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“I want to say it’s like riding a bike,” I cut in, assuming a spot in the center of the room where I can make sure that everyone is following my directions. “Now, off to our rooms. Meet back here in twenty.”

Kellan gives me the military salute. “Yes, sir.”

Alex chuckles. “He’s yanking your chain.”

“Twenty minutes,” Makayla replies. “Don’t let me get in your way.”

“Oh, but please, do,” Kellan shoots back, inching close enough that I can hear her breath hitch. “I’m open to any opportunity to hide in the warm comfort of a bedroom right now.”

“We made her a promise,” I say.

“Oscar,” Makayla scolds in her silky soprano.

“We promised we’d help you out on the ski slope,” I insist. I don’t want them to think that just because we’re alone in the suite that we’re going to abandon the plan. “At least give us an opportunity to be true to our word.”

She lowers her gaze in a dangerously seductive manner. “Granted, there’s nothing sexier than a man whose actions match his words.” She pauses and looks up. As soon as our eyes meet, I know I’m a dead man. “Let alone three men…”

Her lips part, slowly, and it takes superhuman strength for me not to give into my own instincts. Then she turns on her heels and walks into her room, closing the door behind her. Kellan scoffs and shakes his head.

“You’re smooth, I’ll give you that,” he says.

“We agreed we’d do it my way,” I remind him.

“Not saying a word about it. See you in a bit.” He, too, retires to his own room, leaving Alex and me alone.

“Does this mean you’re in?” Alex asks.

I inhale, sticking to my guns. “It means I intend to make sure we all go in with clear and genuine intentions, not just boiling blood and no consideration for the future. And that includes Makayla, too.”

Alex throws up his hands. “I didn’t mind her impulsiveness.”

“I would find it appealing, too. But I seem to be the conscience of our cluster for this trip, so you might as well let me do my part. Something tells me it will work out in our favor and hers.”

“Fine,” Alex replies and enters door number three, and finally I’ve achieved my goal.

I hurry to get dressed so that I can resume my post.

W hen Makayla steps out into the living room, all our jaws drop at the same time.

With a tight white top and shimmering pearl leggings, she could set an entire snowfield ablaze.

She pulls a woolen cap over her rich hair, which falls in wavy curls around her shoulders. My heart beats a little faster.

“Allow me,” I say and help her put on a matching white coat, long enough to cover her full hips but short enough to give me a glorious view of her round, luscious derriere.

She gives me a coy look, twirling around so that we can all appreciate her assets.

I know she’s taunting me, inviting me to stay in and fool around in the bedroom instead of making the long trek out to the slopes.

But I’m not going to fall for it. As much as I want to cup that perfect backside of hers, I keep it cool.

“You look beautiful,” I say, the words leaving my mouth before I can stop myself.

“Thank you,” she responds sweetly.

I catch her winking at Kellan, and I know I’m in for a long afternoon. Keeping the three of them separated is going to be hard. And keeping myself from falling for her charms is going to be even harder.

“All right, out the door, lady and gents,” I say, then grab the keycard and walk out the door, holding it open so that everyone else can follow. I’m the self-appointed group leader, and while I usually enjoy that role, right now it feels like a burden.

Makayla passes me by, close enough to send a clear message. I take a whiff of her sweet perfume and feel her knuckles graze my thigh. My cock jumps in rebellion.

“You know this is a bad idea,” I say to Makayla as she steps out.

“Skiing?” She sounds so innocent.

“No,” I respond. “You know what I mean.”

She licks her lips, half defiant, half erotic. It’s ironic how I’ve been lying to myself from the moment I walked in and found her, naked under that towel, water dripping and lips plump from kissing my brothers.

Who am I kidding? I might as well give up now. She’s going to get what she wants, and there’s nothing I can do to stop her.

“I have no clue whatsoever, Oscar,” Makayla says, then strides ahead.

I stare at her for a while, wondering if enough time on the slopes will cool us off.

Glancing over at Kellan and Alex, I notice they’re looking at the walls and the floor, anything to avoid meeting my eyes. Oh, they picked up on what she’s doing. And they’re not getting in her way, either.

We step into the elevator and the heat rises. Our suits crinkle when we move, and that’s the only music we hear as we go down. The time for small talk is gone. This has become a game for the three of them, I can see. How quickly can we cause Oscar to crumble and give into his desire?

A s the mountains open up around us, a gust of wind catches us all off guard, making us shiver.

