by J. C. Grant
She perked up at that. “Oh, that sounds amazing. When?”
“Tomorrow.”
“You don't waste any time do you?” she teased. “It'll take a couple of days, but I can work something out.”
“Mom,” Austin interrupted, carrying a bottle of water and two cups. She handed her mother one. I relieved her of the other two items as she settled next to me. “Just curious. Would you have let me marry David when I was seventeen?”
I choked on my latte, shocked by how brazen she was advertising my issues to her mom. No shame.
“Uhhh... Seventeen?” Evelyn seemed to give it real thought. “I don't know.” After a brief moment, her face lit up and she added, “David was already pro by then, so probably, as long as you finished school.”
I was still astounded by these two women who were now the only women in my life. They were such contradictions. They could be so withdrawn and private, and then switch to open, unapologetic honesty.
It was ridiculous how good that made me feel, knowing I was one of the few who were allowed to witness it.
Austin made a happy noise as she curled up next to me. “See?” she whispered, like a little know-it-all, then leaned over, looking at the tablet. “Whatcha looking at?”
“Taking you ladies to Aspen till New Years. Gotta find a place to rent.”
In that instant, I decided to stick with that story for as long as I could. I didn’t want Austin or Evelyn stressed out over what-ifs and maybes.
“How's the latte?” she asked with a sexy little rasp, getting closer, draping her leg over my hips, shifting until her thigh was on my dick.
My breath caught and my cock pulsed, eager for some attention.
I knew what she wanted. I wanted it too, but her mother was only ten feet away.
“Austin,” I murmured, trying to adjust her leg. “Later.”
Arching, she pressed her chest into my arm, her sex against my waist and whispered, “You'd have done it when you were seventeen.”
I would have. I would've taken any opportunity to touch her. Goddamn, she was being so playful and open, it was sexy as fuck. How the hell was I supposed to turn her down?
“Mom, toss me that blanket.” Her tone was so casual, it made me pause. How many times had she done something like this?
Once we were covered, she looked up at me from under her lashes and murmured sweetly, “Just need one.”
My resolve crumbled when her small hand wrapped around my wrist, placing it between her legs. Even through her sweatpants, I could feel how hot and wet she was.
Propping my heel on the footrest, my knee came up, blocking Austin from her mother’s view. Austin's arms wrapped around me, her head buried in my chest as I worked her to orgasm. Over and over again.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Hot water poured over me, slowly reviving my tired body. Last night, Evelyn and I had stayed up late. She had watched a movie while I searched for rentals in Aspen and texted with Fergus.
How did Dawn know we were in Denver?
Looked like we had social media to thank for that. Fergus had sent me a twitter link to a photo of the three of us exiting the rental truck and heading into a restaurant. The tweet read @TheDavid with his wife and mother-in-law, spending the holidays in Denver. Seemed a fan had done all the work for my stalker. Apparently, we were going to have to keep a much lower profile in Aspen.
Aspen.
Knowing I’d need help pulling that off, I had told Evelyn about Dawn. Everything about Dawn. Brutal honesty and all that.
Stepping out of the shower, I quickly dried off and dressed in a pair of gray sweats and a black thermal Henley before heading downstairs to make breakfast.
Austin was still unconscious. She'd fallen asleep after one orgasm, which thankfully her mother hadn't noticed.
Making breakfast was part habit, part trying to make up for the ugly truth I had dropped on Evelyn. There was no judgment in her reaction, she even seemed to have expected it. But admitting to your mother-in-law you paid for sex for years wasn’t a good look. It sure as hell hadn’t felt good admitting it.
As soon as breakfast was ready, I made my way upstairs to Evelyn's room and knocked on the door. “Breakfast’s ready.” My unused voice was rough and thick.
“Oh, yeah.” Her voice was alert and clear as if she’d been awake for a while. “Austin said you’re an amazing cook. I'll be right down.”
