Wilson Mooney Eighteen at Last

Home > Other > Wilson Mooney Eighteen at Last > Page 11
Wilson Mooney Eighteen at Last Page 11

by Gretchen de La O


  “I’m fine. Sorry about that,” Max said.

  We both busted out in a contagious laughter, and in that moment, we were the only two there on the ice. He wrapped his arms around me and I felt him pull me down as he wiggled. We attempted to adjust our bodies, which tangled us even more, causing us to laugh even louder. It didn’t matter that we were stuck down on the ice. It was our moment to have.

  “You getting cold?” he asked when he noticed I was clutching my lower jaw trying to hold back the chattering of my teeth.

  “Just a little,” I said.

  Max leaned up and kissed me. His lips were cold on the edges while the inside of his mouth was steaming hot. I pushed my mitten-covered hand around the back of his head and he pressed strongly against my spine. His body let out a shiver and his jaw began to chatter, and I knew it was time to get up. As I rolled off of him, he leaned toward me, trying to stay with our kiss.

  “You’re freezing,” I said.

  “It’s your kiss,” he teased. We both started to giggle through our shivers.

  I heard someone’s skates slice loudly across the ice next to us and for a moment, an image of Cindy towering over us flashed in my mind. My heart crashed against my chest. The absolute last thing I wanted to face was running into someone from school.

  “Hey, Max, who in the hell got you to come out ice skating?” A tall, brown-haired guy with a smile wider than the Grand Canyon and eyes as blue and the ocean stood above us.

  Relief caught my breath when I realized we were still undiscovered by Wesley’s Rumor Miller—and my roommate—Cindy. I just don’t know what I would do if she were to find us tangled on the ice together.

  “Oh hey, Reid—well, that would be this one right here,” Max said pointing at me.

  “Well then let me help you up,” Reid said as he reached down to me. “Use the tip of your blade to anchor your weight to stand up,” he added as he leaned back and pulled. I watched as the muscles tightened up his arm.

  “Thanks,” I said as I wobbled and slipped, working to regain any type of control.

  In the meantime, Max had flipped over to his hands and knees and worked himself back to standing on the ice.

  “Tell me, how did you get this guy to do this? I’ve known him my whole life and I could never get him to come down here to skate with me.” His blue eyes twinkled and his brown, curly hair clung to the sides of his face as he pulled his narrow, scarlet lips to a straight smirk.

  “Oh no, he is quite the ice skater,” I said, busying myself as I adjusted my gloves back under the cuffs of my jacket and glanced around the rink, making sure my fears of Cindy showing up weren’t warranted.

  “So you think I should help him out?” he asked as Max struggled on the ice.

  “Sure,” I sang.

  “I’m Reid, by the way.” He held his hand out, totally ignoring Max flailing for control just a few feet away. I stopped looking around and accepted his hand in greeting.

  “Wilson.”

  I heard Max’s body bounce with a growl as his blades sliced across the frozen tundra.

  Reid turned Max’s way and said, “Okay, are you ready to hear how to get up? Dig in with the toe-pick and get your ass up off the ice.”

  “I got it, I got it,” Max croaked as he struggled again with a wobbling stance.

  “Better grab the railing,” Reid teased.

  “Hey thanks, man. Nothing like being left out in the cold,” Max mused as he wrapped his arm around my shoulder. “How you been? How’s the holidays?” Max said, shaking his hand.

  “I have nothing to complain about. Just got back in town for the week. How ‘bout you?” Reid asked.

  “I’ve been good—really good,” Max said glancing at me. “We just got into town today.”

  “So…is this your sister?” Reid pointed to me and winked with a smirk on his face.

  Max chuckled before he spoke, “Reid, this is Wilson, my girlfriend. Today is her birthday. Sweetheart, this is Reid—he and I go pretty far back. He dated my sister in high school.”

  “Oh! Well nice to meet you,” I exaggerated.

  “Well, Happy Birthday. I hope this guy has spoiled you. Where did you meet this rabble-rouser anyway?” Reid swung his fist toward Max’s stomach.

  “In a government focus group,” I said.

  “At a coffee shop,” Max said at the same time.