“It was nice and warm upstairs, wasn’t it?” Makayla mumbles.

She hugs herself, and I watch helplessly as Alex swoops in to rub her shoulders. If I wasn’t so pleased to have gotten this far, I might try to discourage him. But I’d solely be entertaining my own farce.

“So, where’s the bunny slope?” Makayla asks with a playful smile.

“We need to stop by the shop and buy ourselves new pairs of skis,” Kellan says. “I’m not a fan of renting equipment for this type of sport.”

“For any type of sport, actually,” Alex agrees.

The ski shop is a short walk from the hotel, and with the sun beating down, I work up a sweat.

Inside the shop, Kellan flags down the college kid behind the counter. Just like the hotel, the ski shop is done up for the holiday. Red-and-green tinsel zigzags across the ceiling, and fairy lights blanket the snowboard display wall—each board popping dramatically.

A lone Christmas tree near the back is ringed with gift ideas, and judging by the short line at the register, plenty of guests have taken the hint. Christmas jingles drip through the wall-mounted speakers.

“Three pairs of 180 cm and one pair of…” Kellan says, pausing to look at Makayla with a critical eye. I can tell he’s guessing her height and weight and that he doesn’t want to ask her outright. “I’d say 150.”

“You got it,” the kid replies.

He selects three identical pairs for the three of us, and one slightly smaller for Makayla. I leave Alex to handle payment, while Kellan and I grab the skis and escort Makayla out to the fitting area in front of the store.

Alex joins us a second later, before we’ve even had a chance to give her any instructions. I’m about to let Kellan handle this as well, when Makayla puts her hand on my arm.

“Will you remind me how to do this?” she asks sweetly.

Kellan lines up his skis and steps into them, locking his boots in place. He bends over to strap them firmly, demonstrating exactly what Makayla needs to do. She nods patiently but still looks to me for assistance.

“The boots are made to lock into the skis,” I explain. “All you have to do is step in the right way.”

“Okay,” she responds, giving her hips a playful little wiggle.

That starts my engine all over again and I realize that there’s nothing safe about the ski slopes—at least where we’re concerned. Every gesture—every smile, every fleeting glance, intentional or not—sets off a chain reaction inside me. It’s going to be a challenging ski session, to say the least.

I shake my head. If I want to regain some form of control, the only thing I can do is remove myself from the situation.

“I’m going to the ski lift,” I say.

“Hang on,” Kellan replies, putting a hand on my chest.

I stare at him until he removes it, making sure he understands that I’ve made up my mind.

“Just let us give her a quick tutorial, and we’ll all ride up together,” Alex continues.

It’s like they share a single mind. I hate being the only one struggling to think clearly.

Looking away, I’m determined not to succumb to the passion that is clearly building up between us.

I pull out my phone, mindlessly scrolling while I wait for Alex and Kellan to wrap up their so-called basic ski instruction.

After about fifteen minutes of verbal foreplay disguised as teaching, Makayla exhales with confidence. “I think I’m ready.”

“Should we go?” Alex asks, gesturing toward the lift.

I pocket my phone and begrudgingly trail the trio across the hard-packed snowfield. Makayla holds onto Kellan’s arm as we go, trying out movements that are foreign to her.

At the base of the lift, we watch a bench swing around the wheel. It’s getting closer, and just as it sneaks up behind us, Kellan transfers Makayla’s hand to my arm.

“Gotta tie my boot,” he says, bending to stage what is obviously a farce.

“Shoot—sorry, I have to take this,” Alex says, turning his back and flashing me his phone. The screen is dark.

“Oh, you pricks,” I mutter, left with a split second to decide whether I want to ride up the mountain alone with Makayla. “Let’s go, Kay.”

Choosing not to be rude, I swing her up onto the seat, then hop up beside her. We dangle precariously for a moment before our weight balances out. Then we sit back to enjoy the breathtaking view as the chair lift climbs slowly toward the peak.

“What was that all about?” she asks.

I give her a sideways glare. “I figured you’d recognize a routine if you saw one.”

“Ah. Not bad,” Makayla chuckles dryly.

I don’t look back to see my brothers’ faces, but I’m sure they’re laughing. They can see my resolve crumbling and they are doing what comes naturally to them, setting up an excuse for me to spend time alone with the woman we all desperately and ardently want to be with.

“Holy cow, we’re high up,” Makayla gasps as we continue to climb.