Chapter Five
“ O h. My. God.” The princess stared at the cabin on the lake. Her mouth open. “How do you know about a place like this ?”
Colt gave her a flat look. “I flew you here on a private jet. I told you I have connections. Come on.” He climbed out of the car that had been waiting when they landed for their use and collected both of their bags from the trunk.
Aspen stood next to the vehicle, gazing at the house. Knowing her level of expectations, he could only guess at what she thought of his cabin.
He moved up beside her.
“How did you manage to get a house on Lake Tahoe on such short notice?”
He looked down at her. He wasn’t one to make up stories, but he wasn’t the type to brag either. So he just stared at her until understanding dawned on her.
She blinked rapidly and spun back to the two-story log-sided cabin nestled between old-growth pines. The cabin had started as an A-frame and he’d built out on both sides and added a wraparound porch so he could see the lake from many angles.
She whipped back around. “You own this place, don’t you?”
He gave her a single nod.
“That was your private jet!”
He shrugged. “My family’s.”
“Colt, I never would have guessed, and I know wealthy people. They’re not good at concealing it. They drive…”
“Old trucks with dusty seats?”
She snapped her mouth shut, a reaction which made him want to laugh.
“Let’s go in. It’s been a long day, and I’m ready for a drink.”
When they entered, Aspen drew in a breath and drifted to the expansive window. He dropped the bags and came up behind her. In the glass, he saw their reflections. He was a head taller than her, but he only took notice of that for a heartbeat because he was too busy watching her react to the view.
Awe widened her eyes. “This is some view, Colt. This is the kind of place my billionaires would love to visit.”
Her hair smelled nice. Which made him think of her in that horse trough earlier that morning—Christ, it felt like a week ago—and how he’d almost jumped into the bath with her. After waking with a hard-on that would dent steel, he barely had control of himself, and seeing her bare skin and her knees tucked up to cover her nudity from him almost stole what little control he had left.
In the reflection, their gazes met.
He jerked his head. “I’ll give you the tour, then we can have that drink.”
As he showed her the living room with an enormous sectional sofa and large flatscreen TV, he saw how impressed she was with the place.
He hoped that she didn’t treat him differently. Or worse, kiss up to him.
“You about finished staring at the artwork, princess?”
“You about finished calling me princess?” She turned her head from the art his sister called abstract but just looked like a bunch of blotches to him. Aspen locked gazes with him for one beat…two.
“I still think you’re a jerk too.”
A laugh burst out of him. Her own soft smile transformed her face from pretty to stunning. Riveting.
Christ, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, and that was saying a lot for a Malone. He and his brothers were never lacking for beautiful women.
Quickly, he set off through the rest of the house, showing her the huge kitchen.
She stepped up to the enormous gas range with about five burners more than he would ever need. “A chef’s kitchen? Colt, I didn’t know you cook.”
“I don’t.”
She tossed her head on a laugh, eyes dancing with a happiness he hadn’t seen on her up to this point. But what would she have to be happy about? His grumpy response to her crashing his brother’s wedding, followed by the bad news that her plane was grounded and two terrible cabins.
He showed her two bedrooms, both with comfortable beds. “This is the blue room.”
She made a sweep of the space, ending at the tall window that looked down on the deck.
He led her to the second room. “This is the green room.”
“So calming.”
He didn’t tell her that she could take her pick of them.
When he opened the door to the master bedroom suite made up in shades of khaki and brown that he preferred, Aspen let out a little squeal. “Colt…this is stunning!”
He stared down at her, gaze roaming over her angel’s features. “I know.”
Whatever she heard in his voice made her jerk her gaze to his. She stood inches away. He could settle a hand on her lower back, over the curve of her ass, and draw her against his body.
“You’ll want to check out this view.” He stepped back and waved a hand to urge her to the massive window.
She let out a gasp. “Look at the leaves! All the fall colors are reflected on the lake! Oh my god. Is that a private dock?”
“Yep.”
“Two stories?”
“Mm-hm. We can go down later if you want.”
She turned to him, shaking her head. For once when it came to a property, she seemed speechless. “This window is frickin’ amazing. I’m in love with this window. I could stay here forever.”
“Stay and take in the view. Freshen up if you’d like—the bathroom’s through that door. I’ll grab those drinks for us and we’ll head down to the dock.”
The gleam in her eyes was worth all the crap he’d had to go through over the past few days. After he left her alone, he washed up and went into the kitchen. He located a big picnic basket exactly in the spot his sister Willow told him it would be last time she’d visited the cabin. Then he added a bottle of wine and a few snacks from the pantry that boasted more than expired cans of food.
He set the basket at the back door leading down a couple flights of stairs to the dock. He found Aspen still staring out the big window.
