by J. H. Croix
Alex’s hand slid up my back in a heated pass, his fingers lacing in my hair. The sting on my scalp was almost a welcome pain. All the while, he lifted me, rocking into me in subtle nudges. The thick, full length of him was a delicious stretch. I savored every stroke as he filled me.
I barely recognized myself, gasping his name again and again with little whimpers escaping while he controlled our pace and kept me from spinning out of control.
“Look at me,” he said gruffly.
I’d never considered myself a woman who took orders. It wasn’t as if his order was unreasonable, yet once I was naked with Alex, I did whatever he asked. It was only in the fierce moments like this and only with him that I felt this free.
We were in our own world, one where no rules applied, one where we could be vulnerable. Vulnerable in a way I could never be when I was thinking.
I lifted my head, my eyes meeting his. The look there had my heart kicking hard. Only Alex could steal my breath with nothing more than a look.
“What?” I whispered, my voice frayed with a sharp edge of desire.
“I want to see you when you come.”
His words weren’t blatantly dirty, but something about the way he said them, something about the look in his eyes that heightened the sensations storming through me. I never thought I could be overtaken. But then, Alex beat every expectation I had about men.
He grabbed my hips with both hands now, lifting slightly. The slow slide up and then the feel of him filling me again was intense, perfect. The angle of his hips against mine pressed against my clit just so, spinning the pressure tighter and tighter inside.
“Alex…”
I could barely keep my eyes open. His face was blurring in my vision. One hand slid up, and his thumb tweaked my nipple. He cupped my cheek, tracing my bottom lip. Another notch of his hips into mine, and I felt the head of his cock press against my cervix. The riptide pulled me under. Pleasure crashed over me, so intense I could hardly breathe. I watched him watching me, the sense of intimacy so deep it was almost frightening.
Alex’s hand tightened, his fingers digging into the skin on my hip. His head fell back, the muscles in his neck standing out when he called my name, and I felt the heat of his release filling me.
I collapsed against him, tucking my head into the curve of his neck, breathing him in and feeling more relaxed than I’d felt in maybe forever. That was what Alex did to me. Here, I thought those two halcyon weeks in Alaska would stand in my memory as forever the best I’d ever feel.
All he had to do was make me miss him and then show up. And now the best ever was pushed to a higher bar.
For the first time, a man fell asleep beside me in my bed. I had rules about that. They were actually pretty easy to keep. You see, I didn’t date. I didn’t sleep around, either. I occasionally took care of my needs, and that was that.
I didn’t trust men. I didn’t trust myself not to want to romanticize and tumble into hoping for more. Once again, Alex kicked through the barricades around my heart. I hadn’t even hesitated to let him stay. I wanted him to stay, almost desperately.
When I woke up during the night to find his hand ghosting across my belly, I rolled toward him, and we made sleepy love in the darkness. I wanted to say it was just sex, but it wasn’t. It so wasn’t.
I fell asleep again wrapped securely in his arms after that. I woke up when I felt the early rays of the sun fall across my face. I came awake sensation by sensation.
The feel of Alex’s muscled body spooning me. His arm wrapped around my waist, and his palm splayed on my belly. Even at rest, he was all muscle and strength. I felt entirely secure. I really didn’t want to get up. Except I had to pee.
I slowly began to move away from Alex, but he tightened his hold on me, moving his hand in a lazy caress over my belly. “Where are you going?”
His voice was gruff and low. Rolling in his arms, I let my eyes coast over his face. His hair was mussed, and his eyes were sleepy. Good grief, the man was handsome even when he had bed head.
“I need to pee,” I said bluntly. I felt my cheeks heat slightly, but there was no sense in lying. He was going to hear me get up and go to the bathroom.
When his low chuckle rumbled against my shoulder, little bursts of joy exploded in my heart. God, it felt so good to wake up with him. I’d slept in his arms every single night during my Christmas vacation, but this was different. This was my bed, my world. And my heart.
