by Marni Mann
“I couldn’t wait until next week to see you.”
My face was buried in his chest, so I pulled it out and glanced up at him. “I can’t believe you came all the way here … for me.”
His hands went to the sides of my face, his mouth moving closer to mine. “I’d go anywhere to have a second date with you.”
When he locked my lips in a kiss, I knew what the woman in the candy store was talking about.
This town was filled with magic.
Twenty-Nine
“I still can’t believe you’re here,” I whispered, squeezing Lance’s hand as I held it in my lap in the backseat of the SUV. I’d probably said that a few times since I got in the car. I’d also stared at him the entire drive, needing the reminder that this wasn’t a dream. Because it felt almost impossibly sweet that he would come all this way just for me.
“I told you I wasn’t patient, and I didn’t want to go another day without seeing you.”
My teeth drove into my bottom lip before I said, “I really, really love that you have that trait.”
He took my glove off to kiss the center of my hand, only adding to how special this moment already was.
“Thank you for being my fun today …”
He kissed my forehead, and then he wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me against his side. We stayed like that for a few minutes before the car began to slow. We turned up a narrow driveway off the main road, following the windy path up the side of the mountain until we reached a house that sat at the very end of the driveway. It was three stories of all glass that was built directly into the rock, and it was absolutely stunning.
“The fun is just starting,” he said as we came to a stop.
Lance slid out first as the driver opened the door, and I followed closely behind him. With our hands entwined, we walked together to the front door.
“Wow,” was what fell through my lips as I took in the view from the entrance. We were so high up; I could see for miles. Lance opened the door, and I walked inside and groaned, “Holy shit,” because the scenery in here was just as spectacular.
Where the whole interior was made of glass, I could see the mountains from every angle, towering as high as the clouds. And the way the inside had been decorated, it all complemented the view rather than competing with it.
With my hand already in his, he led me toward the back of the house, and we passed through the kitchen and living room.
When we stepped outside, I gasped, “My God,” my free hand covering my mouth.
Out here was a whole additional living space with couches and a firepit, TVs, a mini kitchen, and bar—all overlooking the same view. And in the center, cut into the mountain, was a swimming pool and Jacuzzi, both butted up to the edge of the cliff.
“Is this where you’re staying?”
He stood behind me, his hands on my waist.
His lips weren’t far from my ear when he growled, “It’s where we’re both staying.” His grip tightened, and it felt so good. “I don’t care if you stay in the guest room. I just want you here. With me.”
My fingers searched for his skin, and the first piece I came across, which was his wrist, I clung to. “I don’t want to go anywhere.”
“Dinner in front of the fire tonight?”
Since he couldn’t see my face, I turned my neck just enough that he had a view of my smile. “That sounds magical.”
I held the stem of the wineglass and stretched my body over the thick wool blanket Lance had set up for us on the floor. This was where we had been since dinner, just feet away from the crackling fire, the windows surrounding us on all sides, the mountains as the backdrop.
It was paradise.
I leaned in closer where he lay inches away to get a better smell of his skin. The wood-burning scent had mixed with his cologne, creating this spicy combination. I kept my lips at the base of his throat and inhaled, savoring the smell while his hand flattened on my back, running down to the top of my ass.
“Mmm,” he groaned. “You feel good.”
His hand rose to my shoulder and slid to my waist, massaging, learning, taking his time with each spot.
I propped my head up on my elbow and said, “For date three, we can just watch a movie on the couch and eat leftover pizza and drink mediocre beer.” I smiled, feeling the fire on my cheeks. “I just mean, I don’t expect you to top this. You, just you, Lance Hamilton, are more than enough.”
The flames reflected off his eyes, dancing inside the navy. “I’m really going to enjoy spoiling you.”
I sighed, putting my palms on his cheeks, and used the pads of my fingers to trace his eyes and nose. I didn’t want to just memorize his face; I wanted to know it by touch as well. When I reached his lips, I felt the fullness of the bottom one, the arch across the top, and I said so quietly, “More magic.”
His hand lifted to the bottom of my ribs, a seriousness moving into his stare. “People disappear when there’s magic involved.” He paused, his gaze reaching into my chest. “But I’m not going anywhere.” His hand slid up my stomach, his thumb brushing just under the wire of my bra.
I let his words sink in.
They were heavy.
But in the way I wanted.
In the way I was looking for.
“Then, kiss me, Lance,” I begged.
He immediately closed the gap between us, and my tongue slid over his. With each breath, my body bent into his, and with each bow, he took more of me. My hands combed his hair, tugging the dark strands, as he went to my waist, lifting my shirt, giving himself access to my bare skin.
His palms rubbed across my stomach, stalling on each hip. “Chloe,” he hissed. There was desire in every syllable; both were vibrating through me. His eyes hungrily dipped down my body, and when he returned, my thighs clenched together, the tingling almost unbearable. “I fucking need you.”
Four simple words, but quite possibly the sexiest sequence I’d ever heard.
“I’m yours,” I breathed against his lips.
