Falling, Freestyle

by Arend, Vivian

  His cock pressed painfully against his zipper, and he slid his hips lower on the seat, adjusting the backrest as an excuse.

  Jack jumped in, slamming the door on the freezing cold blast of air that followed him. Dara shivered and cuddled closer to Kane’s side. Her warm body felt just right next to him. Damn if he was going to survive this weekend.

  “We finally ready to roll? There’s four hours ahead of us to the resort.” Kane peeled out into the roadway fast enough to force their bodies against the backrest. Hell, that had sounded as if he was pissed, but he was mere seconds from begging Dara to sit on his lap and help ease his pain.

  Jack snapped on his seat belt and threw his gloves onto the dash. “Drive on. Sorry I’m late, but I’ve got a great excuse.”

  “You won the lottery and you were making reservations for us to fly to Hawaii after the ski trip is over.” Dara leaned on Kane’s shoulder as she faced Jack. Kane casually lifted his arm and placed it along the back of the seat and she settled even closer, her head resting on his biceps. While she was in his arms under false pretenses, he would totally take it.

  “How’d you guess?” Jack tweaked her nose and she laughed, her body shimmying against Kane’s ribs.

  “You have that look on your face. Spill.” Dara poked Jack in the side, tickling him lightly.

  Kane dragged his eyes off their interplay and focused on the road. They had a long way to go and staring at her was bound to get them stuck in a ditch.

  “I got a call from the resort this morning after you left for work. Seems they had a bit of a reservation error.”

  “Fuck it. Now what? I booked our rooms ages ago.” Kane gripped the wheel tighter. He couldn’t take much more. Fighting his growing need to tell Dara he wanted her was making him cranky and crazy.

  “Don’t sweat it until I tell you the whole thing. The guy gave me some long-winded story about how someone mistyped digits and there’s a family reunion—whatever. We can’t have the adjoining rooms we asked for, but since it’s not our fault they wanted to make it up to us.”

  That sounded more positive. “Complimentary drinks?”

  “Better. The only other unit that was free for all of our booking dates is a private cabin—ski in/ski out.”

  “No shit?” This was either a gift from heaven, or one from hell.

  “Seriously. Master bedroom in the loft with a king, a bedroom on the main floor with two queen beds. Full kitchen, a fireplace and a private hot tub on the balcony overlooking the ski hill.”

  Dara hadn’t made a sound since Jack started describing the accommodation change. Kane squeezed her shoulders. “You going to be okay with that, sweets? You can have the loft to yourself, and Jacky-boy and I will close the bedroom door so you don’t have to listen to him snore.”

  There was a slight hesitation before she laughed. “I’ve slept in the same tent as you guys too many times to fall for that load of bull. You’re the one with the volume-control problem at night.”

  “Only when I’m horny.”

  Shit. He hadn’t meant to let that slip out.

  He glanced over and caught Jack shaking his head. “Right, because your dick is so heavy you can’t sleep in any position but flat on your back.”

  Dara laughed out loud. “Play nice, boys. Jack, it sounds fabulous, but why were you late? I mean, he didn’t charge you extra or anything, did he?”

  “No, he reassured me everything was already paid in full, so unless we watch dirty movies or get room service, we’re clear to go at checkout. I just decided if we were going to have a kitchen we should take advantage of it. I spent the last hour gathering treats.”

  Kane let out a whoop of delight. “Tell me you brought beer and nachos.”

  Dara’s priorities were clear. “Ice cream? Chocolate?”

  Jack grinned down at her. “Even better. Banana-split fixings—chocolate sauce, whipped cream, even a jar of those nasty cherries you love.”

  “The ones that are a million calories each? Score!”

  She and Jack slapped hands in mid-air and she wiggled closer to give him a huge hug. Over her shoulder, Jack winked at Kane. A grumble of unease flicked through him. When Dara was going to have her own room, there had been a chance of getting through the long weekend without making a fool of himself. Now?

