Avalanche

by Cambria Hebert

  He rose over me again, blocking everything so all I saw was him. In one movement, our bodies joined. My mouth opened, but no sound came out. Liam froze above me, pushing up onto trembling arms. “Did I hurt you?” he asked.

  The effort it took him to not move was evident on his face.

  I shook my head. “You feel good.”

  He moaned. “You are so fucking tight.”

  I moved beneath him, stroking against him. His face dropped into my neck, lips latching onto my skin to gently suck.

  Slowly, Liam began to move. It was torture. He felt so good, stretching out my walls, filling me up completely. Need and desire built inside me until it felt I might blow apart if he didn’t give me what I wanted.

  Reaching around, I grabbed his butt and pushed him deep.

  We groaned at the same time.

  He thrust deeper, and I whispered his name.

  And then he was moving. He looked like the definition of control as he pushed up over me and pumped his hips, hammering into my body.

  My head drifted to the side, and my eyes rolled back in my head as wave after wave of intense pleasure surged over my body.

  “Bellamy,” Liam rasped, the sound sort of like a prayer.

  Turning my head, our eyes locked and I met him thrust for thrust. Lifting my hips each time he came down. The intensity inside me built and built until I was gasping for breath and there was no holding back anymore.

  His name ripped from my lips as mind-numbing pleasure burst over me. My body shuddered and shook as the orgasm seemed to go on and on.

  Above me, Liam shouted, his body stiff as he emptied inside me. Every quiver of his cock sent more ripples of insane pleasure shooting through my entire body.

  I didn’t come down until he did. Until he gathered me close and rolled, carefully draping me over his chest, anchoring his arms around me.

  “Promise me you won’t leave,” he said a little while later as his fingertips dragged down my spine.

  “I’m not sure you understand how bad this could get.” I didn’t know what else to say to him. I’d told him everything. It was as though he wasn’t even afraid.

  His voice was all rumbly when he replied, “I understand, Bellamy. I choose you.”

  He chose me.

  That was his choice.

  My heart swelled with love… and with guilt.

  Still, I made a choice.

  I chose him.

  “I promise.”

  Liam

  The sky was just beginning to show signs of dawn when I forced myself out of the tangle of blankets and limbs I was caught up in.

  At first, I thought it might be tough to stay awake all night. After what happened, our injuries, and the fact I was totally fucking satiated from sex, I’d been concerned we wouldn’t be able to manage.

  It ended up not being an issue. Worry would do that to a man. Worry and the desire to protect what was his. I did think the men who forced Bellamy up the mountain were dead, but I would be a stupid fool not to realize there was a slim chance the assholes lived.

  I lay awake listening for any signs of them approaching the cabin, either looking for us or just seeking some kind of shelter. They never came, and the hope I had they were dead grew.

  No. I didn’t feel remorseful for hoping those men were dead. They deserved that and more.

  There was also the fact Bellamy was the target of a mobster. I had to make her safe… but fuck me, I wasn’t sure how.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked as I gazed out the window for probably the hundredth time, searching the snowy horizon for signs we weren’t alone.

  “Yeah, sweetheart, it’s fine.” I turned in time to see her shiver lightly and pull the blanket tighter around her.

  The fire was starting to die down. I’d used the last of the wood. I could go out and get more, but it was wet and would take a while to burn. With the sun coming up, the best thing for us to do was get moving. We could be back at the resort in an hour.

  “Liam?”

  I made a sound, acknowledging her.

  “Do you have your phone?”

  I shook my head. “It was in my coat pocket, not the inside one. I lost it during the avalanche.”

  “Well, now I don’t feel so stupid for not even thinking of it before.”

  “You aren’t stupid. A lot happened last night.” I strode across the room and poked at what was left of the fire. “It’s almost light out. I think we should head out, get back to the resort as soon as possible.”

  “I’m going to call my contact at the FBI.”

  I turned. “I thought you didn’t trust them.”

