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“I’ve heard this new lodge has some of the best skiing in the area.” Cole jabbed the map. “Dude, seriously, just come. Mom even bought that stupid Tofurky for you. And I hate fuckin’ Tofurky. Tastes like ass.”
“You’re a vegan?” she asked from the doorway, biting her lip as both men glanced her way. This was yet another reason she wasn’t comfortable being their lover. The lines at work blurred. They might be easygoing bosses, but they still signed her checks. “Sorry to interrupt,” she muttered.
“You didn’t.” Des rose as he always did when she entered the room. “Van at lunch?” When she nodded, he held out his arm, inviting her closer.
She couldn’t help stepping into that hug any more than she could resist sniffing the collar of his shirt. He smelled like soap and spice, sans aftershave since he was rocking full scruff. Frigging hot.
“To answer your question,” he tugged on her braid, “yes, I’m a vegan. Most of the time, minus a few occasional lapses. Have been since high school when Johnny went out to hunt and came back with a doe on the roof of the car. Meat lost a lot of its appeal after that.”
Cole grinned. “But you’ll notice he still wears his Italian leather shoes.”
Des shrugged. “A man’s gotta have some vices.” He reached down to pat her on the ass. “I do have my favorites, I’ll admit.”
“Who’s Johnny?” she asked to avoid commenting on his favorite vices. She wanted to make sure they set the right tone for a serious discussion.
Something flitted across his expression. “The man who raised me.”
She wanted to ask more, almost did, but Cole cleared his throat. “Wen, convince him he needs to head north with me this weekend. What else is his sorry ass going to do here alone? Scratch his balls to the tune of “White Christmas”?”
“Don’t you have people here to spend the holiday with, Des?”
He gave her another shrug. “I’m not big on holidays in general. Usually I either visit Cole’s folks or I…do some stuff here.”
Visions of Des engaging in the debauchery she’d already glimpsed up close and personal danced in her brain. “Stuff like what?”
“The usual,” Des said before Cole could reply.
Cole rolled his eyes. “Yeah, if the usual includes going to the children’s ward at Brookers.”
Wendy gripped the back of the chair in front of her. “You’re serious?”
Des leaned forward and picked up half the sandwich sitting untouched next to Cole’s elbow. ”It’s ham and Swiss. Want some?” he asked Wendy, clearly not interested in discussing his holiday activities any further.
“No, thanks. I already ate.” She hadn’t, but it was a small lie. “Listen, I need to ask you both something.”
Cole gave her a disarming grin as he relaxed in his chair. He was dressed in his professional best as usual today, not counting his blindingly red sweater. “Only if you convince Des to come with me.”
“Go with him,” she said to Des before crossing her arms. Best to just get it out quick before her nerve deserted her. “Am I the first woman you’ve slept with?”
The men looked at each other, twin expressions of amusement tilting their mouths. “Why, yes, Ms. Stanton.” Des toyed with her jingle bell bracelet, one of the relics from her past she hadn’t been able to part with. The tinkling bells tended to annoy people, but the sound made her happy. “We were both virgins until you came along.”
“You’d still be one then,” Cole pointed out. “Since you’ve yet to partake of the lovely Wendy's luscious pussy.”
Just like that, the scarlet elephant was out in the room. And she wasn’t ready to deal with it. Not with Cole there. “That’s not what I meant,” she said hurriedly. “I mean, have you shared another woman that worked for you?”
Her bosses exchanged a long glance that set off a round of nervous spasms in her belly. “No,” Des said. “We’ve never been about that. This isn’t that kind of office.”
“So what’s so special about me that Van doesn’t have? For example,” she added at Cole’s piercing glance.
His lips twitched. “Do you want to invite her to play with us, Wen?”
“No,” she and Des answered simultaneously.
She looked at him, relief saturating her limbs. “Really?”
“Really.” He reached over and laced his fingers with hers. Then he frowned, staring down at her hand. “Why do you ask? Does Vanessa suspect something?”
She wanted to say no, that nothing was amiss, but lying about lunch was about as much as she could stand. Other than lying about being in lo—lust—with Des, that is. That secret would remain hers.
