by A. D. Ryan
“Well, I was looking for a place to live after I left the dorms, and I happened across an ad in the paper,” I explain.
Gemma looks a little confused, but Greyston interjects. “I’d placed it because I was looking for someone who’d rent the room and be there to watch the place whenever I’m out of town. You know how crazy my schedule can get,” he tells her. “I’d never needed a roommate before because Kelli was always there when I wasn’t.”
“Ah, right,” Gemma says, raising her wine glass to her lips and taking a small pull. “Almost forgot about her. You haven’t had the pleasure, have you, Juliette?”
While I’d heard a little about Greyston’s ex—mainly about her clinginess and ultimatums—I’d asked very little because I didn’t want to know who came before me. Ignorance is bliss and all. I shake my head. “Um, no.”
“Lucky girl. Let’s hope it stays that way.”
The conversation quickly steers away from Greyston’s past girlfriends and back to how we wound up involved. Of course, Gemma finds our story hilarious—especially the part where I thought Greyston and Toby were a couple. The more I talk with Gemma, the more I like her. I feel silly for being jealous of Greyston’s past with her, especially after hearing more about Dom. Curious, I ask about the wedding, and she tells me that they’re only in the beginning stages of planning but that we should expect an invitation in the mail once they’re ready to go out.
After dinner—which was absolutely amazing—Greyston and I say goodnight to Gemma and tell her we’ll probably be at the resort again the next day. Gemma agrees to meet us there and offers to bring her board for me again, even saying I’m more than welcome to borrow it for the remainder of our trip.
As we walk out to our vehicle, I can tell that the wine has relaxed me just enough that my legs aren’t as sore as they were earlier. They still feel pretty tight, and the muscles in my back and arms are starting to feel the same way. I’m not looking forward to what tomorrow is going to bring.
When we arrive back at the cabin, Greyston opens the front door and ushers me inside. After taking off our jackets and hanging them up, he turns up the heat and smiles. “Come on,” he says, taking my hand and leading me for the stairs.
“Where are we going?” I ask.
“You’re probably going to be sore tomorrow from boarding, so I thought a nice, warm bath and a massage might help relax your muscles enough that it won’t be as bad,” he explains.
Smiling, I follow him upstairs. “Just when I thought today couldn’t get any better.”
He leads me into the bathroom and starts the bath. As the room fills with warm fog, Greyston helps me out of my clothes, my back muscles protesting when I raise my arms to remove my shirt. Once I’m naked, Greyston follows suit and helps me into the tub first. I scoot forward so he can join me in the large tub, then he eases me back against him, rubbing my shoulders and then slipping a hand between us to massage the muscles in my lower back. I groan happily as some of the tension releases from my muscles, and Greyston kisses the back of my neck lightly.
“So, you had a good day?” he whispers against my skin, making it prickle.
“Mmm hmm,” I hum, finding myself incapable of speaking due to how amazing the massage feels.
He continues to press soft kisses against my shoulder, his scruff tickling my skin while his hands knead my stiff muscles and relax me further. His hands wander around from my back, gripping my hips briefly before moving toward my legs. He’s on a mission, and my body is responding accordingly—until the minute his hands make contact with my thighs. He doesn’t even press very hard, but even the slightest touch has me wincing, and he recoils immediately, removing his lips from my shoulder at the same time.
Leaning forward, I bend my right leg slightly and try to work out the kink. “Sorry,” I say, glancing back over my shoulder. “I guess I’m a little more sore than I thought.”
“You have nothing to be sorry about,” he assures me, rubbing the length of my back soothingly. “I should have had us pack it in earlier today.”
“No.” I shift my body so I’m almost fully facing him. “It was fun. I’m glad we stayed the entire day. I just guess we won’t be going tomorrow like I’d hoped.”
I’m scared he’s going to be disappointed, but am pleasantly surprised to see nothing but understanding in his eyes. “It’s fine. There’s plenty more we can do while we wait for your muscles to recover.”
