And then it disappeared, and all that existed was the two of them.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, melting into his touch, as he lifted her off the ground.
This was a kiss for the ages.
A kiss out in the open for all to see.
They weren’t hidden away in a cabin or holed up in a private massage room. This wasn’t some man feast where they were supposed to get their fill and then move on like nothing ever happened. The butterflies in her stomach and the electricity pulsing through her body told her one thing: This was the real deal.
She sighed and after God knows how long, Jasper paused and pulled back a fraction. “I think we have an audience.”
She glanced around the room at the smiling faces—half of them recording the encounter on their phones.
Jasper gave her his million—no his billion-dollar grin then turned to the crowd. “Eleanor Reynolds has just made me the happiest guy in Vermont. Drinks are on me!”
The place erupted again, and everyone rushed the bar.
“I thought drinks were already on you?” she asked, unable to stop smiling like an idiot.
“It doesn’t hurt to milk it a little from time to time. Call it my dramatic flair.”
She narrowed her gaze.
“You should probably know that this will most likely be the first and last time I do anything that could be characterized as having a dramatic flair.”
“You never know,” she answered, still in his arms, toes dangling above the dance floor.
He set her down, then took her hand. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Where to next?” she asked as he helped her into her coat.
He captured her with those steel-blue eyes. “Wherever the hell I can have you all to myself.”
14
Jasper
Elle unlocked the door to a small cottage located on her mother’s property and they entered the cozy space. She turned on a lamp and took off her coat, resting it over the back of a chair.
“I had this guesthouse built in case I needed to hire someone to care for my mom full time. I’m pretty sure she’s asleep, but I didn’t want us to…” she trailed off.
He stared at her. She’d always been beautiful. Those lapis blue eyes had always made his pulse race. But now, she looked different. Without the guise of the man feast, this wasn’t just some erotic tryst between two sex-starved individuals.
It was the two of them. Their scars exposed. Their secrets revealed.
Her brow knit together. “Say something.”
The excitement of his salsa escapade thrummed through him. It killed him to see her so shaken, so raw. And then he’d remembered dancing with her. Holding her. And his mind went to their run-in with the Parkers and how she’d held his hand. She hadn’t pitied him. She’d been herself. Her snarky, smart as a whip self. And he’d told her everything.
His greatest pain was no longer his greatest secret. Elle knew it all, and she didn’t judge him. And now the tables were turned, and all he wanted to do for her was what she’d done for him—and show her the way forward.
“I was just thinking about tonight,” he answered.
They’d walked back to her mom’s place hand in hand, neither saying a word, neither wanting to break the spell that had been cast on the dance floor.
He’d professed his feelings in the middle of a bar while salsa dancing.
There wasn’t much more out of character for him than that.
But that’s what Elle did. That was her magic, her witchcraft. She gave him that extra nudge. She pushed him that extra inch.
“Are you second-guessing yourself?” she asked, a slight shake to her voice.
He took off his coat, set it on top of hers, then cupped her face in his hands. “No, I’m not second-guessing anything.”
“Then, this is real,” she whispered.
He tilted her head and met her gaze. “It’s always been real, Elle. The only thing that’s different now is that we both believe it. I know I do.”
“I do, too,” she answered and melted into his touch.
He stroked her cheek. “I never thought I’d find anyone. I’d resigned myself to a solitary existence. But I don’t want that life, Eleanor. I want you. I want all of you.”
“Then kiss me, because I’m yours.”
Their lips came together, and she sighed, her sweet moan owning him. The sound went straight to his cock as his body ached for her touch. He unbuttoned his shirt and threw it onto the ground, then fell to his knees and unzipped her jeans. He peeled them off her body, along with her boots, and tossed them aside.
He needed this. They needed this. The drive to be inside her, to claim her, raged through him like wildfire. He was a measured man—until it came to Eleanor Reynolds.
She sank onto the ground next to him, and he pulled her sweater over her head then feasted on her breasts, unclasping her bra as he massaged and sucked her tight peaks. She arched into him and threaded her fingers into his hair, twisting and tugging, her desire matching his as her gasps and tight breaths fueled the fire within him.
“Yes!” she gasped.
He lifted her into his arms and carried her into the bedroom. Laying her down gently on the bed, he hooked his fingers into the band of her lacy G-string and pulled the garment down her thighs. The moonlight streamed through the window and cast her body in a milky glow as he took off his pants and boxers, then stood at the end of the bed and took in the splendor.
Her smooth skin.
Her soft curves.
He climbed onto the bed, prowling her body, dropping kisses along the way. First, her ankles. Then, her inner thigh. He licked a slow trail to her sweet center then pressed two fingers to her tight bundle of nerves, rocking them in a rhythmic circular motion.
“Jasper,” she cried, bucking her hips.
He could listen to her call out his name all night long.
Working her with his mouth and tongue, he feasted on her most sensitive place.
Feasted.
This was their new definition of the man feast. In every other aspect of his life, he was reserved and cautious. But not here. Not with Elle. In this place, their place, he let go and surrendered to hunger within.
