15. Chapter 15
Chapter 15
Rachel
W hen Juniper finally kissed me, I couldn’t help but melt into him. Any remaining ounce of cold that seeped into my bones thawed out in his embrace. Thankfully, he didn’t have any morning breath—I could still faintly taste the mint mouthwash from last night—and I hoped I didn’t either as his tongue pushed past my lips. His mouth felt as soft as the blanket above us, and as the last bit of wind whipped outside, I caught a whiff of spruce.
And then, without warning, Juniper pulled away from me, holding me at an arm’s length from him. His blue eyes darted to the blanket as he stuttered, “I’m sorry; I shouldn’t have done that. The last thing I want is an HR violation.”
I reached for him, fingertips grazing against his chin. When he didn’t pull away, I tilted his chin so he’d have to look at me. “Last I checked, the employee handbook we whipped up said management must be aware of a relationship between two consenting parties.”
Confusion swirled behind his eyes as he sighed. “Yes, but I am management. It’s different.”
“Right. You’re management. You’re aware. I am consenting. Are you?”
He paused, eyes shifting from my eyes to my lips, and then pulled me closer to him by my shoulders for a second kiss. It was as warm as his first, rushing through my body in a way no fireplace ever could, sending fire through my veins I never wanted to extinguish.
“You drive me fucking crazy sometimes,” Juniper said as we separated to catch our breath, “but you’re not all that bad, I suppose.”
I stifled a laugh. “You’re not all that bad either, Juni.”
“We can agree to disagree about that.”
“You are mistaken if you think I won’t make you unpack that later.”
“And that’s fine. But not now. Right now, the only thing I want to unpack is you.”
Before I could respond, Juniper kissed me again, effectively shutting me up. As per usual, he didn’t want to talk, but the way his hand gripped my side made up for his lack of words. One of my own ran down his chest, slowly trailing down to his waistband, which made him retreat once more.
“Everything okay?”
“More than okay, Rach. I… Do you have any protection in your Mary Poppins bag over there? I hadn’t exactly planned for this.”
“I don’t th—oh my God, actually, I do. One of my sorority sisters had her baby shower, like, right before I moved here. We all got condoms as a joke gift, and I never bothered to take it out of my wallet.”
He laughed and smiled, really smiled, like he wasn’t afraid to show me the man beneath the thick walls he put up. “I’m not gonna lie,” he said as he pulled away to emerge from the bed. As he walked toward my front pack, he pulled off his shirt, revealing his toned torso. “It’s been a few years, so I may be rusty. Let me know if anything needs work.”
“I’m sure you’ll be fine. Wallet’s in the front pocket.”
He retrieved the condom, set my wallet down, and then climbed back on the bed. “Just tell me if I’m not, alright? Don’t sugarcoat it, either.” Despite what he said, the look in his eyes shot sparks through my body, and the way he got on all fours left me desperate from the anticipation. The pressure between my thighs grew as he inched closer and closer to me.
“Ah, yeah, don’t mind me stopping you to give you detailed notes.”
He rolled his eyes as he tossed the condom onto the bedside table. “Oh, shut it.”
Before I could even taunt him, Juniper was on top of me, his lips pressing roughly against mine. Juniper adjusted his legs, planting his knees on either side of my hips. As we kissed, his thermals left nothing to the imagination as I felt him through our clothes, brushing up against my upper inner thigh. His hand slipped past my shirt, running up my stomach and sternum before reaching my breast. The chilly air made my nipples peak as his thumb swept across one, making desire shoot through my body even more. I couldn’t help the moan that bubbled up, stifled by Juniper’s plush lips and tongue.
With one hand, I gripped at Juniper’s bare bicep, feeling the tense muscle tighten. My other traced his ribs as I wished I could reach lower. Juniper groaned, the deep sound ringing through my ears and shooting straight for my abdomen as he pulled away from our kiss so he could move his mouth to the underside of my jaw.
