by Fiona Starr
I blow out my breath. The ice on my windshield is starting to melt so I flip on the wipers to clear the last bits of snow and water. That’s when I spot Riley’s cars spinning as it slides down the hill toward the road.
“Riley!” Her name is barely a whisper through my constricted throat.
I throw my car into gear and race to the top of the hill. Then I am out the door, my heart in my throat and my pulse beating like a drum in my ears. I step on the slope and slide for a second, then I am on my ass, soaking wet and gaining speed. I fight to get to my feet, but there’s no hope for me standing.
The hill tosses me into a pile of plowed snow and slows me enough so I can grab on. Riley’s SUV is leaning sideways in the ditch another hundred yards away. I step off the icy road and into the ditch and take off running in the knee-deep snow, not caring for the cold or the wet or anything but Riley and her safety.
Chapter Six
RILEY
When I told my family I was moving to Colorado for work, they were simply beside themselves. They started sending me all kinds of safety information and bought me a gigantic down parka that I brought with me but it must have been made for an Antarctic Expedition and is just too warm for the gorgeous weather we have here.
One thing I did take to heart was a safety pamphlet my dad downloaded off the internet about winter driving. It talked about handling a skid, or black ice, and how to maneuver when driving in low gear. But there was one fact on that sheet that scared me enough that I will never forget it.
If your car ever gets stuck in the snow, do not leave it running or you’ll risk succumbing to carbon monoxide poisoning if the tailpipe is covered in snow and the exhaust has nowhere to go.
Just the thought of dying like that sends a chill through me that has nothing at all to do with the weather. I turn off the engine and sit there a second, the silence complete. I plugged my phone into the charger when I got in the car, but it was only at one percent.
I tap the screen and realize that I will not be calling anyone.
“Well, ain’t that dandy?”
I guess I am walking. I grab my coat just as the driver’s side door flies open in a rush of snow and freezing air.
Brian Blaze takes one look at me and his face turns into a wash of relief. “Riley. Thank god you’re all right.” He’s breathing heavy and trying to speak while he catches his breath. “I saw you sliding. I got here fast as I could.” He holds onto the top of my door for balance and just smiles at me. “God, I don’t know what I would have done if something happened to you.”
I stare at him, marveling at all the words coming from his mouth. “Brian Blaze, I think that is the most you’ve ever said to me outside of the office.” I smile because there is a tiny little butterfly banging against my belly and it makes me giddy just thinking about it.
His face falls. “Oh. Sorry. I…”
I point a finger at him. “No. Don’t you dare apologize. Stop that this instant.”
He clamps his mouth shut.
“I had to risk my life in a blizzard. Sliding down this terrible hill, and holding on for dear life in order for you to notice me. It’s time for my rescue. Don’t you dare make me waste a good car crash, counselor.”
His face turns all kinds of red as my words sink in.
“You want me to notice you,” he says, and it’s a statement more than a question.
“Indeed, I do.”
When he smiles the little butterfly in my belly turns into a dozen more creatures with flittering wings, spinning and twirling with glee.
Chapter Seven
BRIAN
We’re shivering in the cold and I am soaking wet from my slide down the hill, but I wait for her to put her coat on before I help her out of her SUV. She pulls her hood up and the fluffy fur around the outside frames her face beautifully.
The SUV landed sideways in the ditch, steeply angled, but leaning on the bank of snow. It will be here tomorrow and she can call to get it towed.
Riley steps out of the car and lets out a shriek as she sinks up to her waist in the snow.
“Sweet baby Jesus I am cold!” Her lips look blue as she shivers.
“Here, let me…” I bend toward her and she puts her arms around my neck. Then I pull her up into my arms and make my way up the hill in the snow.
She smiles at me and the corners of her eyes crinkle with laughter. “I never thought we’d get here, I confess.”
“Here?” I say, not exactly sure what she means.
“Yes, here. Me with my arms around you, holding on while I bat my lashes as you carry me away.”
Her words hit my ears and travel to my brain but I can’t believe what I am hearing. “Really?”
“Yes, Brian. Really.” Her smile is so sweet, even though she’s shivering.
I stop walking and just stand there holding her as the snow continues to fall. “I…” I swallow and something in me decides to lean into my fear. “I wasn’t sure,” I say.
“You weren’t sure?”
“I hoped… but I wasn’t…”
She pulls herself up and kisses me once, a slow and simple press of our lips. Then she pulls back and smiles that smile again. “What can I do to remove any doubt you might have?”
I am so surprised. Elated, shocked, blown away… I can’t even. I bend my face to hers and kiss her again and this time I take the lead, opening her lips and moving my tongue to stroke hers. She tastes minty and sweet, and I swear to god that I’d stand here forever if it weren’t like twenty degrees and snowing.
She rubs her nose against mine as the kiss breaks. “Oh, Brian,” she whispers. “It is about time.”
I could die here and now and know that I’d die a happy man.
