8. Miles
8
MILES
O ne thing was for certain—standing at the top of one of the resort’s intermediate slopes, the four of us abreast as we prepared for the first warm-up run of the day, Aria could fill out a ski suit. I could barely take my eyes off her long enough to be sure my goggles were secure. I had seen her in workout clothes, jeans, and skirts, but never had she worn something so completely form-fitting that showcased her firm body so perfectly that my hands ached to test her curves.
“See you down there!” Lucian took off, followed by Evan, the two of them expertly weaving their way down the snow-covered hillside. They’d probably been on skis from the time they could walk or soon after. I had spent the first twenty years of my life regarding skiing as the ultimate wealthy person’s sport. Something spoiled rich people did while visiting their cabins and ski lodges.
Such as the one in which I would be spending the weekend. Yet another part of the life I could have and should have led.
“You ready?” Aria offered a cheeky grin before she shot forward without warning. I couldn’t be irritated with her head start when it was so pleasant gazing at her peach of an ass as she seemed to fly down the slope.
I started off behind her, keeping her in my sights. I had only been on skis since midway through my college days, a scholarship student surrounded by the wealthy who had first exposed me to a world I’d only ever imagined. It was a sport I’d taken to quite easily. Mom used to tell tales of trips she’d taken in her modeling days—Aspen, Switzerland, Italy. She had tasted this lifestyle and had it cruelly ripped from her.
I couldn’t optimize my speed while obsessing over memories that were not even mine to begin with. Pushing them from my head, I focused on catching up to her, which I did roughly halfway down the course. She veered right, placing more distance between us, and a quick glance her way revealed what looked like laughter before she shot forward again. She had me beat. I didn’t happily admit to defeat, but there was no denying it.
By the time I reached her, she was yawning, staring at her wrist as if checking the time. “Took you long enough.” I didn’t mind losing so much when I heard the obvious joy in her voice. If she could taunt me, she was growing more comfortable with me. I could lose a single race if it meant advancing in the much larger picture.
“That’s the problem with racing a cheater who takes a head start,” I pointed out, lifting my goggles and narrowing my eyes. “It means you have to work harder to catch up.”
“Yeah, yeah. Tell me another good one. I let you catch up to me, didn’t I?” Her saucy grin did things to me. Bad things I had no business imagining, such as taking her back to that palatial cabin and tying her to the bed. Stroking those amethyst locks of hers while her head bobbed in a quick, steady rhythm, lips wrapped around my cock. We would do that. We would do all of it, but it had to be on my terms. Lust couldn’t have a damn thing to do with it, at least not on my end.
“You like to go fast, do you?” I asked, pursing my lips as I admired the way the navy fabric clung to her curves. If she were any other man’s daughter, what I wouldn’t have already done to her.
“Sure. What, do you want me to show you again how much I like it?” She eyed the slope we’d come down. “I could go for another run before we move on to something more challenging.” Her brazen confidence softened something in me. Something warmer, something comfortable and familiar.
“I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity for another race.” I eyed the slope, then shrugged. “But I was thinking of something else. Later. What do you say?”
“I say…” Her head tipped to the side, skeptical. “I would like more information.”
“Meet me on the front porch at midnight.” With that, I continued toward where Lucian and Evan waited for the lift. I hadn’t given her the chance to refuse and hadn’t received confirmation she would join me, but I wasn’t worried. She couldn’t back down from a challenge, not from me.
It was half past eleven, and the evening was winding down. Colton and Rose had escaped to their room an hour ago, maybe more. Sienna had given Noah a meaningful look, then sauntered up the stairs not long after. Before calling it a night, he stayed behind for another few hands of poker at the round table between the kitchen and main room. All the while, Aria read a book, curled up in a deep, overstuffed chair near the fire on the other side of the room. She twirled a strand of hair around one finger, deeply engrossed.
So engrossed, in fact, she hadn’t done much more than stare at the same page for the last two hands. I was the only one who noticed or paid attention.
There wasn’t a doubt in my mind she was questioning whether she ought to take me up on my challenge. She would ignore her distrust of me if only to show me up. That was fine. So long as she followed the trail of breadcrumbs I so carefully sprinkled for her.
