All or Nothing(18)
I grabbed it, caught him off-balance, and pulled him down into the snow. “Sorry,” I said, standing on my own and stepping away from him. “Couldn’t help myself.”
Kennedy was glaring at Craig, his jaw hard.
“Kennedy and Bree,” Mrs. Hale said, “can you go one more time? I have pictures of you two sledding down that hill together all through high school. I want a new one.”
“We can just pose here,” I suggested, but Kennedy was already tugging on my coat sleeve.
“Come on, Picasso. One more trip down the hill won’t hurt you. It’s tradition.”
And just like that, I was heading back up the sledding hill, following a petulant Kennedy.
He didn’t say a word to me. He positioned the sled for the next race and climbed in.
I crossed my arms and scowled until he gave me the courtesy of a little eye contact. “I’m not climbing into that sled with you if you’re going to be grumpy.”
He lifted a brow. “What? You afraid I’m going to snuggle you to death?”
More like I was afraid he wouldn’t. To be in Kennedy’s arms and have him do his damnedest not to touch me? I couldn’t imagine much else that painful. “You could steer me into the lake or something.”
“Get in, Picasso.”
“I’ll pass.”
He threw up his hands. “I promise not to steer us into the lake. Come on.”
“Racers on their marks!”
Kennedy reached over and grabbed my arm, tugging me into the sled with him. I collapsed between his legs and swallowed hard at the feel of his solid chest behind me. I grabbed the rope with both hands.
“I don’t understand you,” he whispered.
“On your marks!” the announcer called, and Kennedy slid his fingers over mine. He wasn’t holding the rope so much as holding my hands. “Get set! Go!”
I’d been trying to keep some distance between our bodies, but my stick-straight posture couldn’t hold against the momentum of our ride down the hill and my body sank into his. I closed my eyes to the whipping wind and concentrated on the feel of our bodies pressed together, the heat of his breath on my neck.
Too soon, the sled slowed and I opened my eyes to the chaos of the finish line.
“Got it!” Mrs. Hale announced, holding up her camera. “You two are adorable.”
“We’re a good team, aren’t we?” Kennedy asked. Then he whispered, “Hold on,” and was pushing off again. Trees blew by in a blur as we rushed down the wooded portion of the hill and Kennedy expertly steered our sled on a wild path through the trees. We picked up speed, faster and faster until the lake was in front of us and Kennedy had to pull up sharp to stop the sled.
We veered right and spun a one-eighty before the sled flipped and sank into the thick bed of snow, and Kennedy’s body was on top of mine. He propped himself up on his elbows and grinned down at me.
“Where’d you learn to drive?” I shoved him off me and pushed out of the snow before I could register the feel of his body on top of mine. The weight of it as he looked down at me.
He hopped out of the snow and dusted off his pants. “There’s excitement here, too, Bree.”
“You’re kidding me, right? A sled ride through the woods is supposed to convince me not to go to Paris?”
“No. Yes.” He drew a hand through his hair. “I don’t know. Just think it through, okay? You’re so impulsive, and I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
I propped my hands on my hips. “Fine. I’ll think it through if you do something impulsive.”
“That doesn’t even make sense.”
I lifted my palms. “I don’t want life to pass you by, Kennedy. Stop thinking and start living.”
His gaze dropped to my mouth. I didn’t so much step forward as gravitate toward him.
“I think they’re down here somewhere.”
I barely registered Craig’s voice as I stared at Kennedy, daring him to touch me.
“There they are,” Cynthia called.
Kennedy backed away from me, and my heart sank.
“Are we still getting those drinks?” Craig asked.
I swallowed and forced a smile, but my head was spinning with confusion. “I need to go home and take care of a few things. You guys have fun.”
October
“Stop, please.” I chased Kelsey down the stairwell and out into the cold, but I felt like most of my mind was still back in the room with Bree. Naked Bree.
Fuck. I really wasn’t interested in chasing after Kelsey right now. I wanted to know what the hell Bree had been thinking. But this wasn’t one of those times you just let your girlfriend steam for a few hours and get over it on her own.