Chapter 37
SYLVIE
The kiss started gentle, but within seconds it had transformed into something desperate and consuming. Kent’s hands tangled in my hair as I pressed closer to him, our bodies generating heat despite the cold December air surrounding us.
“Sylvie,” he breathed against my lips.
I pulled back just enough to look at him, taking in his face in the starlight. His eyes were dark with want, his breathing ragged. “What?” I whispered.
“Are you sure about this? Here?”
I glanced around at the secluded clearing, the towering trees that surrounded us like a natural wall and the blanket of stars overhead. It was private, romantic, and absolutely perfect.
“I’m sure,” I said, reaching for the hem of his sweater. “Are you?”
His answer came in the form of another searing kiss as he helped me pull the sweater over his head. The cold air hit his bare chest, but he didn’t seem to care. His hands were already working at the zipper of my jacket.
“Wait,” I said suddenly, a thought occurring to me. “Promise me you’ll never tell Brom we did this in his truck.”
Kent paused, his hands stilling on my jacket. “What?”
“My brother. This is his truck. Promise me you won’t tell him we had sex in the bed of his pickup.”
A slow, wicked grin spread across Kent’s face. “Your secret is safe with me, sweetheart. I have no desire to get murdered by your protective big brother.”
“Good,” I said, pulling him back down for another kiss.
We fumbled with each other’s clothes, laughing softly when zippers got stuck or sleeves got tangled. The cold metal of the truck bed should have been uncomfortable, but I was too focused on Kent’s hands on my skin to care about anything else.
When he had stripped off my jacket and was working on the buttons of my blouse, I suddenly became aware of how exposed we were.
“What if a bear comes by?” I asked.
“He can watch but he can’t join in,” he assured me, pressing kisses along my collarbone. “I’m not sharing you with man or beast.”
“Have you ever seen a bear?” I asked.
He chuckled. “Nope, but I’m guessing getting hollered at by a naked dude with a hard-on might be enough to scare him off. It would work on me, anyway.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “I guess we’ll find out.”
“If it takes me, you hop in the truck and drive like hell,” he said in a husky voice. “Tell the world I died like a legend.”
“My hero.”
His mouth found the sensitive spot where my neck met my shoulder. I gasped, arching against him.
“I know,” he murmured against my skin. “Less bear talk. More kissing.”
I lost myself in the sensation of his lips moving against mine, the way his tongue swept into my mouth with a confidence that made my toes curl inside my boots.
His hands were everywhere, threading through my hair, skimming down my sides, pulling me closer until there wasn’t an inch of space between us.
The man acted like he was starving. I tasted the desperation and matched it with my own.
The metal of the truck bed was cold against my back as he laid me down, but his body above me was warm and solid. When he pulled back to look at me, his eyes were dark with desire in the starlight.
“As pretty as this place is, you’re the most beautiful thing out here,” he whispered, his fingers tracing the line of my jaw. “I can’t get enough of you.”
I reached up to touch his face, loving the way his stubble felt rough against my palm. “Then don’t stop,” I said softly.
He didn’t need any more encouragement. His mouth found mine again. His hands massaged my breasts under my sweater. His thumb rubbed hard against my nipple.
“God, Sylvie,” he breathed against my throat, his lips trailing down to the hollow at the base of my neck. “You make me crazy.”
I arched beneath him as his mouth moved lower. He sucked my flesh into his mouth, using a little teeth before kissing away the sting of pain. My fingers tangled in his dark hair, holding him close as he lavished attention on my skin. Every touch sent sparks of electricity through my body.
I no longer felt the cold or the hard truck bed. There was only him and what he was doing to my body. When he had left the other day, I told myself never again. I told myself I would not let myself fall into lust with him.
But here I was tripping and falling straight into him. And I did not want to stop. I wanted more. I wanted all of it. Consequences be damned.
He reached into his back pocket from where his pants had been haphazardly tossed and pulled out a small foil packet. Even in the dim starlight, I could see what it was.
“Really?” I said, raising an eyebrow at him. “You just walk around with condoms in your pocket? Like you’re perpetually ready to seduce some unsuspecting woman?”
He had the grace to look slightly sheepish. “I prefer to be safe rather than sorry.”
“Uh-huh,” I teased. “And how often are you sorry?”
“Not as often as you might think,” he said, leaning down to nip at my earlobe. “And definitely not with you.”
Before I could ask what he meant by that, his hands were at the waistband of my jeans, and all coherent thought fled my mind. I lifted my hips to help him slide them down, along with my underwear, gasping at the shock of cold air against my bare skin.
“Shit, it’s cold,” I breathed.
“I’ll warm you up,” Kent promised, his voice rough with desire.
He made quick work of his own jeans and boxers, then tore open the condom packet with his teeth. I watched, mesmerized, as he rolled it on, my body already aching for him.
