by Zoe Reid
“No, thank you,” she said. “Have some tea to warm up.”
I went over to the love seat and took a well-deserved break. I poured a mug of hot water and grabbed a tea bag, placing it in the liquid. I snuggled into the cushions. This was too much work for before seven in the morning.
About ten minutes passed before I heard the sound of laughter carrying in from the other room. I glanced over my shoulder as Sean and Daddy came into the room. Both of them had big smiles on their faces and several chunks of wood in their arms.
For some reason, a warmth moved through me seeing them together like that. Sean had quickly won over Daddy in a short amount of time.
They stacked the wood next to Mary as she stoked the small fire that burned inside the fireplace.
“I’m going to check on your mother,” Daddy said to us and then headed out of the room.
“There’s some tea right there,” Mary said, pointing to the coffee table.
“Thank you,” said Sean.
I glanced up at him as he stood across the table to pour his own mug. He didn’t look at me, but I studied him.
He straightened and sipped from his cup, his eyes darting all over the room. Everywhere except for my general direction.
“Come, sit,” I said, patting the cushion next to me. “You deserve a little break. I’m sure Daddy has plenty more tasks for you today.”
He cleared his throat and sat the furthest he could from me. Since it was such a small couch, there were only a few inches between us.
“When did you get up?” I asked.
He raked his fingers through his thick hair. “I didn’t sleep much last night. But I woke shortly before your dad came to the guest house.”
“Were you cold?” I asked. “It’s such a small space.”
He chuckled a deep sound that reverberated inside of my chest. “It’s not that small.”
My mouth dropped open. He probably lived in a space smaller than that house. How could I be so stupid to assume that space wasn’t big enough? I must have sounded like a snob.
“I’m going to start breakfast,” Mary said, warming her hands in front of the large flames that were crackling and popping in the hearth. She grabbed a few pieces of wood and headed out of the room. It was a good thing she was so handy with fire. I was hoping we wouldn’t have to have cereal for every meal today.
With her out of the room, Sean and I were alone.
I turned my head, listening for Mom or Daddy, but there was no one around.
Sean leaned forward and placed his mug on the coffee table. He pressed his arms onto the top of his legs and stared at the fire.
I touched his shoulder. “What’s on your mind?”
He smoothed his beard down and turned his head. “Brooklynn.”
His tone held a warning, and I lifted my hand from him.
“I’m—” I barely got out the word before his lips were on mine. After the initial shock wore off, I melted into his kiss. Touching his scratchy cheeks, I pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. His tongue darted into my mouth, and an explosion of tingles moved through me.
It had barely started before he ended it.
With the light from the fire, I could see his face clearly. He smiled yet the corners of his eyes were tight as if he regretted our kiss.
A heaviness settled in my middle, and I jumped up from the couch. “I should go.” I ran out of the room with the taste of Sean still on my lips.
Chapter 9
Sean
I turned toward the fire, wondering what the hell I was thinking. Kissing my boss’s daughter in the middle of his house? I must have lost my damn mind.
My stomach churned, and I stood up. At first, the kiss was amazing. When she responded to it, I could have taken her right then and there. She was right to leave, who knows how much further it would have gone.
Though the look on her face pressed on my mind. She looked terrified of me when she ran out of the room.
How could I fuck this up so badly? She probably was off to tell her father what I did to her. I’d get my notice right away and have to tell Mom and Dad that I screwed up this opportunity for some hookup.
Even as a grown man, I was still afraid of disappointing my family.
I had to talk to her. Apologize and say it was a mistake. I hoped that she could forgive me and not snitch to her parents about me kissing her without permission.
“Sean,” Paul said from the doorway.
I jumped to my feet, fully expecting him to throw me out into the blizzard for kissing his daughter.
“I think you should stay in the house today,” Paul said, coming into the room.
Bethany was with him. She wasn’t as done up as she normally was, which made her a little more down to Earth than normal.
“I would like that.” I had no intention of freezing my ass off out in the guesthouse. Though I did wonder how long their hospitality would last after finding out about Brooklynn and me.
“We don’t know when the power will come back on so we will need you to give us a hand during this terrible storm,” Bethany said, wringing her hands together.
“Not a problem,” I said. Helping out for a warm bed inside of a mansion seemed like the perfect trade to me. Hopefully, Brooklynn and I could find a moment together to talk about what happened between us. Clearing that up as soon as possible was my ultimate goal.
“How about we eat something first,” Paul said, tugging his wife alongside him. “Get our energy up for another day stuck inside decorating.”
“It’s not as if we can do anything else,” Bethany said with a sigh.
I trailed behind them, keeping my eyes peeled for Brooklynn.
She appeared in the sitting room almost a half hour later.
I’d learned that there was a small hearth in the kitchen, keeping with the rustic feel of the place. Mary managed to make a pretty good breakfast in the process. It reminded me of when I was young, and Dad would take me camping in the woods.
I wasn’t sure how thrilled Mrs. Turner would be to eat hot oatmeal from a pot above the flame, but it was sustenance.
