Five Night Stand, page 5
CJ shrugged. “That was last night, when you were supposed to be leaving in the morning. Now, it’s different, given that we’re”—his smile grew wider—“stuck together.”
“We’re stuck in the hotel. We’re not stuck together.”
“Semantics.”
“It really isn’t.”
He leaned forward. “Someone’s trying to avoid telling me what they do for a living.”
“I’m not.” He raised an eyebrow in question. “I’m a writer if you must know.”
“Yeah?” He looked genuinely impressed. “What do you write?”
“Crime thrillers.”
He sat back in his chair and studied me. “Interesting. That explains a lot.”
I bristled immediately. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
CJ ran a finger around the rim of his mug. “Just that, despite being gorgeous, you have a sort of leave me alone, introspective air, like you spend a lot of time lost in your own head.” It was hard to know what to react to first, being called gorgeous, or the accusation of being lost in my own head. In the end, CJ broke the silence before I was forced to respond. “There’s nothing wrong with that, by the way. I just don’t come across guys who look like you but act the way you do all that often.”
“So, I was a challenge?” There was no holding back the bitterness in my voice.
CJ was already shaking his head before I’d finished talking. “Not at all. Don’t twist what I’m saying. It was refreshing. It is refreshing. The fact that you don’t have an ego the size of an elephant is wonderful.”
I studied my toast, which seemed to be destined for the same fate as my cereal.
CJ cleared his throat. “Aren’t you going to ask me what I do?”
I answered without looking up. “You’re a photographer.”
“Yes, but what do I photograph?”
I lifted my gaze to him. “People, I guess.”
“Incorrect.”
I frowned. What else was there to photograph? “Scenery?” He shook his head. What was left? “Hotels?” Another headshake.
Finally, CJ took pity on me. “I better tell you before you start accusing me of photographing rocks or something. I’m a wildlife photographer.”
“Animals?”
His eyes creased as he laughed. “That would generally be the definition of wildlife, yes.”
“Interesting.” I echoed his word from earlier. “So, is that why you’re here?”
He nodded, his face lighting up with enthusiasm. “National Geographic have a real bee in their bonnet about snow pictures at the moment. And in case you don’t know, they’re like the Oscars of the wildlife photography world. If I can get the right picture, I might be able to sell them one. Get your name in the National Geographic and it opens so many doors.”
“I bet.”
I pushed the plate with the toast away from me, CJ’s keen gaze following the movement. “You didn’t eat much.”
I checked my watch. “It’ll be lunch time soon.”
Chapter Five
The words on the computer screen seemed to have developed a mind of their own. They were determined to stay there no matter how many times I tried to convince them that they were no good and needed to be deleted. Mind, I should probably be glad I could even access the manuscript. The hotel hadn’t made any announcement about conserving energy—or if they had I’d missed it—so I’d assumed it was okay to go ahead and use my laptop for the time being.
After breakfast, we’d returned to the cabins, CJ disappearing into his own with nothing more than a brief farewell. I’d thought he might suggest another hook-up, and I was still struggling to decide whether that was a relief or a disappointment. Would he hook up with someone else? Someone from the speed dating, maybe? The thought sat like a rock in my stomach, my mind constantly circling back to CJ when I was meant to be concentrating on writing. Not that it made much difference. At this rate, I would be left with no choice but to pack in writing and find a 9-5 job. The first three books might be bringing in royalties, but that wouldn’t be enough to live on forever without dipping into savings. I sighed. Happy fucking Christmas.
The knock on the door mid-afternoon had me jerking my head up. Hotel staff? Had Bryan called another meeting? If so, he was a glutton for punishment. I’d heard that the meeting had gotten quite heated after I’d left, some of the guests treating Bryan like he’d been personally responsible for the avalanche.
I took the few steps necessary to reach the door and opened it to find CJ stood outside, a black beanie pulled down over his shock of blond hair. Something jolted in my chest as I was once again assailed by memories of the previous night. Kissing. Touching. Fucking.
