by Nikki Steele
I moved toward it with eyes full of worship. I hadn’t thought it possible for me to be excited again so quickly. But looking at him—dragging that white cloth down and observing him spring to attention just for me—I knew I was wrong. I pushed him across the room, then lay him down upon the rug before the fire. “No more lessons,” my tigress growled. “Not tonight.” I straddled him. “The rest of tonight, and quite possibly into the early hours of the morning, is going to just be about good, old-fashioned fucking.”
His eyes widened at my language. Then they widened even more as I slid down upon him. We both groaned in unison. Then I let my body tell me what to do. I released all inhibition and just did what felt good.
I started rocking back and forth, grinding myself onto him as he moved inside me. “That’s right,” he whispered. I kept up the rocking motion of my hips, playing with the depth and the angle until I reached exactly the perfect spot. Then my action sped up as I became more confident.
I threw my head back in abandon, and cried out when I felt his hands on my breasts. I leaned down, my hips never stopping their rocking, and he took one in his mouth. His hands gripped my hips as I rode him.
Between the feeling of him sliding in and out of me, and the mouth on my breasts, the bliss rose quickly. I could feel him, deep inside, and outside too—where we ground together, the movements of my rhythm pleasuring me there, as well. But it was his look that finally sent me over the edge. That look like he couldn’t believe what he had found in me. That lust in his eyes which said he never wanted to let me go.
I didn’t recognize my own voice as I cried out, again and again, gasping and groaning and saying his name. The contractions deep within me affected him too. His hand gripped my buttocks, and he stiffened, and then he was thrusting upward from beneath me and I was crying out all over again.
When it was over, I collapsed to the side, letting him slide from me as I fell. I lay beside him in a haze of bliss. “You get five minutes,” the tigress said thickly. “Then we do that all over again.”
He rolled over on one elbow and looked down at me with a satisfied smile on his face. “That was worth deliberately losing a bet for, wasn’t it?”
My eyes opened wide and he laughed at my surprise.
“Oh, please,” he said, still laughing, “nobody throws a gutterball that badly unless they’re trying to.”
* * *
Jax insisted on driving me home after our marathon lovemaking session. Or should that be ‘after my colossal screw-up’? We’d done the very thing we’d agreed never to do again. And if we were found out, Erica’s career would be ruined. Was I willing to risk that? Was I willing to destroy a lifetime of hard work for a few nights of carnal passion?
A smile crept to my lips. It had been good though. Better than anything I had ever expected. More than that, I felt treasured in his arms—comfortable in my body, for once in my life.
I kissed him, telling him to stay in the car. He’d offered to walk me to the door—after all, if Erica found out, she couldn’t exactly tell—but I still wasn’t comfortable with the two of them meeting. I knew I was being stupid, but I couldn’t help it. Jax was mine. If she didn’t meet him, she couldn’t take him away.
The kiss was soft and lingering, full of memories of the night together.
“Thank you for dinner,” he whispered. I laughed, forgetting about my worries. Had dinner really been tonight? It seemed so long ago, already.
I walked up the path with a spring in my step, but when I reached the door I frowned. A light was still on, inside. Erica should have been in bed hours ago. Had she left it on for me, or…
I opened the door with trepidation. She was sitting on the sofa, fingers drumming. “Eri, isn’t it way too late for you to be up?”
“I could ask you the same thing,” she said, her voice cool and low. “And just where have you been?”
. . . . .
Book Three
Frozen Fire
When a snow storm blows in and Libby misses her flight home, Jax decides to fly her himself, on his private jet.
But just as one problem is solved, a whole new set arises. Because now she has to introduce him to her parents… and more importantly, her sister.
Chapter 1
I was frozen, rooted to the spot. How had she found out? I’d thought Jax and I had been discreet! This was bad—really bad. If Erica knew, then other people would know. And if other people knew…
Jax was one of the top competitive ski judges in the country. And Erica was battling for a place on the Olympic team. If the media found out that Jax and I had slept together, it would ruin both their careers.
How had they found out? We hadn’t ever been seen it public, had-
I wanted to slap my palm to my forehead. We’d been together at the coffee shop. I’d been so wrapped up in the moment that I’d forgotten the need to lay low. I couldn’t imagine how many people had seen us sitting there; everybody knew who he was, after all.
All of this flashed through my mind in a split second, and I struggled not to panic. “What are you talking about?” I sputtered.
“Do you think I’m an idiot?” Erica snarled. “I know what you’ve been up to.”
“Erica, it was just a coffee.” As far as she knew, anyway. “I am allowed to have my own life.”
Erica’s eyes narrowed. “What are you talking about?” She leapt off the sofa and strode to the kitchen, pulling a container of protein balls from the refrigerator. She slammed them on the counter. “Don’t try to change the subject.”
I almost sighed with relief. Protein balls? She was worried about the protein balls?
“I thought we talked about this,” she said, her fingers tapping the lid of the container like a stern teacher.
“Talked about what?” I struggled to get my wits about me. “You’re upset because you found a container of protein balls in the fridge? I didn’t know there was a limit to the number I could make at one time.”
