Snow Angel (The Hope Falls Chronicles)

by Shawn, Melanie

  “So, no dates,” he clarified as he spread his hands around her ribs, continuing to use his thumbs to message below her shoulder blades. His fingers brushed the sides of her breasts as he moved them to her back, continuing his ministrations.

  She groaned and let her head fall back. He felt her hands rest on his knees under the water. Her fingers dug into him tightly. Then, in the blink of an eye, she pushed off as she moved to the other side of the spa and turned to face him.

  He wasn’t sure if she was upset or just wanted to slow things down, if she was going to stay or leave. He didn’t know if he should apologize or not.

  “Lily…” he began.

  She held up her hand, halting his speech. “I want to say something and I couldn’t think with you touching me. Which I know was the point.” A sly smile crept up on her face as a renewed spark twinkled in her eye. “Nice move by the way. And thank you, not just because it felt amazing, but also now that I’m so ridiculously turned on I can barely see straight, there’s no room left for me to be nervous.”

  Eric felt his chest constrict. He had no idea what Lily was about to tell him, but he did know that in this moment, watching her assert herself, calling him out on his ‘move’, and openly admitting how turned on she was, he’d fallen in love with her. Head-over-heels, tumbling-down-a-hill-like-Jack-and-Jill, crazy love. He was a goner.

  “So here’s the deal.” She sat up straighter and her tone became very serious.

  Eric knew he should be paying close attention to what Lily was about to say. She never initiated conversations, especially personal ones. But between the fact that he’d just realized he loved her and the fact that her tits were bobbing in and out of the water like sexy dinghies, he would have to say that his focus was split.

  Clearing her throat, she began. “Obviously I’d like to explore a physical relationship with you. And if we decide to do that, I would expect that you wouldn’t be exploring anyone else at the same time, and of course neither would I. But I’m not in the place to start a real relationship. I don’t want to date. I want to spend time with you, but I want to be clear up front what my terms are. This”—she moved her hand in the water, motioning between them—“can only be physical. Nothing more.”

  Eric sat stunned for a moment. Had the girl he’d just fallen in love with told him she wants to be friends with benefits?

  Yeah. That’s exactly what just happened.

  Not knowing what to say, he simply sat, hoping the perfect words would come to him. He wanted more than just a physical relationship, but was he really going to pass that up if that’s all she was offering?

  Yes, he had said that he was done with one-night stands, but this wasn’t that. He had feelings for Lily, and he thought she might have some for him too, even though she wasn’t ready to face it.

  So the question was could he really just walk away from her, not even giving them any kind of a chance because she wasn’t ready to give him everything he wanted right now and maybe never would be?

  Hell no.

  His heart may be on the line, and hers was far from a sure thing, but he was gonna roll the dice.

  He saw as he looked in her eyes that a little bit of her confidence was slipping, probably because he’d been sitting there mute for several minutes. He couldn’t have that; her take-charge attitude was sexy as hell.

  “So to be clear, you are saying no relationship, no dating, just monogamous friends with benefits.”

  “Yes.” She nodded her head firmly.

  His face broke out into a slow, wicked smile. “Deal.”

  Her lips turned up into a satisfied grin, and she stuck out her hand. “Deal.”

  Yeah, no way in hell he was going to “shake” on it.

  Leaning forward, he grabbed her hand and pulled her through the water and onto his lap. She let out a little squeal as her eyes opened wide with delight.

  Reaching into the water, he lifted her knees and spread them apart, placing one on each side of him so she was straddling his body. Wasting no time making good on their newly formed deal, he framed her face with his hands and tilted her head as he sealed his lips to hers in a hot, wet, open-mouthed kiss. Feeling her soft body sliding against his in the water as he stroked his tongue against hers was causing a build of erotic pressure so fast inside of him that he wasn’t sure he could maintain any ounce of control.

  He needed to slow this frantic pace down if he had even a hope of hanging on to his tiny thread of restraint.

