Page 9 of One Snowy Seduction
He didn’t know what else to say. How else to make her see his point? It had never been that he didn’t believe in her or purposely wanted her to fail. Those things couldn’t be farther from the truth. As bad as he’d wanted the internship for himself, Kendrick had already begun to line up companies he could target after graduation to begin his career in the tech industry. And one of his professors had indicated that he’d put in a good word for him at Apple. So, while he didn’t have any guaranteed jobs, he knew he was on track to get a paid internship or a position once he graduated. But he’d felt that Teesha, being a Black woman, could use the added boost of the Yatlig internship. It would look great on her resume and could walk her into companies that might otherwise pick a white male candidate over her.
“No,” she replied. “A pompous big headed-guy with horrible taste in clothes won.”
The grin that spread across his face this time was filled with relief. He hadn’t known how she would respond to what he’d had to say. Not this time or even nine years ago.
“That doesn’t mean you’re off the hook,” she said. “I mean, I probably could’ve taken your words as constructive criticism and worked a little harder on my project, but you could’ve said them a lot better.”
“You mean I could’ve sugar-coated it for you? I didn’t think we had to do that with each other.”
She huffed again. “I guess we didn’t have to back then.”
“Do we have to now?”
“Do we have to what?”
“Sugarcoat things,” he replied.
“That depends. Do you want to tell me I’ve mishandled my career again?” Her brows had lifted with the question and her tone was light, but Kendrick got the impression he still needed to proceed with a hint of caution.
His brain got that message loud and clear, but his body was doing something all on its own. “No. This isn’t about your career.”
That crinkle appeared between her brows again. “Then what’s it about?”
“It’s about the way you reacted to seeing me naked earlier.” He moved in closer, until the front of his body was just a whisper away from the front of hers. “And the way I’ve been reacting to seeing you ever since.”
* * *
It would’ve been nice if she could tell him—or herself—that he was speaking nonsense. There was no reaction to seeing him naked and so he couldn’t be having any reaction to seeing her either. But that was a big fat lie and just like Kendrick had proclaimed that he didn’t lie to friends, neither did she.
It was enough that she was still processing his reasoning for saying all those horrid things to her nine years ago. She’d hated every word he’d spoken and at the time had wanted to punch him in the throat for even muttering them. Even if years later, she’d found herself thinking some of the same things he’d said.
“I didn’t expect to see a naked man when I walked in here,” she said and told herself that was the truth. “I thought I was coming here to spend a week alone.”
“Didn’t stop you from staring though.”
He was a cocky somebody. His big smile and the way he stood like he was ready to whip that blessed erection out again at any moment was starting to annoy her. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other and smoothed her hands down her thighs. “Well, you’re the one who put it on display.”
Was that throbbing between her legs? No. Absolutely not! She wasnotaroused.
His tongue snaked out to slide over his bottom lip. Her breasts felt heavy and she swallowed, hard.
“To be fair, I hadn’t expected you either. But now…” he paused and dropped his gaze down to her breasts. “Now, there’s something else unexpected that’s been bothering me all afternoon.”
“I know,” she said and took a deep, steadying breath and released it. “I mean, I know this was all unexpected. But hey, it’s just for tonight.”
“Just for tonight.” He repeated. Why did the way he said it sound way more sexual and enticing? Why did his words keep gliding along her skin like a warm wet kiss?
“I’d like to touch you,” he said. “Just for tonight, that is.”
“We’re just friends.”
He shook his head. “Nah, that ship sailed nine years ago when you told me you never wanted to see me again. Now, tonight in this chalet, we’re just a man and a woman.”
A man. And a woman. Who were about to combust from arousal.
There was no denying it. She’d felt it the moment she saw his bare chest and the way that towel hung low on his hips. Her body had all but hummed with desire the second that towel slid down to show her every delectable inch of the man who used to be her best friend.
Friendships could be destroyed by a misguided attempt at romance. But Kendrick was absolutely correct, she had told him they were no longer friends all those years ago. And theywereonly here for one night. Right? Tomorrow she planned to get her own room or another chalet and proceed with her week on the slopes. She could very well go another nine years without ever seeing Kendrick again. So why not try him out tonight?
