Temptation

by Kris Bryant

  I squeezed Noah’s hand but couldn’t take my eyes off Brook. She looked bright and happy, and I took great satisfaction in knowing I had caused that smile.

  “Well, we have an hour before we have to find your cousins. Maybe we can talk your mom into going with us?”

  “I’d break a leg,” she said.

  “Are you scared?” I gave her a smug look.

  “How about I watch you instead? I like to watch.”

  A memory of Brook telling me to touch myself to show her what I like flashed through my mind. Watching her watch me turned me on. I almost didn’t want to stop, but she was controlling the moment, and I was more than willing to please her.

  “Yes, you do. I promise you’ll have a good time.”

  Brook winked at me.

  Warmth spread throughout me, and I looked down, because in the light I was sure my face showed all the emotions I couldn’t afford to reveal to her.

  “Have you eaten anything yet?”

  “No. And I haven’t had my coffee yet either, so I can’t guarantee my greatest performance.” I got an eyebrow lift for that.

  Brook pulled a granola bar from her pocket. “Here. I picked this up for you. I can’t help you with your lack of caffeine, but I can at least feed you.”

  I took it from her outstretched hand, letting my fingers linger on her palm. “Thank you, Boss.”

  We walked up to the rental place and picked out three snowboards. A quick text to her family telling them I’d be late afforded us time for a one-hour private lesson.

  Noah fell only a few times but jumped right back up every time, full of energy. Both of us had to hold back from reaching out to him when he did fall. A few times I clutched Brook’s arm when he fell backward instead of forward. Brook didn’t fall at all. After a few close calls, she was right there next to me.

  “Don’t look so surprised.”

  I rocked back and forth on my snowboard, eager to show Brook and Noah how good I really was, but afraid to leave them. I felt part of something peaceful and nice. I looked at my watch and sighed. “It’s time to collect Griffin and Frances. We’re tubing today, so let’s go back to the cabin, warm up, and then head back up here.”

  “But I’m not even cold. And I’m standing up. And I did a few runs,” Noah said.

  It hurt me to crush his groove. “Buddy, I promise we’ll come back. Maybe after dinner we can do some night snowboarding.” I knew the bunny slopes were well lit, so I didn’t think it would be dangerous.

  “This is a lot of fun.” Brook unlatched her boots. “But I prefer skiing. More control and less restrictive.”

  “Why does this not surprise me?”

  She playfully gasped. “What are you implying, Cassie?”

  I shook my head at her and shrugged, then turned to Noah. “You ready? I promise tubing will be fun.”

  He grabbed his snowboard, head down, shoulders slumped. I leaned down to him.

  “We will definitely do this again, but right now I’m going to need a little help with your cousins. We’ll come back tonight.”

  “Okay.” He didn’t sound convinced.

  “Take the snowboard with you. We’ll rent it for the rest of the time here. You can practice up at the cabin,” Brook said.

  “Woohoo. Thanks, Mom.”

  “But we still need to go tubing first,” I yelled as he took off. I turned to Brook. “That was sweet. I’m glad you did that.”

  “Small victories.”

  “Like the PlayStation?”

  “Like the PlayStation.”

  * * *

  Camila helped me look after the kids, but by four we were ready to hand them back to their parents.

  “That was intense.” Camila groaned as she fell back on the couch. “I don’t know how you do this every day.”

  “Oh, this wasn’t normal for me. Plus, I have only Noah, and he’s basically an angel.”

  “Except for today,” she said.

  Noah was whiny because tubing wasn’t snowboarding, and he complained the whole time. Camila told Brook he wasn’t cooperative and now he was grounded for the night. He could practice snowboarding out back but wasn’t allowed to leave the yard. I felt bad. I really wanted to take him out on the slopes, but no way was I going against Brook. I hugged him and told him we’d try again tomorrow.

  “Would you like to have dinner with us, Cassie?” Camila asked.

  “No, thanks. I’m just going to grab something quick and go to sleep. I didn’t sleep the greatest.”