Stepping into Austin’s room, I found her still curled up on her side, hair fanned out around her like a halo.
Closing the door behind me, I took a deep breath; our scents had combined, making us one. It was the best aphrodisiac, reassuring and arousing at once.
Watching her a moment, I leaned over, bracing my arms on either side of her, nuzzling along her temple, then whispered, “Sweet girl, I made pancakes, but you guys don't have a breakfast tray.”
She made the cutest growling noise.
“You want me to carry you?” I suggested through a growing grin.
“Mm-hmm,” she mumbled.
Pulling the covers back, I scooped her out of bed, bridal style. Her arms wrapped around my neck as her face nestled into my chest.
I loved her like this, all vulnerable and sweet and innocent. Dependent. I just hoped I could keep her like this for the rest of our trip.
****
Three hours later, with the help of Evelyn's prodding and pushing, we were climbing into another Range Rover rental, but this time the right one, the full size one. No more too small trucks for me.
“Babe, we forgot Chance's bowls,” Austin announced suddenly as I pulled out of the airport parking garage onto the main road.
For once, Austin seemed to be completely clueless. She hadn’t questioned anything since we left. Hadn't questioned her mother all but pushing her out of the house. Nothing. And I was grateful for it. I know it sounded awful, but I wanted her clueless as long as possible.
“There should be something at the house we can use,” I assured her, gripping her hand, entwining our fingers.
We fell silent as I drove us toward our destination.
I was aware, I owed Evelyn. And not just for the comfortable silence and chill demeanor of my wife.
“Fuck, it's colder here,” Austin muttered, gripping my bicep with her other hand, leaning on the console as she hugged my arm. “Can we go shopping after we drop Chance off at the house?”
Fuck, going shopping in downtown Aspen was not keeping a low profile.
“The place comes with concierge service,” I tried as I followed the GPS directions, turning onto another road. “We can just send someone out to buy what we need, groceries, clothes, anything you want.”
Her eyebrows pulled together in a frown. “I want to go shopping myself.” After a moment, she added reluctantly, “I only had time to buy you two gifts before we left. I need to get you stuff for Christmas.”
“No, you don't. I left your Christmas presents at home. Aaron's gonna have to ship them to me.”
At her disappointed expression, I added, “Why don't you go when your mom gets here. That way it'll be a surprise.”
“Okay,” she agreed easily.
Minutes later, we pulled onto the long drive of the vacation home.
“Wow, this is beautiful,” Austin murmured, taking in the tree-lined property.
It was a sprawling chalet, the kind you’d see in an advertisement. I’d never admit it, but that was the reason I had chosen it. When I was young, I’d seen an ad for a luxury car, but the house in the background was what caught my attention. I remember thinking the people that live in that house have happy holidays, filled with laughter and love. Now I knew that wasn’t necessarily true, but it could be true for me.
Parking in front of the rustic home, I turned off the truck and climbed out, grabbing our bags. I took a moment to take in the view.
It was impressive.
The pictures online didn’t do the property justice.
Just then, a man walked out of t
he house.
“Mr—”
“Call me David,” I cut him off, not wanting Austin to know I'd used an alias for the vacation rental. She would immediately know what was going on. At the very least she would know we were hiding.
“David, I’m Harper, we spoke last night. Here.” He extended his hand to me. “Let me take your bags, and I'll show you around.”
“Nah, I'm good, lead the way.” I gestured for him and Austin to go ahead.
Austin looked over at me, her face was lit up, happy and excited. She looked like a kid on Christmas morning. I loved that I put that look there, that I could.
“Chancy,” she called as we followed Harper inside.
As Harper headed down the wide staircase to the main floor, Austin hung back, waiting for me.
“Is this a hotel?” she whispered.
“Nope, all ours.”
Though, I understood why she would think that. The place was massive, high ceilings, huge skylights, and floor-to-ceiling windows, much like you would find in a five-star hotel. It gave our house a run for its money.
