King Sized Beds and Happy Trails (Beds Series)

by Ann, Becca

  Kaylee comes back with two keys and kicks me in the shin. “Come on, you baby. Let’s see our home for the week!”

  “You wouldn’t be calling me a baby if you had balls.” I stand—I’m real careful, mind you—and she giggles as she not-so-discreetly grabs a handful of Nate’s nuts.

  “I do have balls. They’re right here whenever I need them.”

  Nate bats her hand away and wrestles her out the bus door while Lex and I stand there with our mouths open.

  “Ew.”

  She took the word right out of my mouth.

  Adjusting myself so it doesn’t hurt when I walk, I say, “Please tell me they won’t be like this the whole time.”

  She shrugs, shooting me one of her smiles. The one I only see when we’re alone together. I’d like to think I have something to do with it. That’s me being a pompous ass. Still, when her lips go so far wide, both her dimples are visible—usually, only one is—I know she’s real happy.

  “Good thing it’s not co-ed rooms, right?” she says as we step outside to grab our crap from the storage part of the bus, all of us putting on our coats and hats since it’s freeze-your-toes-off weather.

  “Actually,” Nate says, pulling Kaylee’s bag over his shoulder, “we wanted to talk to you guys about that.”

  Lex gives me a look like I’ve got a booger or something. I swipe at my nose and try to seem like I don’t know what’s coming.

  “You don’t mind bunking together, right?” Kaylee pulls her daddy’s girl eyes on us. “Pwease?”

  I look at Lexie again, but she’s almost laughing. So, I take that as a yes and answer for the both of us.

  “Hmm, I dunno.” I waggle my eyebrows at Lex. “You think you can control yourself around this?” I gesture to… well, all of me, which gets me a punch in the shoulder.

  “I think I’ll manage.”

  She goes in for her suitcase, but I beat her to it. I know she likes to be independent and stuff, but I’m a gentleman, and I’m not going to let her haul that thing to our room.

  Our room. Holy hell, we’re going to be sharing a room.

  “Uh, you two are taking the girl cabin, right?” The boy cabins have two queens. Girls have one king. It was this huge debate a few weeks ago when they announced it. But the school took what they could, and praises to whoever made the decision, because I would’ve slept on the floor before I slept in the same bed as Nate.

  “Yep,” Nate says, tossing me the key as Kaylee hops on his back. He must be made of magic since he’s carrying her and both their bags. “And make sure you knock when you come bug us.” He winks and takes off. And by takeoff, I mean hobble his way to their cabin. Maybe he’s not as magical as he thinks.

  Lex kicks me in the butt and says, “Race ya!” before she bolts it to 16A, or as Kaylee put it, our “home for the week.”

  Okay, so I’m freaking out for no reason. I mean, we’ve shared a house before. All the time, really. We’re practically roommates already. So I try to erase all the fantasy scenarios playing out in my head. Lexie would do more than just punch my shoulder if she saw what’s going on up there.

  I glance to the chaperones, but they are too busy ogling the scenery and each other to notice we’re breaking the rules, and then I take off after Lex. She’s cheating on this race. I’m carrying both our bags, and I think she packed everything she owns. Including her entire nail polish collection, which alone is a million pounds. I should’ve stayed in weight-training.

  I get to the cabin door, and she’s resting against it, arms folded. She fakes a yawn. “I think you’re out of shape, my friend. A year ago, you would’ve caught me, thrown me over your shoulder and gotten here in less than eight seconds.”

  I throw her a half smile and whip out the key. “I knew you thought I was made of pure muscle. I have you fooled.”

  “Not anymore,” she snorts.

  Rolling my eyes, I open the door and let her go in first. Her mouth opens with an audible pop, and she skips around the room and plops on the bed closest to the bathroom.

  “I call this one.” She sighs and closes her eyes, smiling the smile only reserved for when she’s happiest. I’m not even going to argue with her over who gets what bed, because it’s good to see her like this.

  “All right.” I toss my bag on the other bed and set hers down.

