by Jackson Kane
“Should I have them carve delusional above or below your name on the headstone?” I laid on the long bench above her and let my arm fall to the floor. The light from my watch brightened our whole section. “You didn't win.”
“Yes, I did.”
I craned over to look at her. “For someone who was nearly hyperventilating with fear earlier, you're surprisingly chipper.”
“You promised to keep me safe,” Judy said sweetly enough to make my heart skip a beat.
“You fell for that?”
“Jerk.” She slapped my arm.
I recoiled playfully, but otherwise stayed silent. I was exhausted, too. Between contacting the authorities, the resort management, my company, and making sure we can get rescued soon, there was still so much to do. I just needed a few minutes to rest first.
“Thank you.” Judy took my gloved hand in her own and squeezed. I didn't respond. I didn't need to. I was telling the truth earlier, I'd protect her with everything I had. It gave me an overwhelming sensation of purpose.
If I could save her maybe she could save me...
I pushed the silly thought away, and for a while, we laid there and basked in being alive.
“What do you think happened?” She asked.
“No idea. Some sort of critical failure, I'd guess.” I took off my gloves and unzipped my jacket; a plume of steam escaped. I was sweating like crazy from the hike. “Whatever it was, it had to be bad. I'll go look for a walkie in a minute.”
“What if it's the zombie apocalypse?” Judy sounded so serious that I almost considered it. Then her lips curled telling me she was joking.
“Unless zombies can drive snowmobiles, I figure we got a got shot at making it through the night.”
My watch alarm vibrated curtly. It was eight P.M.
Shit.
I shot up and immediately began looking for offices.
“What's wrong now?” Judy called after me, hints of worry crept back into her voice. I told her to wait there for me. I had exactly one hour to get us rescued.
Funny, I thought sardonically.
In keeping one promise with Judy I might end up breaking another. And not just a regular promise...the most important one I'd ever made.
Chapter 16
Judy
When Garrett eventually returned, he looked more defeated than I'd ever seen him. A look of curious surprise at the crackling fire diluted that a bit. He had towels draped over one shoulder and was holding a walkie-talkie.
“You got the fire going?” He asked.
“Yeah,” I declared proudly. “Apparently this coat comes with a flashlight, fire starter and some other goodies. It's a regular end-of-the-world-with-Garrett-Walker emergency survival kit.”
The temperature in the small lodge dropped considerably in the time he was gone. The fire helped, but the room was too big for all of it to be heated. I'd hung up my jacket and snow pants on the back of a chair to dry. I still wore my thermals, but they were cold, wet and gross with sweat from the climb.
“You're going to need to change out of those wet clothes.” Garrett said solemnly and handed me a towel. “We can wash the thermals in a kitchen sink. Once they're dry we can put them back on. Until then we run the risk of frostbite.”
His cold, corporate tone edged back into his voice.
“What's going on?” I asked. After all we'd been through, I finally got the Garrett I'd met at the masquerade ball back. I didn't want to lose that version of him, especially if we were trapped in an ice fortress together.
“We're not getting rescued tonight.” He sat down on the bench closest to the fire and took off his boots. He rubbed the weariness out of his face and dragged both hands back through his hair. “Freak lightning bolt struck the lodge and caused a fire. All the emergency helicopters are busy. Hell, mine was even requisitioned by the fire department for additional aide.”
“So?” I asked. “It's just one night. It might be uncomfortable, but it wasn't like we were freezing to death on the gondola. There should be enough firewood to get us through the night. If not we can burn some of the wooden benches. We should be alright I think... Right?”
“It's not that—” Garrett's watch vibrated and lit up again. It was another alarm like the one that got him moving so quickly an hour ago. He tore it off and whipped it against the wall. I flinched from the sharp crack of the glass screen busting apart. “It's something else.”
Garrett went quiet for a while, just staring into the fire.
