I want, no I need, more of his touch. Feeling bold, I guide his hand between my bent legs and press. “There.”
“We have an audience,” he whispers against my mouth.
“He can’t see anything. We’re buried under blankets.” I suck his tongue into my mouth, brushing it with my own. Pretending the world doesn’t exist outside of the two of us sounds perfect to me.
“He can still hear us,” Jesse whispers against my lips. He presses his hard length against my butt. I’m not the only one affected by our impromptu make-out session.
“Shh, the dogs will hear you and get spooked.” I wiggle in his lap, not-so-secretly loving to torture him.
His laughter brushes against my cheek. “Can you promise to be quiet yourself?”
Biting the finger of one of his gloves, he slowly drags it off. It’s a hand striptease and oddly sexy. He sweeps his palm south over my breasts and waist. When I feel his warm fingers flex along my inner thigh, I nod and manage to squeak out a “yes.”
“Shh.” He quiets my sounds with a searing kiss when he dips his hand beneath my leggings.
He skims his fingers inside my underwear and I say a small thanks to whoever invented Lycra as well as the brave women who fought against the stigma of leggings as pants. Bless you all.
A string of vowel sounds fall from my lips, because all I can do is whimper with joy.
Jesse is a giver.
Oh, and before I get completely distracted, thanks to whoever invented blankets.
His magic fingers explore and torture me while we glide over hill and vale in our own personal winter wonderland. I’m not paying attention to any of the scenery. Not anymore. I close my eyes to focus on the sensation building where his hand touches me. Every nerve ending fires as he presses his thumb against my clitoris while stroking two fingers inside of me.
Pleasure and pressure combine together, lifting me to a breaking point. I need to bite down or I’ll scream out his name. Breaking our kiss, I find the skin where his shoulder meets neck and silence my cries with a bite, riding out the waves of pleasure pulsing through my body.
I still his hand as the last flutters of my orgasm fade.
“Did you draw blood?” he whispers as he slides his fingers out of my pants.
I soothe the patch of skin with my tongue. “No, but I can’t promise you won’t have a hickey there later.”
Embarrassed, I can barely lift my eyes to his. “Sorry about the biting. I didn’t want to scare the dogs by screaming your name and having it echo over the mountains. The hills are alive with Mara’s orgasm and all that jazz.”
He chuckles and then does the sexiest thing. Keeping his gaze locked with mine, he sucks his fingers into his mouth and hums with satisfaction.
“Kill me now,” I whisper, mainly to myself.
“What was that?” His voice has an edge of danger and lust. Like he’s taking my words as a challenge to orgasm me to death.
“Nothing.”
He leans close again, taking my bottom lip between his and gently nipping the swollen skin. “I can’t wait to taste you for real later.”
Incoherent vowel sounds catch in my throat.
Our sled glides to a stop and I panic. Pulling the blanket completely over our heads, I hide my face in Jesse’s shoulder.
“Is he kicking us out of the sleigh for indecency?”
Jesse shakes his head. “No, I think we’ve arrived at the lodge.”
I drop one corner of the blanket to check our surroundings. Twinkling stars, silver snow-covered trees, and the warm exhales of the dogs are the first things I notice. Turning my head to Jesse’s side of the sleigh, I realize we’re parked outside a charming cabin straight out of Heidi. Torches and tiny lights brighten the exterior.
The inside of the lodge, I fully expect Swiss milkmaids to yodel while men in Lederhosen dance around in clogs. Instead, he leads me to a table by an enormous stone fireplace. Candles in glass jars of all shapes and sizes illuminate the room. Because of the soft light inside, the snowy landscape glows on the other side of the window. A million plus stars sparkle above the sharp peaks. We’re inside our own winter wonderland.
I glance around and realize we’re the only people in the restaurant.
“Where is everyone?”
“They’re not usually open on Mondays.” He shrugs like it’s no big deal.
