Snowman

by AC Netzel

  “Oh,” I moan.

  This skin on skin contact is sheer hedonism, his chest hair tickles when it brushes against my skin. I raise my hips, searching for relief from my sexual frustration. I need him. I need him bad.

  He takes my other nipple in his mouth, swirling his tongue in circles, teasing my oversensitive flesh, then sucks it. A little hard, then soft.

  “Nick,” I whisper, but he stops my thoughts with a kiss. A deep, soulful kiss that makes me see stars, moons, far-away galaxies… all the places I’ve never been.

  Nuzzling my neck, he presses tiny kisses down my neck and shoulder then traces my collarbone with the tip of his tongue, gliding it back to my breasts. Goosebumps prickle up my arms. The stubble on his face rubbing against my skin is driving me mad. I hook a leg around his hip and pull him closer to me. His cock is pressed against my body and holy crap, it’s rock hard.

  My hand slides up his back, my fingernails lightly scraping down it, inciting a salacious groan from him.

  “Like that?” I ask. I know he does, but I want to hear him say it.

  “Mmm,” he moans as his hands roam my body. “Your body is incredible. Fucking incredible. You drive me insane.”

  This man.

  This man who I’ve known for mere days, who almost immediately infiltrated my thoughts is now intimately familiar with my body. My naked body. He knows how I taste when I’m turned on. He knows what I look like when I touch myself.

  A man I just met.

  This is so not me.

  And I’ve never felt so free.

  So passionately awakened. So desired. So completely connected.

  I buck up against him until we roll to our sides, my hands greedy to explore his body. Splaying my hand across his chest, my fingers brush gingerly through his soft chest hair. I push his shoulder lightly until he lies down on his back in all his magnificent nakedness. Staying on my side, I admire the fine specimen of man next to me. He’s delicious. Fucking delicious. I reach out to touch him again because I can’t help myself. His skin is warm, his muscles are well-defined and absolute perfection.

  He lets out a small gasp when my hand slides between his legs, and I brush my fingers against his balls, stroking them with my fingertips.

  “So you like that too?” I whisper.

  “You’re going to fucking kill me. Look what you do to me.”

  I gaze down at his erection, it’s hard and twitching for attention. I take its not-so-subtle hint and run my fingertips up the length of his shaft. He closes his eyes and writhes a little on the rug. Curling my fingers around his stiff cock, I squeeze and stroke it, gently then a little rough, switching it back and forth. With the pad of my thumb, I swirl around the wetness of his tip, inciting a sexy moan from Nick.

  I know right now, he’s mine. All mine. I own him.

  And I love that information.

  “Summer,” he breathes, placing his hand over mine to halt me. “Stop.” He doesn’t want to come this way, and I don’t want him to either. He grabs my shoulders, rolling us until I’m on my back, and he’s on his side. His hand travels between my thighs where I’m wet and ready-for-action. “Did I do that to you?” he asks, stroking my clit.

  “You know you did.”

  “You’re so wet for me.” He plunges two fingers inside me, spurring a whimper from me. “I love how much you want me. Makes me want to fuck you all night.” His fingers stroke my clit. I’m pure sensation. A warm, tingly wave starts at my center then radiates to all my nerve endings.

  “Oh God,” I gasp.

  “Do you want to come like this? With my fingers fucking you?” he asks, pressing a finger against my throbbing clit while his other fingers slide in and out of me.

  “No. I want you inside me. Now.”

  “You want me, you got me.” He pulls his hand away, leaving me panting and desperate for more. He rolls over to the floor where he dropped the condoms and grabs a packet. I watch as he rips it open with his teeth, pulls out the condom, and slowly unrolls it down the length of his shaft.

  He rolls on top of me, my legs spread, welcoming him. He kisses me again, each kiss more sensual and desperate than the last.

  “Are you sure?” he asks, gazing directly into my eyes.

  “Yes.” I reach up and tenderly caress his cheek. “Take me.”

  Never breaking eye contact, I gasp as he slowly pushes inside me, stretching me, filling me inch after exquisite inch. He moves slowly, deep inside me, over and over. I move with him, pushing up toward his body, desperate for all of him.

