Chapter 19 Zoe
ZOE
All day long, I was buzzing with energy, and let’s face it—with arousal. I wasn’t entirely sure what I’d gotten into, but after last night, I was charged up in a way I’d never experienced before.
Especially since I wasn’t wearing panties, per Asher’s order.
It was hard to admit, even to myself, but he’d been pretty damn hot last night.
I already knew Kai was sexy as hell, but the way Asher’s hands had glided over my skin—you could tell he had very strong, skilled fingers.
I half envied whatever ingredients he was working with down in the kitchen today.
My body hummed with anticipation every time I thought about tonight. About lesson two.
But first, I had an assignment to complete—and this time, not a boring one from Mrs. Greer.
I found Kai in the late afternoon, my heart pounding as I approached him near the equipment room. “I’m here about… you know. The dress code,” I said hesitantly.
He was grinning like a predator. Without a word, he pulled me into the room where the skis were stored, rows of them mounted in special holders along the walls, poles and boots on shelves, and the air smelling faintly of wax and cold. He closed the door behind us with a soft click.
Then he pushed me against the wall and kissed me hard, ravishing my mouth, leaving me breathless. When he finally stepped back, there was a glint in his eye that made my stomach flip.
“Show me,” he demanded. “Prove you’re not wearing panties.”
“How?” I asked.
He cocked his head in that arrogant, sexy way of his. “That’s for you to decide. We assign the homework, and then it’s up to you to figure how to do it. Just like at that fancy school of yours.”
“That’s different,” I said, a little breathlessly. He held my gaze, a challenge in his eyes. But when I said, “Please, it’s only my first lesson,” he took pity on me.
“The way I see it, you have two options. Lower the waistband of your skirt a little... or raise the hem a lot. It’s your choice.” He paused. “But I know what I’d choose if you were mine.”
Wow. That thought made my thighs clench. I held his gaze while I unzipped the side of my skirt and eased the waistline down a few inches. The silk shirt pulled free from where I’d tucked it in.
Kai looked down, and I could tell he liked what he saw—the strip of bare skin as I pushed the waistband down around my hips.
“Keep it there,” he said roughly. “Turn around.”
I did. He lifted my hands and placed them on the wall above my head, spread out a bit. “Don’t move,” he whispered in my ear. I didn’t move—and neither did the skirt. Thank god it was snug enough not to slide down my legs and pool on the floor.
Kai wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me a step back, making my back arch and my ass stick out. He ground his hard erection against me as he kissed my neck from behind. Just like Asher had last night, he freed my hair from the bun and fisted it as he kissed me, hard.
“Leave it down from now on,” he growled in my ear. “It’s part of the dress code.”
I groaned, wondering how much more he could turn me on before I spontaneously combusted. God, I loved the weight of his body pressing against mine. He ground against my ass, and I gasped at the size and hardness of his erection.
“Feel how big I am?” His voice was low and rumbly.
I nodded, my breathing heavy.
“That’s for you. Because you’re so fucking sexy.” He thrust against me again, and heat pooled between my legs. “And one day soon, it’s going inside of you. My big cock all the way inside your tight little body. And you’re going to scream my name so much you’ll forget your own.”
My breathing hitched, and my body reacted instantly—nipples hardening, core clenching, and a rush of moisture between my legs that would’ve soaked my panties, if I’d been wearing any.
I was turned on, yes, but also a little nervous.
A little scared, maybe. He was big. I’d felt that.
And I was... inexperienced. What would it be like?
Would it hurt? But underneath the nervousness was something else—anticipation.
Excitement. A curiosity that made me press back against him just a little more.
I wanted to experience everything he had to offer me. Then an image popped into my mind of Asher in the sauna, that towel slung low on his hips. I had to admit, I was intensely curious about what he had to offer, too.
Later, I was at the front desk, still feeling turned on. My skin tingled. My nipples were hard through my shirt, but I’d put on a jacket over it. I had to—I was so close to the front doors, and the cold air kept making me shiver.
It felt so different, walking around with no panties. And with my hair sweeping along my shoulders as I moved.
Then the family of four approached the desk—Emma, her younger brother, and their parents. The little boy was practically bouncing with excitement. And in an instant, my mind left the gutter and returned to professional mode.
“How is your stay so far?” I asked the children.
Emma started to answer, talking about how much she liked their suite, but her little brother interrupted. “We’re going skiing tomorrow! Me and dad.”
