Fire and Ice [Après-Ski 4] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic)

by Zara Chase

  Chelsea clasped a hand over her mouth. “Oh. My. God.”

  “She wouldn’t divorce me and wouldn’t let me get on with my life. So, when I got out of the military, I came over here to chill with my old buddy Leo for a while.” He stretched his arms above his head. “And the rest, as they say, is history.”

  “Does she know where you are?”

  Jack shrugged. “Probably. Every time I walk into the bar, I expect to see her there. It will happen one day.”

  “Hence the gun?”

  “I started carrying that back in the States to defend myself. I feel better knowing I still have it, even though it isn’t loaded.”

  “It’s not?”

  Jack grinned. “Who am I going to use it on? I might dislike Alison and the havoc she’s caused with my life, but I don’t plan on killing her. I just need her to leave me the hell alone so I can get on with my life.”

  “That’s what you get for marrying a screwed-up little rich girl,” Chelsea said, snuggling up on his lap.

  “Yeah well, it’ll work out. She’ll get the message sooner or later.”

  “And in the meantime, you’ll hang out here.”

  “Sure. All of us, as you rightly pointed out, are running from something. Only Leo knows our individual stories and we respect one another’s privacy.”

  “No wonder you’re all so tight.”

  “Well, we do have another interest in common,” he said, waggling his brows at her.

  She giggled. “That’s true.” Her sultry smile melted Jack’s heart, perhaps because he was feeling vulnerable, having told a comparative stranger his sordid history. Or then again, it could just be that he fancied the panties off her. “When can I get my next lesson?”

  Chapter Ten

  “Come on, darlin’, you’re dead on your feet.” Jack stood up and lifted Chelsea from his lap. “Let’s have an early night.”

  Chelsea brightened. “Good thinking.”

  “I meant to sleep.” He playfully tapped her backside. “You’re too sore for a repeat performance right away.”

  “Don’t I get any say?”

  He laughed aloud. “I already told you, there’s only room for one boss in this relationship.”

  “Aw, spoilsport.”

  It probably would be a little too much too soon, Chelsea grudgingly conceded. Getting her mind around what she’d just done and making sure she was cool with it would be a better use of her time. It had been a huge departure from her usual…well, pedestrian experiences and she wondered if, now that her feet were back on the ground and her brain had resumed thinking duties, she would regret it.

  Not in this lifetime!

  Jack had opened her eyes and she was starting to realize what a prude she’d been. She felt alive, adventurous, liberated, desirable—a woman of the world not afraid to go that extra mile to please the man who, in the space of less than two days, had shown her a whole new side to her character. Not that she expected anything long-term out of this relationship, even if her emotions were secretly invested in it. She would simply take as much of Jack as he was prepared to offer her for as long as he felt like offering it.

  She fell into his comfortable bed, fully understanding why his wife had become so obsessed with him. He was a very good looking, very charismatic, very capable, unquestionably masculine man. What she failed to grasp was Alison’s willingness to have an affair when she was in love with her husband. Not having had an indulged childhood herself, Chelsea found it hard to equate to such a self-centered attitude. Poor Jack! No wonder he was such a private man, reluctant to trust. She sensed he didn’t often talk about his past and felt privileged that he’d chosen to share some of it with her.

  Jack climbed into bed beside her and she snuggled up to his muscular body, feeling safe and secure. They were like an old married couple who knew each other so well they fit together like yin and yang. The idea appealed to Chelsea but she would die before she admitted it. Jack had a good reason to shun commitment. Besides, that definitely wasn’t what she was looking for either, was it?

  She woke some hours later with her head resting on Jack’s chest and his intense gaze boring into profile.

  “Morning, sweetheart,” he said, dropping a chaste kiss on her forehead. “Sleep well?”

  “Better than I have for years,” she replied, uncurling her legs and stretching her arms above her head. “What time is it?”

  “Early yet.”

  “I need to go back to the hotel, get a change of clothes, and see what Bushnell and Closson are up to.”