  She made a face. “It’s not like I think they’re dirty or anything. I just don’t have much faith in witness protection. They’re going to be pissed I broke their rules and did something that connects me to my old life.”

  I felt my eyes narrow as a thought occurred to me. “They gonna try and take you away?”

  “I’m sure they’ll want to.”

  A low growl rumbled up from deep inside me.

  Bellamy hurried to say, “But I’ll refuse. I’m not just going to blindly accept everything they say is the best thing. I want some say in my own life. I want some of what I lost back. I want you.”

  Bending down, I lifted her onto her feet, pulling her into my arms. “Fuck, I love hearing that.”

  “I love saying it.”

  “C’mon. Get dressed.” I gathered up her clothes, getting angry all over again at how little she had to wear as protection from the elements. The jeans were still damp and so was some of the other stuff.

  Bellamy plucked her T-shirt out of the pile I was holding and frowned. “They ripped your shirt,” she commented, fingering a rip I hadn’t noticed last night.

  My gut tightened, and again, I had to fight back that instant rage threatening to take over. “It’s just a shirt,” I told her.

  She shook her head. “It was yours and you gave it to me.” Her blue eyes lifted. “It was my favorite.”

  It pierced my heart the way she looked at me. How even after everything, my shirt still meant something to her.

  “I’ll give you a new one, sweetheart,” I murmured. “Hell, I’ll take you to my place and let you have anything in the whole damn closet.”

  “I haven’t been to your house yet.” She was intrigued.

  I smiled. “There’s still lots of firsts we need to have. All the more reason to get the hell out of here.”

  Smiling softly, she lifted the shirt to her nose and sniffed it. I was about to ask her what the hell she was doing when she made a sound. “It’s ripped, and it doesn’t smell like you anymore.”

  I laughed and tugged it out of her hand. Then I handed her the one I had on last night. “Better?”

  Her eyes lit up as she reached for it and tugged it over her head, struggling a little to get it over her sore arm and shoulder. After I helped pull it over her, she smiled, fingering the hem that fell past her thighs. “This one smells like you still.”

  I kissed her forehead, then threw on everything I had, including the ripped shirt that no longer smelled like me. When I was done, I helped Bellamy put on her coat, then began pulling mine around her on top of it.

  “I can’t,” she said, stepping back.

  “I’m not arguing with you about this, Bells. You’re wearing it.”

  “What if I just put a blanket or two around me?” She offered.

  I thought about it, then shook my head. “The coat is waterproof. Sit.” I pointed to the coffee table.

  With a huff, she sat down and glared. Suppressing a smile, I grabbed her boots so I could tie them up for her. Before sliding the first one on her foot, I tugged my sock over her bare toes.

  Bellamy gasped, as I knew she would, and pulled her foot up out of my hands. “What are you doing?”

  “Tucking your jeans into the socks. It will help keep the heat in.”

  “These are your socks,” she ground out.

  I
sighed and rubbed a hand over my forehead. “I have a headache, baby. How about you just indulge me?”

  An empathetic sound ripped from her throat. Her small hand covered my cheek and lifted my head. “Let me see.” She leaned close to the gash she’d cleaned just hours before. After another small sound, she pulled back. “It’s not bleeding anymore, but it’s still pretty swollen. We really need to get it looked at.”

  “Foot,” I said, holding out my hand.

  She surrendered it without a word.

  It was a dirty trick, playing hurt to get her to cooperate. My head did hurt, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. Hell, my knee hurt worse. I didn’t want to argue with her, though, and we needed to get the hell out of here. So yeah, I might have used my injury to get her to cooperate.

  “What about you?” She worried, biting into her lower lip.

  I finished tying up her boots and smiled. “My boots are waterproof and warm. I’ll be fine.”

  She nodded, looking doubtful.

  “You keep your hands inside the coats, okay? I’ll wear the gloves.”

  She nodded, and I pulled my hat down over her ears.