I giggle, swatting his chest playfully. “While I would love nothing more than to participate in whatever naughty scenario your filthy little mind has conjured up,” I begin, “would you be too broken up if I asked for a rain check?”
Smiling, he shakes his head. “You know, I don’t only think about getting you naked.” I give him a very pointed look that says “yeah, right,” and he chuckles, running his damp fingers through his hair. “Okay, so maybe ninety percent of my thought process revolves around your tits and ass, but for ten percent of my day, I’m thinking of other things.”
“Like?” I challenge.
He pauses, giving this some serious thought. “Okay, so maybe it’s slightly more than ninety percent of my thought process.” My laugh echoes in the bathroom. “Seriously, though,” he continues, slipping one hand around my back, the other tenderly beneath my legs, and pulling me back toward him. “The second I noticed your legs were bothering you, the only thought on my mind was taking care of you tonight. Sex was so far off my radar that it wasn’t even registering.”
“Really?”
He rests his forehead against mine. “Really.”
Sighing, I bring my right hand up to cup his cheek. “Seriously, you’re too good to be true. Most men would probably feel pretty put out by this. But not you. You’re the perfect boyfriend.”
Greyston exhales a nervous laugh. “Juliette, I’ve already told you I’m far from perfect.”
“Well,” I whisper, “I have yet to see the proof that you’re not, so I find it hard to believe otherwise.”
“You ready to get out?” he asks quietly, and I nod.
Greyston steps out of the tub first, wrapping a large towel around his waist before holding out his hands for mine and helping me out. He drapes a towel around my shoulders and runs his hands up and down my arms as he kisses me. “Come on.” He nods toward the bedroom. “Let’s go and get ready for bed.”
On our way through the hall, I stop, suddenly remembering that I was going to surprise him with one of my new negligees tonight. He notices I’m not right behind him, and he turns around, eyeing me curiously. “Sweetheart? What’s wrong?”
I scrunch my nose up, dissatisfied with this sucky turn of events. “I just realized that one of my surprises has been compromised by all of this.”
Greyston’s eyebrows lift, intrigued. “Another surprise? Do tell, Miss Foster,” he urges. “Because if it’s as good as the first…” His eyes travel down my towel-covered body, stopping at the shielded apex of my thighs before darting back up.
I shrug, a coy smile playing at my lips. “Can’t. We still have a few more nights here. I’ll just have to find a time to squeeze them in. Starting tomorrow, perhaps.”
Snatching his pajama bottoms off the end of the bed, Greyston mock-pouts. “You’re a tease.”
Smirking, I grab my own pajamas, turn from him, and let my towel fall to the floor, giving him a full view of my backside. I can feel the heat of his stare on me, and I glance back at him. “Yeah, but you love it a little.”
Laughing, Greyston flips the blankets back before rushing out of the room and adjusting the temperature once more while I finish changing. When he returns, we both crawl into bed, and Greyston draws me into his side, kissing the top of my head. “Goodnight, Juliette.”
With a soft sigh, I curl my fingers into his t-shirt. “Goodnight.”
While I’d had other things in mind regarding how to spend our evening, I have to admit that it really didn’t turn out half bad. Greyston and I had a wonderful day full of first
s for me, and I couldn’t wait to see what the rest of the vacation had in store for us.
Chapter 31
Greyston lets me sleep in the next day, having decided the night before we were going to take it easy. I’m definitely warmer when I finally wake around noon, and it’s not just because Greyston’s body is wrapped around me, though it is a factor.
My thigh muscles are still pretty tight and sore, but the bath the night before helped. Greyston runs downstairs to grab me a glass of water and some ibuprofen before we hop in the shower. Now, normally, showering together usually leads to some pretty hot sex, but not today. My legs are too sore for that, unfortunately.