“This view is amazing,” she said without turning.
“It’s what made me fall in love with the property.”
“I can see why.”
“Want to head outside?”
She nodded, and he ushered her out ahead of him. Downstairs, he passed by the sofa and snagged a plaid wool blanket. He draped it over his arm.
She spotted the basket by the door. “Is that a picnic?”
“Just snacks and that drink I promised you. C’mon.”
The scents of cedar and pine filled the air. The sun hadn’t completely set, leaving a lingering warmth that he knew would cool off fast after sunset. Tiny waves rippled on the water that now reflected a more blurred image of the foliage everyone flocked here to gawk at.
Once they stepped onto the dock, Aspen turned in a circle, drinking it all in. “It’s so nice that you have a covered dock.”
“Wanna see the upstairs?”
“Yesss.” She gave him a look like he must be crazy for asking. Again, he chuckled, low in his throat.
With the basket and blanket in hand, he followed her up the stairs. The deck boasted a gas fireplace and had all the makings of a perfect romantic evening.
If someone was into that.
She took a seat on the outdoor furniture while he set the basket down. “Can I take a look?” she asked.
“Help yourself.”
She opened the lid and stared at the wine, specialty crackers and some almonds that he thought would pair well with the wine.
She jerked her gaze to his. “You just threw this together?”
He scooted close to her—within grabbing and throwing her down on the outdoor sofa distance.
“There’s a lot more to me than meets the eye.”
She raked her gaze over his chest. When it skimmed lower to his groin, his cock began to swell. Leaning near, she let out a soft sigh. Her long lashes dipped over her smoldering eyes. “I can see that, Colt.”
He moved in. Her sweet breath washed over his lips. “Does that mean your opinion of me has changed?”
She tipped her face up, bringing her mouth a breath away from his. “No. I still think you’re a jerk.”
He laughed, and then crushed his lips down on hers.
* * * * *
When Aspen arrived at the ranch to hand-deliver that portfolio, she never guessed at the chain of events that would take place after. And she especially did not see this coming.
This hunky god, a former SEAL, kissing her like he had been waiting for it forever.
Truthfully, this kiss had begun long before he actually took action. Back in the master bedroom suite, their gazes locked with a sizzling chemistry she tried to brush away. Colt clearly felt it too.
He slipped his hand under her hair, cradling her nape as he brushed his mouth over hers three times, then four. As he slid his hand upward, her breath hitched at the feel of his callused fingertips running over her sensitive skin.
His touch was surprisingly tender considering how stormy his gray eyes were a moment before he claimed her mouth.
Aspen’s arms moved on their own, looping around his neck. As he applied more pressure to her lips, a growl rumbled through his chest. She echoed it with a breathy noise of her own.
Dashing his tongue over her lips, he sought entry. She parted them on a purr, and he plunged his tongue inside her mouth with a deliberate hunger that started a dark heat low in her core.
She melted into him, taking his kisses and feeding back her own.
He skimmed his thumb over her jaw with more tenderness than she would have ever expected from a hardened man like Colt. With a mewl of desire, she pushed closer, sliding her tongue over his.
He deepened the kiss, arm banded around her, locking her against him. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears, drowning out the sounds of the lake at night. In that brief moment, nothing else existed. No itineraries, no plans. Just the sheer, raw connection between her and Colt right now.
Breathless, he broke the contact. The tumult in his eyes reminded her of stormy seas.
Through the daze, she looked at him in return.
An unspoken question hung in the air. What happens next?
She gave a small shake of her head to clear her brain. Even that didn’t help. Not when Colt was dazzling her with his mere presence.
His eyes creased at the corners. “You look shaken up, princess.”
“I never expected…”
“Me to have money and a place like this?”
She blinked. His words doused the warm desire pulsating through her veins. “That’s not what I was going to say, Colt. I didn’t kiss you because you have an amazing home on Lake Tahoe. Why did you kiss me?”
“Because I’ve been thinking about it since I saw you in that damn bathtub in the first cabin.”
His words sent tingles through her body. She had lowered her arms, but they ached to wrap around him again, to feel the steel of his muscles.
She flicked her stare up to his. Their gazes locked. “Do you…want to…try it again?”
His lips quirked in that bad-boy way that would never get old, even if she saw it a thousand times. “Damn right I do.”
He yanked her into his lap. The hard planes of his thighs cradled her bottom, raising a gasp from her as he captured her mouth in a hard, claiming kiss.
Oh god, this man didn’t just kiss—he possessed her. Every thought she had centered on Colt. Every nerve in her body awakened to him, leaving her desperate for more.
When he tore his mouth away and stared into her eyes, her pussy gave a hard squeeze of want.
“Aspen, you can probably feel how much I want you.”
