California Sunshine

“You don’t think he likes me?”

Grinder sighs and rubs his temple. “If I tell you what I’m doing, will you leave?”

“Maybe. If you say please.”

Grinder cocks his head. “Seriously?”

I shrug nonchalantly. “Doesn’t cost you anything to be polite.”

Grinder shoves his phone toward me and waves at it. “Trail condition reports. Or rather, a lack of them. It doesn’t look like anyone’s been up there since the storm.”

“I’m not surprised. So are we staying another night? Giving it a go?”

Grinder shakes his head, frustration written all over his face. “I don’t know. There are plenty of reports about snow on the mountain, but nothing about the surrounding trails. There’s a half dozen trails we could take from here, but my app doesn’t cover any of them, or tell me which of them might be under a foot of snow.” I nod and turn on my tablet. Grinder watches as I open a few apps and documents. It only takes a minute for his curiosity to get to him. “What are you doing?”

“Your app doesn’t have alternate routes?”

“Isn’t that what I just said? I only downloaded the PCT, along with the most direct routes in and out of our supply points. Not the entire West Coast,” he snaps.

“Maybe you need a better app,” I suggest, then spin my tablet around and push it toward him. “Or a larger map?”

“What the . . .” he trails off as he picks up the device. “Is this . . .?”

“The old milepost maps,” I tell him. “I downloaded them a few years back. Brought them with me in case I needed them. Might be something in there. Double the screen size could help make things a little clearer too.”

For the next hour, Grinder and I work in peace, trading suggestions and flipping through the maps. It’s not friendly, but it’s a start. By the time Nova calls asking if I’m ready for dinner, we have a plan.

***

After dinner, Nova asks if I want to take a dip in the hot tub. Do I want to use the hot tub? Hell, yes. “Should I get in a hot tub with Nova?” I ask my reflection in my room’s mirror. Maybe I shouldn’t, but it’s not like he’s asked me to his room, right? Sure, I can go sit in a hot tub. With an attractive guy, the little voice in my head adds. I guess that’s fine. He can sit on the far side. We won’t even be touching. Not even close. Yeah, that should be safe.

I grab the bottom of Rachel’s bikini and drop my pants. Okay, Lizzy, you’re doing this. You deserve some time in a hot tub. With the bottoms on, I take one last look at myself in the mirror, and . . . damn. Rachel chose well. Which isn’t surprising. Some might say I even look sexy in this, if that’s what I was going for. Which I’m not. Yep. If I keep telling myself that for the next hour, I might even believe it. Or I could play it safe and stay in the room.

Screw it. I grab a towel and head for the hot tub.

As I climb the three steps up onto the small deck around it, I question my choice as three distinct sets of eyes glance my way and give their owners pause.

Nova’s sapphire eyes take me in from head to toe, then back up to my eyes again. He flashes me that casual, goofy smile of his. “Hey there,” he purrs, like seeing me in my swimsuit is a treat in itself.

Bats’ granite gray eyes give me a once over as well. He gives me a slight nod, but the corner of his lip tilts up. I’ve learned that sometimes it’s all the emotion you’ll get from him. Maybe he likes what he sees? Curious.

Grinder’s dark eyes are the hardest to read. He’s got a great poker face. I’d swear that for a moment, they had gone wide in surprise. Or maybe with something else. But it’s quicker and more subtle than Bats’ grin. With Grinder, I just don’t know.

“Are you getting in or not?” Grinder asks, dropping his head back, eyes closed.

I drop my towel on a nearby chair and kick off my flip-flops. Picking a nice safe spot between the guys, I slip into the hot, bubbly water. See? I can do this. No problem.

I take a minute to study the guys. They took me in. It’s only fair, right?

Nova is built as I expected, like a surfer, trim and fit. And quite firm at that. I can’t count his abs through the bubbles, but oh yeah, they’re there. He probably has great stamina. The kind that would take all night long to appreciate.

Across from him, Grinder’s the next biggest. Nova’s got a runner’s body, while Grinder’s been hitting the weights, and often. His arms and pecs are larger than Nova’s, and there’s barely an ounce of fat on him. It would be an impressive body to play with, if you could get past his shitty attitude.

Bats is the biggest of the trio. He’s somewhere around six foot two and built like a freight train. His muscles fill his skin tighter than his T-shirts, which always look like they’re a size too small. He’s the one pushing to go ultralight? I doubt he’d break a sweat carrying all of our gear combined. Or lifting a girl against a door . . . a shower wall . . . onto a countertop . . .

There’s a lump growing in my throat, and something stirring in my core that has the small voice in my head yelling for attention. I need a distraction. Quick.

“How was your day out and about?” I ask Bats. “Find any good stores?”

“I checked out a few places,” Bats replies. “But nothing worth buying. You?”

“Hung out with Nova in the morning. Then with Grinder for a bit this afternoon.”

Grinder grunts. “You helped me pick a trail.”

“And hung out while we looked,” I say, prodding him with my foot.

We make small talk for a bit as we soak in the tub, laughing and enjoying ourselves. Well, maybe not Grinder. Not fully, at least. Or maybe not freely? I’m still trying to figure that one out.

A couple joins us. Slipping between Nova and Bats, forcing my blond friend closer. I move toward Grinder on the pretense of making enough room for everyone. They’ve been out on the PCT as well. They made it a little further up before hitting the snow, but it was enough to make them turn back and detour to Lake Hemet like we had.

After another few minutes of chitchat, three more hikers join us, and I find myself wedged between Nova and Grinder. Nova wraps his arm around my shoulder, laying it across the lip of the hot tub, brushing my skin and making me tingle. “You okay?” Nova asks in my ear. “It’s getting a little crowded here.”

I open my mouth to answer, but that lump is back. Then someone is touching me. On my other side. Looking under the bubbling water, I’m shocked to find Grinder’s hand resting on my knee, where our legs have brushed against each other. He pushes mine away, muttering, “Do you mind?” But I don’t miss how his hand lingers for a moment. A moment in which my nerves light up beneath the rough whorls of his fingertips, sending pulses through my body to build alongside the tingles Nova’s giving me.

I catch Bats watching the three of us. He has a slight grin, like he’s enjoying whatever is happening here. My reading selections come to mind, and I don’t mean my textbooks. Yes, I have a few novels on my Kindle app. They’re light, fun, and all kinds of steamy with a happy ending. Hey, science geeks read more than science, okay? Besides, according to Grinder, I’m a princess. I can dream about getting my happy ever after. And maybe some of those books might include more than one guy. What can I say? Some of the authors I follow have vivid imaginations. This right here, it’s like a scene right off those pages. Girl meets guy meets guy meets guy and somehow they all end up together. Not that it could happen with these three, but it’s filling my head with possibilities I’m not ready for.