Chapter Seventeen #2
“Good. In the meantime, Google says staying hydrated helps with altitude sickness,” I insist.
She tells me and Google to fuck off, which is too funny to me. “Micah, please. Save yourself. Leave me here to rot.”
“You’re so dramatic. I’m not leaving you.”
“I wouldn’t blame you if you did. I’m probably in desperate need of What That Mouthwash Do? right now.”
When I met Dani, the extent of her modeling catalogue was a toothpaste commercial for a brand not well-known called Plaque Where? What That Mouthwash Do? was a brand Dani came up with that night that we definitely should’ve sold to the Plaque Where? conglomerate.
We both laugh at the old joke from that night, but the sudden movement seems to make her stomach lurch. At this point, I don’t think she has anything left in her system to throw up.
“Come here.” I motion for her to lay her head in my lap and she does. “You’re okay. You’re fine. Everything’s fine. I got you,” I say in a low voice.
It takes three days for the snow to melt enough for us to venture out of our cabin. Yara’s essentials were a lifesaver, but it’ll be nice to go out today and get other things.
Dani’s doing better, no sign of vomiting or dizziness.
I go outside to investigate the snow while she’s in the shower. When she’s done, she joins me outside.
“You sure you’re feeling okay? Want more toast?”
“If I never see another piece of toast again, it’ll be too soon,” she says. “No, I drank an entire bottle of mouthwash and brushed my teeth a million times, so I feel better. And thank you for taking care of me.”
It’s my pleasure. “You’re welcome.”
Our investigation shows us that while we can leave our cabin, there’s still too much snow and ice to drive down the mountain. We’re stuck.
As we’re walking back, Yara pulls up beside us on a snowmobile. The light brown skin you can see under her snow gear is slightly reddened from the cold. Her blue curls poke out from under her helmet.
“Hey, Yara.”
“Hey, y’all. Do you guys have enough food? The roads are gonna be trouble for at least one more day, so I’m checking on all the guests. I can get to the store for any emergencies.”
We take Yara up on her offer and give her a small list.
“And tell Jellybean I haven’t forgotten about her,” Dani says.
“I did tell her you were sick, but toy throwing waits for no one, so you can expect some attitude when you see her again.”
“I deserve that.” She giggles.
As we’re walking back to the cabin, a rustle in the nearby trees catches our attention.
“Is that a bear?” Dani whisper-shouts.
“It’s not a bear, Dani,” I say. At least, I don’t think so.
The trees rustle again and none other than a black bear steps out into the clearing.
“It’s a fucking bear!” She grabs my wrist to haul ass back to the cabin, but I stand firm.
“Don’t run! It’ll think it should chase us.”
We’re having a stare-off with a fucking bear.
“I’m pretty sure that’s just for dogs.”
I look at her and she looks at me, neither of us sure who’s right.
“Fuck it,” we say in unison, running for our lives back to the cabin.
When we slam the door shut behind us, we’re both out of breath from running and laughing. She slides down the door to the floor as I double-check each and every lock.
“A bear almost had you for lunch,” she says around a gulp of air.
“Me? It looked like it had room for both of us.”
“Yeah, but I beat you back. Therefore, he would’ve gotten you, not me.”
I balk. “Because I stayed behind you for protection.”
“Your first mistake,” she clarifies.
Unable to resist anymore, I grab her face between my hands, planting a deep kiss on her lips. I don’t want to let her go, but when I do, she raises her fingers to her lips, as if committing the feel of my lips on hers to memory.
Glad I’m not the only one affected.
We wait for Yara to get back with the groceries and then we drink hot chocolate by the fireplace in our room.
I open the window so we can watch the night sky, too.
“Life’s little moments,” I whisper.
She looks up at me, grin as wide as can be. “Life’s little moments.”
Her phone pings and when she leans over to check it, her whole body goes stiff.
“Storm? You okay?”
Her hand was warm moments ago, but now it’s slick with sweat.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she lies.
I know by now when she’s truly fine and when she’s holding everything inside. “Dani. You don’t have to be fine with me.”
Her eyes search for something in mine. I face her stare head-on to convey to her that I’ll do anything to give her whatever she’s looking for.