“I sure hope that the power comes back on soon,” Mary had said. “The missus doesn’t like change, especially when we have a guest.”
“We’ll figure it out,” I’d said, tasting a spoonful of the oatmeal. “It’s delicious.”
I’d offered to cut fresh fruit since that would be the first to spoil in the refrigerator. With the cooler temperature in the house, I hoped that the food would keep, at least for a little while. No one needed to go out in that storm.
She’d made some homemade bread the night before, so she cut that up and we had a proper meal in no time. At the very least, Mrs. Turner could commend her housekeeper for creativity.
When Brooklynn came into the room, I stood up straighter, gauging her reaction for anger or even resentment.
She strode right past me, brushing her arm against my back as she went to the coffee table to retrieve her meal. Adelle bounced in behind her.
Relief flooded through me. She wasn’t mad at me. But I still had to hear it from her.
With the light from the fire illuminating her face, she looked different. In the time she was upstairs, she dolled herself up even more if it were possible. Her lips were bright red and kissable. Her thick eyelashes fluttered open as she laughed along about something with her friend.
With the room filled with her family, I wasn’t sure how I could convey my apology to her.
For now, it would have to wait.
I stood by the fire with my bowl of oatmeal, warming up. The kitchen was much cooler than the sitting room, and I needed to thaw for a little while. At the very least it gave me time to think about what I was going to say to Brooklynn when I had the chance.
“Brr,” she said from next to me.
I turned to see her pop a strawberry into her mouth.
I stared at her lips as she chewed. Her tongue snaked out and slowly grazed her bottom lip.
/> She looked over at me and smiled. “It’s nice and toasty over here.”
I glanced over my shoulder, and everyone seemed preoccupied with their conversations. Mary was off somewhere in the house. Adelle and Gavin were on the loveseat, and Paul and Bethany were on the larger couch. He tucked a blanket around his wife.
Was this my only chance with Brooklynn?
I turned back to the fire and lowered my voice. “About before—”
“It’s fine,” she whispered.
“Is it?” I asked.
She didn’t look at me. “Yes.”
“From the way you left, I thought you—”
“I enjoyed it,” she said, cutting me off. “I really did.”
When her gaze locked with mine, it was as if we were the only two people in the room.
“Me too,” I said. “Obviously. Listen, I—”
“Brookie!” Adelle said from behind us.
I whipped around to see Adelle and Gavin standing there with a box in each of their hands.
“What’s up?” Brooklynn asked her friend.
“I can’t sit here and eat any more sugar or carbs, let’s go decorate some more. Your Dad said Mary started a fire in the living room. We can watch the storm from there.”
Brooklynn glanced at me apologetically. “Sure.”
Gavin shook his box. “Mom wants you to help with the Great Room. There’s tinsel and that crap in here. I thought you could use a hand.”
“Definitely,” I said.
Brooklynn and Adelle left the room, and I went over to where the food was and placed my empty bowl there. I wasn’t about to get on Mrs. Turner’s bad side again about helping Mary clean up. Besides, I had another task.
As Gavin and I pulled out the massive roll of tinsel in the Great Room, my shoulders finally relaxed. Brooklynn enjoyed the kiss as much as I did. She might have been more surprised than anything. At least she wasn’t upset, and I’d be able to keep my job for at least another day.
I did want to finish our conversation sometime, and we would. I hoped it led to more kissing.
Chapter 10
Brooklynn
Rolling over for the hundredth time in two hours, I let out an annoyed sigh. I glance at my phone which had almost no battery left, and it wasn’t even midnight yet.
After decorating with Adelle for the entire day, I was exhausted by nine. As much as I loved her, her incessant chattering about guys annoyed me before lunchtime. I sucked it up and tried to keep myself occupied. Without Wi-Fi or power, I couldn’t escape to my room to go on the computer or anything.
Eventually, she and Gavin went off on their own to work on some more decorating while I settled into the sitting room with a romance novel. Even though I wasn’t into the story that much, everyone left me alone.
Reading about the hero and heroine and their adventure to find each other, my mind wandered to Sean.
He seemed so worried that I didn’t like the kiss. That worried me a bit since I put everything I had into it. The reason I left so quickly was fear of us getting caught. And the need to brush my teeth. Though he didn’t seem to mind at all.
All of my flirting paid off, but I doubted he was going to try anything with me again. I’d already spooked him, and he did have his job to worry about. Like hell would I be the one to get him fired. If this was going to happen again, we had to plan it out. Well, I did.
My mind kept me awake and eventually, I couldn’t stand staring at the ceiling anymore.
I got out of bed and put my robe on. I hoped that Mary kept the fire going in the sitting room. Maybe I would finish that book and see how the couple came together in the end. It might offer some insight into Sean and my situation.
Coming down the stairs, I saw the flickering light from the sitting room. I shuffled across the foyer and pushed in through the door.
“Oh!” I cried out as I saw someone sitting on the couch.