“Come here,” he said, pulling me toward him.
To my surprise, he turned and stretched out on his back. I saw him wince once before he grabbed me and pulled me over his body to straddle his hips.
“Like this?” I asked, confused.
“I’m not putting your bare skin against this cold metal,” he said, his hands settling on my waist. “This way, you stay warm. And your back doesn’t get destroyed.”
The consideration in his voice, the way he was thinking about my comfort even in the heat of passion, made my chest tight with emotion.
“Such a gentleman,” I murmured, positioning myself above him.
“Don’t get used to it,” he said with a grin, but his hands were gentle as they guided me down onto him.
The sensation of him filling me made us both gasp. I had to pause for a moment, adjusting to the feel of him, the angle different from the last time we’d been together.
“God, Sylvie,” he groaned, his head falling back against the truck bed. “You feel incredible.”
I began to move slowly, experimentally, learning what felt good in this position. Kent’s hands roamed my body, caressing my breasts, my hips, my thighs, everywhere he could reach.
“That’s it,” he encouraged, his voice strained. “Just like that.”
I found a rhythm that made us both moan, the cold air forgotten as heat built between us. The stars twinkled overhead, silent witnesses to our passion.
Kent’s thumb found the sensitive bundle of nerves at the apex of my thighs, circling with just the right pressure to make me cry out.
“You like that?” he asked, his voice husky.
“Yes,” I gasped, moving faster now, chasing the pleasure building inside me. “Don’t stop.”
“Never,” he promised, his other hand tangling in my hair to pull me down for a kiss.
The combination of his movements inside me and his thumb working magic on my clit were quickly driving me toward the edge. I could feel my muscles tensing, my breathing becoming ragged.
“Kent, I’m almost there.”
“Come for me,” he urged, his hips lifting to meet my movements. “I want to feel you.”
The orgasm crashed over me like a wave, making me arch my back and cry out his name to the star-filled sky. Kent followed me over the edge moments later, his hands gripping my hips as he thrust up into me one final time. I collapsed against his chest, both of us breathing hard.
The cold air was starting to penetrate our post-orgasmic haze, making me shiver.
“We should probably get dressed before we freeze to death,” I said, but I made no move to leave his arms.
“Probably,” he agreed, but his hands were stroking my back, making no effort to let me go.
We lay there for a few more minutes, reluctant to break the spell of intimacy that surrounded us. Finally, the cold became too much to ignore. We reluctantly separated to retrieve our scattered clothing.
Getting dressed in the back of a pickup truck proved to be more challenging than getting undressed had been. We kept bumping into each other, laughing as we struggled with inside-out sleeves and tangled pants legs.
“This is why people usually do this indoors,” Kent said, trying to pull his sweater on while I searched for my missing sock.
“Where’s your sense of adventure?” I teased, finally locating the wayward sock under his jacket.
“I lost it somewhere around the time my ass started going numb from this truck bed,” he replied, but he was smiling.
Once we were both fully clothed again, we climbed back into the cab. I started the engine and cranked up the heat. Both of us sighed with relief as warm air began flowing from the vents.
“That was unforgettable.” Kent let out a long breath and ran his fingers through his messy hair.
“Oh yeah?”
“A night with you in the back of a truck, in the cold heart of winter, fucking under a billion stars? Yeah, it doesn’t get more memorable than that.”
Warmth spread through me that had nothing to do with the truck’s heater. “Good. I was hoping to make an impression.”
“Mission accomplished,” he said, reaching over to take my hand. “Though I have to say, you’ve set the bar pretty high for future dates.”
“Future dates?” I asked, trying to keep my tone light even though my heart was suddenly racing. I liked the sound of future dates.
“Well, yeah,” he said, looking at me like it was obvious. “Unless you’re planning to kick me out of town after we close this business deal. But maybe next time we can find a sauna to get together in. I would even take a steamy bathroom after a shower.”
I had stopped listening after he mentioned the business deal. For a moment, I’d forgotten all about the paperwork he’d brought back from New York, the offer that was going to save my family’s legacy. The reminder brought me crashing back to reality.
“About the deal,” I said as I put the truck in gear and began navigating the dark forest road back toward town. “I showed the papers to my mom before we left tonight. She was going to make sure Dad saw them.”
“Good,” Kent said, but something in his voice sounded strained. “The sooner we can get everything finalized, the better.”
I glanced over at him, trying to read his expression in the dashboard light. “Are you worried they might say no?”
“No,” he said quickly. “No, I’m not worried about that. It’s just… business deals can be complicated. There are always details to work out.”
“I trust you.” I smiled. “This is your world. You know business.”
He turned his head and looked out the passenger window. Maybe using the T-word was too soon.