Intercepted (15 page)

During lunch Pete and Dillon grill Natalia with questions about the
mountain. I
’
m impressed at how well she
knows it. She tells them about some virgin trails at the back where there
’
s sure to be fresh powder. It requires some
hiking, but if we
’
re game she can lead us to
them. The guys are thrilled. Pete keeps sending me pointed looks. I give him a
warning glare.

Once we are finished with lunch we dress back into our gear and follow
Natalia to the back of the mountain. She is fun to ski with and can easily keep
up with Pete and Dillon, who are exceptional skiers. She blazes down the runs
as if she
’
s weightless. We traverse
across a slim path at the summit that will take us to the virgin trails she
mentioned. She
’
s leading us and I stay close
behind. Watching her ski so close to the drop-off on the other side is making
me uneasy and my protective instinct kicks in.

We finally make it to the end of the trail and she points down. I take a
minute to watch the view. It
’
s spectacular
and we are the only skiers here. I slide down to where Natalia is and lean down
to kiss her.

“It makes me nervous having you up here. Will you promise to take it
easy? I saw the way you took those turns back there.”

She smiles. “I
’
ll be fine,
Jake.”

“
Promise me,
” I say against her
lips.

“Okay,” she whispers. “You worry too much, Jake Harper.” She kisses me
chastely, then turns and before I can blink she
’
s pushed herself off the edge and is flying down
through the powder. Dillon whistles and jumps after her, then Pete slides down
and stops by me.

“What a girl.” He winks and before I can punch him he
’
s off after them.

I lower my goggles and slide off, fighting the tightness in my chest
until I see she is safe again.

Back at the base, Natalia pulls her helmet and goggles off, letting down
that wild mane of sable hair. Several heads turn around and I groan inwardly
because a group of guys is now checking her out. She looks up at me and her
face is glowing. I cut the distance between us and before she can react I wrap
my arm around her and pull her into a kiss. Her lips are cold as they part to
welcome my tongue. Then she quickly pulls away.

“
Jake. Not here.
” She grimaces.

“I
’
m sorry,” I say, even though I
’
m not sorry at all. I narrow my eyes. “You promised
me you
’
d slow down.”

“
Oops.
” She smiles.

“We are going into town for dinner. Come?”

Her eyebrows shoot up. Fuck. I sound clingy. But I don
’
t give a shit.

“Come on.”

“Jake, this is your guys-trip.” She looks at Dillon and Pete who are
already heading to the lounge for a beer.

“They won
’
t care if you
’
re there.”

“Of course, they care. They
’
re just
being nice.”

“Come.”

“How about I meet you afterwards for a drink?”

I look at her for a long moment. I want her to come with us, but I also
like that she respects my time with the guys. I tell her Dani has my number and
ask her to call me at around nine in the evening. She smiles and says okay.

At the lounge the guys are already on their
second beer. Dillon grills me with questions about Natalia, but I keep it vague.
Pete shakes his head and smiles, and I know he
’
ll grill me later without Dillon around. Dillon
’
s eyes are now trained on Dani, who
’
s sliding the beers onto the table. He takes
every opportunity to flirt with her and before we leave, he tells her Natalia
is meeting us for drinks later and asks her to join us. She looks up at him and
smiles, and I already know this is a runaway train. I shake my head because
Natalia would think this is Not a Good Idea.

Chapter 19:
Natalia
:

Dani barges into our room as I am coming out of the shower. She has a
wicked grin on her face. I narrow my eyes.

“What?”

“Got myself a date with a pretty hot guy.”

I nod, relieved, and head to the closet. The fact that Dani has a date
with a hot guy is not news. Sometimes I envy her lack of depth when it comes to
relationships with guys. She has a great time, then gets on with her life.

“Where are you going?” I ask, pondering over the lack of choices in my
wardrobe.

“Same place you are. My date is with Dillon.”

I whip my head around and she grins.

“Dani. No. Why him?”

“Why
not
him?”

“Dani, things with Jake are already weird enough as they are. Do you
think getting involved with his friend is a good idea?”

