AllFreeNovel
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My sister says anything can be festive. Does that include me wrapped around your fist?
His response came quicker than she expected since he was supposed to be skiing, but it made her face turn bright red and she had to climb out of the hot tub.
I don’t know. We made fisting pretty festive the other day. I even played Christmas music and lit holiday scented candles. Perhaps next time I’ll use peppermint lube.
Peppermint anything would make everything ten times more intense down there.
“Want to get dressed now and go sit in that cute little bar downstairs? I’ll try not to enjoy my alcohol too much.”
Kendall flipped her off but grinned. “Sounds good. Has to be more exciting than Matthew hovering and telling me to keep my feet up.”
Gemma dreaded what Russell would be like if and when she ever got pregnant, but after their conversations over the past couple of days, she was feeling more relaxed about the entire subject. They would have a child one way or another, and that knowledge relieved so much stress.
When they were dressed, they headed for the bar where they sat at a small table and let a server wait on them. Gemma ordered a gin and tonic, and Kendall asked for sparkling water and fondue.
“If I can’t have alcohol, I’ll just eat my weight in cheese,” she quipped.
“That’s the spirit. See, Nora, we should definitely get the fondue with our drinks.”
“That’s not fair,” Kendall said when she spied the stranger behind her. “You get to have both.”
The man in the navy ski jacket grinned. “I’m Jude. Allow me to pay for the fondue and we can share it as my way of saying congratulations and apologies at the same time.”
Kendall chuckled and held up her ring finger.
The man held up his hands. “I wasn’t flirting. I was simply suggesting that the four of us share some fondue since we’re all on vacation in the same place.”
Kendall introduced herself, and the two launched into a lively conversation about where they were from, why they were here, and whether or not one pot of fondue was enough for the four of them.
Gemma was watching the redheaded woman in the beige puffy jacket that was at least one size too big. The one he’d called Nora. She looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole or clobber Jude over the head for striking up a conversation with a stranger.
Gemma felt the same way. Russell befriended random strangers at any event they attended, and Kendall had been talking to strangers for as long as she could remember. She often thought it was her sister’s ability to talk to anyone and make them feel like they belonged was what made her such an excellent spy.
“Do you ever contemplate chaining him to the bed in the morning so he can’t embarrass you by talking to every stranger he meets?” Gemma asked the mortified redhead. “Because I think about it with my husband all the time.”
The woman laughed. “Oh, we’re not… Jude isn’t… we’re just friends.”
Gemma pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow. Nora clearly had feelings for Jude despite her protestations, but she would not put the poor girl on the spot and call her out.
Instead, she patted the empty seat at the table. “I can already tell you that Kendall is going to take him up on his offer to share the fondue. Because despite her threats to eat the entire thing on her own, she’ll have a few bites and be done. So, you might as well get comfortable, darling.”
Nora cracked a small smile and sat down.
Gemma glanced at her watch. “The good news is, my sister and I have to be at a function in the library at four-thirty, so there’s a built-in cutoff time for this awkward encounter. I’m Gemma Adler.”
Jude—who had pulled out the fourth chair and made himself comfortable—leaned forward. “I’m sorry, did you say Adler? Any relation to Russell?”
Gemma wrinkled her forehead and nodded. “Husband. How did you know?”
“I joined the search for that poor little girl. I’m so glad they found her. He was great at keeping everyone organized and calm.”
Gemma smiled with pride. “He’s a security specialist.”
“Jude, we really shouldn’t bother these poor women.”
“Relax, Nora. We’re here to have fun. What’s more fun than making friends?”
Nora rolled her eyes. “I tried to make friends yesterday, and you got all irritated. I knew I should have just stayed upstairs with my book.”
