CW Boys- The Complete Series Box Set

by C. Shell

  His words make me smile on the inside as much as the outside. This is the old Dex that I’ve been missing. That‘s not completely true, because the one with me now, just did the most generous thing and surprised me with a relaxing spa day with my best friend. This is a new and better Dex, one who doles out generous gifts. How awesome is that? I’m so giddy I can no longer sit still in my seat.

  Launching myself forward, I wrap my arms around his neck and plant the biggest kiss on his lips. His touch ignites something inside me and our brief kiss turns into something close to R rated. His tongue strokes seductively against my own creating a fire deep in my belly that has the potential to detonate into something uncontrollable, that is until my brother makes a gagging sound and ruins the moment altogether.

  I should be embarrassed for acting like a hussy in public, but I’m not. I smile wide, my happiness overflowing. “Thank you, Dex.” I sit up straighter in my seat and glance over to Cam and find her looking just as excited as I feel.

  ***

  “Would you like a single massage or have them done together?”

  Cam and I don’t hesitate when we answer, “Together,” our combined voices sounding more like one person instead of two. We giggle at how ridiculous we are and, judging by the raised eyebrows from the spa receptionist, she agrees wholeheartedly.

  Already dressed in only robes and soft slippers, we follow the petite lady down a long hallway, our heads peeking into the vast rooms we pass as we check out the mud bath, wall-mounted waterfalls, and sauna, all while inhaling the relaxing scent of eucalyptus. I’ve never been to anything remotely like this place and our small local salon downtown where Lucy trims my hair every six weeks doesn’t count.

  Our guide ushers us into a large room with low neutral colors, low lighting, and tranquil music playing from speakers built into the ceiling. I glance down at the two massage tables in the center of the room, then back up to Cam. “Do you have a preference on which spot you have, or can I take this one?” I ask, waving a hand to the bed closest to me.

  “Have at it,” she answers with a giggle.

  Call it paranoia or just plain old silliness, but I check the door, jiggling the handle to make sure it is good and closed before slipping off my robe and sliding under the covers. The sheets are as smooth as butter and warm as if they just came out of the dryer. The thread count on these things babies must be astronomically high. I instantly feel myself relaxing as my eyes droop to half mast.

  “I’ve not even been rubbed on yet and I’m already enjoying myself,” Cam says, following her words with more giggles. Lying down on the massage table beside mine, Cam rests her head on the top of her clasped hands and graces me with one of her brilliant smiles.

  “This is nice, isn’t it?” It’s a stupid question, because, duh, of course this place is nice. I don’t expect Cam to answer me and she doesn’t disappoint. I yank the sheet covering me up higher as I feel a slight chill from the air vent streaming down on us. “I still can’t believe Dex did this for us. It’s beyond sweet and sorely needed.”

  Her head tilts and she gives me a hard stare. “How are things between you two?” I open my mouth to speak and before I can utter a single sound she waves a hand in the air. “I’m talking about relationship wise. Spare me the sexy details. We heard all we needed to about that last night, and may I add, I never took you for a screamer. I thought your poor brother and Nate were going to have an aneurysm toward the end there. We couldn’t get the damn television loud enough to drown out your sex sounds.”

  Divert. New subject! My brain screams at me to change topics as I open my mouth again. Instead, I stay on this runaway train and settle in for a bumpy ride. “My brother heard us?”

  “Yeah. He slept with the pillow over his head all night in case you went for round two.”

  I choke on air as my lungs try and fail to gain a full breath. I blink a few times holding up a hand to Cam to tell her I’m okay. I’m just beginning to get myself sorted out when the door behind us opens, and in walk two women dressed in matching white uniforms. One lady is as short as me and the other one is tall enough that my neck hurts from looking up. Both with chestnut colored hair and matching hazel eyes, they could pass for twins had it not been for the extreme height difference.

  “Good evening, ladies,” the shorter one says. Her assessing eyes take Cam and me in before she nods to her taller colleague who moves to stand beside my table as she takes the spot next to Cammy’s. “What type of massage would you like today?”