“Yes. He
’
s cute. Besides, they are both
leaving the day after tomorrow, so no strings attached, Nati,” she says,
pulling off her sneakers. “Let
’
s just
have a good time. When was the last time you and I went out on a double date?”

I shrug.

“Come on. It will be fun. Besides, I think you need this.” She squeezes
my shoulder and leaves to the shower. I plop down on my bed, staring at the
ceiling. I guess she
’
s right. It
’
s not like Jake and I are planning to see each
other at all after he leaves.

The thought depresses me.

I close my eyes. My head is a knot of confusion. There are moments when I
miss Marc. So many memories barge unbidden in my head at the oddest times,
leaving a sense of emptiness in their wake. Then I get angry. Angry at Marc for
cheating, at me for trusting him so blindly and at life for once again taking
away someone I loved.

But lately, I am also invaded by thoughts of Jake and the new memories we
made together in the short time that I
’
ve known
him. The swimming lessons, the day he found me in the snow, our shower together
this morning. Damn, that was hot.

But the more I think about what Jake and I are doing, the more I know
this whole ‘in the moment thing
’
is a
ticking bomb that will eventually blow up in my face. Jake is quickly
penetrating through the armor I
’
ve built
around my heart since Tango died. And that scares the living shit out of me.

Because I already know how this story ends.

Downtown Aspen is swarming with the after-ski crowd. The bar where we are
meeting the guys is a casual place in the style of an old wood cabin. There is
a pool table surrounded by booths and a stage adjacent to a dance floor where a
live band playing classic rock covers. The atmosphere is fun and lively.

Jake is sitting at a booth across from Dillon and Pete. When I approach
he stands up to let me in and greets me with a kiss. Pete slides out to let
Dani sit next to Dillon, who appraises her with a wide smile.

We order beers and reminisce about the day
’
s skiing. The guys seem impressed with the little
tour I gave them down the back of the mountain and say they want to go back
tomorrow. Dani and I have the day off and the guys insist we go skiing with
them. We discuss possible routes and the whole time Jake
’
s hand is stroking my knee under the table. When
I look up at him he leans over and gives me a sensual kiss on the neck.

“You smell good. I still have images of you in my shower. It
’
s driving me crazy,” he whispers in my ear. I
blush scarlet and Dani gives me a knowing look from across the table. Dillon
’
s eyes meet mine and he smiles, then looks at
Jake with a puzzled expression that makes me think Jake probably doesn
’
t normally act this way around him. Or maybe I
’
m just hoping. I interlace my fingers with Jake
’
s and he kisses my knuckles.

“Dance with me.”

It
’
s like he
’
s talking directly to my libido. I have to
squeeze my knees together to brace the shot of lust that swirls between my
legs. I slide out of the booth and Jake takes my hand to lead me to the dance
floor. There is a slow melody playing and he pulls me against him, enveloping
me in his arms. I close my eyes and lean my head on his shoulder. Part of me
surrenders, and part of me wants to stop what this is doing to me, the physical
closeness to his body. But he starts kissing my neck and I melt.

“Jake.”

“I can
’
t stop thinking about you,
naked on my lap,” he whispers, and I nearly expire. He pulls away so our eyes
meet, then lowers his mouth to mine and kisses me slowly, tenderly, his arms
squeezing me so hard against his chest I am not sure I can breathe. The kiss
deepens and I fall into the abyss that is Jake, a place where I only have the
present. I decide to take everything he
’
s
willing to give me and kiss him with the same abandon, losing myself in the
now.

When we break the kiss we are panting. Jake presses his forehead to mine
and lets out a long sigh, but says nothing as we move slowly to the music.

A few minutes later the singer says they
’
ll take a short break, and we return to our
table. Pete, Dillon and Dani are playing pool a few feet away. We watch them as
we sip on our beers. Jake is very quiet and I
’
m not sure if it
’
s the funky mood I
’
m in tonight, or if he
’
s having similar thoughts about what will happen
with us after he leaves.

