Page 55 of I Blame the Alcohol

“Good. A concussion is the last thing you need right now.” Mo shakes his head, and I take the opportunity to yank my own helmet back on.

“You need help getting down?” Mo looks dubiously at the snow-covered snowboard.

“I’m good. Will take it nice and slow.” Pausing to brush off more snow, Cody shoots us a self-depreciating grin, “Hot chocolate is on me.”

Mo opens his mouth to argue but Cody raises his hand.

“Rules are rules. Who won the bragging rights?”

I say, “Mo,” just as my brother says, “Stella.”

We look at each other, identical smiles spreading across our faces. A situation like this only calls for one thing.

“Guess we’re coming back for a tiebreaker.”

Cody throws his head back and groans while Mo and I high five each other. Nothing beats a good old fashion sibling competition.

We slowly make our way down the hill, stopping momentarily so Mo can run and retrieve my discarded skis. The second Mo is out of earshot, Cody turns and looks at me with an intensity that burns all the way to my core.

“We need to talk. Come get me tonight?”

I nod, feeling flustered before Cody leans in one last time.

“And take us somewhere we won’t be interrupted.”

Chapter 17

Cody

She’s trying to kill me.

Much later than what can be deemed respectable, I open the door to Mo’s younger sister dressed in just a t-shirt.

A very short, very white t-shirt.

“You ready?” Stella’s eyes glisten in a way that should have me running for cover. Instead, I leave all rational thought behind and follow her out the door.

Moonlight shines through the floor-to-ceiling windows as we walk along the long corridor, the ethereal light making Stella’s long hair glow like a halo. My gaze trails down the braid-free strands, watching the way the soft ends brush gently against the top of her waist. With each step her hips sway from side-to-side, as if Stella can’t go a single second without dancing.

We take the same route Mo took me that first morning, except instead of descending two levels, Stella takes a sharp left at the top of the stairs. The scent of chlorine hits me as soon as we approach the stainless-steel door, the extra insolation helping keep the moisture from spreading to other parts of the house.

“Holy shit.” I breathe the words as we step inside, the blast of humidity making my jeans uncomfortably warm as Stella sashays her way to the edge of the Olympic sized pool.

The glow of the underwater lights is the only light in the room, making the calm surface of the water look like a wall of glass.

Laughing softly, Stella waves me over. I amble closer, growing uncomfortably aware of the fact Stella’s t-shirt has become mostly see-through. My gaze gets caught on the lacy black thong peeking through the thin material and it’s all I can do not to stare as I come to a stop beside her.

“Didn’t know you were a swimmer.” My voice is gruffer than usual, the tightness in my jeans no longer from the humid air around us.

Stella shrugs, “I dabble here and there. Went through a triathlon phase but that was short lived. I hate running.”

The adorable scrunch of her nose draws a smile out of me.

“You hate running but you love cardio?” I tilt my head in amusement, “Not sure how that one works, O’Brien.”

“Please, cardio circuits and running are two very different things. I’ll take five rounds of burpees over half an hour on the treadmill any day.”

I chuckle softly, “You would be the only one.”

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