Slow Heat
Page 48
“You’re right.” She gave him a little push and he had to laugh.
“I heard you the first time,” he admitted. “I just like the way that sentence sounds on your tongue.”
She rolled her eyes. And then blinked. “Oh! I nearly forgot the reason I’m here tonight.” She pulled his phone from another pocket. “Gray’s the one who told me I could find you here.”
Hudson grimaced. “You saw Gray?”
“Yes, I went to the resort first,” she said. “To bring you the phone.”
As she said it, his phone buzzed an incoming call. He took it from her and looked at the screen. Gray. Might as well get it over with, he thought, and answered.
“You should probably stay off Facebook,” Gray suggested, and disconnected.
The phone immediately buzzed again. He answered with a curt, “What?”
“Check out Facebook,” Kenna said gleefully.
“Delete it,” Hud said. “Whatever you dumbasses have done, delete it or I’ll find you and it won’t be pretty.” He disconnected and stared at Bailey.
“Um.” She blinked. “Problem?”
“You told Gray I lost my phone?”
“No, I told him I got it by accident,” she said, and then paused. “What’s going on? Who was that?”
He was scrolling through Facebook. “Gray,” he said, distracted. “And then Kenna.”
“You threatened your sister?”
Hudson looked at her. She was shocked and horrified. “You don’t have a sister,” he said.
“No. No siblings period, you know that.”
“Which means you wouldn’t understand the occasional need to strangle someone who shares your own blood. Shit,” he muttered. “Here it is.”
“What?”
“What Gray and Kenna are so gleeful about.” He turned his phone screen so she could see. He had the Cedar Ridge Resort’s Facebook page up. There was a post there from Hud.
“I didn’t know you posted on Facebook,” she said.
“I don’t,” he said. “Ever. Gray went on as me.”
She started to read it.
“Out loud,” he said.
“Okay.” She turned the phone to a better angle. “‘Did you see Dancing with the Stars last night?’” she read. “‘The dancers were so beautiful it brought a tear to my eye… ’” She stopped and stared up at him, and then laughed.
“You think this is funny?” he asked. “You gave Gray access to my phone and he’s a dick.”
“And you’re upset that people will think you love Dancing with the Stars?”
“I’ve never watched a single second of that show,” he said stiffly. He’d cop to Say Yes to the Dress, but not this. No way. “And that’s not my point,” he said. “He’s just screwing with me. And that’s the point.”
She bit her lower lip.
He narrowed his eyes and considered retribution. Because there would be retribution. “The messee is about to become the messor,” he said.
“Was that in English?”
“You’re going back to Denver tonight?” he asked instead of answering her question.
“Yes.”
“Maybe you have time to pick something up for me.”
“Sure,” she said. “What?”
“Just a little something for Gray.” He pulled out a credit card and gave it to her. “Something special. I’m thinking sheer lace. A woman’s extra-large.”
She blinked.
He smiled.
And then so did she. “You want to get back at him for the Choking Hazard briefs.”
“No, that was Aidan,” he said. “Gray deserves worse. Much worse.”
“Is it just me, or do you Kincaids spend most of your waking days trying to mess each other up?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “And?”
She laughed and slipped his card into her purse. “Nothing. Will do.”
He walked her outside, where they both stared up at the dark night sky, from which heavy lines of white were falling to the ground in eerie silence.
Snow. Dumping snow. So fast it had already accumulated several inches.
“That wasn’t supposed to hit until midnight,” she said at his side, her voice sounding a little small.
“There’s something else that wasn’t in the forecast,” he said.
“What?”
He reached for her gloveless hand and tugged her into him, wrapping her shivering figure in close. “The fact that you’re not going home tonight.”
Chapter 24
Hud watched as Bailey gave him a long considering look.
“You’re supposed to ask a woman to stay with you, not tell,” she said.