“Jasper, I need you inside me,” she called out, gripping the bedsheets.
His cock throbbed between his thighs, happy to oblige. He met her gaze and positioned himself at her entrance.
They stared into each other’s eyes, and the significance of the moment hung in the air, heady and fragrant. They’d slept together, but not like this. Not as a couple. Not as two people made for each other.
She cupped his face in her hand. “Make love to me, Jasper. Show me this is real. Show me I’m yours.”
He pushed past her delicate folds, and she moaned, taking all of him into her sweet wet heat. He held her gaze as their bodies came together. No words were spoken, but a promise more binding than any contract passed between them.
She was his.
He was hers.
Despite their differences. Despite trying to hide it. They belonged together.
“You’re mine, Eleanor. Every beautiful, maddening part of you is mine.”
“Show me,” she whispered, tightening around him.
He pulled back then thrust his hips, meeting her body in a sensual rhythm. He laced his fingers with hers and rolled his hips, working her slowly, and their bodies came together in perfect synchronicity.
Each gasp, each growl, each thrust of his hard length, strengthened the bond between them like an invisible thread, encircling them, tethering his heart to hers, binding their souls.
Dialing up his pace, their bodies grew slick with sweat, and he brought her to the edge. She called out, writhing beneath him, riding the waves of her orgasm.
But he wasn’t done making her body sing with carnal pleasure.
He released her hands and gripped her ass. Pumping deeper and faster, he balanced on the precipice between pleasure and pain and
waited for her to join him. She grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him to her. Their lips and teeth and tongues met in a fiery exchange as the waves of their release crashed over them, rolling and turning and tossing them around in an ocean of ecstasy.
He’d spent so much of his life wielding control, exercising caution, and denying his wants and desires. With each glorious pulse of their mutual release, he reveled in her body and worshipped her spirit, her energy, her zest for life.
In her arms, he was reborn. The part of him he’d locked away tore through him like the rumble and roar of an avalanche.
Relentless.
Merciless.
All-encompassing.
Their breaths mingled together as they drifted back from the throes of their release. He steadied himself on his elbows, careful not to crush her under his weight. She sighed deeply, tracing her fingers along his jawline.
“What comes next for us?” she asked with a sated smile.
He brushed a lock of hair from her cheek, completely under her spell. He met her grin with one of his own and remembered his thoughts of Sunday mornings, waking up with her beside him, their bodies tangled together as they made love in the warmth of the late morning sun.
No schedule. No action items looming. Just Elle’s smile. Elle’s laugh. Elle’s sighs. Elle’s body welcoming his weeping cock.
He pressed a whisper-soft kiss to the corner of her mouth. “Everything comes next, Eleanor. Everything, and then after that, even more.”
“Is everything all right, sir?”
Jasper glanced up from his laptop as heat pulsed through his veins, the word everything evoking memories of making love to Elle last night.
He turned to his assistant. “Everything’s fine. The numbers look good. The bids for the new ski lift are in line with what we were expecting.”
Collin had flown in the day before to prep the Fall’s Peak management team for their meeting which had just ended on a good note.
“Do you see a problem, Collin?” he asked.
They were the last two left in the conference room.
The man shook his head. “No, I don’t see a problem. It’s just…”
“What?”
“You’re smiling, sir.”
Jasper schooled his features. “Do you have an issue with smiling?”
His assistant handed him a file, a bewildered look on his face. “No, no, there’s nothing wrong with smiling! I’ve just never seen you do it.”
Jasper glanced out the conference room window that overlooked the mountain and found Elle in the sea of skiers and snowboarders, making their way down the run. She wasn’t hard to spot with a camera crew at her side.
Collin looked out the window then down at his tablet. “Miss Reynolds leaves tomorrow morning for California, right?”
He nodded, his chest muscles tightening. “Yes, we’re sending her to our properties near Lake Tahoe then on to British Columbia to visit our resort in Whistler. She’ll hit Australia next and finish up with our European properties.”
Elle had five weeks of travel ahead of her, and he had five weeks jam-packed with work back in Denver.
Collin finished packing. “The numbers are already looking good from that article that went viral.”
It had only been a few days, but they’d seen a marked increase in the rebranding target group Elle was brought on to engage in retail sales and in purchasing season ski passes to their resorts for the upcoming season.
Jasper smiled. “It looks like she’s got the magic.”
She certainly did over him.
He closed his laptop. “What’s next on my schedule, Collin?”
“Actually, that’s it.”
He stood and crossed his arms. “We worked through all the action items I wanted to get through?”
The assistant nodded. “We did. It was a very productive meeting. You were more…” his assistant trailed off again.
“Collin, say what’s on your mind.”
“You were receptive to the management team’s ideas. Usually you—”
“Bark out orders like a drill sergeant?”
“Or a dictator.”
Jasper narrowed his gaze. “Don’t push it, Collin.”
His assistant bit back a grin then glanced out the window. “I have Miss Reynolds’s schedule here. It looks like they should be finishing up soon.”