  He was going to hit the slopes with a woody the size of his snowboard, constantly thinking of her nearby. Heck, he’d probably have to watch her wander the cabin in her PJs.

  And the hot tub? Sheer torture.

  “You okay to drive?” Dara shifted, tucking her feet under his right thigh.

  “Of course, why?”

  “You sighed like you’d had a hard morning or something. If you need a break, make sure you ask. I love driving your truck.”

  Jack laughed. “You know you’re going to be fast asleep in under an hour.”

  “Am not. It’s only noon.”

  Kane and Jack exchanged amused gazes over her head. “Bet you she’s down in thirty minutes flat,” Kane said.

  “Guys…” Dara folded her arms. “I am not sleepy. I’m going to stay awake the whole trip this time.”

  “Okay, if you say so.” Jack twisted his torso and snuggled her against him and a shot of jealousy streaked through Kane. “Why don’t you stretch out? Kane doesn’t mind.”

  No, Kane didn’t mind, not one bit. Not even when those crimson covered legs pressed against his groin and he had to bite back a groan.

  “So the box is full of food?” Anything to keep his mind off lowering a hand to fondle her thighs.

  “Breakfast cereal, bagels, treats. We’ll have to pick up fresh fruit and the ice cream, but with what we save on eating at the hill cafeteria, we can splurge a little. And, the pièce de résistance?” Jack dug into his pocket and held out chocolate bars.

  Dana squealed with delight. “You remembered!”

  “Have I ever forgotten?”

  Kane waited as Dara unwrapped a 3 Musketeers chocolate bar and handed it to him. The tradition had begun before their first hiking trip years ago.

  Kane lifted the candy in front of him, and the others met him, three hands resting together as if they were lofting swords.

  “All for one…” he quipped.

  “…and one for all.” Dara bit into her chocolate bar, closed her eyes and moaned with pleasure. Kane jerked the wheel to the side to put them back in the middle of the lane. Shit, he was going to get them all killed if he didn’t keep his mind on the road.

  They settled into a comfortable silence, music filling the cab as they relaxed from their daily grind. He could do this. He could keep his mind off her legs resting innocently in his lap. He refused to think about sliding down the stockings and licking her skin from her ankles up to the warm honey between her thighs.

  He had to resist. But once this weekend was over, all bets were off. It didn’t make any sense for Jack and him to sit back and watch her go out with other men when one of them could be the right one for her. Until now his footloose and fancy-free lifestyle had suited him fine, but he’d always known a time would come when he’d want something more permanent.

  No use in ignoring the draw between them anymore. He and Dara had tons in common, and from what he’d seen of the best long-term relationships, that was the most important factor. If they could spend the next fifty years hiking and canoeing and fooling around, he’d be happy as a clam.

  At least he knew they were compatible in the first areas, and somehow he thought they’d be just fine in the sack as well. Dara wore her sensuality like everything else she did. Honest, pure. She wasn’t an innocent, but pure as in what you see is what you get.

  Even now she settled closer against Jack, the asshole’s ever-present grin stretching wider when she twisted to lean on him, her head resting on his chest. He cradled her close and she let out a long, slow sigh of contentment.

  She wiggled her hips lower as she settled, and her skirt rode higher. Kane gritted his teeth together. He could see the
junction of her thighs now, her legs slightly separated as she curled up drowsily.

  Kane shot Jack a dirty look. Jack raised his brows and deliberately draped his arm around Dara a little more intimately. She was already slipping off into dreamland—woman never could keep her eyes open when they drove anywhere. Within minutes she was purring, her breath escaping in a low rumble of sleep that twisted something inside his gut. Okay, he wanted her body, but there was definitely something more to their relationship. Once it became a relationship.

  “You okay driving?” Jack stroked back a strand of Dara’s hair from where it had escaped her elastics.

  Kane glared at him. “What kind of dumbass question is that?”

  Jack snickered evilly. “Just thinking if you had half the boner I’ve got right now, I’d hate to have to shift.”

