It’s really not that hard to direct someone verbally.
“Maybe I should just guide you with my hands?” William questioned, sounding nervous to even offer the suggestion.
I see what you’re doing. Nice move.
“I did it by talking, I don’t know why you can’t,” Amelia responded, clearly annoyed. She bent over and rubbed her shin, which she’d just kicked into a chair.
Nice view. Stop looking.
“I’m trying my best. Come on. It’s not like I’m going to grope you while we’re here.”
“You better not. Watch where you put those hands,” she added as William put his hands on her waist from behind. She even jumped a little at his touch.
“What’s wrong?” Nate asked before he could stop himself. He wandered closer to them to make sure William didn’t try to cop a feel while guiding her. Nate was certain this was another exercise that wasn’t going to make it back into a workshop again. Not when people like William used it as their own personal foreplay session.
“Is this really any different than when he had his arm around you earlier?” Nate asked in a low voice that only the three of them could hear.
She turned her head at the sound of his voice. “What? Nate? What’re you talking about?”
“Nothing, never mind,” he mumbled, walking away. He should know better and just keep his mouth shut.
Not your boyfriend, my ass. Looked pretty boyfriend-y to me earlier.
He watched as Amelia shuffled her feet and reached out her hands as though she was trying to find him in the darkness. “Wait. What the hell are you talking about, Nate? You can’t just make some offhand comment like that, then walk away from me.” She reached around behind her back and grabbed Will’s arm. “Take me to him.”
“What?” William muttered, sounding confused, as he stood frozen like a statue.
“Oh, to hell with it.” She ripped off her blindfold and stormed up to Nate, glaring at him fiercely. She grabbed his arm hard—harder than he thought possible for a woman of such a slight frame. “What the hell are you talking about?” she demanded.
“Nothing. I shouldn’t have said anything, it’s not my business.” He glanced around nervously, wondering if anyone else could overhear their conversation and hoping desperately that they couldn’t. A public outburst with one of the workshop attendees was just about the last thing he needed if he was going to get his promotion.
“Well you did say it—and now I want to know why,” she said. It was clear in her voice she wasn’t going to back down.
As annoyed as he was, Nate had to admit he found her feistiness a bit arousing. He liked a woman who was strong and spoke her mind—a woman who challenged him. Amelia was proving to be a challenge all right. They’d only known each other for a little over a day and already she was incredibly frustrating and impossibly alluring. He didn’t even know where to begin with her.
“Fine,” he started, his voice low so only she would hear him. “I saw you in the chalet—with William—on the couch—in front of the fireplace. The whole thing seemed awfully cozy for two people who supposedly aren’t dating. That’s all I’m saying.” He shrugged in a way he prayed came off as indifferent. “Your life, your business.”
She shook her head and opened her mouth a few times like she wanted to say something back but couldn’t.
Can’t even deny it.
“You saw that? It was pretty cozy on that couch,” William said, peeking his head around Amelia. “Pretty romantic too, I might add. Nothing quite like cuddling on the couch with a hot cup of cocoa and a hot chick, am I right, Nate?”
Nate gritted his teeth. He had forgotten William was there and was listening in on their conversation. Nate would have preferred to have this chat with Amelia alone, but it was too late for that now.
“Shut up, William,” she said pushing him away. She glanced back to Nate, but still said nothing.
So it was true. William and Amelia were dating. Her inability to dispute his accusation was all the confirmation he needed. No further evidence necessary. He was done with her and if she really wanted to be with William, she could.
He kept his voice low. “I’d appreciate it if next time you almost kiss me, you wouldn’t lie about your dating status before you do it. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a workshop to run.”
Chapter Six
Nate’s muscles relaxed as the steaming water of the hot tub penetrated into his skin. His aching muscles thanked him for the soak, but the heat of the water did nothing for his mood. He’d been in a sour one since seeing Amelia and William together by the fireplace, and after his confrontation with her during the workshop, his mood dived further south.
Thinking back, he wished he’d kept his thoughts to himself. He was happy that it appeared no one outside of the immediate three of them had heard anything that was said during their argument. But, the fact that she affected him enough to cause an outburst like that at all, let alone while still working, was just more evidence of how much he liked her.
It was weird. He’d liked other women at workshops before, but he couldn’t remember ever having been concerned if he’d seen those same women with another man on the same weekend. In cases when that had happened, he was happy that they didn’t expect something more from him than he was willing to provide.
One simple fact always lingered in the back of his mind—he wasn’t looking for long-term. He’d seen too many times what happened to the workshop guys when they got caught with a girl in a real relationship. One minute they’re on the road enjoying the freedom of traveling to new places every week and the next they’re settled down in the same city for the rest of their lives.
Every weekend that Nate got involved with a girl, he was relieved when the weekend ended and he was able to move on—unattached.
That wasn’t the case with Amelia.