“And normally I would ask,” he said. Maybe. “But you’re not taking your car over the summit in this.” He tugged her in a little closer because she seemed more than a little pale—except for her nose, which was bright red. Leaning in, he kissed her cold lips until she relaxed into him.
“Not fair,” she whispered, slipping her frozen arms under his clothing to touch her even-more-frozen fingers on the bare skin at the small of his back.
He grimaced. “Holy shit, woman.”
“My parts are cold.” She paused. “Some more than others.”
He manfully sucked it up and let her fingers stroke up and down his back. “Can’t have you suffering from cold parts,” he said. “I’ve got a hot shower and an even hotter bed only ten minutes from here.”
“Hotter bed?”
“It’s got a heater in it.”
She narrowed her eyes. “It does not.”
“Hand to heaven,” he said.
She narrowed her eyes. “Does this ‘heater’ run on electricity?”
“Nope.” He grinned. “Animal magnetism.” He rubbed his hands up and down her arms and met her gaze, his amusement gone. “I’m serious about the roads, Bay. I want you to stay. If you’d rather, I’ll call and see if there’s any employment housing open tonight. Or you can have my place and I’ll bunk with Aidan. No pressure.”
She touched his face lightly. “I wouldn’t mind a little… pressure.”
He smiled and turned his face to press a kiss to her palm. “Come home with me. I’ve got all the pressure you’ll need.”
They’d just gotten into Hud’s truck when Hud took a call on his Bluetooth. Bailey could hear Gray’s voice, tinny, through the phone.
“Alarm just went off at the cafeteria,” he said. “I’m two hours out, in Denver with Penny at some fancy dinner for her work.”
“On it,” Hudson said. He hung up and sent Bailey an apologetic look. “I’ve got to go check this out. I’ll drop you off at my place—”
“Just go straight there,” she said. “It’ll be faster.”
When he started to shake his head, she put her hand on his arm. “You don’t have time to deal with or worry about me, so just get there. I’ll stay out of the way.”
In the end, he dropped her off in the resort offices, refusing to leave her in the dark in his truck because she would be alone in the parking lot.
“I heard you the first time,” he admitted. “I just like the way that sentence sounds on your tongue.”
She rolled her eyes. And then blinked. “Oh! I nearly forgot the reason I’m here tonight.” She pulled his phone from another pocket. “Gray’s the one who told me I could find you here.”
Hudson grimaced. “You saw Gray?”
“Yes, I went to the resort first,” she said. “To bring you the phone.”
As she said it, his phone buzzed an incoming call. He took it from her and looked at the screen. Gray. Might as well get it over with, he thought, and answered.
“You should probably stay off Facebook,” Gray suggested, and disconnected.
The phone immediately buzzed again. He answered with a curt, “What?”
“Check out Facebook,” Kenna said gleefully.
“Delete it,” Hud said. “Whatever you dumbasses have done, delete it or I’ll find you and it won’t be pretty.” He disconnected and stared at Bailey.
“Um.” She blinked. “Problem?”
“You told Gray I lost my phone?”
“No, I told him I got it by accident,” she said, and then paused. “What’s going on? Who was that?”
He was scrolling through Facebook. “Gray,” he said, distracted. “And then Kenna.”
“You threatened your sister?”
Hudson looked at her. She was shocked and horrified. “You don’t have a sister,” he said.
“No. No siblings period, you know that.”
“Which means you wouldn’t understand the occasional need to strangle someone who shares your own blood. Shit,” he muttered. “Here it is.”
“What?”
“What Gray and Kenna are so gleeful about.” He turned his phone screen so she could see. He had the Cedar Ridge Resort’s Facebook page up. There was a post there from Hud.
“I didn’t know you posted on Facebook,” she said.
“I don’t,” he said. “Ever. Gray went on as me.”
She started to read it.
“Out loud,” he said.
“Okay.” She turned the phone to a better angle. “‘Did you see Dancing with the Stars last night?’” she read. “‘The dancers were so beautiful it brought a tear to my eye… ’” She stopped and stared up at him, and then laughed.
