Love Lessons (5 page)

Many hours later, bright rays of sunshine shone in through the crack in Grace’s curtain, pulling her awake.  She stretched out her limbs, her muscles sore from the fall yesterday, and then she wiped her eyes to glance at her clock.  She kicked the blankets off and climbed from bed, her thoughts immediately going to Nate.  Padding down her narrow hallway to her kitchen, she wondered what time Nate would head to the gym.  If he was out late with his brothers, he might not want to go until later.  Stopping in the hall mid-stride, she realized that she hadn’t heard him come home last night.  Their walls were paper-thin, and she always heard him on the stairs or letting himself in to his apartment.     

Dressing quickly, Gracie grabbed a coffee and a slice of toast, then left her apartment.  She stood outside Nate’s door, listening for a moment before she tapped quietly.  When he didn’t answer, she darted down the stairs and caught the shuttle to the Stone Cliff, where she had a membership to the resort’s facilities.    

Making it just in time to join the early morning yoga class, she filled her water bottle and grabbed a mat.  For the next hour, she put everything out of her mind and lost herself in the poses. When she finished, Erin Foster, one of the reporters for the Gazette, came bounding over to her.

“Hey, Grace,” Erin said, her big blue eyes wide as she wiped perspiration from her forehead.  She released the elastic holding back her long blond hair and let it flare over her narrow shoulders.  “Want to grab a coffee?”

Grace nodded.  “Sure.” While the two didn’t hang out often, she liked Erin, even though the girl was prone to gossip—maybe a little too much. That was probably just a reflection of her job, however.  Erin was always looking for the next big scoop, just like Grace was always looking for the worst in a relationship. Now she had to write about love for the stupid Valentine issue.  Her thoughts immediately went to Nate—his kisses.  Her fingers automatically went to her lips.  God, what she’d do to kiss him like that again. 

“You okay?” Erin asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“You’re so flushed.”

“It’s just hot in here,” she said, swiping the towel over her face before stuffing it into her gym bag.  “All set?” she asked.         

Erin gathered her gear, and they left the studio and walked to the change rooms.  After showering, they made their way to Coffee Stop, the small coffeehouse inside the resort’s main building, and when the scent of freshly brewed java reached her nostrils, Grace breathed deeply. 

Grace looked over the chalkboard menu on the back wall as she walked up to the counter.  The Coffee Stop was a quaint place, filled with small tables, lounge chairs, and sofas in the middle of the room.  Since it was still quiet around the lodge this time of the morning, they pretty much had the place to themselves.  Grace ordered her favorite vanilla latté, along with a scone, and munched on it as she sat across from Erin at a table overlooking the ski hill.   

“So,” Erin began right away as she peeled the wrapper off her blueberry muffin.  “What’s going on with you and Nate anyway?”

Grace crinkled her nose. “Nothing. Why?”

“You two always hang out so much, and I never see him at Grizzly’s anymore.”  Erin took a sip of her latte and casually added, “Although, he was there last night.”

Grace’s head came back with a start.  “He was?” she asked, a little taken aback, even though she had no right to be.  Sam had said they were headed to the cottage, not to Grizzly’s, the local hangout and hook up.  What they did and where they went after they left the apartment was their business, right?  That amazing kiss didn’t all of a sudden give her claim to him.

“Yeah, all four of the brothers were there.”  Shrewd eyes moved over Grace’s face.  “Why do you seem so surprised?”

“Oh, I’m not,” Grace said, catching herself before she gave away too much.  The last thing she wanted was to do or say something that could start rumors about the two of them and put a kink into Nate’s social life.  Yeah, God forbid she do that!

A dreamy look came over Erin’s face.  “Damn, those brothers are so hot.  With all four in one room, I thought the fire alarms were going to go off.”  She exhaled slowly, then bit into her muffin.  “They all look so much alike, don’t they? Almost like quads.”

“They’re all only a year apart.”

“Have you met Mason yet?”

“Not yet.”

“I think he’s the biggest player of them all.”   She swallowed and said, “When they left, they went to the Cave, and most of Grizzly’s cleared out and followed them.  I heard they were looking for Jared.”

“Jared, as in, the hotel’s concierge?”

“Yeah.”