  I could feel the pressure building in my chest, and the urge to throw up clinging to the back of my tongue; exactly what I didn’t ever want to happen—just happened. Max and I stared at each other for what seemed like a lifetime before we looked back at Reid.

  “Well, actually…we saw each other at a coffee shop. We both ordered the same drink,” Max let out a slight laugh.

  “That’s right,” I backed up his story.

  “Then, later that day, we ended up in a government focus group, and I knew I had to meet her,” Max said as he looked at me. His eyes narrowed and glimmered.

  Oh my God, we really have to get our stories straight.

  “That’s right; you’re teaching government at one of those private schools, aren’t you?” Reid said as he popped Max across the shoulder. “Well, I have to say, it’s pretty ballsy choosing to teach government to high-schoolers over working for your dad at GP.” Reid laughed, unaware of what he’d just said. I stole a glance over at Max and noticed how his eyes constricted.

  “Yeah, well I get summers off, man,” Max said, trying to justify his choices.

  “Which is a complete bonus,” Reid agreed. “Do you teach at the same school?” he turned and asked me.

  “Oh no—I’m not a teacher, I’m still in scho—college,” I swallowed, choking on my lie.

  “Robbin’ the cradle are we?” Reid whispered to Max as he elbowed him in the side. Max wobbled unstably on his skates before he gave Reid a slight grin.

  “You look really happy, man. I’m glad to see you back to your old self,” Reid said, and his expression softened.

  “Thanks, I am happy.”

  “Well, Wilson, let me just tell you—Max here is one of the coolest cats I know. He’s one of Aspen’s finest.”

  “How much did we decide I’d pay you for saying that?” Max teased as he reached into his pocket. “Come on, I didn’t haul off to New York and run with the big boys; now that’s ballsy. You, my friend, are the finest of Aspen,” Max worked to change the subject.

  “Please, you have no idea,” Reid said as he shook his head back and forth.

  “This guy right here single-handedly saved his company from going bankrupt,” Max bragged.

  “Oh now, come on, you don’t need to bore your lady with my life,” Reid interrupted. “Hey—why don’t you and Wilson come to the house? I’ll make you guys some dinner and then we can reminisce about how crazy we were for wanting to change the world.”

  Max looked at me, his expansive green eyes rounded like he was asking for permission. Shit. Who am I to make the choice? If Max wants us to hang out with Reid, then we’ll do it. God knows in the last month, he’s found himself hanging out with Joanie and me more than he’d probably like to. I gave him a nod; it felt strange to react to one of his friend’s requests like a couple. But I don’t know, it wasn’t like we had offers like this all the time. The only person who knew about us was Joanie, so to do something with one of his friends together was a huge checkmark off the list of becoming an official couple.

  “Okay great, how about Tuesday?” Reid pushed.

  “Sounds good; we’ll bring the dessert,” Max smiled. He knew exactly where to get the best berry pies in town.

  “Well, it was really nice meeting you, Wilson, and I look forward to hanging out with you and Max on Tuesday night,” Reid said as he leaned over and kissed my cheek.

  “You too—oh, and thanks for saving us from the peril of the cold wet ice,” I mused.

  “No problem. See ya, Max.” Reid shook his hand and slapped him across his shoulder. Of course, Max nearly fell back down. He grabbe
d the railing again and was able to stop himself from faltering. Reid skated off as if he could do it better than walking. I watched him stop and wrap his arms around a woman waiting on the other side of the rink.

  “He seems like a nice guy,” I said.

  “Yeah, we grew up together. We were actually best friends until he decided to date my sister,” Max mumbled. I watched his expression shift as he replayed the history in his head.

  “I never really knew how much outside pressure you’d gotten to work for your family’s company,” I said.

  Max shook his head. “Well there is a lot of pressure and guilt when you decide that you don’t want to work for a family-owned business that has been around for three generations.” He took a deep breath.

  “Don’t get me wrong—I’m proud of my dad and what he’s done with the company, but the whole thing…well, it isn’t for me.”

  Max’s body language said everything. His lips pulled tight into a straight line, his eyes narrowed, and his shoulders became heavy.

  “Are we gonna try ice skating some more or just hang on the railing until someone rescues us?” Max said.

