Free I Like It Like That by Cecily von Ziegesar Page B

the door and they embraced. Erik was all sweaty from the sauna, but he was still her big, adorable oaf. Her honey-bear.
    “Hold on. I'll go change,” Blair heard him say.
    “Blair doesn't care what you're wearing,” Serena replied. “Come and say hello.” Then Blair heard the sound of bare feet padding across the carpet.
    “Hey.”
    She raised herself up on her elbows and blinked. Erik was naked except for a white spa towel wrapped around his waist. His blond hair was wet and fell to the nape of his neck. There was a little scar on his chin where he'd fallen on the playground at the age of nine. Other than that, he was flawless.
    Blair had already fallen for him after reading his diary and sleeping in his shirts. She'd never imagined the effect that seeing him in person would have on her. His huge blue eyes! His sad, sexy mouth! His perfect chest! Even his feet were perfect.
    All of a sudden, she whirred into motion, sitting up and crossing her legs and ruffling her hair and looking calculatedly bored. “Hey.” She stretched her arms overhead and arched her back. “So, have you been skiing yet?” she yawned.
    Erik grinned. He was used to the effect he had on girls, and it was kind of cute to see his little sister's friend all grown up and sticking her chest out at him. Actually, he hadn't seen Blair since Serena had gone to boarding school and he'd left for college over two years ago. She'd always been pretty, but with her cute pixie haircut, nicely proportioned little body, and the upward tilt of her aristocratic chin, she'd developed into a genuine hottie.
    “Snow's awesome right now, and it's been, like, snowing at night and then sixty degrees in the sun during the day, so you can, like, ski in shorts. Some girls are even skiing in bikini tops. And this place is serious about maintenance, too.”
    Blair nodded in pretend fascination. She'd skied all her life, but she liked to take it nice and easy and never embarrassed herself by wiping out. She'd brought her favorite Eres bikini for the hot tub, but from what Erik told her, she could even wear it on the slopes! Serena had warned her that he was a superfast bump skier, but maybe if she asked super-nicely, he'd consider taking a little break from the bumps. They'd make a perfect couple, her in her bikini and him in his surf shorts, winding their way gracefully down the mountain to the envy of all.
    “Do you think you could take me around tomorrow?” she asked. “I've only skied here once before.”
    Erik grinned. “Sure.”
    Their hotel room was large and old-fashioned, with heavy beige velveteen drapes, oak dressers and nightstands, and a walk-in closet. But it also had all the modern amenities: CD and DVD player, Internet access, and a minibar, which Serena had just discovered. Sitting on the floor in front of the open fridge, she stuffed a complimentary Godiva truffle into her mouth and washed it down with a sip of champagne. Was Blair flirting with Erik? And was Erik actually flirting back? Weird.
    “Don't mind me,” she muttered under her breath as she took another swig out of the minibottle of Veuve Clicquot. “Look, the light is blinking on the phone. We have messages!” She scooted over to the bedside phone and picked up the handset, following the instructions to retrieve their voicemail.
    “Hey, it's Nate. Hope you guys made it out okay. Want to meet up tomorrow morning around ten-thirty to ski? Let me know if you're up for it. Um, I don't know what the number here is. It's kind of a crazy place, actually. But call my cell. Okay. See you.”
    Serena thought Nate sounded breathless—and oddly nervous, too—but maybe that was only because he wasn't getting high anymore and she wasn't used to his normal voice. Serena held on to the phone and glanced at Blair and Erik. He was pointing out the window and explaining something to Blair about the layout of the mountain and which runs the sun hit in the morning and in the afternoon. As if Blair