“We could make this interesting.” Evan grinned at me before turning to Valentina, currently scowling at her cards. “What do you say next hand, we try strip poker?”
In another life, I might have liked Valentina quite a bit. She pulled no punches and didn’t give much of a shit whether anyone cared. Her face contorted in a mask of disgust before she retorted, “Dude, my cousin is playing with us. That’s disgusting.”
“And her stepbrother, don’t forget,” I quipped. Soft scoffing floated our way from Aria's side of the room, but she continued the pretense of reading. “Though you aren’t cousins by blood, are you?” I pointed out.
“No, but he’s our aunt and uncle’s nephew by marriage,” Valentina explained as she studied her cards. “It just makes sense to call him our cousin. We all practically shared a playpen when we were little. Either way, my clothes are staying where they are, thank you.“
“Just an idea,” Evan insisted. “Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
“Actually, you can.” She squinted across the table at him, the two of them the only ones who hadn’t folded. “What’s it gonna be? I call. Show me what you’ve got.”
“Two pairs. Jacks over nines.” Smirking, he spread his cards on the table and reached for the chips.
That was until Valentina placed a trio of sevens on the table before pulling the chips her way. “And because I’m a gracious winner, that will be my last hand,” she announced gleefully. “We’ll settle up in the morning.” She hummed happily to herself as she gathered her chips while Evan scowled, and I shared a laugh with Lucian.
“It’s been a long day.” Lucian stretched, groaning, then pushed back from the table. “I think I’ll head up. Who’s doing breakfast in the morning?”
“You mean brunch, I hope,” Evan muttered, gathering a handful of empty beer bottles and taking them to the kitchen. “I’m not one of you early risers.”
“Either way, Rose and Sienna are making pancakes,” Valentina announced. “Aria and I will take breakfast on Sunday before we head out.”
All through this, Aria maintained her silence. I went through the motions of tidying up, pushing the chairs in, and finishing my lager before tossing the empty bottle into a recycle bin. I had milked two bottles of beer all evening, intent on keeping a clear head.
“Are you coming up anytime soon?” Valentina called down from the second-floor passage overlooking the main room.
Aria looked up at her, shrugging. “I’m pretty content down here right now. But don’t worry. I’ll kill the fire when I come up.” In the reflection from the large windows spanning either side of the chimney, I noticed when Valentina’s gaze landed on me. She was reluctant to leave us alone, but it wasn’t enough to stop her from retreating to her room. I waited until the door closed and again for another two doors to close upstairs before speaking to Aria for the first time in hours.
“It’s not quite midnight,” I pointed out in a low voice on my way to the kitchen. “But my offer still stands. Meet me on the porch.”
“For what?” She snapped the book shut without bothering to use a bookmark, telling me exactly how much attention she had paid to a single word.
“Something I think you’ll enjoy.” I wasn’t about to give her another hint, deciding instead to head straight for the hooks embedded in the wall to the left of the front door, where my coat waited. If she followed, I had won.
The solar lights lining both sides of the pathway leading from the porch stairs were striking against snow painted purple by the moon. Lights dotted the landscape in the distance, revealing the presence of cabins and lodges throughout the valley. It was a beautiful, peaceful scene, one whose value I could not help but notice despite my distracted, troubled thoughts.
Thoughts of the girl inside, most likely pacing as she fought herself. There was no pretending she didn’t hold my attention. I’d played terribly all evening, too concerned with the way the fire defined her delicate profile. I asked myself what she was thinking and noted her chewing of her lip from time to time as if something worried her.
I didn’t care. I couldn’t. There was no room for it. I had made a vow.
With my back to the door, there was no need to conceal a triumphant grin when I heard the hinges squeak softly. “Okay, I’m here.” She sounded like the brat she was, which made my smile widen. If nothing else, she was an amusing girl. Fun to play with.
“It’s about time.” I reached into my pocket and withdrew a set of keys to one of the SUVs. “Come on. I have something to show you.”
Her disparaging groan rang out when I turned away. “I’ve heard that line before, you know.”
Trotting down the stairs, I retorted, “Yet you’re still following me.” She was, too, her feet crunching the gravel beneath us on our way to the cars.
“It had better be good, is all. I could be warm in bed right now.”