  She jumps up, shrugging off her coat. “I gotta pee.” And she’s off to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

  I chuckle and sit on the edge of my bed, taking my coat off and staring at the huge TV. It’s sitting on top of a wood dresser so big it wouldn’t fit in Lexie’s apartment. The lights in between the two beds don’t seem to have a switch, so I try clapping, but that doesn’t do anything. I wonder if light isn’t a perk that comes with an eleven hundred dollar a person room.

  Or for me, times that by two.

  “AGH!”

  I shoot upright on the bed when Lex comes sprinting from the bathroom, top button on her jeans still undone as she leaps onto my lap. She wraps her legs around my torso and her arms are so tight on my neck, I have to choke out my words.

  “W-what’s… wrong?”

  “It’ssobigRyyouhavetokillitrightnowbeforeiteatsmeinmysleep.”

  “Um, what?”

  I try to loosen her grip, but she’s made of sticky glue.

  “There’s a huge spider in there. In the tub! You have to go kill it right now.”

  I chuckle and attempt to stand, but her death grip prevents me from doing it smoothly. “Okay, I’ll go kill it.” She doesn’t let go. “You want to come with me?”

  I didn’t realize how much I like her being so close until she’s not there anymore. She jumps off and hops across the bed, lands in the corner by the door and crouches, hugging her knees to her chest.

  I shake my head and do a Mission Impossible stunt to the bathroom. It’s a good thing I love this girl, because she didn’t even flush. I tug the knob on the toilet and whip the shower curtain open.

  Nothing.

  Normally, I’d chalk this up to a girl being a girl, and freaking out over nothing. But this is Lexie, and if she saw a spider, it means there really was a spider. And if I don’t find it and get rid of it, she’ll be sleeping in that corner all week. Or outside huddled in everything she packed to keep warm.

  After a thorough search of the bathroom, I take my shoe off and smack it against the tub, hoping the sound alone will make her believe I killed whatever she saw.

  Another flush of the toilet, and I walk back to Lex, wiping my hands off.

  “Who has two thumbs and is awesome?” I signal to myself, but before I can get out the punch line, she narrows her eyes and cuts me off.

  “Um, not you.” She points at my face. “You’re purple, and your voice cracked. You’re lying.”

  I raise my eyebrows. Damn, she’s good. I didn’t even realize I was doing all that. Shaking my head, I park myself next to her on the floor.

  “Why didn’t you kill it? If you’re trying to play a joke, it’s not funny, Ry.”

  “You know I wouldn’t kid around about…” I drop my voice an octave. “Spiders.”

  No punch in the shoulder. Man, she’s really freaked out. Her brown eyes get bigger as she waits for a serious answer.

  I let out a breath. “Sorry, I couldn’t find it.”

  She shakes her head so fast I think it may come off. “No, no, no. I can’t stay here.”

  Half my mouth pulls up. Just what I expected. “Where do you suggest you sleep?”

  She reaches up and grabs the key I set on the table by the door. The small of her back peeks out from her shirt, and I have to gulp back the sudden drool in my mouth.

  “Go switch with Nate and Kaylee.” She slaps the key in my palm. I give her a look that clearly says, ‘they’re probably busy’, but she gives me a look back that says, ‘I don’t care.’

  “All right.” I sigh and stand. “You win.”

  “Thank you.” She curls farther into the corn
er.

  “Don’t you want to come with me?” I ask with a smirk.

  She shakes her head again, the ‘shake so hard it’s going to come off’ shake. “I don’t want it crawling into my stuff, so I’ll make sure it doesn’t get anywhere near it.”

  I’m about to tell her she won’t do much good from the corner, but it’s probably better I go alone anyway. Kaylee and Nate would make fun of her, and I’m better at persuading when I don’t have an audience. Mainly ‘cause I can get all protective over Lexie without her seeing just how much I like her.

  “I’ll be quick.”

  She snorts. “Not if you run like you did before.”

  My smile widens. “Time me.”

  In my haste, I forget my coat and the chilling breeze instantly makes my nipples rise and my junk shrink. I run as fast as I can manage without slipping on all the snow and ice to 16B, and send out rays with my mind that Kaylee and Nate are at least still dressed.

