Wild Promises (The Wilde Brothers #4)

Chapter 17

17

XANDER

I braced my hands on the counter, the water running in the sink. I'd washed my hands and splashed water on my face, but I couldn't bring myself to dry off. I couldn't place the feeling in my chest. It felt like my heart had expanded, as if our relationship had only grown larger to encompass what we'd shared, not smaller.

I'd been so worried that crossing that friendship line would ruin everything, but now I wasn't so sure. In fact, I was almost afraid I'd fallen in love with her. I'd been searching for a woman who could be a friend. But now I was wondering if it wasn't our friendship so much as it was Tori.

She was the woman for me. I don't know what I'd do if she decided Telluride wasn't for her and she wanted to return to her life in New York. Just the thought made my chest tight and made it difficult to breathe.

I had to trust that she was here to stay. The whole point of our fake relationship was to prove to everyone that we were committed to staying and building a life here.

But if her father sold the practice, what would be left for Tori? No one had ever made any major life changes to be with me. I doubted that she would. It was a small town. There was only so much room for doctors.

It hurt to draw in a breath, but I forced myself to straighten and turn off the water. I dried my face and looked at myself in the mirror.

I was born to be outside on the slopes. It hurt to even think about doing anything else, moving somewhere else. I couldn't lose my job. I had to prove to my brothers that I was serious about the business.

Hopefully, sneaking out of the party with Tori did the job we intended it to do. I turned off the light and went back to bed, where Tori was laying on her side, her hands folded under her cheek. "Is everything okay?" she asked.

The bed dipped as I climbed onto the mattress. "Of course."

"You were in there a long time." Her forehead creased.

And I hadn't held her after we'd been intimate. I hadn't been able to. Everything inside me was saying I'd crossed more than just a friendship line, and it was too much. "I'm okay. Just worried about my job."

Tori was quiet for a long time.

'"Are you okay?" I finally asked her.

"Uh-huh." Then she turned away from me, facing the wall.

It felt like there was a barrier between us that went up when I mentioned my job. Why had I even said anything when we were in bed together? My head was a mess. I turned onto my side, scooting closer to her body so that I could wrap an arm around her. She was stiff for a few seconds and then relaxed into me.

This was how it was supposed to be: me and Tori together. If we didn't have jobs to worry about, would this ever have happened? Would we have crossed the line or just pretended to be together? Probably not. I should be thankful for however this came to be.

Shortly after, her breathing evened out, but I stayed awake for a while, running every possible scenario through my head. What if my brothers decided that they had to let me go? What would I do? Where would I go?

What if Tori went back to New York? That one felt far more likely to me for some reason. She had lived in that city for years. What if she missed it or her ex boyfriend? The old insecurities reared up.

Why would Tori choose me? A ski instructor, maybe even an unemployed one, over her accomplished ex? It was hard to believe I had anything to offer a woman like her.

She was so smart and hardworking. And I skied for a living. The more I thought about it, the more insecure I felt.

W hen I woke the next morning, the light was bright in the room, and the bed next to me was empty. Had Tori left? I didn’t think she worked Sundays, but I'd recently taken to offering lessons. I wanted to show my brothers I was indispensable.

Once they saw the extra money I generated from the holiday trail and the additional lessons, then they would respect me.

Eager to see if Tori was still here and to verify I hadn't screwed things up last night, I pulled on a pair of sweats I kept in the dresser, then searched for her. The smell of bacon led me to the kitchen where Tori was watching the strips cook on the stove in the button-down shirt I'd worn last night. It hung to her knees, but no one had ever looked sexier to me.

When I moved closer, she raised her gaze to me. "Hey, sleepyhead."

"I had trouble falling asleep last night."

Her eyes filled with concern, but she didn't ask any questions.

This morning, I wanted to follow my gut instinct, and right now it was telling me to touch her. I wrapped my arms around her middle, and she relaxed into my hold.

"Morning." My voice was rough with sleep.

Her hands covered mine. "Good morning." She turned in my arms and cupped my cheeks. "Are you regretting last night?"

"No." I wouldn't regret sleeping with Tori even if it destroyed everything. I felt like a changed man. One who was more open to love than ever before.

Her expression relaxed slightly. "Good. Because I don't either."

"What's to regret? Amazing sex and morning-after bacon."

She laughed. "It was all I could find in the freezer."

"No one has stayed here in a long time." There wouldn't be anything but a few items in the freezer and the pantry. "We could go downstairs for breakfast."

"This is fine for now."

I wanted to stay hidden in this condo forever. Here, no one was judging us. We didn't have to prove anything. I could just feel.

When the bacon was done, Tori placed it on a paper towel, and we stood by the island to eat it. She must have found coffee, because two steaming mugs were already prepared.

I ate the bacon in two bites and drank the still-hot coffee. It hit the spot after what we'd shared. But I wanted more. "You want to jump in the shower?"

Her eyes flashed with heat. "Sure."

I held out my hand to her and led the way to the large master shower. It had several shower heads and felt like a massage when I'd used it in the past. It was large enough for both of us. Once the water was warm, we stepped inside.

I had this urge to take care of her. I soaped every inch of her body, taking extra time with her breasts and between her legs. When I couldn't take it anymore, I dropped to my knees and licked her.

She widened her stance for me, her hand anchored in my hair. She licked her lips as she looked down at me.

I wanted to make her feel good. I wanted her to forget how I'd had a mini-freak-out last night after we'd been so close. I wanted to make it up to her. I wasn't sure I'd erase anything, but I had to try.

