Page 56 of The Wedding Wrecker

“The ‘employees only’ part didn’t tell you not to explore this part?”

“Like I said before, when I want something, it’s hard to stop me.”

I rolled my eyes. “What did you want, exactly?”

“Answers. What’s behind the door? Why could only employees see it?”

I couldn’t help grinning. “So you’re going to show me… what? A supply closet?”

We reached a set of glass doors. Through them, I could see the gleam of water.

"The indoor pool?" I whispered. "It's closed at this hour."

James gave the door a push, and it swung open. “Not from the employees only side!”

“You’re going to get us in trouble. Come on, let's go back.” But my protests were only half-hearted. Maybe it was the slight buzz from the wine and the already amazing day, but I found myself greedy for more memories. And it had been ages since I swam…

James tugged my hand, pulling me into the room as the doors swung shut behind us.

The pool area was dark except for underwater lights that cast rippling patterns across the walls. Steam rose from the heated water, and through the clear, hanging plastic panels that separated the indoor and outdoor sections, I could see snow falling.

"We really shouldn't," I said, but I was already kicking off my boots. Even with James keeping me warm and the blankets, I’d spent all day outside in the cold. The idea of warm water seeping into my bones sounded too amazing to pass up.

"Probably not." James pulled off his sweater and undershirt, and I lost my train of thought. "Coming?"

I stripped down to my bra and underwear, grateful I'd worn the matching black set. When I looked up, James was watching me with heat in his eyes.

"See something you like?" I meant it to sound teasing, but my voice came out breathier than intended.

"Several somethings." He backed toward the pool, eyes never leaving mine. "Race you to the deep end?"

I felt my breath catch at his choice of words. In a way, wasn’t that exactly what we were doing tonight? We were like two people who knew we couldn’t swim, and yet we kept rushing toward the deep end, as if we didn’t know exactly what would happen when we reached our destination.

“Come on!” he called after he’d jumped in and pushed the hair out of his face. “Not that I’m complaining about the view, butyou’re going to catch a cold out there. The water is heated, so get your perfect ass in here!”

The waterwasheated, making me sigh as I slipped in.

We swam lazy laps, occasionally splashing each other and drifting closer with each pass.

"Want to see the best part?" James asked, nodding toward the plastic dividers leading outside. I swam after him, watching the way his back muscles caught scraps of white moonlight as he effortlessly glided through the water.

We ducked our heads under the water and emergedoutside.One moment, we’d been in the somewhat ordinary indoor pool area. The next?

I looked up and saw stars mingling with thick, lazy flakes of falling snow.

And I was stripped down to my underwear in a pool.

In the snow.

I smiled as the craziness of it washed over me.

Steam rose around us, catching the falling snow in small, upward drafts that made it swirl before landing and melting on the warm water. The mountains loomed dark against the star-filled sky. And best of all, there was that ever-present silence that seemed to come so easily with the snow and the cold. The peacefulness felt so thick I could almost imagine curling up and laying on it like a soft blanket.

"It's beautiful," I breathed.

Something cold hit my shoulder. I turned to find James grinning, another snowball in hand.

"You didn't."

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