I fallasleep while Jacob’s in the shower, overcome by exhaustion and confusion, and blissed out from my orgasm. I wake up briefly when he slides into bed, his big body enveloping me from behind. I know I melt against him and stay like that all night, but I’m alone when I wake up in the morning.
I roll over immediately, my heart in my throat.
Did I sleep through the alarm for snowboarding? I grab for my phone and realize I didn’t even set one, but it’s still early.
Snowboarding.Fudgesicles. We didn’t talk about that last night. We didn’t talk about much that we should have talked about, although somehow we managed to cover a lot of ground on other topics, like orgasms and how our bodies move together perfectly.
But we forgot to cover how to navigate my over-the-top family and for all I know, Jacob is trapped with my brother right now. Nathan could be goading him into a testosterone-fuelled race down a black diamond hill.
Emotions that are hard to name riot inside me as I quickly get dressed. The complicated feelings intensify when I get downstairs and I find him working with Nana in the kitchen. No siblings in sight yet.
“There she is,” Nana says.
Jake's head snaps in my direction and he gives me a slow smile, his gaze searching my face. “I thought I'd let you sleep in.”
I don’t miss the innuendo he layers into his words and my cheeks heat up.
Nana grins like she’s been coaching him to push my buttons and not worry about the family being an audience to our courtship.
Little does she know ourcourtshipso far as been him telling me to do the filthiest things with his body and his mouth.
Calling me his baby, but meaning it in a dirty way that turns me inside out.
I wait until her back is turned to roll my eyes, trying to play off the blush as no big deal when we both know how out of my depth I really am.
I showed him all my cards last night, and it’s changed him.
His grin grows wider. “We're making you a nice, big breakfast. You need your energy today.”
More innuendo from a man who used to be the most uptight, careful boss.
And as far as I’m aware, he’s never been snowboarding in his life, so why are we even heading to the ski hill? “You know, we could stay here and help Nana bake cookies.”
I think about how we’d have the whole top floor to ourselves and not have to worry about anyone on the second floor hearing us.
From the look on his face, he knows what I’m imagining. But my hopes for stay in are dashed.
“I’ve heard the trails here are world-class.” His smile is now completely wicked. “Not to be missed.”
Nathan and his wife join us next, and as they pitch in to help Nana, I grab Jacob’s hand and tug him over to the breakfast nook.
“Do you even know how to snowboard?” I ask in a whisper.
He leans in and kisses my cheek. “Good morning.”
Heat rolls through me. “Answer the question!”
“I’m going to rent skis. It’ll be fine.”
“Do you know how to ski?”
That just gets me another grin.
* * *
Three hours later, I'm sprawled halfway down the ski hill, out of breath and panting.
Jacob “Call Me Jake” Lowe, the sneaky bastard, stands over me not out of breath in the slightest.