“There’s one thing you need to learn about me. I am always good.” Turning toward her, I had a chance to notice her scowl or disapproval. “Lighten up,” I advised, opening her door before rounding the vehicle to open my own.
She seemed to have taken a vow of silence along the drive down to the airstrip. Her fists were clenched in her lap, her right knee jiggling. That was what I did to her.
At this time of night, there was very little traffic, only a pair of vehicles passing in the other direction. Otherwise, the road was ours, illuminated by the moon and the SUV’s lights. More than once, I caught a glimpse of eyes glowing in the darkness on either side, observing our progress. Wolves? Bears?
Aria noticed, too, shivering and rubbing her arms. “I’m pretty sure I saw a wolf.”
She was sitting next to one, and I bit my tongue to keep a straight face. “I hope we don’t break down on the side of the road.”
“Don’t even joke about that.”
I was content to sink into silence over the last few minutes of our journey. “Why are we here?” she asked when our destination was clear.
My plane waited, fully fueled as I’d requested. Once I had noticed her scowling reaction to my arrival, there was no question of bringing her out with me if only to show off. However, after our time on the slopes, it was obvious she needed to be put in her place. We’d see how brave she was when it came to true speed.
And altitude.
“You want to go flying? At this time of night?” So it was possible to impress her or to at least elicit a reaction other than contempt. She was slow and hesitant climbing down from the SUV, but she followed me to the single-engine Cessna before looking my way with a mixture of intrigue and concern radiating from her eyes.
“Why not? This is as good a time as any. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen the mountains from above, in the moonlight. It’s breathtaking.” Frowning, I added, “Unless you’re afraid. We can go back now if it would make you feel better.”
“Shut up. I’m not a child.” Rolling her shoulders back, she tightened her jaw before taking a deep breath. “Okay. Let’s go. This could be fun.”
“It will be.” I opened the door and held out a hand to help her inside, pretending to ignore the shiver that ran through her at my touch. It led me to assist in buckling her in, knowing the way her body betrayed her. She sucked in a breath while I took my time sliding the straps across her chest, one she didn’t release until the buckle clicked, and I withdrew my hands.
Stand down , I warned myself as I rounded the plane’s nose, then climbed in. We would never get off the ground if I didn’t keep my dick in check. Somehow, I doubted attacking her in the cockpit would be anything but awkward.
“How long have you been flying?” Her voice was soft now, awestruck as she looked over the instruments. It must have been entirely foreign.
“I got my license two years ago.”
“What made you decide to do that?” she asked.
“The same thing that led me to motorcycling, skiing and sports cars. We haven’t discussed my admiration for them yet, have we?” She shook her head as I finished running down the items on my checklist. “I like to go fast. And I like the option of going wherever I want to go, whenever I wish. It’s freedom.”
“I can understand that.”
“But you’ve always had that ability, haven’t you?” Fuck. I shouldn’t have said that. It wouldn’t do for her to know I’d been thinking as much as I had about the differences in our upbringing.
Instead of firing back some smart-ass comment, she seemed to take my statement seriously. “You’re right. I’ve had the privilege all my life. I’m glad you have that freedom now.”
My chest warmed at the sincerity pouring from her voice, reminding me of what I’d gone without for most of my life—being understood and seen . I had no idea how much I’d missed it until now.
Good sense pulled me up short before I could forget what this was all about. Why did she have to be so fucking empathetic? Was it sincere or merely lip service?
It was best to let it go. “All right. Prepare yourself.”
Her laughter was tight, half-hearted. “You’re the one who needs to be prepared, pilot.” She wasn’t wrong. I was prepared, so it took very little time for us to taxi down the runway and lift off the tarmac.
Her strangled squeal took me by surprise. “With that private jet sitting there, you’re not used to taking off?” I asked with a laugh.
“This is different!” she shouted over the engine and propeller. “This is… this is amazing!” The sheer joy in her voice brought an unexpected smile to my face as we climbed closer to the moon.
“Wow.” When I looked her way, I found her touching the backs of her fingers to the corners of her eyes. She was crying. I didn’t need to ask why. I’d felt the same rush of almost crushing emotion the first time I took off in a small plane like this one. Feeling so close to the world outside and the wind currents passing around the plane’s body, I wanted to reach out and grab a handful of stars. The illusion was there, brought on by an enormous moon that looked close enough to touch.
