Forever Winter

by Riley, Alexa

  Sam, who helps run the estate, catches my attention out of the corner of my eye, picking up one of the boxes to move them. I keep my eyes locked on my angel, not wanting her from my sight.

  “Put them in the west wing,” I tell him.

  “But, sir, you said—”

  “The west wing,” I grit out. “She’s not fucking staying in his room,” I finish. My mom gasps as I clear the distance between me and the woman who has ruled my mind for the last four months. The same one my brother is engaged to.

  Chapter 3

  Winter

  I stare up at the same dark eyes that I see every night when I close my eyes. He takes my hand and pulls me from the SUV. From the look on his face I think it’s going to be rough, but his hold is gentle yet firm. My heart starts to race. I almost forget where I am for a moment. So many emotions fill me, making me lightheaded. My heart and mind try to catch up with one another.

  “Bo?” Mary, Cory’s mom, asks. Her eyes dart between him and me. I’m sure her confusion is as great as mine right now. Wait, did she call him Bo?

  I pull on my arm, trying to free myself. “Don’t even think about it,” Robert warns. I still. Mary’s eyes grow wide. Everything grows silent. I could swear the snow stops falling for a moment before we’re moving again as Robert ushers me inside quickly.

  Mary follows us. I can’t understand what she’s saying. I start to feel dizzy.

  I trip over a box in my confusion. I hear someone bellow, “Fuck!” before I’m scooped up in Robert’s embrace.

  “Why are you here?” I ask. He stares down at me and I wonder if I spoke the words out loud. I go to repeat myself, but he pulls me more into his arms, my feet leaving the ground and he’s moving once again.

  “I think I’m going to be sick,” I whisper. Robert stops for a second, looking down at me. My face must show I’m not playing around because he takes off running. Moments later I’m in a bathroom and leaning over the toilet. He pulls my hair back and puts a cold rag to my forehead. The dizziness starts to fade as he whispers into my ear, ordering me to take a deep breath.

  I do as he commends, the nausea slipping away. “I think I’m okay now,” I admit. Robert lifts me again before I can protest. I rest my head against his chest. For the first time in months I actually feel relaxed, which is crazy because as my mind starts to play catch up on the last ten minutes I’m putting together that Bo is short for Robert.

  Robert never told me his name. I’d only heard the other man from the table call him that. Cory and his mom always call him Bo when they mention him. Things just got even messier than they already were.

  I peek up at Robert when I notice we’ve stopped moving and I’m now in his lap. His look is more rugged than I remember. His suit is gone, replaced with a tight black thermal. His beard is longer and more gruff. He went and got hotter while I went and got chubbier. Great. Oh, and I almost vomited on him.

  “Winter, are you okay?” Mary asks, reminding me that we aren't alone. I’m not sure if I’m thankful for that or not.

  “Yeah, I think maybe the long car ride did it.” It’s not a lie. I’d grown uneasy on the way here. I hate lying and the closer we got, the worse my anxiety got. But I was going to do it. For Cory. Now I’m not sure what to do because things have changed. His brother is going to know Cory and I haven't been dating for a year like Cory said. Or maybe he does believe his brother. Then that means he thought I was… I abandon that train of thought. It will only knot my stomach more.

  “Maybe you should lie down until dinner. Sam is putting everything in your room now.” I feel Robert’s grip on me tighten. I’m not sure if he did it on purpose. It’s a silent warning that I’m not going anywhere.

  “I just need a moment,” I want to say ‘alone’, but somehow I know that’s not going to happen. Plus, I’m not sure I want to be alone. If I would do anything at all right now it would be nothing. Just lay my head on Robert’s chest and enjoy his deep rich smell, which is helping my nerves.

  “Maybe you should lay her down.” Mary motions to the rest of the sofa, where Robert could lay me, but he doesn't move. He doesn't even respond. “Okay then.” Her eyes dart back and forth between us.

  “Where is Cory?” Robert asks. His voice is deep and rumbles from his chest.