“For better or worse, you have occupied,” he said between kisses down my jaw and neck, “every single corner of my mind since you got here.” His hands moved down my sides now, slow and tantalizing. While his hands were soft, a few spots on his palms were once-calloused and still smoothing over.
“I have?”
“For starters, your hair. It gets fucking everywhere. It’s beautiful. Please, tell me I can touch it.”
“I would love it if you did.”
He nipped at my collarbone. “Let’s put it this way: I’m going to make you regret letting me. And your curves .” Juniper ran his hands back up so he could cup my breasts. “You do know that some of your flannels threaten to bust open at your chest, right?”
I blushed. “I’m sorry. Has that been distracting?”
“Don’t play coy with me now.”
Heat pooled in my gut and between my legs; I didn’t realize any more could.
“You have,” he continued, “entirely too many clothes on.”
“That makes two of us.”
In a swift motion, Juniper’s hands lowered to the hem of my shirt and tugged up. I raised my arms, allowing him to take the thermal top off. As I reached for the waistband of my pants, he stood to discard the rest of his long johns, giving me the space to wiggle out of my own.
Once he was bare, I tried not to stare too obnoxiously. He couldn’t have been any better looking if he tried.
Juniper’s body was still fairly muscular; even though he didn’t snowboard anymore and had a few softer spots that I wanted to sink my teeth into, it was obvious he maintained his physique with his hikes and his time in the gym. His long, black hair hit his shoulders, down completely instead of in a bun or half-bun for once, drawing my attention down his nude form. I reached out to trace the lines of his abdominal muscles before letting my finger drag to his already erect cock.
Even his dick was pretty. I didn’t know dicks could be pretty.
Juniper crawled over me like he was ready to worship me. He dragged his lips up my legs, starting at my ankles until he reached my upper inner thigh. When Juniper’s lips reached between my legs, his grown-out five o’clock shadow scratched my thighs. I moaned in pleasure, making him chuckle.
“Listen to you. That didn’t take long.” He kissed my clit and then looked up at me. “Sit on my face?”
“You want me to?”
“Believe me, you have no idea.”
Juniper rolled over onto his back, and while I wasn’t about to deny his request, I wanted to reciprocate how good he’d made me feel. When I kneeled over his face, I faced the end of the bed, giving me a flawless view of Juniper’s nude form. He wasted no time in returning his mouth to where it had been moments ago, but I both heard and felt him groan in surprise as I lowered myself over him and ran my tongue around his tip. As the vibration of his moan rippled through me, his hands reached up and gripped my thighs, pulling me closer to his face as his fingers dug into my flesh.
The whole moment felt surreal. After months of thinking Juniper would want nothing to do with me, here he was, exploring me with his tongue like he was a man starved. But he’d said it himself: it had been years for him. Years, and yet of all the people Juniper could have picked to be with, he picked me. Of every man or woman my unattainably attractive boss could have chosen from, he chose me.
“Believe me, you have no idea,” he’d said moments ago.
For how long had my self-doubt made me blind?
Juniper didn’t stop to breathe until I felt my orgasm pooling in my core, building until the waves crashed through me and onto Juniper’s tongue. Juniper gave my hips a knowing squeeze as I came into his mouth, but he let me ride it out on his tongue. It was only when my body relax that he pulled away.
“This feels so fucking good, Rach, but I’m not through with you yet. You’re gonna make me cum if you keep this up.”
I withdrew my mouth with a pop and carefully swung my leg over his head, so I sat beside him. The mattress dipped beneath my weight as he rolled over and reached for the condom, with proof of my release still coating his lips. He darted his tongue out to lick them clean as he stood and put it on.
“How should we..?”
“Lay down,” Juniper said, voice as smooth as velvet.
As he returned to the bed, he placed a forceful yet gentle hand on my shoulder, laying me back as he lowered himself over me. He caged me beneath his arms with some of his hair falling like a curtain over either side of his face.