Chapter Eight
RILEY
Brian carries me all the way to the passenger side of his truck and then he opens the door and places me on the warm leather seat. When he slides into the driver’s side, I get a good look at him under the dome light. Water drips from the back of his pants.
“Oh my goodness, you’re soaked!”
“I’ll be all right. Just need a minute.” He shivers as he turns on the seat heaters and cranks up the heat, holding his hands in front of the vents that are thankfully hot since his car has been running this whole time.
“Thank you for saving me,” I say, all joking gone from my voice.
He turns and looks at me, his eyes dark in the shadowy car. “Now that you’re all right, is it wrong to say that I’m glad you needed saving?”
I touch his cheek, feeling the stubble under my fingers. I think about all the times I’ve imagined what it would be like to touch his face, feel his stubble, and taste his kisses. “Not at all. Apparently we both needed a little push.”
He covers my hand with his and locks his gaze on mine. “I’ve waited four years for a chance to touch you like this.”
I unbuckle my seatbelt and lean up onto the console to kiss him again. “And I’ve dreamed about doing that for the same four years.”
I drop back into my seat, luxuriating in the warmth coming from the leather. “Now, Brian. I think it’s time you took me home.”
“All right, but I don’t know where you live.”
Dear lord, this boy is going to need some serious coaching in the assertiveness department.
“Well, I can give you my address, but I have a roommate at my place. I was hoping we could go somewhere with a little more privacy?”
I watch his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows. “You… want to…?”
“Yes, silly.” I smile wickedly. “You think I am going to let this night get away from us? Shoot, I just learned that the man of my dreams has been thinking about me for four years. Now I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you’re not used to taking the lead on matters like this? So I’m just going to come out and tell you what I want. Is that all right with you?”
“All right.” He nods and it’s like we’re in a negotiation.
“Brian
Blaze, I want you to put the car in drive, get us safely to your home, and then I want you to carry me from this seat all the way into your bed.”
His mouth falls open.
I have said my peace and now it’s time for action. “Is that clear enough for you?” I ask.
He nods slowly, puts the car in drive and turns to exit the lot from the other side that does not have a hill.
Chapter Nine
BRIAN
I must be dreaming for sure. Everything about this night feels surreal and magical and my god, she kissed me. I’d almost believe it was a dream were it not for my soaking wet clothes and the fact that I can still taste her on my lips.
She kissed me. Several times.
She called me the man of her dreams.
She said that she’s been waiting for four years too.
She wants me to take her home.
To my house.
To my bed.
It takes everything in me not to race the car down the empty road. But the last thing I need is for us to get into an accident or get stuck in the snow drifts. I drive slow and careful, keeping the car in low gear as the roads have piled up with snow and the plows haven’t been through my side of town yet.
I take the turn off the main road onto the county road that leads up over the mountain to my house. The trees are covered in snow and the moonlight looks blue over everything. The road switches back as it climbs the mountainside, and I smile as I notice Riley gaping at the view.
“Goodness, it’s beautiful up here.”
“It really is. Wait until we get over the rise.”
At the crest of the hill, the road turns to face a different valley, on the opposite side of the mountain, one without a highway, streetlights, or anything that resembles the resort side. I turn off the headlights and stop the car, letting the moon do the magic.
Riley leans forward to take in the view. “Oh my god.”
The entire valley is covered in pristine white snow. The gravel road is hard-packed, and doesn’t get much sun so the snow stays put when it’s cold. I keep driving with the lights off, enjoying watching Riley experience the way the moon lights up everything bright and clear.
By the time we get to my house, she’s grinning from ear to ear. “That was lovely. Thank you for showing it to me.”
I smile and realize I am not even a little bit tense as I pull into the garage. “My pleasure. You ready to go inside?”
She arches her brows at me. “Yes, please. You know what to do.” She sinks into her seat and unbuckles her seatbelt. Then she checks the lock on her door and pushes it so it’s unlocked. Then she straightens her shirt and smiles.
“I’m ready.”
Chapter Ten
RILEY
Now that I’ve been in the warmth of his car, cradled in his heated seats, my body can feel Brian’s arms when he lifts me out of the car. His muscles bulge under his jacket, and his pecs are rock hard as he holds me to him.
The dozen butterflies in my belly have been devoured by a wild flock of birds; they flitter against my ribcage and make it hard to breathe.
His house sits on the top of the hill facing the wide open valley we saw from the road. When we step inside, the scent of cinnamon and pine fills my nose. Brian places me on a bench in the mudroom and takes off his wet boots and socks. Then he lifts my feet and unzips my boots, slipping them off one at a time. He wraps a hand around my foot and slides my damp socks off, which warms my feet instantly.
When we’re both barefoot, he bends down and kisses my nose as he lifts me into his arms again. Then he carries me—as commanded—directly to his bed.
He lays me down on my back and I sink into his pillow. Everything in this room smells of Brian. It’s a clean scent, earthy and mild, but definitely masculine and one hundred percent him.