  That’s a good question. I’ve never had a professional massage before so I’m at a loss as to what I should ask for. I glance at Cammy for help and with a smirk gracing her lips, she comes to my rescue. “We’ll both have the Swedish massage please.”

  I have no clue what a Swedish thingy entails, but when the shorter lady casts her soft eyes on me, I quickly give her a nod of acceptance. I trust Cam with my life, so if she thinks this is what we need, then I’m all in. I settle deeper onto the table, laying my arms out by my side. Let the massage begin.

  With strong hands kneading my tight muscles into liquid jelly and the smell of lavender consuming my senses, I’ve been turned into one big pile of mush. If I knew massages could be this good, I would’ve taken them up years ago. With a contented sigh, I pry my eyelids open and turn my head toward Cam, ready to ask her what we should do for dinner tonight. I’m surprised to see her already focused on me with a strange look on her facial expression.

  “What is wrong with you?” I ask.

  She adjusts her pillow under her head and gives me an accusatory stare. “You never answered my question earlier.”

  ” Uh…what question? I rack my brain to remember what question she asked me. A light bulb goes off as I recall her asking about my relationship with Dex. Why are we back on this? I was happy leaving that subject behind, and yet, here we are again. Cam is a journalist at heart and when she smells a story, she is like a hound with a bone. We’re having this talk whether I like it or not.

  Readjusting my pillow, I get good and comfortable because I have no illusion of this being a quick talk. “Dex and I are still adjusting, but things are okay.”

  “Just okay? That sounds like a cop-out.” The disbelief in her tone is palpable. “Define okay.”

  I look over at her and can’t stop my eye roll. “He’s been a hundred times better since we arrived in Colorado. In fact, it’s like he’s the old Dex again.”

  “And back home?” she prompts

  I swallow hard, not sure where to begin or how to find the words to convey how difficult things have been since the incident. I steal a glance at the ladies in the room wondering if I should censor my tongue with them around. I throw out the idea as soon as it pops into my head. These ladies don’t know us and our life story has no effect on them. They’re here to do a job and get paid. Nothing more, nothing less.

  “Dex struggles with being the perfect boyfriend he thinks I need, all the while yearning to find Lacey and Nicholas, so he can get revenge on them. Some days are better than others. For the most part, we walk on eggshells around each other, neither wanting to set the other off, all the while wearing fake smiles that don’t portray the hurt eating us up on the inside.”

  Hissing a litany of swear words, Cam pops up from her table, her towel flying off in the process and flashing me an eyeful of boob. Her poor masseuse rushes to cover her back up, but the damage is already done. My head darts under my cover as peals of laughter bounce around the room. Even the two ladies working on us drop their professional facade and join in.

  I’m giggling so hard I can barely speak. “What is wrong with you?” My voice is muffled from the sheet still over my head, so I speak up louder so she can hear me. “Did something bite you on the ass or did you really think me seeing the twins would make me feel better?”

  Cam huffs, not the least bit sorry or embarrassed for flashing the room. “I don’t care about my boobs right now.” Her voice and tone, erase any leftover g
iggles that I might’ve had left. Peeking out from the covers, I’m shocked to find her expression full of hurt. I raise a brow, silently urging her to tell me what I did to put that sad look on her face. “I don’t understand why you’re just now telling me all this. I thought we were best friends.”

  The accusation in her tone makes my chest tighten. I’ve got to fix this. Now I’m the one ignoring my nudity and scurrying to the edge of the table, so I can face her fully. “You mean the world to me. We’re best friends to the end. Please don’t ever question that.” The masseuses both step back, eyes wide as they watch us. I ignore them and wrack my brain on how to justify my actions. Explaining to someone why you’ve been keeping secrets from them is not an easy thing.

  “I haven’t been trying to keep anything from you. At first, I hid my feelings because I wasn’t ready to share them with anyone. It’s easier faking my happiness than crushing everyone around me by letting them see how messed up I really am.” Her gaze locks with mine and I give her a reassuring grin. “Don’t go getting all worried about me. I’m much better now than I was after it first happened. I still have bad dreams here and there, but I’m pushing myself to move forward. I’m tired of living in the past and ready to face the future.”

