10. Unexpected
Chapter 10
Unexpected
Liam
I double-checked the snowmobile’s fuel gauge before helping Tessa adjust her helmet. The night air was crisp, carrying a faint pine scent I had grown to associate with home. Well, temporary home.
“Are you sure this is safe?” Her breath was visible, and the floodlights from the resort cast a warm glow across her face, making her eyes sparkle with a mix of excitement and apprehension.
“Safer than letting you try snowboarding again,” I teased, swinging my leg over the seat. “Hop on and hold tight.”
She climbed on behind me, and I had to suppress a shiver when her arms wrapped around my waist. Even through our winter gear, I felt the warmth of her body pressed against my back. This was probably a terrible idea. Actually, no “probably” about it.
The image of Archer and Tessa in the kitchen flashed through my mind. The way they had been wrapped around each other, lost in their own world until Evan and I had interrupted. A familiar surge of competitive spirit rose in my chest—the same feeling I got before dropping into a challenging run.
“Ready?” I called over my shoulder, trying to focus on the marked path ahead instead of the way her thighs were pressed against mine.
“As I’ll ever be!”
I fired up the engine and eased forward, taking it slow at first to let her get used to the sensation. The moment we hit the first small bump, she gasped and tightened her grip.
“You okay back there?” I called out, grinning as we picked up speed.
“Don’t you dare show off!” she shouted back, but I could hear the laughter in her voice.
The trail wound through the trees, marked by reflective posts that caught the headlight. I knew this route like the back of my hand. Spot five was my personal favorite, tucked away in a natural clearing that offered the perfect view of both the lake and the surrounding peaks.
As we climbed a small hill, Tessa’s grip alternated between death-clutch and a slightly looser grip. Each time she squeezed tighter, it sent a jolt of electricity through my body. The physical contact and the adrenaline of the ride were intoxicating.
This woman was getting under my skin. First the snowboarding lesson, then the kitchen, and now this. There was something about her that drew me in and made me want to forget about professional distance. She made me want to show her exactly what it felt like to really live in the moment.
And apparently, I wasn’t the only one affected. Both Archer and Evan were obviously interested, which was eerily reminiscent of... No. This was different. This wasn’t college. We were adults now, supposedly.
I pulled into the clearing, killing the engine. The sudden silence was broken only by Tessa’s slightly shaky breath and the distant hooting of an owl.
“We made it!” She unwrapped herself from around me, and the sudden absence of her body against mine left me wanting to pretend we were in the wrong spot.
As I got off the snowmobile, I took my helmet off, running a hand through my hair to fix the inevitable helmet-head situation. “That wasn’t too scary, was it?”
Her enthusiastic victory wiggle as she removed her own helmet made me bite back a grin. “No, and as a bonus, I didn’t fall off!”
“Night’s still young.”
Her cheeks were flushed from the cold and excitement as I helped her dismount, my hands lingering longer than necessary on her waist. “Welcome to the best view on the property.”
The resort’s activities team had outdone themselves. A sturdy inflatable couch that was more like a bed with a back and armrests was positioned perfectly for stargazing, piled high with plush blankets and pillows. A small table held snacks and an ice bucket with champagne. But the real show was above us; the stars seemed close enough to touch.
Tessa’s gasp of wonder made me smile. She spun in a slow circle, head tilted back, taking it all in. “This is... incredible.”
“Wait until your eyes adjust fully.” I moved to open the champagne, trying and failing not to watch the way she settled onto the couch and kicked off her snow boots. “The Milky Way looks close enough to reach up and grab a handful of stars.”
“Poetic for an adrenaline junkie.” She scooted back onto the couch and pulled a blanket over her legs.
I handed her a plastic flute of champagne, very aware of how our fingers brushed during the exchange. The way she looked up at me, cheeks flushed from the cold and eyes reflecting starlight, made my chest tight. I wanted to kiss her. Wanted to pull her close and find out if her lips were as soft as they looked, wanted to?—
“Are you going to stand there all night?” She patted the space next to her, lifting the edge of the blanket invitingly.