After we get dressed, we head down to the kitchen for lunch, and while we eat, Greyston suggests an afternoon stroll around the area. I’m told it’s not too cold today, and he assures me the sun will help ease the bite of the winter air. It sounds like a wonderful afternoon, and after we’re finished cleaning up, we put our jackets, boots, mittens, and hats on and head out. Greyston leads me down the trails around the cabin, and I’m, once again, left awestruck with the beauty of this winter wonderland. The way the frost-covered branches shimmer in the sunlight, the crunch of the crisp white snow, and the smell of the cool, Canadian air all add to the beauty. I understand why Greyston might be drawn here year after year—why anyone might be drawn here.
“I’m sorry I went overboard yesterday,” I say, breaking the silence, my breath turning to fog in the cold air.
“It’s fine. I should’ve been paying closer attention. Besides, we have another five nights to make up for it…” Greyston leans in, kissing me just below my ear. A shiver rushes through me, but it has nothing to do with the weather, and everything to do with Greyston. “And I plan to take full advantage of that fact.”
I laugh. “I’m sure you do.”
Greyston’s attention is pulled from me as he reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone. He glances at the call display before turning it off and placing it back in his pocket, ignoring whomever it is.
“Who was it?” I inquire, realizing after the fact that I’m being nosey.
“Gemma. She’s probably just wondering if we’re going to meet up at the resort today.” He pauses, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close, and pressing a kiss to the top of my head. “I’ll call her when we get back home.”
Inhaling deeply, I hug him around the waist as we walk, and I bask in the sound of him calling the cabin home. While it’s not our home, it definitely feels like it could be.
We return to the cabin about an hour later, and I’m about to head into the house when Greyston stops me at the foot of the stairs. “Where are you going?”
“I thought we were going inside?” I said, pointing over my shoulder.
Greyston snickers, shaking his head. “It’s snowman-building time, sweetheart. The snow is perfect for it today.”
I hop off the bottom step, with a wide smile, excited because I’ve never made a snowman before. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
Greyston is adamant we attempt to build the biggest snowman we can, so while he rolls the bottom portion, I get started on the middle. We wind up using almost all of the snow in the front yard, brown pieces of dead grass peeking through what’s left. It looks unappealing, but I’m assured it will be snowing by tonight, so the yard should be back to it’s majestic winter wonderland by morning.
Placing the head on proves to be difficult since the first two pieces stand well over a foot or two taller than Greyston, but he finally succeeds before running inside to grab a few final touches—a hat, scarf, mittens, and a carrot—while I searched for rocks and sticks for the face and arms.
Once the arms are in place, I stand next to Greyston, wondering how we’re going to apply the face and hat. I look over to find him crouching in the snow. “Hop on my shoulders. I’ll give you a boost.”
I’m nervous, but only because of my magnetism to disaster. Thankfully, Greyston is careful to keep me balanced while I affix the stones in place and put the hat on top of its head, then he lets me down, and we stand back to admire our creation.
“Hey.” I turn to acknowledge Greyston. “Go stand by the snowman. I want a picture.” I comply, skipping through the front yard and posing with our creation, and then we head inside for some hot apple cider.
“Have a seat,” Greyston instructs, pulling an island stool out for me, then he rounds the island and gathers everything he’ll need to make our cider. He puts the apple juice in a pot on the stove, and then comes over to the island to face me while he preps the rest. “How are your muscles?”
“Good, actually. There’s still a little discomfort, but it’s really not that bad.” I lean on the counter to get a better look at him while he slices an orange and then cuts an apple in half, inserting cloves in a very precise manner through the skin. “Your mom teach you this?”
Nodding, he turns to add some brown sugar to the warming juice and giving it a stir. “Making apple cider with my mother as a child is one of my favorite memories. Her recipe is actually one of the best I’ve ever had.
“Smells good.”
Greyston grabs the cutting board with all his fruit on it, and adds it to the pot, momentarily displacing the steam. He stands at the stove, stirring the cider, and the smell fills the air. Soon, he’s pouring it into two mugs and nods toward the living room, mugs in-hand.
We settle onto the couch, and Greyston hands me my cider. I blow on it before taking a sip, and it’s like tasting Heaven. “This is really good.”
