“By being standoffish, you’re allowing him to win, babe. Dive in head first and see how he takes it. We won’t know until we try.”
His words were very true. We wouldn’t know the outcome if we never tried. Besides, Ty never seemed to mention his dad sleeping with other women. Perhaps he was still too young to understand it, or maybe I was making a bigger deal out of nothing. Regardless, I’d come into Ian’s room on a mission, and I intended to finish what I started.
“I think my bed has bugs. Can I sleep in yours?” I whispered with a giggle that got carried away.
Ian covered my mouth with his for a hard kiss filled with urgency. It didn’t take long for him to flip me on my back, and to my surprise, he was wearing pajama pants.
When he abruptly pulled back, I was caught up in the moment and thought he would be removing his clothes and mine. Instead, he slid from the bed and pulled my wrist, so I was off the mattress and ushered to the door.
When he opened it, I asked, “What are—where are we going?”
He turned me to face him and kissed my forehead. “Don’t let the bed bugs keep you awake.” His wink said he loved me, but also told me I wasn’t getting a piece of ass. A comical ultimatum at its finest.
When does Mr. Casanova ever turn down a booty call?
Chapter Ten
The smell of coffee and bacon woke me the next morning, and I quickly assessed the lack of bed bugs or bed companions before I went to take a shower. While I should’ve been pouting at the recollection of being dissed the night before, I smiled at the way my man had handled holding out on me. Ian was right. I wasn’t staking a claim to my position at his side, and by failing to do so, I allowed Oliver to subconsciously push me away.
Surfing through my suitcase for the Under Armor Ian had given me to layer under my ski suit, I noted the small, red silk bag that contained several pieces of lingerie I’d packed. Perhaps if I’d been wearing something sexier the night before, he wouldn’t have turned me away.
But it wasn’t about arousal or denial of pleasure, it was about choices and…making commitments. I sensed we were moving toward something more committed, but each time we moved forward in our relationship, we suffered a setback. Why did everything have to be so complicated?
“Sleep well?” Ian’s taunting question came from behind me as I descended the stairs.
I paused and slowly turned my head in his direction. “Yes, Bob did the trick, and I slept like a baby,” I teased him before hopping the last few steps and running away from him in loud laughter.
He chased after me and caught me by the breakfast table, pulling me into a delicious kiss. “No, you did not?” His brow arched.
I nodded with my lower lip between my teeth. “Um, hmm.”
Cough, cough. “You two need a moment upstairs?” Jorge’s constrained voice brought me to my adult senses, and I realized we were in small people company.
I pulled away to see eight bright, wide eyes looking at me. “Mommy’s got a boyfriend,” Ty teased with a giggle.
“Yes, she does,” I answered before ducking my head and making myself busy.
For once, Ian was speechless. He went to the bar and poured two cups of coffee while I fixed our plates. Sitting down next to Ty at the table placed me directly across from Oliver, but he was reluctant to even make eye contact and continued to stir his oatmeal.
Could he be more obvious?
After breakfast, everyone finished dressing and headed out to the ski resort, except for Shawna. I felt bad about leaving her, but she said she was happy getting some time away and wanted to do some online shopping for baby stuff.
Once at the lodge and suited out with our ski and snowboard equipment, the boys and I joined our respective classes while Ian and Jorge hit the slopes. He looked marvelous in ski attire. I loved his tight curvy ass and could imagined what he looked like in a wetsuit, taunting all the women at the beach.
Perhaps our next vacation should involve surfing.
I had no problem mastering my turns and hip movements with the skis and did well descending the various baby slopes, but in order to come down, one must first go up. After three failed attempts to master the bunny lift and having to be dragged out of the way before being run over, I was ready to admit epic loser status. However, the instructor was patient and finally showed me how to plant my butt on the seat with grace, and after several successful attempts, I graduated the beginner’s course.
All through class, my gut instinct had warned me it was quite possible my man was off somewhere videoing the hilarious events and would proudly use them to his advantage at some point.