Curious, but trying not to show it, she asked, “Why were they looking for him?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because he has his pulse on the action, and those four were looking for a little of that action, if you know what I mean.”  She wagged her eyebrows.  “Not that I think they needed Jared for that.”

“What do you mean?

“Come on, Grace.  Those boys can have their pick of women, and it’s no surprise that they’d left the Cave before I got there.  It wouldn’t take long for any one of the Wright brothers to hook up.”  She grinned.  “Those Wright brothers are all kinds of right, aren’t they?”

“I don’t look at Nate that way,” she said.  “We’re just friends.”

As Erin gave her a dubious look, Grace sat back in her chair and fought an unwise pang of jealousy.  Honestly, what Nate did on his own time was his business, not hers.  She knew he had a healthy sex life, heck, she’d heard the giggles in the hallway when he brought a girl home. So why, all of a sudden, was it bothering her?  She took a sip of her latte and swallowed hard, thinking perhaps that kiss had affected her more than she ever should have allowed.  

Nate cast a sideways glance at Gracie as he drove to his folks’ house for their weekly Sunday dinner, where they would sit around a long, oaken table with his three brothers, and mom and dad, and dine on a delicious, home-cooked meal. 

Thinking about his brothers had his mind going back to Friday night when he’d caved under Sam’s interrogation.  As soon as they reached his truck, and Sam started in on him, he told him everything, admitting how crazy he was about his best friend and how he was using her comic strip as an opportunity to show her how much he cared.  After spilling his guts, the two had grabbed their other brothers and went in search of Jared at the Cave.  The five of them put a plan together—one, he hoped, would finally open her eyes.

As he glanced at Gracie now, it occurred to him that she’d been awfully quiet and a bit withdrawn since he knocked on her door earlier that day.  He hadn’t seen her or spent any time with her since that mind-blowing kiss Friday night.  Saturday, after he’d returned from his overnight snowmobile trip with his brothers, she’d made herself scarce, insisting she had chores to do and her apartment to clean.

His gut knotted, and he couldn’t help but worry if he’d kissed her too soon.  But dammit, he was going out of his fucking mind, dying to finally feel those soft lips of hers pressed against his, to discover if she tasted as sweet as he knew she would.  What he discovered was that she was way sweeter than he ever could have imagined.  It was all he’d been able to think about the whole weekend.  Christ, he nearly rammed his snowmobile into a tree because his mind had been so consumed with her and not on what he’d been doing.  His brothers had a good time razzing him about that later in the night over a few beers. 

“Hey,” he said.  She turned to him, and for a second, he thought he saw sadness in her big brown eyes before she blinked it away.  She plastered on a smile, but he could tell it took effort.  “Everything okay?” he asked.

“Yeah.  Just worried about my job.”

“Don’t worry.  By the end of the week, I’m sure you’ll have it figured out.”  At least he hoped she would.  He reached across the seat and gave her hand a squeeze.  When his grip loosened, she jerked her hand away and placed it on the casserole dish she had balanced on her lap.

O-kay…

Shit, maybe he really should have bided his time and taken things slower.  Of course, that
had
been his original plan, but when the opportunity to kiss her arose, he couldn’t seem to help himself. 

Sam had taken them by surprise, ending the moment before he could take her inside and show her how he really felt, which, when he thought about it, was probably for the best because while she quickly tried to cover up the kiss, all Nate wanted to do was scream it from the rooftops.  Jesus, was it possible she’d never see him as anything more than a friend?

Then again, he remembered the way she’d become pliable in his arms.  They way her mouth had opened for him, kissing him back with hunger and heat.  Oh yeah, and he couldn’t forget the way she wrapped her arms around him and swayed against his knee when he’d pushed it between her legs.  The movement was slight, but he felt it—felt the way her body had reached out to him, telling him she wanted something more.

So why, all of a sudden, was she giving him the cold shoulder?

He pulled his truck into the driveway and parked behind Mason’s car.  They both climbed from the truck, and he wrapped his hand around her waist to hold on to her as they walked up to the house. 

His mother pulled open the door before they got there, a huge smile on her face.  “Grace, come in,” she said, taking the casserole dish from her.  “You know you didn’t have to bring anything.”

