Dar bit back his groan. It looked like they Perry was going to start cruising early today, before they'd even had a chance to hit the slopes. It was only their first day, though, and he had to admit, a hot toddy and a warm fire sounded wonderful.

They trudged through the fresh snow, making their way slowly back to the lodge where they tugged off their hats, mitts, boots, snow pants and jackets, leaving them in the vestibule. Snow, being so cold and wet, made for a lengthy process every time you went out or came in. Most people were still on the slopes, so the main hall wasn't terribly busy yet. Which might have been why Perry'd chosen to show up when they had; they'd spent all morning driving to get here and this way they had the pick of the seats by the roaring fire.

Dar slid gratefully into a comfy chair that felt as if it was swallowing him up in a cushiony hug, while Perry sat next to him in a big chair that was clearly meant for two. Two snugglers, anyway. A kid in a ridiculous knit sweater with a scene of reindeer cavorting, and Dar did mean cavorting, on it came and took their order, Dar deciding at the last minute to make his drink a spiked hot chocolate. Baileys was good for warming up fingers and toes.

The heat from the fire did a good job, too, the warmth slowly creeping back into him and drying his turtleneck. He took a tiny sip of his very warm hot chocolate as he listened to Perry natter on. The running commentary was actually quite amusing, Perry having an opinion on each and every person who entered the main hall. He had more to say about the girls than the guys, of course, but so far no one had caught Perry's usually quite easy eye.

"Oh, damn it, the stud is coming this way. He needs to go -- the chicks are going to flock to him."

Dar raised an eyebrow. It wasn't like Perry to lose confidence, especially not just because some good-looking guy had shown up. How did Perry know this guy was so hot, anyway? It wasn't like Perry ever looked at the guys that way.

Then Dar saw the guy and he put his eyebrow back down. This guy was grade-A stud, no ifs ands or buts. You'd have to be blind not to see it, no matter what your orientation. And Perry was right, if this guy was still anywhere in the room, let alone near Perry, there was no way Perry was getting noticed by the girls. Or really, the guys either. Dar thought maybe he was drooling, and the stud was definitely coming closer, much to Perry's dismay.

Dar hid the fact that he was drooling by grabbing his cup and taking a good swallow. And promptly spitting it back out again on a gasp. Shit, that was still too damn hot, especially if he was going to swallow down half a cup at a time.