It took me a while to come to terms with what took place in that New York hotel suite just a little over a month ago. I was really hard on myself at first, unsure of how I really felt about what happened, or if I even wanted to continue this twisted little love triangle. However, the very thought of actually ending it with either of them, made my emotions turn jagged and my chest tighten uncontrollably. That simply wasn't an option for me, I was in too deep.
I successfully kept busy with work, purposely distancing myself from both of them in a pathetic attempt to sort through my feelings. Shannon was the first to show up at my apartment and I quickly understood why he was there. I almost I forgot about our weekend ski trip to Wyoming. When I opened the door, there he stood, bearing a rather large bouquet of roses. "Hey beautiful, you ready for a fun weekend, full of skiing and romantic nights in front of a fireplace?"
"Of course, the ski trip," I nodded, caught totally off guard. Backing up, I took the bouquet and walked into the kitchen.
"You forgot, didn't you?" Shannon followed behind me. "Oh wow, you really did."
Pulling a vase from the bottom cabinet, I put the gorgeous red blooms into some water and sauntered past him. "I'm really sorry, things have just been pretty hectic with my job." Shannon followed me down the short hallway into my bedroom. I grabbed my bag from the closet and tossed it onto the bed.
He wasted no time in bringing up the fact that I had been avoiding them both. He sat along the edge of my bed, watching me pack. "So, what gives? You've deliberately put both Jared and I off for two solid weeks now. I gotta tell ya, Carrie, I was starting to worry that you wouldn't be here when I arrived to kidnap you."
Refusing to make eye contact with him, I continued packing my bag. "I'm genuinely sorry, but I have truly been busy, Shannon. I haven't had a great deal of time to myself, let alone anyone else lately."
The next thing I knew he was spinning me to face him. "Bullshit." His soft, full lips crashed against mine, nearly knocking all the wind from my lungs. His tongue pressed to the seam of my lips and just as I granted him access, his kiss delivered every unspoken word I needed to hear.
In an instant, I pulled away, arching up against his broad chest and moaning at the way he whispered my name against my open mouth. Unexpectedly, his hand moved to my hip and he pulled me into a warm embrace.
His lips drifted to my neck where he began placing delicate kisses. "Shannon, if you continue doing that, we'll never get out of here."
He gave one more kiss to my neck and backed up to face me. "I'm not stupid, I know that what happened between the three of us is the reason you've been distant, but if it's the individual relationships you're worried about, you can stop. Jared and I will both tell you the same thing, it changes nothing. Look, I don't want you to worry about this. I've got a great weekend planned and I want you to just forget about everything else. It's just you and me, okay?" I stared down at the floor while he spoke, but he shook me and I focused on his warm, reassuring eyes. "Can you do that for me, Carrie? Please?"
His arms wrapped around me, gently squeezing and suddenly everything seemed to melt away, all the stress and worry faded. Shannon had a way of making me feel relaxed, like everything was right in my world again and I felt safe in his arms. "God, I missed this, I missed you, both of you."
Tilting my head back for one last kiss, he grinned into it. "Good, then you should have no problem talking to Jared on the phone to reassure him you're okay. He's been worried too."
He let go of me and sat back down on the bed, dialing his brother. "Yeah?" I heard Jared's voice and smiled.
"Alright, I'm here and it's all good."
Shannon glanced up at me as he held the phone up so that I could see Jared, shuffling through some papers with a serious look on his face. His long hair was up in a bun and he looked sexy as ever. "Hey, babe."
"Hi," I couldn't stop the smile from spreading as I watched his face relax and lay the stack of papers down.
"You've been kinda quiet lately." I could see that he was pacing back and forth while talking to me. "Everything okay?"
Shannon handed me the phone and I sat down. "Yeah, everything is fine. I've missed you." Just saying that to another man in front of Shannon felt so strange, but he got up and zipped up my bag. It was so silly to feel like this after what happened in New York.
"Same here, but uh, I want you to go to Wyoming and have some fun with Shan. I've got a lot of work to catch up on this weekend, but I'm working on clearing my schedule for a few days soon. Hopefully we can get together and find something exciting to do."
"I'd like that." My eyes followed Shannon carrying my bag out of the room.
"Well, I don't want to keep you, I know you've got a flight to catch. You two have a good time and I'll see you soon."
"Have a good weekend, Jared. I love you." Even though I still felt a little off, I said it.
"Love you too, bye."
Standing up, I met Shannon in the hallway and handed him the phone. "I didn't pack my toothbrush, shampoo or any of that stuff."
He shoved the phone into his pocket and took my hand. "It's fine, whatever you need, we can get there." I grabbed my phone and charger, tossing it into my purse. Shannon handed me my keys and we left for LAX.
"You know I've never been skiing before, right?"
He laughed, "Man, another first for us? Jared's slacking!" I knew that things were once again back to normal.