“Then what is it?” Some people could pull off brooding and simmering anger, like Lucas for instance, but Garrett couldn't. He was too cocksure and confident by nature. This darkness behind his face and posture made him look unsettling.
“I'd rather not talk about it,” he said definitively.
I sighed, realizing I wasn't going to reach him. At least not like this. I clicked on my flash light and padded into the kitchen with the towel to change out of my thermals. The air had a definite chill, but the rubber pad by the sinks at least kept the floor from freezing my feet.
I stripped down, wrapped myself in the towel and let my clothes soak. There was still some warm water so I washed up as best I could in the second sink. It wasn't great, but I felt much less gross.
Leaning ungracefully on the counter, I rattled something small on the attached shelf. In my mind, standing there all alone in the relative dark, the thing that moved was a ball of spiders jumping out to attack me. I nearly shrieked. Then I realized spiders didn't wear armor, and what fell was made of some kind of metal. It bounced off the shelf, rolled down the length of the counter before dropping to the floor.
Shining the flashlight on it, I saw that it was a portable metal burner, the kind you use for parties when you want to keep a tray of food warm while people served themselves. Did they really have functions up here too?
Then I had a brilliant idea.
Later I walked back into the room with the fireplace. Garrett had his shirt off and was cleaning his arms, chest and face with baby wipes he'd probably found in the small, baby changing station near the bathrooms.
The firelight licked over his body, making every sculpted contour more dramatic. Deep shadowed ridges ran along his flexing triceps and between his cut chest and abs. The light was too afraid to show all of him to me, in case I exploded. When my eyes drank in the hard V lines that started above his hips and disappeared into his form-fitted long johns, I felt my stomach tighten.
I took a step back and lingered in the doorway to watch him. Watching him like that felt scandalous, but I couldn't help myself. He moved with such strength and smoothness as he finished with the baby wipes and began to stretch sore muscles.
As an artist I wanted to paint him, capture his raw, masculine power. As a red-blooded woman, I wanted to jump him and let him have his way with me.
“You're a bit of a voyeur, aren't you?”
“What? No!” I startled, clearing my throat. “I'm uh, meditating. Near death experience and all that.”
“I'm sorry to hear you were in such danger before you snuck into the gym yesterday.” Garrett raised an eyebrow; the hint of a smirk creased his lips. He'd calmed down a little while I was away.
“I brought you something.” I cleared my dry throat again, quickly changing the subject. I was glad for the darkness then, maybe he wouldn't see me blush so fiercely. “Figured it might cheer you up. It always did the trick for me when I was in a bad mood.”
Garrett eyed the two mugs in my hands as I walked over. Then his eyes caught hold of everything that wasn't covered by my towel. My bare shoulders, neck, and cleavage tingled beneath his steamy stare.
“Here. Hot chocolate.” I handed the warm mug to him. I hated that I wanted him to like what he saw. I sat down beside him on the bench. “Well, not hot. More like lukewarm chocolate unfortunately.”
Garrett chuckled and stared into the dark drink. “First time I ever had this was my second week working at Mt. Snow in Vermont.” He took a sip t
hen glanced over to me, his icy demeanor thawed considerably. “Thanks.”
“I'm a firm believer in chocolate therapy.” I dragged a shy smile to the corner of my mouth. “Chocolate and wine...” I turned to face him fully and asked, “Is everything alright?”
Garrett took a deep breath.
“Jackie's second birthday,” his tone bordered on somber. The firelight danced and flickered in his pupils. “We'd just crushed New Orleans. It was a home game: matinée show. I was at the stadium having a beer with some of the tailgaters and signing ball caps in the parking lot. Not something I did often, but I was in a great mood that day, so I figured what the hell?
“Heidi and I had mostly patched things up and were going to try and make it work, for Jackie's sake. She was driving in with our daughter. I had the whole night planned.” Garrett smiled, remembering.
His smile evaporated.
“I got the news in the locker room after my shower,” he said. “There'd been an accident. You probably heard about it in the news a while back.”
