Matchmaker Backfire: An Instalove Possessive Age Gap Romance (A Man Who Knows Who He Wants Book 226)

by Flora Ferrari

  Feeling her legs wrap around my waist, she shifts up a little more and we both groan louder once I push in deeper, all the way to her newest pleasure zone.

  Watching her feel new heights of her own arousal against me inside her gives me a new edge. A hardness I’ve never known.

  We’re both shuddering now, me working myself into her harder and faster, discovering just how hard and fast Serena actually wants it.

  Just how badly she’s been needing it for so long.

  I can feel her own climax building again, almost as quickly as my own. Serena’s hand moves up to my neck as she locks eyes with me, we both know it’s time but we also know we have forever ahead of us.

  If her oral climax was strong, her second orgasm resets the bar and I feel her tightness starting to quiver around my cock as I make a final thrust inside her.

  My hands move to her face, holding her as I feel her start to shudder. My own climax joining hers, my seed spilling deep inside her, making us both gasp.

  Her eyes wide on mine again, and my own promising her that I’ll pleasure her like this every day from now on, as often and for as long as she wants.

  I’ve never felt anything so strong, so powerful. It’s like we’re both a single point of light somewhere, a million miles away from the lodge or the cabins.

  Somewhere that we don’t have any boundaries, where it’s just us.

  Eternal.

  The sensation of her nails on my back brings me round as I realize we’re both still coming hard.

  As hard as I still am for her, and just as hard as I know I’ve fallen for her.

  “I love you, Serena,” I tell her, feeling my own heart go once she tries to repeat it back to me, but only tears and sobs come out, matching her own incredible emotional release.

  A whole lifetime of emotions is discharged between us both, mixed and shared.

  Reformed back into that one single point of light.

  The light of all lights I know I’ll carry in my heart forever.

  Where the two of us have been made one. Whole again.

  “I love you too, Carter,” she finally manages, shivering breaths as I feel her body tremble under mine before we both collapse.

  A perfect heap of exhaustion, contentment, and love.

  Her body perfectly knotted into mine as we both listen to the other breathing until it’s still and quiet again.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Serena

  A part of me wants to think about my dad. To worry.

  The rest of me is so damned content wrapped up with Carter in his bed, warmer and cozier than ever once he pulls the blankets over us both.

  Once our shared climax finally subsides, but I know a part of it never will.

  It’s something inside me now.

  Carter.

  That piece of himself he’s given me and I know I’ve given him myself too.

  I’m his now and it’s the best feeling in the world.

  Safe. I’ve never felt safer or happier.

  My dad’s the last thing from my mind once I feel myself drifting off to sleep, but the cabin telephone by the bed jolts us both awake, Carter groaning at the unwanted interruption.

  Those thoughts of my dad?

  Come back again and I sit up in a near panic, wondering who it could be.

  Carter sighs heavily, and lazily lifting the phone to his ear, he listens patiently before replying.

  I can’t hear much, but figure it’s the front desk, the gruff voice of that old woman cutting through the silence as Carter sits up, lifting his legs to the edge of the bed.

  “Uh, well Mr. Blaxhall left as you probably know… I’m not sure what it has to do with-”

  He stops suddenly, turning to me as he covers the phone with his hand.

  “Why don’t you go grab a shower, baby,” he says. Telling me rather than suggesting it.

  I feel a little stab of hurt but get the impression it’s a private call, maybe something to do with Carter’s work or some other business he has.

  I want to feel upset, to challenge him. But at the same time hearing him tell me to take a shower seems like the best idea ever when it has those dark eyes of his blazing, cocking a brow in suggestion before he gives me a subtle wink too.

  Maybe he’ll join me in the shower?

  The thought alone is enough for me to peck his cheek and obey his command, ignoring my shyness and skipping to my own bathroom while I hear his deep voice muted by the water and the space between our rooms as the shower sends up plumes of steam from the hot water.

  My legs feel weak, and there’s another pleasing ache through most of my body.

  It reminds me of what we’ve just done and I can’t help but smile, giving a few little moans and groans as I reach for the soap and finally my toothbrush, wondering what’s taking Carter so long.

  I wash and rinse my hair, figuring I may as well seeing as I’m in here, as well as wanting to look my best for Carter from now on.

  I’m just about done when I feel two shocks.

  The sound of the cabin door slamming shut, followed by the hot water running out, making all the relaxation I’ve just worked on evaporate in a split second.

  My biggest concern though is Carter leaving.

  That was the door I just heard, right?

  I call out for him but only hear silence once I shut the faucet off.

  Shivering, I reach for towels and feeling them still damp from my last shower, I growl out loud and call for Carter again.

  Something’s wrong.

  He wouldn’t just leave without saying anything, would he?

  Covering myself with a damp towel until I can reach Carter’s room, I find a dry towel for my hair and help myself to the robe hanging on the back of his door.

  I feebly call out for him again, hoping he might just be hiding in plain sight but I know he’s gone.

  I tell myself not to panic but can’t help wondering why he wouldn’t just put his head around the door and let me know if he was going anywhere.

