“How so?” Jaden inquired.
“Well, let’s just say I caught her with her hand in the cookie jar,” he said with a wry smile. “I was heartbroken—not because I’d lost a lover, but because I lost a friend. It was then that I swore I’d never again attempt a long-distance relationship. They’re doomed from the start. I promised myself I’d never lose a friend that way again. I’d rather sacrifice a relationship to keep a friendship.”
Jaden lifted his arm and placed it around her shoulder. Resting her head against his chest, she let the sound of his beating heart soothe her. She felt a peace with his answer, but she wasn’t certain he felt the same way. Taking his hand in hers, she squeezed it reassuringly.
“Ivan, we’ve both had our fair share of dents and burns. Some are just worse than others. I’ve come to realize that no matter how past relationships have ended, they always leave a mark on your heart. We’ll always carry around a piece of that person with us, because part of them is what helped mold us into the people we are today. Whether it was a lesson learned or a lesson taught, there’s a reason they were in our lives, and we should be thankful for what they gave us.” Jaden smiled as she tilted her head and brought her lips to meet his. In her heart, she kissed Ivan not as her boyfriend, but as her lover, her partner, and her soul mate. “Thank you for telling me that. It means a lot.”
“How did I get so lucky?” he asked and silenced her with another kiss, this one more heated and full of need.
Jaden broke the kiss and sat back on the sofa. Still reeling with passion, she now looked at the mounted animals that hung from the walls with all the accolades. She felt a little creeped out as dozens of glassy eyes stared back at her. “I can’t help but shake the feeling we’re being watched,” she said with a smile.
“You too?” Ivan asked. “We have to get going anyway. I have a surprise for you tonight, so go upstairs and pack your bags.”
“Yes, doctor.” Jaden always liked the response that elicited. As soon as she stood, she felt the stinging pleasure and pain of Ivan’s hand as it came down across her ass.
“You’re in for it tonight, mister,” she yelled over her shoulder as she took the stairs two at a time.
“Promise?” Ivan caught up with her, cupping her ass and urging her to go faster.
Throwing her stuff into her bag, Jaden double and triple checked to make sure she wasn’t forgetting anything. With her bag slung over her shoulder, she turned off the light and closed the door to the guest room, hoping it wouldn’t be too long until she returned. When she rounded the corner, Ivan stood at the entrance to the kitchen with his family close by, waiting to say their goodbyes.
“You guys better get moving if you want to make it by dark,” Marie said.
Jaden followed her gaze out the kitchen window to the darkening sky beyond and the faintly glowing, opalescent snow.
“Come here, dear.” Marie gave Jaden one last hug and bid her adieu.
Each member of Ivan’s family wished her well, hugged and kissed her, and reminded her she was always welcome back. At the end of the line stood Elise, arms wide open. “I’m gonna miss you, girl. I wish we had more time.”
“I’m gonna miss you too,” Jaden said and launched herself into Elise’s hug. “I’ll be back soon though.”
“Promise?” Elise asked.
“I promise.” Jaden smiled, afraid of the tears if she said anything else. She turned to find Ivan close behind her, saying his farewells. He seemed to be having a hard time saying goodbye too.
“Make sure you come back,” John bellowed as they walked out the front door. “And I’m talking to Jaden, of course.”
“Ha, ha… Very funny, old man,” Ivan replied as he shut the door behind them and led Jaden to the waiting car. He opened her door and helped her into the car before loading their luggage into the back.
Just as the Jeep roared to life, the front door of the house opened and Marie poked her head out. “Leave the car at the airport,” she yelled. “I’ll pick it up when I drop your sister off tomorrow.”
Shooting his mom a thumbs-up and blowing her a kiss, Ivan revved the engine and put the Jeep in reverse.
“What an amazing time,” Jaden said, taking one last look at the family as they all waved from the window.
“The night’s still young, baby girl.”