“How was class?” Ian pulled the chair out for me. He’d picked a romantic area of the lodge by the fireplace just for us.
“You already know. I’m certain you were spying.”
His eyes widened. “To be honest, I’d planned on it, but since we lost a day of skiing, I couldn’t wait to hit the slopes. So, you’re safe.” His grin made me wet and wanting.
I laughed. “Slopes, no problem, but that ski lift was a pain for all parts of my body. Never fear though, I persevered.” I snickered.
He lifted my hand to his lips. “Tonight, I’ll treat you to a massage.”
My body heated and went into sensory overload at the memory of the very first massage he’d given me—hot wax, ice, and all.
“Chelsie, are you okay?”
I stroked his thigh under the table. “I’m more than okay, but I’ve got a smoldering fire in me, and if you don’t put it out later, I may burn the house down.”
He gripped the side of my chair and yanked me close to him. “Go to the bathroom and make sure it’s clear. Text me when you’re ready.”
Shocked and unable to move, I gave him an astonished look.
“Go now before I change my mind,” he ordered.
When he tapped on the door, I felt my channel gush in arousal and anticipation of him filling me to perfection. Ian locked the door behind him and pushed me to face the sink. With my body spun around and in full face of the mirror, he jerked my ski clothes down and leaned me forward, shoving one hand under my bra to grip my breast and using the other to stimulate my cleft.
Within seconds, I came apart in his arms.
“Is that how Bob did it?” His husky tone almost a growl in my ear.
I shook my head and watched his amorous gaze in the mirror.
“Now, be a good girl and give me what I really want later tonight.”
I don’t believe he’s referring to sex.
He left the bathroom first, and I joined him at the table still wearing my scarlet flush. My body blazed as if all eyes were upon me, but as I glanced around the small dining area, no one made eye contact.
“Nervous,” he teased.
After inhaling a deep breath, “Never,” I smarted.
Ian helped me to the ski lift, and I let a couple go by before getting my nerve up to get on. It wasn’t the bunny chair. It was the mothership, and I was chicken shit. Within ten feet of getting on the lift, the distance to the ground became about thirty feet. Falling off that bad boy would hurt someone. I was nervous at first, but giddy with excitement after finally succeeding.
Ian was patient with me, and I enjoyed experiencing something new with him. He always seemed to know how to push me in just the right ways that left me feeling good about myself. He filled my voids, even in areas where I didn’t know I had them.
After a couple of runs down the mountain, we met up with Jorge and the boys for the last bit of the day. Ty had taken to the slopes quite well, and even though he looked so little with his skis, he seemed to be getting around better than me, even without poles. I never knew they didn’t give kids his age poles. Just watching him would’ve been fun enough.
“Mom, I love this. We have to do this every break,” he told me while we were on the lift for the last time. Ian and Oliver shared the seat in front of us, and Ian turned around to me and smiled.
Oliver was still being Oliver
.
I thought about the things Ian had said in regards to Oliver and decided to try and reach him a different way. Kids are competitive, so I told both of the boys I could beat them to the bottom of the ski run without falling down. But whoever fell down first had to do the dishes. They took the bet.
After dinner, everyone piled their dishes on the counter beside the sink and went to play games while I cleaned up the kitchen. It was a bet worth losing because both boys had rolled in the snow with me when I purposely fell. Ian took pictures of us, and for those few moments, everything was right with the world. Listening to them giggle as they stuffed snow down my shirt was worth the cold shock to my system.
“Need some help,” Shawna asked from her spot at the bar.
“Oh no, you cooked, the least I can do is clean up. What did you find in the form of baby gear?”
She approached me with her iPad. Black and white striped decor with yellow accents and a big yellow flower and ladybug decal for the wall screamed girly girl to me.
“A girl?” I squealed.
“Yes, I know how to blow the balls off,” Jorge answered from the doorway.
Shawna gasped. “Crude, honey, crude.”