  “He is running behind. He had work to finish,” I answer. Mary rolls her eyes.

  “These boys and their work. Did you learn anything from your father’s mistakes?” Robert tenses beneath me at his mom's words.

  “I mean, really? He can’t leave work a little early to escort his fiancée up to their family home?” She shakes her head, pacing back and forth and getting madder as she talks more to herself than to us. I want to stand up for Cory and tell her I’m not his fiancé so it’s not so big a deal, but Cory made that bed so he can lie in it. I’m not going up against his mom for him when it’s all a lie. I’ll keep on being quiet.

  “I would have,” Robert says, making his mom stop pacing. She levels him with a stare.

  “Yeah, sure you would have. You're the worst of them. You couldn't even remember Winter’s name and she’s been in your brother’s life for years.”

  Robert sucks in a deep breath as if someone punched him right in the stomach.

  “Years,” he says under his breath. “Fucking years you’ve been there.”

  I don’t understand what he's getting at. The room goes quiet again. I let my eyes fall closed, snuggling further into Robert. I swear I hear him say something about never letting me go again before I drift off to sleep.

  Chapter 4

  Bo

  I feel her breathing even out as her head lies on my chest. For the first time in months, calm falls over me. I breathe in her sweet smell, and that simmering anger I’ve had for months recedes and draws me from the edge I’ve been teetering on. Oh, it’s still partly there. I have a million questions in my mind that need to be answered, but for a moment I enjoy the fact that I’ve got her back. That’s the most important thing in all of this. I can sort the rest out in time.

  My mom clears her throat, reminding me we aren’t alone. I lift my head that I’d burrowed in her chestnut hair. She smells like winter. Her name suits her. I’d been calling her my snow angel. It makes my chest ache. Years. I could have had her years ago if I’d pulled my head out of my ass.

  “You want to tell me what’s going on here?” my mom asks in a hushed whisper.

  “I don’t know,” I answer truthfully. I have no fucking clue what is going on, but I can’t get my arms to move from holding her close.

  “I’ll call Cory,” she says, giving me a long look. “I take it you got her.” Her sarcasm is clear in her tone as she nods to Winter, who I’m holding onto tightly.

  I only nod in agreement, fighting a rumble that tries to come from my chest at the idea of not having her. Fucking hell. What is wrong with me?

  She shifts in my lap, making me groan as her little ass wiggles over my cock that woke up the moment I saw her. She buries her face in my neck. Her warm breath against my skin has me closing my eyes trying to pull it together. My balls draw up, begging me to thrust up and rub against her. It wouldn’t be much, but at this point I’m a begging dog that would take scraps from her. How the mighty have fallen. I need to get it together.

  She doesn’t feel well, I remind myself. Reluctantly I stand with her in my arms and carry her from my office and up the stairs. I don’t have to think where I’m taking her as I move towards the west wing—my wing—down the long hallway and into my room.

  I walk straight over to my bed, putting her down in the spot I normally lie. Slowly I slide my arms out from under her, not wanting to wake her. I stand there staring down at her. Not hours ago I feared I’d never find her but now here she lies in my bed, making it more inviting than it’s ever been. Normally I have to make myself go to bed as I tend to work well into the night. I don’t think I’d have that problem if she were in my bed.

  I brush a piece of her soft hair o
ff her face, wanting to see all of her face again. Her full lips part in a sigh that goes straight to my dick. How many times have I jacked myself off, regretting that I never got to feel her mouth around me?

  I’d regretted a lot of things when it came to her, thinking they might never come to be. My mind played out a life with her all on its own when I’d be sitting at my desk instead of working. She ruled my thoughts. I’d even pondered that if I found her maybe it would help calm that constant obsession of thinking of her, but seeing her lying before me I know how wrong that was.

  I trace her mouth with my thumb and another one of those adorable sighs comes from her. I want to know what it would feel like if my cock was inside of her while she did it. Or if she’d do it if I woke her in the morning with my face between her thighs.

