Like Fresh Fallen Snow

by Tara Wyatt

  Wow. Talk about releasing the Kraken.

  It was thick, long, and sexy as hell. She couldn’t stop herself from dipping her head and licking up its entire length before sucking the tip into her mouth. Already, she could taste how aroused he was, and his hips pushed up off the mattress as his fingers wove into her hair.

  “Fuck, Ellie. Yes.” His voice was low and rough, and he pumped his hips up, encouraging her to take more of his impressive cock into her mouth. Blowing out a breath, she lowered her mouth onto him, taking as much of him as she could, and he ground out a low moan, her name strangled on his lips. She flicked her tongue out, tasting the saltiness of him, and she knew she couldn’t wait much longer. The need to connect with him, to feel him inside her, was astounding in its intensity.

  She teased him for a few minutes before raising her head and sitting back on her heels. “I can’t wait any longer, Matt.”

  He sat up and reached for the condoms. “Oh, thank God.” He leaned forward and kissed her, sweetly and tenderly, his tongue caressing hers. “I was dangerously close to embarrassing myself.”

  She laughed, happiness rippling through her, but the laugh quickly turned into a moan when he rolled her onto her back and caught her nipple between his teeth, tugging gently. Through hooded eyes, she watched as he opened one of the foil packets and rolled the condom over his swollen length. He kissed his way back up from her breasts, dragging his mouth over her collarbone, sucking and nipping at the sensitive skin of her neck as he eased his weight on top of her, supporting himself on his forearms. Reaching down, he pressed the thick head of his cock against her slick entrance. He kissed her again, his tongue sliding against hers in a promising, deliberate rhythm.

  “Yes?” He pulled back slightly, his eyes finding hers.

  She nodded rapidly. “Yes. God, yes.”

  With one smooth, slow stroke, he pushed into her, the gorgeous friction both intense and perfect. She’d never been with a man with . . . well, with a freaking Kraken in his pants before, and now, after just one thrust, she wasn’t sure she could ever go back. She felt so deliciously full, and she never wanted this to end. Never had a man felt so incredible inside her. Good, sure. Great, even. But this, with Matt? It was a completely different level. Hell, it was a completely different game.

  She wrapped her legs around his hips, urging him deeper as he thrust in and out, his forehead pressed to hers. A bead of sweat trickled from his hairline and onto her cheek and she had the insane urge to taste it. Because it was part of him.

  “Is this working for you?” he asked, his breathing heavy.

  She opened and closed her mouth, not really having an answer. No one had ever asked her that before. “Uh . . . it feels pretty incredible, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  He frowned, his eyebrows knitting together. “Let’s try this.” He moved up along her body, and she felt his cock shift inside her. A shuddery moan escaped her lips as a fresh wave of pleasure crashed through her at the new angle. Instead of thrusting in and out, he started thrusting up and down, and she felt like her bones were dissolving.

  “Rock up into me,” he said before teasing his tongue along the ridges of her ear. She did and every muscle in her core tightened.

  “Oh, wow,” she gasped out as the movement ground her clit against the base of his cock.

  “Good?”

  “Awesome,” she managed, the word coming out mostly as a moan.

  He chuckled against her, but kept up his rhythm, and soon a tight coil of pleasure snapped free deep inside her. She rocked against him as she came, and with a few more strokes, he followed her over the edge.

  For a few minutes they simply lay, tangled in each other’s arms, skin to skin and heart to heart. He raised his head and looked at her, a cocky smile on his face. “I think you liked that.”

  “I think I did too, but we’d better do it again, just to make sure.”

  He laughed and kissed her, sweet and gentle. “Oh, absolutely.”

  * * *

  Several hours later, Ellie lay in Matt’s arms, both of them blissfully sated, sweaty and limp-limbed. Condom wrappers littered the floor, strewn around the empty champagne bottle. He’d had a feeling their chemistry would translate to the bedroom, and holy fucking shit, had he been right. A couple of hours with Ellie and she’d ruined him for other women.

