by Bea Paige
“Tell us what you want. We don’t wish to overwhelm you, Louisa,” Hudson says, as Max and Bryce kneel down beside me.
“I want you all,” I whisper, holding my arms up to Max.
“Then that’s what you shall get, darling,” Bryce murmurs, the gold flecks in his eyes ablaze with fire.
Hudson leans over me and presses a gentle kiss against the bare skin above my waistband, then slides my jeans off just as Max leans in and takes my mouth with his. Warm hands unbutton my shirt, pushing the material aside as gentle fingers slide up under my bra, playing with the buds of my arousal. I am lost to their hands and their mouths as Hudson reaches into my drenched knickers and gently pushes his finger inside me, coaxing my body to relax further, to open up. I move my mouth away from Max and pull Bryce towards me, groaning at the different taste of his mouth, at the hungry way he kisses me.
The sound of foil being torn open has me breaking away from Bryce’s lips and I watch as Max rolls the condom over the length of his cock. Lust, desire, perhaps even love, bubbles in my chest as Bryce and Hudson move away, allowing Max full access to me. Max leans over and places a tender kiss against my lips, then slowly peels my knickers off.
“Ice Queen,” Max murmurs, a small smile playing on his lips. The way he says my nickname so tenderly makes me melt further.
“Not for much longer,” I whisper back. He smiles and without a moment’s hesitation leans over, shielding me from the others. I am lost to him as he pushes inside of me, lost to the way his blonde hair tickles the skin of my face as he moves above me, to the steady surety of his touch, to the flush of his pink lips as he kisses me and to the curve of his smile as he whispers my name. The feeling of him filling me with his length, sliding in and out of the warmth of my core, soon has me calling his name until we both come undone.
“Damn it, Ice Queen,” he says. Max cups my face in his hand and presses a careful kiss against my mouth, removing himself gently. Then he pulls me into his arms and holds me, saying nothing until a feeling of peace and contentment blankets me.
“That was beautiful,” Max says eventually. “I would stay here for the rest of my days if I could, but you want us all and I want you to have that. Bryce and Hud will take care of you now.” Max gently removes my arms and gets up. I watch him leave the room, the flush of our lovemaking still very evident on our skin.
“Darling, come here,” I hear Bryce say. He is sitting on the sofa watching me with heavy lidded eyes. Hudson is sitting on the other sofa, his green eyes raking over my flushed skin.
“Take your top off,” Bryce says.
I stand, pulling my arms from my shirt, and unhook my bra, allowing my heavy, aching breasts to fall free of their constraints. Naked, my long hair falling around my shoulders, I approach Bryce. Hudson sucks in a shuddering breath as he watches me straddle Bryce’s lap then lower myself slowly over the velvety smoothness of his cock. Tipping my head forward, I gasp at the delicious feel of him stretching me. He runs his hands over my back from the base of my neck to the base of my spine and back again, allowing me a moment to take him fully. Our eyes lock and in an instant, I am on my back on the sofa, Bryce pounding into me. He lets out an unbridled cry as I take him, all of him, my nails digging into the skin of his back. Bryce doesn’t hold back, he is passionate and raw and virile and everything I hoped he would be. Trembling, he calls out my name repeatedly, the desperate need in his voice sending me crashing into a vortex of sensation as my body tightens around him.
“Darling,” he utters, his body shaking from the aftermath of his orgasm. Bryce kisses me deeply, claiming me with his mouth until my lips are bruised and my breath is ragged. Then he pulls free and lifts me in his strong arms, lays me gently in Hudson’s lap and walks away, leaving me alone with him. I am aching with want, on the cusp of losing myself entirely and I know it will take very little to send me over the edge once again. Max and Bryce have marked me as theirs and now it is time for Hudson to mark me as his.
“Best ‘til last?” I ask, biting my lip. I am joking, of course, Bryce and Max mean as much to me as Hudson, yet I am nervous in his arms. He has this vulnerability about him, something that lurks just beneath the surface and I am drawn to it, to the broken parts of him. They call to me like a siren’s song and I find myself wanting to drown in them.
