by Emma Roberts
"Honestly, I think I needed the break," she sighed. "I know that I work too hard sometimes. I just don’t know how to switch off. Or I never got the chance, I guess."
"Yeah, I feel that," I agreed. "It’s hard to step away when working your ass off is all you’ve ever known, right?”
"I’m not even really stopping work now, I guess," she admitted, nodding down to the clothes in the bag. "I guess there just aren’t enough hours in the day to really take a break for any meaningful length of time."
"At least you have your friend to look after your kids," I pointed out.
"Yeah, thank Christ for Clara," she agreed, shaking her head and smiling fondly. "I don’t know what I’d do without her. I swear, she keeps me sane most of the time. She actually took me away for a trip a few months ago, just a night out – it was so much fun."
I held my breath for a moment. Was she going to put the pieces together and figure out that the trip had been when she’d first met me? I wasn’t sure if I should bring it up or not. I assumed not, given that she hardly seemed to recall it.
"What about you?” she asked, mercifully shifting the subject. "Do you get much time away from work?”
"Honestly, not as much as I know I should take," I admitted. "I just feel like if I take too much time off, people are going to forget me."
"I think people would have a hard time forgetting you," she remarked, a hint of flirtation in her voice.
"You didn’t even know who I was," I reminded her playfully. She laughed.
"Alright, but people who actually have lives outside their work and their kids would probably never forget you," she corrected herself. "You can’t judge the rest of the world by me."
"If the rest of the world was a little more like you, then maybe things would run a little smoother around here," I remarked.
"You’re sweet," she replied, and I noticed a little flush on her cheeks, the same one that had appeared when we were out in the cold together. She focused on stitching the holes in the jeans, and I grabbed the paint to start re-painting the “L” on the cube in front of me.
"You don’t have any kids, do you?” she asked suddenly. I raised my head to look at her.
"No. Hell no," I replied, shaking my head. "Never really wanted them, either."
"Oh," she replied, her face falling a little. I realized how stupid that had been.
"But maybe it’s getting to that time in my life," I corrected myself. "You know, a lot of people around me are starting to settle down and have kids. Maybe it’s my turn next."
"Maybe it is," she smiled back at me. Before I could say anything else, she got to her feet and headed to the bedroom.
"Where are you going?" I asked.
"Give me a second," she called back, and she returned a moment later with her purse in her hand.
"I know you probably don’t want to see these," she admitted, shaking her head. "But just indulge me for a second, alright?"
"You’re an elf. I’m pretty sure I have to do what you ask," I replied, and she giggled, adjusting the hat on her head. Then she sank down into the seat next to me and pulled out a picture.
"This is me and my kids," she explained, showing me the photograph. I peered down at it – in it, two kids, a girl and a boy, were beaming up from either side of a woman I didn’t recognize. I peered a little closer at her. A nanny, maybe?
"I know it doesn't look anything like me," she admitted, and she sounded a little embarrassed. "That was a few years ago. And about two hundred pounds."
"You lost all of that weight?" I asked incredulously. The tone in my voice must have upset her because she quickly whipped the picture away before I could peer any closer. She didn’t meet my gaze as she continued.
"Yeah, I did," she confessed, putting the picture back in her purse. "After I...I had just been through a lot. I didn’t want to be carrying that weight around any longer. It felt like it belonged to someone else, you know? Like it wasn’t me. I’d put it on after I had the kids, and I’d just let it sit there because I was...I was trying to insulate myself from the world, I guess."
I didn’t reply for a moment. She was standing there, eyeing me. I was a little surprised; I couldn't imagine her as anything other than the gorgeous, svelte creature I saw before me.
"Does that change how you think of me?" she asked quietly, her head drooping down as she took her seat opposite me once more.
"Of course it doesn’t, Kari," I assured her fervently. She managed a disbelieving smile.
"It’s alright if it does," she muttered. "I know that it’s...I know that it was a lot. Trust me..."
"No, Kari, it doesn’t change anything," I cut her off before she could go any further down this line. I got to my feet and crouched down beside her.
"I don’t care what you used to look like," I murmured. "Really. I think you’re beautiful now, but you don’t have to...you never have to worry about this."
"You’re not worried that I’m going to put the weight back on?” she asked. I could tell that this was a real concern for her. I thought of her ex, of that ass who had dumped her for someone younger, and I hated him in that moment. I’d never met him, but that didn’t matter. He had hurt this woman so much, and she was so damn good. She didn’t deserve to feel this way about herself. And I would make sure that she never did again.
"No, I don’t," I replied with certainty. "You saw something you wanted to change about yourself, and you changed it. That’s what I like about you – you look at the world, and you see what needs changing, and you just...you just go out there and do it. You have no idea what an inspiration that is."
She looked at me for a long moment, scanning my face as though she was looking for an indicator that I was lying to her. As though she thought I might laugh in her face and take it all back. I took her hand and squeezed it, and she pulled her eyes away from me. They were glistening with tears.
"I’m sorry," she mumbled, dashing the tears away with the back of her hand. She half-laughed at herself, but I could tell that something had flicked inside her, like a switch had changed from one side to the other.