That was all he needed to hear. Suddenly, my clothes were peeled off my body, his falling on the blanket next to mine. Once we were naked, he tore his mouth away, grabbing a condom from his wallet before his attention turned back to me.
He took a second to pause, and in that moment, I felt him take all of me in.
“Chloe, you are so beautiful.” Lance treated my body as though it were a contract he was reading.
With one confident, continuous movement, his fingers dipped between my legs while he tore off the top of the foil. My thighs widened, my breath panting through my lips as he circled my clit, spreading the wetness with one hand, putting the condom on with the other.
From where he’d placed me, while his two fingers were knuckle deep inside me, I watched him roll the rubber down his long, thick shaft. And all I could do was moan, “My God, you’re so sexy.”
Lance’s body was incredible, muscles etched into tight skin, dark patches of hair across the top and bottom of his torso.
This was what a man looked like.
Before air even hit my parted lips, he took my nipple into his mouth. His fingers picked up the pace, but he didn’t just move them in and out. He turned his wrist, giving me pressure from all angles before sliding to my other breast. His teeth framed that peak, his tongue flicking the end.
“Yes,” I moaned, holding the tops of his shoulders, feeling the hardness under my nails while his cock positioned between my legs.
He was teasing me, bouncing against my entrance, each bump making me louder. And when I couldn’t take another second, he inched his way in.
“Chloe …” he breathed, and I knew our exhales sounded the exact same. “Damn it, you feel good.”
It was an overwhelming fullness at first, so satisfying that I pulled back from his kiss and ground my head into the heavy blanket and released the longest moan. “My God.”
His lips were on my throat, kissing up to my chin and down to my breasts while he drove
into me. Each stroke was like one of the dips of his signature, a sweep he was an expert at making, and the most intense pleasure was spreading through me.
“Jesus, you’re wet,” he murmured right before he lifted me off the blanket and put me on my knees.
Once I was on all fours, he moved in behind me, and I barely had time to take a breath before his dick was sliding back in.
“And so fucking tight.” He was gripping my ass, and then he traveled up my side to my breast. He pinched my nipple, rolling it between his fingers.
I was stabbing the blanket, shouting, “Ahhh,” as I lost control of everything that was happening inside me.
“I need you closer,” he roared, his hands flattening against my stomach, and while he stayed behind me, he pulled me up to a kneeling position. His arm stayed wrapped around me, his face now in the back of my neck, and he thrust back in.
Because we were both upright, I was able to use my legs to balance my weight, and I moved with him at the same time. With each pump of my hips, that familiar spark began to flicker in my lower stomach. I reached above my head, circling my arms around his neck, eliminating all the air between us.
His hands were instantly roaming. Each spot he touched came with a new sound, a deeper, more intense rumble. I all but screamed when he grazed across my clit, my ass bucking in response.
“Mmm,” he groaned.
I was almost there, building slowly each time he ground into me, the tingles causing my body to light on fire. “Lance …”
He was tugging my nipple and rubbing my clit, all of the sensations working together, the peak of the build within my grasp.
“Yes,” he hummed, “I can feel you coming.” His fingers spread across my stomach as the first ripple tore through me. “Give it to me, Chloe.”
A few more thrusts, and I was clutching him from the inside, shuddering from each wave. This wasn’t just an orgasm; this was ownership of my body. And from the sounds I heard coming from him and his sharp, powerful movements, I could tell he was only seconds behind.
“You are,” he moaned in my ear while his grip tightened, and as his hips reared, I felt the moment his orgasm came through in his thrust, “incredible.”
I was pulsing, sensitive waves now filling me, every caress of his fingertips, causing more tremors to move over my skin. I grasped him with my hands, holding on to whatever I could reach, and I helped pump the release out of him.
“Chloe,” he roared, holding me so tightly until our bodies eventually came to a standstill.
When he pulled out and removed the condom, he turned me around and hugged me against his chest. We didn’t move. We stayed just like that, finding our breath again.
Several minutes passed of panting and touching and gentle kissing before he said, “How about we bring our wine into the hot tub?”
Even though I’d calmed, I was still so consumed by him; I’d forgotten we were on a blanket in front of the fire, in Colorado, surrounded by mountains.
“I didn’t bring a bathing suit.”
“You’re cute …” His laugh was richer than normal.
Then, I was in the air, my legs wrapped around his waist, and he was carrying me outside.
Thirty
“I’m taking you to one of the most beautiful spots in Vail,” Lance said the next morning as we started our hike.
Since I only had a day left and he wanted me to see as much as I could, we’d gotten up early, showered, and stopped at my hotel so I could change into warmer clothes and boots. He took me through the village, and as we made our way toward the trails, I found myself staring at him. I’d done the same thing this morning when he was shaving at the sink. He’d stood there with a thick lather on his cheeks, a white towel hanging low on his waist. The muscles in his back shifted and tightened each time he moved his arms.
And I’d just taken in how beautiful he was.
At one point in my life, I’d craved the feel of a rough, thick beard scratching my cheeks. That sensation would mean Oliver was present, and that was something I’d wanted so desperately and couldn’t have.
Those days were gone.
Now, I longed for skin that was clean and polished and—my God, Colorado looked just as good on him.
