11. Sometimes a Girl Wants Cake and Ice Cream
Chapter 11
Sometimes a Girl Wants Cake and Ice Cream
Tessa
I fumbled with the zipper of Liam’s jacket, my fingers still trembling from the orgasm that had ripped through me. He mirrored my actions, his hands steadier than mine as he slid my jacket off my shoulders. The cold air nipped at me, but the heat between us was more than enough to keep me warm.
“Wait.” I suddenly remembered the condom I’d stashed in my pocket earlier. I dug it out, holding it up like a prize. “I brought this. Just in case. You know, because I’m a responsible adult who plans for all contingencies. Even ones that involve... this.” I gestured between us, my cheeks flushing.
Liam raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips. “Always prepared, aren’t you?” He took the condom from me, tearing open the wrapper. “Put it on me, Tessa.”
I hesitated, a whirlwind of conflicting thoughts running through my head. This was a bad idea. A really bad idea. I didn’t do things like this. I was not the kind of woman who had steamy encounters in the middle of nowhere. Yet here I was, about to become one of them.
I looked around, half-expecting someone to jump out from behind the trees, catching us in the act. Liam must have sensed my hesitation because he paused, his hands cupping my face. “We can stop if this isn’t what you want.”
“No.” My voice was steady despite the storm inside me. “I want this. I do, but what if someone sees?”
He smirked, his eyes darkening with desire. “Then let them watch.”
A shiver ran down my spine, a mix of fear and excitement. I took the condom from him, my fingers shaking slightly as I rolled it onto his length. He groaned softly, his hips bucking beneath my touch.
I not-so-eloquently wiggled free of my pants and underwear before I straddled him, my hands resting on his chest as I lowered myself onto him. He gripped my hips, guiding me, and his eyes locked onto mine. The sensation of him filling me was overwhelming, a mix of pleasure and fullness that had me gasping.
“Fuck, Tessa,” he groaned, his head falling back.
I began to move, my hips rocking against his, my body adjusting to the feel of him inside me. His fingers gripped my ass, pulling me closer and pushing me away, controlling my movements.
“You’re so fucking tight. So wet. So perfect.” His praise made my skin tingle, stoking the fire inside me. I captured his mouth with mine, savoring the taste of him as our tongues tangled together. His strong hands gripped me tighter, guiding my movements into a more urgent rhythm that had me gasping into our kiss.
Suddenly, he snapped. With a growl, he flipped me over, my hands and knees sinking into the couch beneath us. He entered me from behind, his hips slamming against mine, and his cock filling me deeper than before.
“Oh, God,” I moaned, my fingers digging into the blanket.
He leaned forward, his body flush against mine, his lips against my ear. “You like that, don’t you?” he murmured, his voice a low growl. “You like being fucked like this. Like an animal.”
I nodded. His filthy words shouldn’t have affected me this much, but something about the raw possession in his voice made my inner walls clench around him. God, what was he doing to me? Every dirty phrase that fell from his lips only made me want more, made me push back harder against him, silently begging for everything he had to give.
He pulled me up, my back flush against his chest, his arm wrapping around my waist to keep me in place. His other hand snaked down my body, his fingers finding my clit, rubbing it in tight, fast circles. “Look at the stars, Tessa. Look at the snow and the lake and the mountains. Look at how fucking beautiful it all is.”
I opened my eyes, my gaze taking in the scene before me. The stars twinkled above us, the snow glistened in the moonlight, and the lake reflected the mountains surrounding us. It was beautiful. Breathtaking. Overwhelming.
Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, a mix of emotions welling up inside me. It was all too much, too intense, too... everything.
“Liam, oh God.” I gasped, my body trembling with the force of my impending orgasm. “I’m close. I’m so close.”
“Come for me.” His fingers moved faster, and his cock slammed into me harder. “Come around my cock. Let me feel you come undone.”
My body convulsed around him as pleasure washed over me, drowning me in a sea of sensation.
Liam followed soon after, his cock pulsing inside me. He groaned, his arms tightening around me.
We stayed like that until our breathing slowed. Liam gently pulled out of me, his arms still wrapped around me. He turned me to face him, his eyes soft and expression tender.
His fingers brushed a strand of hair from my face. “Absolutely incredible.”
I smiled, my cheeks flushing at the compliment. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
He chuckled, squeezing me briefly before letting go. He tossed the condom into the snow. I giggled and covered my mouth.