  “You know, talking about it isn’t going to make it go away. I’ll live.”

  They sat in silence for miles. The skiing was going to be fantastic, the weather forecast fabulous. But the thoughts running through his brain on an endless loop included a king-sized bed and a hot tub on the deck.

  So much for a relaxing après-ski time. He was in for a fight to keep his hands off her.

  “Wake up, sweetie, we’re almost there.”

  Dara stretched and yawned, her mind slow to come out of the fog. “Shit—don’t tell me I fell asleep again.”

  She squirmed to sit up and found herself pinned by two sets of strong hands.

  “Slow down, or you’re going to hit something important.” Kane lifted her feet from his lap and she flushed.

  “Sorry.”

  He waved a hand in her direction. “I was okay until you started practicing your drop kick.”

  Under her, Jack’s firm chest shifted. “And your right hand is fine, but watch how much pressure you put on the left. I’ll have trouble keeping up with you two as it is without a handicap.”

  Dara paused in confusion until she realized she wasn’t leaning on his thigh like she’d imagined. She pulled away quickly, curled into a ball and spun on the seat as she looked for somewhere safe to place her limbs.

  She glanced at Jack. He stared back wordlessly. There was a little extra twist to his smile and she licked her lips involuntarily. Ever since Jack had announced the change in rooming for their trip, she’d been nervous. It had taken a dozen phone calls and wad of money to arrange for the “complimentary upgrade” to their rooming situation. When she’d finally thought it through, she’d realized there was no way she could seduce them if they had kept their original booking. She could afford the private cabin, just, and it would be money well spent if in the long run it helped her make a decision.

  Everything was perfectly in place for her to work on them both. She’d planned on using the road travel time to her advantage—start flirting a little.

  She slammed her feet into her boots and followed Jack out the door, tugging her coat back on. She was worse than a child. Couldn’t even stay awake for a couple of crucial hours. Fine. As soon as they hit the room, she was turning up the oomph and making her move.

  Yet by the time they signed in, grabbed the key and drove over to their accommodations, her already unsteady nerves failed her. She wandered into the cabin, dumped her armload of gear on the couch and slipped onto the balcony. The rest of the cabins and townhouse units spread out along the base of the hill sparkled with Christmas lights, the section of the slope wired for night skiing a brilliant streak of white against the darkness of the hillside. Music floated to her ears from either the bar or the restaurant at the lodge. She grabbed the railing and took a deep breath. Somehow she had to find the strength she needed to make this holiday more than just a nice getaway with her buddies.

  She was tired of nice. It was time for fabulous and sexy and smoking hot. It was time to figure out the future.

  The glass door swooshed open behind her. Kane came and stood by her side. He leaned his elbows on the railing and peered out at the vista. “Damn good view. Much nicer than from any of the hotel rooms.”

  Dara bit her lip. Kane would be the perfect one to approach first.

  “Did you see that?” She reached past him to point out the main swimming pool just visible to the left. The move made her lean against him, brushing her breasts casually against his arm. He didn’t react beyond a slight tightening in his body, but he didn’t pull away, and she took that as a good sign.

  He cleared his throat.

  “Did you see what’s on this balcony?” Kane placed his hands on her shoulders and twisted her on the spot to face the four-man hot tub gracing the enormous deck. “I don’t see any reason why we need to go to the pool when we’ve got a private one right here. That thing is going to feel awesome when we finish making tracks for the day.”

  Dara stared at the steaming pool and sudden inspiration hit. She shrugged out of her coat and tossed it on one of the deck chairs. The only way she could do this was to rush forward at full steam.

  “Did we get everything in from the truck?” she asked.

  “What’s that?” Kane seemed distracted. “The gear? Umm, yeah, Jack went back for the last load. Dara, what are you doing?”

  She’d already toed off her boots, and as she pulled her sweater over her head she heard his rapid intake of air. One quick snap and unzip, and her skirt fell away. She turned to face him, keeping her chin high. “I’m going for a dip. You coming?”

