by Nicki Night
“Yeah.” Chey avoided his eyes.
The fire crackled. Hunter’s fingers still traced shapes on her torso. It seemed that neither of them wanted to break up what they’d started, but no one wanted to say too much.
“We should definitely exchange—”
Chey put her fingers to his lips. “Don’t!” Hunter blinked a few times. “I’m a big girl,” Chey continued. “I knew what I was doing. I enjoyed it and will remember you for the rest of my life. Please don’t ruin this by making promises you won’t keep. All I want you to know is that I’m not the kind of girl that does things like this all of the time. You may not believe it but this is my first one-night stand ever and although being with you was amazing, I’m pretty sure it will be my last.”
This was a first. No woman had ever shut him down this way before. Hunter couldn’t think of a reply that wouldn’t sound like an empty promise, so he kept his mouth closed. For several moments, they sat in awkward silence. Hunter looked down upon Chey, who avoided his direct gaze. With a soft touch, he turned her face toward him. They stared at each other, pondering but not speaking until Hunter closed his eyes and kissed her soft and slow as if he was trying to embed the feel of her lips into his long-term memory.
Chey wrapped her arms around his neck. Hunter held his body over hers and desire sizzled between them. Taking his time, Hunter kissed her and then pulled himself up. He reached for protection, sheathed himself and entered her slowly. His thrusts were sensually rhythmic and intentional, almost desperate, like a sultry blues bass line. Her moans were like crooning, complementing that bass.
As he went deeper, she groped at him as if he were in jeopardy of falling out of her reach. She gripped him, not wanting to let go. He didn’t want to be let go of. Neither wanted to reach an end. He savored every second, almost wishing he could slow down time. He made love to her, wanting to leave an imprint on her soul—make it impossible for him to ever be forgotten. When he could no longer stand the delicious, almost torturous pleasure, both burst through the heights of their peaks like rockets shooting through the ozone. Screams erupted throughout the villa, neither of them caring what their neighbors heard. Grappling for each other, they held on tight, riding the wave of delight until they floated back down to earth and reality.
Hardly any words were spoken as Hunter took a cold shower, dressed and got his belongings together for his trip back home. It almost felt unfortunate when the concierge confirmed his ride to the airport. Now that guests were finally able to leave, Hunter also made sure that Chey had been relocated to a villa on the side where the power was working and then paid for her entire stay.
After exchanging reluctant goodbyes and one last dire kiss, Hunter was on his way, hoping she’d hold on to the paper he’d left on the coffee table with his email address and telephone number. In a matter of a few short days, in the midst of an unfortunate circumstance, Chey had managed to stimulate his mind, satisfy his body and stir his emotions. Hunter knew he had to find a way to see her again.
Chapter 12
Chey wondered if she had done the right thing by pushing Hunter away. After seeing him off, she longed for his company. She chided herself for hushing him because she was too scared to hear what he had to say. It was better for her to just agree to the fact that nothing could possibly develop between them. This, she convinced herself, was just an adventure that she would cherish, and soon enough, she’d forget all about Hunter—maybe.
Chey had settled in her new villa on the other side of the resort. Now she was ready for the ski lesson that she was supposed to take days ago. Chey had planned with the intention of enjoying this excursion alone, but now without Hunter, she felt lonely.
“It’s time for some action!” She pumped up her attitude. “I didn’t come here to mope around. I came for an adventure.”
Chey threw on her gear and headed for the slopes. The frigid mountain air had frosted her fingers by the time she reached the lodge. She went straight for the gift shop to purchase a new pair of gloves, some that were better equipped to shield her hands from the bitter cold of the Utah mountains. She stuffed the cute but useless gloves that she’d come with inside her bag and met up with her instructor—an older gentleman with messy salt-and-pepper hair that hung over his eyes and skin that suggested he’d spent much more time on the sand than in the snow.
After being with her instructor, Casper, for an hour and a half, she’d been called a cute little snow bunny too many times to remember, ridden the magic carpet, face-planted a time or two and had at least one yard sale. Becoming familiar with the lingo, she didn’t mind being called a snow bunny, the name she’d earned because her outfit was cute and not necessarily effective for ski attire. And she wasn’t ashamed to admit that she had more fun riding the magic carpet, or ski lift—especially after face-planting a few times, which meant falling on her face. Her grand finale was the yard sale, or rather, the fall that sent her skis, poles and one of her boots flying in different directions.
Chey returned to the villa sore from her lesson, limping and laughing at herself and Casper’s wild sense of humor. After peeling off her cold wet clothes, she stepped into the hot shower, and along with the water, thoughts of Hunter came raining down on her. She wondered if he’d made it home. Where was home, exactly? As much as they’d talked, they hadn’t shared much personal information. She’d shied away from that as much as possible. All she really knew about Hunter besides the fact that he was a skillful lover was that he was also a lawyer and he had brothers. Chey had kept the exchange of personal information to a strategic minimum. She’d seen the note he’d left with his number and email address on it. Without reading thoroughly, she’d tossed it in her suitcase but had also thought about tossing it in the trash.