His grip on my hand strengthened, and I felt it so clearly through our thick layers of gloves. Then, his pace slowed. The trees in this area were slightly denser, and we had come across a creek with a covered bridge.
“Wow,” I breathed, watching the coldness stream over the rocks, shallow enough in some areas that I could see large boulders breaking through the surface. “This is positively stunning.”
Orange, red, and yellow leaves were everywhere, a kaleidoscope of shapes and hues, making a canopy that blocked out most of the sky. And as the water danced down the narrow river, it almost sounded like a song.
I pulled out my phone, attempting to take a picture, and Lance said, “Not yet, trust me,” and he led me onto the bridge. When we were halfway across, he added, “This is the view I want you to see.”
We were inside a bridge that had a cover. There was absolutely nothing to look at in here.
Before I could ask, he brought me to the side, and he positioned me in a way where it all made sense. From this spot, through the thin, small slats of wood, I could see the windy creek until it disappeared into the trees, the bumpy mountains and the massive pines that lined them, the snow that covered it all, twinkling like diamonds from the sun.
But it was this angle, this tiny little viewing hole, that made it all even better.
“Lance, this is breathtaking.”
Magic.
That word kept resurfacing, the more time I spent here.
The more time I spent with Lance.
“I have to make my way back here one day.” My voice was soft even though we were the only ones on the bridge. “This can’t be the only time I see this.”
He stood just to the side of me, his hand on my waist, tightening when he said, “I’ll bring you whenever you want.”
Slowly, I put my back to one of the most amazing sights I’d ever seen to take in another that was even more magnificent. My hands went to his shoulders, a smile warming my face. “Will it always feel this way?”
It was a question I’d wanted to ask before, in a different place and a much different time. But I had known always wasn’t possible for Oliver and me.
That wasn’t the case now.
An intense, fierce tingle moved through me just as his mouth touched mine. “I don’t know …” He went in for another kiss and said, “I’ve never felt this way before.”
Thirty-One
It wasn’t until after seven when I was finally able to drag myself out of the office for the night. I went to the train station, taking the T for four stops and then walking just a few blocks to Lance’s building. It was a commute I now knew extremely well; since I’d returned from Colorado six months ago, I had been staying at his place almost every night.
“Good evening, Miss Kennedy,” the doorman said as I approached Lance’s high-rise in the Back Bay.
“It’s a cold one out there.” I shivered, hurrying the remainder of the distance and stepping through the door he’d opened and into the lobby. “Thank you.”
“You’re most welcome.” He shut it behind me and followed me to the elevator, pressing the button for Lance’s floor. I was more than capable; it was just the process here. “Have a good night,” he replied as the door closed.
I watched the numbers on the screen light up, rising the eighteen stories until it stopped at the very top.
Each time I came here, my heart thumped in my chest, the anticipation increasing as fast as the elevator. And when the door slid open, with the thought of seeing him the only thing on my mind, a smile would move across my face.
I rushed through the door and into the entryway, where I began to take off my coat, leaving it with my purse on a chair not far from the entrance. Once I rounded the corner, the space opening into
a giant living room, I saw him. He was lying on one of the leather couches, watching the news, wearing jeans and a starched, untucked button-down and bare feet—his relaxed look.
And I found it so sexy.
“My beautiful baby …” he groaned when he spotted me.
I would never get used to the way this man looked at me, like we were still at the bar, meeting for the first time, and he wanted to devour me as though he’d never tasted me.
I left my heels on the floor and climbed on top of him. “I missed you today.”
His hands went to my back, warming it before lowering to my ass. “Kiss me.”
I pressed my mouth to his, loving how the flavor of Lance had become so familiar; I craved it during our moments apart. How the touch of his lips usually made the stress of work vanish entirely.
But as I pulled away, Lance studied my eyes and said, “Talk to me about it.”
He knew. He saw it.
I sighed, giving him a few gentle kisses on his cheeks until I knew he wouldn’t let me avoid his question any longer, and I pushed myself up and sat next to him on the edge of the couch. “Molly is moving in with Marshall.” I looked at my hands, seeing the bracelet she had given me for my birthday last year. “I knew it was coming, and we’ve been preparing for it, but it’s a lot of change.” I swallowed, and it hurt so badly; I tried to stop myself from tearing up. “I’m just really going to miss living with her.”
He was leaning up now, spreading his arms. “Come here.”
I fell into them, feeling the closeness as he tightened around me. “I know this probably sounds silly,” I admitted. “I mean, I spend most nights here, and she’s at Marshall’s. It’s certainly not the end of a friendship or anything like that, but we’ve been roommates since the day I moved to Boston, and Molly is the only family I have here.”
He tucked a chunk of my hair behind my ear. “She’s your best friend; I understand why this is hard on you.” He kept his hand on my neck, holding it while he rubbed the bottom of my cheek. “But I want you to know something, Chloe.” His navy stare narrowed, and that was when I saw all the emotion. “Molly isn’t the only family you have in this city.” His words simmered in my chest, flowing around my heart in a circle. “You have me.”