  Erica snorted and choked on her drink. Brook turned and stared at her. “Sorry. It went down the wrong pipe.” I saw a small smile on Erica’s lips before she opened the almost-empty fridge. I looked at Brook, who raised her eyebrow at me.

  I excused myself and headed upstairs to change into jeans and a sweater. Then I waved bye to the family and left. Too much was happening in that space. I wanted a huge dinner, a glass of wine, and my bed.

  My bartender was at the bar and slid another IPA in front of me when I sat down. “This one has a hint of citrus.”

  I saluted her with the glass and took a long swallow. “I was thinking of wine and pasta, but I think I’m going to order a cheeseburger and fries, and sip on this.”

  “How’s your time with us been?”

  Ignoring the best night of my life, I answered her honestly. “Watching three kids for six hours a day is a challenge, but my nights are free, and I love the atmosphere.”

  “I know what you mean. I work four nights a week, but I can ski for free, so the benefits outweigh the work.”

  I wanted to tell her that applied to me, too, but I refrained. I had a nice salary, health insurance, a free apartment, a space in the garage, and fantastic sex with the boss. I felt a tinge of guilt on the last one, knowing full well that sleeping with the boss in any situation was not a good idea. Plus, I didn’t know if it was a one-time deal. I was anxious for the sun to set and the cabin to grow quiet to see if she visited me tonight.

  “How long have you worked here?” I asked.

  “Eight years. Can you believe that? I started in college and never left.”

  “What did you go to school for?” I didn’t want to assume she graduated.

  “Anthropology.”

  We both laughed. Not that my degree was any better, but I had more options within my field. Yet she looked genuinely happy and was living life to the fullest, according to her.

  “Hey, if you stick around, a bunch of us are going skiing around eleven tonight. You’re more than welcome to join us.”

  I groaned. “That sounds like so much fun, but I’m exhausted today. The kids wore me out, and I didn’t sleep the greatest.” I looked at the time. “Who eats dinner at five thirty and dreams about going to bed at six?”

  “Good point.” She laughed and gave me another beer.

  “This will for sure put me down for the night. Usually I push through the exhaustion, but tonight I give up.”

  “Sounds like you need a break. Get out of here. I’m taking care of your dinner.”

  “Oh, no. You don’t have to. I can pay for this.”

  She waved me off. “Go. I’ll see you later.”

  I slid a twenty in the tip jar and thanked her for dinner. I liked her. The cabin was empty when I got there, so I grabbed an apple and a protein bar in case I got hungry later and headed to my bedroom to sequester myself for the rest of the night.

  Chapter Twenty

  I woke up to a warm body beside me in bed. I’d purposely left my door unlocked, hoping Brook would show up. We’d never talked about last night, even when we had a few moments alone while Noah was far enough away from us snowboarding.

  “Mmm.” I snuggled into Brook’s warmth. She ran her fingertips up and down my arm. I shivered and smiled. “That feels wonderful.”

  “You’re very hard to wake up,” she mumbled. “To be fair, I’m pretty sure I fell asleep for a bit trying to wake you up.”

  I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. “W
hat time is it?”

  “Two. I crept in here a few hours ago.”

  I turned so I was facing her. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

  “Trust me. I tried. So I gave up and snuggled with you instead.”

  I kissed her. She was soft and pliant. My heart sped as I processed that she was here with me, that last night wasn’t a mistake or a fluke. “I’m so happy you’re here.”

  She responded by flipping me over, straddling my hips, and working her mouth down me. I slipped off my T-shirt as she shimmied my shorts over my hips and down my legs. I hated that she had her clothes on. I’d just slept for five hours and was rejuvenated, the blood pumping through me burning hot.

  “Are you cold?” She lifted her mouth off me and stared at the chill bumps that were everywhere.

  “I’m burning up.”

  She smiled and continued her trek. I needed her touch everywhere. We didn’t have the luxury of time so I slid her pajama top off. The feel of her bare breasts against my thighs set off another wave of chill bumps. I reached for a pillow to cover my face as a moan escaped. Brook wasted no time spreading my thighs and running her tongue up and down my slit.

