Freeing Reese (Tremont Lodge Series Book 3) by Marcy Blesy Read Free Book Online

headed my way. The only thing really hurt is my pride, and I’m not making it any worse by needing medical attention. Those calls always get radioed into the rec office. That’s what I need—Jeremy getting a good laugh at my expense. I check over my shoulder to make sure no one else is coming, push off with my ski pole, and continue my trek down the mountain. As I near the bottom, the slope of the hill is much more manageable, and I even come to a stop on my own before running into the plastic fence that lines the run. Finn is waiting for me as I stomp over to the chair lifts. “Are you seriously thinking that I am getting back on that chair lift?” I yell at Finn, though I doubt he can even hear me over the screaming kids that are scrambling past us to get back up the mountain.
    “Of course you’re getting back on the chair lift,” he smiles.
    “Didn’t you see that guy on the snowboard knock me on my butt?” I ask.
    “I saw it, but it won’t happen again.”
    “How do you know?”
    “Because it was Lawson messing with you.”
    “Ski patrol kicked him off the mountain for the rest of the day—no matter what his former credentials entitle him to. They were pretty pissed.”
    “But…I…Oh…”
    “So, you see, you’ll be fine. I promise, Reese. Do you really think I’d put you in harm’s way?” He puts his arm around me, though through our layers I don’t feel anything but frustration. “Have you ever heard the expression, when you fall off a horse, you have to get back on?”
    “I don’t see any horses.”
    “That’s my girl.” Finn kisses the top of my freezing cold nose, grabs my hand, and coaxes me onto the next chair.
     
    When we’re soaking in the hot tub outside the lodge, a steamy 105 degrees softening the stiffness in my hips, I close my eyes and sink a little further into the water. Finn’s arm drapes lazily over my shoulder, both of us near exhaustion. Strangely, though, I’ve never been more relaxed in my entire life as I feel right now. The lodge continues to surprise me.
    “Can you believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve?” asks Finn.
    “Hmm…”
    “What would you say if I told you that I got you your own set of skis for Christmas?” he asks.
    “Hmm…well, I’d say that was kind of cool.” I lay my head on his shoulder, nuzzling against his butterfly.
    “Seriously?”
    “I’m still mad at you for forcing me to try something I wasn’t ready for. It’s the classic case of giving into peer pressure. I’ll have to remember this story for our kids.”
    “Kids?”
    “Huh?” I ask.
    “You said our kids .”
    “Oh, I mean, my kids—you know, when I have kids.”
    I know he’s smiling, but I don’t look at him. I’ve slipped up already. He doesn’t need to know that whenever I think about my future, there isn’t a picture that doesn’t include him in it. “But skiing was okay, I guess. I mean, I’ll use my stupid gift and all.”
    Finn slips in front of me. The last of the hot tub crowd gets out—probably a wise choice. He pulls me off the wall where I’d been resting my head so that our bodies now slide as close together as possible with our clothes on—if you’d call the new bikini Tinley sent me for an early Christmas present clothes . I’ve never worn a string bikini and swore I never would when I pulled the metallic silver slivers of material out of the box, but Finn has a knack for changing my mind.
    I open my mouth to speak, but Finn smothers me with his mouth with an intensity I wasn’t expecting, but I don’t resist. I’m done resisting for the day. In fact, my mind is so foggy from the time in this hot tub that I don’t think I could resist if I wanted to…but I don’t want to. Finn finds the sweet spot on my neck, and I wrap my legs around his strong body. Every response from his body screams how badly he wants me. His hands fumble behind my back until he finds the strings to my top. “Finn, there are still a few people here,” I whisper