I run my finger across my lips, thinking of Jesse’s kiss. “Maybe.”
“Come by the shop and we’ll chat,” she whispers as we walk through the doorway.
Inside, we grab towels from the stack by the door and pick out a spot near the cubbies to strip. I keep my eyes on the wall while I debate going full frontal like Michael Fassbender or wimping out with only some side action in the shadows like Ben Affleck.
Sage’s French lingerie comment provides my answer. I remove my bra and leave my panties in place. The bra cost a lot more than the multi-pack cotton underwear.
Logical, practical, and economical.
Breaking and entering is enough spontaneity for one night.
Or year.
Hell, it’s one of the craziest things I’ve done in my twenties besides move to the mountains.
Towels tucked around us, we scamper over to the hot tub, avoiding the areas of snow and shiny patches of ice.
The hot tub bubbles away, white froth churning on the surface. I stick a toe into the water and the heat is almost painful in contrast to the cold night air.
“Trust me, you’ll be swimming in the pool later to cool off.” Zoe gives me an encouraging smile as she sits on the edge.
I join her, swinging my legs in the hot water while I build up the courage to lose my towel.
The sound of male voices on the other side of the metal fence sends me into a panic. I toss my towel and sink into the water up to my chin. Although I’m five seconds from submerging myself and seeing how long I can hold my breath, I have to admit, the water does feel amazing.
I look around and see three similar faces full of surprise. We’re like a pack of otters or seals with only our heads visible above the surface. Wide, wild eyes meet mine from multiple directions.
We may be hidden by the edge of the hot tub, but four white towels lay on the decking like a sudden rapture has taken place poolside.
Luckily the voices fade away. False alarm.
Mae’s the first to sit up again. “Phew. I would’ve been bummed to get busted so early.”
I laugh. “You sound like getting caught is a certainty.”
She and Zoe nod. “We almost always do.”
“You’ve been arrested for public indecency multiple times?” I realize my voice must carry over the water because I hear a faint edge of panic echo back to me. Above the water, this is a G-rated group. We all could be sporting bandeau bikini tops.
“Who said anything about getting arrested?” Sage confidently rests her arms along the edge of the hot tub, exposing the top of her breasts.
“But Mae said you get caught.” I make sure my own boobs remain submerged.
“Oh, sure. We’re sent home with a warning not to do it again by whichever poor sap is on night duty at the hotels.”
“Or club,” Zoe adds. “However, they’re a little more touchy about non-members usurping member privileges.”
“Sometimes we know the person who is tasked with kicking us out. Can be a little awkward, because of the whole nudity thing, but usually we end up laughing about it over drinks at some point.”
“I’m surrounded by outlaws and miscreants,” I mumble. I have no one to blame but myself. I’m the responsible one. I’ve never crashed a car or shoplifted. I didn’t drink at high school parties or steal money out of my mother’s purse. Never broke curfew. Hell, I don’t think I was ever grounded at all.
Now I’m running around with exhibitionists flaunting rules and snubbing my nose at the law.
Obviously, the high altitude and lack of oxygen affect my ability to make good choices.
Feeling a little overheated, or maybe I’m having a hot flash, I decide I need to cool off in the pool. I hold my arm over my chest bashfully as I step out of the hot water into the cool air. The shock of the contrast is refreshing.
I get a few whistles and soft whoops of encouragement from my new friends as I tiptoe across the freezing concrete to the pool. Emboldened, I shake my butt before executing a perfect shallow dive.
I swim the length underwater, enjoying the silence and the feel of my muscles stretching with each stroke. The cool water feels amazing after the heat of the hot tub. At the far end, my head breaks the surface and I gulp air to fill my burning lungs.
With one hand I clutch the edge of the pool, and with the other I swipe water from my eyes. As I face the hot tub blinking away the sting of chlorine, my smile falters when I realize we’re no longer alone.
Two men stand between me and my friends.
One of them is Lee.
