Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Gavin had worked hard to get through the day, especially the hour Austin spent with Kari skiing, without dwelling on her completely.
Hockey practice went well, but on the way home, Austin chattered away about Friday tomorrow and how he wanted to ski with Kari again, show her more tricks, and help her get better.
His son explained in detail the way he’d tried to make her feel like she wasn’t a “slow Joe”.
They’d just entered Lonepeak Valley when his son dropped the bomb. “Kari’s going to meet us for dinner at eight-thirty. At the lodge.”
“Excuse me?” Gavin sputtered. He’d told her he’d come get his poles from her room later and had looked forward to the interaction, but he’d planned on making it brief.
He didn’t know if he should keep letting himself spend time with her.
He’d looked over her reservation when he’d gotten her room number so he could go get the poles tonight.
She was checking out Monday morning, so he had less than four days to be around her.
He couldn’t develop a relationship in that short of a time, and he didn’t want to fall for her and then have her leave him behind.
He glanced over at his son, who was obviously as taken with Kari as he was.
Would it hurt Austin when Kari left? Austin went through “girlfriends” so quickly, he didn’t appear to care too much about a particular one, but what if there was some underlying need with all of these older girlfriends?
Austin never went after a girl his own age.
Maybe he was truly searching for a mother figure.
No! Austin believed Mama was his mother, and Gavin didn’t psychoanalyze crap like this.
“Yeah, I asked Kari when we got done skiing.”
Gavin blew out a breath.
“Is that okay, bro? I know you like it just being the two of us.” Austin looked apprehensive, as if he knew he was overstepping bounds or pushing Gavin too hard.
“It’s okay,” Gavin quickly reassured him. “Of course I like it just being the two of us, but Kari’s … a nice person.”
“For sure. Plus she’s hot.”
They were pulling up to the lodge now. Gavin resisted the urge to correct him; “hot” seemed like such a punk teenager term, but Gavin knew it was commonly used.
He didn’t love hearing it out of Austin’s mouth, and Kari was too intriguing, too smart, too beautiful, and too classy to be merely another “hot” girl.
“I told her I’d set her up with Nick,” Austin said.
Gavin buzzed into a parking stall, slammed it into gear, and whirled on his son. “You did what?”
Austin shrank back. “Don’t you think Nick would like her?”
Gavin drew in a steadying breath. His hands shook and his heart was thrumming out of control.
Nick and Kari. They’d be a perfect couple, both model gorgeous, tall, and fun to be around.
Nick would tease Kari about the crazy romance writerly things she said, and her expressive blue eyes would light up as she teased him right back.
Nick was like the perfect hero for someone like Kari: an elite Army Ranger, tough, smart, loyal, yet still able to joke.
“Gah!” Gavin spat out. “No! Nick is not right for her at all.”
Austin shrugged. “Sorry?”
“It’s okay. It’s not you.” Gavin patted his son’s shoulder. “It’s not you. I’m probably just … hungry. Shall we go eat?”
“Yes, sir!” Austin’s happy mood was restored. He popped out of the car and raced toward the grand front entrance of the lodge.
Gavin trudged behind. Nick and Kari. He shuddered again at the perfect, torturous picture they created in his mind.
He entered the front doors and his eyes were drawn straight to Kari.
She was dressed in a blue sweater and gray pants, her hair lifted away from her face with soft curls spilling over her shoulders.
She looked … incredible. She was focused on Austin as he was talking to her a mile a minute, but at Gavin’s approach, she looked up.
Her blue eyes lit up as she lifted a hand to him in greeting, and for the first time in eleven years, Gavin wanted to ditch his iron self-control.
He wanted to grab Kari, push her against the nearest wall, and kiss her until this craving for her was satiated.
He shook his head in disgust at himself.
First, he would never treat Kari like an object, and second, the craving for her would probably just grow if he allowed himself to kiss her.
“Hey,” she said softly. “Is it okay if I eat with you?”
“Of course.” He forced a smile. “We’d like that.”
Austin tugged on her hand, and they approached the hostess.
The restaurant was quiet this late on a Thursday night.
Tomorrow afternoon, the weekend crowd would pour in, the lodge would be filled to capacity, and it wouldn’t be quite as intimate as this dinner with Kari.
Not intimate—quiet. He couldn’t think of intimacy and Kari in the same sentence and stay sane.
“Hello, Mr. Strong, Austin.” Lolly, the hostess, beamed at them.
“Hi, Lolly,” Austin sang out.