The room is lit by moonlight streaming in the huge picture windows that line the side of the house that faces the valley. It’s like a postcard outside, flawless, peaceful and quiet. He doesn’t turn on the light as he unzips his coat and then shrugs out of his fleece and his tee shirt, letting them drop to the floor.
I sit up and undo the button at my collar, but he reaches down and stops me.
“May I?” he whispers.
I nod and scoot over to the side of the bed, facing him.
He kneels on the carpet and then he’s only a little bit shorter than I am sitting on the bed. He runs his hand up my arm and across my collarbone, planting a kiss in the hollow of my throat. Then he opens the next button, revealing the lacy edge of my bra. Another button and he’s kissing the swell of my breasts over the top of my bra, and I think I might have an orgasm right there.
He opens the last few buttons, kissing his way down to my trousers and he doesn’t stop there. His fingers work on my buttons and zipper as his lips caress my belly, and if that flock of birds was going wild before, they are bursting now, feathers flying all over as they try to get free.
He slides his hands down over my bottom, and his skin feels like fire on mine. Then I remember that his clothes are wet and I do my best to get him out of them.
Chapter Eleven
BRIAN
Riley is so beautiful I can’t believe that she’s here with me. The moonlight dances off her skin, and as I expose more and more of her, she seems to glow.
She opens my belt and unzips my pants, and my cock strains against my shorts as she tries to pull them down. Everything I am wearing is wet so I have to help her. I step out of my pants and then drop my shorts and stand there, totally naked, rock hard, and only a little bit self-conscious.
Riley’s lips part a little and she blinks. “Oh my god, Brian. You are beautiful.”
“I want to see you,” I say, and feel bold and courageous.
She gets up on her knees and slides her blouse off her shoulders, and then shimmies out of her slacks. Riley stands on her knees, in the middle of my king bed, her eyes on me. “Come here,” she whispers.
I move across the bed toward her and scoop her into my arms. I kiss her neck and she arches backward, exposing herself to me. I move to her collarbone and then the top of her breast, then I push her bra aside to find her nipple.
I need her like I need air. Water. Sunlight. I can’t believe she’s here in my bed with me, and it isn’t a dream or some figment of my imagination.
The clasp of her bra is between her breasts, and works like a twist. I open it and take her breasts in my hands, squeezing them and sucking her nipples one at a time.
Her hands move across my chest and over my pecs, and down to my abs. I can feel her pressing the contours of my muscles with her fingers, tracing every line. Then her hands are on my cock and it’s all I can do to stay on my knees.
She pushes me down onto my back and strokes my length, running both her hands up and down, and twisting gently. “My god,” she whispers. “I imagined, but I never imagined…”
She leans in and licks the tip of my cock and the warmth of her mouth sends a pulse of need through my body that wakes up every nerve.
I watch her suck me, and it makes my cock even harder. I inhale deeply and fall into the sensations of her mouth on me, sucking and stroking, taking me in.
I thrust into her mouth gently, fighting to control my movement. She feels so good, so fucking good… but I don’t want to come. Not yet. Not yet.
I pull away from her and ease her down onto the mattress.
“I want to taste you.”
Chapter Twelve
RILEY
His cock is so huge that I can’t take it all in my mouth. I do my best and make sure my hands are doing the rest. I’ve never been with a man this size. Hell, I’ve never seen a cock this big, and just the sight of him sends a tidal wave right to my pussy. Which is a really good thing because I am going to need all the help I can get.
He pulls away from me and moves forward, inching me back as he sits up. “I want to taste you.” His voice is husky and low, his face serious.
Dear heav
enly Joseph I like this new Brian. I lean back into the pillows and spread my legs, inviting him in.
He lifts my leg and kisses my ankle, then my calf and my knee, then my inner thighs inching up and up toward home. My body responds to his every touch, lifting and angling, begging him for more.
His tongue enters me first.
“Oh sweet Jesus,” I gasp the words in a breathy exhalation. I can’t control myself when he touches me. I am just want and desire and need and raw, throbbing desperation.
“You’re so wet.” He clamps his mount down over my clit and pulls gently at first, letting his tongue dance around me.
“God, yes,” I whisper.
He’s playing with my clit, teasing it, tracing the contours of my pussy with his tongue. Then he moves a finger inside me, then two, and then he presses his fingers down while inside me as he sucks hard on my clit. The sensation of pressure pushing and pulling at my pussy is more than I can bear.
Little white dots explode in my vision and I grab his hair to hang on. My body bucks under his spell. There’s nothing but him and me and his incredible mouth. I feel myself rising, rising to the precipice, pleasure surging inside me and threatening to burn me alive.
I can hear myself moaning as I writhe under him, but I have no idea if I am saying words or just making noise. This is everything. This is all there is.
My orgasm hits me like a bomb and sends every hair on my body standing on end. Chills ripple over my skin, inside and out, and I feel my pussy pulse against his fingers. I am so aware of my body and every place were our skin makes contact. And I just hold on tighter, gripping his head and pressing myself to him, letting the waves of pleasure move through me until I am just a puddle of nothing in his hands.