Jaden had no clue where they were going, but she was happy to be topping off the perfect weekend with what was sure to be an unforgettable night. Sitting back in the plush leather seat, she listened to the Counting Crows sing about oysters with no pearls and long Decembers. But Jaden had found a pearl, and December was shaping up to be one of the best months ever.
Ivan stroked the back of her hand, speaking volumes without uttering a single word. Not far into the trip, he turned down a small dirt road. Lush evergreens and bare maple trees lined the sides of a snowy and slushy road. As they progressed further into the forest, the trees grew denser, and the dirt road seemed worse for the wear.
Jaden sat up in the seat, paying more attention to her surroundings. They pulled up to a gate that blocked the way to a snowy, tree-filled corridor. Ivan hopped out and unlocked it, pulling it aside and granting them entry to the smaller road that lay just beyond.
“I’m not even going to ask,” she said when he returned to the car, shivering from the cold.
Farther down the snow-strewn path, Jaden said goodbye to civilization and hello once again to the backwoods of northwestern Pennsylvania. Off in the distance she could see a small wooden cabin nestled in a clump of barren trees, complete with a stack of freshly cut firewood neatly arranged on the porch. She realized this was what Ivan meant when he said they’d have their own place.
“Oh, my God, this is beautiful.”
“It’s no Ritz, but it’ll serve as our home away from home for the night.” Ivan turned off the car and opened the door into a blast of frigid air.
“I love it,” Jaden mused as she slid out of the car.
“Don’t speak too soon,” he warned. “There’s no electricity or running water. I hope you don’t mind roughing it for the night.”
“Even better,” she assured him, turning to face him in the fading light. She felt certain he could keep her warm.
“You never cease to amaze me, baby girl.” Ivan walked to the back of the Jeep and retrieved not only their luggage, but a few other items someone had placed there prior to their departure.
With the luggage in one hand and a flashlight in the other, Ivan helped Jaden pick her way up the icy path that led to the cabin. Placing the bags on the ground, he unlocked the front door, and before she could protest, he swept her into his arms. She blushed and buried her face in his chest.
“A palace for my princess,” Ivan whispered as he kicked open the door and carried Jaden over the threshold.
Chapter 27
“Love Of My Life”
THE CABIN WAS BLACK INSIDE, completely devoid of light. Setting Jaden back on her feet, Ivan fumbled around in search of a lantern. He knew it usually sat on the dresser, so he felt his way across the room until his hands found the cold metal casing. He pulled a small plastic lighter from his pocket, first using it to see the lantern, and then using it to light the wick and illuminate the cabin where he’d spent so many summers with his aunt.
For reasons unbeknownst to him, Ivan felt nervous, like a teenage boy about to kiss his girlfriend for the first time. There was something different about tonight, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. When he spoke, his words came out jumbled together. “Do you want me to light a fire?”
“I was promised one, so now you’d better deliver, doc,” Jaden demanded, her voice confident as she sat down on the bed, letting her legs fall open in such a way that he instantly grew hard.
He went right to work at building a fire, both to impress his girl and to banish the numbness that had taken over his extremities—well, except for one of them. But Ivan had a feeling he and Jaden would be generating heat of t
heir own soon enough. Kicking open the door to the woodstove, he made quick work of arranging the dry logs his dad had already stacked in a dummy-proof way. A small flame was all that was needed to ignite the bundle of kindling beneath the wood, and within minutes a fire roared to life, bringing light and warmth to the cabin and its occupants.
Braving the cold once more, Ivan went back outside and returned a minute later with their bags. He set them down on the floor beside the bed, drawn in by Jaden’s capricious smile, which again caused his cock to rise to full attention.
Jaden shifted, and the bed creaked as she leaned back and rested on her elbows. Ivan watched as her eyes roved over the cabin. “So, are we breaking and entering?” she asked with a naughty look.
