Page 31 of Just Best Friends

“Morning,” Ben murmured into my hair.

“Hey,” I said, lying stock still, rationing my breath.

“How long have you been awake?”

“Just a minute,” I lied.

“Mmm.” His voice was deep and sleepy. “What are we doing today?”

He tensed, his hips drawing away from me. I tilted my head up in time to watch his cheeks turn pink, relaxing some of the pent up sexual frustration and making me laugh.

“We have a spa appointment this afternoon and breakfast is served until ten. Otherwise, not a single thing.”

“So, you’re saying we have enough time to take a hike?”

I groaned, sprawling onto the empty half of the bed and throwing my arm over my face. “Or enough time to lounge in the hot tub with the wine we didn’t drink last night.”

He laughed, pushing himself up. “Or we could go for a hike and have two bottles of wine to drink in the hot tub tonight.”

Normally, I’d be in enthusiastic agreement with that type of problem-solving, but after last night, I didn’t trust either of us to drink an entire bottle of wine. Still, he’d been a good sport so far this weekend. I owed him at least a hike.

“Fine, a short hike. Real short. I didn’t bring much besides cocktail attire.”

“Well,” he grinned, rearranging the sheet draped over his lap as he leaned over the bed, grabbing his duffel bag from the floor. “Good news. You weren’t the only person to pack for two. I grabbed your boots and a change of clothes from my house.”

He pulled out a pair of fleece-lined leggings and a sweater I forgot I owned.

On reflection, a hike might be exactly what we both needed: fresh air and plenty of space.

“Fine,” I sighed. “But first, breakfast.”

“Sure thing,” he pushed himself up, angling toward the bathroom. “Just give me ten minutes to get dressed and the bathroom is yours.”

I frowned, exhaling loudly in the now-empty room. I could white knuckle through breakfast and clear my head on the hike.

Temporarily clear my head, anyway. By the afternoon, we’d be barely clothed and pressed together on a massage table.

I shook that thought right out of my head and kept my eyes off the bathroom door. Half under the covers, I shimmied into the hiking outfit and hurriedly applied a layer of makeup that hugged the line of looking natural.

“Are you ready?” Ben asked, surprised when he emerged from the bathroom to find me dressed.

“Yep!” I answered, a little too excitedly.

He grabbed a map and his backpack, holding the door open. We took the elevator to the lobby, and the receptionist directed us to a conference room for a buffet breakfast.

“Thea! Chase!” Robin waved from a table by the window. “Come join us!”

I made up a plate of eggs and bacon, my stomach too queasy for carbs. Ben’s stomach must have been fine since he piled food onto his plate with gusto.

“Good morning!” Robin greeted us, green eyes gleaming. “What are you two up to today?”

She eyed my outfit as I sat down opposite her.

“We’re going on a hike,” Ben said, sliding into the seat next to mine.

“Oh!” Robin tilted her head. “Isn’t this weekend supposed to be about relaxing?”

“B—” I stopped myself short. “Chase thinks hikes are relaxing. And he’s promised me this one will only be an hour or two.”

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