Jessica smiled. “But he had a prior engagement and couldn’t fit me into his schedule so you downloaded his song from iTunes.”
“Are you going to call me out on such inconsequential details for the rest of our lives?”
Her heart stumbled over its next few beats. The rest of our lives? She sat up in bed as he moved over to her, cupping his hand behind her head and pulling her to his lips.
“Oh, uh … wait.” She ducked out of his hold and crawled out of bed.
“What are you doing?”
“Brushing my teeth,” she mumbled over a mouth full of suds while internally frowning at the puffy eyelids in the mirror.
He peeked around the corner. “Really? You won’t kiss me until you’ve brushed your teeth?”
“Really. That shit’s only sexy in movies and books.” She wiped her mouth with the towel then wrapped her arms around his neck.
“So you wouldn’t kiss me if I had morning breath?”
“As long as I didn’t then yes.”
“That makes no sense.”
“It does. I’m human. My shit stinks and my mouth tastes like rotten mothballs in the morning. You, however, always smell like sin and sex mixed with some expensive soap. I think you could bottle your sweat and sell it for a hundred dollars an ounce.”
“Shut up and kiss me.” He plunged his tongue into her minty-fresh mouth confirming his sinfully sexy appeal that left her feeling tipsy and breathless.
He released her and she grabbed the vanity to steady herself.
“I’m going to go a week without showering or brushing my teeth to see if you change your mind.”
“You do that. I bet you’ll have a harem trailing you as your pheromones multiply and age like a fine wine.”
He shook his head. “Get dressed. We’ve got some money to win.”
*
Kelly texted Jessica that they’d meet them in the lobby after she and Gabe grabbed breakfast. They didn’t follow Jessica’s well-researched nutrition plan for race day. Their loss.
“You need to tell Kelly that we went to Tahoe together,” Luke said in the elevator on their way to the lobby.
Jessica pulled the bottle of Smart Water she’d been nursing away from her mouth. “Why?”
“Because my parents had dinner with their neighbors, who happen to be Gabe’s parents. Basically everyone except Kelly knows I took you to Tahoe.”
“Gabe didn’t tell her?”
“Nope. Said she’d be less than pleased if she heard it from anyone but you.”
“Got it.”
The elevator doors opened.
“Good morning!” Kelly squealed, jumping up and down. All that energy was wasted on a greeting and she wasn’t going to be able to retrieve it on the last leg of the race.
Jessica grinned. “Luke took me to Tahoe a couple weeks ago. Sorry, I forgot to mention it. Are we ready to go?”
Kelly’s eyes bugged out. “Wait … what?”
“I was stressed about things and he thought I could use a getaway so we went to Tahoe. I did some manual labor with his dad. Luke sat on his ass reading and then took his sister to lunch. We watched fireworks from the houseboat, and I unsuccessfully tried to seduce him by skinny dipping in the lake. Felicity packed us a to-go bag for the road and we arrived home Sunday night. Now … is everyone ready to go?”
Crickets.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” She slung her bag over her shoulder, grabbed her bike, and gestured with her head toward the hotel entrance. “Lets go, peeps. I’ve got some ass to kick and names to take.”
They found parking at the event, checked in, and got all their equipment and energy packs in place. The women were going first.
“I just sat on my ass reading all day, huh?” Luke pulled Jessica into his arms, earning a gasp from Kelly behind them.
“I call it like I see it, Jones.”
He grinned, the adoration shining bright. “See you at the finish.”
“Be careful and don’t die on me.” She leaned up and kissed him.
“Die?”
“Yes, it happens. Usually during the swimming.”
“The adrenaline surge.”
She nodded. “A shitload of adrenaline. Everyone racing into the unpredictable waves, idiots swimming over the top of you or kicking you in the face, so just … be careful.”
“I’m flattered you care so much.”
She shrugged. “Don’t be. I’m really looking out for myself. If you die I may never find another guy who ‘gets’ me.”
He smacked her ass. “Show Kelly how it’s done.”
“I heard that,” Kelly yelled as Jessica jogged to catch up to her on the way to the start.
Gabe rested his hand on Luke’s shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. “Ready to pay up?”
“Wanna up it to three grand?”
“You’re insane,” Gabe chuckled. “But hey … I’ll take your money.”
Several hours later Kelly and Jessica waited at the end of the course, watching the men’s group trickle through the finish line.
“I’m ready to crash.” Kelly drizzled the last few drops of her sports drink into her mouth and leaned against Jessica. “Those waves were brutal today and I swear the wind about knocked me off my bike. By the time I started running, my tank was completely drained.”