“What do you think?” I asked as we rounded the resort we’d skied earlier. “Can you see the cabin from here?”
“I can’t quite tell.” She craned her neck, looking through the window on her side in search of the dark green roof.
“Let me help you.” I banked right, making her squeal again as the plane tilted on her side. “Can you see it now?” I chuckled over her panicked gasps for breath.
“Don’t do that!” she barked. “Jesus, are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
“Not quite yet.”
She took a beat before muttering, “What does that mean?”
I leveled the plane again before flipping a switch, opening power to the yoke on her side of the cockpit. “I am saying you are going to fly the plane now.”
“Fuck off.”
I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at her deadpan response. “I’m bloody well serious. Go ahead. Take hold of the yoke.”
“You’re out of your mind.” She folded her arms, tucking her hands close to her ribs. “I won’t. I don’t have the first idea what to do.”
“I am right here. I won’t let you kill us.”
“Oh, thanks,” she groaned out. “What a great choice of words.”
“Quit stalling and take the yoke in your hands. I’ll tell you what to do.” Clearly, I would be in control of the plane at all times. She wouldn’t have to do much and would certainly not touch any of the instruments. Still, I could imagine it being overwhelming.
“I really hate you for this.” At the same time, she reached for the yoke in front of her, closing her fingers around the grips. “Oh, man. Oh, shit.”
“That’s right. Get it all out.” I released the yoke, spreading my fingers, and she squealed again.
“Shit, fuck,” she whispered, sitting as stiff as a board, fully upright, her frame rigid. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
“Try to relax,” I suggested.
“Try to shut the hell up or take the yoke back. Either way.”
“Have fun with it,” I urged. “Pull back a little bit on the yoke. We want to climb a few thousand feet. See it here, on the altimeter?” I pointed out the dial. “Easy does it. A little at a time.”
“Okay. I can do this,” she whispered, flexing her fingers and easing back on the yoke. Her strained whimper went up in pitch, her eyes darting back and forth between the altimeter and the mountains in front of us.
“You’re doing it. You’re doing fine,” I called out. “Level it now. Keep us straight and level.”
She yelped when we leveled out, then released a shaky breath. “I did it! Oh, my God, I think I’m going to pee my pants.”
“Please don’t.” I laughed. “Unless you feel like replacing the seat. Now, we want to turn to the left. Ease into it. We will bank, so take your time and don’t freak yourself out.”
Perhaps it should’ve come as a surprise that she took so well to flying. There was much more to learn, but already she grew comfortable with the yoke, guiding the plane without any more squealing or cursing me. Instead, she smiled and laughed as if in disbelief. It reminded me of her joy after her first ride on my Harley. We shared a love of the sort of excitement many so-called ordinary people were afraid of. She was entirely different than what I’d imagined, leaving me caught between uncertainty at my beliefs being challenged and admiration of her courage.
However, a love of excitement went only so far. When I offered to take over, her head bobbed enthusiastically. “Yes, please. Jesus, that was…”
“Better than sex?” I suggested.
For once, she didn’t bother pulling a sanctimonious act. Her laughter filled the cockpit before she shrugged. “Now that you mention it, yes.”
I brought the plane around, the airstrip up ahead. “If that’s the case…” I quietly observed, “… you haven’t had the right partner.”
“No comment.” A glance her way from the corner of my eye revealed her flushed cheeks. I had the feeling it wasn’t entirely the effect of controlling a plane for the first time.
“I would be happy to bring you out again sometime,” I sincerely offered. “You’ll be a pilot in no time. Next flight, I’ll guide you through a barrel roll.”
“I had no idea you were so desperate to watch me throw up,” she pointed out in a shaky voice that made me laugh as I brought the plane down.
We taxied along the runway, coming to a stop. She sat completely still, staring straight ahead for a long time after the noise faded to silence. The only sound in the cockpit was that of our breathing before she whispered, “That was amazing.”
“I knew you would love it.” I went about unbuckling myself, more than a little regretful. We would return to the cabin now, and she would pretend none of this ever happened. The fact that I cared was a problem, but there was no denying the twinge in my chest as reality rushed back in.