I nodded.
Oh no... Gloria's news about what happened to his wife sprang freshly into my mind. This was an extremely intimate story he was sharing with me. I felt honored, but a little unworthy, to hear it. I didn't know Garrett all that well.
Why tell a virtual stranger something this personal?
“It was a miracle that Jackie survived it.” His gaze never strayed from the fire. “What the news didn't say, was what they found in the car that hit my wife.”
“Some beer bottles?” I guessed.
“Signed ball cap,” he said. “I'd been drinking with one of the bastard's that went on to murder my wife.”
“Jesus...” It was so much worse than I originally thought. After what he'd been through, it was no wonder he was a hardened jerk sometimes.
“If I hadn't—” His voice choked off. “I wanted to bring us together. I ended up doing the opposite. I made a promise to Jackie when Heidi died. I told her that until she outgrew me, I would always be home to kiss her goodnight.” He paused; the weight of the promise wore heavily on him. “Tonight, I became a liar.”
Wow, I thought. Every night?
“There's nothing you could've done.” I gently touched his knee. “It was a freak accident.”
“There's always something I could've done,” Garrett said, gravely and let the issue rest.
“Why are you telling me this?”
“I don't know.” He looked at me, his defined features lit starkly by the fire. “I guess I just needed to finally tell someone.”
And tonight's our last night together. I won't be around to remind you of what you told me.
“There's a freedom in telling a secret to a stranger.” He leaned in; his hot breath brushed my cheek and ear.
He kissed me.
Chapter 17
Judy
“Wait.” Garrett tore his lips from mine, which left me gasping. The torrent of kisses had come on so suddenly and so passionately, that I fell completely into them. I was making out with a dream.
“I don’t have a condom,” he said through gritted teeth. “The one time I didn’t bring one…”
“I’m insulted.” I smirked, feeling the wave of lust crash inside me. And like a drug addict beginning the painful descent into withdrawal, my body began to switch gears. I was ready for him. I wanted it so bad it hurt, and to deny myself that was just so cruel.
“Don’t be.” He adjusted the bulge in his long thermal underpants. I could barely keep my eyes from widening at how big it had become since we started kissing. “I’m not that virtuous. I’ve had one in my pocket since the morning I picked you up at your condo. It had your name all over it.”
“Are you clean?” I asked, a little more sheepishly than I’d meant to. “I mean not literally. I know we just hiked forever and a day, so of course you’re probably a little sweaty still. I mean STDs. You don’t have any, right?”
“Fuck no. I have a daughter. I make sure to get checked every month, despite always wearing a condom. She’s not going to get rid of me that easily.” Garrett winked at the dark humor.
“It’s fine then.” I said, mustering up the courage to get out the next part. I probably wouldn’t have been able to say it if he hadn’t shared that private piece of his life with me a few minutes ago. It also didn’t help that I was hornier than I’d ever been in my whole life. “I—I can’t have kids.” I paused. He could tell I didn't want to talk about it, and didn't press me for any details. “Oh and yeah I’m clean, too.”
Garrett touched my face, drawing me closer to him. He had a way of melting my brain to soup. Whenever I day dreamed, it was always about how he would touch me in this moment if it ever happened.
Garrett threw his opened coat on the carpet in front of the fireplace and laid me on it.
Garrett didn’t look like a football player, not really. Up close, with all his scars and tattoos, he looked more like martial artist. His body was unbelievable. He was a ripped mountain of sex, masquerading as a man. I wanted to paint all his hard ridges, with my tongue.
Garrett was gentler with me than I thought. There were so many layers to him, it was insane. I couldn’t help but think of the way he treated his daughter. No one knew his capacity for kindness and generosity.
He did that on purpose. His daughter only saw the loving father. Garrett was the Grim Reaper everywhere, except where it mattered to him most. The fact that I was allowed to see that side of him gave me goose bumps.