  Another look of protest darkened her eyes, so I put my arms around her bundled body and kissed her. Her sweet lips parted instantly, and my tongue swept inside to stroke over hers. A feeling of rightness washed over me, a feeling I allowed myself to enjoy before pulling away.

  As I did, a faint sound drifted in from outside.

  Our eyes collided, both of us silently asking if the other heard. I put a gloved finger up to my lips and turned, automatically tucking her behind me.

  The sound grew a little louder. It was a sound I was familiar with. It was a sound I wouldn’t normally think twice about, but today wasn’t a normal day.

  It was barely light.

  We were out of bounds of the resort perimeters, so whoever was out there wasn’t just taking a snowmobile for a joy ride.

  There was a reason it was out there. There was a reason the sound of the engine grew closer and closer with every passing second.

  “What if it’s them?” Bellamy worried, her hand closing around the back of my shirts.

  It couldn’t be. Where the fuck would they have gotten snowmobiles? Unless they had them stashed in the woods somewhere. Unless they’d survived the avalanche, gone back to the resort, and took one to come looking for us.

  I turned toward Bellamy. “Stay inside. Don’t come out until I come for you.”

  Her eyes went wide. “Where are you going?”

  “To see who it is.”

  “Liam.” She reached for my hand, grasping it. “Stay here with me.”

  “You know I can’t do that, sweetheart,” I told her reasonably. I wasn’t about to sit in here like a sitting duck. I was going to find out who the fuck was out there.

  And I was going to do it now.

  Bellamy

  As Liam’s hand wrapped quietly around the handle to the front door, I couldn’t help but wonder.

  Would there come a time when I wasn’t afraid? Would there come a time when everyone around me wasn’t in danger?

  Would life ever be normal again?

  Would I ever truly be free?

  Was I doing the right thing by staying here?

  All the questions swarming my mind instantly vanished the second he pulled open the door and glanced back.

  “Please be careful,” I whimpered.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  I wanted to scream after him as he stepped out into the snow. Didn’t he know that was the worst thing he could say? Every person on every horror movie in the history of horror who said, “I’ll be right back,” never came back!

  Screw his headache! I wasn’t just going to stand here. If he was going out into the snow like a bonehead, then by God, I’d be a bonehead, too.

  I paused in the midst of marching toward the door. It occurred to me that either one of us being a bonehead was… well, boneheaded.

  Well, at least we weren’t alone in it.

  Wintry wind kissed my cheeks when I crept out the door. It wasn’t a good kind of kiss either. Not the kind like Liam gave. It was more of the kind your eighty-five-year-old grandma gave you right before squeezing your cheeks and telling you how adorable you were.

  Instantly, my exposed skin stung a little, but I ignored it and tried to keep the snow from crunching too much underfoot.

  The sky was lightening, but the sun wasn’t totally up yet. The white layer of snow outside did offer some sort of brightness so I could see. Squinting against the snow flurries flying wildly around, I sought out Liam.

  He wasn’t far, standing behind a large bush near the corner of the cabin, gazing out toward the snowmobile that cut quickly over the snow.

  A few moments later, Liam stiffened, seemed to lean toward the person approaching, and then stepped out from around the concealment.

  I gasped and went rushing forward. What was he thinking? It could be the men coming back to finish the job.

  “Liam!” I yelled, rushing through the snow.

  He turned abruptly. “I told you to stay inside.”

  “If you’re going to act like an idiot, then I am, too!” I burst out.

  I would have laughed at the look on his face, but this wasn’t funny. He had to know what kind of risk he was taking.

  “I’m not being an idiot, sweetheart,” he countered. A small smile pulled at his mouth. “But later, we’re going to have a talk about you following me into a potentially dangerous situation.”

  I made a face. He was one to talk, Mr. I-followed-you-and-two-men-with-guns-up-a-mountain. “Isn’t that what you did last night?”

  His face darkened. “That’s different.”