She scoots her back and grabs my hand. “That ping was someone sending me an article about a man I used to know.”
“Okay,” I say, void of any emotion for fear of fucking up.
“His name is Nigel Pierce. He owns a modeling agency. He’s not a good guy.”
“I figured that.” My fist clenches involuntarily.
“When I was younger, he demanded things of me. Things I didn’t want to give him, but he told me it was the only way to secure my future.
I was scared after my first agent had screwed me over and taken all my money.
I couldn’t start over. I thought it would kill me.
And he held all the realms of possibility in the palm of his hand.
” She looks as though she might be sick all over again, but she pushes it down.
“You did what you thought you had to.” It’s not a question. It’s an escape. I’m trying to release her from the prison she’s undeservedly put herself in.
She shakes her head. “I didn’t do it. He got a phone call, and I took that as a sign to run like hell.
I think I’m more embarrassed at the fact that I would’ve done it.
I was so desperate I would’ve given up such a large part of myself to hold on to an industry that didn’t give a fuck about me.
I spent the rest of my time in New York constantly looking over my shoulder, worried that he’d corner me again or that I’d run into someone else like him.
Even when I became a big name, that fear still kept a grip on me. ”
“Men like him should be embarrassed, not you. He took advantage of someone he was supposed to look out for. That makes him weak.”
“But I didn’t say anything,” she croaks.
“Nothing happened, so I didn’t think there was anything I could say that would stop him.
How many other girls suffered because of my silence?
That article? It was about him and a newer model he’s taken under his wing.
What does that even mean? He doesn’t have wings, he has talons and they are deadly.
My silence left him free to continue abusing his power. ”
“That’s not on you. That’s on him being a predator.” Although I would like to find a way to get whoever this new model is far away from him.
Once I get Dani settled to sleep, I hit up Rome asking him to help me locate a certain Nigel Pierce.
“I’m thinking we should put those snowsuits to use,” Dani says as we look out the window at the row of cabins that are much clearer to see than they were yesterday. She seems clearer as well. Her confession about Nigel last night left her bone-tired, but she seems to be in better spirits.
“What do you wanna do?” I ask.
“Let’s go skiing.”
“Do you know how?” I ask, genuinely curious.
She glares at me. “Now why would you ask me a question like that?”
I shake my head with my mouth pursed.
The answer is no. Dani cannot ski. Eventually, we switch to snowtubing since she’s spending most of her time on her butt anyway, but her smile never dims. This is a look I could get used to.
When we climb back up the hill for another round, Dani sits between my legs on the snowtube. We’ve been riding together without issue, but this time is different. This time, we pick up more speed and when we hit the peak of the slope we catch air, separating us from the tube.
“Oh, shit!” Dani screams as I reach out to grab ahold of her. Our bodies roll until Dani lands right on top of me in an embankment of snow at the bottom of the hill.
“Jesus. I saw my life flash before my eyes,” Dani pants. We fall into a fit of laughter. Only we would have a near-death experience on a damn snowtube.
The longer our bodies stay entangled, the more our laughs quiet down. Our breaths mingle and our eyes lock. One minute, my gaze rises to her lips, the next our lips are colliding into each other. She sucks my tongue into her mouth, moaning when I bite down on her bottom lip.
“Micah?”
“Yes, Storm?”
“Take me home and fuck me.”
My fucking pleasure. I roll her onto her back so I can stand and pick her up.
The drive back to the cabin is a blur and when we get inside, all bets are off. Somewhere between the front door and the bedroom, the boots, snowsuits, and gloves get left behind.
Dani presses me against the wall and rubs her palm against my dick. I groan in her ear, firmly rubbing my hands along her sides, determined to let her set the pace.
“If you want something, Storm, come and get it.”
She slides her hand up to the waistband of my briefs and pulls.
I’m happy to oblige her needs. I push her onto the bed and rip the rest of our clothes off. She grips me tightly in her hand, rubbing circles around the tip with her thumb.
My low, rumbling groans turn into a full-blown growl when she slides my dick between the warmth of her lips.
“Fuck, Dani.” I tilt my head to the sky, slipping my dick free of her mouth. “Not yet.”