“Another favor?” I twist my fingers between his on the table.
“I came to some realizations today.”
“While you were buried alive?” My eyes tingle as they fill with tears.
“Shh. Stop. I’m fine.” He soothes me with a soft voice.
My lip trembles and I fail to smile.
“Mara, I’m okay. I’m here with you because today I realized there’s nowhere I’d rather be.”
Cue full waterworks. “With me?”
“With you.” He lifts our joined hands. “I love you.”
I want to tell him it’s too soon. He doesn’t really mean it. I should warn him I’m crazy and want to be a cat lady. He should wait until he knows me better. For once, I don’t say any of the craziness in my head. “I love you.”
The dimple of suppressed amusement appears. His eyes smile before his mouth follows in a glorious, beautiful grin.
“I’m crazy,” I tell him. “You should be warned.”
He leans across the table and kisses me. “It’s okay, because I’m crazy over you.”
Chapter 28
Mara
DISAPPEARING SNOW AND longer days mark the middle of April. With the change in season comes another round of crazy local traditions.
Schneetag is the end of season party in Snowmass. It’s basically a free-for-all day of silliness involving costumes, a large pond of icy water, homemade contraptions, and a per capita alcohol consumption to rival Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Or so I’ve been told.
Legend has it all the rugby guys wear dresses as part of their costumes. Now that’s something I need to see.
Sofie’s here visiting and I’m happy how well she fits in with my new friends.
Sage, Zoe, Mae, and the rest of the girl gang meet at the shuttle stop at the end of Brush Creek in Snowmass. Apparently, making someone be the designated driver was deemed cruel and unusual punishment.
The shuttle’s packed with the oddest assortment of people, including not one, but three unicorns.
Our rainbow of wigs and wings seems tame compared to most of the costumes.
Zoe and Sage talk about Lee’s red sparkly dress from last year.
“Easley didn’t even shave his back. He looked like a two-hundred-pound gorilla going to prom,” Mae giggles.
“When doesn’t he look like a gorilla?” Sage snorts.
Picking on Easley seems to be the common thread of most of their conversations. Seems he’s an easy target. He’s always been nice to me. No one mentions Landon given we all agree he’s a giant tool.
Jesse’s name doesn’t come up and I begin to wonder if he participates in the silliness. He’s such a recluse, I can’t really see him being silly enough to ski into a pond in front of a huge crowd.
“What about ski patrol? Do they participate?”
Sage and Zoe make eye contact before Sage faces me. “They’re the finale every year. Prepare yourself.”
Zoe giggles. “One year Speedos were involved and there were several wardrobe malfunctions.”
Mae leans over and whisper shouts near my ear, “Penises for days. Turns out shrinkage is a real affliction. It looked like a turtle parade when they crawled out of the water.”
The rest of the girls cackle.
“You’ve never laughed so hard in your life.” Mae winks at me. “We say a little prayer of a repeat every year.”
With the lifts closing and the ski season officially ending, everything feels like the end of summer camp. Some of us are full time, year rounders, but a lot of people will move on to their next gig. A few of the hardcore ski instructors and patrol head sou
th, way south, to South America to follow the snow. Anyone with a seasonal contract takes off until the weather cools in the fall. They return with the first talk of snow. Like flocks of birds, except they follow the cold weather.
I’m looking forward to seeing what the mountains are like in the summer and fall. At least Sage, Zoe, and Mae will all stick around.
Jesse owns his place and works construction when there isn’t snow on the ground. I assume this means he isn’t going anywhere, but we haven’t had the big talk about future plans. Or even what we’re doing this summer. We’ve only known each other four months, but it feels longer.
I remind myself he’s in love with me. That’s everything I need to know to be happy in this moment. I’m not going to worry about what comes next. This winter I’ve learned you have to take life as it comes. I can handle anything, one mogul at a time.