“This home has won several awards for its superior planning and décor.” Harper gave Austin the whole spiel. “Six large bedrooms, all six and a half baths are beautifully appointed,” he went on, but Austin was focused on the wraparound balcony.
And the view.
That's when I knew I did good. She was so absorbed in the visual, she completely forgot about everything else. It was the same childlike awe she had in the Virgin Islands.
The view was perfect for the holidays: snow-covered mountains, trees as far as the eye could see, and a small pond only forty feet from the back door.
“Babe, this is so perfect,” she whispered when I stopped behind her. “Thank you.” She turned, leaning up. Our lips met in the sweetest kiss. “Thank you for doing this. Thank you for inviting Mom.”
“Would you like to go out on the balcony?” Harper interrupted.
He showed us everything before giving us the keys to the house, remotes to the garage, and, of course, the number for the concierge.
Forty minutes later, after stupidly taking Austin out to the pond with us while Chance explored a bit, she was sitting in front of the fireplace shivering, asking to go shopping for real winter clothes.
In my haste to get out of her mother's house, I forgot to grab any warm clothes for her. Austin was getting cranky, though it probably had more to do with the fact I hadn't fucked her in two days. I'd only made her come once the night before. It normally took seven or eight orgasms to keep her level. Calm. Manageable.
“They already stocked the fridge,” I said, trying to distract her. “What're you hungry for?”
“Why?” She glared at me. “Because you Pavlov's dogged me? Conditioned me to be hungry at this time every day?” she accused.
A small laugh huffed through my nose before I could stop it.
“It wasn't a secret,” I informed her, struggling not to smile. When she didn't respond, I added incredulously, “Did you think I wasn't going to condition you to my schedule? Why would I want you on your own schedule?”
Not waiting for a response, I stood, heading for the kitchen and opening the fridge.
“Go take a hot shower and warm up. I'm gonna fix lunch. I'll feed you. Then I'll fuck you, and you'll be in a better mood.”
Her eyes burned hot and her jaw clenched as she stared me down.
“Sweet girl,” I growled. “You can be as pissed as you want. You're still gonna get fed and fucked.” When she didn't move, I barked, “Now, Austin.”
She lifted her chin as she stared at me, defiant as ever, then slowly stood and went upstairs.
One thing about her, when she was cranky, she was nosy and very perceptive, looking for any little thing out of place. I had to get her calm and under control. And I was running out of excuses not to take her shopping.
I made lunch, and we ate in silence, Austin refusing to speak to me. All that silence just gave her time to think, time to put everything together, I needed to keep her distracted.
Knowing Harper lit the master bedroom fireplace when he was here, I quickly came up with a plan.
“Still cold?” I inquired softly.
“Yes.” She tugged on the hoodie she was wearing—my hoodie.
It took everything in me not to point out the fact that she didn't put a shirt on underneath it, but I let it go.
“Come on.” I stood, scooping her up like a bride. “I'm gonna dry your hair, and you're gonna look for clothes online.”
Taking her up to the master bathroom, I sat her on the bench, then grabbed her laptop, setting it up in front of her, treating her like a child. She was somewhere between bratty and pouty. I fucking loved it.
Finding a blow dryer, I plugged it in, watching her in the mirror the whole time. “I’ll take care of the hair, you take care of the shopping.”
When she didn’t protest, I proceeded to dry her hair. Yes, I'd watched her so fucking much, I knew what products she used when drying her hair.
Hell, I could do it in my sleep.
“Why did you do this? We don't need a place this big for just the three of us?” Austin asked. “Don't get me wrong, it's amazing.”
“Lots of space, we can run around and not run into your mom.” I kept my voice light, teasing and flirty, trying to deter her from her obvious suspicions. “And plenty of room for Chance to explore, and most of all... privacy.”
She fell silent as I combed my fingers through her hair, drying it. Then suddenly, she said, “Harper said downtown Aspen is only ten miles away.”
Fuck.