He dipped his head and dusted his lips across mine before drawing back. “Okay, I’ll let you go first,” he said magnanimously.
As I rolled out of bed and walked to the bathroom naked, I felt myself swallowing a giggle. A giggle. I did not giggle. I just wasn’t that kind of girl.
Except when it came to Alex. Alex came with many exceptions to the rule. He was turning out to be a lot like the English language.
I’d never gotten anything lower than an A in English. I pondered whether I could understand the map of my heart in relation to Alex as well as I’d been able to navigate the intricacies of grammar in school.
I was standing at the sink, still completely naked as I washed my hands. I splashed cold water on my face and lifted it, watching the drops of water roll down my cheeks. I felt as if I were living in a dream. As if when I walked out the door, Alex would be gone.
Except I didn’t usually sleep naked. I had a favorite soft tank top and a pair of flannel pajama bottoms that I loved. They made me feel cozy and safe. That feeling was nothing compared to the way it felt to fall asleep wrapped in Alex’s embrace.
I finally dabbed the towel on my face. He’ll be out there. You’re not that crazy.
There was a sharp knock on the bathroom door. “It’s been like two minutes since the toilet flushed, and matters are getting dire out here for my bladder.”
This time, I let the giggle break loose from my throat. I swung the door open to find Alex standing there, bare ass naked.
“About damn time,” he said with a wide smile as he brushed past me.
He didn’t miss the opportunity to reach over and squeeze my bottom. Those little fireworks of joy went off again. I closed the door firmly behind him and had to lean against it to catch my breath and tell myself feeling this happy wasn’t smart.
Chapter Fifteen
Alex
“What the hell are you doing in North Carolina anyway?” Toby asked.
I’d met Toby at flight school. He was a great guy and a good friend. He’d actually come out a few summers and done some flying in Alaska. It was good money, and you could get temp jobs there easily because the work ramped up so much in the summer. When I’d emailed him about a possible trip here, he’d told me he could line up a few jobs with him for me. That had sealed the deal for me coming to see Delilah. Not that I needed to work while I was here, but I knew her schedule wouldn’t permit her taking two weeks off, so it kept me busy while she was working.
I tossed a rag stained with all kinds of engine fluids into a bin and turned to wash my hands in the large sink. “I came for a girl.”
Toby barked a laugh. “You came all the way to North Carolina for a girl?” His expression could only be described as incredulous.
“Absolutely.”
I quickly scrubbed my hands. As I rinsed them under the hot water, Toby asked, “So who is this girl who dragged you all the way across the country?”
“Delilah Carter. She lives in Stolen Hearts Valley.”
Turning the water off, I tore a paper towel off the holder and leaned my hips against the sink as I dried my hands.
“That’s about forty-five minutes away,” Toby observed. “Dude, Alaska to North Carolina is one hell of a commute. How’d you meet her?”
Tossing the paper towel in the trash can by the door, I said, “It’s kind of crazy. I met her at camp years ago in Colorado. Never forgot her. Can’t say we fell in love, but I had a crazy bad crush back then.”
“Y’all stayed in touch all this time?” Toby’s bro
ws practically hit his hairline with that question.
“Nah. I sent her a few letters, but she never got them. Turns out, a friend of hers from her hometown moved to Alaska. He’s a friend of mine and lives in Willow Brook. Long story short, he and his wife had to cancel a ski trip and gave her the reservation. I found her on the side of a snowy highway. We were both going to the same ski lodge.”
“Man, that is wild. I’m not much for believing in fate, but that feels a little bit like it. Are you in love?” he asked.
There went that four letter word. My heart felt like its shelter was being ripped away. Although Delilah meant a lot to me, and I was willing to chase her, I still wasn’t ready to label my feelings. I wasn’t even sure if we were on the same page yet. My prickly girl was so cynical.
“Yo,” Toby said, snapping his fingers in the air.
I realized I’d let the pause go on a little too long. “I don’t know. All I know is I missed her, and when you told me you could hook me up with some work here, I got a plane ticket.”
