Chapter 22
CHAPTER 22
ARLAND
A s first light broke, the sky outside blended pastel colors with golden tones, creating a stunning contrast against the deep blue of pre-dawn. I watched the sun rise on my way to Mariam’s condo, stopping on the way to buy some coffee from my favorite cafe.
The air was crisp, the town still quiet. Only the early risers were out so far, skiers headed to the slopes and photographers capturing the beauty and tranquility of the snowy landscape.
Last night, after Brian and I had left the bar, I’d texted Mariam to tell her I’d be coming over early. I wanted to take her out for breakfast, but I also had a surprise in store for her.
As the sunlight intensified, the pristine snow that had fallen overnight would sparkle like diamonds and warm light would be reflected from it to give the scenery an almost ethereal glow. The mountains and valleys would come to life as the sun crept up their slopes and the town would slowly transform from sleepy and quiet to bustling and busy.
I grinned as I carried the coffees into her building, hoping she was up and ready to go. When I knocked on her door, my heart thudded against my ribs. She opened, her hair still damp from a recent shower and a smile on her lips.
“You’re a smart man to bring coffee,” she said, stepping aside and waving me in. “Is there something happening at Everwood this morning?”
“Nope. We’re going out before we head to work.” I followed her into the condo, handing over the coffee and claiming her lips for a quick kiss that my body reacted to much too fast.
I wasn’t used to feeling these things so intensely anymore, but my pulse sped up, my cock hardened, and my hands itched to pull her clothes off. It took far too much restraint to keep myself from dragging her to her bed as our eyes locked, our bodies lingering close together even after I lifted my mouth away from hers.
“Are you ready to go?” I asked, my voice suddenly husky. I cleared my throat and took a big step back, drinking her in where she stood in a pair of simple black pants and an oversized beige and white knitted sweater. “Good morning, by the way. You look beautiful.”
Her cheeks pinked and laughter sparked in those blues as she shook her head at me. “It’s way too early for charm, Mr. Stone, but I appreciate the effort. And the coffee.” She took a sip. “I’m almost ready. I just need to grab my coat and a hat. When you say we’re going out, what exactly do you mean? Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” I said, enjoying the sense of mystery in the air as a result of this surprise. “Don’t worry though. I’ll feed you after and we’ll probably still be the first ones who make it to the office.”
She chuckled. “Coffee and breakfast? Am I still dreaming?”
I shrugged. “You’ll have to follow me and see.”
“I trust you.”
My heart swelled at those words. I knew she’d said them in a casual way, and yet, I also knew they were true. Somehow, this stunning young woman not only wanted to spend her free time with me, but she had also gifted me with her faith and trust.
They were gifts I planned on cherishing for as long as she’d let me.
A silent moment passed between us as her gaze remained locked on mine. Then she grinned and spun around, striding over to her couch to grab a coat and a woolen hat. “Okay, let’s go, then. I’m really curious to find out what you’ve got up your sleeve.”
“Good.” I smirked, watching her jam her hat onto her head without much fanfare and loving that she hadn’t rushed to the mirror to check her hair after. She looked cute as hell anyway. I swept my hand out toward the door. “After you.”
If we stayed in there alone for much longer, I was going to lose the battle against the urge to drag her to bed. Chemistry sparked in the air between us every time our eyes met, my body tingling with the anticipation of feeling hers against it.
Thankfully, Mariam was curious enough about our outing that she didn’t hesitate. She grabbed her coffee and waited out in the hall. I joined her and locked up. Together, we made our way to the elevator. On our way down, I sipped my coffee, trying to convince my body that it was a good thing we were getting out instead of staying in.
“Have you ever skied before?” I asked mildly as we left her building.
Instead of going to my car, I took her hand and led her down the street on foot. Mariam seemed surprised when she first felt my touch on her palm, but when she glanced up at me with a slight smile on her lips and slid our fingers together, I knew that it had been a pleasant surprise.
“What I did probably didn’t count as skiing to someone who’s actually made it down a slope without landing on their faces,” she said. “Why?”
“Because I’d like to teach you, but first, we need to get you some gear.” Possessiveness sped through my veins at the prospect of getting to teach her something.
Deep inside, I’d already started thinking about her as mine. The instinct had snapped into place and taken root at some point without me even noticing, and it was growing by the second. I welcomed it home like an old friend rather than fighting it, tightening my grip on Mariam’s hand. We strolled down the street like a real couple.
Brian was not an early riser and he was rarely out of his house before ten, so I was reasonably certain he wasn’t going to see us out and about this morning. Besides, right then, I had to touch her. I didn’t quite understand why it was such an urgent need, but I couldn’t even think about letting go of her.
“You’re going to teach me?” She giggled when her gaze came up to mine, disbelief and perhaps a bit of trepidation shimmering in her eyes. “I’m not the most coordinated person in the world. I’ll give it a try, but if I fall?—”
“I’ll catch you,” I finished for her. The urge to protect her reared up and purred with approval. “We’ll go rent some gear this morning and grab something to eat before work, and then after, we’ll hit the bunny slope. It’s going to be fun.”