He sauntered in to hand me his empty bowl. “Just sayin’ what we all know is true.”
I gripped Shawna in a hug. My heart filled with love for them, so happy and ready to become a family. I’d longed for the day to have a little girl to dress in bows and lace and couldn’t wait to start picking outfits from Mudpie and Bella for my little niece.
“Any names yet?” I asked them.
Shawna rubbed her barely expanded belly. “Oh gosh, no. That will be an argument all the way to the delivery room, I’m certain.”
“Sorsha,” Jorge uttered, walking out of the kitchen.
“Noooooo,” Shawna mouthed and shook her head.
The boys crashed early, and with the way my body felt, I wasn’t far behind them. Jorge and Shawna disappeared to their room, leaving Ian and I lying on the sofa in front of the fireplace.
“I think I want a hot bath then bed.” My statement came out with a yawn.
“Okay, beauty, get some rest, and I’ll see you in the morning.” Ian slid his feet to the floor and sat up.
I brushed the long hair back from his face. Who’d have thought I’d fallen in love with a man who wore a ponytail? “What about my massage?” I leaned into him and nibbled his neck.
“What about my conditions?” He balked.
“Satisfy me with a hot bath, a promised sensual massage, and some steamy, hot sex, and I’ll say yes to your conditions.”
He held on to both my arms, keeping me at a distance from him. “What? You’ll move in with me?”
“Yes.”
His kiss was deep and full of desire, stirring up every craving I had for him.
I skipped off to my room to grab my things and the little red bag I had stowed away. The giddiness of a teenager sneaking around captured me as I joined him in his bathroom, where he’d already stepped into the hot bath to share with me. I loved him with all my heart, and I believed moving in together was the right decision for us, regardless of how he’d enticed me to come to that conclusion. Being a family was everything we both wanted.
Most girls dream of a life that comes with a ring, but the ring is really only a symbol, and I had prior proof that it could be broken. It’s what’s in the heart that matters, and my heart was filled with the love of Ian.
He made good on his promise of a massage, and at times, I had to cover my mouth to stifle my moans. Skiing was a physical workout, and I was sore in places I hadn’t known possible from a sports activity. Well, unless you count fabulous sex with Ian a sports activity. After he was done and settled into bed, I stepped into the bathroom to dress up for him. The black mesh swing top and matching thong should definitely catch his eye. I sat down at the vanity to brush my hair, and the next thing I knew, Ian was carrying me to bed.
“You fell asleep, babe.”
Peeking through heavy eyes, I murmured, “Sleep, yes. I want to sleep with you.”
Deep breathing woke me up and brought a smile to my face. I felt his arms tighten around me, holding me close to his side. When I opened my eyes, the sun was peeking through the curtains and shining brightly on the floor underneath the window. It was going to be a glorious day.
Needing the bathroom, I tried to slip out of bed. The pain of every muscle reminded me of the day before, and a slight groan escaped my lips.
“Hurts, doesn’t it?” he asked with a slight snicker.
“Gosh, yes. Like a train hit me, but I’m ready to go again.”
“That’s my girl.” His sexy smile would light up a black alley.
I looked down at my attire, expecting to see my sexy outfit from the night before, but instead, I was wearing one of Ian’s big T-shirts. He had dressed me, so I was covered in case one of the boys came into our room. It was his way of compromising.
Chapter Eleven
For two more days, our routine was much the same—early to bed and early to rise. Yet, we still hadn’t made love, and I was beginning to think something was wrong. I knew each night I was exhausted and so was he, but still, he made such a big deal about me being with him all night, yet he only held me, never taking it further than slight touches here and there. I was ready to break out my vibrator for real. I didn’t know that anyone else in the house even paid us any attention, and in some ways, I felt childish about thinking otherwise.
Joining him in the shower, I hoped to get a little morning attention, and I started with a blowjob to make it happen.
“Tonight’s our special night,” he said, pulling me to my feet.
