“Seriously. Go take a shower, you shouldn’t sit around with wet hair and clothes, especially since you said you weren’t feeling well yesterday. We’ll call you when it’s ready,” Hudson says, pointing to the patches of wet on my clothes from where the snow hasmelted.
“Well, if you insist.” I smile, grateful for their concern. “I was going to melt the chocolate, add milk, cream, and Baileys. Do you think you can manage that?” I ask, nodding to theitems.
“Leave it with us, Ice Queen,” Max says, salutingme.
I laugh. “Thanks,Jester.”
Leaving Hudson and Max squabbling over the best way to melt chocolate, I head into the bathroom and strip off my clothes. The shower is surprisingly powerful and deliciously hot, and I spend a good five minutes just enjoying the feeling of the spray massaging my body, before rinsing off the remaining soap suds and stepping out of the shower. I grab a fluffy towel from the rack and wrap it around myself, almost jumping out of my skin when I see Bryce standing at the door watchingme.
“Shit, sorry, Louisa,” he says turning away, but not before taking a good look at my naked body. “I knocked but got no answer. I just wanted to tell you the hot chocolate is ready,” he rambles, a rather cute shade of pink rushing up hischeeks.
“It’s fine, it’s not as if you haven’t seen me naked before,” I laugh, trying to lighten the growingtension.
“Don’t remind me,” he grinds out. My eyes snap up to his face, to his hand that is gripping the door frame so hard his knuckles are white. Our eyes lock, and for a moment I am taken aback by the hunger I seethere.
“I’ll tell them you’re coming.” Bryce rips his eyes away and closes the door gently, allowing me the privacy to let out a shakybreath.
“Don’t go there, Louisa,” I say to myself sternly, even though my mind is thinking all sorts of dangerousthings.
When I head back into the front room dressed in a soft grey jumper and matching slacks, my hair still damp from the shower, I find the brothers sitting on the L-shaped couch in the living room. Bryce looks up at me briefly before becoming very interested in the hot chocolate he is drinking. Max and Hudsonsmile.
“Come sit,” Max says, patting the empty space between him and his brother. I look at the spot, then remember what happened lastnight.
“I’ll sit by the fire. It’ll dry my hair quicker,” I say. Best to stay well away from close contact. I don’t want another repeat of last night, do I? I shake my head of the wayward thought. “Is that mine?” I ask, pointing to a mug of delicious smelling hot chocolate on the coffeetable.
“Sure is, darling,” Bryce says.Darling?
Choosing to ignore the term of endearment, I swallow a mouthful of the delicious tasting hot chocolate, loving the taste of Baileys as it hits the back of mythroat.
“What’s the plan for tomorrow? Is there anything you’d like me to help prepare for Christmas dinner? Can you believe it is actually Christmas tomorrow?” I realise I am rambling, but can’t seem to help myself. The atmosphere has got decidedly tense all of asudden.
Max looks at me, his dark brown eyes like hot coals trailing over my face. “There’s nothing you need to do. We’ve got it covered,” hesays.
“Okay.” I find myself turning away from three sets of hungry eyes and stare into the fire. Memories of last night come unbidden into my head and I feel a rush of heat pool between my legs. I know these kinds of thoughts are dangerous, I had made it plain to Hudson not more than a couple hours ago that friendship is all I can offer, and yet here I am thinking about the way they make me feel. The way allthreeof them make me feel. Pushing those thoughts away, I concentrate instead on drinking the hot chocolate and running a hand through my still wet hair. I didn’t bother giving it a thorough comb through when I got out of the shower, so it’s pretty tangled as my fingers get caught up in theknots.
“Here, let me brush it for you,” Max says, walking into the room with a brush in his hand. I hadn’t noticed he had got up, too distracted by thoughts of last night. I go to protest, but he just smilessweetly.
“It’s no big deal Louisa, I just want to brush your hair. Can I?” he asks. There’s a vulnerability in his request and I find I can’t denyhim.
“Sure,” I mumble. What harm can itdo?
He settles himself behind me, locking me between his thighs, and starts brushing my hair, taking extra care with the sections that are knotted. Before long I feel myself relax into his hold. He is exceedinglygentle.
“I used to brush my mother’s hair before she got really sick. It’s one of my lasting memories of her, and the only one that isn’t filled with hurt and pain,” Max says softly as he places the brush on the coffee table and begins to gently run his hands through myhair.
“How did she get sick?” I ask, glancing at Hudson and Max, both of whom seem mesmerised by what Max issaying.
“Mum was a manic depressive, they call it Bipolar disorder these days. Most of the time she was just plain sad, when she wasn’t in a paranoid rage or hallucinating. The only time she seemed at peace was when I brushed her hair. Then one day she just flipped. She couldn’t take her life anymore, even for me. She hung herself…” Max’s voice trails off and I feel a rising sadness overwhelm me. When I look at Bryce and Hudson, I can see their own constrained emotions just beneath the surface. I place my mug on the coffee table and turn on my knees to face Max. He looks at me as though he is on the edge of a precipice and I am his only anchor keeping him from falling. “Max, I’m so sorry,” I say, before pulling him into a gentle hug. He doesn’t say a word, he just holds me with his face buried in my hair. We remain like that for quite some time until eventually he pulls away and smiles shakily atme.
“Well, Ice Queen, you sure know how to melt a guy’s heart,” hesays.
I smile at him and give him a light kiss on his cheek before standing. “I think I might go to bed, if that’s okay with you guys?” I say, all too aware that something out of the ordinary is happening between us. I know myself well enough to know that one more minute with them would mean all sorts of trouble for me. It has been a long and emotional day. Sleep is what I need. Well, that’s what I tell myselfanyway.