“If you get any closer, Mama Bear will come at you before you can say selfie.” Derek pointed toward the woods, where a much larger bear grunted in our direction.
“Oh jeez.” I shuffled back toward the french doors and Derek.
“I should’ve warned you about the bears. Bear Cabin.” He did a quick shrug of his shoulder.
“I got that.”
“We can watch them from inside. Come on.” He pulled me behind the door and shut it before he leaned on the threshold. “Maybe the cub sensed the mama bear in you.” He teased.
“I’m not a…” I thought about Max. And all the times my claws had come out whenever someone as much as looked at him for too long. Even with Derek, I’d spent a great deal of time trying to keep him away from Max. In the end, the two became fast friends in spite of me. “Yeah, okay.”
He chuckled and fixed a strand of hair behind my ear while I watched the cub and the mama head back into the woods. I would have been nervous to let Max wander off so far too.
“A big bear shows up, and you don’t think to get to safety. But I get close and your first instinct is to get away. Don’t run. I need you.”
I wasn’t running, more like freaking out. I gripped his wrist while his fingers caressed my temple. “I need you too. I just don’t think that all of this is for me.”
“It’s a small cabin, isn’t it?”
“The cabin is ridiculously perfect. You know what I mean.” I slapped his abdomen with the back of my hand. He caught it and placed it over his heart, regarding me with warm eyes. How was it possible to be so in love with someone is such a short amount of time? I glanced down. In our time together, I’d never told him how insecure I felt. Fairy tales weren’t real. He couldn’t be real. We couldn’t be real. “I’m not what you deserve.” I waved my arm in the general direction of the cabin as proof. He should have more than me. Someone who fits in this magnificent place and in his billionaire, bigger-than-everything life.
“If I’m being honest, you are way more than what I deserve. Your kindness, your love, this family of my own that I now have because of you.” He puffed out a breath. Heat permeated from his white shirt and warmed me to my core. “I love you. Do you understand how my love for you works? I would’ve jumped in front of that bear to save you. In front of anyone to protect you. Valentina, I would die for you.”
“See what I mean? You’re too perfect. You’re all of this, and I’m nothing.” The nothing came out as a wisp of air. I hadn’t known it was there, but I felt lighter to finally say it. So now he knew, and he could move on.
He cupped my face, his blue gaze determined and full of warning. “Don’t ever say that about yourself. You’re everything to me. You’re everything, period.” He cocked his head and bent down to kiss me.
I’d never get enough of his lips. The soft curve of his tongue exploring and tasting inside my mouth. I placed my hand on his chest. His body was hot to the touch. It made me ache for him, ached to feel his weight on me, his desire for me.
“Say yes,” he whispered. “Let me show the rest of me.”
“Is that your third reason?”
“It is.”
“Then yes.” I sighed.
4
Talk to Her
Derek
Her gaze dropped to my bare chest. She still didn’t understand what it did to me every time she looked at me that way. I leaned forward to kiss her, but she pushed me back against the door. “You brought me here to talk about the trip. Let’s talk about the trip.”
“Food first.”
“Okay. We don’t have much time left.”
“We have all the time you want. Em already knows we might be late. She’s got Max.” I cupped her face, wishing I could find the exact words to say to ease her mind about meeting my family. They weren’t so bad. Mom might need some convincing, but I had a plan for that.
“Okay.” She shook her head at the spread of food I had on the kitchen counter for us. “You’re unbelievable.”
The chef had already done the hard work—grilling the burger patties, baking fresh buns, and making all the condiments from scratch.
“You just don’t do anything normal, do you?”
“Wait ’til you try these truffle fries. There’s also dessert. Apple pie, I think. Or whatever else you want.” I snaked my free arm around her waist and kissed her neck.
“Oh, it smells amazing.” She wiggled away from my reach and plopped herself on the barstool. “I’m starving.”
Her red cheeks and lips told me she was starving for something else. So was I, but I’d brought her here to talk about us, away from the hustle and bustle of the office and home. I had to behave, if only for another hour. I glanced down at my watch.
“Is there anything you want to know?”
She ate a fry and moaned. “Omigod. You have to try these.” She picked up a truffle fry off her plate, dipped it in the homemade ketchup, and fed it to me. The sauce dripped down her finger and onto my white shirt.
“I told you.” I wrapped my fingers around her wrist and licked her fingers.
“I’m sorry. I got it all over you.” She jumped off her seat to wipe my shirt.
“Don’t worry about it. Wait until you have these burgers.”
I took a bite of mine. When Valentina ate hers too, she moaned.
The meat was amazing, though I wasn’t sure it was moan-worthy. Maybe I got used to being the only one she had orgasmic reactions to.
“Good?” I reached for the wine the chef had left out for us.
“This is better than good. It’s orgasmic.”
I coughed, trying not to choke on the wine. She drove me to distraction, no matter what she did or said. I loved that about her. I loved her. I couldn’t believe she was mine. I couldn’t believe she was willing to put up with my bad moods and all my crazy work.
“Finish your burger. Maybe we can do some of that later.”
“I’d like that.”