“Don’t try to turn this around,” she snapped. “I told you how I feel about this! You’re a traitor if you give these to the other skiers!”
“How?” My relief at not being found out was quickly being replaced by anger. “It’s not like I’m sabotaging you!”
“No, you’re just giving everybody else my edge,” she whispered. I could see worry in her eyes. “Don’t you want me to win?”
Was that a tear I saw glinting there as well? It couldn’t be. Erica was the confident one.
“Of course I do,” I said, taking a deep breath. I tried to diffuse the situation. “Erica, there’s no need to be worried. You’ll do fine. Protein balls aren’t the key to your success. That’s not the way the world works! You’re blowing things way out of proportion, and giving me way too much credit.”
That brief glance of humanity disappeared. “Believe me, I’m not,” she snarled. “I think you’re a turncoat, and I think you’re riding my coattails, using your association with me to make a name for yourself!”
“I’m sorry you see it like that,” I said, eyes narrowing. “But I swear; I didn’t do it in some weird attempt to ruin your chances.”
Her words had upset me. “What’s so wrong with me wanting something for myself, anyway? I’m allowed to have a life, you know. If there was a chance for me to make a name for myself, wouldn’t you want me to take it?”
I’d hoped I might get through to her, somehow. That she might see how ridiculous it was for her to demand I put my life aside for hers. We’d had our problems lately, but she wasn’t a monster, was she?
Then again, maybe she was. Her expression hardened. “I’m not here for you,” she spat. “You’re here for me. You work for me. So if you know what’s good for you, you’ll stop being so selfish and remember who employs you.” She slammed the container back onto the shelf. “I’d think twice before spending the entire evening out with other skiers and trainers, too. I know what you’re doing.”
Oh honey. You don’t know a thing.
I’ve made so many sacrifices for you—and yes I’ve slipped up occasionally—but… “Erica, I promise you have the wrong idea. You think I’m trying to hurt your chances, but nothing could be further from the truth. I’m sacrificing everything to see you succeed. Is your opinion of me truly that low?”
She looked at me, eyes cold. “I don’t know what to think about you anymore, Libby,” she said. Then, ever the drama queen, she walked past me and swept up the stairs to her bedroom. Her door shut with a slam.
I put my head in my hands. Leave it to Erica to shoot down my mood like a clay pigeon. At least she wasn’t freaking out over Jax. If she could take something as harmless as a recipe and blow it so far out of proportion, what would she do if she knew I’d been intimate with one of her judges?
Chapter 2
“What do you mean, I have to stay behind?”
I was incensed, standing in the living room of the cabin with the handle of my suitcase in hand. We were literally minutes away from getting into a cab and going to the airport; at least, that was what I’d thought before Erica dropped a bombshell on me.
There were three days until the next competition, and we’d both planned to take some well-deserved down time. I was heading home for our parents’ anniversary dinner. Erica would be on the same flight, but had chosen to see friends that night, instead.
And now a smug Erica was telling me that I couldn’t go. My jaw had dropped so low it almost hit the floor.
“Oh, I must have forgotten to tell you last night,” Erica cooed, her voice dripping sugary sarcasm. “There’s a big meeting with the sponsors today. If one of us doesn’t show our face, it will kill my chances of landing one.” She zipped up her puffy ski jacket and looked at me with an expression that would have made an angel jealous.
“So, what, I can’t go home? I have to miss Mom and Dad’s anniversary dinner?” I asked, feeling crushed. I’d been looking forward to getting back home and seeing our extended family, some of whom I hadn’t seen in years.
Erica shrugged. “What can I say? That’s how the world works.”
For the first time in my life I literally wanted to slap the smug look off her face. She had deliberately withheld this information from me; I might have been able to explain the situation to the sponsors had she not waited until the last minute.
“You know,” I pointed out, crossing my arms over my chest, “this is really something you should be doing.”
Erica tossed her blonde hair over one shoulder, blithely ignoring me. “You know I don’t have the first idea how any of this business stuff works. It would be a waste of time if I went,” she said.
I rolled my eyes, disgusted at how easily she managed to turn an excuse. “It’s not that difficult,” I insisted. “Learning how to fill out forms and who to talk to is critical to your success. What would you do if something happened to me? You wouldn’t have the first idea what to do!”
She sighed with exasperation. “Stop being so dramatic,” she said. “The whole point of being my assistant is to assist me. That means getting the business side of things worked out so that I don’t have to. I have more than enough to worry about. The whole reason you’re here is to take things like this off my plate.”
“You can’t bury your head in the sand,” I said, trying to get through to her. “You might not have to go through the motions of getting things straightened out, but you should at least know what needs to be done. Maybe it’s time you started doing some of this.”
“Sorry, sis,” she said, blowing me off. “I’m too busy focusing on winning. I know that you wouldn’t appreciate what that feels like, though.”
Her words no longer stung me the way they used to. Now, they just made me mad. I struggled to control my temper as I pulled my laptop from my carry-on and accessed the airline website. Erica stood behind me, watching as I searched for other flights.