“Thank you,” he replies humbly, taking a sip from his own mug. “So, I was thinking maybe we could go out and get you your own gear before going to the resort again.” I raise an eyebrow, shocked and curious. “Or we can rent.”
“But I thought…?”
“We shouldn’t be spending our entire vacation with Gemma,” he tells me.
I look down into my mug as it rests in my lap. “It’s okay. I don’t mind,” I tell him softly, not even believing myself.
Greyston uses his forefinger beneath my chin to urge my eyes to his. “Yes you do. Even if just a little.”
“Okay,” I confess with a sigh. “Maybe I mind a little. It’s not that she isn’t lovely—she is—and I’ve been trying not to let things get awkward between us.”
“I know. And I honestly never thought that we’d see her. Running into her was purely coincidental.”
“I believe you,” I assure him with a nod.
“This was supposed to be our time together, and I’m going to salvage the rest of our vacation starting right now. From this moment on, it’s all about us.”
Leaning forward, my smile widens, and I kiss Greyston gently. “Okay. As long as you realize it’s not me making the demand.” Knowing how his last relationship ended based on ultimatums, I want to make it clear that I will never do that to him.
He kisses me again. “Understood.” Silence fills the room, and I watch as his lips curl up into a sly smirk. “So, you’ll let me buy you new boarding equipment?”
“What?” I demand incredulously. “Oh no. I can’t let you buy me equipment. This trip was more than enough.”
Naturally, Greyston is prepared to negotiate. “You forget, all I had to pay for was the airfare, and it really wasn’t that bad since I had some frequent flyer miles to cash in. But, if it makes you feel better, I’ll let you pay me back. I just don’t want to leave you without money to get by.”
I feel like this is some kind of ploy, but I can’t find the loophole, so I agree. “Okay. I’ll let you pay for it now, but I’ll pay you back.” I meet his gaze and hold it. “Every penny.”
If Greyston had a loophole in his deal for me to pay him back, I’m hoping I’ve squashed it. It’s doubtful, but I have to at least try. He takes a moment to contemplate this before he says, “You’ve got a deal. But take as long as you need. I really don’t want you to be stressing about money, okay?”
I smile so wide my cheeks hurt. “You bet.�
�
With it still being so early in the day, Greyston and I head into town to start looking at boarding gear. My legs are feeling better with every hour that passes, and I’m pretty excited about heading back to the resort the next day, and having my own gear would be awesome.
Greyston leads me straight toward the snowboarding equipment where he lets me pick through the various boards available. I take my time, trying to find a design I like, and while I do this, Greyston explains what I should be looking for.
“You need to take your ability level into account when choosing a board,” he begins as I trail my fingers over a sleek black board with a bright blue design. “Because you’ll want one more fitted to a beginner or intermediate skill level, this won’t be your last board.”
“Okay,” I reply, moving onto the next one and taking everything he says into consideration; he is the more experienced boarder, after all.
“You’ll want to look at the width of the board.” I nod again. “Your board shouldn’t be too much wider than your boots. If they extend over the edges too far, then you run the risk of them hitting the snow during hard turns, resulting in a wipeout.”
“So I should pick boots first, right?” I shrug. “I mean, if sizing is anything like how regular shoe companies operate, then they could be different.”
“You’re exactly right.”
Abandoning the boards for a moment, I try on several pairs of boots before I find a pair that fits comfortably, and then we revisit several boards I’m interested in. Upon further investigation, I notice that some of the boards have a slightly deeper curve to them, and that some curve up while others curve down or are flat. When I inquire about this, Greyston explains the different riding styles and how board length plays into that, too. He then tells me that I would be fine to look at any board suited to an All-Mountain style, and that it’s what I borrowed from Gemma. Then he starts to explain the different board curves—or rockers, as they’re apparently called.
“The ones that curve upward are cambered boards,” he tells me, pulling a board out and showing me the upward bow. “It’s the most traditional style of board, and is most popular because it will offer the most energy and pop. It has a smooth arch underfoot and touches near the tip and tail when unweighted. When the rider’s weight is added, it will provide a long, evenly pressured running surface and edge.”