God help me, but I didn’t have the willpower to resist this woman.
I settled onto the couch beside her, removing my boots and arranging the blankets over us. The warmth from her body made me acutely aware of every inch of space between us—space I desperately wanted to eliminate. But I forced myself to stay put, to maintain that sliver of distance even as my body screamed to close it.
“To unexpected adventures?” I raised my glass, watching how the starlight caught in the bubbles.
“To unexpected adventures,” she agreed, clinking her glass against mine.
We fell into a comfortable silence, both gazing upward at the vast expanse above us. The night was perfectly clear, each star a brilliant pinprick of light against the black sky. It was the kind of night that made me feel simultaneously infinite and insignificant.
“You know what’s weird?” Tessa’s voice was soft, almost dreamlike. “I’m glad Declan ended things.”
I turned my head slightly, studying her profile. “Yeah?”
She nodded, taking another sip of champagne before placing her glass in the cupholder built into the arm of the couch. “If I’m honest with myself, I lost... me. The real me. With him, everything was planned, calculated, and safe. And I thought that’s what I wanted and what I needed. But being here, doing all these things?” She drew in a shaky breath. “I feel more alive in the past few days than I have in years.”
“Sometimes we convince ourselves that the safe choice is the right choice.” I thought of my own life that had led nowhere besides loneliness. “But safe doesn’t always mean happy.”
She sniffled, and that sound broke my last thread of resistance. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her against me. She came willingly, melting into my side like she belonged there.
“Sorry,” she mumbled against my chest. “I didn’t mean to get all emotional on our star-date. Wait, not date. Star... viewing? Professional astronomy session?”
“Pretty sure we left professional somewhere between the kitchen and here.” My fingers stroked along her arm, tracing random patterns through her jacket.
The tension gradually left her body as we sat there, wrapped in blankets and each other, watching the stars overhead. The champagne created a pleasant warmth in my chest, though I suspected that had more to do with the woman in my arms than the alcohol.
“Oh my God!” Tessa suddenly sat up straight, pointing excitedly at the sky. “Did you see that? A shooting star!”
She turned to me, her face alight with childlike wonder. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks flushed, and her lips curved in a delighted smile. In that moment, she was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen and more captivating than any starlit sky.
I couldn’t have stopped myself if I’d tried.
My hand moved to cup the back of her neck, drawing her closer. Her eyes widened slightly, but she didn’t pull away. Time seemed to slow as I closed the distance between us, giving her plenty of time to object.
Instead, she met me halfway.
Her lips were soft and warm against mine, tasting of champagne. The kiss was gentle at first, but when she sighed into my mouth, something inside me snapped. I deepened the kiss, pulling her closer, my free hand finding her waist.
She responded with equal enthusiasm, her fingers curling into my jacket, her body pressing closer to mine. The rest of the world fell away—the cold, the stars, the resort’s problems, all of it disappeared until there was nothing but Tessa and the way she felt in my arms.
When we finally broke apart, she rested her forehead against mine. “So much for professional boundaries,” she whispered.
“Fuck professional boundaries,” I growled, pulling her in for another kiss.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew this was going to complicate everything. But with Tessa’s lips moving against mine and the stars watching overhead, I couldn’t bring myself to care.
Heat radiated from her body as she straddled me, her lips moving against mine with an urgency that matched my own. The cold night air was a distant memory, replaced by the fire that ignited between us. Her fingers gripped the front of my jacket, pulling me closer, and her hips ground against mine, seeking friction.
My hands roamed her body, tracing the curve of her waist and the swell of her hips. Her breath hitched as I slipped my hands under her shirt, my cold fingers brushing against the soft skin of her back. She arched into my touch, a soft moan escaping her lips as I deepened the kiss.
