The Winter Games Box Set

by Rebecca Sharp

  Every word he said to me itched like a new tattoo. I had to keep revisiting them—I had to keep scratching them. I couldn’t stop myself. The feelings they evoked were inked into my soul and no matter how hard I tried, there was no getting them back out. There was no erasing him from my heart.

  Still, he waited.

  The minutes ticked by. After each patient, I looked up and expected to see him gone. But he stayed.

  I spun at a soft touch on my shoulder.

  “Miss Betty?” I looked at her in confusion. “What are you doing here?”

  “Well, ‘hello’ to you, too,” she jeered.

  “Sorry.” I shook my head.

  “That’s ok, dear. I just stopped in to pick up a copy of my records. But I saw you so I thought I’d pop over and say hello.” Her gaze strayed to Kyle.

  “Yes, I can see that saying hello to me is really what’s on your mind.”

  “A girl can look. You know, my daughter got me an iPhone for Christmas. Does Mr. Masters have an ahh… insta… instacracker?”

  “A what?” Both my eyebrows raised.

  “Oh dear, did I not say it right? I always forget the name. There’s Facebook. But what’s the other one with all the photos?”

  “Instagram?”

  “That’s it! Oh my.” She chuckled. “It makes me think of graham crackers and then…” she trailed off.

  “I’m really not sure. You’ll have to ask him.”

  She huffed. “Fine. Also, you should know that I was upset about losing that ten dollars to my bridge club, but now, thanks to you, I won it back on top of an additional fifty!”

  “Oh, no. What part of my life did you bet on now?” I grumbled, putting my hand up to my forehead.

  “That part.” She nodded out the window to where Chance was still sitting in his Jeep.

  “Why?” I asked softly. Based on our track record, I wasn’t sure betting on us was a smart move.

  “Because true love is always a safe bet, dear.” A sob rose in my throat. She patted my arm with a smile. “That and a nice ass.” I covered my mouth so that I wouldn’t laugh. And in an instant, Betty was darting away from me to go talk to Kyle who’d just finished with his patient. Sometimes, I wondered just how much she needed PT… that woman had no problem moving when she wanted to…

  I wasn’t sure whether to be grateful for her insta-wisdom or offended for how quickly it was superseded by a personal trainer in tight gym shorts.

  The minutes ticked on.

  Three and a half hours later, I thanked my last patient and began to type up my last set of notes. This time, when I looked up, I saw the Jeep, but my eye caught because Chance was no longer sitting inside of it.

  Confusion swept over me. Where had he gone?

  I looked around. Monroe was talking to Kyle again—I guess he must be her next target since she probably wouldn’t be seeing Chance again.

  I still had no answers.

  Love is a safe bet.

  A shudder moved through me. And then came the itch.

  The itch to feel for him. To give in. No matter what happened—or what would happen.

  The itch to give in to the now. To this moment. With him.

  “Jessa.” My head jerked up to see my itch standing right in front of me. When had he come in?

  Kyle and Monroe were staring at us. I even felt Dr. Lev’s gaze flick to us standing in the middle of the gym.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Making you mine.” My heart dropped into my stomach as he dropped to his knees.

  “Chance—“ I furiously shook my head. What was happening? What was he doing?”

  Firm, warm fingers gripped mine. “Just breathe, J-bird. I’m not proposing to you.”

  Air rushed back into my lungs and the darkness that began to cloud my vision started to dissipate.

  “Jessa Madison, I fucking love you.” Strong and resonating, it wasn’t a confession; it was a promise.

  My vision tunneled in on him. His eyes the clearest I’d ever seen them. My heart racing inside of my chest—racing towards whatever he was going to say next.

  “I love you and I won’t live without you. All this time and space that’s been between us; it was wrong. Our future is our history.”

  “I don’t know how to begin again, Chance. Where do we even start? Where do we go from here?”

