Compromising Kessen (The Vandenbrook #1)(44)
Author: Rachel Van Dyken

Christian had heard enough. It happened faster than he would have expected, what with the reaction time of Kessen and Duncan put together. His fist went sailing into the air, punching Duncan square in the jaw. Unfortunately, Kessen also went flying out of his lap and into the water. She was now fully drenched and most likely freezing.

“What was that for?” Duncan shouted.

Nick shook his head. “What do you think? You’ve totally ruined his only move.”

“That is not my only move!” Christian yelled.

“So you admit it’s a move then?” Nick stated.

Christian paled, Kessen yelled, and Duncan was still yelping.

“I think I’ve had enough of nature for today.” Christian pulled Kessen up from her watery fall. “How about we go back home and play that trivia game you guys were talking about?”

Nick and Duncan smiled triumphantly at one another. “It was a fantastic plan, Duncan,” Nick said.

“I thought so too! It worked out quite well. It was kind of us to let them kiss for a while.”

Nick’s smile froze on his face. “She’s like a sister to me. There will be no more prolonged kissing. Did you see the look in his eyes, Duncan? He had half a mind to ravish her right underneath the waterfall!”

“He does lack a certain class,” Duncan agreed.

Christian exhaled roughly, running his hands through his damp hair “I’m still here, and so is Kessen.”

Kessen had her arms crossed over her chest; she looked like a drowned rat and kept mumbling inappropriate things towards all three of them under her breath.

Duncan put the camera away and motioned for Nick. “Do you think we should tell them about the other trail?”

Nick shrugged. “Not telling them does have its appeal.”

As they were lost in thought, Kessen emerged from the water shivering and approached Nick with a death glare.

“If you don’t show me the quickest way out of this Godforsaken place, I’m going to kill you.”

“I think she means it,” Christian said, joining her.

Duncan put his arm on Nick and whispered, “Remember, she’s hardly had any coffee. Tread carefully, my friend. Carefully.”

Nick put his hands on Kessen’s shoulders. “If this is about the bee—”

“It’s not about the bee,” she snapped.

“Then it’s about us tricking you into scaling the rock wall? Or maybe for betting on the fact that Christian wouldn’t remember his great-grandfather had this little rock haven built. Such an avid outdoorsmen he was.” Duncan sighed.

Kessen’s teeth were chattering. “It’s for interrupting every single time we—”

Nick stood his ground. “Every single time you what, Kessen? I’m curious.”

“Ahhhh! Just show us how to get down!”

“After you,” Nick said, holding his hands out in front of him. Kessen, head held high—bless her heart—nearly tripped, she was so eager to make her way down the mountain.

Christian followed, all the while trying to contemplate ways he could steal the camera in Duncan’s hand without breaking anything of importance on his friend’s body.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Kessen was shaken, and it wasn’t because she had spent the last two hours climbing a death rock. No, it was because every time she was in Christian’s infuriating presence, she felt like her body was a live wire.

They had no restraint.

Not that either of them was doing a particularly good job of trying to restrain themselves. It was unnerving to know how much power he had over her and vice versa. Granted, it would be nice to have such passion in a marriage, but what happened when passion was no longer enough? What happened when Kessen was stuck in a marriage where she feared she would be the only one in love?

She mocked women in books who complained about unrequited love, but now that it was staring her in the face, it was the most terrifying thing she had ever experienced. How did one recover from the fact that for the rest of their lives they would be in a one-ended relationship where the other party cared nothing for your heart, only for your body?

In Christian’s defense, he hadn’t actually said as much. But then again, it was impossible and painfully embarrassing to ask someone if they loved you after only knowing them a few days. She let her thoughts frustrate her as she walked along the path.

What took her two hours to climb, took her ten minutes to walk, making her more and more convinced that Nick and Duncan needed to be shot.

By the time she reached the house, she had pulled ahead of the rest of the group. She ran upstairs to shower and get changed. It was too much to ask of her to even put on nice clothes, especially since the ball would be the following night, so she put on her pink sweats and went into the dining room.

Christian was already sitting at the table with hot coffee waiting for her. He had it in front of him though; she could tell by the smell it was strong.

She wanted it, possibly more than she had wanted Christian earlier, which was saying something. She had never felt more passionate in her life than when he was holding her in the small pool.

“Ah, so you’ve seen the peace offering.” His eyes crinkled into a smile. He was beautiful and obviously tired, since he was wearing a warm-up outfit. Lucky for him, he still looked like a Greek god.

“Where are Nick and Duncan?” she asked suspiciously, looking around the room. “I’m half expecting them to pop out of the corner with that stupid video camera.”

Christian chuckled. “Oh, I sent them on an errand.”

“An errand?” she asked raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, it will be quite a while before they return. It’s possible it will take all night.”

She sat down, leaning in towards his face. “What did you do?”

The corners of his mouth broke out into a large grin. “Oh, I just told them you forgot your dress back in town, and they needed to fetch it along with matching shoes, a purse, and a new swimsuit.”

“Oh, that’s all then?”

“I bet even your metro-sexual friend will struggle with that tall of an order.”

“Ah yes, Nick does have issues with shopping, though it pains him to admit it considering he adores fashion. He can’t help that he’s colorblind.” She shrugged thoughtfully.

“Or that he and Duncan both forgot their wallets.” Christian held up two leather wallets and shrugged. “They’ll have to go to the bank, and it closes in exactly one hour. They will just barely miss it. Naturally, they’ll need to spend the night.”