  The girls’ cabins are closer to the mountain, higher up and way bigger than the boys. The King beds must mean suites in comparison to…

  Holy shit. One bed. How did I forget there is only one bed in this room? Did Lex forget, too? Or does she not care?

  My whole body is shaking now, and I’m not sure if it’s because I’m freezing or because now I’m nervous times ten. Even when we were younger, we never shared a bed. And smelling Lexie right next to me all night, there will be definite, uh, hardening. Nothing says, “Hey, I wanna just stay friends” like a stiff one in the middle of the night.

  Guess I’ll be on the floor this week.

  I knock when I get to the cabin, hopping up and down to try to keep warm. After about a million knocks, Nate swings open the door.

  “May we help you?” He smiles as he blocks my way in. I’m about to shove him out of the way, but who knows what Kaylee is dressed in. Or not dressed in.

  “Favor, dude. Lex saw a spider.”

  He folds his lips together, biting back the laughter. Kaylee yells from the room. “Oh, let him in and close the door! It’s too cold to play jokes right now.”

  I jump inside, letting my eyes adjust to the dim room. Kaylee’s already packing up the few things she took out of her bag.

  “You don’t need to do any convincing, Ry,” she says when I open my mouth. “We won’t hear the end of it all week if we don’t switch rooms.” She pauses on her zipper as her eyes flick to mine. “That’s what she wants, right?”

  I nod, and she zips up her bag. Nate grabs his coat and shoves his crap together too. Their room is actually a lot nicer than the one we’re in. The bed is giant, but the TV is smaller. Probably ‘cause people who stay in these rooms don’t do much TV watching.

  There go the nerves again, sparking up through my chest and making me rub the back of my neck. My nervous ticker, as Lex calls it.

  “Thanks, guys.” My voice is still shaky. But that could still be from the cold. “I’ll go get her.” Nate and I switch keys, and I sprint back to 16A.

  Lex is still sitting in the corner, but all our bags are surrounding her like a make-shift bomb shelter. I laugh as I help her off the floor.

  “Let’s go, you goof.”

  She punches my shoulder as she hands me my coat. “Looks like you need this. You’re a little nippy there.”

  She dodges my headlock and skips outside. I grab all our stuff and catch up with her pace as we head to our new room.

  With one bed.

  I’m trying real hard not to think about it. She’s been my friend for years, since we were too little to understand the difference between play-doh and cookie dough. So this shouldn’t be a big deal.

  Not a big deal.

  But things are shifting below the belt and my chest is squeezing my lungs so tight I can barely breathe. Like it is a big deal. One bed, one room, and a locked mini bar I think I can get into. Not that I would. Lex’s rule of “no drinking” and all, which is understandable.

  She grabs my arm, like she always does, and like always—‘cause I’m an arrogant ass—I flex under her fingers and adjust the bag on my shoulder.

  I can handle this. And when she starts skipping next to me, I know I need to handle it. ‘Cause it would suck to ruin our friendship over my confusing feelings.

  I glance over at her, she’s looking around the whole place, and it hits me. She’s up here to try to get together with that jackhole, Sean. She’s looking for him right now. And when there’s nothing, she slumps her shoulders and huffs at the ground. Before she starts twirling that ring of hers, I pick up my leg, and kick her in the butt.

  “You won’t beat me this time.” I grin and take off, knowing she’ll chase me and all the other crap going through her head will disappear, even if it’s just for a second.

  When we reach our new cabin, she stops in the doorway and grabs my arm, yanking me back from going in without instructions. “You make sure the coast is clear.” Her eyes narrow and she points a finger in my face. “And I’ll know if you lie to me.”

  I nod and do another lame Mission Impossible impression as I inspect every inch of the room.

  “All clear.”

  After a minute of studying my purple-free face, she breathes a sigh of relief, shrugs off her coat and does the same plop on the bed as she did before. “I call this side.”

  Okay, I know I said it wasn’t a big deal, but that’s a damn lie. I can’t sleep in the same bed as Lexie. It’ll be too weird.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll take the floor. Lucky you, you get to have both sides.”