“See?” she said, pointing at the screen. “There’s a flight leaving tonight. You’ll be home in plenty of time for tomorrow’s dinner, not that I know why you’d want to. Stop being such a big baby.”
Again my palm itched to make contact with her face. As though she had any right to call me that! She threw a tantrum when I didn’t jump at her slightest whim. “I guess it doesn’t matter that I was hoping to see some friends today,” I said, looking up at her as she got her bags together. “Or that I was supposed to be helping Mom get the house ready.”
“I’ll explain everything,” she assured me. A horn sounded from outside. “Must be my cab.” She turned to me. “A little help?” she asked pointedly, motioning at her bags.
For once, I refused. “Sorry, I have to reschedule my flight,” I said coolly.
If looks could kill we’d both be a pile of ashes, but I stood my ground. Eventually she turned in a huff and stalked out the door.
When I heard the cab pull away I sat back against the sofa with a shaky sigh. Now that it was all over, I felt weak. It was harder than I let on for me to stand up for myself; my entire life so far had been spent stepping back to get out of her way.
It had become second nature to back down. For me to even tell her to get her own bags had been a huge, scary step. I was tired all of a sudden—wiped out.
Of course, for all my fighting and emotional exhaustion, she’d still won the bigger argument. I was still staying behind, still the one who had to change her plans. But at least I had fought back. I wondered if the rest of our time together would be spent this way—little quips and jabs, always trying to one-up each other. What had I gotten into, doing this job?
* * *
If my sister had known what the afternoon of meetings was going to turn into, she might have thought twice about sending me in her place. I had to force myself to keep from laughing more than once, just imagining the steam coming out of her ears.
Sure, I’d ended up with an armful of folders, each one from a different potential sponsor. But I’d also been stopped by several dozen skiers and trainers—who wanted to talk about my protein balls. How did I make them? What was their nutritional value? Was I interested in selling them to a wider group of athletes? There was so much interest it made my head spin. Word had spread, and fast.
I managed to avoid committing to anything upfront; as much as I wanted to stick it to Erica and show her that she wasn’t the boss of me, I still had to be smart. I couldn’t jump headfirst into something without doing my homework, especially when I didn’t know if I had the ability to make them on a larger scale. Right now I had ten curious potential customers, four of whom had other athletes under their care as well. Did I really have the time to handle all of them?
Dave, an Australian trainer who worked closely with Erica was the most in favor. “You really have something here mate,” he said in that broad accent of his. “Competitors are always looking for high energy snacks they can eat on the slopes. If you can make these in larger batches and package them somehow… I think you’d have a roaring business on your hands.”
I laughed out loud before I realized he was serious. “Me? A business?” I couldn’t help a goofy smile as a blush spread to my cheeks.
He nodded firmly. “I really think so. Look, the bloody health food industry is booming, right? And here you are with something healthy, delicious and already in demand with some of the top athletes in the world! The only thing you could do to make yourself any more of a surefire hit would be to add kale.” I laughed, but he raised an eyebrow. “It’s something to think about, at least—and no, I’m not talking about the kale.”
“What about Erica? I mean, I have a job with her.” I protested. Protein balls on this scale would be full time—or at least, more time than I could currently afford, managing Erica’s every move.
A shadow crossed Dave’s face. “You don’t want to work with her forever, do you?” he asked. There was kindness in his voice, and the hand that patted me on the shoulder was warm and reassuring. “You deserve this—at least give it some thought. Don’t reject the idea out of hand.”
I promised him I would.
There was a spring in my step as I walked from the conference room to the lobby of the Lodge. This was a real plot twist in my life; up until now, I’d been living in Erica’s shadow. I’d had my little personal victories, but in the long-term I was only as worthwhile as what I could do for her. Now that looked like changing. Things would only balloon from here, if I wanted them too.
I was on top of the world. Until, that is, I opened one of the heavy wooden doors leading outside and had it blown from my hand. A blustery wind carried a burst of snow straight into my face.
A passerby helped me close the door, and I shook the snow off my coat. “When did this start?” I called over the wind, flustered.
“It blew in a half hour ago,” he yelled. “It’s getting worse—they’ve issued a blizzard warning through to the early morning hours of tomorrow.”
Just like that, I went from feeling thrilled and proud to completely crushed. Heavy snow and high winds meant no flights. No flights meant I wasn’t going home. I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t taken account of the weather! I never would have stayed behind, no matter what my sister said or threatened me with. “Do you need help getting back to your cabin?” the man called. “Maybe you should wait it out here.”
I weighed my options and knew I’d go crazy waiting at the Lodge for hours. “I think I’ll brave the walk,” I called. “I’m only five minutes away.”
I sounded more confident than I felt, but that didn’t stop me from wrapping my scarf resolutely around my mouth and nose. I ducked my head and walked on.
The wind blew so hard it took my breath away; it was even worse once I’d left the lee of the Lodge. Any exposed skin hurt from the cold. My scarf quickly became caked with snow and ice as the flakes turned to slush in the warmth from my breath. If I had an umbrella it would have blown inside out; I held my arm in front of my eyes to shield them from driving snow as I struggled to keep my footing.
