Chapter 20 Zoe
ZOE
“One of those cute ski-tenders is trying to get your attention,” Pam said at the end of the meal.
The food was utterly amazing. Asher had outdone himself with a deconstructed mac and cheese that looked nothing like the comfort food I’d grown up with.
Instead of a gooey casserole, he’d created something that belonged in a magazine—perfectly al dente pasta tubes standing upright on the plate, surrounded by what I thought was a cheese foam and with crispy breadcrumbs on top that tasted buttery and rich.
Then there were flecks of what might have been truffle, and thin slices of some kind of cured meat, maybe prosciutto, draped artfully over everything. It was fancy and weird and absolutely delicious. I didn’t know half the techniques he must have used to create it, but I knew it took serious skill.
Then I replayed in my head what Pam had said. “Ski-tender?” I asked.
Pam jerked her chin toward the bar. “Well, they ski and they tend bar. So yeah, it seems like a good term.”
“You’re right, it does.”
I was almost done with my meal, and even though I’d been thinking about what would happen later tonight for half the day, I really wasn’t willing to give up the last couple of bites.
So what was I learning about Asher? He could cook like nobody’s business. He had a magic touch, and he could kiss. God, could he kiss. It was just when he opened his mouth to use it for other reasons that things fell apart.
I finished up, practically scraping my plate to get all of it. “All right, I’m going over there. Do you want something to drink?”
“I’d like a drink of him,” she said, pointing to Landon. “I don’t know which one he is, but I’m thirsty.”
I laughed and wondered if Pam’s head would explode if I told her what the last twenty-four hours had been like for me.
On my way over to the bar, I couldn’t help wondering how she couldn’t tell them apart. Even at a distance, they just radiated such different energy. Kai was always bouncing on the balls of his feet, practically vibrating with an undercurrent of electricity—kind of like I had today.
And Landon almost always had a calm energy. It couldn’t have been clearer to me if Landon had been wearing a name tag.
I slid onto a stool at the end of the bar. Landon came over, and I said, “Make it a double.” Kai was nowhere to be seen
He smiled. “Make what a double?”
“I don’t know. They always say that on TV.”
“Well, I’m a twin, so I’m a double by default.”
“True.”
He had on a plaid flannel shirt, open over a white t-shirt that showed at the neckline. Everything I’d seen him wear so far, from a bulky ski jacket to nothing at all, or at least from the waist up, looked amazing on him.
“So what’s up?” I asked.
“I have a message from your instructors.”
“Really?” That worried me a bit. I didn’t want them roping Landon into our lessons if he wasn’t comfortable with that.
He seemed to sense my concern. “I should tell you that I’ve officially accepted a position as an advisor in this X-rated school you three have cooked up.”
“My advisor?” I asked. He sure as hell was better looking than Professor Youst, my advisor freshman year. And also about a century younger.
Landon delivered a drink to the other end of the bar and came back.
“Actually, I’m the advisor for all of you.
To make sure things don’t get out of hand.
And it’s a good thing I am, because those two geniuses were bemoaning earlier about how we’re two hours or a helicopter ride from the nearest lingerie shop. ”
“Crap. I hadn’t thought of that. I didn’t bring anything sexy to wear.” Not that I had much lingerie back at the tiny apartment I shared with two other students.
“You don’t need to wear anything special to look sexy,” Landon said, and then he moved on before I could think of how to respond to that. “But I pointed out that there is, right here in this lodge, something that looks hot as hell on a woman, and it’s waiting for you in your room.”
“What?” I was having trouble keeping up with this conversation. It wasn’t just what Landon was saying—it was also the glint of amusement in his eyes. It was good to see, even if it was at my expense. I’d take it over pure sadness any day.
“I mean, thank you,” I said. “I didn’t want to show up in bulky sweaters and jeans all the time. If I was going to do that, I might as well wear those damn ski boots. They’re about as flattering.”
Landon had his eyebrow raised when I looked up at him. “Never fear, your advisor is here.”
I laughed at the rhyme. “I’m glad you are.”
“Anyway, since you’re doing such a good job on your assignments today, I’m to tell you that you should put it on before your instructors get back.”
Something belatedly dawned on me. “You went in my room?”
He chuckled. “They’ve spent the last day pawing at you, yet I’m in trouble for opening an unlocked door? Please forgive my extreme boundary crossing.”
His voice was almost as sarcastic as Asher’s sometimes got. But I loved hearing him tease me after he’d seemed extra down the last few days.
“Yeah, good point. Do you need help here before I go?”
Kai didn’t seem to be around, and while Landon wasn’t exactly slammed, I figured he might need a break at some point.
“Do you know much about mixing drinks?” Landon asked.
“Not especially,” I said. Before coming here, I’d rarely had time to drink. “Aren’t there two that if you mix them, it creates a poisonous gas?”
Landon grinned. “I’m pretty sure that’s certain cleaning products, not liquors. Anyway, I’ve got this. You go change. Can’t wait to see you in that getup.”
I raised my eyebrows at that. He’d be there? Last night he’d stared at the fire like he was trying to memorize it. Was he actually going to watch us tonight?
He shrugged, as if I’d actually asked him the question. “As an advisor, I need to stay on top of things.”
Mmm. I wished he were on top of me.
That was my thought as I headed back to the hideaway on slightly shaking legs, wondering what was in store for me tonight.
I was excited. Beyond that, I felt more confident since Landon seemed less opposed to my lessons than he was yesterday.
And truth be told, I probably could use an advisor.
Who else was I going to talk to about this stuff?
I couldn’t very well call my sister or Mia and say, I’m about to lose my virginity to one or more hot men, so what should I wear?
That was ridiculous. Plus, it didn’t escape my notice that those two younger women were both much more experienced with the opposite sex than I was.