Laughing, Ivan filled her in. “This place belongs to my aunt. She moved to the city when the winters got too hard for her to handle, but I spent a lot of time with her here when I was a kid, chasing fireflies, hunting for insects, and learning to draw.” Ivan pointed to one of the drawings on the wall: a man holding an umbrella and being blown away, rendered in black and white. “We used to pick a song and draw pictures that represented it. This one here is ‘Dust in the Wind,’ as imagined by an eight-year-old.”
Jaden smiled and shook her head. “You’re truly a man of many talents! And I think it’s finally warm in here.” As she stripped away her outer layers, Ivan began removing some of his clothing as well.
“I love it. It’s so cozy,” she said. “But no running water?”
“Don’t worry about that. The toilet flushes. We just have to use bottled water.” Pulling back a cloth on the counter, Ivan revealed the several now-frozen gallons of water his mom had dropped off earlier in the day. He moved the containers over next to the fire to thaw. “Mom is a doll.”
“Baby, I feel like I’m in a romance novel or something,” Jaden said. “Now all we need is for you to fight off a pack of wolves and make love to me all night.” She began to remove some not-so-outer layers of her clothing.
“Well, I can’t promise the wolves…” Ivan said seductively. Then in an instant, he pounced. Tackling her back into the bed, he rubbed his hardness along her naked thigh. “But maybe we can make that romance novel an erotic one, eh?”
Just as Jaden began to respond, Ivan sprang from the bed and gathered a large box from the counter. He pulled out a plastic container, two wine glasses, and two bottles of strawberry-rhubarb special from Van’s house.
“It wouldn’t be a romance novel, and I wouldn’t be a gentleman, if I didn’t at least wine and dine you first.” Ivan uncorked one of the bottles and poured two glasses.
“What else is in the box?” Jaden asked, sitting up on the bed and cloaking herself in the sheet.
“Patience, baby girl. First you have to close your eyes and open your mouth.” Ivan couldn’t stop the laugh that escaped him as Jaden’s gaze drifted between his legs. “Don’t let your mind wander there just yet. I have something else for you.”
Obediently, and seemingly without any hesitation, Jaden closed her eyes and opened her mouth. Ivan carefully placed a treat on her tongue. Eyes still closed, her eyebrows furrowed for a moment as she sought to solve the mystery. Then she smiled and bit down. “Mmm…chocolate-covered strawberries. To hell with wolves, this is so much better!”
Ivan sat down, popping a strawberry in his own mouth, and Jaden crawled over to straddle his legs, her eyes never leaving his as they locked in a sexy stare down. She reached for the button on his pants, but he stopped her.
Grasping her shoulders, Ivan flipped Jaden on to her back, and using the weight of his body, he pinned her to the mattress. He marveled as the fire’s glow danced across her chest, her nipples hard and erect.
“That’s not fair,” Jaden teased, tugging at the waistband of his jeans. “You’re still dressed, and I’m almost naked.”
“Almost, but not quite,” Ivan croaked. He hooked a finger around the edge of her panties and pulled them down, adding them to the pile of clothes on the floor. “Now you’re naked.”
Jaden rested her head against the down pillows and closed her eyes.
Ivan’s fingers hugged the soft contours of her body as they greedily explored every inch. He already knew every freckle, every mole, and every scar that marked her porcelain skin, but he’d never grow tired of the way she felt beneath his hands. Moving to lay beside her on the bed, his smile widened when Jaden sighed her approval. With unhurried movements, he continued to trail his fingers across her skin and up the inside of her leg, stopping when he reached her smooth pussy. Her breast felt warm against his lips as he pressed them to her skin, and he whispered softly as he drew her into his mouth. “Let me in.”
Jaden uttered a low moan and whispered, “What’s the magic word?”
But he could tell her mind was already made up when she spread her legs a little farther without waiting for his response. Her soft folds felt like satin to the touch, warm, slick, and smooth. His fingers teased over her until he found what he was looking for and slid a finger deep within. Jaden moaned and arched into him, and Ivan grew impossibly harder. Sliding another finger in, Ivan stroked Jaden as if he were playing a guitar, but the music she made was much sweeter.