He turned his attention to the slope and the beautiful brunette surrounded by cameras, and an idea hit him. “Collin, would you call down to the pro shop and have them pull some gear together for me? They should have all my sizes in their system.”
His assistant’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re going to ski down the mountain?”
“I’m certainly not going to be skiing up the mountain.”
His assistant blinked once then twice. “You’re serious?”
He patted the stunned young man on the shoulder. “Completely. And would you mind making sure my laptop and briefcase are returned to the Bergen townhouse? I won’t be coming back to the office today.”
Collin pulled his phone from his pocket. “Of course! Enjoy your afternoon.”
Jasper glanced out the windows toward the main plaza and watched as a gust of wind blew a ball cap off a young girl. An older woman—perhaps her mother, her aunt, or just a friend—ran forward and scooped it off the ground and handed it back to her. They continued walking, and Jasper lost sight of them.
“One more thing, Collin. Call Bergen Mountain and ask some of our guys to head out to mile marker 249 off the I-70 interstate.”
“Why?”
“To look for a hat.”
“A hat?”
“Yes, a faded blue Fell’s Peak Ski Resort ball cap.”
“There’s a Fell’s Peak cap laying around somewhere near the highway in Colorado?”
“Yes, right around mile marker 249. It blew over the guardrail.”
“Is it important, sir?”
He glanced at Elle. “Very important.”
Jasper left the conference room feeling lighter than he had in years. Perhaps running himself ragged and putting in hundred-hour workweeks while micromanaging every aspect of Bergen Enterprises wasn’t the most efficient way to lead a company.
Elle had rubbed off on him.
Today he’d listened rather than lectured. Delegated responsibilities rather than adding new tasks to his already overloaded schedule. He’d loosened his grip on the reins of Bergen Enterprises and found increased productivity and efficiency.
A sentimental pang in his chest told him this would have made his father proud.
He left the resort’s administrative building and stepped out onto the main plaza. It was a bluebird day. The weather was mild, and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. Piped in music floated through the air as people relaxed in the Adirondack chairs scattered in groups at the base of Fell’s Peak, laughing and sharing stories about their day on the mountain.
Did you see me kill it on the double black?
Dude, you were ripping today!
He smiled to himself. He, Bren, and Cam used to try to out-do each other on the runs, nearly busting their kneecaps cruising through the jarring moguls or finding the spots where they could catch the best air.
He entered the Bergen Pro Shop just as a salesclerk set a helmet next to a stack of gear.
“Hello, Mr. Bergen! The guys in the back are just adjusting the bindings on your skis. By the time you change, we should have everything ready to go.”
He picked up the items and thanked the clerk.
It was not a bad day to own a mountain sports empire.
He changed into his gear, picked up his boots and skis, and headed toward the lift when he saw Elle coming his way, chatting with one of the Fell’s Peak camera crew. Decked in a pair of ski goggles, a neck gator, and his helmet, she didn’t recognize him, and passed him without a second glance.
“Elle Reynolds, can I have your autograph,” he called after her.
She froze, then tur
ned.
If he’d had the power to stop time, he would have chosen that moment. The light caught her lapis blue eyes, turning them almost lavender in the afternoon sun. And her smile. Holy fuck, that smile deserved a chorus of angels—and it was all for him.
Elle said a quick goodbye to the camerawoman, then joined him. “What are you doing here? I thought you had a meeting?”
“It ended early.”
“Early?” she echoed, jerking her head back in surprise.
“Yeah, it turns out when you don’t spend fifty percent of the time trying to do everyone else’s job, shit gets done quick.”
She stepped back. “Is that really Jasper Bergen under there? I need to confirm I’ve got the right Bergen brother.”
He lifted his goggles and rested them on his helmet. “You’ve got the right one.”
She blushed. “You’re right. I do.”
He glanced at the ski lift. “I know they worked you pretty hard today, but do you think you’re up for one more run with your Bergen brother?”
Her expression grew wary. “How do you know they worked me hard?”
“The conference room looks out onto the runs. You’re not too bad on the blacks.”
She narrowed her gaze. “Not too bad!”
He shrugged playfully.
She pulled down her goggles. “You’re on, mister.”
They clicked into their skis and glided across the snow-covered pavilion to the lift. They grabbed the next chair, and he wrapped his arm around her as they dangled their ski-clad feet, soaring above the mountain.
“How was your day?” he asked.
It had been a decade since he’d donned ski gear and rode the lift. Fresh air. The big sky. He’d nearly forgotten the joy it was to ride the lift, to watch the skiers and snowboarders sail down the trail below. He’d had some of his best talks with his parents riding the lift. Nowhere to go. No distractions. Just you, your lift-mates, and a little time to talk that often turned out to be the conversations that mattered the most.
Elle rested her head on his shoulder. “It was a good day with the crew. We got some great footage, and I have some ideas on how I’d like to shoot when I get to Northern California. Are you…?”
Man Feast (Bergen Brothers Book 2) Page 16