Rush opened his arms and embraced him. “Rex. What are you doing here?”
Rex nodded at the woman singing with the band. “That’s Danica’s sister, Kaylie.”
Rush squinted at the pretty blonde. “I didn’t recognize her.”
“I came out with my buddy Cal Hayden.” Rex stepped to the side, and another man of equal stature and immense breadth came into view. His hair was as blond as Rex’s was black, and he also donned a leather hat and boots.
Rush held out his hand. “Rush Remington.”
Cal flashed a friendly smile. “Howdy. I hear y’all are on the Olympic ski team. That right?” His eyes dropped to the others, lingering on Jayla.
Jayla smiled up at him, and Rush felt the muscles in his neck tighten.
“Yeah. We’re here to teach a few ski workshops. We’ll be gone before you know it.” So take your eyes off of Jayla.
“We were just about ready to leave,” Rex explained. “Then I saw you and thought I’d say hello.” Kaylie began singing a slow song. “Mind if we join you? I want to hear this last song before heading home.”
Yes. “Of course not. Pull up a chair.”
Cal sat beside Jayla, and Rex grabbed two chairs from a nearby table and handed one to Rush.
“Hi. I’m Cal.” Cal tipped his hat at Jayla.
“Jayla.” She leaned closer to him as she introduced Kia.
“I knew Colorado was full of cowboys, but seeing two big, strong cowboys donning Stetsons at once?” Kia fanned her face.
Jayla laughed.
Great. “This cowboy is spoken for.” Rush pointed a thumb at Rex, hoping Cal would say he was, too.
“Very,” Rex confirmed.
No such luck. “How about you, Cal?” Rush hoped for confirmation.
“Nope. Single as the day is long.” He tipped his hat at Jayla.
I’ll tip your hat. Every muscle in his body corded tight. His hands fisted below the table.
“Has Treat come by the resort?” Rex asked.
“Not yet.” Rush caught movement in his peripheral vision and watched as Jayla and Cal joined Teri and Patrick on the dance floor. She looked damn hot in that sexy little skirt. He couldn’t help but wonder what she had on underneath it. In the next breath he wondered if Cal was thinking the same thing. He gritted his teeth against the thought and tried to concentrate on what Rex was saying, but he was having trouble keeping his eyes off of Cal’s hand, which was sinking dangerously close to Jayla’s ass.
“Then you may not see him,” Rex said. “He and Max headed out to Nassau today for a last trip before the baby’s born.”
Rush had forgotten that Max was also pregnant. “Good for them,” he finally managed.
“Hey, Rex, wanna dance?” Kia asked.
“Thank you, but my dance card is reserved for my girlfriend, Jade.”
“Aww.” Kia pouted. “Rush?” She came around the table in her sexy little dress and pulled him by the hand. “Come on. Dance with me.”
Rex motioned up with his hand.
Rush reluctantly rose to his feet. “I’m no dancer.”
“It’s a slow dance. If you can ski, you can slow dance.” Kia dragged him to the dance floor and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Rush tried not to stare at the contented smile on Jayla’s luscious lips, or to read too much into the look in Cal’s eyes. He tried not to think about how good Jayla had felt against him when he held her, or how he’d do anything to be dancing with her rather than Kia, but it was flipping impossible. So he did the only thing he could. He wrapped his arms around Kia’s waist and danced, gritted teeth and all.
When the song ended, Cal kept his hand possessively on Jayla’s waist as they walked back to the table, and Rush fought the urge to…He didn’t know what. He felt like a caged beast, and he had a feeling fists would be involved.
Rex rose as they joined him at the table. “I have to get home, but I’m glad I got to see you.” He glanced at Cal. “Looks like he might want to stay a while. Do you mind?”
Rush downed his beer. “Absolutely not. Any friend of yours…” Is apparently a friend of Jayla’s, too. “Good to see you, Rex. Tell your family I said hello.”
“Will do, and we’ll see you at Savannah and Jack’s wedding.”