  “And what about Dex?”

  I let out a frustrated sigh. “He’s not coping very well. Some days with the way he acts, you would think he was the one that got manhandled and drugged instead of me.”

  Her eyes narrow in on me. “He’s not mean to you, is he?”

  My head moves back as if I’d been slapped. My answer comes quick. “No, never.” I must be doing a horrible job at explaining everything if that’s the conclusion she came to. I fiddle with the edge of my blanket. “Dex blames himself for what happened to me, so the only person he’s being mean to is himself. I’m doing what I can to help ease his worries, but my efforts fall short more times than not.” The more I talk, the better I feel. Who knew getting my secrets out would feel so cathartic. I should’ve done this a long time ago.

  Cam leans across the space between us and takes my hand in hers, giving it a good squeeze. The intense look on her face grabs my full attention. “I’m glad you finally told me all this. No one should be carrying this much weight on their shoulders. You’ve been dealt some crappy cards in life as of late, and the way you’ve handled it all is amazing. I’m so proud of you. No matter what happens, always know that I’m here for you. You don’t have to go through this alone.”

  Sensing the threat of tears, I bite my bottom lip until the yearning clears and I’m able to think straight again. I don’t speak until I feel like I can without breaking down. “Thank you, Cammy,” I mumble. “I needed that.”

  She releases my hand and with a slight shake of her head, she let me know my interrogation and our heart-to-heart is over. For now, at least. Cammy claps her hands to gather the ladies’ attention who, until now, been watching our interaction as if it was their favorite Soap Opera. Cam lays back down on the table and motions for them to get back to work on our massage.

  I take a breath and get myself situated back on the table with the cloth covering the lower half of my body. My thoughts go haywire as I replay back our conversation. I’m not sorry for opening up to Cam about my feelings or the issues Dex and I are going through, but I do worry about her confiding in my brother. And just like that, I pop back up as if I were attached to springs.

  Cam watches as I struggle to speak, my mind working overtime as her earlier words flash through my mind. I pin her in place with my eyes as I dare her to try and lie to me. “Earlier you said my brother had a hard time sleeping after listening to Dex and I having sex.”

  I wasn’t asking a question, but I still wait until she nods her head. She does, and then as if realizing where I’m going with this, all the blood drains from her face. She scans my face before letting loose more curses.

  My voice drops to almost a whisper when I finally speak. “We gave you the other bedroom and Jimmie and Nate the pullout sofa, so how is it that you knew Jimmie slept with a pillow over his face all night?”

  Chapter Eleven

  “I don’t want to try again.” The sound of my own whine grates against my ears.

  For the past few days, I kindly bowed out of skiing with everyone and instead checked out the shopping scene in Aspen, visited an art museum, and even took a trip on a mountain gondola. I’m not a big fan of heights. Being inside an enclosed space watered down most of the fears I have of plummeting to my death. My days haven’t lacked in the least. Besides, it’s not like I purposely tried to keep to myself, it’s just how the dice fell each day.

  Since Cam dropped the bomb on me about her and my bother hooking up, I’ve needed some time to think. At first, I was upset and didn’t want them together, but not for the reasons most people would think. I’m not trying to be a hypocritical bitch and dictate what’s good for either of them, I just don’t want to see them get hurt. Jimmie is a notorious manwhore with more notches on his bedpost than Hugh Hefner himself. Cammy is the complete opposite. She’s a die-hard romantic always on the lookout for Mr. Right. I could tell from the twinkle in her eye as she spoke about Jimmie that she’s already falling hard for him.

  I wanted to scream and spill all of Jimmie’s nasty habits in hopes of turning her off from him, but I didn’t. I’m still damn proud of the way I held my tongue, nodding when needed, and in the end, I wished them both the best of luck. That last part I meant. I do want the best for them, I’m just not so sure they’re best is with each other.