“You think this is funny?” he asked. “You gave Gray access to my phone and he’s a dick.”
“And you’re upset that people will think you love Dancing with the Stars?”
“I’ve never watched a single second of that show,” he said stiffly. He’d cop to Say Yes to the Dress, but not this. No way. “And that’s not my point,” he said. “He’s just screwing with me. And that’s the point.”
She bit her lower lip.
He narrowed his eyes and considered retribution. Because there would be retribution. “The messee is about to become the messor,” he said.
“Was that in English?”
“You’re going back to Denver tonight?” he asked instead of answering her question.
“Yes.”
“Maybe you have time to pick something up for me.”
“Sure,” she said. “What?”
“Just a little something for Gray.” He pulled out a credit card and gave it to her. “Something special. I’m thinking sheer lace. A woman’s extra-large.”
She blinked.
He smiled.
And then so did she. “You want to get back at him for the Choking Hazard briefs.”
“No, that was Aidan,” he said. “Gray deserves worse. Much worse.”
“Is it just me, or do you Kincaids spend most of your waking days trying to mess each other up?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he said. “And?”
She laughed and slipped his card into her purse. “Nothing. Will do.”
He walked her outside, where they both stared up at the dark night sky, from which heavy lines of white were falling to the ground in eerie silence.
Snow. Dumping snow. So fast it had already accumulated several inches.
“That wasn’t supposed to hit until midnight,” she said at his side, her voice sounding a little small.
“There’s something else that wasn’t in the forecast,” he said.
“What?”
He reached for her gloveless hand and tugged her into him, wrapping her shivering figure in close. “The fact that you’re not going home tonight.”
Chapter 24
Hud watched as Bailey gave him a long considering look.
“You’re supposed to ask a woman to stay with you, not tell,” she said.
“And normally I would ask,” he said. Maybe. “But you’re not taking your car over the summit in this.” He tugged her in a little closer because she seemed more than a little pale—except for her nose, which was bright red. Leaning in, he kissed her cold lips until she relaxed into him.
“Not fair,” she whispered, slipping her frozen arms under his clothing to touch her even-more-frozen fingers on the bare skin at the small of his back.
He grimaced. “Holy shit, woman.”
“My parts are cold.” She paused. “Some more than others.”
He manfully sucked it up and let her fingers stroke up and down his back. “Can’t have you suffering from cold parts,” he said. “I’ve got a hot shower and an even hotter bed only ten minutes from here.”
“Hotter bed?”
“It’s got a heater in it.”
She narrowed her eyes. “It does not.”
“Hand to heaven,” he said.
She narrowed her eyes. “Does this ‘heater’ run on electricity?”
“Nope.” He grinned. “Animal magnetism.” He rubbed his hands up and down her arms and met her gaze, his amusement gone. “I’m serious about the roads, Bay. I want you to stay. If you’d rather, I’ll call and see if there’s any employment housing open tonight. Or you can have my place and I’ll bunk with Aidan. No pressure.”
She touched his face lightly. “I wouldn’t mind a little… pressure.”
He smiled and turned his face to press a kiss to her palm. “Come home with me. I’ve got all the pressure you’ll need.”
They’d just gotten into Hud’s truck when Hud took a call on his Bluetooth. Bailey could hear Gray’s voice, tinny, through the phone.
“Alarm just went off at the cafeteria,” he said. “I’m two hours out, in Denver with Penny at some fancy dinner for her work.”
“On it,” Hudson said. He hung up and sent Bailey an apologetic look. “I’ve got to go check this out. I’ll drop you off at my place—”
“Just go straight there,” she said. “It’ll be faster.”
When he started to shake his head, she put her hand on his arm. “You don’t have time to deal with or worry about me, so just get there. I’ll stay out of the way.”
In the end, he dropped her off in the resort offices, refusing to leave her in the dark in his truck because she would be alone in the parking lot.