He grinned at me. “Hey neighbor.” He stood on his toes to peer over my shoulder, his gaze lingering on my laptop, which was thankfully facing in the opposite direction so that he couldn’t see any of the words on the screen. “Writing?”
I nodded, even though that wasn’t strictly true. I inclined my head to the camera around his neck. “Been taking photographs?”
He pulled a face. “I tried, but the wildlife seems particularly skittish today. The most I got was a picture of a skunk’s tail as it ran off. I don’t think that’s going to win me any awards or get me featured in National Geographic.”
“Probably not.”
“I expect you’re wondering why I’m here.”
“It had crossed my mind.”
CJ smiled. “The hotel has organized a snowperson building event. Wanna be my partner? See if the British guys can beat off all the international competition?”
I stared at him. I’d thought he might want to hook up again, but what was this? It sounded like a date. Either that or I was reading way too much into it. “I… er…” I glanced back over my shoulder at the open laptop. “I should probably keep writing.”
“Right.” CJ dropped his gaze to the ground, watching as he moved one of his feet to scrape snow into a little hillock. “I understand.”
“I’m sure you can find someone else to partner up with.”
“I don’t really know anyone else.”
I studied the top of CJ’s head, his gaze still focused on the snow-covered wooden slats of the porch. There was something strangely vulnerable about both the way he wouldn’t meet my gaze and his posture.
“What about the speed daters?”
He let out a snort. “There was a reason I left that event.” The hillock of snow grew bigger. “It’s fine. I get it.”
I frowned. “You get what?”
CJ’s head jerked up and I found myself staring into bright blue eyes. “I’m used to it.”
It felt like CJ was speaking in some sort of code. I had a choice. I could either make an effort to decipher it, or I could say goodbye and close the door. The second option would clearly be a hell of a lot easier. But then I’d never been very good at picking easy. Easy, last night, would have been to return to my own cabin and read a book. “Used to what?”
For once, CJ’s smile dimmed. “Good enough for sex, but not good enough to spend time with.”
It took a second for the words to sink in, indignation following hot on its heels. “Now, wait a minute. That’s one hell of a leap to make just because I said I needed to write.”
CJ abandoned his mound of snow as he took a step back. “Yeah, probably. Sorry.” He took another step back. “I’ll leave you alone. Good luck with the writing.”
He turned and started down the stairs and I was left staring at his back, my chest constricting with so many different emotions that it was hard to tell them apart. I called out before I could second guess myself. “Wait.”
CJ turned around slowly, a quizzical look on his face.
I sighed. “I haven’t written a word all afternoon. I wrote a book, and the publisher thinks it’s absolute rubbish and doesn’t want it. I’m meant to be rewriting it in the hope they’ll want to publish the revised version, but I’ve been trying for a week and I’m getting nowhere.” I had no idea why I was telling him all this, but as he wasn’t looking at me like I was an idiot or checking his watch like I was boring him, I found myself continuing. “So, when you asked me what I did this morning, I probably shouldn’t have said writer, because apparently, I can’t do that anymore. My first three books must have been some sort of fluke.”
CJ returned to stand in front of me, the expression on his face earnest. “I doubt that. If you were talented enough to have three books published, you’re talented enough to write a fourth. You’ve probably just lost your way somewhere.”
He made it sound so simple. “And the reason I’m telling you all this is…” Why was I telling him? Ah, that was it. “I have no issue with spending time with you. Just an issue with trying to write a book that I can’t write. You’re good company.”
CJ’s lips twitched. “And you’re basing that on one night and one breakfast?”