  “You feel so good,” he murmurs. “So fucking good.”

  Moaning in response, I stretch my arms across the rug and grab on to the edges.

  His thrusts become harder and faster, desperate… like he can’t get enough of me. I arch my body to him, meeting each powerful thrust. He rests his weight on his forearms and changes his position slightly, slowly rotating his hips side to side until he hits the spot that Buzz Rocket sure as hell could never find.

  Pressure builds inside me every time he thrusts. Incredible pleasure fills me each time he tilts his hip and hits that spot.

  “Oh shit.” I tremble, wrapping my legs around him. My body tightens as tight as a coil as I spiral into the most intense orgasm I’ve ever experienced.

  “Ahhh,” I cry out as I find my release. My nerve endings shatter as the coil inside my belly rapidly unwinds. I’m hit with wave after wave of ecstasy so intensely strong—I want it to end… and never stop.

  Nick thrusts hard a few more times, his breathing harsh and fast, while my muscles clench and unclench around him.

  “Fuck,” he hisses through his teeth, closing his eyes tight as he stills, quivering in spasms inside me as he reaches his own release.

  When he regains his composure, he opens his eyes and looks down at me with a sly smile. I smile back at him, satiated and happy. He leans down and gives me a tender kiss. Then rolls to the side of me, grinning up to the ceiling.

  “Definitely not a mistake,” he says.

  Chapter 30

  Nick’s lying on his back on the faux bearskin rug with his eyes closed, a blanket covers the bottom half of his naked torso. Leaning on my elbow next to him, I draw small circles in his chest hair with my fingernails. The room is quiet and still except for the occasional crackle and pop from the fire and sporadic shadows made by the flicker of the votive candles.

  The faint smile on the corner of his mouth tells me he feels as peaceful and content as I do. He’s devastatingly handsome in the soft glow from the fire. Everything about this quiet moment is romantic. Intimate. New, yet familiar. Like we’ve been lovers for years.

  Bliss.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure,” he answers, never opening his eyes.

  “How can you be so sweet in the outside world, and so dirty in the bedroom?”

  Cracking an eye open, he looks at me. “Is that a complaint?”

  “Nooooo.” I shake my head. “I just didn’t think nice guys… you know.”

  Amused, he turns to his side to face me. “No, I don’t know,” he teases. “Nice guys don’t what?”

  “Have moves like that,” I squeak out. “I mean, you…” My face heats up, and it’s not from the fire. “You sure know what to do with your equipment.”

  He chuckles. “I know my equipment likes fucking you.”

  “See… there it is again. You have a filthy mouth when we…”

  “Fuck?” he asks with humor in his tone.

  Playfully, I smack his chest, knowing he’s messing with me. “I wasn’t expecting you and me to…”

  “Be so good together?” he asks, completing my thought.

  “Yes.”

  “I may have to kidnap you, tie you to my bed, and have you whenever I want you.”

  “How often would that be?” I ask.

  “Very.”

  “I think I’d be okay with that.”

  “So, no regrets?” he asks, skimming my bot
tom lip with his thumb.

  I shake my head. “Not one.”

  “Good.” Pulling me close to him, he kisses me tenderly, sending my heart soaring. “Because I plan on being so good with you all night. And the morning too.”

  “Oh, really?” I lift a brow.

  He pulls my blanket up, rolls on top of me, and covers us with the blanket again. Warm body on warm body. Flesh on flesh. Resting his weight on his forearms, he swoops down and kisses me again.

  “Not going to let those go to waste.” He juts his chin toward the floor beyond the rug.

  I turn my head to the side and spot the box he left on the floor.

  “There’s a box of condoms there,” I tell him.

  “I know. I’m the one who put it there.”

  “You brought down an entire box? That’s a pretty ballsy move. Were you that sure we’d have sex more than once?”

  “One time with you would never be enough. Not if you’re with me all night. I hoped you’d feel the same way.”

  “Do you think you’re up to encore performances?” Playfully, I squeeze his ass.

