Chelsea nearly laughed at her roommate’s disappointment, although she was sure that Megan probably already had a promise from Cam to appear at her bookstore. Megan grudgingly moved closer as well, not bothering to try to hide her pout.
“So, Chelsea,” Cam said. “How’d a sexy young thing like you wind up with a big brute like Tate?” His eyes were focused directly on her. In fact, his whole body language portrayed a picture of intense interest. It was uncomfortable, in a flattering way.
Two of a kind. Cam and Nicole were both charming, oozing sex appeal. Such concentration being relatively new to her, Chelsea blushed. “Well, we’d been friends for a while and I started to feel sorry for him, never having a date, always getting rejected, going home alone… You know.”
Cam gave her a sympathetic look. “It was good of you to sacrifice yourself for the poor bastard. But I have to say that you deserve so much better.”
Waving him off, Chelsea said, “We all do what we can.”
“I know. I took pity on him too when we first met at a writer’s conference years ago,” he said, grinning. “But seriously, Jud and I really hit it off, two naïve idealists. We made it work though.”
“Clearly.” Chelsea leaned closer to him. “I’m sure you know this, but Jud has so much respect for you. He appreciates your support.”
“Likewise.” Cam smiled at her. “I’m glad to see that Jud has raised his standards in women. Did you grow up in Vail, Chelsea?” His eyes searched her face.
Intensity. She nervously played with a napkin as she answered. “No, I’m from Boulder. I’ve lived here for about a year.”
“How do you like Vail?”
“It’s great. There’s so much to do. It’s no Aspen, but…”
“You work for the ski company?” he asked.
“I do, but only because it’s conducive to living my dream. I couldn’t rely on my parents for monetary support forever.”
Cam finally tore his gaze away from her for just a second to glance in his wife’s direction. “Really? What’s your dream?”
Chelsea saw that Jud was leaning his head toward Nicole as if she was whispering in his ear. Was Cam as bugged by it as she was? When he’d fully refocused his attention on her, she said, “My true love is art. I like to paint.”
“No shit? That’s awesome. What do you paint?”
“I’m inspired by nature, so mostly landscapes. I hope to expand my horizons though. I just finished kind of an abstract work of Jud hot dogging on skis.”
Cam smiled at her knowingly. Chelsea felt embarrassed over what she’d just revealed to this near stranger. He probably saw her as some lovesick girl so obsessed that she had a studio full of Judson Tate paintings.
“So you’re inspired by nature and macho ski patrol,” he said in a low voice so that only she could hear.
Chelsea smiled, her cheeks heating up. “God, I hate being so transparent.”
Cam reached over and grasped her hand in his. “That’s what we do as artists, Chelsea. Writers, photographers, painters. We open a vein and bleed for everyone to see. Don’t be afraid of it. Embrace it.”
It was as if a light was switched on. “Honesty,” she said.
“Honesty. Pain. Love. It’s the bane of an artist’s existence. But it’s what drives us to produce.”
“So I should be proud of putting my heart on a piece of canvas.”
“Absolutely.” Cam grinned. “I’d love to see some of your work.”
“I… Uh… Have the feeling you may be going home with one of my pieces. I believe your wife is going shopping tomorrow.”
Cam clutched his chest. “At least my money will go to supporting your career. Never give up on your dream, Chelsea.”
She was touched by his kindness. “No, I’ll never quit painting. Even if I never sell another piece.”
“Good for you. Tell me, what are you working on now?”
Chelsea filled him in on her commissioned work for the Hollywood producer. He listened attentively, but a couple of times his gaze flitted over to Nicole—the second time with a distinct flickering in his eyes. Maybe he was mad.
“You know, when you have time, I’d love for you to do a painting for me. There’s a spot I love to go on the Roaring Fork River. In fact, Jud came down last summer to go fly fishing and I took him there. It’s so beautiful.”
“I’d love to see it.”
Cam nodded, again looking over to where Jud and Nicole were sitting. He watched them for a moment, his face inscrutable.
