Chapter 13

13

C andace woke up in Brent’s arms. His deep breathing told her he was still asleep. The night had been one of the most incredible nights of her life, and she still had no idea why. Brent wasn’t someone she thought she could be with, and the thought of being with him after everything they had been through in the past didn’t seem possible. She had too many memories of him that annoyed her. How could she possibly look past it at that point? To realize that all her thoughts of him the whole time had been skewed?

Despite the man knowing exactly what to do to her lady bits.

Oh, good Lord, how he knew what to do to her lady bits.

A knock on Brent’s door had Candace springing up into a seated position, clipping Brent’s chin on the way.

“Ow,” he groaned.

“Sorry,” she whispered, gingerly rubbing his chin. “There’s someone at your door.”

The knock sounded again.

Travis’s voice sounded through the door. “Brent! Wake up! You’re supposed to be at breakfast!”

Brent leaned over and grabbed the alarm clock off the nightstand. “Damn it.”

“What time is it?” Candace asked.

“9:10.”

“Shit!” She hopped out of the bed and nearly screamed at the pain that shot through her ankle. Instead, she slapped a hand to her mouth and stifled a cry as she leaned back against the bed.

“Shit. Are you okay?” He dropped to the floor in front of her and looked at her ankle, gently grazing the side of it.

Her skin tingled at the touch, and she almost forgot that they were already late for breakfast. If Travis was at his door, there was no doubt Jessica was at hers.

“Brent!” Travis’s voice boomed, and the pounding got louder.

“I’m coming! I’ll meet you down there,” Brent shouted back, not taking his gaze off Candace.

Travis’s voice came out muffled from the hallway, presumably as he spoke with someone else. Then he raised it again.

“Hey, is Candace in there with you? We can’t find her.”

Brent’s eyes met hers, and a smile tilted his lips. Her eyes widened, and she shook her head as if to say, “What do we do?”

“Yep, she’s here!”

Candace slapped his chest. “Brent,” she whispered loudly.

He laughed. “Well, what else was I supposed to say? ‘No?’ Then Jessica can run around freaking out wondering if you were abducted or freezing on the mountain somewhere?”

He had a point, but despite that, she knew the backlash they would get from their families when they showed up for breakfast.

“We’ll meet you there!” Brent shouted again.

The muffled voices of their siblings faded. Brent looked around and grabbed the boot, expertly strapping it around her ankle before helping her stand. His hands settled on her waist and they stood in silence while staring into one another’s eyes.

A warmth pooled in her belly, and it was then that she realized she was still naked. She blushed and broke the contact, looking around for her clothes.

“We need to go before this gets any more awkward at breakfast.”

He snatched her clothes strewn across the room and handed them to her before looking for his own.

She sighed loudly as she struggled to get her leggings on over her injured ankle. Brent watched and laughed.

“You could go without the pants. I wouldn’t mind.”

She tried to throw a glare at him, but ended up laughing. “Can you help me, please?”

After they were both dressed—her in yesterday’s clothes—she tossed her hair up in a messy bun, and they quickly made their way down to the hotel restaurant. They were already twenty minutes late to breakfast, so when they walked in, it wasn’t any surprise that Brent’s parents and both Travis and Jessica gave them raised eyebrows.

“Good morning, you two,” Rick said. A broad smile graced his face. Jan elbowed him in the side.

“Morning!” Brent said cheerily, as if he was delighted they were all questioning things between them.

Jessica leaned over to Candace as soon as she sat down. “We need to talk later.”

Candace gave her a tight smile.

“Go dish up, you two,” Jan said.

Everyone already had plates in front of them. There was a buffet set up around the perimeter of the room.

“Yeah, go dish up. You two must be starving.” Travis bounced his eyebrows up and down suggestively.

“Jessica, smack Travis’s arm for me,” Jan said.

Jessica turned and slapped Travis on the arm.

Candace’s face flamed as she stood back up with the help of Brent. Then they made their way to the closest table.

“I’ve got your plate.” Brent held a plate in each hand while Candace dished them up.

“They know what happened,” she said, glancing over at Brent.

“They think they know.”

“But they’re right,” she hissed.

He chuckled. “Oh, come on. Is it so bad?”

“Yes!” The response came out immediately before she could think about it. She looked over at Brent, who was no longer smiling. She sighed. “I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, it’s just weird. This wasn’t something I expected. I didn’t think we’d hook up or ever like each other, for that matter.”

He furrowed his eyebrows. “I’ve always liked you.”

The hole she dug consumed her. “I’m sorry. I’m not making this any better.”

He didn’t say anything as they continued to fill their plates and made their way back to the table. She threw him an apologetic look as he helped her back into her seat. If he noticed, he didn’t acknowledge it.

The breakfast felt tense and longer than anything she ever expected. Everyone around them carried on a conversation, including Brent, but he didn’t look at her. She didn’t engage unless she was spoken to directly, but the fact that he didn’t give her attention struck her as odd. She must have hurt his feelings.

But why did she care if he gave her attention? She shouldn’t. They weren’t a couple. It was just a friendly romping after realizing their past was a miscommunication.

What happens on the mountain stays on the mountain .

But their trip was ending. The roads were supposed to be cleared before the end of the day. Their extended trip would end as soon as that happened. They would pack their bags that night, and go their separate ways tomorrow. She would see Brent at family gatherings that they would inevitably invite her to, but that was it.

But they weren’t friends. Sure, they had a breakthrough during the trip. Sure, they shared things with each other, but it didn’t change anything. They weren’t a couple.

So why did her heart hurt? Why was she so concerned about why he wasn’t giving her attention? She didn’t want him to give her attention. She didn’t want him to act like they were a couple.

Right?

She sighed loudly, forgetting that they were still at breakfast. Five heads swiveled in her direction, and she grimaced.

“Are you okay, dear?” Jan asked.

Candace cleared her throat. “Oh yeah. My ankle is just hurting a bit. I think I’m going to head back to my room and rest it.”

She half expected Brent to hop right up and offer to walk her to her room, but he remained seated.

“Let me go with you,” Jessica said, beginning to stand.

“No, no,” Candace said. “I can go on my own. Enjoy yourselves.”

Travis hopped out of his seat and helped her stand. She thanked him before sneaking a peek over at Brent. He ate his breakfast as if nothing were happening.

Jessica caught her hand. “I’m going to come by later so we can talk.” Then she leaned forward and whispered, “No excuses.”

Candace nodded. It was time she talked to Jessica, anyway. Even though she would be bombarded with questions, it wouldn’t hurt to unload her feelings on someone who understood how she had always felt about Brent.

She gave everyone a smile before she slowly made her way outside the dining room and to the elevator bank. A last glance at the table showed the group laughing together—no one paying her any attention, least of all Brent.