She nodded.
“My dad was out skiing with his friends, each trying to outdo the other when he hit an icy patch and had a bad fall. He broke his leg in two places. My mom was on ski patrol. It was her first day on the job at Bergen Mountain, and she got him down the run.”
“He skied down with a broken leg?”
He smiled and shook his head. “No, he was strapped to the sled, but my mom stayed with him. The way my dad used to tell it was that as soon as my mom got there, the pain vanished because he knew he’d just met the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with.”
A dreamy expression crossed Abby’s face. “That’s so romantic.”
He glanced at the framed pair of skis. “My mom had a different version. In hers, my dad was pretty delirious from the pain and told her he was going to marry her. She thought he was nuts, but she stayed with him through the whole ordeal. It turned out my old man was right. They were married a year later.”
“And then it was your dad who got to carry your mom down the mountain.”
“Yeah, they were crazy about each other right up until…”
“Until, what?”
“Until I ruined it.”
“You? How could you have ruined it?”
He ran his hand down the side of the frame. “You see these skis with all the signatures and the medals?”
She nodded.
“They’re probably worth a fortune now. These were the skis I used in my last X Games win. They’re signed by all the competitors and by my parents and grandparents. It would be quite a collector’s item.”
“I still don’t understand what these skis have to do with why you think your parents’ death was your fault.”
He stared at his father’s signature. “I insisted they come to the games. I wanted them there to see me win. They should have been in Switzerland at one of our properties setting up the ski school. That’s what they did for Bergen Enterprises. They were in charge of the adult and the youth ski and snowboarding education curriculum at all our properties. But they flew back to see me compete. And then on the way home from the competition, there was a terrible car accident. My parents died right there on the side of the road.”
“You were there?”
“Yes, me and my brothers. All five of us were there. But my grandparents made sure that fact stayed out of the papers.”
She moved closer. “It’s not wrong to have wanted your parents to see you compete. You had no way of knowing or controlling what happened.”
He swallowed hard and tasted shame. “It gets worse. I was out partying not even a week after they died. I went to their memorial service hungover.”
She took his hand. “Because you were hurting, and that’s how you coped with the pain.”
He stared into her eyes.
“My parents would be so disappointed with the man I am today. But with you, Abby, with you, I’m different. I’m a better version of myself.”
She glanced away, and he knew what she was thinking.
He stared at her hand, fingers entwined with his. “That night in the hallway with that woman, I didn’t even remember I’d made plans with her. She doesn’t mean anything to me. I’m sorry that happened. I’m sorry you had to see that. All I’ve wanted to do was apologize. I want you, Abby. I want to be the kind of man who’s worthy of you. I think my parents would be proud of that man. I just don’t know where to start! I don’t know if I even deserve the chance!”
She cupped his face in her hands. “Everybody deserves a chance to make it right.”
“How do I make this right?”
“By trying. That’s all you can do.”
He leaned into her touch, resting his forehead against hers. “I need you, Abby. I want to kiss you so badly, but I’m scared.”
“What are you scared of?” she whispered.
He released a shaky breath. “I’m scared that once I start, I won’t be able to stop.”
She pulled back. In her eyes he saw lazy Sunday mornings, long walks through the botanic gardens, and blissful nights holding her close, her head resting on his chest as he twisted her chestnut locks around his fingers.
He’d lived in darkness, and now he saw the light.
A beautiful bright light, like the brightest shining star.
Abby dropped her hands from his face, unzipped his coat, and eased it off of him. “What if I can’t stop either?”
“Then we don’t stop,” he breathed, pressing his lips to hers.
He gathered her into his arms, deepening the kiss. She melted into his embrace, her sweet sighs and shallow breaths feeding his growing desire. She was his redemption. She was his salvation, but before he lost total control, she pulled back a fraction.
“I need to tell you something. I don’t want you to think badly of me,” she whispered.
“Abby, I couldn’t. I would never do that.”
“I’m a little embarrassed because it has something to do with underwear.”
“What about it?”
“I’ve got on long underwear.”
“Okay, what’s wrong with that?”
Her brow furrowed. “Well, that’s all I’ve got on. I skipped the panties, but I’m not sure how that works. I’ve never worn long underwear before today. And after last time, when I wasn’t wearing underwear with tights, I didn’t want you to think…”
He chuckled, marveling at how this woman could learn of his darkest secret, help him see a way through into the light, and then ask him a question about long underwear.
He stroked her cheek. “As a born and bred Coloradan, I can assure you, long underwear counts as underwear.”
She sighed. “Do you want to see them?”
His cock was rock-hard now. This is what she did to him. She was sweet and sexy all wrapped up into one perfect woman.
“Yeah, I want to see them.”
She pulled back and ran her index finger across his chest. “They’re plaid.”
He took in a tight breath.
She unzipped her ski pants and pulled them off.
Red plaid had never looked sexier.
Abby leaned back onto her elbows and crossed her legs. “You’re the one who said I had to dress in layers.”
“I’m going to peel every layer off of you.”