“Right. Definitely.” After Rex left, Rush flagged down the waitress and ordered another round of drinks.
“None for me. I’m driving,” Kia said with a wave of her hand. “Jayla, are you training in the morning?”
Jayla leaned forward, listening to something Cal was saying much too closely for Rush’s comfort.
“Jayla?” Kia called her again.
“Sorry, what?”
“Are you training in the morning?” Kia asked.
She shrugged. “I’m not sure, but the lift will be open at five, so you can definitely go.”
“You’re not sure if you’re training in the morning?” Rush pinned a glare at her. The whole reason for them to nix seeing each other was so that they could focus on training. What the hell was she up to? “Jayla?”
She lifted her eyes to Rush. “Yeah? Sorry. It’s hard to hear in here.”
“Dance with me?” Damn if it didn’t come out as a command rather than a question.
“Um, I’m kind of in the middle of a conversation.” She slid her eyes to Cal and smiled at him.
“Darlin’, you go right ahead and dance with your friend. I’ll be here waiting for you when you return.” He stood when Jayla did and tipped his hat again.
Goddamn gentleman cowboy.
It was all Rush could do not to drag her to the dance floor. It felt so good to have his arms around her again, to feel her body against his. He kept his mouth tightly closed to keep from sounding like a jealous ass.
“Thanks for dancing with me.” Jayla looked up at him with her trusting eyes, and he felt like a heel.
“I have to admit, I asked you to dance because I was jealous.”
She grinned. “Really? Why? You’ve seen me with guys before.”
“Not after kissing you,” he reminded her.
She pressed her hand to his chest and he covered it with his own.
“Is this as painful for you as it is for me?” He had to know, even if the answer was no.
“Oh, I don’t know. It’s not too painful talking to a handsome horse trainer who has a sexy accent and sultry eyes. Not to mention the way he pays attention to every word I say.”
Every muscle in his body flexed. “Now who’s the brat?” Rush turned them so Jayla’s back was to Cal.
“Nice move.” She narrowed her eyes and spoke in a hushed whisper. “Before we kissed, you didn’t care who I danced with.”
He was too busy telling himself not to lower his mouth to hers to respond.
“Before we kissed…” She licked her lips. “You’d never even looked at me like you do now. Well, maybe you did, but not before we got to Colorado.” She stroked his cheek, and it sent heat straight to his groin. “Before we kissed, you never messed with my concentration.” She ran her finger down his jaw to his neck and he felt himself breathing harder. “Before we kissed, you were just a fantasy that I knew would never come true.”
“A fantasy.” Christ Almighty. Rush conjured up images of Jayla lying in bed thinking of him, touching herself where he’d like to be buried deep.
She rose up on her toes and whispered, “Before we kissed, you never got hard when I was close to you.”
The hell with this. He took her hand and dragged her across the crowded dance floor, past the tables, and down the hall leading to the bathrooms. He pressed his body to hers and backed her against the wall, his hands on her rib cage, both of them breathing hard.
“Don’t move.”
He opened the men’s room door and came out a second later, grabbed her hand, and pulled her inside the restroom. He backed her up against the door and, so thick with need he was barely able to see straight, he took her in a deep, hard kiss. They stood there chest to c
hest, hip to hip. He buried his hands in her hair, and she opened her mouth wider for him, making him ache for her even more. This. This was everything. She was everything. Kissing Jayla sent his world spinning. He couldn’t help but drop his hands to her breasts, and rub his thumbs over her hard nipples.
“Rush.”
Hearing his name come from her lips filled with want, need, desire. It spurred him on. He covered her mouth with his again and ran his hand down her hip, over her thigh, to the silky, damp material between her legs. Heat radiated from her as her hands found his ass and she rocked her hips in to him.
“Holy Christ, Jayla,” he said, before lowering his lips to her neck and sucking until he drew an erotic moan from her lungs. The scent of her perfume heightened his arousal, and he pulled back and searched her eyes, gauging her desire.