  I knew that was my cue to drop the conversation about his father.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The whole ice skating idea, as much as I wanted it to be this romantic moment between Max and me, was just a fiasco. We both struggled to get around the rink, and by the time we made it halfway, we were both done. My thighs burned, I had knots up and down my calves, and my hands hurt from desperately holding onto the railing. It was time for us to hang up the skates and find some hot chocolate and candy canes.

  “You done?” Max asked as we came to the first exit on the opposite side of the rink.

  “Yeah I think we’ve both proven that we are better off in our boots,” I said as I wobbled off the ice.

  “So what do you say we grab a couple of hot cocoas and leave the ice skating up to the resolute?” Max smiled as the overhead lights flickered in his eyes. “Besides, between you and me, I hear there’s this guy dressed all in red handing out candy to people who aren’t on some naughty list,” Max teased as he pulled off his gloves.

  “And you think you aren’t on this particular list?” I murmured back as I cuddled close to him. He wrapped his arms around me and buried his hands between the space where my jacket met my jeans. God, he owned me; in that moment, he was so everything to me. He was like a warm fire on a crisp, chilly night and his aroma knew how to create a slow, rising tingle deep in my body.

  “Not just yet.” His eyes lowered down to where our bodies met. His hair tumbled across his forehead and his jaw tightened before he bit his bottom lip. Pressure swirled in every womanly space I had.

  “Oh, so you’re planning on being naughty?” I mused.

  “Only if you are,” he answered before he pushed his mouth against mine and I felt just how sinful he wanted to be.

  If this kiss is a taste of what is to come, we’re both definitely going to end up with an entire coal mine in our stockings.

  “We’d better go check the list,” I whispered as his lips traced hotly against my jaw line.

  “Mmmm,” he growled against my skin as his hands navigated across every inch of my lower back before leaving a cold trail.

  He grabbed my hand and we ambled to where we’d left our boots.

  I heard a cackling, spastic laugh that stopped me in my tracks. I knew that laugh…and it could only belong to the one person I dreaded running into. I saw her from behind, pushing and leaning against a couple of guys whose attention she was able to capture. Okay, so maybe my senses were heightened, but I could have sworn it was Cindy. My hands instantly became drenched—I knew we were caught. “What’s wrong?” Max whispered as he noticed my damp hands and inability to take another step.

  “Cindy,” I snapped as I pointed to the girl dressed in an obnoxious tiger-striped jacket across the rink.

  I felt Max’s hand tighten around mine as he pulled me closer.

  The girl turned around, and right away, I could see it wasn’t Cindy. Relief swam through my body. Max noticed and gave me a nervous smile. Either we were getting pretty good at being together undiscovered or lucky enough to keep dodging that bullet.

  “Nothing to worry about, Wilson,” Max hummed in my ear.

  “Is that Wayne? How in the hell are you?” a voice boomed across the rink. It was loud enough to notice but nothing I paid attention to.

  “Well, shit, what a surprise. How the hell are you?” I heard another voice that sounded a bit more familiar. Max stopped walking and turned toward the conversation.

  “Is that the ski instructor who made you wreck down the hill?” Max asked as I turned to see Wayne Samuels talking to Max’s friend Reid. My gut tightened into knots and suddenly I felt just how cold the Aspen air was.

  “He didn’t make me wreck. If I remember correctly, I was distracted by a beautiful girl wrapping her entire body around you. But yes, he was my ski instructor,” I retorted as I looked back at Wayne. The tips of his blonde hair twisted and curved out from under his dark woolen beanie. His eyes danced in sync with his broad smile as his saintly features were amplified in the glow of the lights strung above the rink.

  “Well, he skied halfway down the mountain and left you at the top—alone,” Max sneered.

  It was like I could hear Max’s smile bend south, especially after he noticed I didn’t look away from Wayne. I couldn’t help it, he was so mesmerizing and so physically attractive; it was like no matter how much I tried to turn away, there was a force compelling me to keep staring.

  “You can pick up your jaw now,” Max whispered across my ear as he pushed his body against my back and rested his hands across my stomach.

  I was busted—not only by my boyfriend but by the very guy who held my attention.

