Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 94072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94072 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
“You don’t have to announce yourself,” I say with a gentle smile. “You’re staying here, too. I just figured you were all out on the slopes—or locked in some work meeting.”
“We did have a work thing,” he says. “But I ducked out early. Hard to concentrate when there’s so much natural beauty within reach.” He sweeps a hand toward the snow-capped peaks, and I have to glance away for a heartbeat.
“Did I hear Bryan right the other day—that you just landed a new contract in Asia?” I ask.
He laughs, shaking his head. “You don’t know which one I am, do you?”
“Of course I know who you are,” I counter, thinking fast. “I would know you anywhere. I’m one of the few people who can tell you apart.”
“You’re stalling,” he says.
“I’m not stalling,” I argue. “I’m just incredibly happy to see you and I… Okay. I give up. Are you Kellan or Alex?”
“Here’s a hint,” he says, resting his hand on the rim of the tub beside my left thigh. I can almost feel his touch on my skin, and I have to warn myself not to get carried away. He’s still one of my brother’s best friends, and I’m probably still just the kid sister in his mind. “It was your very first date. Bryan didn’t want to let you go alone, but he didn’t want you to know that he was concerned. So we followed you to the movie theater and sat behind you.”
“Kellan!” I yell triumphantly.
He nods, satisfied.
“I still can’t believe you followed me,” I say, shaking my head. “I was mortified, and you guys totally ruined my date.”
He chuckles. “It was almost ten years ago, and you weren’t exactly cautious back then.”
“Shut up.” I laugh, unable to help myself. There’s a grain of truth there. As a teenager, smart decisions weren’t exactly my forte. My dating choices were a tad questionable. “Sure, I did a lot of dumb things back then, but I was just trying to impress you guys.”
“Oh, we were impressed. Now, though, I’m even more impressed,” Kellan says, and I’m suddenly sure we’re no longer talking about ten years ago.
“I mean, not that you’d be impressed that I went on a date—everyone dates, and I didn’t think of you like that—” I trail off, realizing I’ve jammed my foot squarely into my mouth.
“Whatever happened to him?” Kellan asks.
“Who?” I blink, then catch on. “Oh—the date. No clue.” I shrug. “After you and Bryan humiliated him, he never spoke to me again.”
“I’d hardly call throwing popcorn humiliating,” Kellan says, defending his long-ago actions.
“Then what would you call it?” I counter.
“I was protecting your honor.”
I grin. “I think you were just teasing me and using that big-brother crap as an excuse. But now we’re both adults, and I don’t need anyone to protect me.”
“I’m not ready to surrender my sword and shield just yet.”
I laugh, then sink into the hot tub until the water laps at my neck.
The water nearly sizzles against my skin, but after a beat I acclimate, every muscle slowly unknotting.
“Oh, I wonder if that’s what lobsters feel when you boil them,” I say with a dry chuckle. “That brief moment of total relaxation before it’s over.”
Kellan gives me a wry smile. “That’s a little dark, but still a good question. You haven’t changed a bit, Kay.”
“Thanks. My foot-in-mouth syndrome is still perfectly intact.”
I settle onto the underwater seat across from Kellan and gaze up at the distant mountains. The view is so breathtaking I momentarily forget about the swarm of butterflies dive-bombing my stomach.
“How was your trip?” he asks.
I let out a quiet groan and focus on the tranquil blue sky overhead—anything to drown out yesterday’s chaos. “It wasn’t as smooth as I’d hoped, but I’m putting it behind me. I’m here to enjoy myself.”
“Good. You’re only meant to indulge yourself here,” he says, voice low. “I hope I can help with that.”
The intensity in his eyes sends a slow, molten heat crawling up my cheeks, and I’m not sure whether to blame the water or him. I try not to let my imagination gallop, but he’s making that impossible.
“So, Kellan.” I scramble for a safe topic. “Are the others still working?”
“They are. I left them in this morning’s meeting,” Kellan says. “They’ll fill me in on anything I missed later.”
My mouth goes desert-dry—his undivided focus does that to me. I reach for my flute and the chilled bottles, grateful for the excuse to fuss with a mimosa. The first cool sip slides down my throat—a burst of citrus-bubbled relief.
“I assume you know that Bryan is going to propose to Callie,” I say.
“I do, yes,” he says, stretching his arms to hook them over the rim of the tub.
Now his chest is on full display—broad, cut, and utterly distracting. He hasn’t let himself go since we were kids; if anything, he’s grown deliciously broader, ropes of muscle sculpted across his torso and draped over those massive shoulders. I try not to stare but fail miserably.