Chapter 29
“There’s only one problem with this plan,” I said to the girls as we went back inside. “I didn’t bring a bikini.”
“What?” Anna looked shocked.
“We were coming to the mountains. It’s the middle of winter. How was I supposed to know I needed swimwear?”
“Okay, I guess that’s valid,” Anna replied. “But never fear, I have a spare bikini.” She went off in search of it before I could object while Cress went to change into hers.
I still had an uneasy feeling in my gut about going over to the boys’ house.
The girls had made a pretty convincing argument for the hot tub, but Wes was so on edge about anything to do with Noah right now.
I believed Cress when she said Noah wouldn’t be there, but what if Wes freaked out all the same?
I considered texting Wes to check, but I didn’t want to make him worry for no reason.
The thought also made me feel a little silly.
I didn’t need his permission to hang out with my friends.
It was the last day of our trip, and he’d left me to ski with his brother all day.
Was it really so bad I wanted to have some fun with the girls?
Anna fetched me her spare bikini, and I quickly changed into it before putting my clothes back on over the top. The swimsuit was far skimpier than my own bikini, and it revealed so much of my butt I decided I was going to have to make sure no one was ever standing behind me.
It didn’t help that the bikini was red, so it was hardly inconspicuous. It made me want to skip the hot tub altogether, but the girls were so excited, and I knew if I bailed they’d feel pressured to miss out with me. Hopefully I’d be able to jump in the water before I flashed anyone too much skin.
I left a note for the twins, telling them where we’d gone and to come join us, just in case they arrived home early.
When I was ready, Anna and Cress were already waiting for me by the front door, so we headed over to Luther’s house together.
The niggling feeling in my stomach still told me this was a bad idea, but I did my best to ignore it.
I kept repeating to myself that I wasn’t doing anything wrong and Wes would understand.
Luther was already stripped down to his board shorts when we arrived, and he waved us into the house, a bottle of tequila already in his hand.
Anna had been chatting away as usual on the walk over, but she went completely silent when she saw Luther standing there shirtless. He was strong and muscular, and Anna certainly seemed to be noticing. Her gaze traced over every inch of him.
“Welcome, ladies,” Luther said in greeting. “Please come in.”
Anna walked right past him, swiping the bottle of tequila from his hand before taking a swig.
“Shoes off at the front door, please,” Luther instructed. “Don’t they teach you manners over there, London?”
Anna didn’t look at him but kicked off her shoes and continued walking into the house, not at all bothered she had no idea where she was going. “So, where’s this hot tub?” she called, disappearing down a hallway that led deeper into the house.
Cress and I hurried to take our shoes off so we could follow.
“It’s out on the balcony,” Luther shouted back before focusing on Cress and me.
“Does she always make herself at home like this?” he asked as we started down a long corridor that led to the kitchen and living area.
“It’s Anna, so probably,” Cress replied with a laugh.
When we arrived at the kitchen, Luther paused. “Can I get you girls a drink?”
“Just water for me,” Cress said.
“Yeah, same,” I agreed.
Luther went to the fridge while Cress and I searched for Anna. The balcony was just off the main living area, and the door outside was open. She was already in the hot tub when we reached her, still happily clasping the bottle of tequila.
“Way to take your time, you guys,” she said with a laugh. She seemed a lot more relaxed here than she had at the entrance when she’d first seen Luther topless.
“We can’t help that you practically ran through the house to get here,” Cress said. She was starting to strip down to her bikini so she could join Anna.
I hesitated for a moment, mainly because of the bikini I was wearing underneath my clothes but partly because of the view. Luther was right. The view was even better than at Wes and Sawyer’s house but only just. The balcony here was a little higher, so you could see farther down into the valley.
“Isobel, are you getting in?” Anna asked.
“Oh, uh, yeah.” Luther was still inside the house, thankfully, so I changed out of my clothes in record speed and darted straight into the hot tub.
The air was crisp, but the water was warm and soothing, and as soon as my body was submerged, I knew it was going to be difficult to get out into the cold again when the time came.
Anna offered me the tequila bottle, so I had a tiny sip before quickly passing it back. I had no intention of getting drunk in a hot tub. That seemed like a recipe for disaster. Especially when I needed to keep my wits about me. I was behind enemy lines, after all.