I shrugged. “I’m just a bit confused as to what’s going on here. Last night was clear, but today…”
CJ gave a long, slow nod. “I see.” He flattened the hillock he’d made earlier before lifting his gaze to mine. “I like you, Nathan. I liked you last night and I like you today. Last night, getting to know you wasn’t an option, but today it is. I’d like to spend some time with you and get to know you a bit more. And from what you’ve said”—he gestured at the laptop behind me—“you could do with someone to drag you away from something that isn’t working anyway.” He paused, his brow furrowing slightly. “Your words. Not mine.” He smiled, but this one was slightly sheepish. “I’m sorry. I didn’t come here to turn this into a big thing. I just thought we could both have some fun of the non-horizontal kind.”
I held his gaze. “And after that?”
He shrugged. “We could have fun of the horizontal kind again. Or…” He dragged the word out. “We don’t have to. There’s no pressure. There’s no expectation. Just…”
I finished the sentence for him. “Fun.”
He nodded.
We both stared at each other for a long beat until I broke it. “Snowperson building, hey? Do you have any qualifications in that department?”
CJ pressed a hand to his chest. “Me? I have an extensive list of qualifications. All of them gained before the age of eight, which for the record, just in case you’re at all interested was twenty years ago. How about you?”
I thought about it. “I made one with my dad when I was six. There wasn’t really enough snow so we had to knock on all the neighbor’s doors and ask if we could take the snow from their gardens. It was, however, a sight to behold. For an hour anyway, and then it rained, and I cried.”
CJ chuckled. “Well, with a great wealth of experience like that between us, how could we not win?”
I was surprised by how much fun it proved to be, CJ far more competitive than I’d expected as we’d worked together to shape snow into what was supposed to look like a polar bear—CJ’s idea of course. We didn’t win anything, probably because our ambition far outweighed our creativity, and the polar bear didn’t really look much like a polar bear, despite CJ having spent ages on shaping its paws and feet.
There were quite a few kids there, most of them scooping up all the prizes. Quite rightfully too. Even a slightly grumpy CJ had to concede that. Hot chocolate was given out once the competition had come to an end, CJ and I standing at one side of the field of snow people and snow things, my gloved hands wrapped around the steaming hot chocolate. CJ inclined his head toward one of the kids’ snowmen that had won a prize. “Who’s that meant to be, anyway?”
I studied it. “I think it’s meant to be a hockey player. But given I don’t know any hockey players, I can’t tell you any more than that.”
CJ gave a disdainful sniff, and I couldn’t help but laugh. Somewhere in all the camaraderie of working together, the awkwardness between us—which had probably only ever been on my side anyway—had dissipated. “Wow! I’ve definitely found Mr. Sunshine’s kryptonite.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Mr. Sunshine?”
“Yeah, you”—I gestured at his lips—“smile all the time.” I deliberately left a pause. “Until you get beaten by children, that is.”
He held my gaze as he took a swallow of hot chocolate. “You do realize that they let them win because they’re children?”
“Probably. But…” I let my gaze drift over the snowy lumps until I located the polar bear. “You can’t honestly say you think we had a chance in hell of winning?”
CJ’s gaze followed my own, his eyes narrowing. “We worked hard on that.”
“We did, but…”
He raised an eyebrow. “But?”
I smirked. “Let’s just say, we’re obviously those kids at school where hard work doesn’t necessarily mean a good result.”
“You may be right.” CJ finished his hot chocolate and then crumpled the polystyrene cup it had come in, placing it in one of the rubbish bags left there for that purpose. “Next time, though…”
“Next time?” I laughed. “How many snowperson building events are you planning on stumbling into?”
He shrugged. “You never know. I was a last-minute entrant for this one. It’s just a shame we missed the ice-skating event on the pond. Then, I really could have shown them a thing or two.”
I finished my own hot chocolate, my cup going the same way as CJ’s. “Could you?”
CJ’s lips twitched. “Yeah, I’m sure it’s easy to pick up.”
I bit my lip to stop from laughing. “Oh, for someone as multi-talented as you, I’m sure it would be.”
CJ nodded. “Exactly.”