"I just...I really thought that if you saw that you might think of me differently," she confessed. "That you might not want me as much. Knowing what I used to be..."
"You’re still the same person as you were back then," I replied. "You just looked a little different, that’s all. Kari, I don’t care who you thought you used to be. I just care about the woman who’s sitting right here in front of me."
And with that, I leaned over and kissed her.
It was a snap decision – I just couldn’t bear to see her sad any longer, and it was the only thing I could think of to put a smile on her face. As soon as our lips touched, though, it turned into something else. She had truly believed that as soon as I saw the way she used to be, things would change between us – that I wouldn’t see her the same way. And when I kissed her, it seemed to wipe away all of those last vestiges of her fear. She kissed me back, her hand on my neck, pulling me in close as though she never wanted me to shift away from her again. But I wanted her, all of her.
I kissed her nose, her lips, her cheeks, her chin, her forehead, every part of her that I could get my hands on. She was giggling and trying to kiss me back, touching me all over. By the time I pulled back, her tears were gone, and she was smiling at me softly.
"I like to see you smile," I murmured, pressing my forehead against hers.
"Morgan, I…" she trailed off before she could finish what she was saying. I didn’t need to hear it, though. I knew what she was thinking.
"You’re getting paint all over us," she finally finished up, laughing and grabbing one of my hands, which was covered in blue and green paint from the block I’d been working on. She reached up and touched my face, skimming her fingers over the paint that must have gotten on it, and shook her head at me.
"You’re going to need to get cleaned up," she murmured.
"Only if you join me," I replied. She raised he
r eyebrows.
"And what exactly might that mean?” she asked, even though I was pretty sure she knew damn well what I was referring to.
"Let’s take a bath," whispered seductively, pressing a kiss to the spot just below her ear.
"Together."
She bit her lip, and her eyes were shining when I pulled back. But this time, it wasn’t with tears – no, it was with the thrill of what I was suggesting.
"You get it running," she replied, getting to her feet. I took her hand, and she wobbled slightly.
"Already a little light on your feet?” I teased.
"Guess that’s just the effect you have on me," she shot back playfully.
"Let’s get you cleaned up," I told her, kissing her on the nose. She smiled widely.
"What are you waiting for?" She waved me to the bathroom. "I need to get this paint off of me."
"And those clothes," I added, cocking an eyebrow. And with that, I headed to the bathroom to get a warm, steamy bath running for the two of us. Just like last night, the two of us would be sharing hot water, a small space, and as little clothes as possible. I couldn’t wait.
14
Kari
The steam curled up from the enormous bath, and I let the robe I had been wearing slip from my shoulders as I headed over to join him. He reached out for me, reminding me of the night before in the hot tub. Except this time, we weren’t even trying to pretend that we were in this for anything but the sex.
I slipped under the steamy water with him, and he drew me onto his lap at once. I straddled him, wrapping my arms around his neck, and he held me steady as he ran his hands up my waist and grinned at me.
"You’re so fucking beautiful," he murmured as he leaned forward to draw one of my nipples into his mouth. I groaned and cradled his head, holding him tight, as he lazily trailed his tongue around my breast, baring his teeth and sinking them in for a moment. His hair was damp and soft, his stubble rough on my skin, and the contrast between the two sensations was already getting my pussy flooded with desire for him.
"I really need to be inside you right now," he growled, and I wasn’t going to deny him a moment longer. He had brought some condoms from the bedroom with him – I would have called it presumptive, except that he knew exactly where this was going. Everything he had told me, everything we had spoken about, had me more confident with him than I had ever been before. He had made it clear that he wanted me, no matter what, which was something that I had never really experienced before with a guy. With my ex, it had always been this silent promise that he would pull away from me if I wasn’t up to his standards. Morgan had convinced me that this wasn’t the case for him.
I grabbed a condom and opened it slowly, reaching down beneath the water to slide it over his erection. He tipped his head back and groaned at my touch. I wasn’t sure I would ever get over how good it felt to have him like this, to have him wanting me so very badly.
As soon as he was sheathed, he grabbed my hips and pulled me forward so that I was positioned over his cock; I lowered myself down slowly, dipping myself below the heavenly water, the steam wrapping soft fingers around my skin. I took him inside me, feeling his length slide up and into me, and I let out a moan that echoed around the room.
"You feel so fucking amazing," he murmured, reaching up to brush a strand of hair back from my face. He grasped the back of my neck and leaned up to kiss me, thrusting deeply into me at the same time, and just like that, I lost myself to him once more.
With his tongue in my mouth and his cock in my pussy, he began to fuck me, and fuck me hard. I sank my fingers into his shoulders and held on to him tight. The way he was taking me was driving me crazy already, the feeling so deeply satisfying that I knew I would never get over it. I didn’t want this to end. I rocked my hips back against him, pushing him into me deeper, and he let out a long, guttural groan against my lips. I felt it vibrate through me, my body shuddering as his pleasure melded into mine.
He moved his hand between my legs, finding my clit and beginning to stroke me softly. He slowed his movements inside me, grinding instead of thrusting, letting me feel every inch of his cock as it spread me wide. I tipped my head back as he ran his mouth greedily over my neck, the heat of his mouth and the heat of the water meshing into one glorious sensation.