He crawled up the length of her body then slid his thumbs into the waistband of the sexy as hell plaid long underwear. Inch by inch, he worked the thin fabric down, revealing smooth, creamy skin. He pressed a whisper-soft kiss to her hip and removed the sheer undergarment. Next her fleece, and under that, the matching plaid top joined the growing pile of Abby’s layers.
She angled her knees away from him and began to pull her legs beneath her.
He rested his hand on her knee. “Don’t turn away. Let me look at you.”
She stilled.
God help him! She was stunning.
He brushed his lips over her collarbone, and her smooth skin grew heated as he kissed a path down the length of her body and settled between her thighs. He licked a trail to her sweet center but paused when Abby tensed.
She watched him, eyes wide, chest heaving. “No one has ever…” She bit her lip. “I’ve only been with one person, and we never did this.”
“Do you want me to stop?”
She held his gaze. “No.”
He rubbed her knee. “Does it hurt?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s just tender.”
He lifted her legs gingerly and rested them over his shoulders then dropped a kiss to her inner thigh. Abby moaned, a sound so primal it made him want to fuck her hard right there on the floor, but he held back. If he was going to be the first man to make Abby come like this, he was going to do it right.
“Does this feel good?” He pressed another kiss to her inner thigh.
A sharp inhale followed by a dreamy sigh gave him the answer.
He started with his hand, remembering how he’d made her come in the helicopter, and another surge of lu
st tore through his body. He rubbed her in teasing circles, her tight bundle of nerves responding to his touch.
“Brennen,” she gasped and tangled her fingers into his hair. She pulled, and the delicious twist of pain went right to his cock.
His breaths grew heated as he licked her delicate folds, tasting her, teasing her while increasing the pressure on her sweet bud, swollen with desire.
But he needed more.
He slid his hands to grip her hips and spread her legs, then glanced up. She watched him, wide-eyed, lips parted.
So damned beautiful.
He gave her a naughty grin and licked another trail. She rolled her head back and sighed as he went to work with his mouth, sucking and licking in a rhythmic assault.
Abby bucked her hips, meeting his mouth. Christ, she was glorious! And the closer she got to the edge, the more he wanted to keep her there, teetering on the precipice of all-encompassing desire.
“Brennen…yes!” She thrust her hips, and he could no longer deny her.
He dug his fingers into her smooth skin and devoured her, dialing up his pace, Abby’s body responding like it was made to be worshipped. With a gasp, she called out. Her hips, lifting to meet his mouth. Her greedy hands, pressing him against her in the fevered bliss of ecstasy.
After her breathing slowed and she wound down from her release, he kissed a line from her center up to her hip. Smiling, she pushed up onto an elbow.
“Was that okay?” he asked.
Her lips twisted into a sexy smile. “Get up here.”
His cock wept. It liked bossy Miss Quinn.
In the space of a breath, he pulled his shirt over his head and pushed down his pants and boxer briefs. He prowled the length of her body, removing her shirt as he edged forward, closing the distance between them.
“You taste so sweet, Abby Rose.” He pressed a kiss to the sensitive skin below her earlobe.
She arched into him and cupped his cheek. “Kiss me. I want to know what I taste like.”
He growled, and his lips met hers in a scorching kiss, Abby’s tongue licking and tasting her sweet release on his tongue.
“Fuck, Abby! Sorry! I mean flip.” He was nearly out of his mind with arousal.
She gazed at him through her eyelashes. “The only place you can’t have a foul mouth is in my classroom.”
“Yeah?”
She nodded. “I like listening to you talk dirty. It makes me feel like a bad girl.”
This woman was the fucking jackpot.
She reached between her breasts and unclasped her bra.
“You are so fucking beautiful,” he breathed.
She stroked his hard length. Her touch was velvet. Her grip, firm.
“Where did you come from, Abby?”
A playful glint sparked in her eyes. “Florida.”
If he weren’t trying to hold back from coming in her hands, he would have laughed his ass off at that. He sucked in a tight breath as she worked him in long, sensual strokes, his cock only inches from her entrance.
He stilled. “Should I get a condom?”
“I’m on the pill.”
He held her gaze. “I got tested last week. I’m clean.”
She looked away. “I am, too. I stopped at a clinic on my way to Denver. I needed to be sure I was okay.”
Because her jackass ex cheated on her.
A muscle ticked in his jaw and his body tensed.
She touched his cheek. “Hey.”
One gentle word brought him back, cooled his anger.
He brushed a lock of hair from her cheek. “I want to feel you, Abby. I want to be inside of you. I want to fuck you into the floor until I can’t move another muscle, and we’re both so delirious with ecstasy we can’t remember what day it is.”
The naughty glint was back. “It’s Friday.”
He positioned himself between her thighs and gave her a wolfish grin. “You’re not going to know that in five minutes.”
She bit her lip. “Five?”
“Two,” he breathed and thrust into her wet heat.
She gasped and wrapped her arms around his neck. He rocked into her, taking it slow. The sweet slide of their bodies coming together had him drunk with carnal desire, and in the space of a breath, he dialed up his pace, the hot friction begging for him to pump harder and faster. But when Abby released a low moan, he stilled.