  “I’m game.” He grinds his pelvis into me, then nuzzles the crook of my neck. His stubble tickles my skin as he kisses it. “Are you?” His voice is muffled against my skin, and it fuels a fire inside me.

  “I am so game.”

  “What’s your favorite color?” I ask, lazily raking my nails through the hair on Nick’s chest.

  “Blue.”

  “What kind of blue? Navy blue, baby blue—there’s lots of different blues.”

  “The bright blue color of the sky once storm clouds roll away.”

  “That’s a good blue.”

  “Sure is. What’s yours?”

  “Yellow.”

  “What kind of yellow?” he asks, teasing me by tossing my words back. “There’s lots of different yellows—banana yellow, lemon yellow, Big Bird yellow.”

  “Sunflower yellow. I’ve always wanted to walk through a giant sunflower field.”

  “I’ll take you to one,” he says casually.

  “I’d like that,” I say honestly, even though I know it will never happen. “Do you have a favorite food? I guess since you’re a trained chef, it’s some exotic dish.”

  “Actually, it’s my mother’s sugar cookies. They keep her memory alive for me.”

  I tilt my head to the side and study him for a beat. “That’s really sweet.”

  “Do you have a favorite?” he asks.

  “Does chocolate count as a food?”

  “Sure.”

  “Then give me all the candy,” I kid. “What’s your favorite season?”

  “Up until recently, it was winter. But right now,” he smiles tenderly, his gaze is soft as a caress, “I’m a big fan of Summer.”

  His words shoot straight to my heart and I smile back.

  “I used to hate the winter,” I confess.

  “Used to?”

  “Once I arrived here, I kinda grew to appreciate… Snow.”

  “Really?” His brow lifts. “But snow is frigid and cold.”

  “The Snow I know is definitely not frigid. More like… hot.”

  “Hot, huh?” he asks, amused.

  “Mmm hmm.” I nod slowly, playfully zigzagging my index finger down his neck to his chest. “So, what’s your favorite book?”

  After talking for two hours about our likes, our lives, and nothing in particular, I realize how easily we click. With him, words flow effortlessly. And he makes me laugh. This warm energy he gives off envelopes me. I feel safe and peaceful, like his arms are wrapped around me, even when they’re not. The more I learn about him, the more I like him.

  “You help your aunt and uncle at the inn and their farm. You’re raising a great little girl. Run a business. Volunteer deputy.”

  “I sound so dull,” he jokes.

  “Far from it. You can also be a colossal ass when you want to be.”

  “Thanks?”

  I chuckle. “Anyway, what I was saying is you seem to be everyone’s shoulder to lean on. And it makes me wonder…”

  “What?”

  “Who’s yours?”

  He stares up at the ceiling, then looks at me thoughtfully. “Someday, I hope to get married. Have a partner in my life. Raise a family together. And we could lean on each other. Until then, I guess I’m on my own.”

  His words sting like a wrecking ball to my heart. The thought of him with someone else hurts. And I know it shouldn’t. Our expiration date is firm. Our relationship, for lack of a better word, is over when the sun comes up.

  I remind myself that this thing that’s happening between us right now is basically hormones run amok. Chemistry gone wild. It’s a bonus that we happen to like each other. A little more than I care to admit.

  The intellectual side of my brain knows that after I leave, he’s going to meet somebody. Fall in love. Touch another woman and kiss her until she melts in his arms. He’ll give his heart to someone. Someone who’s not me.

  And maybe I’ll do the same.

  But while I’m here, while I’m with him, this effortless connection is so undeniably strong. In another life… in another circumstance... I could really fall hard for him. I can’t help but feel a little jealous of this phantom person who’s somewhere out there and doesn’t know yet just how lucky she is.

  “I hope you do,” I tell him. It’s a half-lie. I do want him happy. But selfishly, I want him happily alone.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  “Do you know my neighbor’s names?” he asks.

  I shake my head. “I don’t know why I have this mental block when it comes to them. My brain assigned them nicknames, and I couldn’t shake it.”

  “So, I was right,” he gloats.