Her fingers slid down my chest, over my stomach, and finally, tentatively, gripped me through my pants. I groaned into her mouth, my hips bucking involuntarily at the contact. She smiled against my lips as she began to stroke me through the fabric.
“You’re driving me crazy.” I let my head fall back, giving her access to my neck as she began to kiss down in the direction I so badly wanted her.
She responded by increasing the pressure, her fingers tracing the length of me, making me ache for more. I needed to feel her, all of her. I fumbled with the button of her pants, my fingers trembling with anticipation.
But Tessa had other plans. She broke away from me, looking down as her eyes filled with a hunger that made my heart race. She moved down my body until she reached the waistband of my pants.
She looked up at me, a question in her eyes, as she slowly unzipped my pants. The cold air hit me, but it was quickly forgotten as she wrapped her hand around me, her fingers stroking gently.
“Fuck, Tessa,” I groaned, gripping the blanket as she began to move her hand, her grip tightening. “Are you going to take me in that sweet mouth of yours?”
She licked her lips. “Is that what you want?”
“Yes.” My voice had gone deeper and was bordering on a growl. “Wrap those sinful lips around my cock. Let me see how far you can take me.”
She leaned down and took me into her mouth. I nearly came undone right then; the sensation of her warm, wet mouth enveloping me was almost too much. She moved slowly at first, her tongue swirling around the head of my cock as she took me deeper. The vibrations of her moans sent shocks of pleasure through my body.
“You feel so good.” My hands found their way into her hair, guiding her movements. “So fucking good.”
She hummed in response, the sound making my hips buck. I was getting closer, the tension tightening to a breaking point. But I didn’t want to come like this, not yet.
With a groan, I pulled her off me, inhaling sharply. She looked up at me, her lips swollen and her eyes filled with desire. I guided her up, capturing her mouth in a fierce kiss.
My hands slid down her body, slipping inside her pants. She gasped as my fingers found her already slick and ready. I stroked her gently, my fingers exploring her folds, finding the spot that made her moan.
“Liam, please.” Her hips rolled against my waiting fingers as she pressed closer, desperate for more contact.
“So perfect,” I murmured against her ear, savoring how she trembled at my touch. Her body drew me in deeper, making my head spin with need. The soft sounds escaping her throat only intensified my desire to draw out her pleasure.
Her body arched into my touch, every curve pressing against me like she was trying to fuse us together. She trembled beneath my fingers, her hips rolling in time with my movements, urging me on. My fingers moved faster, deeper, exploring every inch of her, reveling in the way she clenched around me, so tight, so ready.
“This pussy was made for my cock, wasn’t it?” I wanted her to know exactly what she did to me, how she made me lose every shred of control. “So fucking perfect.”
Her response was a moan, low and throaty, her nails digging into my shoulders as she pulled me closer. Her eyes met mine, dark and filled with need, and I saw the truth in them—she wanted this as much as I did. The air between us was electric, charged with a tension that had been building since the moment I first laid eyes on her. And now, with her body writhing against me, I knew I was done for. She was everything I never knew I needed, and I was going to make damn sure she felt it too.
“Come for me, Tessa. Let me feel how you’re going to come around my cock when I fuck you.” My thumb pressed harder against her clit. “Let go.”
She cried out, her release soaking my fingers. I continued to stroke her, riding out her orgasm, my own desire growing to a fever pitch.
As she began to relax, I slowly withdrew my fingers, bringing them to my mouth. I sucked them clean, my eyes locked onto hers, watching as her cheeks flushed an even deeper shade of red.
The way she looked in that moment, flushed and satisfied, sent a fresh wave of need coursing through me. My body ached for release, but I forced myself to stay still, to memorize every detail of her expression.
I’d never seen anything more intoxicating than Tessa coming undone. For the first time in years, I felt truly present, anchored by nothing more than the sight of her drunk from pleasure.