Page 54 of Stuck on the Slopes

“I’m sure,” she said. “Seriously, I don’t mind. I imagine the cold can cause flare-ups.”

“Yeah, tightens everything up.”

She licked her lips. “Everything, huh?”

There it was: the inevitable addressing of the elephant in the room. The butterflies from my dream made their real-life debut as I met her eyes. Rachel was so close it would take no effort at all to kiss her.

Rachel, who was thoughtful enough to keep an extra bottle of my medicine with her at all times in case I needed it.

Rachel, who didn’t care that I used her as a human body pillow if it meant soothing my sciatic nerve pain with a good stretch.

Rachel, who didn’t care that I used to be famous and warmed my heart even on the coldest of mornings, no matter how much I didn’t want to admit it.

So even though it would take no effort at all, my hands landed on her shoulders as I pulled her in and kissed her with maximum effort, giving her everything I had.

Chapter 15

Rachel

WhenJuniperfinallykissedme, I couldn’t help but melt into him. Any remaining ounce of cold that seeped into my bones thawed out in his embrace. Thankfully, he didn’t have any morning breath—I could still faintly taste the mint mouthwash from last night—and I hoped I didn’t either as his tongue pushed past my lips. His mouth felt as soft as the blanket above us, and as the last bit of wind whipped outside, I caught a whiff of spruce.

And then, without warning, Juniper pulled away from me, holding me at an arm’s length from him. His blue eyes darted to the blanket as he stuttered, “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have done that. The last thing I want is an HR violation.”

I reached for him, fingertips grazing against his chin. When he didn’t pull away, I tilted his chin so he’d have to look at me. “Last I checked, the employee handbook we whipped up said management must be aware of a relationship between two consenting parties.”

Confusion swirled behind his eyes as he sighed. “Yes, but Iammanagement. It’s different.”

“Right. You’re management. You’re aware. I am consenting. Are you?”

He paused, eyes shifting from my eyes to my lips, and then pulled me closer to him by my shoulders for a second kiss. It was as warm as his first, rushing through my body in a way no fireplace ever could, sending fire through my veins I never wanted to extinguish.

“You drive me fucking crazy sometimes,” Juniper said as we separated to catch our breath, “but you’re not all that bad, I suppose.”

I stifled a laugh. “You’re not all that bad either, Juni.”

“We can agree to disagree about that.”

“You are mistaken if you think I won’t make you unpack that later.”

“And that’s fine. But not now. Right now, the only thing I want to unpack is you.”

Before I could respond, Juniper kissed me again, effectively shutting me up. As per usual, he didn’t want to talk, but the way his hand gripped my side made up for his lack of words. One of my own ran down his chest, slowly trailing down to his waistband, which made him retreat once more.

“Everything okay?”

“More than okay, Rach. I… Do you have any protection in your Mary Poppins bag over there? I hadn’t exactly planned for this.”

“I don’t th—oh my God, actually, I do. One of my sorority sisters had her baby shower, like, right before I moved here. We all got condoms as a joke gift, and I never bothered to take it out of my wallet.”

He laughed and smiled,reallysmiled, like he wasn’t afraid to show me the man beneath the thick walls he put up. “I’m not gonna lie,” he said as he pulled away to emerge from the bed. As he walked toward my front pack, he pulled off his shirt, revealing his toned torso. “It’s been a few years, so I may be rusty. Let me know if anything needs work.”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine. Wallet’s in the front pocket.”

He retrieved the condom, set my wallet down, and then climbed back on the bed. “Just tell me if I’m not, alright? Don’t sugarcoat it, either.” Despite what he said, the look in his eyes shot sparks through my body, and the way he got on all fours left me desperate from the anticipation. The pressure between my thighs grew as he inched closer and closer to me.

“Ah, yeah, don’t mind me stopping you to give you detailed notes.”

He rolled his eyes as he tossed the condom onto the bedside table. “Oh, shut it.”

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