Luther soon emerged from the house with our glasses of water. “You happy with the tequila bottle, Anna?” he asked as he passed Cress and me our drinks. “Or do you need a straw?”
She rolled her eyes and placed the bottle down on the table beside the hot tub. “I’m not going to drink the whole bottle.”
“Just half of it then?” Luther replied with a grin.
She shot him a scowl as he slid into the water next to her. It was probably a good thing the hot tub was so big and there was plenty of space between them because I got the impression Anna wouldn’t hesitate to dunk Luther under the water if he came too close.
“So, newbie, how are you enjoying your first trip to Aspen?” Luther said.
“It’s been…interesting.” I wasn’t sure how to describe the trip so far. I’d enjoyed the mountains, the snow, and hanging out with my friends. The surprises? Not so much.
“Are you having a good time?” I replied.
“Yeah, but I’m more of a sunshine guy myself,” he replied. “Which you would know if you’d spent any time at all with us…”
Luther knew exactly why I hadn’t spent any time with them, and I really didn’t want to get into the details of the awkward situation between his best friend, my boyfriend, and me.
“Well, I’ve been busy,” I said.
“Busy neglecting your BFF.”
“We’re hardly BFFs, Luther.”
“Yeah, we’re her BFFs,” Anna protested.
“Ah, but have either of you serenaded her in public?” Luther joked, wiggling his eyebrows. “Because I’m not sure you can truly call yourself a bestie if you haven’t sung to each other.”
“Please don’t remind me about that,” I groaned, which only made Luther laugh.
“Seriously, though, I’ve missed you this trip, newbie. We all have.”
“I’m on this trip to hang out with my boyfriend, and that’s what I’ve been doing.”
“Well, both you and your boyfriend are very boring,” he replied. “Maybe you should upgrade to a better model…”
“If you asked me here to try and push your Noah agenda on me, I’m leaving,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
“Yeah, Luther,” Anna said, splashing water at him. “She’s not going to dump Wes and start dating Noah again just because you asked.”
“It was worth a shot.” Luther shrugged, but there was a cheeky grin on his face. “But I guess I’ll try my best not to bring up how incredible Noah is. How handsome, noble, gracious, good at snowboarding…”
I lifted my eyebrows. “So, you do want me to leave.”
“No. Definitely not.” He lifted his hands and pretended to zip his mouth shut. Only two seconds later though, he was talking again. “I’m just sad this is the first time I’ve managed to drag you over here.”
“Luther…” I said. “You know why I haven’t come over here.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know, because of No—” He stopped himself and pretended to cough in an attempt to cover up the fact he’d just been about to say Noah’s name. “You worry too much, newbie. Everyone knows you’re with Wes, and you know who respects that.”
“Perhaps,” I said. “Though I’m not sure Wes would agree with you.”
“Getting a little jealous, is he?” Luther grinned.
“You don’t have to look quite so pleased, Luther,” Cress scoffed.
“Pleased? Me? Never.”
“You’re pushing it, Luther…” Anna’s voice trailed off when we heard the sound of the front door opening.
“Luther? You home?” It was Kaden, and as I recognized his voice, the water surrounding me suddenly felt as cold as the snow around us.
I shot Luther a wary glance, but he had turned away from me to look through the door into the house, oblivious to my inner turmoil. I prayed Kaden was alone, and my heart raced with uncertainty.
“We’re out here,” Luther called.
“We?” Kaden looked confused as he stepped out onto the terrace, and then his eyes widened and he stopped in his tracks as he saw Anna, Cress, and I sitting in the hot tub. His gaze flicked straight to Cress, and his cheeks turned slightly pink. “Hey, Cress,” he said with a cautious smile.
“Hey, Kaden,” she replied, her cheeks flushing even more than his. “I thought you’d be gone all day.”
“That was the plan,” he said. “But the conditions were terrible up there. We probably would have killed ourselves if we’d attempted the run we wanted to do.”
“Well, I’m glad you saw sense.”
“Me too,” he replied. “Especially now that you’re here.”
I probably would have found the two of them adorable if I wasn’t so thoroughly freaking out.