Hudson smiles. “I am glad that I am the one who has the honour of taking you last. Are you ready, Louisa?” he says, brushing his lips against mine softly.
“Yes,” I whisper back.
Hudson lays me against the sofa and kisses me slowly. He doesn’t touch me or move above me, he simply savours the taste of me. For long minutes that’s all he does, teasing me with his mouth, rendering me a writhing, hot, mess beneath him. Then he ever so slowly traces the tip of his tongue over the hard points of my nipples, teasing me with the lightest of touches. I go to grab his head, needing to pull his mouth over me, but he pins my arms to my sides as he continues to lick lower. His tongue swirls over my belly before his mouth rests over my sex. I try to buck against him, on the edge of losing my mind but he lets go of my arms and holds my hips steady, teasing and lapping against my swollen flesh until I can barely take any more. Then just as I am about to come, he pulls his mouth away and breathes warm air against me. The sensation has me squirming beneath him.
“Hudson, please,” I whimper, a single, solitary tear leaking from my eye.
He pushes upwards, grabs the condom from by his side and rips the foil open, sheathing himself. I can feel the tip of his cock teasing my opening and I press my eyes shut, unable to contain myself as he lowers his body over mine.
“Open your eyes, Louisa. I want to look at you when you come,” Hudson says, as he pushes into me with slow, smooth, control. His lips graze mine as he slides in and out of me. He doesn’t rush, he takes his time moving with deep, even strokes, drawing me closer to the edge then bringing me back until I can barely stand it. Not once does he remove his eyes from mine, the sea-green colour of them like the calm before a storm. I can’t help myself, I sob as a rising rush of warmth, starting in my core, blooms outwards, overwhelming me with the intoxicating power of it as the most exquisite orgasm rips through us both.
Once we have both come down to Earth from our sexual high, Hudson picks me up in his arms and walks me back to the bedroom, laying me down on the bed. My body is liquified in the afterglow of the brothers’ devotion and I feel utterly relaxed.
Hudson cups my face in his hands, then brushes a soft kiss against my forehead. “Sleep, Louisa, and when you awake, we’ll be waiting for you. All of us.”
I look up at Bryce and Max who have entered the room and something close to bliss settles over me as they both kiss me gently too. I have no idea what the future holds but right now, within the walls of Petite Cabane, I’m happy to suspend reality and lose myself to the avalanche of their desire.
Chapter Sixteen
A few hours later, I find myself curled around something warm and solid. My chest is pressed up against a firm back, my arm pulled around a smooth chest. We are both entirely naked. Beyond the closed door I can hear the sound of laughter in the kitchen and the smell of Christmas dinner being served up a few hours later than anticipated. I open my eyes to find myself looking at Hudson’s beautiful dragon tattoo, which spreads across the entire span of his back. It’s the first time I’ve really been able to study it. Apart from the startling green eyes of the dragon, the tattoo is drawn with black ink. It is so beautifully done, so intricate, it could almost be real. I look into the eyes of the dragon, at the strength, the determination, and I know that I am looking right at a piece of Hudson’s soul. Whoever the artist is, they have certainly managed to capture the essence of Hudson in that image. I press my lips against the centre of his back, just on top of the dragon’s head, then gently try to remove my arm.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Hudson’s sleepy voice responds. He catches my hand, entwining his fingers with mine.
I smile in
to the crook of his neck. “I thought you were still sleeping, I didn’t want to wake you.”
He turns around to face me. Sleep has messed up his hair and crumpled his face a little, but he is still gorgeous, more so, for a little of the barrier he once seemed to have has fallen away. My heart does a silly flip-flop as he smiles lazily at me, the green of his eyes twinkling with mischief.
“You can always wake me up like this, Louisa,” he says, lifting his hand to move away a fallen strand of hair that has slipped across my cheek.
Between us I feel the stirrings of his desire grow once again. I bite my lip, remembering how it felt to have him inside me, remembering how it felt to be adored by them, these men who are chipping at the ice surrounding my heart. I still can’t quite believe I actually slept with them all. I barely have sex, let alone three men in one afternoon.