She laughed. “For you, maybe. If I break an arm, you’re going to have to do all the typing from now on. Or I’ll have to get some of that speech-to-text software. Ooh, or you can hire me my own assistant. I’ll need a bigger office, of course.”
“You won’t break an arm, but if you do, I’ll be your assistant, waiting on you hand and foot.”
“You’ll wait on me hand and foot, huh? That sounds pretty good. I’m going to hold you to that once you realize exactly how useless I am on two slippery planks on ice.”
“Two slippery planks on ice?” I echoed, laughing.
We stopped in front of one of my stores. I dug the keys out of my pocket, unlocking the door as she watched on curiously.
“Skis have come a long way since the days when they were no more than slippery planks . Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
I pushed the door open and motioned for her to precede me. Mariam glanced at me over her shoulder as she entered the store. Her steps were hesitant as she walked in just far enough to make space for me to join her. “You have keys, so we’re not breaking in, but are we allowed to be here? Or is this a heist?”
“We don’t open to the public for another hour,” I explained, grinning as I reached for a light switch and flipped it on. “Welcome to Stone Mountain Rentals, the very first business I ever started. Obviously, it’s grown and changed a lot since then, but this was the site of my first office. It’s right back here. Please don’t rob me.”
She shrugged. “We’ll see how good breakfast is.”
I took her hand again, letting her take a look around the store as we meandered toward the corridor at the back. Rows upon rows of skis and snowboards took up most of the floor space in the main area of the store, boots, goggles, jackets, and all sorts of outdoor gear on shelves against the wall.
“This is yours ?” she asked after she’d paused to take it all in. “Wow. That’s…”
Her head shook and she drew in a deep breath. Then she looked up at me with soft admiration shining in her gaze. “Only you would have something like this as your first business. It must’ve cost a fortune to get it up and running with all the gear you must’ve needed.”
I chuckled. “It wasn’t cheap, but I also didn’t have this much gear when I started. It also wasn’t a store where you could buy stuff originally. I only did rentals. These days, everything out there is for sale and the rental gear is back here.”
I flipped on more lights in the back hall, revealing a large space off to one side that served as our rental center. There was a long counter just ahead of us and behind it was a dimly lit expanse of every piece of gear you could ever need in every size it was manufactured in.
Mariam’s jaw dropped as we walked in. “Seriously? This is all yours?”
“Yep. Make yourself at home. I’ll go grab a few pairs of boots so we can start by figuring out the most comfortable size.”
“Wait,” she said suddenly, not walking toward the benches where she’d have to sit to try on the boots.
I glanced at her, watching as she took the few steps to close the distance between us. Gaze locked on mine, she cocked her head at me. “I want to see your first office. This is so cool, getting to see where you started. In a way, this is where you came from. That’s awesome. I mean, it’s also super impressive and I can’t even begin to imagine how a person starts something like this, but I love that you brought me here.”
Reaching out, I slid an arm around her hips and tugged her to me, lowering my forehead to hers. “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go, Mariam Walker.”
As long as you let me come with you.
She smiled and pushed herself up on her toes to press her lips against mine. Our mouths met in a hungry clash that left me breathing hard when I finally forced myself to break away from her. “Let me show you my office before we get carried away.”
“Good idea,” she breathed, her lips a little redder and her cheeks flushed. “I don’t think your employees would appreciate walking in and finding us on the counter.”
“Let them see,” I growled.
“Stop.”
“It’ll remind them who’s boss.”
She laughed. “As much as I want to help you establish dominance, I’m not flashing my bits to strangers.”
“All I care about right now is what you want,” I said. “And I know you don’t want to get to work late, so we need to get moving.”
Releasing her, I made myself walk away, showing her around the back until we made it to the tiny space that had been my first official office. Strangely, I’d never shared this with a woman before. I wasn’t even sure Lisa had ever set foot in this store.
By the time we met, she’d had her own gear, and when she’d told me to replace it with newer, more trendy looking stuff, I’d known her sizes and I’d ordered directly from the suppliers and had it delivered to our house. Outside of her, there had never been a woman I’d been serious enough about to share a place that had been a part of me once upon a time.
It was oddly intimate watching Mariam walk around the little office, her fingertips trailing across the walls, the simple wooden desk, and bookshelves as if she was trying to get a snapshot of my past from them.
“From humble beginnings,” she murmured. “You’ve moved up in the world. There isn’t even a window in here, but the view you have at Everwood is incredible.”
I wrapped my arms around her from behind and held her close, my chin resting on the side of her head. “ You’re incredible. This place still means a lot to me. I just didn’t think anyone would ever understand how much. You seem to, though.”
She rested her head against me, her body relaxing into my own. “Thank you for bringing me here. It’s like a window into who you were long before I met you. Of course, it still means a lot. I do get that. Completely.”
I held her a little closer, not sure how I was ever going to let her go. With every minute we spent together, I was falling further. Deeper. Harder.
Mariam Walker was making me want things I never thought I’d want again, and as dangerous as those things were, I was beginning to accept I couldn’t fight the desire I had for them. I was also finally starting to understand that, with her, wanting those things might not be so dangerous after all.