“Yeah, Perrin. I,ummmm, knew you might like to join us,” I managed, dragging my eyes to his.
“Wow. Yes. I definitely do. That sounds fantastic. Thanks for the invite,” he said with a voice as eager as his words.
“Of course,” I said as his hand twitches, “right across the Inn is a tech shop, ask for Diane and she will help you out if you need to tuneyour skis.”
“Diane. Across the road. One o’clock. Got it.”
I had never wanted a guy to push me against the wall like we were in some kind of damned movie as much as I did right then, and then kiss me as well as those full lips promised they could.
Suddenly, I noticed therewasmore accent to his voice, it was rougher and his eyes were dark. There was no iris left, only pupils blown wide, blood beat in his neck next to his Adam’s apple - all the signs of attraction, and the air of the room got thick.
Panicroseup in my chest. It was one thing for me to want to flirt with him, or him to flirt back, but I wanted him almost desperately and that was seriously throwing me off my game. I wasn’t used to being this affected by my sexual attraction to someone.
Being around his herbal-clean scent and rumpled bed wasn’t helping.At all.For a second I thought hewasgoing to come closer to me and I knew I had to get out of his room and regain my equilibrium.
I shot him my best smile, flirty and coming on strong at the same time that I retreat.
That move was pretty on-brand to how I was feeling about Perrin.
“See you downstairs at one,” I called over my shoulder, confidence back once I could fucking breathe.
Perrin
Dear lord, a man that sexy should not be in my room unless he is under me.
Needs to be a goddamned rule.
Not when I have finally slept out my jet lag, and waskeyed up as hell. I was turned on the minute that Jack showed up at my door and had to cover myself in order to not let him see how turned on I was by nothing more than his damn voice and mere presence in my room. I couldn’t help but want to shove him against the wall, or press his face into the mattress until I worked him out of my system. Maybethen, I could at least think clearly or hold a conversation with him.
For a moment there, I swear we may have been on the same page about some of that.
Sleep, food, and skiing were usually the trifecta for me, but you threw the possibility of sex with someone like Jack into the mix and I would expand my ambitions to four in a nanosecond. His body was long and lean, but I wanted to dominate him in a way I couldn’t even begin to understand.
That wasn’t my usual first move.
He had been the star in all of my inappropriate thoughts as I slept off the time change and thought of him somewhere under the same roof, which was enough to fantasize about and wear myself out before sleeping again. I hoped that his exit frommy roomwas not because I scared him off. He was so damn responsive to my first fewattemptsatflirting with him, I couldn’t wait to do it again; and the flush of desire on his olive skin had been particularly delicious.
The only problem I could see with my attraction for Jack is that it was intense - the kind of intense that burned away anyone else I might normally be interested in. That was a land-mine I didn’t think I would care to ever revisit.
So there was that.
That and the fact I was this attracted to a guy in my brand-new home. Hell, I hadn’t even had a first day at work, yet.
I got myskis in proper shapeby the competent Diane, and walked into the lobby of the Inn,in time with Matt, who gave me a quick hello and so does Quinn, who was looking much better after his rough night a few days ago. After that a larger guy comes in. Heis broad and muscular, and he was introduced again as Baylor, yet another Mann brother. I had met him once, but it was fleeting enough to warrant the re-introduction.
Baylor was a large guy, even without the comparison to Quinn, whowasby far the slightest of the group. Any man in a nightclub would be happy with the mix of handsome facesaround that lobby. Jack stoodout to me of course, because I want him, maybe; but you couldn’t miss the attractiveness of the other men.
This wasmy new normal around Jack, the invisible tug of something that seemed to connect us,some kind of sexual gravity that pulled each of us into the same orbit.
I had liked Quinn right away because he had one of those light-hearted personalities. He owned a microbrewery a few streets over as well as being an architect, and I could see him in that element so easily. But, he was funny in a witty sort of way, andby the time everyone had their gear on I feltlike one of the group, mainly because he doesn’t hold back from giving me hell right along with his brothers.
“He hasn’t asked, yet,” Matt said, having placed me easily in the middle of the brothers while we walk. Baylor was quiet - not shy exactly - but definitely the strong, silent type.
Jack laughed. “No, but it’s probably not Texas-polite to ask why none of your brothers look alike,” he teased.
“Fuck off,” I said lightly. “Not my business, I guess.” I finished, giving them an out if they wanted it.
I had heard, of course, about the Mann family. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t gone to the coffee shop down the street, or the bookstore, or hung out with Piper and her friends, or gone to Diane to tune my skis, or been to the hospital a few times. They all wanted to tell me about the Mann brothers. That’s where I learned that my suspicions were correct, Jack was much more than a trust-fund guy that worked the front desk at the Inn.
