Page 46 of Two Weeks in Tahoe

“Stay longer,” he says simply, emotions layered in his voice. But it’s not simple. Not at all.

I shake my head and close my eyes, trying to shake away the difficulties of this situation. I look down, not sure what to say or do.

Finally, I mumble, “I…I don’t know…” I shake my head again, staring down.

“What don’t you know? You said yourself you have nothing going on right now,” he says, the burning intensity in his eyes striking me right to the heart.

“I don’t know…it’s just…what are we getting ourselves into? I live three hours away…are we getting too attached? I don’t want either of us to end up heartbroken if we keep going down this path…”

“Hey.” He gently cups my face, lifting my head up to look at him. He’s so handsome, it hurts. “It’s okay. I know it’s a lot. I just…fuck. I’m not ready to let you go. I want to see where this thing goes.”

“I…” I trail off, feeling like there’s no easy solution to this.

“What can we do? What can I do?” he pleads.

I wrap my arms around him and pull my face into his chest, remaining silent for a moment. I want the comfort of being held by him, being wrapped up in his scent. I breathe him in.

“What if I stay another week or two?” I have a horrible feeling one of us is going to get hurt at the end of this, but I can’t stay away. My cheek is still pressed against his chest. I feel him breathe in deeply. He doesn’t answer at first. Then he slowly exhales with a relieved sigh.

“I’ll take what I can get. But yeah…two weeks,” he breathes. I can hear the joy in his voice.

“Alright,” I say.

“Alright.”

31

Liam

I like Daniela, I’ve decided. She’s fiery, spirited, and the way she flusters Dex so badly is downright hilarious. I want her to come around more often. If only for my own selfish entertainment. I only hope he doesn’t get attached to her. Layla has said that she’s not in any place to have anything serious, and Dex has had his fair share of heartbreak. The guy just loves so hard and is loyal to a fault. I just want to see him happy.

It’s past midnight now, and everyone is getting ready for bed. Layla is staying in a guest room with Daniela, and Dex is taking the couch. It’s been a fun evening, but it’s late and everyone has had a little too much to drink.

I want Layla to come to bed with me, but I get it. Her friend drove all the way down here for her, and the two of them are still a little giggly and busy catching up. I just know that my days with her are numbered, so I’m taking every moment with her I can get. That includes the very long, drawn-out goodnight kiss I give her in front of everyone.

We part ways, and then an hour later she’s sneaking into bed with me as soon as Daniela falls asleep. I keep her up way too late, worshipping her body and making her come for me until she is fully satisfied and drained. I could spend all day doing it. I’ll never get enough of her. I pull her body tightly into mine, and I drift off while stroking her hair.

32

Layla

It’s the day after Thanksgiving, and the slopes are packed. Jackson stayed behind at Liam’s house with his grandparents who were still there visiting. It’s Liam, Dex, Daniela, and me. I finally let Liam talk me into trying this again, mostly because everyone else wanted to go too, and I didn’t want to put a damper on the day. Liam and Dex hang back with us for a while, but I can tell they really want to hit some more intense slopes, so I force Liam to go.

I can tell that Daniela is relieved to see them go. She’s been struggling even more than me, getting frustrated with constantly falling. I think she’s also over Dex and all his advice as well, which she eventually started rolling her eyes at. Knowing Daniela, I’m sure she was hating falling on her ass in front of the guys over and over again.

“Oh, thank God,” she sighs, exasperated as they take off. “Wanna go grab a hot, alcoholic drink in the lodge?”

“Yep,” I laugh, agreeing. I’m over it too. My behind is sore again.

We make our way to the lodge at a snail’s pace, and as soon as we reach it, we happily drop our gear off and grab a seat at the bar inside. We order drinks immediately.

“It’s so warmmm,” Daniela groans, her eyes closed in bliss.

“That was fun, though,” I say. “Dex was pretty helpful, too.”

She whips her head toward me, fixing me with an amused glare. “You’re about as subtle as a tuba, you know...”

“What?” I laugh. “I’m just saying.”

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