“I want to see you. Specifically, the faces you make.” I gasped when Juniper finally entered me. His hand ran up my body, starting below my belly button and creeping up to my breasts. “Particularly when I do something like this.”
There was so much I wanted to say, but any words failed me. All that followed were profanities and Juniper’s name. Any residual doubt or animosity melted away as Juniper and I found a rhythm, our hips moving in synchronization as I gripped at his tense biceps. My eyes cast downward where our bodies united until he picked up the pace, enough to make my head fall back on the pillow and moan his name.
“You look so beautiful beneath me.” He rolled my nipple between his thumb and index finger, earning a mewl out of me. “I can’t wait to learn everything that makes you tick.”
I wanted desperately to quip back at him, but he pinched my nipple as he thrust harder, resulting in me stuttering his name. My thighs trembled as my heart thrummed against my chest, my senses enveloped by him: the faint smell of pine trees coming off him, the warmth of his body, and the groans he didn’t bother holding back. Juniper slowed as I hit that peak, but didn’t stop; instead, he pulsed, rocking so slowly he barely withdrew at all. He studied my face, not quite making eye contact but admiring the way I looked as he made me feel nothing but bliss.
“You feel fucking divine.” He caressed my jaw until his thumb was within reach of my bottom lip. He traced it and then lowered his body closer to my own, fulfilling my desire to be closer yet to him. As he did, my knees bent, sending my legs in the air and around Juniper’s torso. He supported his weight with his forearms, which were now on either side of my shoulders.
One of his hands gripped at my hair and tugged—gently enough to not hurt but pronounced enough for me to feel. My back arched up into his chest as I moaned but flattened right back against the mattress as he moved even deeper within me, hitting a new angle that had me clawing at him after only a few more moments.
All I could sense was Juniper; it could have been seconds or minutes, I wasn’t sure anymore.
Juniper laced our fingers together as I came for the third time, then kissed me as he found his own release. I squeezed his hand and kissed him back with everything I had, rolling my hips up to heighten his own orgasm. He moaned against my mouth and pulled away once he was ready to pull out. Before we got up, we both laid there, full condom still on him as we caught our breath.
“Rachel?”
I looked over at him. “Hmm?”
“Not to freak you out, but I’m not exactly a one-night kind of guy.”
Of course, he wasn’t. He’d been through so much, had been hurt by too many people, and ogled at like he was nothing but a snowboarding sex symbol by even more.
“I figured as much,” I said, rolling onto my side so I could face him. He was on his back, his hair stuck to his neck. “I’m not really a one-night kind of girl, either.”
Juniper stopped chewing at his bottom lip, smiled, and leaned over to kiss me. Our lips felt more natural together than apart. “This can be as casual as you want.”
“Why would you think I’d want to be casual with you?” I brushed his bangs back. “You’re not scaring me off, you know.”
He sighed in relief and pressed our foreheads together. “I know with our working relationship, this is… unconventional, so to speak. I…” Juniper’s voice trailed off as he failed to find the words.
“I know, Juni.”
He smiled gratefully at me. “Let me help you clean up?”
With a nod, we both climbed out of bed and made our way to the bathroom. By some miracle, we got the hot water to run, so the two of us took a leisurely shower together.
After taking turns with the crappy old hair dryer (which had made Juniper declare he was ordering all brand-new ones for every room, not just the cabins), we didn’t bother to put our clothes back on when we returned to bed. Once we found our way beneath the covers, we gravitated toward each other, still basking in the afterglow of our morning. Juniper and I both lay on our sides, with one of Juniper’s hands running down my arm at a tantalizing pace.
I asked, “Is this comfortable for you?”
Juniper nodded as he nuzzled his nose against the back of my neck, right beneath my ear. “Careful. If you keep talking like this, I may actually fall for you.”
“Talking like what? Like someone who actually cares for your well-being?”
He twisted his torso to crack his lower back and then, upon his return, draped his arm around me. “It would make you the first person to, yeah.”
