Masters 01 Master of the Mountain Read Free Page A

higher and higher until reaching the tallest, snow-capped peak. Fog spotted the mountainsides, and a few white patches drifted lazily up into the sky, as if wakened by the sun. Aside from the murmur of voices in the lodge and the gurgle of a nearby stream, silence ruled. No roar of cars or screech of brakes, no planes, no shouting, no music. Everything seemed almost too stark, the colors too sharp, the sounds too naked.
     
    “C'mon, babe.” Matt stood on the porch, hand on the door. “Let's go.”
     
    “Right. Sorry.” She trotted up to join him. They crossed the empty main room to where the club members already filled the long table in the dining room.
     
    “Hold on a minute,” Matt said to her, putting his arm around her waist to stop her just inside the rough-hewn door frame. “Hey, everybody,” Matt said loudly and waited for the noise to die down. “Most of you met Rebecca last night. She's new to swinging, so give her time and introduce yourselves as we go along.”
     
    Under the barrage of eyes, Rebecca nodded her head politely and crossed the room with Matt. As they took seats near the middle of one long table, she tried to ignore the assessing looks from the men. But how the heck could she ignore the fact that strangers were sizing her up for sex, and in an entirely different way than in a club. Considering the purpose of this weekend, these men knew they'd get lucky, right?
     

    Okay, Rebecca, she told herself. Get with the program. She had a relationship to salvage and inhibitions to lose. Her stomach tightened, and she took a mental step back. For now, how about just make friends and have fun? Make friends; have fun. Piece of cake.
     
    As the members returned to their various conversations, she poured herself coffee. No one should be forced to be sociable before coffee. That was just cruel. Taking a sip, she looked the crowd over. Some cute guys here. One with black hair and intense brown eyes and a trim mustache. One sounded like a college professor. He might be fun to talk with. Mostly couples, although two women and one man were obviously together. Interesting.
     
    Taking the dishes passed to her by a black-haired woman in her thirties, Rebecca helped herself to the scrambled eggs and sausage and took a bite.
     
    Matt politely requested the bowl of fruit to be passed. He glanced at Rebecca's plate and leaned closer. “Wouldn't you rather have something lighter, hon? Remember you said you wanted to watch your weight.”
     
    Months ago, after being lectured by Mom on the dire fate awaiting a heavy woman in a relationship, Rebecca had made that comment. He had never forgotten. As the eggs turned tasteless in her mouth, she switched to calorie-free coffee. Sure, she could tell herself that she felt comfortable with her body, but whom was she fooling? The comfort lasted only until someone—like Matt—made clear he considered her fat.
     
    Of course, he never said the F word. He just wanted her to improve her health: eat less, exercise more, and get as skinny as all the women at this table. But she already exercised religiously, and she didn't eat that much. Face it: her heritage was round, her body was round, and unless she went for surgery and starved constantly like her mother, she was going to stay round.
     
    How would he react if she told him his dick was too small?
     
    She pushed the plate away, her appetite gone. When she looked up, her eyes met Logan's. He leaned against the doorway to the kitchen, studying her like some specimen on a petri dish. Probably wondering what she was doing with these members of fitness anonymous.
     
    A perky blonde jumped up from her chair and clapped her hands. “All right, everyone. I'm Ashley, and today we're hiking up to Rainbow Lake. Serena and Michelle are making sandwiches for us. It's a bit of a walk, so wear good footwear, remember to bring your daypacks, and don't forget sunscreen.”
     
    A hike sounded like fun. San Francisco parks didn't look