  “If you were a character in a comic book, I think your name would be the Kama Sutra Cop.”

  He laughed and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “I like figuring out what you like.” A band of pain seared the edges of his heart, because he wished he had more time to explore and enjoy Ellie, both in and out of bed.

  “I take it back. Your comic book name would be The Sex Detective.”

  He laughed again and pulled her tighter against him.

  “Will you tell me about your tattoos now? And your scar?” She closed her eyes and snuggled into him, nuzzling her face against his chest.

  “Sure. Which do you want to know about first?”

  “The scar. If that’s okay.”

  He swallowed and tucked her head under his chin. They only had, at best, a couple of hours until daylight, and he didn’t want to waste time rehashing old history. But if she wanted to know about it, he didn’t have the heart to say no. Not after the incredible night she’d just given him.

  “About a year and a half ago, I was shot.”

  She tensed slightly in his arms, and one of her hands drifted down to his abdomen to cover the scar. “What happened?” Her voice was soft, so gentle.

  He closed his eyes, trying not to let the terror and the pain he’d felt all those months ago take hold. “It was supposed to be a routine traffic stop. I pulled a vehicle over for speeding, thinking I’d write him or her a ticket and be on my way. Turned out the driver was a drug dealer who’d just come from meeting his supplier, and he had tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of marijuana and cocaine in his car. I didn’t even realize what I’d hit on before he pulled a gun on me.”

  “You must’ve been so scared.”

  “He shot me before I had time to draw my own gun and sped away. I was able to radio for help before I passed out.” He stroked his hands down Ellie’s back, trying to soothe the tension radiating from her. For him.

  She held him tighter and kissed his chest. “That’s awful. I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m fine now.” But even as he said the words, he wasn’t entirely convinced of their truth. Not because of any lasting physical pain from the wound. No. Because of something much deeper and much more raw currently shredding his insides.

  “Are the tattoos a happier story?” She yawned and nuzzled her face against him again.

  “Yes and no. The sleeve and the oak tree are about how everything is connected, and that without one thing—the sun, say—the other parts—like the trees—couldn’t exist. I guess on a deeper level, a part of me believes that you have to trust that where you are right now is where you’re supposed to be. Because it’s all connected.”

  “I like that idea.”

  He didn’t miss the way her hands pressed harder into him, as if she were scared he were going to slip through her fingers.

  And he was.

  “What about the compass?”

  He exhaled slowly, his eyes staring up at the dark ceiling. “It’s to remind me to listen to my heart. I haven’t always in the past, and I don’t want to make the same mistakes.”

  She propped herself up on one elbow and looked down at him, her fingers tracing over the compass. “What mistakes?”

  He met her eyes. “I went through a really shitty divorce about two years ago. In hindsight, our marriage was never a great idea; there were so many red flags. I think I knew it wasn’t right, but I didn’t know what else to do besides go forward with it. I should’ve listened to myself. I should’ve trusted my heart.”

  She chewed on her bottom lip, her brow furrowed as if she were working something out. “What does your heart tell you about us?”r />
  “It’s telling me something it’s crazy to even think after only knowing you for less than a day. But I do know that this is exactly where I’m supposed to be right now. That, I can feel all the way to my bones.”

  She sighed and settled back down against him, and for several long moments, neither of them spoke.

  “Hey,” she whispered as a gust of wind rattled the window of the hotel room. “Don’t fall asleep. It can’t be over yet.”

  “I’m not asleep. I’m still here.” He pulled her into him, holding her tight.

  She pressed a kiss to his jaw, and he felt a tremble vibrate through her.

  He stroked her hair until she fell asleep in his arms.

