Chapter Ten
Reid
The wind howls against the cabin walls, a furious, relentless thing, rattling the windows like an animal clawing to get inside. I barely notice. My focus is locked on Sadie.
She stands by the door, still wrapped up in that coat, scarf loose around her neck, chest rising and falling as she glances back at me. Firelight flickers over her face, catching in the golden strands of her hair, turning them to molten light. She’s all soft curves and stubborn fire, her hands clenched into small fists at her sides, her eyes burning with frustration.
Outside, the storm is settling in fast, thick snow already covering the ground. She’s not going anywhere tonight.
She crosses her arms, lifting her chin. “Are we gonna talk about it, or are you just gonna keep pretending I don’t exist?”
I keep my face blank, ignoring the way my pulse kicks up at the challenge in her voice. “Talk about what?”
Her nostrils flare, her frustration climbing. “Oh, I don’t know, maybe the fact that you kissed me and then spent the last few days acting like it didn’t happen?”
I turn away, focusing on stoking the fire even though it doesn’t need it. Anything to keep my hands busy, anything to keep from looking at her. “It was a mistake.”
Sadie scoffs, the sound sharp. “You sure as hell didn’t kiss me like it was a mistake.”
My shoulders go tight.
She steps closer, her voice quieter now but no less intense. “And you keep looking at me like you want to do it again.”
I squeeze my eyes shut, fighting for control. “Sadie—”
“No.” She cuts me off, moving to stand right in front of me, forcing me to look at her. “I get it, okay? You like things simple. No complications, no feelings. But news flash, Reid—you married me. You don’t get to just ignore me when it’s inconvenient.”
I exhale sharply through my nose. My hands clench at my sides. “I’m trying to keep things from getting messy.”
Her lips part, her chest rising and falling with deep breaths. “Messy?” she echoes. “Reid, we’re snowed in, married, and apparently both extremely attracted to each other. I think we passed messy about ten miles back.”
I snap my gaze to hers, everything inside me strung tight. I could step away and put some distance between us, but I don’t. I can’t.
“You deserve more than this,” I say, voice low and rough.
Sadie tilts her head, studying me like I’m the most frustrating puzzle she’s ever had to solve. “And what if this is what I want?”
Something inside me snaps.
Before I can think better of it, I close the distance between us in two long strides, and my hands find her waist as I back her up against the cabin wall.
She gasps but doesn’t pull away. If anything, she leans into me, her breath coming in soft, quick bursts. “Reid…”
I stare down at her, my heart pounding like a war drum. My fingers dig into the soft curve of her hips, my entire body thrumming with restraint. “Tell me to stop.”
She swallows, her pulse fluttering in the hollow of her throat. “No.”
And that’s it. I crush my mouth to hers, swallowing the soft sound she makes as she melts against me. The kiss is nothing like the first—this one is rougher, hungrier, with days of pent-up frustration and longing crashing together in a tangle of heat and desperation.
Sadie’s hands slide up my chest, fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt as she tugs me closer, pressing her body to mine. My self-control is already frayed, barely holding together as her lips move against mine, hot and eager.
I groan against her mouth, one hand sliding up to tangle in her hair, the other gripping her waist, pulling her flush against me. She’s so damn soft, so warm, and when she presses up on her toes, seeking more, a desperate little sound leaving her lips, I nearly lose it completely.
I press her harder against the wall, my mouth moving to her jaw, then lower, tasting the soft, sensitive skin beneath her ear. She gasps, fingers tightening in my hair, her nails scratching lightly against my scalp, sending shivers down my spine.
“Reid,” she breathes, her voice wrecked, needy.
I close my eyes, gripping the wall beside her head, forcing air into my lungs. This was supposed to be simple. A deal. Nothing more. But with her looking at me like that, her lips swollen from my kisses, her chest rising and falling with each shaky breath, I know there’s nothing simple about this.
This woman—this infuriating, impossible, sunshine-wrapped-in-fire woman—is going to be my downfall.
I hook my hand beneath her thigh, lifting her against me. She doesn’t hesitate, wrapping her legs around my waist, pulling me in like she’s been waiting for this as long as I have. I groan against her throat, barely holding myself together as her hands slide under my shirt, her fingers dragging over my skin, leaving heat in their wake.
I carry her to the couch, lowering her onto the cushions, my body covering hers as I claim her mouth again, deeper this time, slower, drawing out every sound, every shudder. My name tumbles from her lips like a prayer, and it nearly undoes me.
I shouldn’t want her like this.
But I do.
God help me, I do.
She arches beneath me, her fingers pulling at the hem of my shirt, nails scraping lightly against my abs, and I curse under my breath, the last shred of restraint hanging by a thread.
I pull back just enough to meet her gaze, our breaths mingling in the space between us. “Tell me you want this.”
Her fingers tighten on my shirt, her eyes dark and steady. “I want you .”
That’s all it takes.
The last piece of restraint shatters, and I give in.
Completely.
I stand and undress. I can feel her eyes on every part I uncover. When I slip my boxer briefs down and off my legs a moan escapes from Sadie.
“Holy cow, mountain man. That’s some weapon you’ve got there.” Sadie says with a smile that lights up her whole face.
“Are you scared?”
“No way.” Sadie sits up, takes off her shirt, and removes her bra. “I want to get this started. I want to feel you inside me.”
I don’t know what to say. I’m not a virgin, but I may as well be. It’s been a long damn time since I’ve been with a woman and never with one like Sadie.
“Can you help me?” she asks as she tries to remove her pants.
“Yes, ma’am.” I pull the denim down her legs, taking her panties off at the same time. Now she’s before me naked, and my heart is pounding in my chest. She’s gorgeous.
“Reid?”
“Yeah?”
“Can you make love to me now?” Sadie wraps her hand around my dick and uses it like a handle to pull me over her.
I pull one pink nipple into my mouth, sucking hard. I massage her other big globe with my hand and pluck at her tightened nipple.
“More…” Sadie whimpers.
I switch nipples and run my other hand down her body to the juncture of her thighs. Damn, she’s wet. I move down her body. I run my lips against her thighs.
Sadie moves underneath me, trying to get me to zero in on her pussy.
“Patience, sunshine,” I say as I lower my face between her thighs. The first swipe of my tongue through her folds is heaven. I run my tongue around her clit, causing her hips to fly off the couch.
I love how she reacts to me.
I start to insert one finger inside her when she stops me.
“Reid, wait,” she says.
I raise my head to look into her eyes. I’m sure she’s going to stop this, and it’s probably the right thing to do.
“Sunshine?”
“I need you inside me now.”
Oh, that’s not what I thought she was going to say. “You sure?”
“Now,” she exclaims.
I’m lining up my dick against her wet slit before she can ask again. Slowly, I enter her every inch feeling better and better. I bottom out inside her and have to pause to gather myself. I don’t want to finish before I start.
I start moving in and out of her tight body, establishing a rhythm that’s going to put both of us over the edge.
I reach between our bodies and rub a tight circle against her clit. “Come for me, sunshine. I need you to come.”
She nods her head forcefully, and I feel her walls tighten around my cock. I’m not going to last another second.
I explode into her body, unable to stop pistoning in and out of her. Reluctantly, I pull out of her and roll to the side, trying not to squash her body.
“Let’s go to bed,” I whisper to her.
“Separate beds?”
“You’ll be in my bed tonight,” I tell her as I pick her up and carry her to my room.