Getting ready to push off it suddenly starts to snow. One minute it’s a trickle, and the next full blown, thick flakes. We look between us and Joshua indicates we need to make a move or we may get stuck on the mountain.
My heart pumps in my chest as I get into position and shove off down the slope. Adrenaline kicks in as I pick up the pace. Weaving in and out of trees, spotting my cousins doing the same, parallel to me. We’ll pace each other because it’s dangerous up here especially with visibility gradually decreasing.
The whoosh of my skis in the soft snow holds my concentration as the minutes tick by. Curving to the left, then back to the right before the three of us enter the main slope down to the base of the mountain and the ski resort below.
Fishtailing at the end to stop, my breathing is heavy as I turn to Joshua and Ryan, all of us grinning like idiots. The heavy snow has followed us down the mountain, and looking around I can’t see anyone I recognize—especially my beautiful woman.
Grabbing up my gear, we trudge toward the lodge and stepping inside a blast of heat hits me in the face, followed by Madison. She nearly knocks me over when she throws her arms around my neck, and starts crying. It takes me a few seconds to register something is wrong as I look between Joshua and Ryan who just shrug and frown.
I wrap my arms around Madison, and ask, “What’s wrong?”
“Rachel,” she sobs and I still at hearing her name.
“What?” I push her away from me. “Where’s Rachel, Madison?”
“Hospital.” She hiccups.
My panic rising, I look at Joshua for help, and without fail he steps in.
“Madison, breathe and calm down. We need to know what’s happened, now, not tomorrow, okay?”
Madison sharply inhales and then slowly starts to calm down. “We were skiing, minding our own business, when someone who shouldn’t have been on the mountain lost control and Rachel couldn’t get out of the way in time. She went down.” She puts a shaky hand to her forehead. “I volunteered to wait here and tell you.”
Madison holds my gaze. “She’s bruised and she has a slight concussion. She wanted you.”
“I need to go to her.”
“We need to go to her,” Joshua says, his eyes going to Ryan and Madison.
“Just help me get to her, I don’t care about anything else right now.”
Madison and Joshua talk together and then we’re on the move swiftly towards the cars. “She’s at Copley, which isn’t too far.” Joshua pauses, and leaning in, whispers, “Hold it together. I’ll have you there in ten minutes.”
Sinking into the seat beside Joshua, I try not to panic. A head injury can be serious, but surely not a slight concussion. I close my eyes and try not to think about the reaction of my family when I dash to Rachel.
14
Rachel
They’ve given me some good drugs, but all I can think about is seeing Alexander. I know he’ll come as soon as Madison tells him what has happened to me. While I want that badly, I’m also wondering about what will happen when he arrives here.
Paige has been by my side along with both our fathers and now they’re talking to the doctors while Paige glares at me.
I know they want me to stay in over night because I took a bang to the head when I went down, but all I really want is to go back to the hotel with Alexander.
My head still aches some and I know the doctors are only looking out for me, and probably want to cover their own asses as well. It’s the fact that I only have such a short time left with Alexander before we part ways. Only for a short time but nevertheless we still have to leave each other.
With the way the doctor continues to talk to both Ramon and Noah, you’d think I were a child instead of a twenty-one year old woman. Even Paige seems to be getting bored with them, and being in here.
It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her to leave when the door opens.
The doctor shakes his head. “You can’t be in here.”
“Like hell I can’t.” Alexander pushes his way into the room, his eyes on me.
Paige jumps up and gets in front of him. “You need to leave, now.”
A pulse throbs in Alexander’s jaw, which is a sign of his anger. “I will not be kept away from her.” He physically holds Paige still, and moves her gently but firmly out of his way.
He glances over me, and the minute he takes my hand, I burst into tears. He leans over and I wrap an arm around his neck as I bury my face in his neck and cry.
“Don’t leave me,” I whisper.
“I’m not going anywhere.” He cups the back of my head. “I’m afraid to touch you in case I hurt you.”
I slowly pull back. “I’m bruised a little bit.”
“And her head,” the doctor adds. “I take it you have no plans to leave?”
“Not unless Rachel’s with me,” I state.
“Only one person is allowed to stay I’m afraid.”
“And that’s going to be me,” Paige exclaims.
Paige is making it very difficult for me to want to be around her, which is why, I say to the astonishment of everyone, “Alexander will stay with me. He’ll make sure I’m okay.” I look at my dads. “I’m okay now Alex is here.” I give them a watery smile. “Please.” I’m not sure what I’m pleading for, but my father Ramon, looks between Alexander and I, and nods.
Noah moves to my bedside and kisses my cheek. “Alexander will call and let us know if you need anything okay?” He looks at Alexander. “And we will talk, but not right now.”
Alexander winces, but offers a wry smile. “I hear you, and you have my word that I’ll take good care of Rachel.”
Paige snorts. “You shouldn’t even be that close to her.”
“Paige please, stop this,” I beg.
She shakes her head and leaves the room.
“At least now I know why you and Paige are at each others throats,” Ramon states, looking worried.