  “Yes. Your aunt figured it out and helped me out of that mess. Which, incidentally, was a shitty thing for you to do.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “No, you’re not. You enjoyed watching me squirm.”

  “At the time, I wasn’t aware that it’s a lot more fun watching you squirm, naked and underneath me.”

  “Snowman, you’re a pervert.”

  “You bring out my best qualities. So tell me, what were their nicknames?”

  I cover my face with the blanket and shake my head. “It’s so stupid.”

  “Now I have to know.” He pulls the blanket down off my face. “Tell me.”

  “Ugh! Okay. Jingle and Belle. Sometimes I’d mash their names together and call them the Jingle Belles.”

  He chuckles. “Which one was which?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know. I couldn’t even keep their nicknames straight.”

  He laughs, a wonderfully sincere laugh, making me laugh along with him at the absurdity of all of this.

  “You must have had our names on some of your job’s paperwork. Why didn’t you look at it?” he asks.

  I close my eyes tight, embarrassed. “Ugh, I’m such an idiot. That never occurred to me.”

  “Maybe you missed the obvious, but didn’t they teach you any tricks to remember names in business school?”

  “I didn’t go to business school. I was an English major at a liberal arts college.”

  “Really? I just assumed you went the business route.”

  “Nope. I wanted to be a writer. Write screenplays or write for TV or radio—anything, really. But full-time jobs were hard to find. And the ones I did find didn’t pay well. My father was breathing down my neck to get a ‘real job with benefits’ so I got my license and discovered I was pretty good at sales.” I walk my fingers up his chest, “That is until you ruined my perfect record.”

  “You don’t sound angry.”

  “I’m not. I mean, going home and facing my boss is going to suck. But everything happens for a reason, right? I just haven’t figured it out yet.”

  “Summer, I wish there was another way,” he starts, but I press my index finger against his lips to stop him.

/>   “I understand your reasons. I should warn you—they still may build on the land they’ve already acquired. It’ll be on a smaller scale, but it’s possible.”

  “I’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

  “Speaking of coming,” I reach an arm across the floor and grab the condom box. “Want to be good together again?”

  A slow, seductive smile rises from his mouth, and he grabs the box out of my hand.

  “Get on top. I want to play with your tits while I watch you ride me.”

  Nick presses a soft kiss against my forehead as I lay naked under a heavy down quilt in front of the blazing fire. I fight to hide my smile, not wanting him to know I’m awake. Peeking through my lashes, I watch him stand, gloriously naked, throw on some clothes strewn across the floor and walk toward the kitchen.

  That secret kiss when he thought I was sleeping tells me a lot about last night. It wasn’t just about sex. Not for him. Not for either of us. The two of us together were passionate, raw, and beyond amazing.

  But there was more to it… a real connection.

  That small, sweet gesture tells me he felt it too… that something special between us.

  After a few minutes of fake sleeping, I stretch my arms over my head and yawn. That man sure rocked my world last night. Round two was one for the record books. When he said he was going to kiss every inch of me, I didn’t take it literally.

  He did.

  He kissed me everywhere. E-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. Worshipping my body with his soft lips, his tongue, the gentle stroke of his fingertips mixed with his absolutely filthy words. What a mindfuck. The softer side of me soothed with each tender touch, and the naughtier side sated with four-letter words of all the sensual things he was going to—and did—do to me.

  I sigh when I glance out the windows. The sun is hiding behind a blanket of gray clouds. Huge poofs of snow whoosh off the trees when the wind blows, like a confetti cannon.

  I turn my head to the empty spot next to me. I know it’s stupid, but I miss him. I sit up, covering my nakedness with the quilt, and twist my neck back and forth, searching for the man who holds the key to my libido.

  Nick walks back into the living room with two cups of coffee in hand. There’s no doubt he’s going commando, as I watch his bulge move freely in his shorts. Normally, watching some guy’s dick swing at will wouldn’t be my thing, but, in this case, my insatiable self can’t get enough. He places the steaming mugs on the fireplace hearth then sits down next to me. I peek up the leg of his shorts, trying to catch a glimpse of the goods. Two rounds of mind-blowing sex have turned me into a peeping Tom.