  “They won’t do anything suspicious, unless we’ve got it all wrong and they simply plan to drive out with the stones, in which case there’s nothing we can do about it. Hopefully they’ll contact me this morning about a private flight, then it’ll be game on. In the meantime, you need to prepare for your meeting with Padron.”

  “How do I do that?”

  Jack chuckled. “Like this.”

  He rolled on top of her, resting his weight on one elbow and using his other hand to pin both of her wrists above her head.

  “Is this my second lesson, Sir? Do I need to take notes?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll be asking questions later just to make sure you were paying attention.”

  She bit her lower lip and sent him a flirtatious smile. “What do I get if I answer them all right?”

  “If I told you that, it would spoil the surprise.” His eyes were alive with wicked humor as he released her wrists. “Turn over, darlin’, and get up on your hands and knees for me.”

  Chelsea’s heart rate accelerated as she complied, thinking he must have deemed her fit for active duty again. He hadn’t actually asked if she still felt sore, perhaps because he knew she would have vehemently denied it. But no denial was necessary. She was rested, and hot, and more than ready to play. Even so, she shuddered when he squirted lube down the crack in her butt and a slick finger played with her anus. She tried really hard to relax and let him have his fun but when the tip of his cock invaded her backside, she instinctively fought against it.

  “It’s okay, babe,” he said softly. “Just getting acquainted, is all. We don’t have time to rid you of your ass virginity this morning and it would be a sin to rush such a momentous occasion. I’m just gonna slip this little baby into your tight cunt and fuck you hard from behind. That’s about as close to vanilla as I get.”

  “Hmm.”

  Jack chuckled. “Glad you approve.”

  As good as his word, Jack took her on a ride that didn’t bear any resemblance to the vanilla sex she’d experienced in the past. Her nipples were sore but she forgot all about the slight discomfort when he pinched them hard and pulled them away from her body, stretching the skin as far as it would go as he cupped the fleshy part of her breast with his palm. He grunted his approval when he slid a couple of fingers inside her and discovered just how wet and ready she was.

  “Yeah, you wanna be fucked, don’t you, sugar?”

  “If it’s not too much trouble, Sir.”

  He chuckled. “That’s what I like. A bit of respect.”

  And then he was inside her, stretching her, moving hard and fast, tapping her backside each time he withdrew and encouraging her to thrust her ass back to meet him as he filled her with his thick heat. Chelsea threw her head back and cried out, simply because the pleasure was too intense to be borne in silence.

  “A screamer,” Jack said, sounding amused. “We’ll have to see how well you scream with a ball gag in your mouth.”

  He worked her harder, taunting her with verbal threats about what he would do to her when he had more time. His words were an aphrodisiac in their own right, causing her throbbing need to blossom into pure torture. Liquid heat coursed through her veins and Chelsea disintegrated. One long, halcyon orgasm or did she have several, one on top of the other? She had no idea. Pleasure exploded like unleashed white heat firing through her body in a glittering starburst that ebbed and then reignited when Jack groaned to a len
gthy climax himself.

  “Shit, darlin’, you’re something else,” he said when he withdrew and flopped down beside her, panting and smiling.

  A short time later they had showered and were dressed. Chelsea couldn’t have managed it alone. Every bone in her body was still shaking with the aftereffects of the most mind-blowing sex she’d ever known. But Jack seemed like his normal self, functioning as though it was all in a day’s work. Disgruntled, Chelsea realized that for him it most likely was.

  “I’ll pop down and get us some breakfast,” he said. “I take it you’re hungry.”

  “How did you know?”

  He winked at her. “Lucky guess. Stay where you are. I’ll be right back.”

  And he was, with a tray loaded with cooked food. Chelsea never ate fried breakfasts but that morning she cleared her plate, much to Jack’s amusement.

  “Sex burns a lot of calories,” she explained with a dignified toss of her head.

  Jack grinned. “And I won’t be best pleased if you run out of energy on me.”