“Why can’t this morning be a special morning?” Defeat was on the verge of taking me over. “Are you ignoring me?”
“No and yes. I want you so bad I hurt. My balls are blue. But I don’t want a quickie for the sake of getting some. Sex for me isn’t like that. I need ropes, noise, and the freedom to be loud if I want to, and in this house, you can hear everything.”
Feeling like I’d just noticed a hearing loss, I said, “Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
“You mean you haven’t heard them next door?”
I thought he was nuts. I hadn’t heard Shawna and Jorge having sex. Ewww. “No. Did you?” My mouth was wide open.
His eyes enlarged.
“Okay, forget morning sex. I can wait until tonight with whatever you’ve got planned, or there’s always that bathroom.”
He swatted my rear.
We decided to ski the back side of the mountain first and took the lift to the top. On the first run down, Oliver was being a little sassy with his dad about having to wait, going ahead too far, and not listening to what he was told. We rode the lift back to the top, and they began to argue a bit right as the four of us were unloading from the ski lift. I tried to step in and offer up help.
“Sweetie, you’re dad’s just trying to keep you from getting hurt.”
“Don’t call me sweetie, I’m not a baby. It’s not fair that we keep having to wait on you and take slow runs. I wanna go fast.”
“I’m sorry I’m…”
Ian put up his hand to shush me. “Give us a minute, please.” He winked. I’m certain his gesture was to calm me, but Oliver’s frustration was escalating and I took it to heart.
Ty and I moved about ten feet away from them, giving them the space Ian requested. I watched from my eye as Ian dipped to his knee and had an intense conversation with Oliver. Whatever he asked of Oliver, there was a nod offered in return.
When they joined Ty and me over at the run guide board, I pointed to a blue run that was a bit above my ski grade, but I thought I could make it. I knew Oliver could and was pretty sure Ty could. “How about I go first down this run and wait for the boys to come, and then you take this black diamond run and meet us at the bottom.”
Ian pushed his goggles on top of his beanie. “No, he needs to listen to what I told him. He kee
ps wanting to do jumps, tricks and skip through the trees, the stuff the bigger boys are doing, and he’s gonna get on a bad run or get hurt.” I knew he wasn’t yelling at me, but the roar of his voice attracted attention from passersby.
I threw up my hands. “Fine, you deal with him, and I’ll go with Ty on this other green run to the bottom.”
Oliver had managed the get about two hundred yards from us toward a tree line. “Dad, I’m following those guys,” Oliver yelled as he headed right through the trees.
“Shit. What is he doing?” Ian shouted. “That run has a vertical drop on it. I’ll cut him off.” Ian raced after his son, cutting through some trees as well.
That’s when I heard the screams.
Every cell in my body told me it was Ian.
Ty and I tried to get close enough to see what was happening, but the tree line prevented us from getting a view of the lower terrain, except a cliff and rocks. And worse, the lift beside us was stopped, and there were lots of people racing past us. The next thing I knew, there was a commotion, and the ski patrol was coming up the hill.“Ty, take off your skis. Hold on to me. We’re walking down.”
“Mom?”
“Do what I told you. Hurry.”
Within seconds, Ty had his skis popped off. We stayed close to the tree line and out of the way of skiers as we shuffled down the hill. Twice it was so steep I ended up scooting down on my butt. We got to the area where the black diamond overtakes the run, and sure enough, the ski patrol was working with someone. Since a lot of people wear dark ski gear, I couldn’t be sure it was Ian.
That was until I saw his Texas beanie lying in the snow. He’d said he’d never wear a Texas anything, but when he lost the card game to Jorge, he didn’t have a choice.
“Mom, its Mr. Ian. He’s hurt.”
“I know, baby. He’ll be okay. Let’s just hurry.”
We rushed to him as quick as we could, and by the time we got there, they had strapped him to a board and had him on the back of a snow cat. There was blood everywhere…on his face, in the snow…
Complicated on 5th Avenue: 5th Avenue Romance Series, Book Two Page 6