  She sits upright, rolling her eyes. “Geez, Ry. You can fit like, five hundred people in this bed and they wouldn’t touch each other. I’m not letting you sleep on the floor.”

  Of course she wouldn’t think it’s a big deal. Because to her, I’m just her good ole buddy, Ryan. And if I act weird about this, she’s going to catch on, and it’ll ruin everything.

  I jump on the other side of the bed, stretching out and kicking off my shoes. I’m being girly about this. So I’m manning up and relaxing. It’s Lexie. And I’m going to have fun this week, not tip toe around her like a pussy.

  I throw her a grin as I tuck my arms behind my head. “Now, I know you’ll try something with me in your sleep. Face it, Lex, your subconscious wants a piece of this. But, please be gentle with me.”

  She punches my shoulder before resting her head against it. “You keep that morning wood and those weird fantasies going through your mind to yourself, or you’ll be sleeping in the same room as Nate and Kaylee.”

  “Ugh. You win.”

  It’s quiet between us, and it’s nice just listening to her think. She’s twisting her ring, but stops when she sees me watching.

  “So, what do you want to do tonight?” I ask.

  Her gaze goes out the window and wouldn’t you know it, jackhole and Ski Resort Barbie are headed to the hot tubs, huddled into each other since it’s freezing and they’re practically naked. I groan, but Lex shoots upright.

  “Wanna go for a dip?”

  Chapter 7

  Lexie

  My brand new black halter top and double string bikini bottom equals best investment ever! The only way my boobs could look better is if they were fake. I do a back check in the mirror, make sure I don’t have too much cheek hanging out then emerge from the bathroom.

  Ryan is lying down on the bed, feet dangling off the edge, and I watch the rise and fall of his chest. He changed into his snazzy black board shorts with the teal and white stripe across the top. A snore escapes him, and I can’t help myself. I run full force at the bed and land one foot on either side of him.

  From the awesome dismount, I land with a thud and Ryan’s body flings up.

  “What the…? Oh, it’s on.” He grabs me by the waist and flings me onto the bed. His fingers find my sides and my most ticklish spot as if they knew exactly where to go. I toss and turn, and when his hands brush the skin on my lower back they pause for a second as his eyes widen, and he looks down at my b
oobs. The sleepiness in his gaze has vanished, and I think he just realized I’m not in my jeans and t-shirt. I cock my eyebrow at him and poke his forehead.

  “Up here, buddy.”

  “I wasn’t…I…uh.” He shakes his head and his fingers go right back to my sides.

  “Ahh!” I scream as he tickles me until I can’t manage another scream. Arms, legs flailing I try to break free, but it’s no use against his tickle fingers and his unusually strong arms. “Mercy! Mercy!”

  His fingers stop moving, his hands wrap around my wrists and pin me down. “If I let go, you have to promise me we’re even.”

  I stare up into his dark eyes and flash the most innocent smile I can muster. “Promise.”

  He glares back at me, eyebrows drawn together. My innocent smile curls up and a giggle slips. “Liar!” he yells and his fingers go right back to my sides.

  My legs kick back and forth, my arms following a similar suit until they make contact with a solid mass.

  “Uhh!” Ryan’s hands fall from me, and he curls up into a ball.

  “Oh my God, Ry, I’m so sorry.” I’m not even sure what I hit. Felt like his hard head, but he’s holding his stomach. “Are you okay?” He holds his finger up, and I crawl closer. Not that I’m a doctor or anything, but I don’t like feeling helpless especially when it concerns Ryan.

  I run my fingers through his hair and then rub his back. “Knocked the wind outta me,” he says in a weird, deep voice. “That’s twice.”

  “Oops.” I give a slight shrug. “Sorry, but not for nothing. You could have broken my hand there, Hulk. Seriously when did your abs get so hard?” I look down at his stomach to emphasize my point, but my eyes wander to his happy trail.

  I still remember when the hair grew in. He was so excited you would have thought he was sprouting gold. Back then it looked funny on his small lanky frame, but now…

  “Enjoying the view?” he asks, and my head snaps back.

  “You wish!” I poke his side, and he shoots up.

  “Trying to cause bodily harm again?”