  He looked like he’d swallowed his tongue. His eyes widened as she tucked her fingers into the top of her tights and wiggled them past her hips. When she stood upright clad only in her bra, panties and a deep flush, he covered his face with his hand.

  “Dara…shit, woman, you’re killing me.”

  The tightness in his voice—was that because he wanted her or because the thought of seeing her naked was like watching one of his sisters strip? Only one way to know for sure. Dara unclipped her bra, slipped off her panties and tossed both on top of the rest of her things.

  She took a step closer. His erratic breaths shook his frame and when she touched the waistband of his jeans he jerked in surprise.

  “Are you coming swimming with me?”

  Kane’s throat jerked, then he reached for her. A gentle touch, tentative and light, as he brushed his palms along her upper arms. “What are you doing, Dara?”

  Freezing? Waiting to see if she was going to be totally humiliated? The indoor/outdoor carpet beneath her feet was covered with a thin layer of frost, and the cold night air made her nipples tighten to hard aching nubs. She leaned forward and lifted her face to him, leaning against his warmth and strength, trying to get away from the chill in the air. She saw it, the moment he decided. He leaned closer and their lips touched.

  The door behind them screeched open and the usually calm and sedate Jack roared out, “What the hell is going on?”

  Chapter Three

  Alpine Responsibility Code

  Rule #3—Be prepared for surprises…

  It was not a sight he’d been prepared to see—Dara stark naked not even five minutes after arriving at the cabin. Jack snatched a towel from beside the hot tub and wrapped it around her. He’d dreamed for years about having her gorgeous body fully revealed for his enjoyment, but never like that. Not in the arms of another man, not even his best friend’s.

  “Whose fucked-up idea was this?” Shit, the feel of her in his arms, knowing that underneath the fluffy fabric she was nude, did crazy things to his brain. Jack carried her into the cabin and plunked her down on the couch amidst the bags dumped there.

  She glared at him as she clutched the towel, her face as crimson as the tights dangling from the chair on the balcony. She opened her mouth to say something when Kane beat her to it.

  “She just wanted to go for a swim, Jack. No harm, no foul.” Kane dragged his hand through his rumpled hair and shook his head. “She just was in kind of a hurry, I guess. Forgot her suit. We’ve skinny-dipped before.”

  Dara swore at him. “Kane, you’re a chick
en shit.”

  Her legs disappeared under her as she curled up on the couch. She stared at the coffee table like there was something of vital importance written on its surface.

  “Dara? What’s going on?” Jack dropped to his knees in front of her to be able to look into her eyes. His control was a tentative thing at best.

  She paused before twisting to dig into her backpack. As she scrambled through her things, the towel loosened and the upper circle of one pale nipple slipped into view. His whole body reacted. Whatever she was up to was going to have far-reaching consequences. He’d seen Kane’s expression and felt the lust raging though his own body. She was seconds away from finding out exactly what happens when you poke a guy too hard.

  She held out a book to him before rearranging the towel to cover her assets.

  “The Count of Monte Cristo? What the…?”

  She growled at him. “No, it’s a fake cover, you ass. You guys are always teasing me about how I’ve been reading that book forever and never done. Well, take a closer look, because it’s not written by Alexandre Dumas.”

  Jack carefully peeled back the edge. Kane stepped forward to peer over his shoulder as he revealed a cover with three naked bodies on it.

  Kane swore. “Porn? You’ve been reading porn in front of us for years?”

  “It’s not porn, it’s erotic romance. And that’s what’s going on. My sex life up to now has consisted of pretty vanilla sex. I’m curious and I just thought if you guys were interested we could…” She swallowed hard before lifting her chin resolutely. “I thought we could try a few things.”

  God almighty. Jack rose in a rush and turned his back on her. The scent of her perfume was having a terrible effect on his libido, and the image of her face along with his and Kane’s on the bodies tangled together on the cover of that book—

  His cock pressed against his jeans in a state of urgency.