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The cheerful, crackling open fire carried the scent of Yule logs and warmth and the undeniable scent of Christmas; warm cinnamon with fresh pine undertones.
In a corner, next to a huge expanse of floor to ceiling windows, a beautiful fir, exquisitely decorated, graced the room. It wasn’t massive, Natalie guessed that was because the resort hadn’t been open to guests over Christmas, but she could easily imagine a bigger tree, felled from the surrounding forests, towering towards the impressive, vaulted ceiling in years to come, when the venue was established.
Elegant white fairy lights highlighted wreaths and pine boughs, while fat candles added to the cozy atmosphere, despite the size of the room.
There were plump armchairs and comfortable, overstuffed sofas scattered around the room, along with an eclectic mix of side tables and coffee tables that somehow just seemed to work.
“Isn’t this amazing?” Natalie stopped short and twirled around as she tried to take everything in. The room would have been impressive any time of the year, but with the profusion of decoration there was so much more to see it was hard to take it all in.
Nathan, being a young man, was substantially less dazzled, but he watched with calm indulgence while Natalie darted around the room in her usual bubbly manner, oohing and aahing and clapping her hands like a kid at Christmas.
Her brother quietly looked around and then with a short, sharp laugh he commented. “Nice chandelier!”
Natalie stopped and looked up. The very decorative light hanging was modern and featured glass and metal droplets. She raised an eyebrow at her brother. “I never knew you were a connoisseur of lighting displays.”
Nathan shrugged, his mouth kicking up on one side in a lopsided grin. “I’m not,” he replied, then nodded to the uniquely crafted droplets in shades of deep purple and clear glass which refracted the light while the silver bulbs reflected it. “But that one’s special.”
She looked up and frowned, squinting her eyes at the multitude of different length droplets that cascaded from the ceiling.
Then her eyes widened, and she clapped a hand over her mouth… but not before she squealed, “Oh my goodness! It’s made out of butt plugs,” for everyone to hear.
CHAPTER THREE
Well, drawing everyone’s attention to the butt plug chandelier was certainly an ice breaker, though Natalie was sure most of them must have been aware of it already. It provided a unique talking point, though, and she and Nathan had met and introduced themselves to several other people and gone through the now cumbersome chore of explaining to each of them that they weren’t a couple.
When they were called for dinner, a hearty and warming beef stew with fresh bread rolls with a mixed bean vegan alternative, followed by home-made sticky toffee pudding with custard, Natalie made a point of sitting separately from Nathan.
There were several other singletons, and the staff ate with them like one big happy family, since it was the first night, and not all the guests had arrived. It was a wonderfully comfortable atmosphere and Natalie noticed that her twin seemed to have settled in, finally, and was deep in conversation with a Native American man, Joshua Acothley, who Natalie understood was the resort manager. Whatever they were chatting about certainly seemed to have captured his interest and Nathan was positively animated as they spoke.
She was glad. Unlike Natalie, her brother was very much more reticent, like all the bubbly in their shared DNA had gone to her.
Across from her at the dining table was Jared North himself. He chatted easily to those around him, not singling her out at all, but whenever their eyes met, Natalie felt her nerve endings catch fire. Never in her life had she had such a visceral reaction to a man she’d only just met, and it intrigued her.
She wondered if he felt it too; was certain - almost certain - something she experienced so strongly surely couldn’t be one sided. But it was hard to tell with a man who was as reserved and introspective as Jared.
Natalie couldn’t help fantasizing about what it would be like to push that sober self-control until it snapped.
The very thought had her nipples puckered and chafing against the inside of her bra and her panties uncomfortably damp. And while she hoped she wasn’t being too obvious, Natalie could barely drag her eyes away from him until he got up and excused himself to go and set up for his scene.
Despite all the people, the room seemed a little empty as soon as he was gone, and while she chatted with those closest to her, she could feel Nathan’s eyes on her and was aware of the odd expression in his eyes when he looked her way.
There was concern there, but Natalie shook it off. She was a big girl, and perfectly able to look after herself.
And really, perhaps the concern she was picking up in that weird twin vibe thing, was just his deep, abiding discomfort of inadvertently seeing her naked or in a compromising position which was obviously a far bigger deal to him than it was to her. Nathan really needed to chill.
“Put your eyes back in your head it’s unseemly,” he said to her thirty minutes later when they’d all made their way to the dungeon.
It was a beautiful space. No detail had been overlooked. Everything was custom built and of course, with the very best quality materials.
The walls were hung with mulberry velvet to give it a more intimate and luxurious atmosphere, despite the immense size of the room.
There were conversation areas with comfortable seating, for socializing and after care, but even there the colors were varying shades of mulberry, deep gray and black to blend in with the surroundings.
And amidst it all was a low stage, just prominent enough to raise demonstrations or scenes to an easier level for everyone to see.
That was where Jared stood, looking magnificent in a pair of leather trousers and no shirt, his rock-solid torso with washboard abs and the V that bracketed the happy trail that arrowed into his waistband glistening in the low light.
“Unseemly?” Who talks like that, Nath?” She couldn’t help poking at him. It was too much fun.
