17. Fiona
Chapter Seventeen
FIONA
It’s safe to say, if it weren’t for the threats hanging over us, this would have been the time of my life.
I always thought I was more of a hot vacation kind of person, but it turns out, any vacation is fun when Scout is around.
I soak up every second of his infectious laughter as we sledge down hills and have endless snowball fights.
Even Cormac has had a smile on his face, which is the first I’ve seen in weeks.
I don’t want to get my hopes up, but I think having some time with just the three of us is exactly what we needed.
“No way do you love K-Pop Demon Hunters.” Scout gapes at me from across the table, momentarily forgetting the enormous icecream sundae in front of him.
It turns out that despite Cormac hiring out the entire resort for just the three of us, the buffet is still fully stocked with enough food to feed a small army, and Scout is making the most of it, especially the make-your-own sundae bar.
I nod. “It’s my favorite movie.”
Cormac sits at the head of the table, looking between Scout and me like we’ve both grown an extra head. “I’m sorry, K-What?”
I wave a hand. “Don’t worry. You wouldn’t like it.”
“Yeah, Dad. You’re not cool enough.” Scout rolls his eyes, and I have to stifle a laugh at the look on Cormac’s face.
He frowns. “Since when am I not cool?”
“Since always,” I say without missing a beat.
Scout reaches across the table and high-fives me, grinning.
“I’m being bullied by my own kid.”
“This is payback for all the years you bullied Uncle Brennan,” Scout says, and I choke on my wine.
“Did he say that? Because I’ll tell you right now that’s a lie,” Cormac says firmly.
“Is it?” I challenge.
Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say.
Cormac gives me a look that tells me I’m crossing into dangerous territory. He narrows his eyes, refusing to break eye contact.
In the past, a look like that would have ended up with me bent over the table and him teaching me a very valuable lesson, so I quickly knock back some more wine and pray that my cheeks stop burning before Cormac realizes.
But from the way his eyes darken, I have a feeling he’s thinking the exact same thing, which only makes my cheeks burn even hotter and a subtle ache build between my thighs.
Scout thankfully draws the attention back to him. “What about Minecraft? Have you played that?”
“Seriously, what are you two talking about?” Cormac grumbles.
I ignore Cormac. “I love Minecraft. I used to play it with my roommate in college.”
“You are the epitome of cool,” Cormac mutters under his breath.
I reach for my wine and subtly flash him the middle finger as I take a sip.
Scout wrinkles his nose. “I made Ray watch the Minecraft movie, but I don’t think he liked it.”
“Well, I would be happy to watch it with you, as long as we can watch Encanto afterwards.”
Scout’s eyes widen before he tosses his spoon on the table and starts singing at the top of his lungs.
“We don’t talk about Bruno, no, no, no.”
“Scout—” Cormac starts.
“We don’t talk about Bruno!” I join along, which has Scout almost falling off his chair from laughing so hard.
“You should be concerned that you have the same taste in films and music as a five-year-old,” Cormac warns me.
I flash him a grin. “What can I say? I’ve always been a kid at heart.”
At least I was, before Carly died and Lorcan started treating me like his own personal puppet.
The thought flashes in my mind so quickly that I almost drop my wine.
It’s like an automatic reaction. Every time I start feeling some semblance of happiness, I do or think something to mess it up.
But not today. I refuse to let thoughts of Lorcan or Carly ruin this moment with Scout and Cormac.
After we finish our second helpings of dessert, including Cormac, the three of us head into the downstairs lounge area, which feels like a ski lodge in the middle of Aspen.
The ceiling soars two stories high with exposed timber beams and a wall of windows showing nothing but the black forest beyond through the faintly fogged glass.
But what really catches my attention is the massive stone fireplace, which is tall enough for Cormac to stand inside.
The heat from the fire can be felt across the room, and low leather couches and oversized armchairs are arranged in a loose circle around it.
I collapse onto one of the couches beside the fire and draw a plaid blanket over my knees. “Oh, I could stay here forever.”
“Me too!” Scout announces.
“Don’t get too close to the fire,” Cormac warns, but Scout isn’t listening.
He kneels in front of the wooden table and pulls off his backpack.
“Fiona, have you ever played Top Trumps?”
“I’m actually the reigning world champion of Top Trumps.”
“That’s not a thing.”
“It sure is, but if you’re too scared to play against me…”
“I’m not!’ Scout says quickly.
Cormac chuckles as he drops down onto the couch beside me.
