Touch by Touch (Riggins Brothers #4) - Kaylee Ryan Page 0,38
enjoy being outside despite the cold. I’m worried it’s going to be awkward. How could it be with Grant and Aurora there as a buffer, right? “Sure. I’m in.” Conrad’s eyes light up, and you would have thought I just gave him the world with my agreement.
Aurora and I help clean up while the guys dig out the sleds and some winter gear. “You up for this?” Aurora asks me once we’re upstairs to add some layers of clothes.
“I agreed to go, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, but you looked like it was going to kill you to come with us.”
It just might. “That’s silly. I love the snow, and it’s been ages since I’ve been sledding.”
“But you and Conrad built that snowman I saw when we pulled up?”
“You know that we did. I told you that.”
“I know.” She grins. No matter what she says, I still think that all this wedding stuff is getting to her.
“Come on, crazy girl. We have hills to slide down.” Arm in arm, we make our way downstairs to find Grant and Conrad waiting on us. As soon as we reach them, Grant tugs Aurora from my arms to his with a sly grin on his face. He slides his arm around her shoulders and kisses her temple.
“Ready, baby?” he asks.
“Yes!” Aurora’s excitement is infectious.
That’s my excuse for not realizing that Conrad was moving in and sliding his arm around my shoulders. “Ready, baby?” he asks. I know he’s mocking his brother. However, with the look in his eyes and the way my body responds to his nearness, we both know it’s not just mocking Grant. He’s asking for himself.
“Yes!” I exaggerate Aurora’s reply, which has her sticking her tongue out at me while Grant and Conrad laugh. I expect him to release his hold on me, but he doesn’t. Instead, he leaves his arm around my shoulders as the four of us head outside.
“Where are we going?” I ask, ducking out from under his arm.
“Just around the back. There’s a pretty decent hill there that won’t kill us to walk back up.”
“I say we team up,” my traitor of a sister suggests.
“Perfect.” Conrad is quick to agree. Grant is none the wiser, but my sister, on the other hand, she’s on to us.
“We’ll go first,” Aurora says.
Conrad and I stand back while they situate themselves on their sled, with Aurora sitting in front of Grant between his legs. I know she did this on purpose, so Conrad and I would follow their lead. She thinks she’s sneaky when she’s anything but.
“Con, give us a push,” Grant says, his arms clasped tight around my sister.
Conrad does as he asks, and they go soaring down the hill, their laughter following them the entire way.
“You ready for this?” Conrad claps his hands together gleefully.
“Do I have a choice?”
“Nope.” He gives me that boyish grin. “Come on. You get settled first, and I’ll climb on behind you.”
“What are you waiting for?” Grant calls up the hill.
Knowing there’s no way of getting out of this, I settle on the front of the sled and wait for Conrad to take his place behind me. With his arm around my waist, he pulls me back against his chest. “That’s better.”
“They’re watching,” I warn him.
“Let them watch, Aspen.”
“Can we not do this right now? Not during their wedding?”
“Fine. But we are going to talk about it. About us.”
“There is no us, Conrad.”
“Oh, baby, there is most definitely an us. Now, hold on.” His grip grows tight as he rocks back and forth to get the sled to move. The movement reminds me of last night, and I’m suddenly overheated despite the freezing temperatures. We start moving, and the cold wind against my face is much-needed to cool me down. By the time we reach the bottom, we’re both laughing as the sled flips into the snow in order for us to stop. We’re a pile of sled, snow, arms, and legs. It’s perfect.
Just another moment to add to my long list of my time with him.
Chapter 14
Conrad
She’s cute. I don’t have another word to describe her right now. Aspen, Aurora, Layla, and Sawyer with her baby belly are trying to one-up each other with crazy dance moves, much like Aspen and I did two nights ago. The same night we spent in each other’s arms in our homemade fort. That night she was sexy and silly. Tonight, she’s downright adorable. Huh, I guess I do have another word that describes her.