Okay, that’s mortifying.
But not as mortifying as seeing a familiar face on the second guy.
Chapter 15
Jesse
LEE CONVINCES ME to sneak up on the girls at the hotel pool. There’s a full moon tonight and he knows they’re up to something when Sage doesn’t return his texts. He convinces me to drive him to Snowmass and up to the village.
“Why do you think they’re skinny dipping? Isn’t it Taco Tuesday?”
He points up at the bright night sky. “Because one of Sage’s New Year’s resolutions last month involved howling at the moon more often.”
“Why does she need to be naked in a hotel hot tub to howl at the moon?” I tilt my head back and let loose a long, low growl before lifting it into a woeful cry.
I half expect a real wolf to reply.
“Keep it down, Hayes. You’ll ruin the element of surprise.” He pulls me down the path between the hotel and the mountain.
“I admit I feel a little uncomfortable showing up to spy on your naked girlfriend.” I stuff my hands in my jacket pockets because I suddenly feel like a third wheel.
“I hadn’t really thought about you seeing Sage naked. Don’t look at her.” Lee says something more and I hear his South African accent slip through. “Vokkof.”
He stops short and I bump into him.
“We can turn back. No one will have to know we’re here.”
He lifts a corner of this mouth in a half smirk. “Or we join them. If everyone is naked, it will be less awkward.”
I have no body issues, but his argument wouldn’t get us out of jail.
Female voices carry around the corner.
“You still want to do this?” he asks.
“Sure.” I nod in agreement, however, I’m not at all sure that’s a good idea. “How are we getting in?”
“Sage usually wedges the gate open for a quick escape.”
“Usually?” How are there groups of women naked in hot tubs around town on a regular basis and I’m only finding out about it now? I’ve become too much of a hermit.
We slip into the pool area undetected. I count three heads in the hot tub. None of them are Mara. Maybe she chickened out and went home. My disappointment surprises me.
I spin toward the gasp behind me.
Mara’s face ducks down below the edge of the pool.
I stand my ground. I’m between her and the hot tub where the towels are piled next to a huge sombrero. She’ll have to surface eventually for air.
Her lung capacity impresses me.
I clap when she pops her head out of the water again. “Twenty-two seconds. I was worried you planned to avoid me all night.”
“I’m naked,” she whispers.
“Are you?” I tease and lean forward from where my feet are planted. “I can’t tell.”
Sadly, it’s the truth. The pool is dark and the low lights from the surrounding hotel building don’t provide enough detail to see anything below the water’s surface.
“What are you doing here?” Her teeth chatter from the cold air.
“Lee wanted to come find Sage.” I thumb over my shoulder. “You sound cold, you should get out of the pool.”
She shakes her head and dips lower into the water.
“It’s not a ploy to see you naked. I can hear your teeth chattering from here.”
In the low light, I barely see eyebrows rise in doubt.
&nbs
p; “I’ll close my eyes.” I will try not to peek.
“Hand me the sombrero.” She adds, “Please.”
As I walk over to retrieve the hat, I try to figure out why she wants it. I hold the enormous straw hat in front of me.
“Okay, this is how this is going to go down. Put the sombrero on the ground, then turn around.”
I follow her instructions.
“Are your eyes closed?”
“I’m not looking.”
“Close ’em.” I want to laugh at how serious she sounds.
“Fine.” I cover my face with my hands. “Better?”
“No peeking.”
While I’ve fantasized about her being naked and wet, this isn’t exactly how I imagined it. For one thing, I’d be naked, too. And for another, we would be alone. Not in public with a bunch of drunk girls and an oversized rugby player.
That sounds a lot kinkier than my imagination could conjure.
A soft splash and the sound of wet feet on pavement tell me she’s out of the pool. I resist turning to face her and it takes all my self-control.
“Brrr, it’s freezing!”
“Can I turn around now?”
“I think so.”