She nodded. Though he couldn’t tell how badly she wanted him too, she did.
Was this just a wanton mistake on both their parts? Could she live with a single night of passion with this man when she’d never experienced a one-night stand in her life?
Yes. Yes, she could.
She ran her palm down his sculpted chest. “I want you too.”
With all the gentleness in the world, he angled his arms under her and stood with her in his hold. Once he set her on her feet, he immediately reached for the blanket he’d brought to the dock. With a quick flick, he unfurled the fabric on the floor.
In a move she wasn’t expecting, he dropped to his knees in the middle of the blanket. She inched closer. When he yanked her down with him, a laugh of surprise bubbled up.
His grin flashed a moment before he took her mouth again. They tumbled down in a tangle of limbs. Somehow, she ended up straddling his strong hips, her aching pussy settled over his bulging erection.
He ran his palms up her sides. As he came closer to cupping her breasts, she tensed. Was she really ready for this?
She hadn’t been with a man since her reconstructive breast surgery.
He tore off her top, lips plundering hers. Even though his kisses drugged her, she stopped him before he could pop the clasp of her bra.
“Someone might see us.”
“Whatever you want.” He spattered kisses over her jaw and throat, leaving her searing with desire.
She wasn’t about to miss out on stripping such a beautiful man. She yanked his shirt over his head. As soon as she saw his hard muscles in the fading daylight, she let out a moan.
“God, your body is fucking amazing.”
He threw her a grin. “Give me your dirty mouth.”
A whimper escaped her as he claimed it for himself. At the same time, he cupped her ass and ground his cock into her pussy. In a blink, their intensity skyrocketed. He cupped her breasts and kissed her long and hard. She ran her hands over his body, learning the dips and swells of his impressive chest.
When she reached his washboard abs, she had to stop and look down so she could imprint him on her mind. Since this wouldn’t be happening again.
He watched her intently, letting her explore. As she ran her palm over his bulging erection, he only tolerated her dominance for a heartbeat.
He rolled her onto her back and went for her pants. Kissed her mouth until she was panting. Her neck until she wiggled, over her breasts where they rode above the cups of her bra.
She arched as he kissed a path down her stomach. “Yes!” she cried out as he wiggled her pants down her hips, dragging her panties with them.
Once she was bare to him, his eyes hooded, concealing the satisfied glint in the gray depths.
He skimmed his thumb over the short hair of her mound. When his rough fingertip stroked over her hard clit, she threw her head back on a cry.
He let out a low growl. “Christ, you’re gorgeous.” He strummed her clit again. Juices slicked his finger, and he issued a louder noise. “You’re fucking drenched for me.”
Leaning in, he kissed her again. At the same moment he thrust his tongue into her mouth, he plunged two fingers inside her. The stretching sensation shot her right…into…the…stars.
With a jerk of her hips, she rode his fingers while kissing him back with everything she had. She raked her fingers down his spine. The soft sounds of his fingers inside her filled the air, along with her moans as he drove her toward ecstasy.
He crushed his thumb down over her hardened bud. She perched on the ledge of sanity.
“Come for me, princess. Then I’ll slide my cock inside you and you can come on it.”
His dirty words sent a thrill to her core. The next strum of his thumb across her clit made her explode. Her orgasm pounded through her body, making her arch and writhe in his hold.
When she came down from her high, she opened her eyes. Colt stared down at her, his eyes burning with lust.
“Hell yeah, woman.” He pushed onto his knees and whipped open his fly, pulling out his thick, hard cock.
Her insides pulsated. She wanted to be filled. Taken.
As she watched, he extracted a condom from his wallet and slid it over his rock-hard length.
He wasn’t completely undressed, but neither was she. Though she had a good reason for modesty, the slight tremor in his hand as he guided the condom to the base of his shaft showed her that he was more in a rush to get inside her than worried about taking off the rest of his clothes.
She grasped his hips and spread her thighs in the same move. When she brought his thick head to her pussy, desire rolled through her.
“Take me!”
He captured her lips and in one smooth push, filled her with his cock. The weight of Colt’s body, the hard muscle surging around her, stole her last brain cell.
“Fuck, princess. You drive me crazy. I’m…so…close.” His jaw flexed. His eyes glazed over.
The seconds pounded by way too fast. After just ten thrusts of his cock, he let go. Feeling the big, strong SEAL give himself up to her sent her flying again.
Long moments later, she felt Colt rise from her. She reached for her clothes.
“Leave them.” His gruff tone sent a ripple of awareness through her.
Then he did something completely unexpected. He held out the blanket for her to step into.
Reluctantly, she stepped forward. He wrapped the blanket around her shoulders.
With all the protectiveness of a movie hero, he lifted her into his arms.
And carried her to the cabin.