Fern’s healed nicely from her cut, but she still spends time at the ranch with Tapper and the cats. I think she and Tapper are having a mad love affair. Jesse doubts me, but who’s the professional here? Even the cats have welcomed her into the family … by being assholes. It’s how they show their love.
The shuttle arrives at base village and we join the massive crowd of other crazy people in costumes walking toward the slopes.
Excitement fills the air. Loud dance music pumps through huge speakers near the DJ booth. Women in bikinis and fur boots laugh until they fall into a bank of snow. Men cheer each other on in a game of beer pong. The whole scene reminds me of the love child between a rave and spring break.
“Rainbow Bright, I love you!” Some random guy in a tutu grabs Sofie and kisses her.
“I love you too!” she shouts after he stumbles away.
“Do you know him?” I ask.
“Never seen him before and probably will never see him again. Or maybe I will.” She grins. “Welcome to Schneetag!”
We dance our way through the crowd to the edge of the pond and claim a spot in front of the barricade.
The DJ lowers the music and announces the first teams are in position to start the main show. Everyone goes wild when two guys in huge wigs and flight attendant costumes slide down the ramp in a tiny airplane. They topple over before reaching the water, but no one seems to care.
More crazy costumes follow. Stormtroopers roll a giant Death Star into the pond and then jump in behind it. A group of bikini-clad girls in giant, furry cat heads follow them, but chicken out before going into the water. More than a few onlookers boo.
Only one man in a cardboard box on skis makes it across the pond without sinking. The judges give him all nines and tens as we all wildly cheer for his engineering mastery.
Sage whoops extra loud as the next group takes their place at the top of the slope. “It’s the rugby club!”
I squint into the bright April sun. “Are you sure?”
“Oh yes, I recognize Lee’s silver dress.”
“Silver dress?” I repeat unnecessarily as the group of burly players wearing tiny silver dresses and shiny helmets pushes a spacecraft down the hill.
“They’re going too fast,” Zoe shouts next to me.
Sure enough the spacecraft shoots out of Lee’s grip and Easley falls on his face trying to slow it down. The cardboard disk gains impressive air and flies into the middle of the pond, where it immediately sinks.
Only one judge holds up her card displaying a ten while the rest give the guys sevens and eights.
Lee drags himself out of the water and finds Sage in the crowd. He gives her a giant wet hug and a sloppy kiss while she squirms in his arms, trying to stay dry.
Spying me over his shoulder, he grins. “Hi, Mara. Wait until you see Jesse.”
The DJ gets everyone riled up with his chanting for ski patrol. The frenzy grows when he switches songs. Drumming echoes through the air. “Are you ready?”
We shout and scream, “Yes!”
“I can’t hear you.” He stops the music. “I said, are you ready?”
Zoe, Sofie, and Mae scream in both my ears to the point I hear ringing.
“Making the final run of the season, here are the men and women of ski patrol. Give it up and show them the love!”
People lose their minds when the first notes of music play.
My eyes are glued to the top of the slope, waiting for Jesse.
I don’t even realize what music is playing until Abe and Johan walk out wearing red one-piece bathing suits.
Women’s bathing suits.
I think I stop breathing as everyone jumps and claps around me.
Jesse joins the group, wearing a red ski jacket and shorts. In his hands he’s holding what looks like a giant red plastic football.
“Oh my dog.” No one can hear me over the Baywatch theme song and screaming.
He spins the red tube and then tosses it to Abe.
Turning around, he slowly peels off his ski jacket and wiggles out of his shorts.
Leaving him standing up there in nothing but a red Speedo.
Every ovary in the crowd simultaneously explodes.
“That’s your man,” Sofie whisper-shouts near my ear. “You lucky girl.”
I try to close my mouth, but it hangs open in shock.
The ski patrollers run down the hill in slow motion. At least it feels that way while I stare at Jesse.
When they reach the bottom, they jump into the pool in unison.
Mayhem breaks out as others join them, not caring about the cold water or hypothermia.