“I wanted to,” Grace said, her shoulders relaxing as she eased into conversation with his mother, Margaret.  Nate knew Gracie’s own mother had been distant growing up, and he loved how his mother had taken such a liking to Gracie, making her feel included.  In fact, she treated her like the daughter she never had and always wanted.  With four sons and a husband, Margaret needed Gracie every bit as much as Gracie needed her.

“Nice to see you too, mom,” Nate said in mock exasperation.

“Oh, Nate, get over here.”  His mother’s blue eyes twinkled as she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug.

“Momma’s boy,” his brother Mason called out from the living room, where his father and brothers were all sitting around watching football.

“Don’t be jealous because she likes me best, baby brother,” Nate shot back.

Margaret helped Gracie out of her coat then herded them both into the kitchen to deposit the casserole dish.  The smell of turkey and stuffing reached his nose, and his stomach grumbled, ready to dive in now.  He rubbed his gut.  “Gracie, how come you never cook for me like this?” he teased.

“Because I’m not your mother,” she shot back.  “Mason’s right, you are a momma’s boy.”

“Of course I’m right,” Mason said, and when they all turned to him, Nate caught the way his gaze was raking over Gracie.  “And you’re definitely
not
his mother.”  Nate fisted his hands, hating the interest in his baby brother’s eyes. Mason stood in the doorway, arms braced on the frame overhead as he zeroed in on Gracie.  Without taking his eyes off her, he asked, “Aren’t you going to introduce me to your
friend,
Nate?”

Nate cringed, noting the way he’d emphasized the word friend.  Clearly, he was fucking with him, because after last night and their meeting with Jared, all three brothers knew where Nate stood with Gracie.

“Mason, this is Gracie.  Gracie, this is Mason, but you should take my advice and stay away from him.  He’s trouble.”  

“Maybe I like a little trouble,” she shot back, and Mason’s grin widened. 

“Now I like you even more.”  He pushed off the doorway and took her hand in his.  “Nice to finally meet you, Gracie.  I’ve heard so much about you.”  He kissed her hand, and Gracie giggled.  She actually frigging giggled.  Okay, he was going to kick Mason’s ass after dinner, and he didn’t care that his youngest sibling was the biggest and tallest of the four brothers and proudly wore the title of all-star wresting champion at university.  Yeah, he loved the kid, but he was still going to kick his ass.

“What are you doing?” Nate asked, crossing his arms as he moved in closer to Gracie to lay claim. 

Mason laughed. “Nothing, why?”

“Boys,” his mother called out.  “Play nice.”

Mason continued to hold Gracie’s hand, and ever the shit disturber that he was, he said, “I can see why she’s the only girl you’ve ever brought home.”

Nate gave his youngest brother the death glare as Sam came in from the living room.  He grabbed Mason from behind, holding his arms behind his back. 

“Cut it out, dude, she’s not for you,” Sam said.  Then Sam looked at Nate.  “One shot,” he said as he dragged Mason into the living room where Nate tackled him to the floor. 

Josh, his second oldest brother, and his father continued to watch TV while Sam stood over Mason and Nate as they rolled around and jabbed at each other.  Josh and his father were such easy going guys and so laid back, they were practically vertical. 

His mother called out for them to come to the table, just as Mason pinned his right shoulder down.  Okay, so much for kicking his kid brother’s ass.  Honest to God, his brother was all kinds of contradictions.  Tough as a fucking bear, but yet so talented and artistic.  You wouldn’t know it by looking at him, but he was an amazing musician, painter, and sculptor.

“Say uncle,” Mason jeered, his legs pressing Nate’s arms to the floor as he lightly slapped both sides of Nate’s face, a move Nate had used on Mason many years ago, before Mason had grown into a gorilla of a guy.   

“Mason,” Nate bit out when he saw Gracie watching them, taking too much pleasure in the way his baby brother had him down for the count. “You’re a dead man.”

“Not from where I’m standing, he isn’t.” Gracie said.

Mason laughed.  “That’s right.  Listen to Gracie.  In fact, instead of saying uncle, why don’t you tell her I’m the man?  Yeah, tell her I’m the man, Nate, and that she should be with someone like me, not you.  You know, a guy who has the optimal genetic traits a woman wants in her mate.  Isn’t that right, Gracie?”

Sure that his brother was going to start pounding his chest like Tarzan, Nate bucked, trying to knock him off.  He’d be damned if he was going to tap out in front of Gracie.