Chapter 11
CHAPTER 11
HADLEY
I’ve been avoiding Brooks. Again.
I’m not proud of it, but it seemed like the only way I could sort through my thoughts. Every time he texts me, I come up with a reason for why I can’t meet him. But I’m quickly running out of excuses.
And there’s only so many times I can hide behind furniture and Christmas trees before he’ll find me. At the staff party the other night, I had a close call. But after a round of Secret Santa gone awry, I ended up spilling punch down the front of my dress and was able to make my escape to hide in my suite for the rest of the night.
Now, as I sink into the heat of the in-ground hot tub on my patio, I lean back in my seat with a sigh. From out here, I have a beautiful view down the mountainside during the day. It’s all crisp white snow and tall evergreen trees. But at the moment, all I can see are the stars and the lights of Sugar Peak winking in the distance.
Today was another long day of putting out fires and making sure everything is still on track for our grand opening winter festival. At least the festival isn’t something I have to concern myself with much. Mia may actually be more organized than me, so if all else goes off the rails, at least the grand opening will be perfect.
I told myself I would only sit out here for half an hour before heading back inside to answer some emails. But as I close my eyes and let the water soothe me, I decide that forty-five minutes won’t hurt. Sam would be proud.
While I hum a Christmas song that’s been playing in the resort’s lobby all season, my mind goes quiet. My peace and tranquility, however, is soon cut short.
“Oh, shit.”
The new voice startles me. I jolt upright and my eyes shoot open. I barely manage to stifle my scream—until I realize that I recognize the person who slipped around the patio partition.
Brooks stands before me, the surprise on his face mirroring mine. He’s wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants, and he has a towel slung over his shoulder.
“What the hell are you doing?” My words come out harsher than intended, but in my defence, my heart feels like it’s going to beat right out of my chest.
“I came to use the hot tub,” he says, rubbing at the back of his neck. “When I went to the front desk, Sunny told me this one wouldn’t be occupied. Though she was distracted by a couple flirt-fighting in the lobby, so she must have made a mistake.”
“ Clearly .” I cross my arms, arching a brow. “Is this something you do often? Use the hot tubs?”
He shrugs. “I’ve done it once or twice.”
I shake my head, exasperated. Or flustered. What can I say? Brooks looks damn good in sweatpants.
“You could get fired for using guest amenities like that, you know.”
As a holiday gift to staff, Thiago announced recently that everyone could use some of the resort’s offerings generally reserved for guests, but he meant things like the spa. These private hot tubs certainly weren’t on the list .
“I could,” Brooks agrees with a nod. He steps closer, and the moonlight illuminates his face. Damn it, that looks good, too. “So are you?”
“Am I what?”
“Are you going to fire me?”
I roll my eyes, staying silent. He knows I won’t. He also knows I won’t tell him to get lost, even though I probably should, so he strips out of his shirt and pants, leaving him in black swim trunks.
I watch him as he steps down into the water. “You came prepared.”
He winks. “This is nice,” he says. “We should do this more often.”
Shaking my head, I let out a sigh. “Why are you really here?”
“Same reason you are,” he replies with a grin. He relaxes back against the wall of the hot tub, spreading his arms and resting them along the edge.
“I highly doubt that.”
Eyes shut, he doesn’t look at me, but he chuckles. “I didn’t come here to force out of you the reason you’ve been avoiding me, if that’s what you mean. I truly didn’t realize this particular hot tub was connected to your suite.”
I want to continue putting up a fight, but I can already feel my annoyance waning. It has always been difficult to stay upset with him. Especially when my outrage is superficial at best.
“Though,” Brooks adds, opening his eyes and pinning them on me, “I wouldn’t be opposed to having that conversation.”
“Brooks…” I pause, weighing my words. “The other night was a?—”
“A mistake?” Something in his eyes flashes. It’s gone in a blink, but I know that look. Hurt. “Go ahead, call it a mistake and tell me that you mean it.”
I swallow thickly. “Not a mistake. But, Brooks, I can’t— We can’t.”
He prowls toward me then, water parting for him easily. I suddenly wish the hot tub was ten times bigger .
“We can. We should.”
I wet my lips as my pulse thrums. “Why?”
“Because now that I’ve had you again, I need more. Crave it.” The intensity in his words, his gaze, leaves me breathless. “And I think you do, too.”
He’s in my space now, and my traitorous eyes fall to his lips. I quickly flick them upwards, but it’s too late—he caught me.
“No,” I whisper.
