Page 6 of His Mansion

Kane glared at him. “What kind of dumbass question is that?”

Jack snickered evilly. “Just thinking if you had half the boner I’ve got right now, I’d hate to have to shift.”

“You know, talking about it isn’t going to make it go away. I’ll live.”

They sat in silence for miles. The skiing was going to be fantastic, the weather forecast fabulous. But the thoughts running through his brain on an endless loop included a king-sized bed and a hot tub on the deck.

So much for a relaxing après-ski time. He was in for a fight to keep his hands off her.

“Wake up,sweetie, we’re almost there.”

Dara stretched and yawned, her mind slow to come out of the fog. “Shit—don’t tell me I fell asleep again.”

She squirmed to sit up and found herself pinned by two sets of strong hands.

“Slow down, or you’re going to hit something important.” Kane lifted her feet from his lap and she flushed.

“Sorry.”

He waved a hand in her direction. “I was okay until you started practicing your drop kick.”

Under her, Jack’s firm chest shifted. “And your right hand is fine, but watch how much pressure you put on the left. I’ll have trouble keeping up with you two as it is without a handicap.”

Dara paused in confusion until she realized she wasn’t leaning on his thigh like she’d imagined. She pulled away quickly, curled into a ball and spun on the seat as she looked for somewhere safe to place her limbs.

She glanced at Jack. He stared back wordlessly. There was a little extra twist to his smile and she licked her lips involuntarily. Ever since Jack had announced the change in rooming for their trip, she’d been nervous. It had taken a dozen phone calls and wad of money to arrange for the “complimentary upgrade” to their rooming situation. When she’d finally thought it through, she’d realized there was no way she could seduce them if they had kept their original booking. She could afford the private cabin, just, and it would be money well spent if in the long run it helped her make a decision.

Everything was perfectly in place for her to work on them both. She’d planned on using the road travel time to her advantage—start flirting a little.

She slammed her feet into her boots and followed Jack out the door, tugging her coat back on. She was worse than a child. Couldn’t even stay awake for a couple of crucial hours. Fine. As soon as they hit the room, she was turning up theoomphand making her move.

Yet by the time they signed in, grabbed the key and drove over to their accommodations, her already unsteady nerves failed her. She wandered into the cabin, dumped her armload of gear on the couch and slipped onto the balcony. The rest of the cabins and townhouse units spread out along the base of the hill sparkled with Christmas lights, the section of the slope wired for night skiing a brilliant streak of white against the darkness of the hillside. Music floated to her ears from either the bar or the restaurant at the lodge. She grabbed the railing and took a deep breath. Somehow she had to find the strength she needed to make this holiday more than just a nice getaway with her buddies.

She was tired of nice. It was time for fabulous and sexy and smoking hot. It was time to figure out the future.

The glass doorswooshedopen behind her. Kane came and stood by her side. He leaned his elbows on the railing and peered out at the vista. “Damn good view. Much nicer than from any of the hotel rooms.”

Dara bit her lip. Kane would be the perfect one to approach first.

“Did you see that?” She reached past him to point out the main swimming pool just visible to the left. The move made her lean against him, brushing her breasts casually against his arm. He didn’t react beyond a slight tightening in his body, but he didn’t pull away, and she took that as a good sign.

He cleared his throat.

“Did you see what’s on this balcony?” Kane placed his hands on her shoulders and twisted her on the spot to face the four-man hot tub gracing the enormous deck. “I don’t see any reason why we need to go to the pool when we’ve got a private one right here. That thing is going to feel awesome when we finish making tracks for the day.”

Dara stared at the steaming pool and sudden inspiration hit. She shrugged out of her coat and tossed it on one of the deck chairs. The only way she could do this was to rush forward at full steam.

“Did we get everything in from the truck?” she asked.

“What’s that?” Kane seemed distracted. “The gear? Umm, yeah, Jack went back for the last load. Dara, what are you doing?”

She’d already toed off her boots, and as she pulled her sweater over her head she heard his rapid intake of air. One quick snap and unzip, and her skirt fell away. She turned to face him, keeping her chin high. “I’m going for a dip. You coming?”

He looked like he’d swallowed his tongue. His eyes widened as she tucked her fingers into the top of her tights and wiggled them past her hips. When she stood upright clad only in her bra, panties and a deep flush, he covered his face with his hand.

“Dara…shit, woman, you’re killing me.”

The tightness in his voice—was that because he wanted her or because the thought of seeing her naked was like watching one of his sisters strip? Only one way to know for sure. Dara unclipped her bra, slipped off her panties and tossed both on top of the rest of her things.

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