We join the pool game and for the next hour I forget about the fact that
my minutes with Jake are counted. Pete is a good player. I like the way he
interacts with Jake. I can tell they
’
ve been
friends for a long time. Pete teases him and Jake doesn
’
t seem to mind. Meanwhile, Dillon and Dani can
’
t take their hands off each other. He wraps
himself around her whenever it
’
s her
turn to shoot and looks thrilled that she can still make a straight shot. Pete
and Jake exchange looks and taunt Dillon.

The guys and Dani play another game with new comers that want to up the
stakes by making bets. Jake and I go back to the table to finish our beers. He
tugs on my hand and slides me onto his lap.

“Stay the night with me,” he says against my mouth. “I want to spend as
much time with you as I can before I leave.”

“Jake. Your friends? I can
’
t come
over.”

“Maybe I come over to you.”

I chuckle.
“Dani would love that. And I
’
m not
joking.”

“Actually, Dillon said Dani is spending the night with him.”

I whip my head around and raise my eyebrows. That
’
s a little too fast, even for Dani. Jake shrugs.

“They
’
ve already discussed it.” He
smiles.

I look at Dani and frown, shaking my head. Jake wraps his arms around my
waist and rests his chin on my shoulder.

“Don
’
t give her a hard time. I need
this. And so do you,” he says to my ear, sending chills up my back. I smile
because he
’
s right. As much as spending
every free minute I have with Jake scares me, I know I want all the time I can
get with him. I turn on his lap and kiss him, letting him know how much I want
this, too. He tells me he
’
s hard and it
makes me smile. I like that I can do that to him. His hand slips under my sweater
and he strokes my stomach with his thumb. We stay like that, watching the poker
game and pretending we are not falling hard.

Chapter 20:
Jake

I open my eyes in the dim light of Natalia
’
s room, then close them again. Images from last
night flood my thoughts. The stop at the Crépe Wagon on the way back because
she had skipped dinner and was famished. The wind had died down and the snow
drifted in overweight snowflakes. She kissed the corner of my mouth and told me
I went well with chocolate. Then our sneaking around the back of the resort,
her laughter when we both tripped and fell face down in the snow; our race to
take each other
’
s clothes off in her room. Then
sex. So much fucking incredible sex.

The alarm clock says it
’
s six in the
morning. I fight the urge to wake her up and pull her into the shower with me.
But the hotel staff will soon start circulating and I need to leave before I am
seen walking out of her room or through the employee hallway. I already feel
bad about leaving tomorrow and giving her no prospects of a future visit. I don
’
t want to screw up things at work for her, too.

I watch her sleep as I dress. She looks beautiful, her hair masterfully
ruffled over her shoulders and naked back. She is lying on her front, the
comforter halfway down her waist, exposing her perfect skin. I want to lean
over and kiss every inch of her, but I refrain. Instead I leave her a note and
quietly sneak out.

I make my way to the back of the property and into my villa, feeling
every inch the asshole that I am. Natalia was quiet yesterday and I recognized
the dominating emotion in her eyes: longing. Or maybe regret. Maybe she wishes
we hadn
’
t crossed that invisible line.
She walked right through it and what scares me the most is that I did, too.

Yesterday I considered extending my stay, but as I step through the early
morning snow, I am convinced that the only way to get a handle on things is by
putting physical distance between us. I need to go back to L.A. as I planned.
Maybe I can let a few weeks go by, then come and visit her if I want. Who am I
kidding. I already know I will.

The cabin is quiet when I slip in. I get the coffee machine going, then
sink on the couch while I wait. Pete
’
s door
opens a few minutes later and he shuffles out, half asleep. He greets me with a
nod and when I get up he
’
s at the
table with two cups of coffee.

“Rough night?” He mumbles, taking in my not-so-rested-appearance.

I ignore him and take a sip of black poison. Pete makes the strongest
damn coffee I
’
ve ever tasted. He says it
’
s his way to tackle the day head first.

He
’
s eyes are still on me and I
can already hear a speech coming. I don
’
t want
to deal with one of his fucking speeches today.

