I glanced up at his face. His face was safe. Except his head lolled in my direction. His eyes slid closed partway, and a sloppy grin played over his mouth.
The mouth that had kissed the fucking breath clean out of me at dinner in front of everyone. The mouth that despite logic, I wanted to do it all over again. “Yup. Right between us. He enjoys being the little spoon.”
He let out a deep, grating laugh that had my nipples pebbling painfully hard under my tank top. Saint Nick transformed into Stunningly Sexy Nick in that moment and knocked the air from my lungs.
I blamed the potatoes for this.
ChapterSeven
All those whogot a good night of sleep raise your hand.
Oh look, not a single hand in the air. That tracks.
I dragged my weary ass to the coffee bar and grabbed a steaming cup of confidence. No way I was joining the table without something to keep me on my toes. A tall cup of coffee with a shot of espresso would ensure I conjured up the perfect comeback at just the right time should the need arise.
It always did, without fail.
The minute I walked into the room, Nick’s mom’s eyes landed on me and hadn’t stopped tracking me since. Our families did everything together growing up. Summers spent at the lake with huge barbecues, boating, and bonfires. Winters on the slopes not only here, but on family trips to Utah and Colorado.
I’d never once felt like a pariah with the McAdams family. My family, sure, that’s what happened when you were one of three kids who all went off and became who they were in their hearts and not who their mother wanted them to be. My choices never seemed to bother Nick’s mother, but then, she’d never had to worry about me being anything other than her best friend’s daughter.
My mom had likely spent the better part of their night gushing over my conquest with my dad. I could only imagine the choice things Nick’s mom said to his.
Maybe I’d test all the waters this morning. I grabbed a monster Danish. Lots of calories. Fat for days. Turning to the table, I spotted Daniel taking a seat, his eyes finding me almost immediately.
What the fuck was he up to anyway?
To say we hadn’t ended well would be a colossal understatement. He cheated, I caught him, and instead of raving like a lunatic, or exacting public revenge like so many women would, I went straight for very personal revenge.
It made me wonder if he was really here hoping to find a way back in with me or if my mother summoning him had everything to do with payback.
Cool and calculated, a quality I liked about him at first, until I didn’t, he tracked my every move as I weaved through the tables toward them.
No blinking. Not even a hint of a smile.
Payback for sure.
Something told me to avoid being alone with him… because he might just push my ass off a lift or something.
Okay, so I kind of regretted coming down without Nick now. Not so he could protect me, but buddy system and all that. Witnesses were a good thing.
When I arrived at the table, my dad was right there to smile and kiss my cheek and Nick’s dad followed suit.
“You look ready to conquer a few black diamonds today,” my father said, tucking me in under his arm.
“You know it.” I leaned into him, laying my head against his chest for the briefest of moments, before glancing up. “How about you? You want to take on The Dagger with me?”
He was already shaking his head before I finished the question.
“I’m going to leave that trail to you, young lady.” He gave my shoulders a squeeze. “Skis or snowboard today?”
I leaned into the affection—needing it, taking from it what I no longer got from my mother. “The board. Every day.”
Giving me one last squeeze, he let me go. “You be careful.”
“Always.” This was why I preferred hanging out with the guys. No passive aggressive comments. Just straight shooters.
Now to see how Nick had done at shutting down my mother.