From the first moment he’d laid eyes on her in the elevator, he’d known there was going to be something more with her. Something that was different from the other women he’d been with. Even knowing his feelings ran deeper for her, he hadn’t been prepared for how it had torn up his insides when he spotted Amelia and William together by the fireplace. He’d even go so far as to say what he’d felt earlier was jealousy. He simply couldn’t stand seeing Amelia and William together.
I don’t get jealous, he argued internally. Yes, apparently I do.
Closing his eyes, he tried to block out the mumble of conversations going on around him. He just wanted a little peace and quiet and of course the hot tubs were packed with noisy people. Some were workshop people, but they seemed content to leave the workshop in the conference room and instead had given him some space while they joked amongst themselves, enjoying their evening of freedom on the company dime.
A cool breeze wafted across his hot cheek and he cracked one eye open to see if there was anything to be concerned about, a door left carelessly open or snow blowing in a window for some unexplained reason.
The inner door leading to the hallway and elevators swung shut. His focus was suddenly drawn to a white hotel robe slipping off a set of delicate shoulders, hair twisted into a knot at the nape of her neck, and a bikini so deliciously tiny it made his other eye pop open instantly. As she turned, he knew there could only be one woman who would have that kind of immediate effect on him.
Amelia.
She paused, standing there as if scanning the bubbling tubs for a place to sit. He knew without checking that the other tubs were full. The tub he was in only had about four people in it, still plenty of room for her to sit and relax.
Not that he’d be able to relax. Not with her in that bikini—sharing my tub.
As he watched, she seemed to come to the same conclusion and kicked off her flip-flops, leaving them on the floor underneath her robe, which was hanging on one of the hooks in the wall. She carefully moved across the wet floor on the balls of her feet, like she was a teenager sneaking back into the house late at night.
He c
ouldn’t pull his eyes from her. She was so amazing. She may look petite and delicate on the outside, but he knew from experience with her already that on the inside she was tough, strong-willed, and empowered. He’d never been so intrigued—or aroused.
She paused at the top of the stairs leading into the hot tub, dipping her toes into the water as though to test the heat. She placed her hand on the railing as she stepped down onto the first step, gasping a little as the hot water splashed over her ankle.
Her eyes flickered up, meeting his with a mixture of surprise, dread, and something that resembled interest, too.
Was it possible that even with her stupid boyfriend William around, she was still as interested in Nate as he was in her? Did it even matter to him if she was interested if she had William playing her boyfriend on the side? He didn’t enjoy being second best to anyone, certainly not a douche bag like William.
Douche bag William was thrown from Nate’s mind—the water line of the hot tub rose along the contours of her body as she stepped deeper down the stairs—ankles, knees, thighs. The steaming water splashing against her bikini bottoms was almost enough to push him over the edge.
He forced himself to close his eyes, blocking out the sight of the water caressing her skin. He fought to control the reactions happening inside him at that moment, but couldn’t. God, why would he? The view is amazing. He let his eyes wander back to her body, the water finally rising to her belly button as she stepped to the bottom of the tub.
She hesitated, glanced around the semi-filled hot tub, and finally moved to sit near him. One set of jets separated them as she sank deep into the water and rested her head back against the side. A small groan of pleasure escaped her lips. He closed his eyes, fighting against the intrusive thoughts playing in his brain.
What would it feel like to be the one making her groan like that?
He copied her, closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the edge of the tub. So many emotions boiled up inside him, he struggled to separate them. He wanted to apologize to her for his words at the workshop, but he was still angry that she’d lied. Now, seeing her in her bikini with hot water lapping at her breasts, he couldn’t help but desire her and yearn to take her in his arms.
For now, the best course of action was probably to ignore her presence. Except that he couldn’t.
It was like her body gave off some kind of electric current that became magnified in the hot water, filling the space between them with little explosions. No matter how much he wanted to ignore her presence, he knew he wasn’t going to be able to.
Sighing, he glanced to the side only to find her staring at him with those exquisite honey-colored eyes. He startled, momentarily surprised and feeling confronted by her. The expression on her face wasn’t one of happiness or relaxation. Pissed-off was definitely a more appropriate description. Evidently, she too was still upset about what had transpired during the workshop.
“Hey, Amelia,” he said, trying his best to sound upbeat and casual. “How’s your evening?”
“Aren’t you going to ask me where my boyfriend is?” she shot back.
Yep, definitely still angry. Time to apologize and make things right.
“Where is the douche bag—I mean William—tonight?”
I guess that wasn’t much of an apology.
It wasn’t a smart thing to say and he knew it—like poking a lioness with a stick while her cubs were nearby. It was an action sure to make you lose a hand, not win her favor. Yet he did it anyway, because William was a douche bag and Nate kind of wanted her to know that he believed as much regardless of what that did to his chance of a promotion if she made note of it on her evaluation form at the end of the workshop. He’d worry about her evaluation later. Right now, all he could worry about was finding out exactly how close Amelia and William were.