Chelsea saw that Jud was sitting up straighter now, but Nicole was still close to him. He seemed to be at least making an effort to hold her off. The woman was positively shameless. Chelsea glanced over at Megan and they exchanged a look.
Turning back to Cam, Chelsea saw that he was still looking at his wife. There was a definite set to his jaw and his eyes blazed. What the… She glanced back and forth, first at Jud and Nicole, then at Cam watching them.
Her stomach dropping, Chelsea had a sick revelation. Trapped in a snowstorm? Fly fishing? It’s them. Cam and Nicole were Jud’s threesome buddies. Cam was watching his wife flirt with Jud, and the flickering in his eyes wasn’t anger—it was desire.
She swallowed, holding down the bile rising in her throat. She clutched her stomach for just a second.
“Chelsea, are you okay?” Cam asked her.
Taking a deep breath, she nodded. “I think that maybe the rich dessert isn’t agreeing with me.” Megan looked at her with concern. “Can you excuse me?” She stood and headed for the restroom, motioning for Megan to follow her.
By the time she made it out of the bar, Jud was calling her name. Another deep breath and she turned to him. He grasped her hands and peered at her. “What’s the matter? Are you ill? You’ve gone completely white.”
She pasted a smile on her face. “Damn s’mores.”
Jud shook his head. “C’mon, I’ll take you home.”
“No. You don’t have to do that. Megan can take me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Chels. I’ll take you.” The look of caring and concern on his face warmed her heart.
“No, you’re here with your friends, your client. Go finish what you have to do.” Chelsea was desperate to get away before she fell apart. She gave Megan a pleading look. Help me.
“Uh, it’s fine, Jud,” Megan said. “It’s my fault anyway for feeding her chocolate for dinner. I’ll take her home and you go finish your meeting.”
“Are you sure?” Jud asked.
Chelsea nodded. “Go, I’ll see you later.”
Jud looked at Megan. “You’re taking her to my place.”
Megan snapped her heels together. “Aye, aye, sir.”
He gave her a look and then turned to Chelsea, kissing her on the top of her head. “Feel better. I shouldn’t be too late.”
Keeping up a brave face, she smiled and watched him go.
The cold air outside was refreshing, shocking some sensibility back into her after the unsettling moments in the bar. Still, Chelsea told herself that she wasn’t an idiot for leaving Jud behind with the happy sex-crazed couple.
“How’s Chelsea?” Cam asked.
“Okay, I think.” Jud sat down. “Megan’s taking her home.”
“I like her. She’s smart. And sweet.” Cam smiled. “What the hell is she doing with you?”
“I don’t know, man. I just hope she never comes to her senses,” Jud said.
“Never?” Nicole raised an eyebrow. “Could it be that Judson Tate is in love?”
Jud shrugged. “Let’s just say I’m pretty happy right now.”
Nicole sighed. “Damn. I guess that puts the kibosh on my plans for the evening.”
One look at Cam told Jud everything he needed to know. Jud suspected that Nicole wanted a repeat of their previous sexcapades. In a way, he was thrilled that he could use Chelsea as an excuse. Sex with Nicole had been awesome, dirty, disturbing but hot. Nicole Wood was sex personified—the kind of woman who shoul
d be perfect for him. Still, all he could think about was a lovely young thing with a sick stomach.
Yep, he was a goner.
Chapter Thirteen
It was just after ten by the time Jud returned home. He’d shared a couple more rounds and a bite to eat with Cam and Nicole, but he’d taken the wind out of their sails with his rejection of another sexual adventure. He’d been treading on thin ice, not wanting to destroy either their professional or personal relationships.
Fortunately they’d been cool about it. It took some major self-confidence or a really thick skin to invite a third person into your bedroom, and luckily Cam and Nicole had both in spades. Far from having hard feelings, they were probably scoping out other possibilities.
Jud found Chelsea in the living room watching an old rerun of Seinfeld.When she saw him, she shut off the television.