If it wasn’t so terribly sad, it would be romantic.
We let ourselves relax for a few minutes like this, tangled together as we processed everything. Soon, we’d have to see how bad the snow was outside; I hadn’t heard the plows come yet, so the likelihood of us leaving yet was slim to none.
“You deserve someone who cares about you, you know,” I said.
“To be honest, I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve you. You’re a much better person than I am.”
I turned in his arms. The sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating his blue eyes. “Don’t say things like that about yourself.”
Juniper’s hand on my arm moved to my hair. He played with individual curls, twirling them around his fingers. “I’ve wanted this for weeks, you know. With you, specifically. But I thought there’d be no way you’d want me like this.”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Because I’m your boss. Because I’ve got physical and emotional baggage. I dunno.” He swallowed. “Sorry, I’m not trying to make it weird.”
After four, almost five years, it was no wonder he was emotional.
“Juniper.” Saying his name seemed to be enough to snap him out of his spiral. “You’re not making it weird, I promise. I’ve wanted you for a while now, too.”
He exhaled a laugh. “I’ve never been happier to be wrong about something.”
Last night and this morning, Juniper laid himself completely bare to me. Now, his walls had crumbled around him, the sarcastic armor stripped and left behind on the floor with the rest of our clothes.
“You are so much more than just my boss.” I cupped his cheek with my palm; he leaned in right away, no longer afraid of affection. “And you are so much more than your past and any baggage you carry.”
He took hold of my hand, fingers curling around my palm, and brought it to his lips so he could kiss my knuckles. His movements were slow, tender, and methodical. It was as if he let go of some invisible, significant weight with every kiss on each of my fingers.
“You left so much behind for me. A literal stranger. Why?”
“My job treated me like shit, and it was a purely impulse-driven decision. But there is not a single day that goes by when I’m not grateful I got on that plane. Sure, I came for the money, but I stayed for you.”
“Speaking of which, I really hope I didn’t fuck everything up.”
I shook my head. “No, Juniper, no. You didn’t fuck anything up.” To see him so nervous and unsure didn’t feel like him. The cool, collected, and cocky Juniper amounted to nothing but a front for the jaded, self-conscious man within. “Our working relationship was always pretty unique, anyway.”
He kissed each knuckle again. “Sometimes, I think you’re the only person who really sees me.” Juniper went to continue, but the loud beeping of the snowplow drowned out his voice. He closed his mouth and smiled instead.
Once the plow cleared the way, we redressed and made the trek outside. Now, there was a flat path leading straight from the cabin back to the lobby. We’d still have to trek through the snow, but ankle-deep certainly beat six feet.
“I vote we head back to freshen up before we even consider tackling the rest,” Juniper said. “What do you think?”
“I’m not about to argue with you about that.”
Once we were outside, Juniper laced our fingers together with trepidation. “Is this okay?” His expression was as flat and serious as ever, even with the gentle curiosity behind it.
When I looked at him, he looked at me with an expectant gaze, waiting for the answer. “You just fucked my brains out and you’re worried about holding hands?”
He scoffed, back to his usual self. “Well, excuse me for checking where the line is drawn in the sand.”
“Missed opportunity to say drawn in the snow.”
He rolled his eyes and groaned, melodramatic on purpose. “Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
“Seems a little backward is all I’m saying. But yes, of course, it’s okay.”
“Maybe it does, but this doesn’t come naturally to me. I hope you can be patient with me as I figure it out.”
I squeezed his hand. “As we figure it out.”
Juniper smiled. “We.” He cleared his throat. “Also, know there’s no pressure, ever. Just because I sign your checks at the end of the day doesn’t mean shit. Tell me to piss off if you want, and I promise there will be no repercussions.”
“I know. You don’t strike me as the kind of guy to go on a power trip like that. You never have.”
“Come on,” he said, nodding his head to the front door as we approached. “Let’s see how much Sasquatch has missed you.”
“Missed us .”
“Mm, no, probably just you.”