Even as he kissed my neck and dragged his fingers through my scalp, I felt the tiniest bit self-conscious. Should I have told him that? Only Gloria knew about my miscarriage with Doug.
“Stop it.” Garrett said gruffly.
“Stop what? I’m not doing anything.” Did I say anything out loud? I was so lost in feel and worry that I might have. He couldn’t read my mind, could he? Of course not. He was a billionaire, not a superhero.
“You’re getting tense. Here and—” His strong hands massaged my shoulders right above my collarbones.
I moaned, my muscles becoming puddles,
“Here,” he finished, working his hands up the side and back of my neck. The heat and pressure of the massage made my legs quiver.
God, that felt amazing…
Just like that, all my self-doubt slipped away like sand between fingers at the beach on a perfect day.
“That’s better,” he kissed my upper lip, then put both arms onto the floor to either side of me. I felt the weight of him on top of me and relished it. He kissed my closed eyes, then found my mouth again. “Much better.”
“Are you ready for this, mystery dance partner?” Garrett flexed his cock. His massive length pushed steadily down my bare thigh, only a thin layer of fleece between us.
“Yes,” I whispered. How long had it been? Six months? A year? I’d only had a few random hook ups since Doug and I ended things so long ago. Another burst of self-consciousness leaked out of me. “Why me? I’m no model or cheerleader.”
Garrett regarded me curiously for a moment as he hovered over.
I immediately wished I didn’t say anything. Why couldn’t I just enjoy myself? Was I so intent on sabotaging my happiness that I couldn’t just keep my mouth shut and have amazing sex with a god like Garrett Walker?
“There are so many of them,” he looked at me with honest, sincere eyes of the deepest blue I’d ever seen. “But only one of you.”
I arched up and kissed him, not wanting him to see the tears that were welling up in my eyes. I would enjoy this. Every second of it.
I reached down the ridges of his chest, my fingers dragging across hard muscle. Past the waistband of his thermals I felt the stem of his cock, then followed it further. Every inch I traced made my legs coil. I was so fucking wet. All I wanted was to feel him deep inside of me.
He was so much bigger than in my dream. Even my imagination couldn’t compare to the real thing.
He peeled back my towel. The winter chi
ll nipped at me before being warmed by our bodies and the fire. He licked down my neck, then drew little rings around my nipples before catching them with his teeth and sucking them.
His cock throbbed at my touch. I couldn’t fucking handle it anymore. I plunged my hand into his long johns and unleashed the massive beast. It slapped against my thigh and eager pussy, like it was spring loaded.
I bit my lip as I rolled my hand down his cock, the tip slick with pre-come. I gasped when he locked eyes with me again. I could see that he wanted me, and only me, in that moment. It felt incredible.
His fingers found my pussy. I was already soaked, but the way he stroked my clit made me even wetter. He rubbed the spongy head of his cock against my slit. Excitement bloomed in me like a brilliant flower.
I mouthed an unintelligible word when he slowly pushed the engorged head inside me. The waves of pleasure that came with being widened, made my eyes roll back in my head.
“You feel amazing,” Garrett grunted, tilting his chin to the ceiling. I found a primal ecstasy on his face, when I found the strength to reopen my eyes. “I’ve wanted you for so long...”
“Me too.” I finally exhaled. Breathing took effort when he filled me up. I expanded around him like my pussy was made for him. I loudly moaned when he finally hit the end of me.
He pivoted his hips and ground against me, somehow stimulating all of me.
Garrett let out a carnal grunt. His intense blue eyes were deep pools that threatened to drown me. The strength of his motion arched my back and dried out my throat. Impossible to reach zones within me awoke after years of neglect, and threatened to fold me in half with passion I didn't know I had.
My legs were useless. Having so much of him inside me made it too difficult to think, let alone move. Garrett planted one hand on the ground and the other on my inner thigh, squeezing it tight.
He lifted my leg over his shoulder like I was made of cotton candy. It opened me up so much that, I was immediately on the cusp of orgasm.