When her fingers tightened in my hair and her body was drawn tight, I straightened and lifted her in one motion, pressing her back against the tile and thrusting inside of her.

Her head fell back as her mouth dropped open. "Oh, Xander. You feel?—"

"Amazing?" I asked as I pulled back and thrust again, but she was speechless. We'd both given over to sensation: the water falling around us, the press of the tile against her back, my cock stretching her.

It felt so good to be with her like this. At some point, I realized it felt so good because we'd forgotten a condom. I eased out, and she asked, "What's wrong?"

"We forgot the condom."

She blinked. "I'm clean and have an IUD."

I relaxed. "I'm clean too."

She smiled softly. "Then we're good."

Yes, we were. There was nothing bad about coming together like this. Everything about being with Tori felt amazing, and I was going to enjoy every second of it. I set an unrelenting rhythm, thrusting inside her so that she was sure to feel every inch of me, and when her walls fluttered around my cock, I went over.

With no barrier between us, it was messy. As I pulled out, I was entranced by the sight of my come trickling out of her.

I wanted to gather it and put it back inside her, but I also didn't want to freak her out. That wasn't something you did when you were first intimate with someone. That was when you were in a committed relationship. At least I assumed that was the case.

I didn't want to scare her with the intensity of my feelings, especially when this entire relationship was supposed to be for show.

Instead, I cleaned her with a washcloth and set her on her feet. Then I shampooed her hair and turned her so the water would rinse it. She did the conditioner and then got out. I quickly soaped my hair and body, then rinsed.

She was already in the bedroom, and I hoped she didn't leave without me. I hurriedly dried off, then tied the towel around my waist. In the bedroom, she was still naked in the doorway, holding her dress.

"I have something you could wear."

"I really don't want to do the walk of shame out of your family's lodge."

"Well, my parents aren't here, and who cares what my brothers think? Aren't we supposed to be showing them that this is real?" I gestured between us.

Her eyes shuttered. "Right."

I was vaguely aware that I'd just said something I shouldn't. But it felt like it was too late to fix it now. That was the truth, even though what we'd shared had felt so real last night and this morning. Each time I was with her, it only felt better.

Instead, I turned away and pulled open the dresser drawer, withdrawing a pair of sweats and a T-shirt. I threw them on the bed, then grabbed a resort fleece and pants. "I have lessons this morning."

"Oh, okay."

"You can take my truck home, and I'll see you later."

"Oh, yeah. Okay." She carefully pulled on the clothes, rolling the waistband of the pants several times so they would fit.

"I'll walk you down." I didn't want her to do the walk of shame alone, and I wasn't ready to be away from her.

"Since when do you work on Sundays?" Tori asked.

"Since I had to prove to my brothers that I'm taking the business seriously. They want to see my job generating more money, and this is the only way I could think to do it. I haven't come up with any groundbreaking additions for the outdoor adventures. Skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing. What else is there?"

"I don't know." When the elevator opened, I intertwined my fingers with hers, and we walked down a side hallway to the parking lot. I knew all the ins and outs of the lodge, and I was positive she didn't want to go through the lobby with her hair damp and wearing oversized sweats. We were supposed to be showing everyone we were a thing, but I think we'd done that last night when I was desperate to get her alone.

Outside, it was cold and the sky gray.

"I wonder if it's going to snow."

"If so, we can stay at the lodge overnight to help clear the snow." In the past, I'd stayed in town. But that didn't jive with the new me who was all-in at the lodge. "If so, you can stay with me in the condo."

"Yeah?" She'd stopped in front of my truck and turned to face me.

I braced a hand over her head on the door. "Take care of my truck, yeah?"

She smiled and tucked a chunk of hair behind her ear. "I'll take good care of it."

"You do that," I said as I lowered my mouth to hers, kissing her slowly. I wanted to savor this woman. There was still a possibility I was going to screw everything up, or she would return to New York. It was more of a reason to take advantage of the time I had with her.

When I eased back, I opened the door for her and waited for her to get inside. Then I handed her the keys. "I can get a ride home so you don't need to worry about picking me up."

She smiled. "I was thinking of getting some things for your apartment. It's a little bare."

I grinned, loving that she wanted to make it her home. "You can do whatever you want with it. I don't have any design ability."

"Okay."

I leaned over and kissed her, then shut the door. I stepped back as she turned on the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. Inside the lodge, Eli stood just inside the door.

"Were you waiting for me?" I asked, feeling a little weird about that.

"I saw you and Tori walk out last night. Was everything okay?"

I couldn't stop the grin that spread over my face. "It's great."

"Good. That's good."

"I have a full day of lessons, and I want to log into my computer first. Did you need anything?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

My forehead creased from the unexpected inquiry. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. This thing with Tori is moving fast, and you're working more hours than ever."

I shook my head. "Isn't that what you wanted, for me to take my job seriously? I'm on call if you need me. I can do whatever you need." Then I glanced at the time. "I have to go. My first lesson is in five minutes."

"Yeah, okay. We'll talk later."

I let out a breath as I walked away. What was Eli getting at? Isn't this what he wanted? I was at family events and working every day of the week. I'd already planned to move into the lodge if we got a major snowstorm. The family and the lodge came first. I was doing everything him and Oliver had asked of me.

The only problem was that I hadn't come up with any groundbreaking business ideas. I'd have to think of something while I was teaching today. I couldn't chance anything. Everything I'd ever wanted was within reach. I couldn't mess up now.