I open my eyes and twist my head to peer at her over my shoulder. She’s holding the sombrero in front of her, covering all the fun parts.
“Nice outfit.”
She does a little curtsey, inadvertently giving me a glimpse of the top of her full breasts as she bends. “Back up. I need to get into the hot tub.”
“You’re very bossy.”
“Hurry. Before I get frostbite.”
I hop step over to my friends. She’s greeted with soft whoops and applause as she manages to reenter the water without more than a peek of skin and a flash of blue panties.
“Ahh, much better.” She sinks up to her chin in the bubbling water.
Lee sits on the cement near Sage, with his naked legs in the water like some sort of Greek god in boxer briefs surrounded by water nymphs. “Are you going to join us?”
On a normal crazy night, full moon or not, I wouldn’t hesitate, but at the moment I’m sporting a semi hard-on. If I take off my jeans, the evidence will be more than evident.
“Hand me the sombrero.”
“Suddenly shy, Jesse?” Zoe teases as she tosses me the hat.
“Just being polite to the new girl.” With a wink at Mara, I remove my boots and socks, then strip off my jeans, making sure to keep covered. “Fuck. It’s cold.”
I manage to get into the water without flashing anyone or poking anyone’s eye out. My moan of contentment echoes Mara’s. I sit across from her, pretty sure sitting next to her naked might be the death of me. When I catch her staring at my chest, I smirk. Her cheeks are flushed and I don’t think the color is only from the heat of the water.
Besides the fact we’re all pretty much naked, the conversation isn’t awkward. I can see how Mara fits right in with Sage’s friends. Knowing she’s making connections means she’ll be more likely to stay in the area.
If she stays, maybe we have a chance to be more than a failed one-night stand.
I’m not the same party guy I was when we first met years ago. I’d like the chance to prove it.
“I’m going in the pool, if anyone wants to join me.” I hoist myself out of the water by bracing my arms on the side.
“You’re not even naked,” Mara announces.
I give her a smirk, “Neither are you.”
“You peeked!”
I shrug and dive into the pool with a smile on my face. When I surface, I see I’m not alone in the water. Mara clings to the side, her chest pressed against the wall. I swim over to her side.
“Sorry.” I bump her shoulder with mine.
“We’re even. I watched you jump in the pool.”
“Oh you did, did you?” I grin down at her.
“You made a spectacle of yourself. How could I not?”
She pushes wet curls away from her face. A few drops of water slide along her cheekbones before falling away. Her full lips are inches from mine. I rest my head against the edge and continue to stare at her.
I’m still thinking about kissing her when the pool lights flash on and off.
Mara squeaks and goes under water again. For a glorious second, I’m looking down at her boobs underwater.
“Party’s over,” a male voice announces from next to the pool house.
I squint through the dark at the familiar, short, stocky man. “Brandon?”
“Hayes?” He walks closer to the pool. “What the hell are you doing in the pool?”
Mara’s head breaks the surface and she inhales a deep breath.
“Oh, that answers my question.” He backs away.
“What?” I stare at him, then at Mara. I chuckle. “Not what it looks like. We’re swimming.”
“Naked in the middle of the night at a hotel where you’re not a guest. When are you going to grow up? You’re just like Cody.”
“Low blow, man.” Glowering at him, I lift myself out of the pool. “We weren’t having sex in the pool, but you’re right, we are trespassing.”
“Jesse Hayes got rejected? Lost your touch?” Brandon’s smugness oozes out of him. He thinks he’s won some contest between us, but he’s been the only one competing.
“Come on, Brandon. No harm, no foul.” Lee’s voice carries over to where we stand. “No reason to bring up the past. We’ll gather our stuff and go.”
I haven’t thrown a punch since Cody was around to instigate fights. Brandon’s treading on a thin layer of ice over my self-control.
He stands with his arms crossed. “I’m not going to apologize.”
“Fine, but you could be a decent guy and turn your back to let the women get out of the water without getting a free peep show.”