Chey stepped out of the shower and her stomach rumbled. She dressed quickly and headed to the concierge to find a restaurant off the grounds for a good meal and maybe a little shopping. The concierge called her a taxi, which took her to a small downtown area with shops and restaurants owned by locals. After filling her belly with one of the best burgers she’d ever tasted from what looked like a sketchy dive but had come highly recommended, she filled a few bags with souvenirs for herself, her sister and her parents.
Chey’s trip was finally turning into the one she’d intended, until nightfall, when memories of her time with Hunter met her in front of the fireplace. She closed her eyes and felt his presence, smelled his masculine scent and remembered the sound of his husky whisper as he checked in to make sure he was loving her right. She didn’t miss just his physical presence; she missed him, period.
A moan escaped Chey’s throat. A shiver radiated from her core. She sat straight up and looked around. Despite being alone, she cleared her throat and repositioned herself in the chair.
“Damn you, Hunter!”
Chey got up, found her cell phone and went to the bedroom for her suitcase. Flipping the top back, she rummaged through her clothes but stopped, huffed and rolled her eyes before slapping it closed. Chey plopped on the bed with her arms folded in front of her and clucked her tongue. She couldn’t be the first to call, but she hadn’t given him her information.
“Ugh!” Chey flopped back on the bed. If she called him, she had to have a reason. That made sense to her. When she couldn’t come up with a reason that sounded sane, she marched back to the living room and folded herself comfortably on the couch and dialed Deanna.
“Hey, snowbird! How’s the trip going?”
“It’s snow bunny, and it’s going fine.” Chey laughed. “I went skiing today,” she sang.
“Oh my goodness! How was it?”
“Painful!” Chey had Deanna laughing hard as she recounted her first attempt and many blunders.
“Sounds like you’re done with that.”
“Not at all!”
“Really, Chey?”
�
�Despite the fact that my hip feels like it displaced itself, I had fun. I want to get better at it.”
“If you insist. How’s Hunter?” Deanna teased.
“Hunter should be home.”
“Aw. He left?”
“Wait! Deanna. What happened to ‘I can’t believe you let that stranger sleep in your villa’? And when did we get to being sad about him leaving?”
“I was enjoying the updates. You know I’m living my adventures vicariously through you right now. What a disappointment!” She laughed. “Do you miss him?”
“Actually...yes!”
“Oh! Do you like him? He was gorgeous.”
“Deanna, why do you sound like a twelve-year-old?” Chey shook her head.
“Ha! I kind of feel like one. Now, tell me, did you start liking him once you got to know him a little? I don’t know if I could have stayed in that room with a man as fine as him without getting into at least a little bit of trouble.”
Chey cleared her throat.
“Chey.”
Chey swallowed.
“Chey!”
She pursed her lips and looked around as if she were avoiding eye contact with Deanna via the phone.
“Oh. My. Goodness! Chey! You did it with that man!” Deanna’s scream pierced Chey’s ears and her laugh filled the line. “Say it!”
“Um...” Chey tried her best to suppress her smile, knowing it would burst into full laughter.
“You can’t lie to me.” Deanna spoke the truth. Chey never could lie to her older sister.
Instead of answering, Chey burst out laughing. “Okay! Okay!”
Deanna screamed again. Chey pulled the phone from her ear and shook her head.
“Just tell me...was it good?” Deanna shrieked. Chey imagined her standing with her fist to her mouth in eager anticipation of her response. She made her wait a beat.
“Mind-blowing and body-shuddering good!”
“Whoo! I can’t believe it, sis. Who knew that when you set out on an adventure, it would turn out like this? I couldn’t have called it. I can’t believe it!”
“Neither could I.” Chey laughed and then fell silent for a moment as she contemplated asking her sister if she should call to make sure he’d gotten in. “I was thinking...”
After a long bout of silence, Deanna nudged Chey. “About...”
“It’s just that I was wondering if he’d gotten in safely.”
“Did you guys exchange contact information?”
“Not really...”
“Uh...”
“He left his information. I didn’t give him mine. I feel a little funny about calling.”
“Text him!” Deanna said as if it were the most obvious solution.
Chey drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’ll think about it.”
Chey got off the phone and thought about texting him for the next few hours. Later she sat before her computer and started working on her novel. She opened her email program and stared at the word Compose. She figured, if anything, email was less personal than texting and it would keep Hunter from having her cell phone number.
Chey remembered the refined yet sultry masculine manner in which Hunter carried himself and again imagined the type of woman he was probably used to. Surely they were as gorgeous as he was, with judges, doctors or lawyers as parents—like him. They were clearly not the offspring of struggling small-town shop owners. Todd’s family had done well, but they were country folk, not big-city savvy at all. Hunter was experienced in a way that differed from the way she’d grown up.
Somewhere between working on a new chapter and getting another cup of hot cocoa, she mustered up enough courage to open up a new-message template on her computer. With fingers hovering over the keys, she deliberated over what she should write. Keep it simple. Chey lifted her hands from the keys and let them fall in her lap. Blinking toward the ceiling, she deliberated some more.