“What’s so funny?”
“I had a vision of that turning into ice and someone coming across it.” I shimmied my underwear and pants on.
He groaned. “I’m going to pick it up before we leave. Come here.” He pulled me down beside him and pulled the blanket over us.
As the warmth of our shared blanket and the afterglow of multiple orgasms began to fade, reality hit me like a snowball to the face. Oh God. What had I done?
Less than twenty-four hours ago, I’d been in the kitchen with my tongue down Archer’s throat, and now here I was with Liam under the stars.
“I can hear you thinking from here.” Liam’s fingers traced lazy circles on my arm. “Your brow is all scrunched up.”
“I kissed Archer. Last night. In the kitchen. Over ice cream. And now I’ve had sex with you. Amazing sex. Mind-blowing sex. But still... what am I doing? I’m not this person. I don’t do this. I’ve barely been single for a month, and suddenly I’m living out a mountain resort fantasy with multiple?—”
“Tessa.” Liam’s voice cut through my rambling. “Breathe.”
I sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts. “Sorry. I tend to word vomit when I’m nervous. Or confused. Or both. Which I definitely am right now.”
Liam sighed, but it wasn’t an annoyed sigh. If anything, he seemed amused. “Look, what happened with Archer is between you and him. And what happened here?” He gestured between us. “This was just some fun between two consenting adults. Really hot, really enjoyable fun that I personally wouldn’t mind happening again.”
“But you’re my boss,” I pointed out, though my body was already warming at the thought of a repeat performance.
He laughed at that. “Technically, I’m one-third of your boss. And trust me, I have zero concerns about mixing business and pleasure.” He shifted to look at me directly. “Want to know why? Because this place?” He waved his hand in the direction of the resort. “It’s temporary. All of it. We’re stuck here for what, another twenty months? Then we can finally sell and move on with our lives.”
I frowned. “But the resort has so much continued growth potential. If you?—”
“That’s Evan talking,” he interrupted, though his tone remained light. “He’s the dreamer. Always has been. But the reality is, this isn’t my dream and hasn’t been for a while.” His voice was thick with emotion, and he cleared his throat. “Once our two years are up, I’m selling my share to the highest bidder, and I’m going back to my real life.”
“Oh.” I wasn’t sure why that revelation stung a little, but it did. Maybe because in the short time I’d been here, I’d already started picturing what this place could become—or return to.
“Hey.” He tucked a finger under my chin, turning my face toward his. “That’s why this is perfect. No expectations, no complications. Just two people having fun while they happen to be in the same place at the same time.”
Put that way, it did sound simple. Clean. Uncomplicated. Like one of those summer flings I’d never experienced myself.
I bit my lip, studying the angles of his face. “So... you’re saying we could do this again?” The words came out breathier than I’d intended, but the way his fingers were still tracing patterns on my skin made it hard to maintain my usual composure.
His eyes darkened, and the playful smile that spread across his face sent a fresh wave of warmth through me. “Absolutely.” The single word held enough promise to make me squirm.
“And it wouldn’t be weird?” I apparently couldn’t accept a good thing without overanalyzing it to death.
“Only if you make it weird.” He smirked, reaching up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “Though I have to say, your weird is kind of charming.”
I smacked his chest playfully. “Shut up.” The words came out with absolutely zero conviction, especially since I couldn’t stop the ridiculous smile spreading across my face.
“Make me.” His challenge hung in the air between us.
I looked at his lips, tempted to take him up on that challenge. “We should probably head back.”
“Probably.” He made no move to get up; instead, he pulled me closer, his lips finding the sensitive spot right below my ear. “But we’ve got the snowmobile for another hour...”
And just like that, all my rational thoughts flew right out the window. Because he was right. This could be simple. For once in my life, I could let myself have something uncomplicated and fun. Even if a tiny voice in the back of my mind whispered that nothing about this situation was simple at all.
I smoothed down my hair for the hundredth time as Liam and I approached the front desk to return the keys and helmets. My lips still felt swollen from our activities, and I was pretty sure my neck had at least one obvious mark. Thank God for scarves and the totally legitimate excuse of the weather.
But of course, because the universe loves nothing more than to watch me squirm, it wasn’t some random employee manning the desk. No, it was Evan, looking unfairly attractive in a chunky sweater and wearing a grin that made my stomach do funny things.