I can’t see Jesse in all the chaos, so I duck under the barrier and run to the edge.
He’s a few feet away, grinning up at me.
I leap, knowing he’ll catch me.
Epilogue
Jesse
THE FIRST REAL snow of the season dumped a foot of glorious powder on the mountain last week. Seven months of no skiing makes me a little crazy. I’m happiest when I’m on the mountain with my girls.
Fern is back to her normal self and I can tell she’s as ready to get back to work as I am. She’s spent the summer lazing around the ranch with Tapper. Mara even bought a kiddie pool for them. We’re all spoiled by her love. Especially me.
The lifts officially opened yesterday and this is the first time we’ve skied together since April. A pale November sun glowing in the clear sky promises a great day of skiing.
Mara eyes the sign for Powderhorn. “You want to revisit the scene of the crime?”
“Our meeting was a crime?” I pull one of her curls sticking out below her helmet.
“Second meeting.” She grins at me.
“I want to show you something.”
She narrows her eyes at me. “Last time you said that, we made out with dead people.”
I fight the urge to laugh. She’s as funny as she is beautiful.
Her forehead crinkles. “Wait, that didn’t come out right. You know what I mean. You were there with me.”
I chuckle. “I remember.”
“Can the thing you show me not involve a panic attack or death?” Even as she says this, she’s pulling on her goggles and adjusting her gloves.
“I’ll make sure you get down safely. Trust me?”
“With my life. Apparently,” she mumbles against my mouth as I try to kiss her.
We successfully ski down the first section of Powderhorn. After a couple of lessons last season, she’s built up her confidence enough she doesn’t hesitate to follow in my tracks. Sometimes she races beside me if she’s feeling extra bold. When we hit the stretch of the run that doubles as a fire road in the dry season, I slow enough for her to ski alongside me. To the left, a steep drop-off opens up the view to the back of Mount Daily across a narrow valley. Our destination is up ahead. Before she goes flying by it, I reach out my hand, hoping she understands I want to hold hands. She gets the message and grabs on to my glove.
Instead of making the turn to finish the run, I slow to a stop by the bench.
Snow covers the area around it but the sun has warmed
the bench, leaving it bare.
“Let’s sit.” I gesture with my pole.
“Here?”
“It’s a bench. It exists to be sat upon.” I pull her closer and she lets herself slide forward.
“Poor, lonely bench. Why are you in the middle of nowhere? You’d be a lot more popular in a park.” She pats the seat before sitting down.
I hold my breath, but she doesn’t notice the plaque on the back.
“Wow. It’s beautiful.” She sweeps her gaze over the valley below us.
“I agree.” I’ve seen this view hundreds of time. I’m talking about her.
She faces me. “You’re not even looking at the incredible beauty of nature on display right over there.”
She points somewhere over to her right.
“I have all the natural beauty right in front of me.”
Her eyes narrow. “You’re putting on the charms a little thick today. The time for pickup lines has passed, don’t you think? I’m already madly in love with you.”
“Are you saying my best moves are cheesy? I’m wounded.” I press my glove against my chest.
“You don’t need to pick me up. Unless you’re physically carrying me to bed.” She licks her lips and winks.
“You’re adorable.”
“I’m trying to seduce you.” She pouts.
“Consider yourself successful. I’m yours.”
“We did this backward.”
“In what sense?”
“We met, kissed, had imaginary terrible sex, and then got to know each other.”
I start to correct her, but she stops me.
“I spent two years thinking we had bad sex.”
“Those are years you’ll never get back. You lost all that time.”
“Better than pining for someone I could never have.”
I kind of like the idea of her pining. “You weren’t the only one who pined. I’m the one who remembered every detail. For two years, I lived with the memory of your kiss, thinking I’d missed my chance with you.”
She kisses my cheek. “If you remember everything, can you answer a question for me?”
“I’ll try.”
Crazy Over You (Love with Altitude #2) Page 19