While spending Christmas and New Year's isolated together was perfection to me, it was obvious Austin didn’t want to hole up in the house for the entire five weeks.
“Austin, I don't know what's in downtown Aspen. I've never been here,” I explained, looking at her in the mirror. “Just find some stuff online and we’ll have it overnighted.”
Next thing I knew, she was looking at downtown Aspen shopping.
Fuck me.
"Oh my God, babe!” She sounded excited, as if she’d just seen a puppy. “Look at all the stuff they have. I want to do all of it with you!"
A smile broke across my face, I loved that she felt that way. I wanted to do everything with her. I just didn't want Dawn showing up.
“Maybe a little later,” I redirected as I turned off the dryer. “Right now, I'm gonna take care of my girl. Grab a towel, get naked, and lay on the bed, gonna give you a serious massage. Then we can discuss going downtown.”
“It's too cold to get naked,” she complained.
“The fireplace has been on for over an hour, and trust me, I'm going to warm you up,” I coaxed, handing her a towel and shooing her into the bedroom.
As much as I loved her bratty and bitchy, I needed to get her under control fast if I wanted any chance of keeping her clueless about Dawn.
Quickly stripping down to my boxer briefs, I searched for coconut oil.
When I entered the bedroom, I found Austin lying face down on the towel, across the middle of the bed, bare-assed naked. I couldn't help but appreciate those perfectly rounded globes and thighs.
Damn, my girl's fucking sexy.
For some reason, she was even hotter when she was pissed. Her defiance, seeing that fire in her, turned me on.
Moving in between her feet, I pushed them wider apart, then covered her body in a light layer of oil with long firm strokes, before leaning over her, placing my hands on her shoulders.
“Spread 'em—give me that million-dollar view,” I whispered behind her ear as my fingers kneaded her shoulders, slowly working my way down her back.
It was a million-dollar view.
Literally.
That's a little less than what it'd cost me to keep her attention and get her married to me.
Million-dollar pussy.
And it was worth every penny.
She obeyed with a deep sigh, shifting her legs wider
, visibly relaxing, melting into the mattress under my touch.
Seemed maybe I could get her under control with a good massage too—not that I was going to pass on sex. I intended to fuck her as much as humanly possible before her mom showed up.
“God, how are you so good at this?” she moaned as my hands moved down her legs.
“Been getting massages five times a week for ten years.” My voice was low and rough, aroused by simply touching her and looking at her sweet cunt.
My hands moved back up her legs in a firm glide. Reaching her ass, my fingers dug in, squeezing, separating, exposing her tender flesh. My cock jumped at the explicit view, eager to plunge into either of her tight holes.
When she let out a soft groan and shifted her legs wider, I knew I had her. Letting my oil-slick thumbs trail over her smooth pussy lips, I watched the rise and fall of her chest speed up.
“That feel good?”
“Yeah,” she breathed, arching into my touch.
I did it again. Firmer. Slower. Gently squeezing her lips together. She let out a harsh breath as her hips bucked.
When I did it again, she trembled.
I loved the way her body responded to me, coming alive under my attention. My gaze caught on the glistening proof on her arousal dripping down to the towel. A groan tore from my throat as my thumbs slowly slid through that sweet cream before one dipped into her wet heat, the other moving to her clit.
My dick turned to steel and my balls drew up tight as her cunt suckled the intruding digit, pulling, begging, desperate for more.
No part of me had been in her in two days. I hadn't tried anything at the movies or after because I wanted it to be pure, sweet, chaste.
I was a fucking moron.
I was never turning down an opportunity to get inside her again.
“I'm sorry I haven't been taking care of you, sweetheart.”
“Make me come,” she demanded breathlessly, needy as ever.
My dick pulsed at her words. Then her hips moved, like she was trying to fuck herself on my thumb.
Fuck, if she makes me come just from this...
My phone chimed, echoing loudly in the bathroom, shattering the moment.
