Page 27 of Mountain Dreams

Nine

Cody was loading painting supplies into the bed of his truck when Jax pulled up alongside him.

“Need some help?” Jax asked.

“Nah. I’m good.”

Ignoring him, Jax stepped out of his vehicle and pitched in. “So, why’d you ask Avery if there were any vacancies this weekend?”

“I was asking for a friend.”

“Does this friend happen to be a female about five feet five, with blonde hair and brown eyes?”

Jax could have been talking about anyone, but Cody knew he wasn’t. “It was Maddie, okay?”

They finished loading the truck, and Jax casually leaned against it. “You wanna tell me what happened?”

Cody sighed. There was no use hiding anything from Jax, especially since Maddie might be staying at the resort for a few days. At least, she would if he had anything to say about it.

“She and Wyatt broke up. She wanted to get out of his house, and I suggested she stay here.”

Jax slowly nodded. “I take it she’s at your place.”

“Yep.”

Jax studied his brother for a moment, and Cody squirmed under the scrutiny. “I was just being a friend.”

“Um-hmm.”

“It’s only for a few days until she finds an apartment.”

“Um-hmm,” Jax repeated.

He was a man of few words, but Cody was getting impatient. “Just say what you have to say so I can get to work.”

“Is it possible that she and Wyatt could get back together?”

Cody had thought the same thing, but he hated to acknowledge it. “Maybe, but I doubt it. She gave him back the ring. Besides, I think Wyatt already has his sights set on someone else.”

Jax nodded. “Okay, then.”

That marked the end of their discussion.

As Cody drove to the worksite, he realized that while Jax hadn’t lectured him about staying out of Maddie’s business, he’d made his point. What if Wyatt realized he’d made a mistake and wanted her back? Would she go? Maybe it was just a rough patch, and they needed a break to realize how much they still loved each other.

He shook his head, refusing to believe that, especially after what had just transpired in his kitchen. He grew hot just thinking about it, and he cracked his window to cool off. Maddie had reacted to him the way a woman reacted to a man she desired. He could still see the points of her nipples poking against the fabric of her robe, and it wasn’t because his cabin was chilly. He’d purposely turned the heat up this morning so she wouldn’t be cold. Those pointy nipples were just for him.

He pulled up in front of the cabin that needed some painting, but he didn’t immediately get out. Instead, he sat in his truck and fantasized about what he’d wanted to do to Maddie in his kitchen.

First, he would have untied her robe. He’d noticed the double knot, but he could have undone it in a flash. Then he’d slip the robe off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Although, since she was a bit obsessed with neatness, she might not have wanted it to get dirty. He revised the fantasy and laid the robe over the back of a kitchen chair.

Then he’d slip his hands underneath her pajama top (assuming she’d let him, which she would because this was his fantasy), and he’d cup her breasts. He’d tweak those pointy nipples until she moaned, and then he’d lift her top so he could see them. If she only knew how many fantasies he’d had where she was naked, she’d probably slap him (or maybe not).

As a teen, he’d decided he was a “boob man.” It didn’t matter the size or shape; he loved them all, and he’d seen his fair share of them. Never hers, though. However, he’d seen her in a bathing suit, and that had given him plenty of fodder for his dreams. Her breasts had been on the small side, but they were perky and sat up high, their creamy roundness peeking over the top of her swimsuit.

He suspected they were bigger now because, let’s face it, they’d all gained some weight since high school, and when it came to boobs, it was all good. Anyway, back to his fantasy.

Next, he would dip his head down and kiss her. He’d always thought she had good lips—not too thin or too thick—just soft and inviting. Oh, how he’d longed to feel those lips on his, and on his other body parts as well. He squirmed in the seat, his arousal becoming painfully evident in his jeans.