  Glancing out the window I can see it’s nearly dark already, the night’s coming in quick with the weather which looks and sounds like it’s getting worse by the minute.

  A cooling log shifts in the fireplace, making me jump a little. The wind howling down the chimney all of a sudden too, sending a crackle of sparks back to life but nowhere near enough to keep the fire going.

  A quick scan of the bathroom means there’s no hairdryer either, so I draw my robe tighter, resigning myself to stoke the fire again to at least get enough heat to dry my hair before I go looking for Carter.

  I’m not just gonna sit here and wait, worrying.

  I’ll just go see where he’s at, he’s probably ordering us some food or something. Even though dad’s left us enough supplies for three winters.

  The fire roars back to life with some encouragement, and I have to content myself with a towel drying my hair by its warmth before I get changed into a fresh set of jeans and a thick sweater.

  New socks too, and on with the snow boots by the door. A woolen cap covers my head, but I can feel the irritation of not quite dry enough hair underneath.

  I need to find Carter though, this is getting ridiculous.

  By the time I head out its dark, with the lights from the lodge twinkling through a fresh fall of snow that’s being whipped up by a freezing wind.

  It’s a short walk over to the lodge, and although I know I won’t freeze, I can’t help but feel like I should’ve worn my jacket too.

  Shivering by the time I get inside, I notice the familiar face at reception and move over to ask her if she knows where Crater is.

  “You’ll need a reservation if you want dinner,” she snaps, ignoring my question and bustling past me towards the dining area.

  “I only wanted to ask if you’ve seen Mr. Everett,” I ask her sternly, watching her stop in her tracks, turning to face me with a strange smile playing on her lips.

  “Why, yes. Mr. Everett was here a short
while ago, meeting with a lady friend in the bar, I believe.”

  “Who?” I hear myself spit, launching toward her and feeling my fists clench.

  I can see the effect my reaction has on this old hag. She’s tickled pink and stifles a laugh as she pretends to try and think, ignoring a bell from the dining room.

  This is obviously far more entertaining for her.

  “Where’s Mr. Everett?” I growl again, feeling my jaw grind and my eyes narrow.

  “I really don’t know sweetie,” she says in a sing-song tone, casting her eyes toward the bar before shuffling away and laughing to herself.

  I don’t want to go in there, I know that’s just what she wants. But I need Carter. I need to know what’s going on.

  I don’t drink, and I’ve never seen Carter with anything more than mineral water or coffee in his hands, so I don’t know why he’d be in the bar

  But before I even open the door I can make out Carter’s huge frame reflected in the glass behind the bar.

  He’s got his back to me, but I can see his eyes in the reflection and they aren’t happy.

  I feel my heart leap into my chest when I see who he’s with though.

  Without even having to see her reflection I know who it is.

  Wendy.

  The plastic Barbie from my dad’s phone.

  What the hell?

  She left already, dad said so himself…

  Her eyes meet mine before Carter’s do. And they have that same evil glint the crusty old woman from reception had.

  Like they’re all possessed or something, all up to something nobody else is in on.

  Carter’s eyes follow hers and in a moment he’s turned on his stool to face me, getting up to come over straight away.

  Wendy’s hook of an arm is in his and as much as he tries to shrug her off him, I can tell where her interests lie.

  Carter’s eyes are firmly on mine, and I watch him mouth my name quietly as he strides across the room.

  But another part of me feels like I’m back in college again.

  The set-ups.

  The fake dates that all ended with jocks pouring warm beer down my back or locking me in bathroom stalls until I screamed.

  Crowds of drunken frat boys and their Barbie look-alike girls crowding around to point and laugh.

  How they laughed.

  It’s the same mad look I see in Barbie’s eye’s now, that same sneering grin as she tries harder and harder to latch herself onto Carter as he calls after me.

  I know the feeling too well. My memory of those days will never leave me. The thought of Carter and… her? Even just sitting at the bar together?

  I dunno. Something in me just snaps and I turn on my heel.

  Shaking my head and feeling my tears freeze onto my face as soon as I’m outside, I do my best to run but just stumble away into the darkness.

  Into the snow, away from the lodge and away from the cabins.

  Away from the laughter, I thought was so far behind me once I’d found Carter.

  Once he told me he loved me.

  Once I’d finally given myself to him.

  I can hear him behind me, calling out. Ordering me to stop so he can explain.

  But everything’s a blur.

  Like the snow and the wind.

  Everything in my mind and in my heart.

  All a blur.

  Carter!

  I should never have been so stupid. I should have gone home when Dad left.

  I should’ve stayed away in the first place.

  Never been born.

  That’s what it feels like.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Carter

  The woman I’ve never met before and have about as much interest in as jamming my head in a car door is back.

  And before I have the displeasure of having to chase after Serena once she spots us both, I join two and two.

  Wendy what’s her face wants one thing.

  To fuck with my mind and ruin my chances with Serena.

  Ruin everything we just created.

  Why? Because she’s fucking twisted is why.

  The call from reception was them telling me she’d returned to the lodge, wanted her old room back.