  Purposefully, methodically, he began taming their frenzied speed with lazy, languorous licks across her mouth, gliding slowly from side to side he explored her with gentle, firm passes of his tongue. Her hands gripped his shoulders and he felt her nails dig into his skin. As her chest brushed against him, he could feel her hardened nipples through the wet material that still covered her.

  Moving his hands beneath the water, he spread his fingers across her supple thighs, sliding his hands up her slick skin and gripping her hips tightly. Breaking their kiss, he moved his lips to her jawline, showering kisses across then down below her ear to the sweet spot he’d seen earlier.

  She wrapped her arms around his neck as soft moaning sounds came from her mouth. Pressing his lips to the erogenous area below her ear, he sucked in slightly to gauge her sensitivity. Her hips immediately bucked towards him and he smiled against her dewy skin.

  He once again brushed a kiss across the area, this time, instead of just sucking, he added his tongue, licking in slow circles while continuing to suckle her into his mouth. Then he pulled her skin between his teeth and nipped lightly before beginning the entire process again.

  “Oh…that’s…” she panted as her hips rocked against his hard shaft with increasing pressure. “That’s so good.”

  Controlling the speed at which her hips moved was the only hope he had at not coming in his shorts. So he adjusted his grip, reaching around and grasping the flesh of her rounded cheeks. As he fanned out his fingers and then pulled them back, he squeezed her firm backside slowly before releasing it and repeating. Her movements slowed, but instead of it easing the pressure building inside of him, the deliberate, seductive thrusts of her hips only intensified it.

  He needed more of her. He needed to see more. Feel more.

  Leaning back, Eric moved his hands up her torso in the warm water, stopping right below her breasts.

  Lily looked down and her eyes following his fingers as he traced the edge of her swimsuit. She trailed her hands down his shoulders, over his biceps. Stopping at his forearms, she wrapped her fingers tightly around him.

  Pressing his fingers beneath the wet fabric, he worked his way under her bikini top until her heavy breasts filled his hands and her nipples rubbed against his palms. Closing his eyes, he just let himself feel her. Memorizing the weight, the softness of her skin, the firmness of her extended nubs.

  Then, opening his eyes through a heavy-lidded stare, he watched as he hooked his thumbs beneath the bottom of her bathing suit top and lifted his hands, revealing the most spectacularly amazing breasts he’d ever seen.

  “God, you’re perfect,” he said, moving his hands to her waist, taking a moment to just appreciate the slope of her creamy mounds, the darkened circles of her small areolas, the beaded knots at the tips of her breasts.

  As he sat perfectly still, his eyes fixed on her mounds, she lifted her hands and began untying her top.

  “Don’t.” The command came out more harshly than he’d meant it to.

  Immediately she stilled, and her large golden-brown eyes stared at him as her breaths came in short pants.

  He began rubbing his thumbs over her hip bone as his fingers wrapped around her lower back, holding her securely in place as the water moved around them. “I like you like this,” he said, staring at her bare chest beneath her bunched-up swimsuit. “You look exposed. Sexy.”

  She bit her lip and her hips started rocking again as he continued speaking.

  “Do you like me seeing you like th
is?” he asked, his voice smoky with desire.

  “Yes,” she said as she once again slipped her hands around his neck.

  “Good,” he said as his mouth covered her nipple and his tongue laved across it.

  Arching her back, she pushed more of her mound into his mouth, and he licked and sucked her until she was shaking. Moving from one to the other, he continued his open-mouthed ruthless and demanding attention on her breasts, filling his mouth with her flesh as he moved his tongue in brazen strokes across her taught nipple.

  Sensing she was close to the edge as her thighs quivered against him, he slipped one hand beneath the material covering her center and rubbed up and down her feminine folds.

  His own body was screaming with pent-up desire, but he knew he didn’t want to rush this. He wanted to touch her. Taste her. Feel her.

  “Please,” she pleaded, begging for release.

  Adjusting his position slightly, he slipped his thick finger into her tight opening.