“Okay!” she said to the air as her fingers raced across the keyboard, tapping out an almost formal memo. She deleted that and tried again, repeating this action several times. Finally, she settled on something a little less formal but certainly not personal enough to reflect how intimately they had come to know each other.
Dear Hunter,
It was great meeting you. I just wanted to check in and make sure you made it back safely. Take care.
Chey.
Swirling her finger over the laptop’s mouse pad, she took several moments before finally clicking Send. Then she sat back and exhaled.
Deciding that she’d had enough adventure for one day, Chey fired up her iPad, pulled up a movie on Netflix and watched until her eyes were too heavy to stay open. In her dreams, Hunter met her at the fireplace.
Chapter 13
Hunter rushed off the elevator at his office with a bagel stuffed in his mouth while balancing a cup of coffee, a newspaper and his briefcase in his hands. Greeting his staff with a raised elbow, Hunter nodded a few hellos, as well. Blake was on the phone as Hunter walked past his office. Inclining his head, he summoned his receptionist, Rona, who despite her tender years, acted more like the firm’s den mother. She scurried from her seat and met him at his office door.
“Goodness, Hunter,” Rona chided, grabbing the coffee cup and newspaper dangling from his hand. “Let me get that.”
Hunter took the bagel out of his mouth, “Thanks.” He unsteadily set his briefcase down on the desk. Rona disappeared and returned immediately with a coaster for his coffee, a notepad and a pen.
“Do you need a moment before we start?” She caught the briefcase before it tumbled to the floor, dropping her pen and pad in the process. “Settle down and eat your breakfast. I’ll be back in ten minutes. Let me know if you need anything.”
Hunter plopped in his chair and acknowledged her with a nod. Allowing the chair to absorb the weight of his morning, Hunter rested his head back and breathed, taking in his first unrushed moment in the past twenty-four hours.
Hunter thought back to the cautious trip through the icy mountain roads that had almost made him miss his flight. All through his security check-in, he could hear his name being summoned for last call. He’d run through the maze of travelers at the crowded airport, leaping over people lying on the floor using their luggage as pillows, and made it to the gate just seconds before it closed. He’d snaked his way through the airplane, reminded of the fact that he’d booked too late to get a first-class ticket. He’d folded himself into the narrow seat, his long legs strained against the chair in front of him. He was forced to endure that uncomfortable position for two whole hours as the plane sat on the tarmac getting its wings deiced. Sheer fatigue and three servings of scotch had helped him sleep through the rest of his turbulent five-hour flight.
This morning his quandary had continued when he slept through his alarm, waking when he should have been walking into the office. Now as he sat in his chair, he let his mind flow back to yesterday morning when he said goodbye to Chey in the most intimate way. Those thoughts generated a slight response in his pants but were interrupted by a knock on his door. Hunter looked up to Blake walking into his office with a familiar grin—one that often had an interesting story behind it.
“What?” Hunter’s shoulders slumped.
“Ha!” Blake sat in one of the chairs in front of Hunter’s desk and rested his fingers under his chin in the shape of a steeple. Hunter raised his brows. “I got a few calls from Tricia,” Blake said.
Hunter’s hands instinctively flew to his temples. “Tricia. Yeah. I need to speak with her.”
“She was freaking out because she hadn’t heard from you.”
“Yeah.” Hunter had to handle that situation. It annoyed him that she’d called Blake. “I’m sorry, man. How did she even get your number?”
“She called the office. Then she kept calling to ‘check on’ you. She was concerned about your safety because she couldn’t get in contact with you directly.”
Hunter had all but forgotten about Tricia. Consumed with Chey even now, he hadn’t thought to call one time now that he was home.
Blake rose and walked around to Hunter. “I haven’t even welcomed you back, brother.” Their embrace ended with a pat on the back from Blake. “Glad you finally made it out of the tundra!” Blake’s laugh thundered throughout the office, giving Hunter his first hearty one for the day.
Blake returned to the chair in front of Hunter’s desk and filled him in on their current cases. Rona joined them and reviewed his schedule for the rest of the week. Despite his fatigue, Hunter remained rather productive. He called and spoke to his parents for a while. Then it was time to tackle the one task that he’d been avoiding for most of the morning—emails. Hunter pulled up both his work and personal email accounts and when his eyes landed on Chey’s name, next to a message with no subject, he smiled as he reminisced.
In spite of the brevity of the email, he paid close attention to every detail, noting the time she’d sent it the night before. He was still in the air when she’d hit the send button. After the best of the most selfless lovemaking he could remember and teetering on the edge of an emotional connection, this was all she had to say? Hunter didn’t know if he was annoyed or disappointed. What’s wrong with me? His conscience shook him back to reality. He’d just met the woman. It was...what it was—an amazing one-night-and-the-next-morning stand!
However, Hunter was back at home and it was time to focus on real life. He plunked out an equally cool and distant response thanking her, letting her know that it was great meeting her, as well, and that he’d finally gotten home safely. He tapped Send and sat back. The tone of the email wasn’t unlike that of one he’d send to a colleague. Moreover, that stony ‘Take care’ that she’d sealed the email with felt like a dismissal—the final note on a sad song.