Sean turned around, his face splitting into a smile. “Sorry to startle you.”
I shook my head. “I wasn’t expecting anyone else to be up.”
“Do you want me to go?” he asked.
“No,” I said. “This room is big enough for the both of us.”
He nodded.
As I rounded the couch, I noticed a book in his hand. “What are you reading?”
He held up a leather-bound book. “You have an impressive library. I found an old volume about the history of the area.”
“Sounds a little boring,” I said.
He smirked. “It is.”
“What do you have?” he asked, pointing at the book in my hands.
“Oh,” I said, turning it over. “This is Mom’s. I was returning it to the library for her.”
He eyed me. I knew he didn’t believe me, but he also didn’t press the issue.
I sat down next to him. “I’m sorry I left so suddenly before.”
He sat back, slinging his arm over the back of the couch. “I know I was out of line. But, I really couldn’t help myself. You looked so damn cute, and I wondered if I misread the signs.”
I touched his leg. “Not at all. Admittedly, I was a little nervous. You thought I looked cute?”
“Of course,” he said. “Is there a time when you don’t?”
“I was just out of bed, and I hadn’t even brushed my—hair.” If he didn’t notice my morning breath, I wasn’t about to spoil the memory by mentioning it.
He played with a strand of my hair, twirling it around his finger. The tugging created a wave of tingles to spread over my head, floating down my body.
Moving my hand further up his leg, I scooted closer to him.
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said, leaning forward.
He pulled me to him and crushed his mouth against mine. This kiss was different than last time. There wasn’t any hesitation between us.
The electric touch of his hands on my body drove me insane. I hopped up and straddled him, grinding my hips against him. He cupped my butt with his hands, and I moaned into his mouth.
“Wait,” I said.
“What is it?” he asked, moving my hair from my face.
I looked toward the door. It was late, but anyone could catch us. I wasn’t allowing anything to stop me now.
“Let’s go to your room,” I said, scrambling up from his lap.
I took his hands in mine and tugged.
“My room?” he asked.
I kissed him again, slowly this time, teasing him for what was to come. “Your room is in the other wing, far away from anyone who might hear us.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Lead the way then.”
Listening out for any sign of life on the way, I quickly brought Sean to the guest room. Closing the door behind us, I wasted no time getting back to it.
He trapped my lower lip between his teeth and gently pulled. He untied my robe as he led me to the bed. Tugging my arms out of the robe, it fell to the ground.
“I’ve wanted to strip you down since the moment I met you.”
I shivered. “Then do it.”
He tugged at the hem of my tank top and pulled it over my head. He dipped down and kissed my bare breast. My head fell back as his tongue swirled around my nipple.
His hands pressed on my shoulders, and I fell back against the bed.
He stood between my legs and pulled my pants and underwear off at the same time. He wasn’t wasting a minute.
“Do you have something?” I asked, peering up at him from the bed. This was all going so fast.
His eyebrows drew together before he darted across the room to his suitcase. He came back holding a condom and didn’t meet my eyes. “I wasn’t expecting this. I just um, like to be prepared.”
I curled a finger to him. “I like a man who’s prepared.”
He stood in front of me, and I unbuckled his belt before slowly unzipping him.
He shoved his pants down, and he sprung out of his briefs, hard and ready. He pushed me back dow
n to the bed and then rolled the condom on himself.
“I can’t wait,” he said. “I need you. I need this.”
“Take me,” I said, opening my legs for him. I’d never been so ready for sex before. It had been a while, but the way Sean looked at me made me feel like I was beautiful and experienced. I wanted him as much as he wanted me. I was willing to do anything to show him that.
He pressed himself against me and slowly entered me. I let out a gasp as he filled me to the brim.
He shoved his hands under my butt, pulling me closer to him. I lifted my legs until my ankles were against either of his shoulders.
He rocked against me, and I closed my eyes, wanting to feel every inch of him inside of me. His finger rolled over my clit, and I sucked in a breath.
He made me so wet that he slid in and out of me with no resistance. The pressure within me built up until I couldn't contain myself anymore.
I cried out, squeezing myself around him. He bucked against me until I came down from my orgasm.
Breathing hard, I laughed as I rode the wave of pleasure. “That was great,” I said.
He dropped down, still inside me. I kissed him hard.
“You think we’re done?” he growled against my lips. “I want you to fuck me now.”
My eyed widened. His dirty words made my nipples tighten. My mountain man was a dirty one, and I wanted to give him exactly what he wanted.
He lifted me up, and I straddled him. Without moving his mouth away from mine, he scooted onto the bed and propped himself against the pillows.
I rocked against him, once again building up the pleasure at my core.
“You feel incredible,” he said. His hands roamed over my body, squeezing and rubbing every inch of me.
I leaned back, allowing every sweet inch of him in me.
We were already primed so it didn’t take long for our breathing to quicken and our bodies to become ready for climax.
Sean sat up and gripped my neck, kissing me so hard that our tongues mashed together, rubbing and massaging each other over and over until neither of us could hold out anymore.