antsy."

"Tell them that I have everything under control—" It was the last thing I said before I stopped dead in my tracks. A shiver of fear suddenly went up my spine, as I heard one of the lobby's doors being opened from the outside.

But everyone involved in the shoot is already here, aren't they? We've rented out the entire lodge.

Tommy went quiet, too, as we exchanged terrified looks. If we were about to be slaughtered in the mountains, there was no way anyone could come to save us in time.

The roads were too deep in snow.

Just then, the door swung wide open, and a large pair of boots connected with the wooden floor. An even larger man stepped over the threshold, wearing a thick jacket with snow clinging to the fabric. His face was covered with a mask, completely concealing his identity from the world.

The same kind of mask he would have on if he was here to rob us blind…

Yep.

It was our worst nightmare.

"Uh, hi," I said, my tone shaking with nerves. "Who, um, who are you?"

I eyed him up and down, searching him for any visible weapons, like an ax or a gun. I could feel Tommy doing the same thing beside me, both of us sizing up the intruder.

Before the stranger could answer, another man in a mask, just as large, stepped through the door.

"Are we going to die, Leo?" Tommy whispered. "Is this how it ends for us?"

"You were always my favorite photographer, Tommy," I whispered back, before steeling myself to accept the inevitable.

The strangers looked over at each other, their eyes filled with confusion.

And then, the first stranger pulled down his mask.

Holy shit.

He was gorgeous, with wavy black hair and piercing green eyes that I was just now noticing. He reminded me of a character from those old cowboy movies, a classic sort of rugged charm emanating from him as he stood in front of me.

"Oh, my God! It's just Jacob!" Tommy let out a relieved chuckle. "Shit! You scared me!"

"Jacob?" I repeated his name, still staring over at him. He was staring back at me, too, like he was trying to read my mind.

Like he was trying to figure me out without me saying a word.

"Yeah, the transporter guys," Tommy continued. "Remember? They helped us bring all our shit up to the lodge last night. That's Jacob and that's Bradley, his cousin."

Bradley, the second stranger, waved, with his mask still in place.

"Oh. Right." I shook my head. "Sorry. I must've forgotten your names with all the back-and-forth last night. My apologies."

"Do you have a plan?" Jacob's tone was gruff. "Not to be rude. I was just checking in."

"A plan?"

"For being snowed in." Jacob nodded toward the windows. "I don't think you'll be able to do any of the photoshoots outside unless the guys are willing to risk hypothermia. Or worse."

"Uh, of course, I have a plan," I lied. "It's my job to always have a backup plan. Anything can happen, right?"

Jacob slightly tilted his head, like he didn't believe me.

Like he was somehow able to see right through me.

"It's okay if you didn't plan for this kind of weather," he went on. "Most people don't. But you should start making a plan now, at least. So, you can be ready to ride the rest of it out."

"I already said that I have a plan?—"

"We should batten down the hatches, make sure we have enough resources to last through the storm."

"Right, of course, we can?—"

"How do you feel about taking orders?"

"What?" I blinked a few times, taken aback. "Taking orders? As in, from you?"

"Yes." Jacob continued staring down at me. "If it came down to taking orders from me, would you do it? Or are you someone who can't see past their own ego for the greater good?"

"I…" My words trailed off, everything in me felt knocked off its axis.

No one spoke to me like this; so direct, so honest. It was such a shock to my system that I barely knew how to respond. As I stood there, frozen by his question, Jacob moved even closer to me.

So close that we were only a few inches apart.

"It's Leo, right?"

"…Right."

"Well, Leo, I'm going to need you to answer my question." His voice was low. "How do you feel about taking orders from me?"