Dropping on the couch next to her, he asked, “How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. Whatever it was has passed.” She looked down at her toes when she answered.
“Good.” He propped his feet on the coffee table and leaned against the back of the couch with a sigh. Something was going on. He could sense weirdness. But what do I do about it? A few more quiet moments spurred him to action. He opened his mouth to speak, but quickly shut it when he heard her voice.
“How was your evening?” she asked.
“It was nice. Had a few more drinks after you left, some bar food. No s’mores.” He gave her a look and was rewarded by a small smile, but she remained silent, avoiding his gaze. What the hell? He nervously cleared his throat. “Chelsea—”
She quickly turned to face him, cutting him off and startling him with the sudden move. “I know it was them.”
“What?”
Sighing, she said, “Cam and Nicole. I know it was them. I know you…had sex with Nicole and Cam… Uh… I know it was them.”
“Oh.” He wasn’t exactly sure what to say, but one thing always worked. “I’m sorry.”
“I guess that’s why you were so secretive about this meeting.”
“I didn’t mean to be. I don’t want to hide anything from you.”
She nodded, staring straight ahead. “So were you all planning on another round?”
“Wait. What?” Did she really think that?
“C’mon, Jud. Nicole was all over you and Cam seemed thrilled by it. It was just suddenly so obvious. And here’s dumb little Chelsea, clueless and excluded.”
Fuck. “Hold on. That’s not the way it was at all.”
“Oh really?”
“Yes, really. I mean, yes, I guess Nicole was all over me and I apologize for that. But whatever happened in the past, Cam and Nicole are my friends. And Cam is a huge client. He’s a big reason for a publishing house to hire me—odds are good he’ll come with me and sell millions of books for them. I’m walking a tightrope, not wanting to piss them off.”
“So it’s okay for Nicole to flirt with you, touch you, rub up against you.”
“No, it’s not okay.” He could see that she was hurt and it killed him. “And I promise you that will never happen again. But you’ve got to know Nicole—she lives to flirt, to turn men inside out, and it doesn’t mean anything to her. If it hadn’t been me, it would have been some other guy she was drooling over.”
“That’s supposed to make me feel better?” She was frowning, her voice catching.
His chest tightened. How could he make her understand? He was a little rusty at this kind of exchange and he really didn’t want to screw it up. Grasping her hands in his, he was relieved that she didn’t pull them away. He took a deep breath. “Chelsea, I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you, but you have to believe me—I have absolutely no desire to be with any other woman.”
She studied him for a long moment before she spoke. “I believe you. I have to admit I was a little worried at first, but I do believe you.”
“Good. That’s good.” Surprised by her answer, he smiled.
“Jud, you can’t exclude me from parts of your life. I trust you, so you have to trust me.”
Another surprise. “You’re right. I wanted to bring you along tonight but I decided not to ask you—not because I was trying to hide anything from you, but because I was worried about how you would react to them.”
Her brow furrowed. “You mean you were worried I’d figure out about your kinky past with them?”
Nodding, he said, “That, and I was afraid they might try to recruit you.”
“What?” She laughed. “What are you talking about?”
He shrugged, laughing along with her. “Listen, I never know what’s going to come out of either of their mouths. I do know they have a way more liberal set of boundaries than I do. I guess I was just worried that they might want to try a foursome.”
Chelsea laughed—a deep belly laugh. “And you thought I’d be up for it?”
“I don’t know.” He laughed along with her. “Not too long ago, you were a virgin. Now you’re my little sexpot.”
“Oh God. You’re so funny.” She pulled away from him. “The thing is, I liked them. Well, I liked Cam, anyway.”
“Yeah, I could see the two of you all huddled up together.” He raised a brow. “Do I have something to worry about?”
“Right. You don’t ever have to worry about me.”
Jud felt his chest tighten, beyond happy to have Chelsea Ryan in his life. “You don’t have to worry about me either. You know that, right?”
“I know.” She planted a kiss on his cheek. “I’m beat. I’m going to bed.”
