Page 22 of Wild Promises

I wouldn't imagine what he looked like when he took off his clothes and stepped under the water. Would he smell me? Would it drive him as crazy as his scent had driven me? I mentally shook myself as I went back to my bedroom. We were friends. I shouldn't be thinking about Xander this way.

Moving in together had heightened whatever awareness I'd always had around him. I'd have to keep it under wraps if we wanted our plan to work. If I was attracted to him, it would ruin everything. We were supposed to be proving to our parents that we were mature. Right now, I didn't feel very responsible. I feltreckless, like I was careening down a mountain with no care as to how I'd come to a stop.

I took a deep breath and drew a brush through my still-damp hair. We were going to dinner as friends. This wasn't a date. I didn't need to take any extra care with my hair or makeup. How would I have gotten ready when we were younger?

Back then, I never worried about what I looked like when I was with Xander. I could relax around him and be myself. I didn't want to change that dynamic.

I dried my hair, threw on a swipe of mascara and layer of gloss, then headed down the hallway to where Xander was already waiting for me. He wore a thin sweater that stretch tight across his chest and shoulders, dark-wash jeans, and leather shoes.

He lifted his gaze from where he was looking at the screen of his phone. "Are you ready to go?"

I tried to be casual. Reminding myself yet again that this wasn't a date. But my heart was pounding, and there were flutters in my stomach. "Let's go."

He grabbed my jacket from the hook, holding it for me. He swiped my hair off my shoulders as I adjusted the coat, sending tingles down my neck. How was I going to survive living with him if him helping me put on a coat made me tremble?

He held open the door for me, and I took a steadying breath as I stepped into the cold and headed down the stairs.

"We can walk. Unless you'd prefer to drive." He flicked a hand in the direction of his large black truck that sat behind our building.

"I lived in New York. I'm used to walking."

Xander nodded as we turned the corner and stepped onto the sidewalk. "I keep forgetting."

"We should probably use this time to get to know who we are now. Then when we're dating, people won't question us as much."

Xander stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I suppose it's a little odd that we didn't talk much while you were in New York, and then we fell right back into our friendship."

"We need to fill in the blanks to make it more believable."

Xander shrugged, his face tight. "I took some courses at the local community college, but I never finished. The entire time, I worked at the resort as a ski instructor and, eventually, head of outdoor adventures."

"That sounds so official." I bumped shoulders with him.

He didn't even budge. "It's not enough for my brothers."

"Tell me how everyone else is involved in the business?" I adjusted my scarf to block the worst of the wind.

"Oliver is the numbers guy. He handles the finances. Eli is the manager, essentially the CEO now that my parents retired. Killian doesn't have much of a role because he's still training and competing."

"You think he'll ever come home?"

Xander let out a breath. "Who knows? He's not getting any younger, and with most highly competitive sports, there's a limit on how long you can compete at that level. And there's always the possibility of injuries. I just don't think he'd be happy staying in one place and running the business. He thrives on traveling and competing. He's quite famous in the snowboarding circles, not as much here."

I smiled, happy Killian made it. "He's enjoying the lifestyle."

"I don't expect him home anytime soon, other than for a quick visit."

"Eli and Oliver are the ones giving you trouble?" I asked as he opened the door to the pizzeria.

"You could say that."

We waited by the hostess stand to be seated. In the booth, we took off our jackets and accepted menus from the waitress.

"Do we need to look, or can I just get the meat lovers?" Xander asked, amusement tinging his tone.

I set my menu aside. "That's what I want."

"Sometimes it feels like so much has changed, and other times it's the same."

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