When I first met Valentina, she thought she was done with men and falling in love in general. Her son’s dad did quite a number on her. By leaving her, he’d done her a kindness. Bit by bit, she’d let go of the past and given in to what we had. Before, sex didn’t even register on her radar. Now she was willing to explore and show me that side of her, the side that couldn’t have enough of it.
I had to stay on track. “I was thinking we could fly out Monday. Max is more than welcome to come, if you’re comfortable with that.”
She glanced at me, her eyes big—always so protective of her son. But she had to be. For so long, it was just the two of them. “He already started school. I don’t know if I want to take him out. And I don’t want to expose him to a situation where he’ll feel scared.”
“Okay. My family is not scary, but I understand. How about you come with me, and after a week, when you see they’re good people, he can join us?”
“That might work. He can miss one week of school. He’s used to living with my parents. Maybe they can come over and stay with him? They would love that. They miss him so much.”
“He could visit every weekend. Like when you were in school. Whatever you want to do. I want to make this as easy as possible.” I refilled her wine glass. She did that thing she always did where she opened her mouth to speak, but then no words came out. That was her not saying what she wanted to say. She should know by now that there was nothing she could say to make me love her less. “Out with it.”
She drank some more and steeled herself. “I was on board with meeting your family until you dropped the “we need their blessing” bomb on me.” She said it so fast I had to take a minute to digest her meaning. “What if they don’t like me? Would you leave me?”
“No. Of course not. What I meant was I know they’ll love you. So of course, they’ll give us their blessing.”
She raised an eyebrow at me, and I felt as if she could see right through me, which she could. “What’s the deal with your mom?”
I raked a h
and through my hair and let out a breath. Valentina had already seen how big of an asshole I could be. How quickly I could get lost in my work and my vision for all the things I wanted to do. In a way, Mom had been my first victim, the first person to get left behind because of the goals I had set for myself and my company. I left her alone with her business and did nothing when it went under without my help. Since then, I had tried to make amends, but the damage had been done. Mom had to rebuild on her own and wanted nothing to do with me.
“I hope you don’t think less of me.” I had to tell her.
She took a long sip of her wine before she came to stand next to me. I gripped her waist and pulled her closer. Her hands slid from my shoulders and up into my hair as she wedged herself between my legs. “How could you think that? I love you. Whatever you did, I’m sure you had a reason for it.” She flashed me a crooked smile. “Out with it.” She used my own words against me.
“Before I started out, I was working with Mom. She had a wealth management company that was doing quite well for a while. She basically taught me everything I know.”
“What happened?” She tunneled her fingers through my hair. Her patience was so alien and so soothing to me.
“When I came up with the idea of starting a communications company, I asked her for money.” I rolled my eyes. Only a spoiled brat would think it would be okay to put his hand out and ask his parents for a hundred thousand dollars.
“She said no?”
“She said no. I was mad. I knew the only reason she’d said no was because she wanted me to stay and work for her after I finished college. I was good at investments, made her quite a bit of money, even though I was so wet behind the ears. Anyway, Grams, Dad’s mom, passed away that same year and left all of us money. My brothers trusted me enough to give me their share of the inheritance.”
“Wait? They’re all owners in your company?”
“Yeah. I own seventy-five percent. The four of them split the rest. Believe me, they do well enough.”
“I bet. Talk about putting your money in the right pot.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you could say that. The dividends they get allow them to do whatever they want.”
“There’s so much about you I still don’t know.”
“Our trip would be a good thing. We’ll have time to get to know each other better.”
“We’re getting to know each other now.”
“You know what I mean.” He planted a quick kiss on my hand.
“So your mom didn’t invest and lost you anyway?”
“Right. We talk on the phone. Mostly when Dad makes her or when she needs me to sign off on renovation stuff. We’re decent to each other, but it’s not like it was before. I was sort of her favorite. I miss that. All this distance between us is all my fault. You reminded me how important family is. I want them back.”
Mom had my brother Wesley. She didn’t need me, and I didn’t need her. But I still missed her. I missed talking shop with her, getting her advice, and having her listen to mine. If that wasn’t the biggest confidence boost, I didn’t know what would be. She taught me to listen to my gut and follow my instincts. The goddamn instincts I got from her right before I left her to be my own person. What a fucked-up way to say thanks. I took a long swig of wine.
Truth was, I could’ve apologized a million times over the past few years and I hadn’t. Mom was right to be mad at me. Or maybe not mad? Disappointed? Disillusioned? She’d always said I’d go far. That I could conquer the world if I wanted to. Yeah, I got far, then proceeded to turn into an asshole who pushed everyone away, who only had time for work and time to make more money.
Valentina swiped her finger across my eyebrow before she kissed my forehead. I’d seen her do this to Max many times—when he got hurt or did something he’d already been told not to do. How did a six-year-old manage to find the courage to say “sorry, Mom”? Better question was, how could a grown twenty-eight-year-old man not have the balls to apologize to his own mother.
“Your mom loves you no matter what.”
In Valentina’s eyes, what I’d done was of no real concern. Would Mom feel the same way? “I think you’re right.”
“Am I now?”