  “Right now. Right here is where we start, baby girl, because we’ve come so far.” His fingers rubbed over mine, rubbing the words into the very center of my soul—and that itch began to soften. “Since you left, I’ve been a shell—one that I’ve tried to fill up with every goddamn thing that I could think of and when it was all taken away, I was so fucking angry because all it did was remind me that none of it was real to begin with—not without you.”

  I didn’t think I had it in me after last night. But maybe happy tears come from a different well than the sad ones because they streamed down my face eagerly and without pause. I choked trying not to sob, forgetting that we had an audience.

  “I don’t know what comes next, J-bird, but I know it’s going to fucking shine. I know it’s going to be better and brighter than everything that we left behind.”

  “Chance…” My heart gurgled up his name, overflowing with hope and love at words that I’d never dreamt would be a reality.

  He pressed my palm to his mouth and when he kissed it, I felt the touch of his lips straight on the beat of my heart.

  “I was so fucking lost, J-bird. But you found me. And I know things have happened… things have changed…” His fingers tightened their hold and I swore that even though I was looking at my gorgeous ghost, all I could see was the only thing I’d ever need. “I should have told you sooner. I should have been on my knees before you and damn my pride eight years ago to tell you this. But I swear to you, Jessa, our love is still the same.”

  I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I tugged one hand to my face to suppress a sob. A distant echo of a door slamming shut in the background flitted through my mind. I had a feeling it was Monroe storming out of the room.

  “So, no, I’m not proposing—not yet.” Shiver. “But, I am on my knees because I’d rather be loved than stay proud. Take this chance on me. It’s going to be one helluva ride, J-bird, I can promise you that, but I also promise to love you through every fucking up and down that there is. Please… forgive me.”

  God, he was begging. He didn’t need to beg. I’d forgiven him the second I walked downstairs to him asleep in the chair.

  I wished my hand were bigger to cover and wipe away all the tears from my face.

  “Can you stand up?” I asked weakly.

  He paused and then rose in front of me, his hands taking over mine, cupping my face and drying my tears.

  “I’m so sorry, Jessa.”

  “Me too,” I replied shakily.

  “I love you. It’s only ever and always been you.”

  With a mind of its own, my lips turned into a smile. “I love you too, Chance. I love you so much it sent me away and then brought me back again. I love you so much that I wanted you even when you wanted to break me. I love you so much that even if you never spoke to me again after yesterday, I wouldn’t change a thing because I helped you find your way back to yourself—and back to the mountain.”

  His lips crushed mine and the world around us shattered into a million flickering crystals of light. Opening my mouth, I breathed him inside and tasted him into my soul. This was the kiss that stopped the clock.

  Our future was our history.

  The sound of the door shutting again made me pull back.

  Crap. We were still at the gym.

  “We should go,” I suggested. At least the room had completely cleared out by now, although I was sure that Dr. Lev was probably upstairs in his office otherwise he would have asked us to leave already.

  “Sorry,” he mumbled, his forehead pressing to mine.

  “For…”

  “For kissing you,” he rasped. “Be
fore making sure that this is what you want—that I am what you want.”

  “You should be sorry,” I murmured, tilting my head so that my nose brushed against his, “but not for that.”

  “No?”

  “You should be sorry because we’re still standing here. In the gym. When you should have me halfway back home already,” I teased.

  The happy breath of his laugh brushed over my cheek before he covered my lips once more.

  “What was I thinking?” he whispered. And then I squealed as he lifted me up, my arms and legs tangling around him like vines around a tree. I held on for dear life, but I knew he was never letting go.

  The Star: This card says that over the long-term, you should have trust and faith in the Universe because a better future is waiting for you, but in order to reach it, you have to trust that it is possible. You have endured life’s challenges and have been through difficult times, but you are now open to healing and transformation. Hatred, envy, bitterness, and revenge have all burned themselves out and no longer shadow your potential for future happiness. You are making significant changes in your life—transforming from the old you into the new you. The Star says to trust in yourself, trust in your worth; it is the call of destiny that compels you to go on.