“How long have we been asleep?” I ask, suddenly feeling the need to change the subject. Images of my mother and her whoring herself out begin to blacken my thoughts. I am not like her, this is different. It feels right.
“A couple hours,” he smiles, but it slips from his face when he sees that I don’t return it. Urgh, why does my mum have to enter my thoughts now. Even when she isn’t around, she manages to spoil everything.
“Louisa, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” I say quickly, trying to pull out of his arms, but he tightens his hold on me.
“Hey, don’t do that,” he says. “Tell me.” He waits for me to speak, giving me a moment to gather my thoughts.
“I was thinking about my mum. The way she is with men. They use her, and she lets them. I don’t want to be like that…” my voice trails off, unsure with how to continue.
“You think this is the same?” I can hear the hurt in his voice.
“No, no,” I say quickly, realising how it must have sounded. “I just… All my life there has been a trail of deadbeat men who’ve used her for money, for sex, for a roof over their heads, for alcohol even. The only exception was Richard. He loved her, he tried to fix her. Richard was the closest I’ve ever had to a father. He’s the one who got me this job. In fact, you probably know him, he’s doing the marketing for the resort.”
“Richard Shelby?”
“Yes, that’s him.”
“He’s a nice guy, good at his job.”
“Yes, he is. But they aren’t all like Richard. Aside from him, Mum has pretty crap taste in men. Jesus, some of the people she’s brought home over the years…”
“I’m sorry, Louisa. I’m sorry you had to grow up with that.”
“Me too,” I say, my voice cracking with emotion. Hudson pulls me tighter against his chest. It feels good to be held this way. An understanding, born of like meeting like, settles between us. “I’m not used to this…” My voice trails off as I have trouble trying to explain all the broken shards that are still embedded in my heart.
“Used to what?”
I can’t say being loved, because I daren’t hope for such a thing. Adored, perhaps; desired, most definitely. Earlier today, I felt both of those things. And yet, this is all beginning to feel more than that for me, much more. The brothers Freed have somehow broken down some of the barriers I’ve built to protect myself. That in itself is quite a feat and it scares the shit out of me.
“Feeling wanted, safe,” I murmur, not quite able to watch his reaction. Rejection is something I’m used to, but it doesn’t mean it hurts any less to receive it. My mum has rejected me every single day since I can remember, choosing oblivion over loving me. It was a lonely place growing up with a drunk, a dangerous one too, given all the seedy men she brought home. I push those thoughts aside, I don’t want to go there. That place is too dark, those memories too painful.
Hudson doesn’t answer right away, but I can feel his gaze fall over me. I wait for his rejection, because it’s what I expect, what I’ve become used to.
“There isn’t much I can promise, but for now having a safe place in my arms is one thing I can provide, Louisa,” he says carefully. I know what he means. I understand what he isn’t saying, that he is as broken as I am, that there are no guarantees that what we have found here in Petite Cabane will extend beyond these walls. Yet a small part of me remains hopeful, even though the larger, more cynical part is warning me to protect myself.
I bite on the inside of my cheek hard to stop the tears I know are threatening to fall. I am stronger than this. I have to live in the moment now, not think about tomorrow or the day after. It is the only way I’ve been able to survive. Don’t expect anything and you’ll never be disappointed.
“Thank you,” I whisper. Hudson pulls me into his arms, wrapping them around me tightly so that I am pressed into his chest. He doesn’t try to kiss me or turn this into something sexual and I’m glad. Right now, safety and comfort are what I need, what I crave. Sex is a by-product of that, a great one granted, but a by-product nonetheless.
He holds me close for a long moment until the door swings open and Max enters, a goofy smile spreads across his face when he sees us embracing. He takes a leap onto the bed, jumping on top of us both.
“Now what are you two up to, all cosy in here? Room for one more?” he asks, wiggling his eyebrows.