“Am I hurting you?”
She closed her eyes and bit her lip. “No, it feels really fucking good.”
Holy hell!
He rolled his hips, grinding into her most sensitive place. “Did I just make Abby Quinn curse?”
Slowly, she opened her eyes, her lips twisting into a sexy smile. “You’re going to make Abby Quinn angry if you don’t keep going.”
He doubled his pace. “Oh, I can keep going.”
She met him, thrust for thrust, as he pumped inside her. Her soft moans and sweet cries carried him higher and higher until they clung to the edge, ready to fall into the abyss of sweet release.
He gripped her ass, deepening the angle of penetration, and together they let go. Her slick center gripped his cock in a rippling heat that spread through him like a wildfire.
“Abby!” he cried, his body a slave to her desire.
His orgasm crashed through him, tearing him into a million tiny pieces only she could put back together. He buried his head into the crook of her neck, and continued pumping, lengthening her release, coaxing each drop of pleasure from her body.
He pressed a lazy kiss below her earlobe, and Abby hummed against his cheek, a warm, satisfied sound. She ran her fingertips over his back, tracing the sinewy lines of hard muscle. He kissed a path along her jawline then pushed up onto an elbow. Abby’s eyes were closed, and he gazed down at her peaceful expression. Her dark hair fanned out behind her, highlighting her creamy skin and framing the curve of her neck. He brushed a lock from her forehead, and she opened her eyes. They stared at each other, neither moving, neither speaking.
She sighed and smiled. His smile.
“Don’t move. Stay just like that, Abby Rose.”
She ran her finger down his cheek, playing with his scruff. “Like what?”
“Like an angel. A perfect, gorgeous angel.”
She glanced away. “I’m no angel.”
The muscles in his chest tightened. “You are to me,” his voice barely a whisper, emotion lacing each word.
He stroked her cheek, unable to turn away from her when a distant mechanical noise caught their attention.
She turned toward the sound. “What’s that?”
He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth, knowing exactly what he wanted to do with her next.
“I want to show you something.”
Gently, he eased out of her and helped her to her feet. He passed her a robe from the closet, took one for himself, then reached for her hand. “Come with me.”
He led her into the main living room and started a fire in the grand stone fireplace. Night had fallen, and the dark expanse of Bergen Mountain twinkled with snowcats grooming the ski runs. Abby went to the wall of windows, her silhouette hazy in the orange glow of the firelight.
She watched a trio of the vehicles lumber up the side of the mountain. “It’s mesmerizing. They’re such big machines, but when you watch them from afar, the darkness nearly swallows them up.”
He came up behind her and kissed the crown of her head. “Watching the cats groom the runs is my favorite way to fall asleep.”
“Have you ever ridden inside one?”
He wrapped his arms around her. “I have. It’s hard work. Those guys will be out there all night.”
She yawned and leaned into him. “It looks peaceful.”
“It is, but it’s tiring. It’s cold, usually snowing, and you’ve got to stay alert.”
He laced his fingers with hers. “Will you indulge me with something?”
She yawned again. “I thought that’s what I just did.”
He l
ed her to a wide sofa that looked out onto the mountain and grabbed a quilt. They settled in, and he arranged a few pillows for them. Abby rested her head on his chest, and he stroked her hair, wrapping and unwrapping a silky lock around his finger.
The sound of the fire crackling filled the room, and his thoughts drifted back to sharing his darkest secret with Abby.
She’d given herself to him. Trusted him. Through her, he’d found peace. She’d led him out of the darkness. She’d made him laugh when he wanted to cry. She’d made it all better with her sweet smile and open, honest heart. He tightened his grip around her.
“This feels like a dream,” she sighed, her body easing into slumber.
He watched the lights move across the mountain and listened to the rise and fall of Abby’s rhythmic breaths as she slept in his arms. He blinked, his eyelids growing heavy, and pressed a kiss to her temple. The heaviness he’d carried deep in his soul had lightened, and he sighed, his body drifting into sleep surrounded not by the ghosts of his past but images of Abby.
“Thank you, Abby Rose. Thank you for saving me,” he said, stroking her arm one last time before surrendering to sleep.
12
Abby
Abby hummed with sweet satisfaction as Brennen shifted in his sleep and pulled her closer. The morning sun poured in through the windows and bathed the room in golden light. Her head resting on Brennen’s chest, she ran her fingertips down the hard plane of his abdominal muscles.
From his chiseled features to his strong, powerful body, Brennen Bergen was a work of art. A work of art who had worked her body all night long.
They’d woken in the middle of the night and—like a pair of crazy kids—roasted marshmallows over the fire which quickly turned into Brennen eating the sweet treat off her belly, her thighs, her neck, and that led to a host of other naughty ways to utilize the campfire confection.
His muscular arms tightened around her, and his hand rested on her ass. They’d abandoned the robes hours ago, choosing instead to rely on the quilt and their body heat to keep them warm. She could have stayed cocooned like that forever, safe and sated in his embrace.
“You’re awake,” came a low, gravelly voice.
Man Fast: Bergen Brothers: Book One Page 15