  “CHANCE…” MY SHOCKED WHISPER WHOOSHED over the space as I opened the door into the house. Chance was right behind me with his hands on my waist—I refused to let him carry me over the threshold, telling him that that was reserved for the next time he got down on his knees.

  I froze overwhelmed by the sight and scent of candles. All my candles—and more—were lit and littered throughout the room. It was still light outside, but with the snow that was falling, the cloud-cover darkened out the sun, providing for a dim, dusk-like day.

  Pine. Pineapple. Eucalyptus.

  “What did you… how did you…” I whispered as I stepped further inside so that he could shut the door behind us.

  The house hadn’t looked like this when we left. And he had been at the gym the whole time—I’d been watching.

  “I may have called in a few favors.” His voice tickled my ear. He stood pressed tight against my back. I could have, but I didn’t move inside further because I wanted his closeness.

  My body had burned with anticipation the entire ride home. My heart felt free and it sent my body into overdrive with wanting him. My legs were crossed and locked as we drove, afraid that if I let them go, my core would start screaming with how much I needed him.

  Now, he stood at my back, his hard length pressed against my ass that I kept rocking back against him.

  “Why…” I half-turned to look at him and I saw his face wince as I rubbed over his erection.

  “Just in case I couldn’t convince you with my groveling.” His eyes sparkled with humor. “I wanted to make sure that you came home… to your home.”

  I raised my arms and wrapped them around his neck.

  “I would have as long as I came home to you.” I pressed myself tighter against him and he growled. “I want you.”

  His head dropped to my neck and he nuzzled into my skin, goosebumps running rampant over my body.

  “Are you sure?” he rasped, kissing along my jawline. “Because I want to talk to you… I want to know…”

  My hands clasped his face. “And I want you to know. But right now, I want to feel. I want to feel you. I want to feel that there is nothing between us anymore. I want to love you. Only, ever, always.”

  “Anything for you.” His lips brushed over mine. “Only, ever, always.”

  The wall was against my back and my limbs snaked around him as his mouth devoured mine. We kissed like we had eight years to make up for. My scrub top disappeared over my head and landed on a heap along with his t-shirt.

  The next time I came up for a gasp of pine-scented air was as the carpet on the floor greeted my back. Even though it was soft and plush, it felt ragged compared to the hard smoothness of his skin against mine.

  Tongue for tongue, he marked every wet inch of my mouth as his own, licking and biting my lips. There was no cell that went untouched.

  He was everywhere and everything. Every. Damn. Thing.

  He slid down my chest, tearing my bra from my chest. His lips closed over my nipple and my hips rocketed up against his.

  A firm hand gripped my waist and pinned it to the floor. “Don’t do that.” He bit into the tight bud, sending an encoded message down for my clit to unravel.

  “I need you,” I whispered, following the plea up with a moan as his other hand cupped my other breast.

  He ignored me.

  Laving, scraping, and sucking on my tit like it was the only piece of me he was getting today.

  My head dug back into the floor as his mouth drifted over my stomach. Everything stopped. Both hands slid to my waist and he stared at my stomach. It was a stare that I’d seen a thousand times before. In the mirror. As I stared at the part of me that had carried our child.

  I was two separate people at that moment—one consumed with the need to have him inside of me, the other, overflowing with emotion as I watched the man that I loved dip his head and reverently place a kiss on the flesh that quivered underneath his touch.

  A promise. For our future.

  My hand reached for his head, tipping his face up so I could see him. His mouth openly kissed my palm as his eyes traveled up my arm, stopping at my elbow. He turned my forearm slightly, staring at the heart that was carved into it.

  “For the baby?” he asked.

  My throat was so thick, but my head jerked in a nod.

  He glided up so his face was over mine, piercing eyes that strolled right into my soul.

  “I love you,” he whispered, kissing my lips softly. Repeating the phrase, he kissed along over to my ear. “We’ll have another one, J-bird.”