I fidgeted with my scarf as his eyes swept over us both, lingering a touch too long on my kiss-swollen lips and Liam’s smugly relaxed demeanor. The way Evan’s lips curved up at the corners made me want to crawl under the polished wooden counter and hide there until spring. I watched understanding bloom across his features like a time-lapse video of the world’s most embarrassing flower.
“Well, well,” Evan drawled, leaning forward on the counter with his forearms crossed, radiating the kind of playful energy that reminded me of every annoying older brother across the globe. “How was stargazing?”
My face heated up to approximately the temperature of Venus, which we definitely hadn’t been looking at. “The stars were... very visible,” I managed to squeak out, mentally cursing my complete inability to lie smoothly in awkward situations. At least I hadn’t blurted out something about constellations. Small victories.
“I bet they were.” His grin widened. “Though I noticed you booked that experience for two. Seems like Liam here stepped in to make sure you didn’t waste your reservation.”
Liam shrugged, somehow managing to look both casual and territorial at the same time. “I’m being a good host.”
“How thoughtful of you.” Evan’s tone was playful, but there was something else there, something that made my pulse quicken. He wasn’t upset… he seemed almost... pleased? Intrigued? Whatever it was, it wasn’t the reaction I’d expected from a guy who flirted with me every chance he got.
“Well…” I clapped my hands together, desperate to escape this increasingly charged situation. “Thanks for the equipment return service, but I should really get to bed. All of that stargazing and constellation identifying has made me sleepy.” I faked a yawn.
“Oh!” Evan’s eyes lit up as he pushed up his sweater sleeves and turned to the computer. “Speaking of equipment and services...” He started scrolling through something. “I couldn’t help but notice you’ve got quite a few couple’s activities booked for your stay.”
Oh no.
“And since Liam so graciously helped you with stargazing...” He looked up, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “I see you’ve got a couple’s massage scheduled for tomorrow morning. I would be more than happy to ensure that reservation doesn’t go to waste either.”
Liam’s casual demeanor slipped. “Fuck off, Evan.”
“What? I’m being a good host.” Evan threw Liam’s words back at him with a wink. “Besides, everyone knows massages are better with company.”
I should have said no. I should have canceled all my remaining couple’s activities and hidden in my room until check-out. Instead, what came out of my mouth was: “Sure, but you’re covering the tip.”
Both men turned to stare at me, and I felt like a mouse who’d accidentally wandered into a room full of very interested cats.
“What?” I crossed my arms defensively, channeling the energy of every woman who’s ever had to justify wanting both cake and ice cream. “It’s a really expensive massage, and I already paid for two people. Might as well get my money’s worth.” I lifted my chin, daring either of them to challenge my completely budget-conscious decision that had nothing whatsoever to do with the way Evan’s forearms looked pressed against that counter.
It wasn’t like a massage meant anything. We’d both be covered with sheets and there’d be two masseuses in the room with us. Besides, Liam and I weren’t a thing , right? Sure, we’d spent the evening exploring our own Milky Way, but that was... well, I wasn’t entirely sure what that was, but it didn’t give him exclusive rights to all couple’s activities. Did it?
We were just having fun.
Evan’s face split into a delighted grin, like a kid who’d been told he could have dessert before dinner. “Done. I’ll meet you in the spa lobby at nine?”
“Fine. But I mean it about the tip. Twenty percent minimum.” I was trying to maintain some semblance of professionalism even though my brain was already conjuring images of being practically naked next to him tomorrow.
“Yes, ma’am.” He gave me a mock salute that shouldn’t have been as attractive as it was, especially with that playful glint in his eyes that made me wonder if he was taking any of this seriously.
Not that I was taking it seriously either. Nope. This was purely a financial decision. The kind of savvy money management my accountant would be proud of if I conveniently left out certain details. Like the fact that my soon-to-be massage partner had dimples that appeared when he smiled like that.
Liam made a sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a groan. “You’re both impossible.”
“Says the man who just defiled me,” I muttered, then immediately slapped my hand over my mouth. “That’s not... I should go.”
I turned and practically sprinted toward the elevators, Evan’s laughter and Liam’s deep chuckle following me all the way.
What the hell was I doing? More importantly, what the hell was I going to do tomorrow morning when I had to face Evan across massage tables?
There was absolutely nothing simple about this situation anymore.