But I had a feeling that wouldn’t be true by the end of my internship.
When I got back to my room, I found a white button-down shirt laid out on my bed.
It was a men’s dress shirt. That was what Landon thought was one of the hottest things a woman could wear?
I picked it up, feeling the crisp cotton between my fingers. It was probably Asher’s, because while it would still be big on me, it didn’t seem quite large enough for the twins’ broader frames.
I stripped off my work clothes and stood there in just my black lace bra, debating. What was I supposed to wear underneath? Surely not nothing. But maybe that was the point?
In the end, I kept the bra on. It was reasonably pretty although not actually lingerie. As for panties, I hadn’t worn any all day and I’d been fine. And the shirt was long enough to cover the tops of my thighs.
I slipped the shirt on and buttoned it up. The sleeves hung past my fingertips until I rolled them up to my elbows. I kept my hair down, as I had all day, but ran my fingers through it, giving the waves that fell over my shoulders a little body.
When I looked in the mirror, I had to admit—Landon was right. There was something about the oversized shirt open at the neck, the bare legs, the tousled hair. I felt sexy in a way I hadn’t expected. Soft and feminine and... wanted.
Then I heard voices in the common area, low and masculine. My heart pounded as I took a deep breath.
Time for lesson two.
I padded out of my room, my feet bare against the cold floor. But I grabbed something at the last second, clutching it in my hand like a lifeline.
All three men looked up when I entered the sitting area.
And all three looked me up and down from head to toe.
The hunger in their eyes made heat bloom across my cheeks. Asher and Kai were on the couch, a space between them clearly meant for me. Landon sat in the armchair to the side, but this time he was watching me—not the fire.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then Kai whistled. “You get an A on that assignment.”
I moved forward hesitantly, suddenly very aware of how much leg I was showing. And how the shirt gaped open at the top over my cleavage.
Landon’s eyes dropped to my hand. “What’ve you got there?”
Kai saw it too. “If it’s garlic, it’s not going to work. We’re not vampires.”
“Although I could sauté it for you,” Asher added.
Feeling sheepish, I opened my hand, revealing the fluffy white socks. “The floor’s just so cold.”
“You don’t trust us to keep you warm?” Kai asked, his muscles seeming bigger as he flexed them.
He had a point, but it was winter and the tile was cold.
Asher got an evil gleam in his eyes. “You can wear those if you take off the shirt.”
Before I could panic or protest, Landon spoke up. “Overruled,” he said, like a judge.
“Can he do that?” Asher asked Kai.
“Apparently,” Kai said. He was wearing a button-down shirt too, but his was dark gray and open at the front, revealing the hard planes of his chest. If it fell open just a bit more, I’d see his nipple piercing. I wouldn’t mind examining that up close. Or Landon’s.
“I’m the advisor,” Landon said simply. “So take my advice.”
Asher nodded, then patted the sofa between him and Kai.
I sat a bit awkwardly between them. I started to pull my knees up but then realized that might not be the best move when I wasn’t wearing panties.
Landon must’ve noticed, because he plucked a blanket from a nearby basket and tossed it to his twin, who handed it to me.
Kai leaned in and kissed my cheek, then nibbled along my jawline as I spread the blanket across my lap. “You did very well on your assignment today,” he said.
Asher leaned in from the other side. “So she didn’t wear panties?” he asked Kai. “You checked?”
My face flamed. They were talking about me like I wasn’t even here. And somehow that was both embarrassing and incredibly hot.
Kai was still kissing me, but he stopped long enough to nod.
“How thoroughly did you check?” Landon asked from the armchair.
Kai broke off and grinned. “Not as thoroughly as I wanted to.”
Once he stopped nuzzling my neck, I could think again—mostly. “What’s our lesson for tonight?” I asked, both nervous and excited to hear the answer.
“Didn’t you read the syllabus?” Asher scolded. “We should spank you for that.”
“There’s a syllabus?” I said automatically before I realized he was joking.
Of course he was. But he attended the same school I did and knew how things operated. For a moment, it had felt like that nightmare where you show up for class and find out there’s a huge test you didn’t study for.
Asher smirked as he slipped his hand under the blanket, rubbing it along my bare thigh. “You’re a gullible little student, aren’t you?”
“Sometimes,” I admitted. I wasn’t in the classes for my major, but I was definitely in unfamiliar territory here.
“There are two lessons tonight.” Asher kissed the side of my face, and for a moment, they were both leaning in, their lips on me. One on my cheek, one on my temple, their breath warm against my skin.
Who knew synchronized kissing felt so good?
“The first lesson is on dirty talk,” Kai said, and he put his hand on my other thigh.
I nearly moaned. It was intoxicating having both of them touching my legs, their hands high up on my thighs, their fingers strong and warm against my bare skin.
They squeezed and tugged my legs apart slightly, and my hips ground against the sofa of their own accord.
I’d never realized how good this would feel—how much it would make me long for those hands to explore higher, where my body ached to be touched.
Kai chuckled as I moaned softly. But I had to tell the truth. “I don’t know how to talk dirty.”
“That’s why you’re getting a lesson on it,” Asher said, as if speaking to a particularly slow student.
“It’s easy,” Kai said, his voice low, his breath caressing my heated skin.
“You just tell us what you want to happen. What you hope will happen. Like how in the equipment room today when I told you that soon, I’d be pushing my hard cock inside you, making you moan and scream. Did you like hearing that?”
Heat flooded through me at the memory. “Yes, but—”
“Then you’ll do fine,” Kai said.
“But what’s the other lesson tonight?”
Asher squeezed my thigh, his fingers curving around between my legs and sliding higher. He bit down on my earlobe, harder than I expected, and spoke in a soft, silky growl.
“We’ll let you know once you’ve mastered dirty talk.”