Page 18 of Seduced By the Mountain Man

The wine nearly went down the wrong pipe. "How did you—"

"Oh honey," Amber laughed. "Your face tells the whole story. Plus, I've had boathouse sex. There aren't a lot of horizontal options unless you want splinters in unfortunate places."

"Jesus," I groaned, refilling my glass. "Can we please not discuss this?"

"Absolutely not," Whitney declared. "You've been wound so tight for months. If mountain man finally helped you release some tension, we want details. For science."

"There are no details," I insisted. "It was just... a thing that happened. No big deal."

"If it's no big deal, why are you blushing so hard your face matches your wine?" Kayla asked gently.

I sighed, knowing I wouldn't escape this inquisition. "Look, it's just a fling, okay? Just a vacation hookup to get him out of my system."

"Out of your system?" Whitney's voice dripped skepticism. "Honey, that implies he was in your system to begin with. Like, deeply embedded."

"It's complicated," I hedged.

"We've got all night and another bottle of wine," Amber said, grabbing said bottle from the fridge. "Uncomplicate it for us."

I let them herd me to the couch, where I sank down between Kayla and Whitney while Amber perched on the coffee table facing me.

"I already told you what happened at the wedding," I sighed. "And now we've... I don't know what we're doing."

"Fucking out your frustrations, by the looks of it," Amber supplied.

"Amber!" Kayla scolded, though her lips twitched.

"What? Am I wrong?"

I couldn't help the small smile that escaped. "You're not entirely wrong."

"So this is just physical?" Whitney pressed. "A nice vacation fling to scratch that itch?"

"Exactly," I said, seizing the convenient explanation. "People do that all the time, right? Friends with benefits. No strings attached. That's all this is."

"Friends with benefits generally aren't your brother's best friend since childhood," Kayla pointed out.

I winced. "Yeah, well, that part's not ideal."

"What would Tyler say if he knew?" Whitney asked.

"He'd probably murder Jace and then lock me in a tower," I muttered. "Which is why he's not going to know. This is just a temporary thing. It'll be over when we leave."

Even as I said the words, something in my chest constricted painfully.

"If you say so," Whitney said, clearly unconvinced. "But I never saw you look at Colin—or any man for that matter—the way you look at Jace."

"That's just lust," I insisted. "Intense physical attraction. It happens."

"Sure it does," Amber agreed, a little too readily. "And it's about time you had some fun. You're always so serious about everything."

"I am not," I protested.

Three identical looks of disbelief answered me.

"Okay, fine. Maybe I am. But that's why this is good for me. I'm being spontaneous. Carefree. Living in the moment."

"If you say so," Kayla said, echoing Whitney's earlier skepticism. "Just be careful with your heart, okay? Friends-with-benefits are great until they're not."

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