  “Hey—Wilson!” Wayne called out to me.

  I nodded to him, trying to keep my cool in front of Max.

  “Don’t tell me, you’ve hung up the planks and now you’ve taken to the blades,” Wayne teased as he came toward Max and me, then tossed his arm back across Reid’s stomach to make sure he was paying attention. “This girl here, she’s tough—she stacked it down the hill, scared the shit out of everyone.”

  “Thanks, Wayne, I don’t think Reid needs to hear about my failed attempt at skiing.”

  “You know my man Reid?” Wayne asked as his voice rose an octave.

  “I met him earlier. He and Max are good friends—you remember Max?” I pressed my hand against the side of Max’s face as his head filled the space above my shoulder and his body still pressed against me from behind. Max reached over my shoulder and held out his hand, waiting for Wayne to acknowledge him.

  “Hi, nice to see you again,” Max said.

  “Yeah, man, how’s it goin’?” Wayne reached out and grabbed Max’s hand.

  Wayne’s eyes bounced back and forth between us before they dropped down to the hand Max had resting across the front of my waist. I watched Wayne’s body language scream expletives as I saw how tortured he was, and soaked up the disappointment that oozed from his expression.

  “How do you know this guy?” Max asked.

  Wayne chortled before he stumbled over answering, “I uh…he um…”

  “Shit, Wayne, how did we meet?” Reid spat before he broke into a laugh.

  “Let’s just say Reid tried to date my ex-girlfriend’s twin sister and leave it at that.”

  “Tried?—please. What were their names again?” Reid tried to remember.

  “Kirsten and Kathryn,” Wayne answered.

  “That’s right. Which one had the butterfly tat on her hip?” Reid asked, smiling as he pointed down at his hip.

  “Kirsten had the butterfly; Kathryn had the bird.”

  “Which one did I—?” Reid smiled innocently.

  “Which one didn’t you—?” Wayne quipped, not missing a beat.

  “Come on. In all fairness, you guys were broken up. Man—those girls were like
wild horses. Tell me you didn’t tap both,” Reid said as his expression showed how much he was enjoying recalling his adventures with the twin girls.

  Max and I stood, frozen, listening to them carry on about these girls like they were a pair of hand-me-down shoes. I could feel Max press heavier against me and my insides twisted.

  “Sounds like you two had some pretty wild times,” Max said as he tightened his arm around me.

  “Yeah, well, you could call it that. God, don’t tell me you’ve seen them. Are they still around?” A smirk sprang across Reid’s face as he turned to Wayne.

  I felt Max start to guide me toward where we’d left our boots. I guess he knew where this conversation was heading; two single guys talking about just how wild those two twin girls were.

  Max tossed them the typical ‘guy head nod’ before we actually ambled our way to our shoes.

  Max leaned in to me and whispered against my ear, “I didn’t think you’d wanna spend our first night out on the town listening to two dudes talk about their conquests.” His breath was hot, causing shivers to ripple across my scalp and down my back.

  “Thanks. Sounds like your friend Reid is a play-aah,” I said as I turned and wrapped my arms up around the back of his neck.

  Max dropped his head, dragging his freezing nose across my cheek as his tepid lips warmed a path toward my mouth.

  “I guess. I wouldn’t know—this play-aah’s off the market,” Max said breathy against the corner of my mouth between my upper lip and bottom pout. He swayed his hips against my body and pressed his hands into the small of my back.

  “God, just take me home now,” I whispered as I tangled my fingers in the wisps of his hair and we kissed in the Aspen chill. Shots of electricity attached to every atom in my body and caused me to feel like I was going to burn up in his touch. Suddenly, it wasn’t so cold out.

  “Okay, let’s go,” Max whispered as he pulled away from me and grabbed my hand. I stood frozen, unable to believe I had just said out loud that I was ready to be with him.

  We changed out of our skates, slipped on our boots, and rushed past all the cheery people beneath Christmas lights dangling from tree branches. White Christmas blared from the outdoor speakers of a happening, trendy bar as Max pulled me along. I felt the drops of damp snow tap across my cheeks as the bitter cold dried my lips.

 

‹ Prev