I bend down to take her ear between my teeth and tug. Slipping my hand under her side, I flip her onto her stomach.
“You gonna be okay like this?” I ask, squeezing her ass with all the final threads of restraint I have.
“I’m good.”
That’s all I need to hear. I press down on the small of her back, forcing her head farther into the sheets, and her ass lifts even higher.
I swipe my finger at her clit, then slowly trail it down to her entrance. One finger slips inside of her, quickly followed by two more.
She cries out into the ether, as her body starts rocking back and forth. My greedy girl.
I crook my fingers inside her, trying to drive her as crazy as she drives me. “I want one on my hand and one on my tongue before I give you this dick. You understand me, Dani?”
“I want it all,” she mewls.
“You’ll get it.” I’ll give you anything you want.
She rocks back to meet the force of my palm, so I ease the pressure, letting her take the lead. But when she lurches forward, mewling about how she feels me everywhere, I slap her pussy to make her come back to me.
“I’m gonna come,” she cries out.
“Let me hear it,” I command.
“Micah!” she screams my name as her orgasm overpowers us. I love that sound. I’ve missed that sound. I don’t ever want to be without it again. I don’t ever want to be without her again.
“Keep saying my name like a prayer, baby. I just wanna be your blessing.”
She screams my name again and again until her throat is dry.
I don’t give her any time to recover. I loop my arms around her thighs and pull her pussy back to meet my tongue. The flat of my tongue laps her up while my arms keep her body locked in place when her legs start to shake.
“Not you shakin’ already. I’m not done with you yet.”
“I can take it,” she says, knowing damn well I’ll make her pay for that.
“You sure about that, Storm?”
Reaching back without responding, she grabs both of her cheeks and pulls up, giving me more access. Challenge accepted. I latch onto her clit and suck her into my mouth.
I’m relentless in my carnal pursuits and she’s right there with me.
She bites down on her pillow to keep the scream to a minimum when another orgasm comes for her.
I’m drowning in her release, but I don’t shy away.
I want more of it. I soak up everything she has to give me and when I’m sure there’s nothing left, I run my tongue up her spine with her wetness dripping from my beard.
That is one hell of a thunderstorm.
I slowly sink into the bed, careful not to let exhaustion take over. I haven’t had the main course yet.
She hops from the bed and starts rummaging through her bag, fishing out a condom before doubling back and getting a whole strip.
She’s wanted this as much as I have. Good to know.
She climbs onto my lap, pushing on my chest until I give in and lie flat on the bed.
The ravenous look in her eyes dissipates a bit when she sees something else in mine.
“Micah, you do understand this is all I can give you, right?”
My eyes darken. “Yes, Storm. I understand.”
“Do you really? Because I know you want me—”
I cut her off. “I don’t want you.”
She jumps back, but I grab her hips to keep her in place.
“I don’t want you, Dani. I crave you. I crave everything you’ll allow me to have. Please don’t deny me.”
A storm brews in her eyes as she slips the condom down my length and then crawls up my body until I meet her entrance. I grab her by the back of the neck and pull her into a hungry kiss as she sinks down on my dick.
We moan into each other’s mouths once she’s fully seated, taking a moment to relish how good we feel together.
This part is always good for us. This part is all she’s saying she can do? Then let’s make it our best.
She claws at my chest as she rotates her hips. I’m mesmerized by the sight of our bodies connecting. Needing control, I lean up to thrust into her. She bites the side of my neck, so I grab a fistful of her hair to pull her back, sucking one of her nipples into my mouth.
Her eyes roll in the back of her head, her hand moving between us to rub circles around her clit.
“Oh fuck!” she screams, letting the waves of pleasure wash over her.
I stay with her while she rides out the wave, but I feel my release coming so I slap and squeeze her ass again.
“I’m gonna come, baby. Where do you want it?”
She throws her leg off me, so she can stand and rip the condom off. Sinking to her knees before me, she presents her body like an offering at my altar.
“Paint me with it.”
Fuck, she is sin incarnate.
Sliding my hand up and down, eyes never leaving hers, I demand more from her. “Open.”
The moment she does, the threads of my release hit her tongue, neck, and breasts, painting a picture of our passion.