  No chance!

  “Okay, babe,” Jack said when she finally stopped eating. “I’m guessing you need fresh clothes.” Chelsea nodded. “Best if you walk back to your hotel alone and just bring out a small bag with you, enough for a couple of nights, and your ski gear, of course. If you’re not seen with me—”

  “Don’t worry,” she replied indignantly. “I won’t make demands.”

  “That isn’t what I meant.” There was warmth in his eyes. “I was thinking that if Bushnell and Closson see us together, it might make them suspicious.”

  “I know that.” But Chelsea had forgotten all about them.

  “Let yourself in through the side door when you get back here.” He gave her the code. “Leo’s expecting you about ten. Will that work for you?”

  “Yes, that’s fine,” she said, striving to sound professional when all she really wanted to do was rip his clothes off and march him straight back to bed. He’d unleased the nymphomaniac in her, no question.

  “Okay, I need to get going. I have an early start today. I’ll check in at lunchtime and you’ll hear from me before than if our mutual friends get in touch.” He pulled her into his arms for a searing kiss. “Are you all right, darlin’?” he asked when he broke it. “You’re so good at what we do together that it’s easy to forget you’re new to it.” He sent her a puerile grin. “Don’t hate me for treating you so rough.”

  “When do I have my next lesson?” she asked, licking her lips in anticipation.

  Jack laughed and wiped imaginary perspiration from his brow. “Glad we got that one cleared up.”

  They left his room together and Jack showed her where the keypad was on the side door. Then he climbed into his Jeep and fired up the engine. He blew her a kiss through the open window, his breath steaming in the frigid air, and drove off.

  Chelsea fairly skipped along the icy sidewalks, impervious to the cold or the possibility of slipping and breaking her neck. Who knew life could be so fulfilling? She felt like singing at the top of her lungs but settled for smiling at every person she passed. She had to abandon that practice too when the recipients of said smiles looked as her as though she was a few moguls short of a black run. Their loss.

  Only when she reached her hotel did Chelsea force herself to think about the Dutchmen. Less than forty-eight hours previously, she was thinking about nothing else. Now it seemed unimportant compared to all the stuff she’d learned about herself and the needs of her body. Sighing, she tried to decide what the Dutchmen would be doing. It looked as though it would be another lovely day. Presumably they’d ski, but it was still early and they’d probably be in the breakfast room. She popped her head around the door and confirmed that was the fact. As always, they were huddled together at a small table slightly apart from the other guests, engaged in intense conversation.

  Chelsea ran up to her room, changed her clothes, and threw a few things into a bag. Then she was off again, back to Hadleigh’s. She let herself in, went back up to Jack’s room, and unpacked her possessions. She put them neatly away, careful not to make his private space untidy. They’d come a long way in a short time and she didn’t want to do anything to spoil the party. He obviously trusted her not to snoop and she had no intention of betraying that trust a second time.

  It was still a quarter before ten when Chelsea wandered back downstairs, wondering if Leo would be there yet. He wasn’t, but Tanya was in the guys’ lounge, on her own, working on her laptop.

  “Hey, Chelsea.”

  “Hi.”

  Tanya’s attitude was friendly and relaxed. How did she do that? Tanya knew Chelsea had seen her getting her backside whipped but showed no embarrassment. It was Chelsea who blushed.

  “You get used to it,” Tanya said, smiling.

  “Excuse me?”

  “You look embarrassed about what you saw. There’s no need to be. Like I say, you get used to it.”

  “I’m just passing through.”

  “So was I.”

  “You seem very much at home here now.”

  “Oh, I am. I’ve found out who I’m supposed to be, thanks to Ward.”

  “Yes, well…I don’t know if I can—”

  “Jack’s in urgent need of loving.”

  “Jack’s made it very clear that he doesn’t do commitment.”

  Tanya waved the suggestion aside. “Nor did Ward. Or Ross and Rick, for that matter. And look at us all now. We’re like three old married couples, albeit with eclectic tastes when it comes to sex.”