  “You’re so wet already.”

  She wasn’t wrong. I was gushing. She slid two fingers inside me as deep as she could. I moaned into the pillow again, digging my heels into the mattress and raising my hips to greedily greet every thrust. “I think you like this.” Her voice was thick and low.

  I nodded and lifted the pillow long enough to answer her. “Oh, I definitely like this.”

  With her fingers still inside me, she moved up me. “Move the pillow, Cass.”

  I obliged. Her face hovered above mine.

  “I want to watch you.”

  “I want to kiss you.” I leaned up to capture her lips in mine, but she moved away.

  “Not yet.”

  She slid a leg between mine and held her knee against her hand, keeping her fingers deep inside me. I moved against her hand.

  “Give me more,” I said.

  She relaxed her leg and worked a third finger inside me. I took a deep breath at the girth.

  “You’re so tight.” She kissed me and slowly moved her fingers in and out. I gasped into her mouth, tugging at her bottom lip with my teeth, careful not to hurt her, but enough to let her know I liked what she was doing to me. We nipped at one another for a few minutes, but once her hand picked up speed, our kiss deepened, and we forgot the playful biting. Her tongue and fingers were deep inside me, and I wasn’t sure where to focus or even if I could. I let my instincts take over and moved against her, with her, until she gave me exactly what I needed. Her kiss stifled my moan, and I broke the kiss to gasp air.

  “Damn. You should wake me up like that all the time.”

  She smiled and rested on me. Her head was on my shoulder, her arm draped over my waist. After pulling the covers over us, she snuggled into me. The adrenaline was still coursing through my veins, and I couldn’t sleep, so I lay there quietly as not to disturb her. Several minutes later, when her fingers drew little patterns on my skin, I realized she was still awake.

  “Only one more night, and then we head back. It’s been fun. I’m sorry I haven’t spent more time with you,” she said.

  I turned to look at her. “You’re here with your family. Don’t worry about me. Are you at least having a good time with them?”

  “I love spending time with Erica. My sister’s just hard. I never know what version of her I’m hanging out with. Sometimes she’s a ton of fun, and others she’s a complete killjoy. Of course, my parents are great.”

  “They are surprisingly down-to-earth.”

  “For rich people, you mean?”

  I nodded. “Not exactly. My parents are well off, but they aren’t nearly as fun and relaxed as yours.”

  “How was Christmas with them?”

  “Eh, okay. The dynamics of our relationship have changed, so I wasn’t overly stressed. I’m surviving nicely.” I gave her a quick squeeze and pulled the blanket up to below our chins. Now that my body temperature was dropping back to normal, I was cold.

  “Look at my parents and then look at Gwen. She loves having a staff to boss around and making sure people know she’s superior. Anthony and I are very different from her,” she said.

  I didn’t point out that Brook fit the classic definition of an ice queen. But whereas Gwen was mean, Brook had a good heart. She was just all business. And even though we’d had sex several times just in the last two days, we never talked about our emotions or what all of this meant. This relationship was still employee and employer, and at some point, we were going to have to address the situation. Right now, I just wanted to taste her and hold her.

  “Let’s not talk about family right now. I don’t want my libido to shrivel up and run away,” I said.

  As predicted, she slid on top of me. “I don’t want it to leave either. What should we do to make it stay?”

  “Hmm. I can think of a few delicious things.”

  “Oh, yeah?” She kissed me.

  I grabbed her waist and dragged her up me until her knees were on either side of my head. “Definitely this right here.” I brought her pussy down onto my mouth. Brook wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed to have sex. I tapped her thigh several times when her moans grew loud. She’d quieten but then get loud again. When she finally came, I held her legs down until she rode each wave out. I knew she was loud, and the bed was moving. I just prayed no one heard us.

  “That was definitely worth losing sleep over,” she said. She crawled off me and stretched out beside me. I pulled her into my arms when she put her head on my shoulder.

