Chapter 14 Zoe
ZOE
The next day, Mrs. Greer found a new way to get me out of her office. She ordered me to shadow the housekeeping supervisor and take notes on the efficiency with which the rooms were cleaned. So basically, most of my day consisted of following people around and trying to stay out of their way.
On the plus side, I met some truly nice women who were spectacular at their jobs.
Every hospitality position that I thought I knew was different in a resort like this, and I did learn a lot.
But it wasn’t exactly a stimulating day.
But at least I hadn’t been trapped in a sauna with a rival intern—especially one who had looked utterly amazing with just a towel wrapped around his waist. Who knew chefs had abs like that?
I sure as hell hadn’t. Still, I wouldn’t be going in the sauna again.
Not without the fire department standing outside, ready to rescue me.
In the late afternoon, I took a break and headed to that beautiful little solarium Landon had shown me.
To my disappointment, he wasn’t there, but it was still calming to sit on the bench—the repurposed chairlift seat—and look out over the glistening snow.
Since I actually had a few bars on my phone, I called Mia, my employee and, well, hopefully my friend.
While the call connected, I thought about the conversation with Asher yesterday in the sauna.
Every part of it had been uncomfortable, but one of the things that bothered me most was how utterly convinced he was that I was a total bitch.
It made me think about the day I’d caught Mia and her boyfriend Diego fooling around in the café.
I’d thought Diego had been creeping on her, so I’d jumped to her defense.
Which was a good thing—I’d do it again in a heartbeat—but it had been dismaying to learn later that Mia had been genuinely surprised I’d stood up for her.
Had it really been such a shock? We still had a semester left to work together. Maybe things could change. She was a good person, and I hadn’t exactly made a lot of time for friendship the last four years.
“Is The Fraser beautiful?” Mia asked after we exchanged greetings.
“Unbelievably so. The website doesn’t even begin to do it justice.”
“I thought you designed a new website for them.”
“Yes, but the manager here isn’t exactly open to suggestions.”
“That sucks.” Mia’s voice was sympathetic. Then there was a pause. “Um, what’s going on with that guy who drove you up there? The one you said was so grumpy. He’s a student, right?”
“Yes, why?”
Mia hesitated. “Um, my friends think they might know him. Do you know his last name?”
I told her, wondering why she was asking. Apparently, she wasn’t done yet.
“Is he good-looking in person? He was in that photo you sent.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Which wasn’t true. I knew so. But he was still an ass. “Speaking of men, how’s Diego doing?”
“He’s good.” She sounded a little awkward. “I’m really sorry about that day in the café.”
“Don’t be. It was a misunderstanding. Are you going to spend Christmas with him?”
“Yes, we... I mean, he and I have plans.”
“That’s great. I’m glad it’s going well.”
She did sound happy, but also a little hesitant about something. Maybe she was still embarrassed that I’d caught them engaging in a bit of naughty role-play.
I was still thinking about it at the end of a long day when I headed back to the hideaway.
When I’d first met Mia, she’d seemed so serious about her studies and getting ahead in life.
But then it was like she’d turned boy-crazy.
I wanted to find love someday, but I didn’t quite get it.
College was a time to learn all you could and set yourself up for a good life.
I was very aware of how lucky I was to get into Langley, and I wasn’t going to waste the chance.
Once the guys returned from the restaurant, we all sat around the fireplace in the dim light, Asher and I nowhere near each other, of course.
There was no beer tonight—just two bottles of wine that Asher had brought.
I didn’t know what kind it was, but it was a deep burgundy red, with a rich, complex flavor that tasted expensive and absolutely delicious.
Probably French. Maybe Italian. Whatever it was, it was the best wine I’d ever had.
When I set my glass down, Kai—who was sitting next to me—grabbed a bottle and filled it right back up. It was so good that I threw caution to the wind and gulped down half of it, much to Kai’s amusement.
“Don’t hold back, baby.”
I glared at him but couldn’t quite muster up much indignation. “Don’t call me baby.”
He pretended to pout, but his blue eyes were vivid and sparkling, even in the low light. “So I can’t call you baby girl, and I can’t call you baby. What’s left—just girl?”
“Or,” I suggested, “my name.”
“Or basically any other word in the English language,” Landon added from my other side, and I shot him a grateful look.
There was something primal and exciting about being on a couch between two hot-as-hell men.
I was nestled between their warm bodies, covered in a blanket, the fire crackling in front of us.
Every time one of them shifted, I felt the movement.
Every time Kai’s arm brushed against mine or Landon’s thigh pressed closer, I was acutely aware of it.
Asher sat in his usual armchair off to the side. I kept finding my gaze drifting toward him, remembering how he’d looked yesterday in nothing but that towel. The hard planes of his chest. The way the muscles in his arms had flexed when he’d tried the door.
Kai patted my thigh, pulling my attention back. “I prefer nicknames.”
“I have a few nicknames for her,” Asher said from his chair.
I rolled my eyes, but I didn’t want to get into it right now. At least now I knew why he hated me—that review from sophomore year. It had been a class assignment, so I’d just done my assignment. Still, something about the memory sat uneasily in my chest.
Besides, if we started fighting again, the twins might decide to lock us up somewhere else. I’d given them hell when I’d first seen them today, but it was hard to stay mad now. I was too warm, cozy, and content.
I glanced at the men sitting on either side of me. “Why did you guys decide that sliding down mountains was what you wanted to do for a living?”
“Because they’re there.” Kai grinned. “But come on, that’s an easy question. Ask us a harder one.”
I glanced over at Landon, who shrugged. “I’m game, as long as it’s not a math question.”
I thought it over. “All right. Boxers or briefs?” I asked.