  “Don’t you pull that sexist crap on me.” I warned, planting my feet into the snow, ready to argue.

  The snowmobile engine cut off, and someone yelled out, “Liam!”

  I winced, remembering this was not the time for an argument.

  Liam lifted his hand and waved, then started forward. After a couple steps, he stopped and held out his hand to me. “Come on, then.”

  I hurried to catch up. “Is that Alex?”

  “Sure is,” he quipped, pride in his voice.

  Alex jogged over the snow, looking way more graceful than I ever would. “Seriously, man, I have been worried sick,” he said, barely out of breath.

  “I told you to search if I wasn’t back by morning,” Liam said as they one-arm hugged each other.

  “Sun’s almost up. I couldn’t wait any longer.” Alex glanced at me, his eyes resting on the bruises I knew covered my face. Then he looked back at his best friend. “What the fuck happened?”

  “Long story,” Liam muttered.

  “Short version will work for now,” Alex retorted.

  “Some bad men are trying to kill me. Liam intercepted them, and their gunfire set off an avalanche last night. We almost died.”

  Both men turned their eyes on me.

  I shrugged. “What? You wanted the short version.”

  Alex glanced at Liam. “When you said you thought she was in some kind of trouble, I thought you meant lost her job or was hiding from an ex.”

  “I wish,” I muttered.

  Alex barked a laugh. “Well, how about next time you give a guy a heads-up on what he’s dealing with.”

  I blinked. That was it? That’s all he had to say?

  Liam saw my shock and chuckled. “We aren’t the kind of men who run from trouble.”

  Alex made a sound of agreement.

  “How about mobsters with big guns?”

  Alex pursed his lips, but it didn’t take long for him to shrug. “Them either. What do you think we are? Pansies?”

  I made a choked sound, but the guys turned toward each other to have their own conversation. Frankly, I thought it was rude.

  “A report came in about an hour ago about an avalanche on this side of the mountain last night. Since you haven’t been answering
your phone, I knew I had to come out here. I remembered this place, hoped you might come here if you needed somewhere.”

  “Good looking out,” Liam told him, holding out a fist for a bump.

  Why did guys always do that? They might as well just beat their chests.

  “We were just about to hike it back to the resort.” Liam continued.

  “I wasn’t sure what I’d find when I got out here,” Alex said, his voice low, revealing some of the torment he’d obviously been going through.

  “I’m sorry I just ran off like that, man. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

  “I’m just glad you’re okay.” He looked at me. “Both of you.”

  Alex’s genuine concern touched me. I forgot what it was like to have people around who cared.

  Liam reached for my hand. “C’mon, we need to get the hell off this mountain.”

  “Think the sled can handle three of us?” Alex asked as we moved toward it. The sky was growing lighter, and a beautiful shade of orange streaked just above the treetops.

  Liam grunted. “I’ll drive.”

  “What about your knee?” I worried. “You should let Alex drive.”

  Alex swung around, staring immediately at Liam. “You hurt your knee?”

  Liam nodded, a dark look crossing his features.

  Something passed between the two of them. Something that made me squirm around in my boots. Obviously, there was more going on than I was privy to. I wanted to ask. I wanted every detail.

  Now wasn’t the time, though, and I didn’t like knowing I had to wait.

  “I’ll drive.” Alex’s voice was gruff. “You just hold on to your girl.”

  Liam nodded again.

  “How come you don’t argue with him?” I wondered, slightly disgruntled.

  “Don’t be jelly.” Alex teased. Though, I couldn’t help but wonder if he could sense that maybe I was a little jealous. His obvious close relationship with Liam and the sort of loyalty and trust they shared was something I wanted as well. “Not everyone has the power of persuasion like me.”

  I rolled my eyes, and Liam made a rude sound. “Dude. No.”

  Alex swung his leg up over the sled. “Thank you, Alex,” he cracked. “I appreciate you coming out here at the ass crack of dawn to search for me, Alex.”