  “I promise to never disappoint,” I said.

  I felt her nod, and within seconds, her breathing evened out. I reached for my phone and set the alarm for two hours from now. Hopefully the kids wouldn’t get up early.

  * * *

  If I thought Gwen was rude before, she was unbearable this morning. I almost took my cup of coffee upstairs but decided to hang out to find out the day’s plans. I was surprised to find luggage by the front door.

  “Are you really leaving?” Erica asked Gwen.

  “Yes.”

  “That’s it? Just yes?” Erica grabbed Frances and hugged her.

  “Ask Brook. She knows why.” Gwen huffed and glared at me.

  Fuck. She knew. I wonder who else did.

  “Where is Brook?” Erica asked.

  “She probably needed a nap after her night,” Gwen said.

  I sputtered out my coffee, spraying some of it on the counter, then apologized and wiped the mess with a napkin. When Camila walked into the kitchen, she didn’t look at me.

  “Good morning, everyone.”

  “Good morning,” Erica and I said in unison.

  “What are the plans for the day?” Erica asked.

  “We’re going for a sleigh ride tonight before dinner, but the day’s free. Cassie, what are you thinking for Griffin and Noah?” Camila asked.

  “I guess since I have only them, we can go tubing on one of the steeper hills. Two kids are a lot easier to handle than three,” I said.

  “Good morning.”

  Brook breezed into the room, Noah close behind her.

  “Hi, Cassie,” Noah said.

  I ruffled his hair. “What are you hungry for?”

  “I already ate.”

  I looked at my watch. “It’s only eight. What time did you get up today?”

  He shrugged. “I played on my iPad until Mom found me.”

  “Were you hiding?” I was a little nervous at his answer. It had never occurred to me that Noah might try to sneak up to my room and want to play on the Switch. What if he’d heard me and Brook? I watched his behavior, but he was acting like himself, not like he’d heard or, worse, seen his mom and me having really good sex.

  “What are the plans for today?” Brook asked Camila.

  “Just skiing and later going on a sleigh ride after dinner. Cassie,
you’re more than welcome to join us on the sleigh ride and for dinner since this is our last night,” Camila said.

  I gave Brook a quick glance to see if she was okay with the plan before I accepted the invitation. She gave me her signature nod.

  “That sounds really nice. Thank you.”

  “Our ride’s here,” Gwen said.

  I shrank in my chair, waiting for her to tear into us. Something had really pissed her off, and I could only imagine it was our activity four hours ago.

  “Good-bye, Mother.” She kissed Camila on her cheek and whirled by me on her way to air-kiss Erica’s. “I’ll see you next week.” She kissed Noah on his cheek, too, which he promptly wiped off. I turned my head and tried not to smile at his honesty. Lipstick was pretty gross.

  “I’ll tell your father you said good-bye,” Camila said.

  And just like that, Gwen and Frances were gone. I looked at Brook, who shrugged at me. I swallowed hard. We were the reason Gwen left. I felt guilty.

  “Well, let’s hit the slopes, shall we?” Erica asked. She squeezed my waist when she walked by me, which made me smile. “Cassie, come with us. Camila’s going to watch the kids until the men get back from their snowshoeing trek.”

  I looked at Brook to see if she was okay with the idea. Another nod. “Sure, I’d love to.” Never mind that I was exhausted, sore in all delicious places, and could have used the two hours wisely. Any chance to spend time with Brook was always going to win out.

  I quickly changed into snow pants and piled on layers to avoid a coat. It was cold but not windy, and I tended to sweat a lot when I skied.

  “Mom, call me when everyone gets back,” Brook said.

  “Don’t worry about it. I don’t get to see the grandkids a lot. You just have fun.”

  “Thank you, Camila,” I said.

  We were barely out of the cabin when Erica turned to us. “What’s going on? Is what I think happening really happening?”

  “What do you mean?” Brook asked.

  “Come on. Gwen heard you last night.” Erica was whispering very loudly, and Brook hushed her.

  “Gwen did not hear anything last night,” Brook said.