She gripped the back of his neck and pulled him into another kiss. Holy hell, he loved her. He ached to touch her. To taste her. To claim her. He opened his eyes. He couldn’t make love to her in a men’s room. He had no car.
“Goddamn it.” He kissed her again.
She rocked against him again and reached for his ass again. He gripped her wrist. If they went on too much longer, he’d take her right there.
“I need to make love to you.” He had to say it. There was no holding back what he felt, what he needed, and it wasn’t just sex. He craved a deeper connection with her. He wanted to be hers as much as he wanted her to be his.
She looked down at his hand on her wrist and arched a brow.
“Not here,” he said.
She drew her brows together.
“Not like this. Not with you.” He pulled away and took off his hat, cursing under his breath. He ran his hand through his hair, then looked down at his hard-on, trapped beneath his zipper. He felt like he would come apart if he didn’t get inside her soon. He closed the distance between them again and kissed her. “I need to feel you close to me.”
“Yes,” she said in one long breath.
“We gotta get outta here.”
“Now,” Jayla said in a harsh whisper.
Her hair fell forward, covering half of her face. She looked so damn sexy he could barely stand it. They were both breathing hard.
“Jayla, there’s no turning back. If we do this, you know there isn’t a chance in hell we’re gonna walk away from each other.”
“I know.” She wrapped her fingers around the waist of his jeans and held on tight, holding his body against her.
“We both may lose focus.” No more hiding.
Jayla held his stare. “I don’t care.”
He wrapped her in his arms and kissed her again. “I’m sorry about the men’s room.”
“Shut up and kiss me,” she said in a throaty voice that made him shudder.
The door pushed opened and sent them both flying backward. They stumbled against the wall. He caught her with one arm and glared at the blond man who looked from them to the door and back again.
“Sorry, dude,” the guy said.
He was too focused on Jayla to respond. “Your shoulder?”
“Fine.” She stifled a laugh, looking too damn cute not to kiss again, which he did the second they were out of the bathroom and clear of the door.
He smoothed her hair and straightened her sweater. “You have that just-been-fucked look, and we never even had the pleasure.”
“You have that cock-blocked look.” She went up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips.
“We can’t go back to the table like this. Or at least, I can’t.” He looked down at his pants and arched a brow. “You go. I’ll be there in a minute.”
She leaned in close. “You may be hard, but you left me wet.” She pressed her cheek to his and whispered, “I think I have to take off my panties.”
Jayla disappeared into the ladies’ room. There wasn’t a chance in hell Rush would lose his erection with that image in his mind.
JAYLA BURIED HER panties in the trash, then leaned against the bathroom wall and tried to catch her breath. Her heart was racing, but that didn’t compare to the aroused hum that vibrated through her entire body. She pressed her hand over her heart and closed her eyes, breathing deeply, trying to calm her racing heart.
“There you are.” Kia came through the bathroom door and went directly to the mirror to check her hair and makeup. “One minute you were dancing, and the next, you and Rush were gone.”
Oh shit.
“I saw Rush out in the hall. He said you weren’t feeling very well.” She lifted her eyes to Jayla in the mirror. “Are you okay? Do you need some Midol or something?”
I need some Rush Remington. “No, thanks. I think it was just the heat from dancing. Is Rush still out there?”
Kia shrugged and applied a fresh coat of lipstick. “But that singer came over and stole that hunky cowboy of yours away from the table.”
“Oh my God. Have I been gone that long?” She washed her hands in cold water and patted her face with a wet paper towel.
“Fifteen minutes, maybe. You okay? Should we leave?”
Yes! Yes! Yes! “Actually, yeah, I think we should.” It was all she could do not to run out of the bathroom and to the parking lot.