“Three for dinner please, Lolly,” Gavin said.
“Of course. Follow me, please.” Lolly walked toward an intimate back booth. No, not intimate—comfortable.
Austin pranced after her. Kari waited for Gavin. He walked to her side, and she leaned close and whispered, “Sorry if I’m intruding. Austin invited me, and I can’t tell him no.”
Gavin felt a genuine smile on his face and warmth in his abdomen.
She was taken with Austin. She also smelled incredibly good with that sweet, musky, drive-a-man-crazy scent.
He hoped his Tom Ford cologne wasn’t gone from being around stinky hockey players for two hours.
“I can’t tell him no either,” he admitted.
Right then, he did the craziest thing he’d ever done in his life: he rested his hand on the small of her back, like he’d seen his whipped friends and brothers do, and directed her toward the table.
She let out a soft sigh and eased in closer.
Her arm brushed his abdomen, and his arm was pressed against her back and side.
He was fighting not to sigh himself. Who knew physical touch with a woman could feel this good?
He couldn’t remember anything this amazing, even with Janielle.
“I’m glad Austin invited you. We’d love to eat with you, Miss Kari Love,” he heard himself say. Had he really just said the love word and then added her name all cheesy like?
She let out the most appealing laugh, almost a giggle, and he found he didn’t care what he said or how cheesy it probably sounded. He’d say something stupid like that in front of all four of his brothers, Trey, and Jed to be rewarded with a laugh like that.
They made it to the table, so there was no time to say more.
She slid into the booth, and he slid in next to her.
His leg touched hers under the table, and his heart and body revved up.
Maybe he wasn’t averse to touching someone besides Austin, his mama, and his sisters.
Maybe he just hadn’t found the right woman to touch.
That scared him enough to make him pull his leg away from hers.
“Jade will be your server,” Lolly said.
“Can I have a pen?” Austin piped up.
Lolly smiled and handed him the one in her pocket before leaving.
Gavin focused on the menu Lolly had handed him, though he had it memorized.
“What do you recommend?” Kari asked.
Gavin’s gaze darted up to her. Austin was busy, probably writing a love note on his napkin to Jade.
She was one of his favorite girlfriends, and the pretty brunette was really cute with him.
Gavin sometimes was uncomfortable with the lingering looks and flirtatious way Jade treated him, but she was a great waitress and had never done anything overt.
“Austin likes the chicken strips and fries.”
“Yes, I do,” Austin chirped.
“Okay.” Kari wrinkled her nose as if that wasn’t the recommendation she wanted. “Any other recommendations?” she asked quietly, glancing at Austin, but he was busy scribbling away.
“Well … Mama loves their salmon, and Heath always gets the steak and gorgonzola pasta.”
“But what do you love, Gav?” she asked, her eyes dipping to his lips, then back to meet his gaze.
Gavin’s heart beat hard and fast. He noticed two things from that sentence: her inflection on what he loved, and her use of his nickname. He was a goner. If they’d been alone, he’d be officially sunk. How would she respond if his answer was a simple you?
He blinked and shook his head, trying to clear his mind. Forcing himself to look at the menu so he didn’t get lost in those tempting blue eyes, he said, “I really like the teriyaki chicken, or the filet mignon is great.”
“There’s my favorite boyfriend.” Jade’s voice distracted him from Kari.
“Hi.” Austin grinned and waved. He handed over the napkin. “For later,” he said with a sly wink.
Jade chuckled and pressed the note to her heart. “I can’t wait.” Her grin turned to Gavin. “How’s my favorite boss?”
Gavin forced a smile. “Good, thanks. Restaurant’s quiet tonight?”
“Giving me a break before the weekend. We’ll be closing as soon as you’re done eating. If you … need anything later.”
“We’re great.” He tilted his head to Kari. “Unless my date needs a late-night dessert.”
Jade’s smile froze as she turned to Kari.
Gavin noticed the surprise flicker in Kari’s eyes, but she must’ve sensed the predatory gleam in Jade’s eyes and wanted to snuff it out as much as he did.
“Oh, Gav, you’re too sweet,” Kari said in a fake, dripping kind of voice.
She put her hand over Gavin’s fist on the table.
Usually, Gavin would flinch or recoil, but even knowing that Kari had read his cues and was just trying to help him keep Jade professional, he loved the feel of her soft palm resting on top of the back of his hand.
For the first time in longer than he could remember, he had no desire to pull away from an unrelated woman’s touch.