  She’d got into the same cab I came up here in, but not far down the road they got snowed in, she stayed in a motel for the night before forcing the driver to turn around and bring her back here.

  Once she learned about Serena, and especially once she saw Greg leaving she seized her chance to do what it is people like this do.

  Waste oxygen.

  “I’ll get to the point, Carter.” She smiles coolly, lighting a cigarette and blowing a thin jet of gray smoke past my ear.

  “I have Greg’s cell number. I also know just how close you and his daughter have become, blind fucking Freddy could see that,” she drawls, stubbing out the same cigarette with narrowed eyes.

  “What do you want?” I ask her, calculating in my mind how much I’m prepared to pay, or what I’m prepared to do to be rid of this harpy for good.

  “Not what I want. Who I want,” she says, cocking her brow before sipping the last of her drink through a straw.

  I shake my head in the negative.

  “Look Barbie… whoever the fuck you think you are. I’m not interested, now if you’ll excuse me,”

  I make to stand up, following her eyes to the mirror behind the bar.

  It’s Serena, she’s seen us and I can see from the look in her eyes that she’s upset.

  “I’ll ruin you,” I promise Wendy, clawing at her grip on me as she tries to keep up.

  What Serena doesn’t see is me pushing Barbie so hard away from me she collides with a table on my way out.

  “Serena!” I call loudly after her.

  “Goddammit.”

  She’s gone. Bolted through the doors of the lodge and out into the night.

  The snow has picked up and so has the wind.

  I call after her, trying to see which way she went, but anything below knee height is a blur as the wind whips the snow into a frenzy around my legs.

  I can’t lose her, not after what we’ve just discovered, and certainly not in this weather.

  I figure she must have gone back to her cabin, I sprint over, hoping to find her there.

  But it’s empty.

  A fire crackles behind the grate, and all the connecting doors are open between the cabins, but she’s not here.

  I curse that woman again and even Greg for thinking he could arrange things like he did.

  Trying to find my happiness when it was staring me in the face every time I saw Serena.

  I grab a jacket from the hook by the door, which I know she’s gonna need when I find her, and I head straight back out. Hearing the cabin phone ring as I pull the door shut, I ignore it. Figuring it’s that woman or one of those imbeciles at reception again.

  I call out for her again and again, trekking this way and then that, wondering which way she’d go and knowing she wouldn’t have cared being so upset.

  I swear, when I find her I’ll never let her go again. And I promise I will ruin that Wendy bitch as well. How dare she!

  I don’t know why, but I feel drawn to the area where the ski lifts are. All shut down for the night now, and with little light from anywhere, I’m using my instincts more than anything else.

  It’s frigid cold already, and I know Serena only had her jeans and a sweater on.

  Calling for her again, it starts to feel hopeless and I have to entertain the idea of going back to the lodge and calling for help.

  Nobody should be out in this weather after dark.

  And because it’s Serena I feel torn between going back for help and trying to find her myself.

  Passing some low bushes my head snaps to attention. I can hear her!

  She’s calling for me, somewhere off to my left, down an embankment.

  Before I know it I’m knee-deep in snow, following the sounds of her sobbing calls as I let her k
now I’m on my way.

  She’s tumbled down an embankment, but I thank God I’ve found her.

  Before I pick her up I ask her if she’s hurt.

  “Just tell me you’re not hurt,” I hear myself saying.

  Praying, my voice cracking with emotion.

  She says she’s not but as soon as I pick her up she cries out in pain. “My ankle!”

  Wrapping her in the jacket I brought and making sure to keep her ankle away from everything else, I start to climb back up the embankment.

  “I’m sorry, Carter,” she sobs. “I just saw you talking to that woman, and...and it brought back a lot of bad memories… college kids pranking me… pretending to go on dates and then just-”

  I silence her with a kiss, stopping only long enough to show her, to remind her just how much I love her.

  How much she means to me.

  “It’s over now, no more of that,” I tell her, wiping her tears away with my hand and making for our cabin. Huffing it through what feels like way more snow on the way up than there was coming down.

  Once at the top looking back down, I can see where she must have slipped and gone over. The soft snow saved her from a heavier fall but she’s still hurt.

  Something I’ll never forgive myself for.

  I feel her hands pressing against my chest as I move, circling my neck as she collapses into me, and murmurs more apologies.

  I’m worried for a second she’s hit her head too, but once we’re insight of the light of the cabin I can see she’s just exhausted.

  Emotionally and physically.

  I lay her out on the couch in front of the fire, which I bring to life in moments and set to work having a look at her ankle.

  She winces as I take off her boot, but it’s just a sprain. No less painful I know, but I’m just grateful it’s not more serious.

  I put her leg and foot up on pillows, ordering her to keep still while I have a good look at the rest of her.

  Checking she hasn’t bumped her head and making sure she’s otherwise fine.

  “Why did you leave without saying?” she asks, my face so close to hers I can feel the emotion in her voice as well as hear it.

  I gently embrace her.

  I didn’t want to go into it. It’s hardly worth it for such a person. But I guess she has to know sooner or later.