The fact that he’s willingly choosing to be in close proximity to me has my heart racing.
I keep my attention on Scout, pretending not to notice, but how can I not when his knee is barely an inch from mine? It’s embarrassing how much effect he has on me, but I can’t help it.
My body is drawn to him like a magnet.
Thankfully, Scout is here to stop me from doing something stupid like climbing into his lap and kissing him.
Scout shuffles the cards clumsily and deals them out between the three of us. We play for a few rounds, with Scout endlessly giggling, and me pretending I’m not ridiculously competitive.
Every so often, I catch Cormac’s eyes on me, but he always looks away, pretending not to notice.
I only wonder if he realizes how carefully I watch him in return.
I want to ask what he’s thinking, but I don’t. He seems to be softening toward me, that much I can tell from the way he’s letting me back into his orbit bit by bit.
But I also know he carries his wounds like a shield, and while I can see him trying to move past what I did, he must still think about it. God knows I do. I think about it all the time, wishing I could change the past and get back what we used to have.
Cormac sets his cards down after our fourth game. “Okay, that’s it. Bedtime.”
Scout groans, tucking the cards back into the box. “Already?”
“It’s late, and you’ve got a big day of playing tomorrow.”
Scout sulks, but as soon as he’s in his pajamas, the exhaustion hits, and he doesn’t bother fighting as Cormac ushers him into the bathroom to brush his teeth.
I head into my room to lay out my pajamas.
I jump as a hand snakes around my waist, and I’m pulled back against Cormac’s chest.
“Meet me in the hot tub,” he murmurs.
A shiver runs down my spine as his breath tickles the sensitive skin beneath my ear.
I turn my head just enough to catch the look on his face that tells me exactly what he has planned for me.
I nod, careful to mask the rapid thrum of my pulse as I realize what he’s saying.
Only when he disappears back into Scout’s room do I finally take a breath, feeling my body already start to hum with need.
While Cormac finishes putting Scout to bed, I quickly change into my bathing suit and throw a towel around myself before heading back through the suite and onto the terrace where the hot tub is situated, giving us a perfect view of the snow-covered trees.
I slide into the hot tub, letting the steam curl around me as I try to calm my nerves that won’t seem to settle.
The hot water makes my skin tingle as I lean back and close my eyes for a moment, trying to focus on anything other than how much I want Cormac.
At some point, the sliding door opens, and I glance around to see Cormac wearing nothing but a towel wrapped loosely around his hips, showcasing his impressive physique.
My mouth goes dry, and my eyes trail the lines of muscles, from his broad shoulders all the way down to the V that leads to his cock, which I can see is already hard.
His gaze sweeps over me like he’s measuring my every reaction as he stalks toward me.
I try not to betray how nervous I am, but I can’t hide the flutter in my stomach when he finally drops the towel.
I swallow a whimper at the sight of his erection. I can’t remember the last time I saw him naked. Ever since this mess with Lorcan came to light, he’s always been careful to keep a barrier between us, and I’ve been desperate to get my hands on him.
I don’t move. I barely even breathe as he climbs into the hot tub and wades through the water toward me like a predator stalking its prey.
His hands find my hips, and then he spins us around, pulling me onto his lap as he takes a seat, and I gasp as his cock brushes against my lower stomach.
Suddenly, I’m aware of every inch of him—the strong muscles of his shoulders and arms, the steady beat of his heart as I run my hands over his chest.
My hips move of their own accord, but Cormac tightens his grip, stilling me as he leans down and grazes his lips against my neck.
His mouth trails up my neck and along my jaw before he kisses me, softly at first, testing to see if I want more.
I melt into him, resting my hands lightly on his chest, feeling the tension in his body as well as my own.
The kiss deepens, and I wrap my arms around him, trying to anchor myself despite the overwhelming surge of emotions that are swirling inside me.
There’s anger, relief, desire, and fear all tangled together, and I know he feels it too from the way he pulls me even closer.
“I need you,” he murmurs, his voice so rough with need that it sends a pulse of longing straight between my thighs.
I pull back and take his face in my hands, stroking my thumbs over the beginnings of the stubble coating his jaw, needing to memorize every line, every speck of gold in his chocolate-brown eyes.
“I’m right here.”
He shifts beneath me, dropping one hand from my waist and sliding it up to cradle my face.
The hot water churns around us, bubbling over our bodies, the warmth masking the lingering chill of the evening.
“I can’t stop thinking about you,” he murmurs. “About…everything.”