You little pervert, I add in my head.
“It’s too cold to stand around out here policing you. I’ll give you five minutes to leave before I call security.”
“I thought you were security,” I ask.
“I’m working the overnight shift and saw people on the cameras.” He points to the corner of the changing room.
A disgusted snort escapes me. “You are a little perv.”
“You want privacy, don’t get naked in public.”
Sound advice.
“You know sneaking into hot tubs is a tradition around here. Just because you’re never invited doesn’t mean you get to spy to get material for your spank bank.” Sage stands next to me with a towel wrapped around her middle.
Normally, she’s all about yoga and Zen, but I never underestimate her.
Lee joins us on her other side. He hands me a towel and I drape it over my shoulders. The three of us create a wall to give the other three some privacy.
“I have no beef with you. As long as you leave, no harm, no foul.” He repeats Lee’s words back to me in a mocking tone. He gives us a small salute off his forehead. “Have a good evening.”
“He’s always been a little prick,” I grumble as I glare at his retreating back.
“And he loves getting under your skin.” Lee slaps me on the back. “Don’t let him get to you. He’s not worth the energy.”
Lee’s right. Brandon is a little twerp wannabe. He used to hang around the fringes of Cody’s circle growing up. I’ve always disliked him and never more than tonight for bringing up my brother as a way to insult me while acting like a little cockblocker.
With the girls in the changing room, I walk over to my jeans and then peel off my wet boxers. I slip into my cold jeans and tug on my shirt, grumbling the entire time. Sage can take Lee home. I’ve had enough fun for the night.
“I’ll catch you later,” I tell him. “Tell everyone I said bye.”
“Hey, we can go for a beer. Don’t let Brandon ruin your mood.” Lee hands me my jacket.
“Nah, I’m done. Getting too old for this shit.”
I’m gone before I can say good-bye to Mara.
> Chapter 16
Jesse
AFTER LAST TUESDAY, I’m not sure if Mara will still show for our ski lesson. Sunday morning promises a gorgeous robin’s egg day. Crystalline clear skies, warm sun, and not a lot of wind blowing snow off the peak. Perfect ski conditions.
I think about swinging by the ranch to pick her up, but convince myself to stick to our original plan. So here I am, pacing around the parking lot at the gondola. The lifts don’t open for another half hour.
I spot Mara’s red helmet weaving through the cars in the lot. She holds two stacked paper cups in one of her gloved hands and balances her skis on her shoulder with the other.
When she sees me, she grins.
“I brought coffee. Figured we can drink it on the gondola.” She nods at the top cup. “I have sugar in my pocket if you need it.”
“I knew there was a reason we’re friends.” With a grin, I take the coffee and sip it. “Perfect.”
“Are we?” She brings her coffee up to her mouth but doesn’t drink it.
“I’ve seen your boobs. I think we’re more than acquaintances.” I nudge her shoulder, hoping she takes the bait.
“Almost a half-dozen people in the greater Roaring Fork valley can say the same thing after Tequila Tuesday. Since when are boobs a qualification of friendship?”
“Who said I wanted to be friends with you?” We set our skis in the rack on the outside of the gondola and step inside.
“You did. Five seconds ago.” She sits down and I join her on the same bench.
“I said it made us more than acquaintances.”
“Listen, just because you’ve seen my boobs more than once, doesn’t give you special privileges.”
“What do you mean more than once? Okay, yes, I looked more than one time, but other than your ill-fated foray into a life of crime the other night, when?”
Her faces scrunches up. “Are you kidding me?”
I shake my head. “I’d remember. Trust me.”
“Apparently not.”
Now it’s my turn for confusion. I feel my brows draw together into a painful V between my eyes. “No, I’d definitely remember. First, because they’re beautiful, and second, because they’re yours. Pretty sure I could pick them out of a line-up. Or if you sent me a boob pic, I’d know they’re yours.”
Crazy Over You (Love with Altitude #2) Page 11