“Pete, I know you
’
ve imagined
my whole future already, but things with Natalia are not what you think they
are. We have an understanding and that
’
s that.”

“Is that right?”

“Yeah.” I lock eyes with him. “My life is on track. I decide what happens
next and I
’
m happy with things as they
are. I don
’
t need complications.”

He chuckles. “Seriously, Jake? Are you listening to yourself? Because
that
’
s the biggest load of bullshit I
’
ve heard you say in a long time.”

I glare at him, but he doesn
’
t
flinch. The other thing about Pete is that he
’
s the most persistent motherfucker I
’
ve ever known. When he gets an idea in his head
about the way things should be he doesn
’
t let
up. We
’
ve gotten into arguments before in which at least
one of us ended up with a black eye. I
’
ve
always sort of respected that about him, but right now he
’
s pissing me off.

“I need to get a hold on things. I need to go back to Santa Monica and
start working on the move and what I need to do for the shop. It
’
s not a good time for distractions.”

“She
’
s a distraction, alright,” he
mutters. “She
’
s smart as fuck, beautiful and
for some damn reason I don
’
t yet
understand she is falling for you even though she
’
s well aware of what you do for a living. Come
on, Jake. You and I know girls like her are not around for long. Some other
lucky fucker is going to push you out of the race if you don
’
t get your shit together.
’

“Goddammit, Pete. Let the fuck go. There is nothing more than sex between
Natalia and me. She
’
s getting
over her ex and I
’
m…
I don’
t even know what the hell I
’
m doing anymore. And that
’
s why I need to fuck off and go back to L.A.”

Pete stands up and runs a hand through his hair. “Whatever, man.”

Dillon walks out of his room looking no more rested than me. He glances
over at the two of us and his mouth stretches into a grin.

“Morning, fellas.”

Pete rolls his eyes. “You asshole could
’
ve been more considerate of the fact that there
is only one wall between your bedroom and mine.”

Dillon
’
s grin widens. “Jealous? Is married sex already
boring for you, Pete? I wouldn
’
t have
guessed. Syd is hot.”

With a whiplash move, Pete grips Dillon into a headlock and grins. “That
’
s my wife you
’
re talking about, asshole. Give her the respect
she deserves.”

Dillon tries to break lose, but Pete has him. He finally lets go.

“And yeah. She is hot. But only I get to say that.”

Dillon flexes his neck and smiles while he pours himself coffee. He and
Pete have known each other since they were kids and wrestling has always been a
big part of their problem-solving with each other.

Dani walks out of Dillon
’
s room
wearing her clothes from last night. Despite the early hour, she
’
s a very pretty girl. I get why Dillon is
shit-faced about her. He looks at her and his eyes light up. I am surprised she
’
s still here because Dillon never lets girls
sleep over, but then, she couldn
’
t go
back to her room with me there. Or maybe these Argentinean women put a spell on
us.

She slides onto his lap and I expect him to find an excuse to move her
off, but he wraps his arms around her and pulls her into a kiss.

I
’
ll be damned.

We make plans to meet up top in an hour. Pete, Dillon and I leave first
and Dani says she will go change, then she and Natalia will join us at Needles.

At the summit, the guys and I race each other through the fresh powder.
My legs are burning and I welcome the distraction from whatever is going on in
my chest.

When the girls meet up with us, Natalia
’
s eyes are blazing crystals. She kisses Pete and
Dillon
’
s cheeks, then looks at me and smiles. I slide
over to her as she clips her skis on, then lean down to kiss her.

“Morning,” I mutter. She smells amazing. I want to bail on the skiing and
take her back to bed.

“Hi, Jake.” Those eyes lock into mine.
Christ
.

“Let
’
s have fun.” She lowers her
goggles, then pushes off her poles and slides toward the guys and Dani who are
waiting by the edge of a trail. She pauses beside them, then disappears
downhill.

I clench my teeth and follow the group, who is taking turns to slice the
mountain behind Natalia. And I know the next twenty four hours will be a
fucking war. What I am not sure of, is if the war will be between Natalia and
me, or the two sides of me who will not come to an agreement over what will
happen next.