  Hearing Dex call my name, I throw the magazine I’ve been mindlessly looking through back on the table and give him my full attention. We’ve been going around in circles for the last hour. He wants me to try skiing again, and I don’t want to. My ass still has two lingering bruises from my last endeavor on the snow.

  He crosses the room until he is right in front of me. “Baby, the first time is always the hardest. You should give it one more shot before you call it quits.” His head tilts and he gives me a once over. “Since when are you afraid of a little snow? The Jelly Bean I know would never give up so easily.”

  If Dex thinks he’s going to goad me into doing what he wants, he’s got another thing coming. I sit up straighter and give him my resting bitch face. “I’m not giving up. I’m choosing to be my own person. You and the others can ski while I watch you from the lounge. I’ll have big mugs of hot chocolate waiting for everyone when you finish.”

  He just stands there smiling at me.

  I smile back.

  He smiles brighter.

  “I’m not giving in.” My voice cracks as does my smile when he refuses to budge or look away. “Dex, do you hear me?”

  “I hear you, Jelly Bean,” he says, his smile transforming into an evil smirk. “It’s okay if you’re scared. We won’t hold it against you.”

  I shoot up from the couch and meet him toe to toe. “Fuck you, Dex,” I all but scream. “I’ll show you who’s scared.” I grab up my coat, hat, and gloves and march to the door. I’m seething mad as I swing it open, only stopping to glance back at the man in question who has ruffled my feathers. “Just for the record, I’m not doing this for you. I have nothing to prove to you. This is all for me, baby,” I say, pointing a finger at myself.”

  I don’t even hang around for Dex as I make my way to the elevators where Cam, Nate, and Jimmie are waiting for us. The moment I step closer to them, Jimmie is up in my face and making me stop so he can look me over.

  “What the hell happened? You look like you are ready to go kill someone?”

  “Don’t tempt me.” My warning only makes him and the others laugh. I point a finger over my shoulder where I can feel Dex lingering. “That jackass made me mad. He accused me of being scared of skiing, so now I’m off to prove him wrong and to wipe that smug-ass smirk right off his handsome face.”

  Dex leans against the wall beside me, giving me the perfect view of him and his lean body. He looks at me, still gr
inning like a cat that got the cream. “You think I’m handsome?”

  “And a jackass,” I add. “Did you already forget that part also?” The others snort, thoroughly enjoying the show we’re putting on. A part of me wants to curtsy for them, but I think that would be taking it too far.

  “Nope,” he answers, popping the P for added effect. “I have selective memory and the only part of your little rant I care about is that you think I’m handsome. The rest just sounds like a whole lot of mumbling and grunting sounds.”

  “Dex,” I don’t want to argue with him, “stop pushing my buttons. You wanted me on the slopes and here I am doing just that. Don’t push your luck”

  He pushes off the wall and takes a step closer to me. Wrapping a hand around my waist, he pulls me toward him until we are touching in all the right places. My mouth goes dry. Holding my breath, I wait to see what he will do or say next.

  “Jelly Bean…” Whatever Dex was going to say is cut off by the elevator door opening and Nate pulling us toward it. He doesn’t even give us time to right ourselves, just grips me under the arm and steers me inside before pushing the lobby level button with more force than necessary.

  I steal a glance up at him, confused by his sour mood. “Who peed in your Cheerios?”

  “You two did,” he grunts in answer. “I’m tired of watching you two swap spit and grope each other every second of the day.” He spears me with a look that has me swallowing hard. “It’s nauseating to watch.”

  I catch Dex’s gaze through the reflection of the metal door and see him looking between Nate and me, his head moving back and forth like he’s trying to piece together a puzzle. By the time we land in the lobby, his entire face is scrunched up like he was smelling something foul.

  Poking him in the shoulder, I nab his attention as everyone else heads outside. “What’s gotten into you?”

  Dex runs a hand over his face before letting it drop to his hip. “Nothing,” he answers, giving me a smile as fake as the day is long. I feel him take a long silent breath. I want to question him further, but know it’s pointless. Dex is tense and whenever he gets in these moods, there is no moving him. Trusting that he will speak to me when he is good and ready, I grab his hand and drag him outside.