“And you’re gonna drive back and forth between Asheville and Stolen Hearts Valley every day for two weeks?”
“Well, five days a week,” I corrected with a grin.
Toby rolled his eyes. “I’m calling it. You’re in love. Now, let’s go get lunch.”
Chapter Sixteen
Alex
That evening, I turned off the highway onto the narrower road that led deeper into the Blue Ridge Mountains. The famed blue haze was hanging over the horizon. The fading rays of the sun shot through it in silver, and a watercolor of lavender and pink stained the sky.
It was beautiful here, beautiful enough that a distant corner of my mind considered the idea of moving here to be with Delilah. My thoughts shied away. I wasn’t ready to go there.
Delilah had told me she had a lunch shift at the bar and would be getting off around six. I drove straight to Lost Deer Bar. She promised me dinner and good beer when I’d dropped her off earlier.
A few minutes later, I walked into the bar, my eyes scanning the room before I found Delilah. She was sliding a pint of beer across the bar to a customer. She was moving so fast that she barely paused when she snagged the cash and handed over some change while she was already taking an order from another customer.
Her dark hair was pulled into a ponytail, perched high on her head. It swung as she strode quickly behind the bar. Just seeing her from across the room had anticipation sizzling in my veins.
Toby’s words rang in my mind. I’m calling it. You’re in love.
Maybe I wasn’t ready to label how I felt about Delilah, but I didn’t doubt the fierce power of my draw to her. I weaved my way through the tables and people crowding the bar, aiming for a corner against the wall. Just as I leaned my elbows against the bar, Delilah finally saw me.
Her eyes widened slightly as she glanced to the side and collided with my eyes. A smile curved against her cheek before she caught herself, schooling it to a slightly milder version. Oh, Delilah. So guarded, such a challenge. I could wait.
She finished serving a guy, and I didn’t miss the appreciative gleam in his eyes. Without even trying, Delilah was sexy as hell. I experienced a twinge of something unfamiliar. Possessiveness. That was new.
She crossed over to where I was. “Hey,” she said simply.
“Hey. When did you say you were done again?”
Delilah’s ponytail fell over her shoulder as she angled her gaze up toward the clock mounted above the door behind the bar. Her pretty eyes came back to me. “In fifteen minutes. Do you mind waiting?”
“Absolutely not.”
We stared at each other, and my heart twisted in my chest.
“Do you want something to drink while you wait?”
I couldn’t help myself. Reaching across the bar, I caught the end of her ponytail with one hand to loosely twirl the ends of it around my fingers. My girl was still a little nervous around me. She bit her lip.
“Nothing to drink unless I can drink with you,” I said with a quick shake of my head.
Someone called her name. “I gotta go work.”
I let her hair slide loose from my hand. “Go work. Don’t worry about rushing. I’m here.”
Without a word, she spun away, immediately taking a customer’s order. Slipping my hips onto a stool, I rested my back against the wall and watched a basketball game on the television mounted behind the bar. This wasn’t a sports bar, but practically every bar had a TV.
It wasn’t long before Delilah slipped out from behind the bar where the counter had an opening near me. “Ready to go?” she asked.
She had on her fluffy down coat and her purse on her shoulder. I wanted to kiss her, so I did.
Catching one of her hands in mine, I reeled her close between my knees and leaned forward. I meant for it to be a brief kiss, but this was Delilah and me, and we were like a fire always waiting to catch hold. Touching her was like dropping a lit match in dry leaves. Whoosh. In a hot second, our tongues were tangling. Delilah gasped into my mouth before she pulled back.
Her eyes were wide, and her cheeks bright pink. There was a low chuckle from beside us, and I glanced over to see her bartender friend, Griffin, grinning from behind the bar. Delilah’s ponytail swung when she looked toward him. “Don’t you comment,” she ordered.
“I’m just glad to see you dating,” he replied.
A woman with brown curls spilling everywhere approached with a tall man at her side. “Hey, Delilah. I didn’t know you were seeing someone,” the woman said.