“Dad, I haven’t been at her throat. She just won’t give me any peace, and I can’t put up with her anymore.” I sag into the pillows. “In fact I’m really tired.”
“Alexander, can I see you outside the room for a minute?” Ramon asks.
“Dad,” I moan.
“You rest,” Ramon says, leading Alexander outside.
I glance to my other father and watch as he frowns. “How long have you been together with Alexander?”
I sigh and instead of changing the subject—not that he’d let me—I admit, “I’ve been in love with him for years, but we’ve only stopped fighting our feelings this weekend.” Tears hover on my lashes. “I love him.”
He nods. “It’s … different.” He rubs a hand over his face. “Ramon and I love you Rachel.”
“But?”
He shakes his head. “There is no but. You’re our daughter and if anyone should know how difficult a relationship can be, then it’s Ramon and I. It wasn’t a piece of cake for us in the beginning, but with the love of our family, we made it work.” He smiles. “I’ll go and rescue Alexander, and I expect you to get some sleep.”
“I love you, Daddy.”
I don’t miss how choked Noah gets at my words and holding my hand out, I pull him closer. “I want to kiss your cheek.”
He smiles and positions himself. My lips brush against his rough cheek, and I whisper, “I couldn’t have better role models than I do with my dads. You taught me everything, including how to love. Don’t forget that.”
“I won’t.” He kisses my cheek. “Get some rest and let me know when they release you.”
“Will do.”
Closing my eyes, I hear the door closing, and then it opens and closes again.
I smile softly, knowing that Alexander is back.
“I love you,” he whispers against my lips.
“Hmm, I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing those words out of your mouth.”
“I hope not.” He sits on the side of the bed. “I’ve spoken to your doctor and he said prov
iding your headache doesn’t get any worse over the next couple of hours then I can take you back to the hotel.”
“Today?”
He laughs. “Yes … Today.” Settling beside me on the bed, he gathers me into his arms. “I hope they don’t kick me out for this.”
“You make me feel better, so I doubt it.”
“That’s good.” He goes quiet.
“Are you going to tell me what Ramon said to you?”
“I thought I wouldn’t.”
I meet his gaze and watch him wince. “He said he understood me being concerned about my cousin but he didn’t expect me to be as concerned as a lover. He had this dark look on his face.” He shakes his head. “I told him that I was sorry he was finding out about you and me in this way, but there was nothing to be done about it now. I love you, and I was done pretending I didn’t.”
“And?”
“He told me he’d have to think about it, and walked off when Noah appeared.” He shrugged. “Don’t worry about it, at least not while you’re sick.”
“Plenty of time for that later.” I snuggle into his side. “So tell me how the skiing was.”
I hear the smile in his voice. “It was fantastic, although I was worried for a short time with how quickly the snow appeared. I should be used to that, but it’s been awhile since I’ve skied so hadn’t given it much thought. We all made it down in one piece. So yeah, it was good.” He sighs. “Just wish I hadn’t walked into a mess called Madison.”
“She hated staying behind, but I think she understood why I needed her to find and tell you.”
“Ryan took her for coffee and I left with Joshua, who took Paige back to the resort.”
“I’m sad that Paige is being like this. My sister has always been the more stubborn of the two of us, but I’m not sure what is going on with her this time around. Usually we talk things through, but she’s just flat out against us being together.” I nuzzle into his chest and breathe his scent into my lungs, knowing how much he loves me.
“I don’t mean this the way it probably sounds, but you don’t think she’s jealous do you?” He rushes on. “I mean that you’ve found the only guy you’re ever going to be with—” he smiles “—and she hasn’t.”
“I hadn’t thought of it like that, but she’s usually supportive and just gives a warning—this time I don’t know how to handle her.”
“If I thought it would make things easier I’d talk to her. I feel like I’m letting you down because you’ll be back in your apartment at college with her and neither of you are at peace yet.”
“Perhaps it will do us both good being back there. Maybe she’ll feel more comfortable to talk to me about whatever it is going on with her.”
“I hope she comes around soon because if she’s making me feel unsettled, then her actions must be hurting you.” He kisses me on the top of my head.
“She can be moody, which we all know.” I settle closer still. “Let me have a snooze and then you can take me back to the hotel for our last night in Stowe.”
“Anything you want.”
15
Alexander
“You did say anything I want,” Rachel purrs watching me from under her lids as she lounges on the bed.
“I did,” I agree with slight caution. I have a feeling where this conversation is heading and I’m not too sure it’s what the doctor ordered.
“I think I want to stare at you with no clothes on.” She grins when she notices the shock on my face.
That hadn’t quite been what I’d expected to come out of her mouth.
“Strip for me Alexander.”
Her words send pleasure down my spine to punch out from my body in the shape of my rigid erection. I have no hope in hell of hiding it from her. If I wanted to that is.
“Just get rid of them quick. No dancing required.”
I throw my head back and laugh, my hands already reaching for my under armor and T-shirt. My eyes stay focused on her while I remove everything else.