“No? That’s why you’ve been avoiding me, isn’t it? Because you want this.”
Weak. I am so damn weak for him. Always have been.
My body betrays me as my head tilts back of its own accord, allowing Brooks access to my neck. He wastes no time pressing a kiss against my pulse, followed by a flick of his tongue. Heat surges anew between my thighs.
“Will you let me, Hadley?”
“Let you what?” I murmur, lost in a cloud of lust.
He pulls back, meeting my gaze. “Let me help you unwind. I can feel how tense you are.”
And, damn me, I give in with a slow nod. Somewhere in the recesses of my brain, I curse myself for it, but I’ve been a hopeless cause since that night we slept together again. Hell, since I first saw him behind the bar at Dirty Dick’s. Our backwards slide was a forgone conclusion the moment we were reunited.
Brooks surges forward, and I meet him eagerly, our mouths slanting together. My hands roam his body, sliding over the slick skin of his chest, his sides, his back. I pull him closer, closer, so close.
His fingers trace the band of my swimsuit bottoms. I bite my tongue to stop myself from crying out—from begging for him to fucking do something . The ache between my thighs is verging on unbearable.
One finger slips beneath the fabric at my hip, and feeling his skin against mine makes me want to lose control.
“Brooks,” I pant .
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“ Please .”
“You beg so fucking sweet, Hads. Do it again.”
“Brooks, please. I want you.”
I need you .
He pulls my bottoms taut, and the fabric creates a wonderful sense of friction against my clit. I can’t help but buck my hips, chasing the feeling. But then he lets go, and the pressure is gone. I groan in frustration.
“Tell me,” he says. The emotion in his voice grips me, just as his gaze does. “Tell me it wasn’t a mistake.”
“I—“ Words escape me. I want, so badly, to say it was all a slip-up. But the truth is, I can’t . “It wasn’t a mistake, Brooks. Nothing about you has ever been a mistake.”
I can practically feel the relief sweep through his body, and then he’s on me again. When he kisses me this time, his hands slip beneath the water and drift over my hips. Then he’s pulling at my bottoms and sliding them down my legs. They land on the ground beside the hot tub with a smack.
He presses a knuckle against my bare clit, and I bite down on his lip as I moan. He pulls back with a grin.
“There she is,” he says, and I fucking melt .
“More,” I say. “I need you.”
He wastes no time slipping his finger inside me. Then he adds another. It’s better, but it’s not enough. What I really want is him . His cock.
He pumps in and out of me a few times, but then he withdraws. I open my mouth to complain, but he grabs my hips and hauls me up, out of the water.
He sets me on the edge of the hot tub, and I let out a gasp. First, at the cold air nipping my bare skin, and second, at the setting. My fingers dig into his shoulders as my head whips left and right.
“Brooks,” I hiss, “someone could see us. ”
This patio is meant to be private, but that didn’t stop Brooks from showing up. Now I’m somewhat paranoid. Anyone could come by and see us in this compromising position, however unlikely.
He hums. “Better be a good girl and come quickly for me, then.”
“ Brooks .”
He pays my concerns no mind. “Let me see those pretty tits, sweetheart.”
I’m clinging to my last shred of logical thought, but…I’m exhausted. With fighting this, fighting him.
Just for tonight, I can throw my worries away.
I shove my bandeau top up, letting my breasts free. Brooks’s irises swirl with a heady mix of want and need, and he eagerly pinches one nipple while his mouth closes around the other. My head tips back, hitting the wall behind me. I’m thankful for it, though. I surely would have fallen already if it weren’t there for support.
When his mouth pops off my nipple, the cold air hits it. I feel sensitive all over—from the temperature, from Brooks.
He lowers himself between my thighs, settling my legs over his shoulders. And when his tongue pushes inside of me, I almost lose control. My fingers twist in his hair, holding him in place against me.
I should make a note to thank whoever taught him that because holy shit . He definitely didn’t know how to do that in high school.
“So close,” I murmur.
He adds a third finger, and that’s when I tip over the edge. I come with a small cry, my muscles tightening. My eyes fall shut, and Brooks keeps steadily pumping his fingers, drawing out my orgasm.
Chest heaving, I attempt to catch my breath. He withdraws, and I instantly feel the loss. I always do when it comes to him .
He’s only been back in my life for a short amount of time, but I fear what will happen when I leave. I don’t want to think about that right now, though, so I don’t. Instead, I focus on the come-down from my orgasm.
And when I open my eyes, I meet Brooks’s gaze. Because I know one thing for certain: I’m not done with him yet.