Delilah didn’t even try to hide her sigh. “This is Alex.” She looked from me to the woman. “This is Dani and Wade. We grew up together around here.”
Wade nodded. “Nice to meet you.” His eyes bounced to Dani, the look there expectant.
Dani eyed me, her gaze unabashedly curious. “Hey, Alex. Nice to meet you. You’re not from around here.”
“Nope. I’m from Alaska. Nice to meet you both.”
“Oh, did you meet him when you went on your ski trip?” Dani asked, her voice pitching up an octave as she looked back at Delilah. Before Delilah could even answer, Dani brought her attention back to me. “Wait a sec, do you know Remy?”
“I do. He’s a hotshot firefighter in my hometown.”
Dani clapped her hands together. “Oh! That’s so cool. You’ll have to give him a hug for me when you see him.”
I chuckled. “Will do.”
“That settles it. Y’all have to come out for dinner. Shay will be tickled to meet you. She’s Remy’s sister,” Dani offered.
“Fine by me,” I replied, glancing at Delilah to gauge her reaction.
Her cheeks were still pink, but she shrugged. “Sure. Why don’t you text me a night that might work?”
After we chatted for a few more minutes with Dani and Wade, Delilah took me over to Lost Deer Winery for dinner. “This is a sort of fancy restaurant,” she commented as we walked in. “It’s owned by the same people who own the bar where I work.”
The winery restaurant was nice. It was a large space with tall ceilings and windows offering a view of Stolen Hearts Valley. We were seated at a table by the windows, and Delilah asked me what I wanted to drink.
“I’ll take whatever you suggest.”
“Have you ever had mead?”
“Once or twice. There’s a brewery in Diamond Creek where the ski lodge is. I don’t think I took you there. Anyway, they sell mead.”
Our waiter came, and Delilah ordered two meads for us to try. The waiter reeled off the specials, and we ordered. As he walked away, I took a moment to look at Delilah. She had taken her hair down on the drive over, and it spilled around her shoulders. I loved her hair, and it tended to bring inappropriate thoughts to mind. For example, a memory of one of our nights over the holidays when I had her hair wrapped around my fist, and her hands were curled on the headboard.
So not the time to go there. I adjusted my jeans. “So I’m supposed to give Shay a hug for Rem
y. Do you mind having dinner with her? I assume they’re your friends since they gave you their ski trip.”
Delilah nodded. “They are. I went to high school with Shay. Remy’s a good guy.”
“The best. So tell me about your family,” I said conversationally. She was still reticent about her family, but since I was here in Stolen Hearts Valley, it seemed natural to ask about them.
Delilah rubbed her thumb and forefinger together and gave a light shrug. “My parents live here. I’m not on the best terms with my dad, but my mom and I are a little better.”
This was the downside to the temporary footing of my relationship with Delilah so far. We met at camp years ago. Then we met again during a ski vacation over the holidays. Nothing about those two episodes were like our normal lives. Except, in my case, she met my sister and my best friend.
“I didn’t have the greatest childhood, Alex.” This came out almost forcefully, her eyes bouncing away quickly as she looked down.
Ah, perhaps a clue to my girl.
“Lots of people didn’t have the best childhood. I’m just curious. I want to know you,” I said, keeping my tone mellow.
Delilah’s eyes bounced to mine and away again. A look of relief crossed her face when the waiter arrived with our drinks.
I took a swallow a moment later. “Wow, that’s good,” I said as I lowered my glass to the table.
Delilah smiled. “Yeah, I never knew I liked mead until I tried it. It’s yummy.”
“Tell me about your life,” I pressed.
Delilah angled her head to the side, pinching the bridge of her nose when she let out a sigh. “Okay. My dad’s an alcoholic. But before you go thinking the worst, he didn’t beat us up or anything. He just couldn’t hold a job to save his life. That’s why I never got your letter. They got evicted while I was away at camp. I don’t think we ever lived in one place for more than a few months. I could see it was the alcohol owning him, but it still sucked.”