  My mouth starts to water thinking about her taste. My gaze drifts down her body, wanting to take more of her in. She shifts again, the oversized red sweater she’s wearing bunching up and revealing her soft stomach.

  My eyes focus in on the small bump that I know wasn’t there before. I didn’t have long with my angel, but I’d memorized every part of her. My heart starts to pound as I take in what I’m seeing. How many times had I wondered if I could have gotten her pregnant?

  I thought that night before I slipped inside of her that there was nothing between us. It had only pushed me on. I got off on knowing I was bare inside her. Got off on the fact that she didn’t fight me on that fact either.

  My already hard cock jerks, wanting to feel that all over again. I turn, heading for the bathroom but leaving the door open in case she wakes. I rest against the wall and unbutton my jeans, watching her in the mirror. I tell myself it’s so I can make sure she’s okay, but I really know that I want my eyes on her while I do this.

  I angrily jerk my cock as I suck in a deep breath, trying to smell her on me still. It doesn’t take much after having her pressed against me, smelling her, and then it’s there. I growl as I cum thinking about the round baby bump she now has.

  I fight, making more noise as I cum into my hand, trying to be quiet. I have to brace myself so I don’t fall to my knees as more cum shoots from my cock. Still my cock is hard, begging me to go back into my bedroom and take her. I know it won’t go down until I do. Fuck, I’m not sure it will then either. It might take days, months, likely years.

  I take a deep breath, getting my shit together as best as I can hoping this has taken the edge of need off for a moment. I don't need to scare her. She’s already freaking out as it was. She almost fucking threw up. I don’t know if it’s from the shock of seeing me or normal pregnancy symptoms. I know nothing about pregnancy, but I’m pretty sure that’s one thing that comes with it.

  I drag myself over to the sink to clean up and right my clothes. When I look in the mirror, I expect to feel shame, but it doesn't come. I smile. I’ve got her back and there is nowhere for her to run off to this time. I’ll hide every phone and key in this house to keep her here if I have to. I can be a bastard when it comes to getting something I want, and this isn’t even a want. It’s a need. Who knows what lengths I’ll go to for that? I’m not sure anyone, including myself, wants to know the answer to that.

  When I step out of the bathroom, she’s just as I left her. I walk over and rub my hand along the small bump. My heart races. I’m going to be a father. No, I’m going to be a dad. I have changes I need to make. Even if she isn't pregnant, I still need to make them. I won’t be the husband or father mine had been.

  I can already tell I’m not going to like being away from her. Right now I want to crawl into the bed with her and pull her close. I go to do it but pause when I hear a soft tap on the door. I turn my head to see my mom standing there, reminding me of the shit storm I’m in. How easily I’d forgotten about everything else once I’d gotten her back into my room. Nothing else mattered. Now reality is knocking on my door.

  I sigh, tucking the blanket around her. I know I shouldn't, but I do it anyway. Leaning down, I brush my mouth against her forehead, knowing that isn't going to help me deal with my mom in a moment, but I have to do it. To feel her soft skin on my lips. Maybe it will help me get through the next few hours until she wakes. When I can really get some answers.

  Chapter 5

  Bo

  “You going to tell me what’s going on?” my mom asks as she follows me down the long hallway.

  “Do you think we should call a doctor?” I respond with a question of my own. I stop walking, looking back at my bedroom door and thinking maybe I should go back to her and watch her sleep in case she needs something.

  “No, she doesn’t need a doctor for a stomach ache. What is wrong with you?” I look down at my mom, who is once again looking at me as if I’ve lost my mind.

  “Maybe you need a doctor,” she throws back at me. Then she actually lifts her hand to check my forehead. “You’ve been acting so weird these past few months and now…” She looks back towards my bedroom door.

  “I thought you didn't know who Winter was.” She drops her hand from my forehead. She isn't going to let this go until she gets answers. Answers I don’t have myself. Not that it matters—she’s mine.