  “Yes,” she panted. “Yes!”

  His balls tightened with need as he worked his finger into her snug passage. He was only able to get up to his knuckle before her body clamped down around him in protest. Moving his thumb to the top of her lush sex, he found her pleasure center and began tracing lightly around it.

  He continued teasing her nub her until her body relaxed and he was able to move his finger farther inside of her. Then he pulled it out and went in farther the next time. Over and over, he pushed into her swollen flesh then out, increasing the speed each time. Slowly building her climax.

  Lily kept repeating his name with cries of passion as he brought her to the heights of ecstasy. Just as he felt her inner muscles milking him, her hands began shaking wildly on his shoulders. Knowing she was almost there, he moved his thumb, gliding it across her clit.

  Tremors radiated through Lily’s body as she held on to Eric’s arms while she rode out her shuddering orgasm. Then, finally, she collapsed against his chest after one last quake convulsed through her.

  Slowly removing his finger from inside of her, he rubbed her back up and down as she laid her head against his chest while her breathing returned to normal. She might be sated, but he was far from it.

  He’d been walking around with a hard-on since they’d danced at the wedding. He wanted to be inside of her. Now.

  “Are you ready to go in?” He could hear the need straining his voice.

  “Yes,” she said as she nodded her head sleepily against him.

  “Thank God,” he said, quickly placing his arms under her as he lifted her up and carried her out of the water.

  She laughed and snuggled up to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

  As he grabbed both of their robes and covered her so she would stay as warm as possible on the path back to his house, he thought that this might not be exactly what he’d wanted out of their relationship, but he sure as hell was going to make the most of it.

  ---~---

  Lily shivered as Eric lowered her down on the soft, gray comforter that covered his massive king-sized bed. Mentally she pushed down the niggling of guilt that had sprouted when big brown puppy-dog eyes—literally puppy-dog eyes! —had stared up at her to intervene when Eric had just shut the bedroom door, leaving Shadow on the other side.

  Lily did take a small bit of comfort in the fact that she had voiced a tiny smidge of protest that came in the form of a “Hey!” just as the door clicked closed. Eric had ignored her objection, remaining intent, on his mission. Honestly, if she weren’t so excited to see where his intentions would take them on said mission, she might have rallied more on Shadow’s behalf. But she was. Very excited.

  Standing and wrapping the large robes he’d haphazardly tossed over her body tightly around her, he looked down into her eyes. For a moment, she got the feeling that he was going to say something important. Monumental even. Goose bumps broke out on her skin as she held her breath.

  Then, without saying a word, he turned and stalked across the bedroom.

  Okay, so the moment’s over I guess.

  She lifted her head and propped herself up on her elbows. Her gaze fell on Eric’s strong back as he crouched down in front of a small fireplace, stacking wood one on top of the other, building a fire.

  A real fire! In a fireplace! In his bedroom!

  Lily didn’t think normal people had those. She had just assumed bedroom fireplaces were for people featured on Lauren and Ben’s show Home Sweet Vacation Home. But obviously she’d been wrong.

  Within a minute, he had a fire roaring to life. She took in a deep breath, savoring the smell of the burning wood. Eric turned and with sure steps unhurriedly strode back to the foot of the bed.

  His large frame stood in front of her as the light of the flames danced off his olive-toned skin. He was wearing only swim trunks that rode low on his sculpted hip bones. Lily thought she must be dreaming. This entire night had to be a fantasy. Things like this didn’t happen.

  The hot tub. The hot guy. The hot orgasm. The hot fire.

  “All we need now is champagne and strawberries,” she teased.

  Eric nodded and turned to leave as if he was just going to go whip that up.

  “I’m kidding,” she quickly said. For two reasons. One, she was kidding and two, she really didn’t want him to leave, even for the few minutes it would take to retrieve said items.

  He returned to his post at the end of the bed, his expression hard for her to read.