“Don’t interrupt, Henry,” his mother said.
But the little boy was far too excited to worry about conversation skills. “We’re going down a real slope, not the bunny hill.”
“Good for you,” I said. At his age, I wasn’t sure I knew what snow skiing was. The rich really did lead very different lives. “Do you ski, Emma?”
“I did when I was young,” she said, and her parents and I smiled over her head. If Emma thought she wasn’t young anymore, she probably thought someone my age was ancient.
Henry was still enthusiastic about skiing. “I have my own skis now. They’re blue and silver and they’re just my size.” He looked up at his father, who smiled indulgently. “Right, Dad?”
“That’s right, buddy.”
Emma stood next to her mother, rolling her eyes at her brother’s enthusiasm, but there was a fondness in the gesture. Her mother had that same warm, excited energy I remembered from their check-in.
“Well, you’re going to have a great time,” I told the boy. “The conditions are perfect this week.”
“Do you ski?” he asked.
“I’m learning,” I admitted.
“Me too! Maybe we’ll see you out there.”
“Maybe so.”
They headed down toward the restaurant, the boy still chattering excitedly about tomorrow’s adventure. I watched them go, feeling a pang of something—nostalgia, maybe, for that kind of uncomplicated family happiness.
But as soon as they were gone, my mind went right back to my lessons, both the one last night and the one we’d have tonight. I’d spent half the day wondering what we’d do next. The kissing and touching had felt so good, but I knew things were likely to intensify pretty quickly.
With such deliciously wicked things to think about, the rest of the day went quickly.
I remembered Mia in the coffee shop back at school, and how she’d sometimes seemed lost in thought behind the counter.
Had she been thinking about Diego? Like constantly thinking about him, and constantly aware of her body and what it wanted?
I wouldn’t blame her for that now, though I might have at the time.
When my shift was over, I was pleased to see Landon over by the Christmas tree. Was he waiting for me?
When I neared, his eyes swept up and down my body, and he gave a low whistle. “You’re going to have to do better than that if you don’t want people to know my brother’s been all over you.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. “Not all over.”
But privately, I could admit that Kai had stroked me almost everywhere today. I glanced down at myself, suddenly worried. Were my clothes rumpled? Were there visible marks on my skin that the jacket wasn’t covering?
I fell into step beside Landon as we crossed the lobby and descended the stairs to the restaurant. I wondered if he knew I wasn’t wearing panties. Had he heard that part, or had he just tuned out what we were doing last night?
That thought made me sad.
“I feel like I disappointed you,” I finally said.
Landon stopped at the base of the stairs, catching my arm before I could move past him. “You didn’t,” he said firmly. “You’re a smart, capable woman who knows her own mind. You asked for something you wanted, and you got it. Why would I be disappointed in you for that?”
“Maybe because you think I shouldn’t want it.”
He let out a breath and released my arm.
“No. I admit that my protective side took over a little yesterday. I do think that a person’s first time should be special, and I didn’t love the thought of it being with Kai, who’s skilled but not particularly gentle, or Ash, who hasn’t been very nice to you. ”
I thought but didn’t tell him that I didn’t particularly want Kai to be gentle. But I agreed about Asher, even though he’d really turned me on last night. The way he’d touched me was different than Kai, but it had felt just as good.
Landon’s focus shifted to my shoulders, as if only now noticing my hair was down. “I like it,” he said, stroking a strand with one long finger.
“Good. Because you’re going to be seeing it a lot.”
He gave a ghost of a smile. “They’re ordering you around already?”
I blushed. “Yeah.”
“Well, there can be something very exciting about that.” He turned to head toward the restaurant, and this time I stopped him.
“I wanted it to be you.”
“What?”
I could feel my face burning, but I pushed forward. I kept a brave front with the other two, but with Landon, I knew I didn’t have to conceal my thoughts. “I wanted you to give me lessons and to be my first. I almost asked in the solarium, but you seemed so sad.”
Some kind of expression flashed in his eyes for just a moment—regret, maybe, mixed with something else that I couldn’t identify. Then it was gone.
“You’re in good hands,” he said finally. Then he smirked, but it didn’t look anything like the cocky way Kai did it. “But I guess you already knew that.”
“Yep,” I said, because he didn’t seem to want to talk about this anymore. “Ready for dinner?”
“Absolutely.”