“Nice,” she replied icily. “William is doing whatever William wants to do. You know, since he’s a single guy on a weekend away at a ski lodge with lots of hot babes running around in tight sweaters.” She narrowed her eyes at him and cocked her head to the side like she was challenging him to make more accusations.
“Single?” he asked, not giving in to her attempt to make him annoyed. He didn’t need her help with that emotion. “Why didn’t it look that way earlier?”
“Why did you draw a conclusion about my relationship status from some misinterpreted moment between William and myself that you witnessed while peering through a window like a Peeping Tom instead of taking my word for it out on the mountain side?”
Well, she had him there.
What could he say? That he’d overreacted to seeing them together because he was jealous about William getting to spend time with Amelia while Nate was stuck working? That he had reached his breaking point? Well, he could say that, it was the truth. But was he ready to admit that to her?
He had to think of something to say fast. She still waited expectantly and he didn’t think she would suddenly let it go. He sighed. Damn it.
“I may have been jealous when I found you two together.” His deep voice softened at the confession of his feelings. “Now, I know I was obviously being stupid. I guess I should have taken your word for it, but seeing him stroke your cheek like that—what can I say? It annoyed the hell out of me that while I was stuck outside in the cold after almost kissing you, you were cuddled on the couch with the jerk who’d left you stranded on the mountainside.”
There, he’d said it. It was all out in the open now. For better or worse, he’d said his piece. There was nothing more he could add unless she wanted him to slit open a vein for tangible evidence that he was pouring his heart out to her.
Real smooth, player.
The seconds ticked by as she just stared at the water while her fingers gently played with the few bubbles floating on the surface. Were her cheeks rosy again from the heat of the hot tub or because of his words?
“I know how it must have seemed,” she said, not glancing up from the water, “but I didn’t lie to you on the mountain. I’m not dating William. I don’t want to date him. And he most definitely isn’t my boyfriend—no matter how hard he tries to be—nor will he ever be if I have any say in it.”
Her eyes flickered up, her gaze catching his. That gaze was hotter than the water they currently soaked in. The desire that flared to life inside him during their almost-kiss on the mountainside had been mutual—he was positive after seeing the same spark in her eyes again tonight.
That spark meant another kiss was possible—even desired.
Excitement spiked inside him at the thought of getting another chance with her when just a few minutes ago he’d thought his chance was long gone. “I believe you. I’m sorry I doubted you before.”
Now what? There was nothing left for him to say. Now he had to wait and see if she would accept his apology. He held his breath and waited.
“It’s okay, as long as you know the truth now.”
He let out his breath, relief at her words relaxing him more than the hot tub ever could. “I do,” he said quietly. He did know the truth and he wanted to prove it to her. He wanted more than anything else to kiss her right now.
He could edge a little closer to her without anyone else in the hot tub noticing. He could reach out a hand and stroke her arm, stroke the back of her neck and pull her closer to him. He could kiss her right now, right here.
Stop. Not yet. Too soon.
“How are you feeling since that fall?” he asked, giving himself a chance to think about what he wanted his next course of action to be. Should he go in for a kiss again like he had earlier, or had the moment passed? Just because they’d gotten past their misunderstanding didn’t mean that she was ready to get physical with him again so soon. She may need more time—hopefully not too much time though since they only had a couple of days left at the lodge. And a couple of nights he really hoped to spend with her, not alone.
“Aside from my shoulder aching like crazy, I’m fine.” She eased back into the
water, sinking until her shoulders disappeared beneath the surface. “Oh, and I have a few bruises from that workshop blindfold exercise. Thanks for that,” she smirked.
“I think I’m batting zero on the workshop fun scale for you.” He motioned toward her shoulders with a nod of his head. “I can rub it for you if you like,” he offered. “Your shoulder, I mean.”
Her eyes shot a look at him and her forehead furrowed.
“Or not,” he backtracked. “I just offered to be nice. I’m not trying to be creepy or weird or anything. I’m sure the lodge probably has a masseuse on staff if you’re really hurting.” He mentally kicked himself for overstepping the invisible boundary that still remained between them.
Great, now I’m the creepy workshop guy. Good going, moron.
They sat in silence for a while, the water keeping him warm and the proximity of Amelia next to him in that little bikini with the water washing over her smooth skin making him even hotter. Goddamn, this girl could do things to him without even trying.
The surface of the water rippled as the other group of people in the hot tub with them stood and made their way to the stairs. “See you at the workshop tomorrow,” Sylvia said.
Nate smiled. “Enjoy your evening off.”
Silence followed as the emptiness of the hot tub settled in around them. Could he take back his offer and stop the awkwardness between them? I should have known better.
“Maybe I could use a little massage, if the offer still stands.” She spoke so quietly he wondered if he’d imagined it. “The hot water is nice, but it doesn’t seem to be helping a whole lot.”
Hell yes, the offer still stands.
He twisted a little so he was sitting sideways in his seat and facing more toward her. “Why don’t you turn a little that way?” He nodded in the direction of the stairs. “And slide back a bit.”
Bunny Hills and Bikinis Page 7