She hadn’t moved yet. “What’s wrong?” I asked teasingly, reaching over and running my fingers beneath one of the straps across her chest. “Not ready to go back yet? Is your head still in the clouds?”
“Very funny.” Her voice sounded choked, strained by the time I toyed with the buckle in her lap. Was it the aftereffect of flying or the position of my hand so close to her pussy? I felt the effect, too, my dick beginning to thicken as all manner of filthy ideas swirled in my head.
“Let me help you,” I offered, noting the way she tensed when I leaned closer.
“I can do it myself,” she whispered.
“Why take care of yourself when I’m offering my services?” I pressed the button to release the buckle, then pulled the straps away from her when she made no move to do so, as if she were in a trance, watching my every move before lifting her gaze to meet mine.
Something in the way she looked at me, something in those clear, sapphire depths, stole every conscious thought from my mind, replacing it with pure, blind want. Plan or no plan, I had waited long enough.
When she launched herself at me, kneeling on her seat and taking me by the lapels of my coat, it was clear she felt the same.
I thought I knew euphoria. The sense of the inevitable finally coming to pass overwhelmed me when our mouths met, when those pouty lips pressed against mine with the sort of urgency that went straight to my dick, stiffening it almost painfully before I had the chance to sink my hands into her thick and soft hair, I indulged in it as I parted her lips with my tongue.
That wasn’t enough. Weeks of watching her, imagining the body beneath her clothes and how it would respond to my touch, left me greedy. Stroking her tongue with mine, I opened her coat with one hand, testing the fullness of her tits while she moaned helplessly. Firm and heavy, they set off a wave of pure longing that only grew the longer I caressed them. When she covered my hand with hers, I thought she would surely pull it away. Instead, she squeezed, silently urging me on. With a growl, I slipped beneath her sweater, fingers dancing over her lacy bra, stroking the heaving swells threatening to spill out with every ragged breath she took.
She pulled her mouth away to gulp in some air, moaning again when my lips grazed her jaw, making a path down her throat. Somehow, desperation helped her ease her body over mine in the close quarters of the cockpit until she was snug in my lap and rocking her hips, grinding her pussy against my covered erection.
I had unleashed a beast, one with the power to unlock everything I worked hard to keep hidden from the so-called civilized world. Raking my fingers across her ass cheeks, I pulled her closer, demanding more, while our tongues danced and her breathless moans filled the air. It wasn’t long before I joined her, lost in the taste of her, the smell of her skin, and the sound of her needy groans. I was about to bust through my zipper, but I wouldn’t have pushed her away even to ease the discomfort. I couldn’t bring myself to ruin it when she was so hot and demanding, her fingers twisting in my curls, nails scraping across my scalp until my nerves sizzled.
“Oh, fuck,” she whimpered close to my ear when I lifted my hips enough to grind against her. When that wasn’t enough, I wedged a hand between us, pressing against her hot, plump mound, teasing the seam I felt so easily through her leggings. “Oh, my God!” she gasped out, throwing her head back and rocking faster.
Until she went stiff, sucking in a pained breath. I stopped nipping her throat long enough to find her covering the top of her head with one hand. “Fuck!” She groaned, rubbing the spot where she had hit the ceiling above us. “Shit, that was stupid.”
“Are you bleeding?” I moved her hand aside, adjusting her head so I could see the top clearly. “No, it doesn’t look like it.”
The moment was over. I had to believe that was for the best, even if my dick did not share the sentiment. The persistent ache and the blue balls I knew would follow left me wishing we could pick up where we stopped. There was no recapturing the sort of rush that made a person throw caution into the wind.
“I guess we had better go back,” she announced without looking at me. It was almost painfully awkward now as she climbed off my lap and opened the door on her side. I touched my head to the back of the seat and sighed as the discomfort of my swollen dick reminded me of what happened when I let myself get caught up in a moment.
I had planned every step so carefully, laying the groundwork always with my goal in mind.
If only I could have planned for her. How much of a struggle it would be to resist her when every part of me demanded I take her and make her mine.
She was waiting for me at the SUV’s passenger side door by the time I climbed out of the cockpit, torn between regret that our moment had ended and intense self-loathing.
Because I would have given anything to take her in my arms again.