Standing before her naked as the day I was born, I throb at the look on her face as she caresses over my heated skin with her eyes. I wrap my fist around my cock and give it a lazy stroke, noticing how Rachel’s breathing slowly gets heavier.
“I think it’s only fair if I get you naked as well.” I kneel on the bed and slowly make my way forward and unwrap the white hotel robe. “Sit up for me a minute.” I hold her hand and slowly help her up and out of the robe before I lay her back down.
She’s spread out before me and I can’t decide what to appreciate first. The round mounds of her breasts are large with her nipples already in tight buds, and then there’s her pussy, already wet and swollen for me.
Precum trickles from my dick as I dip my head and place my lips on the top of her mound. Rachel moans and arches. I kiss up along her stomach and then circling a breast, I lick and nibble at the plump cherry nipple. Her legs split wide and wrap around my waist, trying to bring me to her.
“Tonight, I want to show you how much I love you,” I admit, cupping the other breast, and suckling so hard she’s frantically rubbing against me.
“I know,” she groans, her small fingers searching between us.
I curse and arch up when she wraps that small hand of hers around my heated flesh. I’m dripping with arousal while I try to catch my breath. Seconds from coming all over her fingers, I remove her hand and slowly back away.
Sliding my hands up both thighs, I place them over my shoulders and settle between her legs, my face nuzzling between the lips of her swollen pussy while her eyes stay fixated on my face. “Nothing as sexy as having you spread out like a feast for me. And only me.”
Her fingers tangle in my hair as I dip my tongue and taste her. She shudders and I very nearly come all over the bed with the way my pelvis rocks and rolls.
“I want you inside of me.” She tries to get me to move higher.
“Come on my mouth first,” I beg licking her pussy, and when I push my tongue inside of her, Rachel lets out a deep, soul shattering groan, and comes. She writhes on my face and I so want to stay here between her legs with my face buried in heaven, but that isn’t going to happen because I’m about to burst out of my skin with need.
Before I can make another move, she tugs me up to her and flips us over. “You’re mine,” she whispers just before claiming my mouth.
Her tongue darts back and forth between my lips while I rub against her belly. Not for long though. She grabs me in a tight grip and holding me upright, slowly sits down on me.
“Oh God! So good,” she mumbles, slightly rotating her pelvis to get used to my size while all I can do is grit my teeth so I don’t come.
“You’re really big.” She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and concentrates.
The sight of her breasts gently swaying as she rocks her pelvis is so arousing. Then she squeezes her internal muscles and I can’t think because everything is centered on the pleasure in my lower body.
I grab hold of her hips and help her ride me, which doesn’t last long because after only a couple of thrusts, she’s coming on me—flooding my groin with her release. I hold her down and shove into her so hard that my eyes cross as my release pours from my cock—stream after stream.
Even when she collapses on top of me, I can’t stop coming. The feel of her hard nipples pushing into my chest, and the feel of the small convulsions around my cock, trigger a release so powerful that I’m not sure I’ll ever walk again. I’m completely numb—like Jell-O.
“I didn’t kill you, did I?” she asks, panting into my neck.
“Nearly.” Groaning, I find the energy from someplace and turn us to our sides, Rachel nestled in my arms.
“I’ve never felt anything like that before. It was intense.”
“Me either, and I’m sure once I’ve had a rest I’ll think of something more romantic to say. But right now, I’ve given you everything, and I have no energy to think.”
She chuckles. “I know, everything
you’ve given me is slipping down my thighs … and it’s arousing.”
“Five minutes. Then we’ll have a repeat performance.”
“In four minutes, I’ll have you coming in my mouth.”
Of course at her words my cock goes hard as rock.
16
Rachel
Saying goodbye to Alexander had been really difficult and I’m just glad we’d managed to do it in private and not with our family looking on. But it’s a week later and I can’t stop missing him.
I miss sleeping in his arms and waking the same way, and just about everything about him. Paige knows this and is really irritating me with her indifference. I’m sure as hell going to have something to say if she continues mentioning Brad though.
Glancing around my room, I realize that I’m not coming back here. I should be because that was the original plan, but now, after I’ve finished in Italy, I’m heading home to Lexington. This, I’ve kept between Alexander and I, but it’s the only thing I’m sure of right now because everything with my sister has put me off balance. Paige has also made it difficult to talk to her, about anything. It’s gotten to the point that I’m afraid she’s going to snap my head off, so I’ve kept to myself, it’s lonely.
Tonight is going to test my limits as she’s invited Jaxon and Dylan around for dinner. It’s a usual thing, but the first since we’ve been back from the wedding, and hearing voices outside of my room, my heart sinks when I don’t just hear my cousins, I hear Brad and Seth too.
Perhaps Paige will be on her best behavior with Seth being here. She certainly won’t want to show herself up.
With resignation, I move to my bedroom door when there’s a knock.
Dylan slips in the minute there’s a gap, closing it behind him.
He grins and after a quick hug, drops to my bed. “I’m so tired. Coach has us training hard.”
Kissing Cousins (McKenzie Cousins Book 4) Page 7