Chapter Seventeen
JAYLA RODE HOME sitting on Rush’s lap in the passenger seat of the SUV. Within seconds of getting on the road, Rush slid his hand beneath her jacket, and in turn, beneath her clothes to her bare skin. The car was dark and the others were busy talking about the evening, which was a good thing, because Jayla could barely breathe, much less think as his thumb grazed the underside of her breast. By the time Kia pulled into the parking lot, he was rock hard, and she was damp again. She stepped from the SUV and Rush drew her against him in a blatantly possessive embrace.
And she loved it.
“I’m going to take Jayla home.” His voice was gruff, commanding.
“Feel better, Jay,” Kia called.
She’d almost forgotten that she’d feigned feeling sick. They walked quickly down the stone path toward the cabins, and as soon as they were out of eyeshot of the others, Rush pulled her behind a grouping of pine trees and took her in a kiss so deep and sensuous, her body went warm despite the cold night breeze. His hand slid down her hip, and her knees weakened.
“I’m sorry. You’re probably cold,” he said between heavy breaths.
She shook her head. “Hot.”
His eyes widened, then narrowed before he lowered his lips to hers again. He felt so good, so right. She wondered how she could have ever thought that competing was more important than him. Than this. Than them. She could feel his love in his strong and careful embrace. When they finally drew apart, his gaze was soft, assessing, and she loved that about him. He was always considerate of her.
“My place?”
She nodded, knowing her voice would never work.
Rush moved behind her as he unlocked the door, forming a protective shield from the wind as it whipped around the side of the cabin. He pushed the door open, pressing his hips into her from behind. She leaned her head back against his chest, loving and relishing in the electricity that hadn’t replaced, but added to, the quiet comfort of their friendship. He reached an arm around her waist from behind, then lowered his mouth to her neck as he guided her inside and kicked the door shut behind them. Jayla’s body was on fire. His stubble grated against her neck, and he ran his tongue along the tender scratches before gently turning her to face him and gazing lovingly into her eyes. He brushed her hair from her shoulder and held her cheeks between his large palms.
“Jayla.” His voice was thick with desire. “You’re sure?”
She nodded again. His glorious, masculine scent was everywhere, in the air, on his skin, in her lungs.
He lowered his hands to her hips. “One hundred percent? Because I can’t make love to you and then go back to just being friends. Hell, I’m not sure I can go back to just being friends now anyway. I damn near wanted to kill that cowboy for putting his hands
on you.”
“Yes. One hundred percent. Yes.” I have no idea what I was thinking before. You’re all I’ve ever wanted, and even if I lose focus, I want you. All of you. “I love that you care enough to ask,” she managed.
“I care too damn much. Way too damn much.”
His lips were an inch from hers. One little movement and they’d meet again, but guilt stabbed at her and her shoulder ached. She couldn’t cross this line with Rush without being perfectly honest with him.
She swallowed past the urge to remain silent and kiss him and forced herself to speak. “I…I have to tell you something.”
He leaned his forehead on hers, his chest rising and falling with each heated breath.
“Okay, but if you’re going to tell me that you just want to be friends, shoot me instead.”
“No. I want this. I want us. I just need you to know something before we do this.” She grabbed hold of his coat collar and held on tight.
“Afraid I’ll run away?”
“No,” she whispered. “I’m afraid I will.”
“Oh, babe. Really?” He took her in his arms and held her close. “Is it that bad?”
“My injury might be,” she said against his shoulder.
He drew back and searched her eyes. She saw him measuring the truth of her words.
He narrowed his gaze. “You’re serious. Oh, Jayla. I’m so sorry.” His eyes danced over her shoulder.
She shrugged.
“No, this isn’t a shrug. Did I hurt you when I touched you? Kissed you? Oh God, when you were against the wall?”
“No, no.”
“Have you talked to all the team docs?”
She shook her head.
“Specialists?”
She shook her head again. “Remember when I tore the lining of my shoulder socket? This feels worse, and they told me last time that another tear would probably stop me from competing.”
Slope of Love (Love in Bloom: The Remingtons) Page 12