“Yes.” She stepped back to meet my gaze. “A month with them is probably what you need. I can be your buffer. I mean, I can’t fix this for you, but I can be there for you. Talk to her.”
“I don’t deserve you.”
“You do. You know what else you deserve? Pie.”
The sweet scent of baked apples wafted out of the oven when she opened it. She walked around the kitchen counter and set the pie on the cooling rack the chef had left out. She had also left vanilla ice cream and champagne in the fridge. I knew because I’d asked for those things. Images of the last time I drank wine off the groove along Valentina’s spine flashed in my mind.
She patted the buttery crust before she stuck her finger in the thick filling. “Ouch. Maybe we let it sit for a bit.” She sucked on finger, her gaze staying on me as I rose to my feet and stalked over to her.
I pressed my lips to her. By now, I should know that with Valentina, it can never be just a kiss. It was always so much more. I always needed so much more. I hooked my finger on her oversize knit sweater and let if fall off her shoulders.
“Okay, no dessert, then.”
My mouth didn’t leave hers as I stalked her back to the sectional sofa. She sighed and lay down on the cushions, waiting for me to do my thing, waiting for me to remove her clothes, kiss her legs, her sex, and those breasts that drove me insane every time they fell into my hands. But did she like that because I liked doing that to her, or did she like it because she didn’t know anything else?
I placed my knee on the edge of the couch and caressed her neck. She rubbed her face on my palm. Her big brown eyes on me. The heat that emanated from her was such a turn-on. “Take off your clothes.”
She blew out air, as if she’d been holding her breath while I decided which way to go. “When is the helicopter coming back for us?” Valentina, the project manager. She could never let go unless she had a plan of what to do and where to go next.
“I told you. We have all the time we want. Pants.” I braced my hands on my hips. “Unless you want to try something different.”
She combed her hair away from her face, leaving a few sweaty strands stuck to the side of her neck. I could take her right now and she’d be content, but she deserved more.
“Like what?” Her voice was a whisper laced with anticipation.
“I don’t know. You tell me.” I flashed her a smile that said I’d be up for anything.
“Um. I don’t know.” Her chest rose and fell. She parted her lips. She knew what she wanted but wouldn’t say it. I offered her my hand. When she took it, I pulled her up on to the couch. Her gaze darted from her feet to my face as she tried to decipher what she was supposed to do next.
“Yes, you do. What do you want?”
“You.”
“You have me. I’m here.”
Red blotches inched up from her cleavage to her face. Oh, sweetheart, you know exactly what you want. Ask me. She glanced toward the floor-to-ceiling windows at the line of pine trees surrounding the house.
“No one can see you. It’s just us here.” I made to touch her hip but instead made a fist and placed both hands behind my back.
“You’re doing this to torture me?” She placed a trembling hand on the waistband of her jeans.
I bet she was wet for me. The adrenaline came in bursts as I tried to keep my control and let her have the time she needed to tell me what to do to her. “I’m curious. What else did you do while I was gone? What did you think about?”
“You.” Her voice had a raspy quality to it. It was the same tone she used when she asked me for more.
“Tell me.”
“I want you to kiss it.”
“Is that what you think about?”
She nodded. Her cheeks and ears turned bri
ght red when she unbuttoned her jeans and pulled down the zipper. Biting her lip to suppress a smile, she shook her head once and turned her back to me before she wiggled out of her pants.
I’d seen her naked every day since we got together. Why was she still embarrassed to let me see her? Not that I was complaining. With her standing on the sofa, her pretty ass was at chest level with me. I couldn’t resist it anymore and grabbed a handful of it, kissing and nibbling as I removed her thong.
Leaning against me, she stepped out of her bottoms. When I slipped my hand between her legs, she widened her stance and gave in. “Touch me.”
Jesus. “Do you know how much I want you?”
My hand followed the goose bumps from the inside of her thigh up until I had her sweet pussy in my palm. I kissed the line of her spine, and I was rewarded with a moan. She rocked her hips. With every pass, her outer lips rubbed against me. If cocks could fall off from want, I’d lose mine right now for sure.
I steadied her from behind and let her guide my fingers to where she needed them. The next time I had to travel for business, it would be hard not to think of her like this. Her soft, long hair and her ass in my face, her mound in my grasp, and her calling for me.
After a few moments, she relaxed, and then it was all about finding her orgasm. She surrendered to it and turned around. The image she painted in my mind before flashed in front of me. I want you to kiss it.
“You’re so beautiful.” I bent down and pressed my lips against her bud. I sucked on it gently, blowing a hot breath into it.
“Oh my God.”
I met her gaze, beaming. “Better than the burger, right?” Her laugh made my cock jerk in my pants. I didn’t think I could take any more of this. I wanted to be inside her.
“Was that even in question before?” She puffed out air, gripping my hair when I returned to the task she’d given me. “Harder,” she whispered.
“Oh fuck.” I mumbled into her pussy and sucked firmly around her clit. On the third circle around, she skimmed her knee up to my waist and climaxed, pressing herself on my face.
Unravel You: A Hot Billionaire Romance (Cole Brothers Series Book 1) Page 4