  “You said she and Cory were friends before they—” I can’t even say the words. My fists clench at my sides. Maybe it’s a good thing Cory isn't here yet. I have to come to terms with the fact that he had her at one time. I don’t care if it was before or after me. I’m keeping her either way. Not just her but that baby growing inside of her. Anything that comes from her is mine. I don’t give a fuck what anyone else tries to say.

  How could he have ever been friends with her at one time? If that was the case, he doesn’t deserve her. He should have seen what he had the moment he laid his eyes on her like I had.

  “Yes, they have been close for a long time. I’d always wondered why they weren’t a couple.”

  My anger spikes again at her simple statement pairing him with Winter even if it’s only in her mind. The taste of jealousy is new to me and I’m not sure how to handle it. That edge Winter had taken off me starts to come back.

  “Here I thought you were going to be an asshole to the sweet girl, but now you…” She waves her hand in the air. “I really don’t know what you’re doing.”

  “Taking what’s mine,” I say before I can even try and stop myself. I know I could have put it a less barbaric way, but fuck it. At this point everyone thinks I’m losing it anyways I actually feel a tinge of relief at getting that out there. I turn and head toward my office, leaving my mom standing there with a shocked look on her face. It’s better to rip the Band-Aid off. It’s how I operate.

  I see Sam carrying some of the boxes that were delivered down the hall as I’d told him to do. “Put them outside my bedroom door,” I tell him. I don’t want him to go in and see my angel laid out in bed. The boxes that once pissed me off are actually making me happy now. It’s good she has her shit here already. One less thing to handle. It doesn't take my mom long to catch up with me.

  “Where is he?” I ask. Might as well get this over with, too. Does he know she’s pregnant? Why would he let her travel up here alone? I’m on edge just having her out of my sight. What if she tries to slip away on me again? I flip the monitors that sit behind my desk, scrolling the news and stock markets on mute over to my security feed that I never bother to use. I’ve finally found a good use for it.

  It was installed years ago and is state of the art. I’d had it done because we didn't venture out here often then and I wanted the place not only secure but to be accessible remotely. I click until I find the camera that points down the hallway to my room. There, maybe that will allow me to get some things done.

  “He’s still in the city.” My mom pauses to stop in front of my desk, placing her hands on it. I think she is going to start with more questions, but she watches me for a moment. I know she is thinking over what to say next. I reach for my phone to call my brother.

  “He said he will be here as soon as he
can. Though he might hurry if I tell him you’ve put his fiancée in your room.”

  “Don’t call her that.” I clench the phone in my hand. She holds her arms over her chest. “There wasn’t a ring on her finger.” I looked.

  “First I can’t get either one of you to date and now you’re going to go head to head over a girl.” She raises an eyebrow at me. “One that I’m pretty sure you didn’t like not even fifteen minutes ago.”

  “He can’t love her if they’ve been friends for years,” I try and reason. I’m not sure if it’s to make myself feel a little better about taking my brother’s fiancée or to temper my mom.

  “Sometimes loves takes time to develop. Are you telling me you love her?” she counters. Time to develop, my ass. When you know you know. At least that’s how I felt in most things in my life. It has gotten me this far.

  Still, her question takes me aback. Am I in love? Though I’m not sure what love is supposed to feel like when it comes to someone who isn’t related to you. The only other people I truly care about are my mom and brother. Here I am ready to steamroll right over my brother for this girl.

  “I don’t know what this is.” If I’m willing to hurt someone I do truly care about to have her, it has to be love. Or am I just a selfish bastard? Here I thought I’d been trying to save my family for the past five years from the mess my father made and I’m likely about to crush it in one move. Just in a whole different kind of way.

  “You know your father once said to me he wasn't sure if you’d be a good fit to take over the family companies. He didn’t know if you would be able to handle all that was involved in running so many things.”

  So many things is putting it mildly. Things were a fucking mess when I’d stepped in. The familys company’s finances need a total rehaul. Still, it’s a little shocking my father had thought that. We were never the closest. You can’t be close to someone who’s never around. It was always unspoken that I would take over someday. We just hadn’t realized it would be so soon.