  Chapter 7

  Ellie kept her eyes screwed tightly shut, not wanting to acknowledge that it was morning. Not wanting to go home and somehow try to pretend that her world hadn’t shifted on its axis overnight. Ordinarily, there was something so hopeful about the way a new year stretched before her, like a field of fresh fallen snow. Untouched. Beautiful and pristine. Full of possibilities. Fresh and new. But not this year. She’d already epically screwed up the year of Ellie, because this new start didn’t feel fresh or promising at all. It felt sad and empty and cold.

  She turned over in bed, her hand sliding over the covers and seeking out Matt’s hard, muscled warmth. Panic closed her throat when she only found empty air, and thinking he’d already left, her eyes flew open.

  He stood at the window, peering through the heavy curtains, wearing only his boxer briefs. Bittersweet relief replaced the panic, and the sweet quickly outweighed the bitter at the smile lighting up his face.

  Her stomach lurched and her heart fluttered—actually fluttered—as she looked at him, so gorgeous and happy. She felt like she was walking down a steep, rocky hill in towering high heels, trying desperately to only take in the view and not fall headfirst into something she couldn’t have. A plummeting sensation shot through her, leaving goose bumps in its wake.

  No way could she feel this way about him after one night. Granted, it had been an incredible night, but still.

  Mentally, she gave her head a shake. It was the sex. That was all. She wasn’t used to having such freaking fantastic sex.

  “Morning,” she said, pushing herself up to sitting. His eyes dipped to her naked breasts, and blood rushed to her cheeks as she remembered the extensive attention he’d given them last night.

  “Morning.” His wide smile stayed in place.

  “What?” Self-consciously, she smoothed down her messy hair.

  “I think we’re snowed in.”

  “What?” she asked again, hopping out of the bed and joining him at the window, not caring that she was naked. Sure enough, at least a foot of snow covered the ski lifts below, and it was still coming down. The peak of the ski hill was barely visible through the thick, white sheet of snow smothering everything, swirling against the window as the occasional gust blew the flakes askance.

  “Don’t you have to go? Like, to help?” she asked, turning from the window and scooping up Matt’s dress shirt. She didn’t want to be naked when he said he had to go. She already felt vulnerable and exposed enough. Slipping her arms into the sleeves, she wrapped herself in his shirt, reveling in the Matt-scent infused in its fabric. Never in her life had she been so addicted to a man’s scent, and so quickly. Biology, she knew, indicated that they were a good match.

  Geography, however, did not. The distance between Cheyenne and Denver was a mere ninety minutes. If he weren’t moving, they could’ve easily started dating. Ninety minutes was worth it to pursue the connection she felt. But the distance between Denver and Seattle? Oh, about thirteen hundred miles.

  He turned from the window, and he opened and closed his mouth before blowing out a breath and crossing his arms. “Actually, I don’t. We’re in Rawlins County, not Laramie, and yesterday was my last day. Turned in my uniforms and everything.”

  “So . . .” Heat bloomed across her chest at the idea that she might get to keep him for one more day.

  “So we’ve been granted a reprieve. Turn on the news. I bet they’re telling everyone to stay off the roads.”

  Ellie picked up the TV remote from its resting spot on the nightstand. She sat on the edge of the bed, flicking through channels until she landed on a local news station.

  “Heavy snow and gusting winds haven’t let up across much of southeast Wyoming, and the National Weather Service is reporting that up to two feet of snow have already fallen in some areas. The snow is expected to taper off as the day progresses, and clean-up efforts are already under way. It’s been a mess on the roads, and police are advising people to stay home and avoid driving if at all possible. Especially treacherous is the I-80, with police reporting dozens of collisions.” Ellie stopped listening and went back to the window, flinging the curtains open wide. She’d grown up in Colorado, and was no stranger to blizzards, snow days, and bad driving. But she hadn’t been this excited about the prospect of a snow day since high school. For a minute, she just watched the snow falling, thick flakes dropping from the sky like a gift.

  A reprieve. That was what he’d called it. And God, was it accurate.