“Easy,” Kai said. “Neither.”
My mouth went dry. I tilted my head toward Landon, not trusting my voice.
“Boxer briefs,” he said, and I couldn’t help laughing.
“It was an either/or question. Neither of you chose one of the options.”
“It was an extremely boring, cliché question,” Asher said from his chair.
“Play nice,” Landon warned him. And to my surprise, Asher shut up.
Maybe he didn’t want to risk being locked in with me again either. But he never stayed quiet for long. “Just saying, that question is about as original as truth or dare.”
“Or spit or swallow,” Kai added, shooting me a very direct look, and my cheeks heated.
“Knock it off,” Landon warned his twin.
“Just trying to make conversation.” Kai’s hand rested lightly my thigh, warm through the blanket. “But I’ve got a better question. Ever play fuck, marry, or kill?”
I frowned. “Play what now?”
“There’s three of us.” Kai was warming to his theme. “If you absolutely had to fuck one of us, marry another one of us, and kill the other, who would you choose? You’d have to think very carefully about—”
“That’s an easy one,” I said, interrupting him.
His eyebrows shot up in surprise, and for some reason, that made me laugh. Yes, I was a virgin—though he didn’t know that, hopefully. But that didn’t mean I was a complete prude.
“I know my answer,” I said. “And I bet you guys do too.”
The men all looked at each other. Then Kai held his hand up like he was in a classroom. “She’d fuck me, obviously.”
“And I’m pretty sure she’d kill me,” Asher said. “If you two don’t off us in the sauna first.”
We all looked at Landon.
“So you’d marry me?” His eyebrows squeezed together.
“If those were my only options, yes. I mean—not that I would.” He still looked concerned, so I added, “It’s just a dumb game.”
“But enlightening,” Kai said, his fingers squeezing my thigh lightly.
Asher laughed as he looked at Landon. “You’re really more freaked out about being the one she wants to marry than the one she wants to kill?”
“I’m not freaked out,” Landon said mildly.
“And I don’t want to marry anyone,” I clarified. “It’s just for fun.” I turned to Kai. “How would you choose, if you had to, among the three of us?”
He quirked an eyebrow upward. “Well, since one of the three of you is my brother—which makes marrying him or fucking him illegal—I don’t think the game works as well for me.”
I giggled. “I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to kill him too.”
Landon chuckled. “I think this game only works when we ask you.”
“Then ask me something else,” I said boldly. And a bit recklessly. But the wine had loosened my tongue, and I was having fun.
“If you had to kiss someone in this room right now, who would you pick?” Kai asked. At least he had the decency not to admit he’d already kissed me.
Heat settled in my belly. How should I answer? Definitely not Asher—though I had looked at his lips quite a few times yesterday in the sauna. As well as other body parts that had been on display.
Then I thought of something. I slid my hand around Landon’s arm and hugged his bicep. “My hubby, of course.”
Kai looked incensed. “What about me? I’m the one you chose to fuck. Shouldn’t you kiss your lover?”
“Choose my sidepiece over my husband?” I laughed. “Never.”
Asher took a long swallow of his wine. “So if Landon is your husband and Kai is your lover, what does that make me?”
“My unsuspecting victim.” I was still laughing.
He shook his head. “I think Kaidon got the better end of this deal.”
That made me laugh harder. “Kaidon? Oh, I get it. It’s a combination of Kai and Landon’s names.”
Landon, who had just taken a sip of his wine, laughed and accidentally sprayed some over his lap. “That’s his name.”
“What?”
“His first name is Kaidon.”
“That’s a name?” My eyes widened as I looked back and forth between them. “So you’re Landon and Kaidon? Did your parents only like one of you or something?”
“It’s better than Brayden or Brandon,” Kai muttered.
“Landon and Brandon,” I repeated, starting to laugh again.
To my surprise, Asher’s deep chuckle joined in.
“What about your name?” Kai said to me. “Your parents picked the last letter of the alphabet. It must take forever to get to you during alphabetical order.”
“That happened a lot in grade school. I’d always be the last person in line.”
“Did you mind?” Landon asked.
“No. It gave me an extra minute or two to read at my desk.”
“What’d you read?” Asher said from his chair.
“The daily stock reports.” I rolled my eyes. “I don’t know. It was a long time ago.”
“Ignore him,” Kai said. “He’ll be a chalk outline soon.”
Asher rolled his eyes, and a second later, he flung a pillow at Kai’s face. Kai knocked it away, seeming unperturbed.
“So what’s the next question?” I asked.
“What’s your biggest turn-on?” Kai asked
“That’s easy,” I said glibly. “Long walks along the beach and French poetry.”
Landon chuckled. “Would you even recognize French poetry if you heard it?”
“Honestly, no.”
Then, to my shock, Asher uttered a string of fluent French. The rushed but beautiful words flowed for almost a full minute. When he stopped, we were all speechless.
Finally, I asked, “Was that poetry?”
“Nope.” He smirked. “It was the instructions for making bouillabaisse.”
That made us all laugh.
Everything was striking me as funny tonight. Maybe it was the wine or the charged atmosphere. The dim firelight. The warmth of the bodies on either side of me. The way Asher’s dark eyes kept meeting mine across the space. They weren’t friendly, but there was some heat there.
I set my inhibitions firmly on a shelf and turned to Kai. “What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done in bed?”
“In bed?” he repeated, his eyes boring into mine.
“During sex,” I clarified, fairly sure he’d pretended to be confused just to get me to say it.
He grinned. “Those are two different questions. Which answer do you want to hear first?”
“Either,” I said recklessly. “Both.”
Kai smirked. “Then buckle up, boys and girls. It’s story time.”