It's All Relative(94)

Smiling at the peaceful setting, Kai gave the elegant woman running the front desk his name. Yes, he and Jessie could be adults about all this. There was no need to stress about something as small and insignificant as sharing a room. And just the thought of spending some quality time with her made him happier than he cared to admit. He’d missed her so much, and now, at the very least, he’d get a chance to talk with his friend again. He’d meant it when he’d called her his best friend. She was. There was no one else he’d rather hang out with. Then again, he’d also meant it when he said he loved her. He did. Deeply.

While the woman checked him into the computer, Jessie walked up to stand beside him. Her beautiful, deep brown eyes swept over the warm, comfortable lobby, and she continually shifted her weight. Kai thought she was probably nervous about their upcoming arrangements. He wanted to assure her that everything was going to be fine, and nothing was going to happen, but he couldn’t say that with Harmony and April standing right behind them.

Kai watched as a melted snowflake dropped off a tendril of her hair close to her face, and landed on her fluffy jacket, right over her breast. The water flowed down the quilted design, right over her nipple. A surge of desire slammed into him, and Kai had to look away. What was he saying about being an adult? Right. Well, he’d work on it. And it would be nice if the universe would stop teasing him with erotic raindrops.

The woman at the front desk gave him two room cards and wished him a pleasant stay. Kai thanked her and stepped aside so Harmony and April could check in. Jessie leaned on her skis, her bags in her other hand. Kai held his palm out and she looked up at him. “Let me take your bags,” he casually said.

Jessie hesitated a moment, her eyes flicking over his damp hair, then she nodded and handed him one of the bags; her backpack she slung over her shoulder. Wanting to reaffirm to her that this would be fine, Kai gave her a friendly smile. She gave him a cautious smile in return, and Kai found himself staring a little too long into the depths of her eyes. Before he knew it, Harmony was dropping her bags right in front of him, making him jump; he hadn’t realized they had finished checking in.

Harmony smiled as she inhaled a deep breath. “It smells like Christmas in here.”

Kai had to agree with her. It did. The lodge had a real Christmas tree across from the front desk and the smell of pine was nearly overwhelming. It was comforting though. Tiny sparkling lights were strung along the eaves and around the tree, and Kai could just make out the scent of spiced cider coming from somewhere. It was magical and beautiful, and Kai couldn’t wait to spend Christmas here in Colorado. He’d never had a white one before.

Jessie sighed, but she wasn’t taking in the decorations, she was staring at April. “April, do you want to sit down and talk? Clear the air? I never meant to—”

April’s eyes turned as icy as the weather. “Hurt me? Well, you did. And no, I don’t want to talk anymore about it this weekend. I just want to ski and drink. Possibly at the same time.” She picked up her bags, hefted her skis onto her shoulder, and started walking toward one of the hallways.

Harmony looked torn as she watched her leave. She gave Jessie a sympathetic smile, then said, “I’ll talk to her. See you on the slopes in a bit?”

Lips compressed, Jessie gave her friend a stiff nod. Frustration began bubbling inside Kai. This was his fault, and Jessie was the one being punished. He should try talking to April again, make her understand. He wasn’t sure how he could make her see without letting her in on the truth, but he had to try. He hated seeing her angry at Jessie.

Not sure what he was going to do, he took a step to follow April and Harmony. Jessie grabbed his arm. “Don’t. Just let Harm handle it. It’s okay…truly.” She gave him a sad smile, and he wondered if he should really do what she was asking.

Deciding to trust her judgment, he playfully bumped her shoulder. “Want to go check out our room?”

Jessie nodded, and he started leading her in the opposite direction of Harmony and April. His room was the last one on the first floor. They walked in and Kai let out a long whistle. There was an actual fireplace in the room, along with a jetted tub in the corner. The space was decorated as cozily as the rest of the lodge, with large wooden beams along the walls, smaller versions along the ceiling. There were photos of the Rockies along the walls, along with a set of antique skis and poles.

The trip had been sprung on Kai at the last minute, and this room had been the only one available. It was costing him a pretty penny, but Kai was making a decent income now, working for Mason, and he lived pretty simply. He’d had the extra cash and had decided that in a way, Gran was right. Life was short, and he’d always wanted to learn how to ski. What better time to start than right now?

Kai set their bags on the king-sized bed as Jessie secured her skis on a rack near the door. Kai didn’t have skis; he’d have to rent some before they joined up with April and Harmony. Coming up behind him, Jessie placed her backpack on the bed. “Wow, Kai, this is nice.” She glanced over at the adjoining bathroom and then to a table under the window surrounded by plush chairs.

Then her eyes focused on something that Kai had just noticed. There was a rug on the floor in front of the fireplace. It was white, fluffy, and looked like it could have belonged to an animal at some point, although, Kai was fairly certain the lodge had gone with synthetic fur over the real stuff. It screamed—have sex here. They both looked away from the rug at the exact same time.