“Get off us, you great oaf,” Hudson laughs, giving him a gentle shove as he sits up. Max tumbles rather dramatically over the side of the bed and falls to the floor. Hudson looks at me and rolls his eyes before flinging the covers back and stepping over his brother. I can’t help but look at his tight arse and strong muscular legs. The dragon on his back ripples as he pulls on a t-shirt and jeans. He bends down, picks up a t-shirt, and hands it to me.
“Here, take this. I’m going to grab a coffee. Would you like one too?” Hudson asks as I pull it on.
“I’d love one, thanks.” The smell of Bryce’s aftershave tells me this t-shirt is his. I breathe it in, savouring the masculine smell.
“I’ll make sure it’s how you like it this time. Milk and two sugars, yes?”
“Please, I like it sweet.”
“I know, I remember,” he says, leaving the room.
Leaning over the side of the bed, I see Max lying on the floor feigning some kind of injury. I scoot over to the edge of the mattress and place my feet on the floor next to him, taking a step over his body. Max’s hands shoot upwards, holding firmly onto my thighs so that I remain straddling him.
“Now this is a position I could happily stay in for quite some time,” he says with a smirk.
“Ha, ha,” I respond, trying to pull free, but he holds me firm. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea stepping over him with no underwear on. I twist my body around, and stare down at him, my hair falling forward.
He pulls himself up in a sitting position, sliding his hands higher up the backs of my thighs so that they rest just below the curve of my bottom. Bryce’s t-shirt is more like a nightie on me, which is just as well given how close Max’s face is to my sweet spot.
“I’m suddenly very hungry,” he says with a dirty smile. “Can I taste you?”
Part of me wants to let him, the other part, the part that’s used to shutting down all feelings, including the physical ones, seems to have taken over me and I tense under his touch. Sensing my change in mood the sexy grin slips from his face. He releases his hands, slides out from beneath my legs and stands.
“Hey, ignore me. You’re just too damn hot. I feel like a hormonal teenager around you,” he says with an easy smile, dissolving the sudden awkwardness and making me relax instantly. “Besides, Bryce will be pissed if I spoil my appetite, he’s cooked up a feast for us all.”
“Is that so?” I say, grinning.
“Come on, let’s eat.” Max drapes his arm around my shoulder.
“I should get changed…”
“Why? There’s no need to get dressed up. It’s just us.”
“But I have no underwear on,” I say, feeling a blush creep up my cheeks.
“All the more reason you should stay as you a
re.” Max laughs at the look on my face. “Come on, Icy, let’s go stuff our faces.”
Chapter Seventeen
After filling up on the most delicious Christmas dinner I’ve ever tasted, I decide a nice long shower is in order. Out of the window I can see that daylight is slipping away, even though it’s only three o’clock. Nevertheless, Max and Hudson are keen to get outside and clear some snow, given the storm has lessened somewhat. Even though we aren’t due back to the resort until tomorrow they want to get a head start on digging the car out. Even the thought that this little piece of paradise will be over so soon has my heart sinking a little. I don’t want to go back to the resort, I’d much rather stay here forever with these men.
“I reckon we’ve had at least two feet of snowfall, if not more. It looks as though the worst of the storm has passed. The sky should clear some more overnight. Once the snow has been packed down, the pistes are going to be fantastic. I bet everyone in the resort is desperate to get back up on the mountain,” Max says, staring out of the window.
“I imagine there are probably a few thrill seekers already risking their necks now,” Bryce adds.
“I agree. If the roads are made passable tomorrow and we manage to get back to the chalet, I might join you on the slopes.” Hudson smiles.
“You normally work Boxing Day,” Max says, giving Hudson a surprised look.
“Not this year. This year I’m taking the day off. Perhaps even Louisa will be willing to have a lessen or two,” Hudson says, turning to face me. He’s pulled on his coat and hat, ready to shovel some snow from around the car.
“Oh, I’m not much of a skier,” I say, shaking my head. Not much of a skier? I’ve never skied in my life.
“That’s okay, we can help you get back on the horse, so to speak. It’ll be fun,” he persists.