“I just want to catch some scores. I’ll be there in a minute.”
“Okay.” Smiling, she rose and made her way across the room. “So tell me—did they want an encore performance?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Ah! I knew it. Once they’ve experienced the swift sword of Judson Tate, they have to have it again.”
Speechless, he heard her laughter trail behind her as she left the room.
The smile was still there when Chelsea looked in the bathroom mirror. It was a good feeling, considering that a few hours ago she was nearly in the depths of despair. Looking back on it, she’d never really thought that Jud would cheat on her. Everything about his behavior with her had led her to believe that he was loyal.
What had bothered her the most about their evening with the Woods was that, first, Jud had tried to hide them from her and second, she’d felt literally like the odd woman out. She wanted to believe that if she knew that the Woods were the people in Jud’s wildest sex story that she would have been cool about it. But she hadn’t been given the choice. Instead she sat there, blissfully ignorant—at least at first. Later she’d felt merely idiotic.
Then again, the real reason she’d been in such a funk was none of the above. And she had no idea how to deal with it.
After splashing her face with water and brushing her teeth, Chelsea made her way to the bedroom. She stripped off her clothes and crawled into bed, lying on her side. Despite her fatigue, she was unable to fall asleep. After a while, she heard Jud come in, the sounds of him removing his clothes. The bed dipped behind her and she felt his warmth before his fingers caressed her hip. What the hell? She’d told him she was tired. Then, who am I kidding? I did get into bed naked.
Holding as still as possible, she tried to keep her breathing even. It was tough. Her skin tingled and burned as his fingers stroked up her side, then back down to her hip and thigh. His lips pressed against the back of her neck and she melted inside. Damn, he knew what that did to her. He’d come to know her body better than she did herself.
It was hard to be still, but she tried to manage it. His breath was warm on her neck as he let out a low laugh—probably at her efforts to appear unaffected. He pulled the covers down to expose her back and, instead of causing a chill, it was a relief to her hot flesh. His lips and tongue moved down her spine while his fingers continued to work their magic—sliding up high on her torso to lightly graze the swell
of her breast, then back down to stroke her thigh and ass.
By the time he kissed the sensitive flesh of her lower back, she was squirming inside. He moved closer to her as his lips trailed up her back, lingering to plant countless kisses on her neck. “I know you’re not mad at me,” he whispered.
She said nothing but let him have his way with her.
Another low laugh from him. He nipped her shoulder and the flesh at the crook of her neck, his hand now concentrating on stroking her lower back, her ass and her upper thighs.
Chelsea wanted to beg him to touch her where she needed to be touched. He knew it, damn it. Well, she could wait. He’d get there.
A couple moments later, he did. His fingers slid down the seam of her ass and under to split her pussy lips. Another chuckle. “You want me.”
She wasn’t about to deny it. He pulled her top thigh up to press her knee into her chest and moved in closer behind her. He stroked his cock through her pussy lips and when it was nice and wet, he worked it inside her, stroking deep. He fucked her slowly, his hips undulating and making small movements. As a result, his huge cock kept up nearly constant stimulation just where she needed it. Dropping her palm to the bed to steady herself, she bit her lip to hold back her gasps.
“Feel good, Chels?” His voice was irritatingly controlled. He laughed again when she didn’t answer. “I kinda like this silent side of you. I can do whatever I want to do to you.”
Apparently he didn’t realize he could do whatever he wanted to her regardless of how silent or loud she was. Still, his words sent shivers down her spine. The tension that had taken over her entire body now settled in her middle, growing in intensity.
Jud grasped her shoulder, thrusting deeper and harder. “You feel so good—so hot and wet. Come on me, baby. Squeeze my cock with your tight pussy.”
She was now gasping for air, the burning in her cunt stirring her higher until she was pushed over the edge. Her orgasm was slow and rolled through her in waves, lasting until her heart was bursting and her lungs ached for oxygen.
“That’s right. Come on me.” Jud slowed his thrusts, finally pulling out to let her recover.
Apres Ski Page 15