  I gulped air into my lungs.

  “You can’t know that.”

  “I do know that. I know because I love you. I know that because with you, when I look at myself, I see a future and a family, where before I saw nothing. And,” his voice dropped deeper with a growl, “every time I fuck you, all I think about is filling you so full of me that you have no other fucking option than to have my baby.”

  My hips spasmed again. So hot. So sweet. I groaned.

  How did he do it? How did he manage to touch my heart and make me so damn horny at the same time?

  I felt his smile against my neck, knowing exactly what he was doing to me. So, I rolled my hips up against his cock again and watched the smile harden and disappear, desire burning over his features.

  Pulling back, my scrub pants were the last piece of clothing to go. His eyes greedily found my sex.

  His hands moved to his waist, unbuttoning his jeans. I saw the thick outline of his arousal against the fabric and my core clenched, releasing another hot gush of moisture. Chance’s fingers froze, seeing the desire that rushed from me.

  With a curse that said he couldn’t stop himself, he forgot about his erection and dove between my thighs.

  The flickering flames from all of the probably twenty candles that I could see became indistinct blurs of light. Little balls of white danced in my vision as his mouth swallowed my sex and everything that was coming from it.

  He licked and nipped. Sucked and swallowed. And my body came apart piece by piece with every touch. His beard only magnified every sensation and I lost it.

  Thrashing on the floor, my hands speared into his hair, holding his head to me like I could shove his mouth inside of my desperate sex to fix the ache that he’d created.

  I felt like I was turning into one of the damn candles. Burning. Melting. Popping and sizzling. The bright flame of desire made its way down to my core. My orgasm demanded release. It banged on the walls of every cell in my body as Chance pushed his tongue inside of me.

  And then he reared up, oxygen shooting into my lungs with a gasp. The sight of him—kneeling between my legs, his hands freeing his erection, while his mou
th dripped with my desire was more than any woman should ever have to take.

  He stood to rip his jeans off of his legs. His body was hard and covered with sweat. His dick hung out, an angry purple-red, demanding to be swallowed by my sex.

  Ice-blue eyes raked over me and I licked my lips. I would swear that I’ve never wanted him more—never wanted anything more than him inside me—than at this moment.

  I knew it was something that I would swear another thousand times during my life.

  “Touch yourself.” Eyelids heavy, my right hand slid down over my stomach, my fingers disappearing into my folds. I bit my lip as I felt the pleasure building inside of me.

  “Chance…” I moaned. I was getting close again. I hated being close without him.

  While I rubbed over my clit, his fingers found their way back inside of me. Two, then three, pushing in deep. As much as my eyes wanted to close, as soon as they met his, it was like they were locked open knowing how much he loved watching me lose control over his touch—almost as much as I loved losing it.

  “You’re so beautiful, J-bird. Beautiful and all mine.”

  I moaned. Don’t stop. Talking. Touching. Any of it.

  My breath caught, feeling the reckoning of my delayed climax begin to threaten through my body.

  “Fuck,” he swore, pulling his hand from me. “I should get a condom.”

  “Chance,” the moment froze, “I-I’m on the pill now.” And it was a good thing because we both silently admitted that there was nothing going to stop him from coming inside of me right now.

  Blue flames of the hottest kind of fire burned in his eyes. I should have let him get one because I knew better than to think that anything was one-hundred-percent safe. But, after eight years, I wanted to feel him. All of him.

  I saw his jaw muscle flex.

  His hand gripped my wrist and pulled my hand away from what was about to definitively become his. His body came down over mine, his erection sliding over my sex. His right hand kneaded my breast, rolling my nipple in the way he knew made me insane.

  “I love you, Chance.” I was going crazy.

  “You want the truth, Jessa?” He rasped into my ear, poised at my entrance. “Given the choice, I would break my fucking knee all over again as long as it meant that I would end up here. With you.”