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” Ivan murmured as his fingers continued to caress her, readying her body to take him. Just feet away the fire roared, casting flickering light on her skin and streaking her ebony hair with hues of gold. Never in his life had Ivan witnessed such a breathtaking sight. Jaden’s body quivered as his fingers found the sweet spot buried deep within, each of his movements bringing her closer to climax.
“Oh, God,” Jaden cried, her body moving in sync to the strumming of his hand. He brushed his thumb lightly against her clit with each thrust.
“Ivan, please…” she begged. “Make me come.”
“Is this what you want, baby girl?” he asked. Circling her swollen bud with his thumb, Ivan stroked deeper into Jaden’s body, and he could feel her muscles grip his fingers as she inched closer to release. “Yes,” she breathed as he took her taut breast into his mouth, rolling her rigid nipple between his teeth.
And then he felt her release. Jaden cried out and spasmed as her body drenched Ivan’s hand.
Ivan slowed his movements as he eased Jaden down from her high. When the trembling subsided and her breathing returned to normal, she finally opened her eyes. The color of pristine emeralds shone brightly in the glow of the roaring fire, and Ivan felt his heart stop for a moment. This goddess who had stolen his heart was a vision to behold. He could look at her for the rest of his life.
Ivan brushed the arc of her cheekbone as he kissed her mouth. Jaden parted her lips, welcoming him. Her tongue felt warm against his, and she tasted of strawberries and wine. There was nothing rushed or rough to this kiss; it was tender and soft. It was the delicate kiss of two souls.
But the moment of tenderness passed quickly, as Jaden sprang into action and worked to rid him of his pants. She lowered the zipper, and Ivan pulled his jeans down and over his ankles before ripping off his shirt, leaving him naked as the day he was born.
Jaden climbed on top of him and hovered just inches above his dick while working a condom down his length. Then with a naughty smirk, she thrust herself over him. The feel of her velvety softness enveloping him drove all rational thought from his mind. With slow, deliberate strokes, he thrust into her again and again as she rode his cock hard and long. Jaden worked him as if he was a sex toy. Switching her movements between erotic bounces and harsh grinds, she gave herself to him, whipping her hair back and forth.
Ivan rolled her onto her back and brought both her legs to rest on his shoulders, allowing for maximum penetration. Jaden’s eyes widened, never leaving his as their bodies worked in unison. She bucked her hips, urging him faster, but instead Ivan slowed his pace. Once more she tried to urge him on, and again he refused.
Smiling down at her, Ivan whispered through gasps of air. “Trust me, it’ll be well wort
h the wait.”
The tension began to mount as their bodies struggled for release through a haze of pleasure. Finally his pace quickened, and he drove deeper and harder into the very core of her body, each thrust bringing them closer to a monumental, earth-shattering climax.
Jaden clutched his wrists, and he could feel her nails digging into his skin as she struggled for a grip. He was sure he’d see the marks of her efforts later. A cold breeze passed across his bare skin, a sharp contrast to the blaring heat of the fire, and Ivan shivered. Their bodies moved in sync as he relentlessly propelled himself forward, and in a moment where time stood still, they cried out their ecstasy in unison, screaming as their bodies exploded in pure, unadulterated bliss.
What seemed like an eternity later, Ivan rolled on to his side and faced Jaden. The emotions that had been building inside him for the past few months had finally crested, and it was time he bared his soul to this woman who’d claimed not only his heart but his entire being. No longer able to hold back the feeling that had been planted the moment she walked into his life, nurtured through every second they’d spent together, strengthened through challenge, and bloomed in the presence of his family, Ivan spoke.
“Jaden,” he whispered, trailing a finger across the glistening skin of her stomach and coming to rest at the apex of her nipple. He continued to trace a circular pattern around her breast, but his mind was elsewhere. The look of pure contentment on Jaden’s face was enough to give him the strength to continue. “Love is a word that gets tossed around way too much.”
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