  “Do you really just have champagne and strawberries on hand?” she asked. She had assumed that was just something she’d seen people do in the movies. She didn’t think people in real life kept those things on hand.

  “Yes, I do. Do you want some?” Eric asked as if champagne and strawberries were as common as peanut butter and jelly.

  Wow, maybe he really is E-love.

  “No, I’m okay.”

  He continued staring at her, feet shoulder-width apart, hands hanging loosely behind his back. His gaze was focused and the energy between them was palpable. She couldn’t be sure but it seemed like he was waiting on something.

  Trying to move this along, she was just about to ask if everything was all right when he said, “Are you warm yet?”

  The question was so far from what she had been expecting that it took her by surprise. She didn’t answer for a moment. But after doing a quick bodily temperature assessment, she replied, “Yeah, actually I am.”

  His jaw clenched briefly. “Take off the robe.”

  His words once again surprised her. This time she didn’t need to take a moment though. Her hand automatically moved to the terrycloth material, pushing it off of her body. She felt the air hit her bare chest, and her nipples tightened at the slight chill. She still wore her bathing suit, although the top was still pushed up, exposing her breasts.

  After she’d uncovered herself, she looked up to into Eric’s eyes and saw they were dark with desire. A shiver of pleasure ran through her from his brooding expression.

  “Are you going to join me?” she asked, patting the bed beside her.

  He nodded but didn’t move.

  “Untie your bathing suit top,” he rasped.

  Her heart sped at his directions. She’d never before experienced someone taking this kind of control in the bedroom. She liked it. A whole lot.

  Reaching behind her neck and back, she made quick work of loosening and untying the wet strings. When they were both freed, she tossed the garment to the side of the bed.

  “Now take off the bottoms,” he said, his voice deeper, lower than she’d ever heard it.

  Uh-uh, mister. Two can play at this game.

  “You first,” she challenged, staring directly into his cobalt blue eyes.

  His eyes narrowed as the corners of his mouth twitched. Then, without breaking eye contact, he untied his dark grey swim trunks and pulled them down in one swift movement. Her eyes fell to his huge erection jutting out from his body.

  She’d know
n that it was large from all the times she’d basically dry humped him, but that knowledge had not prepared her for what she was seeing before her. Not only was it long, its girth was considerable. Even in proportion to his six-foot-four frame, it seemed impressive.

  “Your turn,” he prompted. “Take them off.”

  While she did as he’d said, her hands shook with anticipation. She’d never had that happen before. Normally her hands only shook right before she came or if she was scared. Taking a cue from Eric, she kept her eyes trained on his as she slowly slid her black bikini bottoms down her legs.

  Tossing them to the side, she scooted back and lay back against his pillow.

  Her heart was racing like it thought it was at the Indy Grand Prix, and her entire body was trembling in anticipation. She had no idea how Eric stood so calm and contained and she could not quit shaking.

  She did notice that his chest was rising and falling at a much faster pace than normal. His eyes had a sensual intensity that she’d not seen before. And then of course there was the massive hard-on he was sporting—it was hard to miss! But even aside from those few indicators, she would have had no idea if he were affected by what they were doing.

  “You are so insanely beautiful.” The tone in his voice made her even more excited.

  As much as she appreciated the whole slow seduction thing, and even though she’d just had an earthshaking orgasm out in the spa, she really wanted Eric inside of her. Now.

  Running her hands up and over her breasts and down her body, she stopped at her hip bones then slowly dipped her hands to her inner thighs where she spread her legs open in invitation. She hoped he’d take the hint and move this along.

  His nostrils flared as he sucked in a breath. In seconds, he’d pulled a condom from his nightstand and sheathed himself. Now he was hovering above her, his manhood positioned at her core.

  Thank God!

  “Hi,” she smiled up at him as she spread her legs farther apart.

  “Hi,” he answered as he gazed down at her. Slipping his hand between them, he ran his fingers down the damp heat of her sex, his fingertips massaging her the taut skin at her slick opening, causing white-hot bursts of pleasure all over her body.