He checked his watch. “They’ll be serving dinner soon at the hotel. Are you up for it?”
I gave a long, slow nod while doing my best to ignore the leap in my chest at CJ not having had enough of me yet. For a few hours this afternoon, I’d managed to forget all about being a failed author, and I’d laughed more than I could remember laughing in the last few months. CJ was good for me. There was no disputing that.
Chapter Six
After dinner, we walked back to the cabins. Given that mine was slightly closer to the main building, we stopped by the foot of the stairs. I fastened my gaze on the wooden wall of the cabin, my nerves on high alert with the anticipation of what might happen next.
Silence hovered between us, filling the spaces between the flakes of snow, until CJ finally broke it. “Remember, it’s your call.”
I jerked my gaze back to his, blue eyes glimmering from beneath that beanie hat that he’d once more pulled on, most of his hair tucked into it this time. “What does that even mean?”
He smiled. “It means…” He shuffled slightly on the spot. “That there’s a number of scenarios that could happen at this point.”
“Such as?”
He rolled his eyes. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re pretty hard work?”
“My friend Lloyd tells me that all the time.”
“Does he?” His smile grew wider. “Sounds like Lloyd and I would really get along. We could bitch about you behind your back.” I allowed myself to imagine it, the domestic picture surprisingly easy to summon up. They would get along. CJ was easygoing like Lloyd was. They might even get along too well, something sharp pricking my chest at that thought, even though Lloyd had a boyfriend.
I made a noise of agreement, CJ taking it as his cue to continue without waiting for more of a response. “Okay. Scenario one, we say good night and go to separate cabins. We either meet up tomorrow for more shenanigans, or we don’t.”
“Shenanigans?”
He gave me a mock glare for interrupting. “Yes, shenanigans. It’s a good word. People should use it more often. I expect the hotel will be trying to keep people entertained so that no one gets the pitchforks out and starts accusing them of keeping us prisoner.” He raised an eyebrow, his cheeks starting to flush with the cold and the tip of his nose turning red. “Do you want the rest of the scenarios or not?”
I waved a hand at him. “Go on.”
CJ performed a little bow, wave of hand and all. “So kind of you.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Scenario two…” The twitch of his lips said that this one wasn’t going to be wholly serious, and he didn’t disappoint. “I escort you into your cabin. I supervise the safe transition into nightwear. Make sure that teeth are brushed and all doors and windows are secured before tucking you into bed, pulling up the covers and delivering a kiss to your forehead.”
“My forehead?”
He nodded sagely. “Just your forehead. Nothing lingering, mind. I’m thinking a two second maximum.”
“And then what?”
“I turn off the light and I leave. I go back to my own cabin and I lament that there’s no one there to do the same for me.”
“That sounds a little unbalanced.”
He nodded. “Which brings me to scenario three, which is the same as scenario two except the other way around.”
“I escort you to your cabin and supervise your nightly routine before leaving you with a platonic kiss on the forehead?”
He made a finger gun and aimed it my way at the same time as making a clicking sound. “You got it.”
“And scenario four?”
“Four…” Heat flared in his eyes. “We share a proper kiss, no two second limit required, before choosing from scenarios one to three.”
“Five?”
CJ’s gaze snagged and held mine. “We keep kissing, and then see where that leads.” His lips curled up at the corners. “Like I said, the choice is yours.”
My heart thudded in my chest. “Which one would you go for?”
“Oh, five all the way.”
CJ hadn’t even needed to think about it. And I didn’t really need to think about it, did I? I’d already had sex with him. What was the point in holding back when we’d both enjoyed the previous night? It would be like cutting off my nose to spite my face. There was no one here to judge me. There was no one here to tell me not to get in too deep. There was just me and CJ, two consenting adults. And for all I knew the roads would be cleared tomorrow, and I’d kick myself for not turning my one-night stand into two. “Whose cabin?”