  “I’m here to do a job.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  “You know?” Chelsea felt peeved. “I thought Leo was trustworthy.”

  “You’ll be hard pressed to find a more trustworthy person this side of Barcelona. He only told Ward because he has ideas on how to stop your Dutchmen and needs Ward’s help to pull it off.”

  “Nice of him to tell me.”

  “He will. He needed to run it past Ward and Rick first. They’re the ones who know the lay of the land.” Tanya leaned forward and touched Chelsea’s hand. “All the guys in this establishment are there for one another and now they’ll be there for you. You’ll see.”

  “Can I ask you something that has nothing to do with the Dutchmen?”

  “Does having my ass whipped so hard hurt?”

  Chelsea widened her eyes. “How did you know that was my question?”

  “It’s what I asked, first time I saw someone being chastised. And the answer is, once you learn how to take it and to control the pain, it’s…well, unbelievably rewarding. It turns Ward on and I really want to please him which, in turn, pleases me, so we both get off on it.”

  “And you don’t mind people watching?”

  “I hated it at first. I thought I was too fat, not pretty enough, all the usual crap but Ward chose me over my far thinner, far prettier friend and made me see myself as he sees me. He loves my body, he loves exhibitionism and…well, he’s taught me to love it, too.” Tanya shook her head. “You won’t find a single woman in that dungeon who would refuse a direct command from her Dom. In turn, the Doms have to know how far to push a sub to give her the ultimate ride without crossing boundaries, so they have the harder job really. We can safe word them any time it gets too much. Not that I ever do now that Ward and I understand each other so well. He leaves me with bruises that remind me I’m his property—”

  “His property!”

  Tanya chuckled. “Only in the dungeon. In there I know better than to defy him, or talk back. If I do he’d forbid me to orgasm, and trust me, you don’t want to get in that position.”

  “Er no, I guess not,” Chelsea replied, thinking no man on earth would stop her from coming, if she felt the need. The fact that Tanya would only do so with Ward’s permission told her she had a lot still to learn. “It’s a macho thing, I guess, this need for control.”

  “Oh no, some men like to be Dominated by women.” Tanya shrugged. “Anything goes.
It’s just a case of being open-minded and listening to what your body’s telling you.” Tanya grinned. “Speaking personally, mine gets grouchy if Ward and I go for more than a day without sex. Not that that happens very often. But before I met him, I was virtually a sex-free zone and didn’t seem to miss it. Now I know better.”

  “Right.”

  “Anyway, the rest of the time I’m my own person. Normal,” she added, using her fingers to put quote marks around the word. “Ward encourages me to go for my career and we fight about anything and nothing, just like any other couple. But, in the dungeon he gives me those bruises to remember him by and mind-blowing orgasms…usually two or three in a session.” She grinned. “Why would I defy him and risk missing out on my share?”

  Chelsea returned her smile, grateful for her candor. “Well, since you put it like that. But…er, anal sex?”

  “I hated the idea at first. I mean, nice girls don’t do that sort of thing, do they?” She laughed. “But Ward was adamant I give it a go and now I can’t get enough of it. Honestly, Chelsea, place your trust in Jack and let him take care of you. You’ll be really glad you did.”

  “Hey, ladies, hope I’m not interrupting,” Leo said as he strolled into the room.

  “Chelsea and I were just getting to know one another, but I’m out of here now. I’m seeing the Gladstone Hotel people today about a new website. Their existing one is so dreary, I’m surprised they get any bookings at all.” Tanya shut down her laptop and stood up. “Nice talking with you, Chelsea. Catch you later, I hope. I have an errand to run for Jack after I see the hotel people so I might be a while.”

  Why hadn’t Jack asked Chelsea to run his errand? “Thanks for the advice, Tanya.”

  “Any time.”

  “How are you this morning?” Leo asked Chelsea, kissing her cheek once Tanya had left them.