Our bodies were moving in perfect harmony, his hand on my pussy as his cock buried deep inside me, and it felt different than the night before had. Not that that hadn’t been amazing, but we had been learning each other then, figuring out how this worked, and taking our time to explore each other. This time around, we were just fucking – frantic, furious, and focused. We knew exactly what worked for the other person, and we were determined to give it to them. I couldn’t get enough of him.
But there was still that twinge of guilt at the back of my mind over what we were doing together. I loved this, was already obsessed with it, but I was supposed to be doing my job while I was here. Not hooking up with some movie star in his bath. This was ridiculously unprofessional, and nothing I could say or do would unwind that truth.
But then, he began to move a little faster into me, and any doubts I had been carrying seemed to slide away again, just like that. How could I focus on anything but how damn good this felt? There wasn’t room in my brain for anything else, not anymore, and I wanted to indulge in this feeling – I wanted to feel his hands on me, feel his cock moving inside me. I needed him. Wanted him. Ached for him. I let my head fall back, and he kissed up my throat, tasting me. All at once, I felt the feeling grow to undeniable levels inside of me.
"Ah..." I groaned, and that noise seemed to be all I needed to push myself over the edge. Moments later, I felt my pussy clench around him hard, my body shivering from top to bottom as the sensation flooded through me. I leaned forward, burying my head in his shoulder as he clasped my body close, holding me tight and keeping me safe. Then he thrust a few more times into me and found his own release, buried deep inside of me.
We slowly unraveled ourselves from each other – but not before exchanging a few last giggly kisses – and he pulled himself out from me and disposed of the condom in a nearby trashcan. I sank back into the enormous bath, drifting backwards, letting the water wash everything away.
"Mmm," I sighed with satisfaction as I lay there in the water. He reached over to run a little more hot water to warm the tub up once more. As if things in here weren’t steamy enough already, right?
"You okay?" he asked, sliding his hand over my knee under the water. I nodded.
"I feel awesome," I replied, and he grinned at me.
"Me too." He shifted over in the bath and wound an arm around me, pulling me in close. I lay my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, sleepy and happy and sated. I could have just stayed there for the rest of the day if he’d let me, but I knew I had more to do – I had to go back to the work we had been figuring out, had to finish the stitching and the sewing and everything else. But I could already feel my eyes getting heavy. I felt so safe next to him; I just wanted to fall asleep right here in his arms.
"Hey, let’s get you out of here before the water goes cold," he murmured, scooping me out of the bath easily and carrying me to the bedroom. I smiled and nuzzled into his neck, pressing my head to his chest so that I could hear the steady beat of his heart beneath his skin.
He laid me down on the bed, and I stretched out, feeling like a cat that had just eaten. I was so tired – it seemed like all of that time out in the snow had really taken it out of me. He slipped into bed next to me and wound his arms around me, spooning me from the side. I grinned and closed my eyes, letting him hold me close.
"Mmm, you smell so good," he murmured, running his nose over my skin. I wriggled against him, already feeling a flood of desire for him one more.
"I smell like you," I reminded him.
"Well, then I smell great," he replied, touching his finger to my chin and kissing me once more. As soon as our lips met, I knew where this was going. Even thoug
h we had barely finished making love, I wanted him again. I wanted him here, now; I wanted every part of him. I wanted him while I could still have him. I didn’t want this to have to be over, not yet.
He took me from behind this time around, running his hands over my body as he did so – normally, I would have been urgently pulling the covers over my body so that he couldn’t make out what was going on underneath, but I didn’t care so much with him. The way he touched me, he made it clear that he wanted nothing more than to be with my body in that moment, than to lose himself to the newness and the sureness of my form. I remembered what he had said to me before – that it wouldn’t have mattered to him what I looked like. I wondered how true that was. But as he touched me, he scrubbed any last thoughts of doubt from my mind, and I finally let go of the lingering insecurity with him.
He moved inside me slowly, pushing my leg up so that he had deeper access to me, and kissed my neck as he fucked me. I closed my eyes and lost myself to how good he felt. But as much as I tried to keep it out of my mind, I couldn’t help but remember that there was a time limit on all of this. Yes, this was incredible, and no, I didn’t want it to end, but that wasn’t how this worked. It was never how this worked. We had to function with the knowledge that as soon as I walked out of this cabin, this was over. Nobody could know about us, nobody could hear about us, and nobody could find out that I had given myself so keenly to a man I barely knew. A man I was supposed to be working with, no less.
It would be a scandal if any of this got out. Exactly the kind of scandal that neither of us needed. Him, because he was in the process of trying to rebuild his reputation and gather himself after everything that had happened over the course of his career, and me because I had a family to think about, and I had no intention of dragging them into the fresh hell of dating a movie star. I would be crazy to even consider it.
But still, as we made love on that bed, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness that this was really all going to be over soon. I didn’t want this to end. This cabin had been our enclave from the real world, a place where the two of us could act like who we wanted to be without fear of judgement or reprisal. And soon, it was all going to be over. Just like that.