  “If it’s okay with you, I’m going to call the front desk and make sure we’re able to keep the room for an extra night, and order us some breakfast,” he said. He smiled as she walked toward him, sliding his hands around her hips as she came to a stop in front of him. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving, and if I get a whole extra day to play sex detective, I need to refuel.”

  Her stomach did a happy flip at his words, and she nodded and lowered her head to nuzzle kisses into his neck before ducking into the bathroom to freshen up, brushing her teeth and hair and swiping away the faint mascara smudges under her eyes. She opened the bathroom door just in time to hear Matt giving his credit-card number over the phone. When she shot him a questioning glance as he hung up, he tossed his wallet on the bed.

  “You paid for the room last night, so I’ve got tonight.”

  “You didn’t have to do that,” she said, sliding onto the bed beside him.

  “I wanted to.” He fingered the fabric of his shirt, parting it to reveal her breasts. “Do you have any idea how good you look in this?” He exhaled, a low moan rumbling from him, and a warm tingle started between her legs. “Hang on.” He disappeared into the bathroom, emerging a minute later with much fresher breath.

  She licked her lips as she watched him crawl onto the bed and on top of her, reveling in the sight of his incredibly sexy body and grateful for the chance to enjoy it in the daylight. As he lowered himself on top of her, a flash of fear seared through her. If she’d thought spending last night with him was unsafe, what did that make today? She knew saying good-bye to him was going to hurt, and yet she couldn’t not grab this day and absorb as much of Matt as she possibly could. With every tiny new thing she found out about him, she wanted to know a hundred more. And they hadn’t even touched on the big things.

  As she wound her arms around him, he kissed her tenderly, his fingers weaving into her hair. It didn’t matter that her hips were stiff, that her thighs ached, or that she felt tender and a little raw between her legs. The physical reminders of everything they’d shared—and they’d shared a lot—last night only made her want him more. Her stomach did a slow turn as she realized that it probably didn’t matter how much he gave her, it would never be enough. As much as she tried to rationalize it away, the rush she felt every time he looked at her, every time he touched her, was still there.

  She began to shrug out of the shirt, but he stopped her.

  “No.” He spoke against her mouth, his lips warm and soft against hers. “Leave it on.”

  But before they could get much further, a knock sounded at the door. Matt pressed his forehead against hers before giving her nose a quick kiss. “Breakfast.” He hopped off the bed and began walking toward the door.

  “Uh, Matt? You might want to put pants on.”
r />   He stopped and looked at her, and she pointed at the massive erection tenting his boxer briefs. He glanced down and quickly picked up his pants off of the floor. “Thanks for the heads up.”

  “Careful. You’ll put someone’s eye out with that thing.”

  He laughed and winked at her, zipping himself up.

  They sat on the bed, a spread of waffles, bacon, eggs, fruit salad, coffee, and orange juice on a tray between them.

  “Can I ask you something?” said Ellie, blowing steam away from the top of her coffee cup.

  “Anything.” He bit into a strip of bacon.

  “What happened with you and your ex-wife?” The question had been eating at her, and she braced herself, not quite sure what kind of answer to expect.

  He put down his piece of bacon and reached for his coffee, taking a sip and then setting it down. “We’d been married for a few years, and we were fighting a lot.” He toyed with a spoon on the tray, his expression serious.

  “About what?”

  He shrugged, his expression neutral. “Mostly about having a baby.”

  “You didn’t want one?”

  “No, actually, I was the one who did.”

  She pictured Matt holding a tiny baby in his gorgeously muscled, tattooed arms, and that was it. She’d never be able to have kids now, because her ovaries had just exploded.

  Matt continued. “When we got married, I thought we were on the same page about kids, but every time I brought it up, she wanted to wait another year, another six months, and eventually every discussion about a baby turned into a fight. We were both unhappy, and then she had an affair. When I found out, I left.”

  Her brain followed her ovaries, exploding with confusion. She frowned, trying to figure out what to say.