Chapter 10
Miles
Why the fuck did I open my big mouth?
I toss and turn all night as Penny takes over my thoughts. The way her eyes widened when I said one time hadn’t been enough. Does she think about it as much as I do?
“Fuck,” I shout into my pillow.
As soon as the first rays of sunlight slip through my window, I get up, change, and get the coffee maker going. I need to keep myself busy outside; otherwise, I might do something stupid.
Like knock on Penny’s door and show her exactly why one time wasn’t nearly enough.
“Good morning,” a low voice greets me as I’m pouring a cup of coffee.
Shit.
“Good morning. How did you sleep?” I’m not even sure why I’m making small talk. After all the dirty thoughts I had about her last night, I can barely look her in the eyes.
But Granny raised me to be a good host, to make sure everyone is taken care of before anything else. So here I am, making coffee and acting like I didn’t spend the night thinking about Penny naked in my bed.
“Very well.” She pauses like she wants to say more.
I take a deep breath before finally turning around to face her.
She’s sitting on one of the breakfast bar stools. I can’t see her legs, but I know they’re long and tanned to perfection. Her nipples are two tight peaks against her shirt, pressed in a way that completely fucks with my ability to think straight.
“Eyes up here, handsome.”
Her words snap me out of it. Then what she said sinks in, and I can’t help but smirk.
“Shut up,” she says, unable to hide the smile pulling at her gorgeous lips.
“What?” I play dumb.
I lift my mug, silently asking if she wants coffee, and she nods.
“I was just about to say I’m impressed by how attentive you’ve been,” she says as I pour her coffee and bring sugar, sweetener, and cream to the counter. “But then you ruined it with that wicked smirk.”
“Wicked? Interesting,” I say as I hand her a mug full of dark, bitter wake-up potion, earning a grateful smile from her.
I pay attention to what she adds to her coffee. Part of me wants to memorize it, even though I know this won’t happen again. Penny made it pretty clear she didn’t want anything beyond one night with me.
“This is exactly what I needed,” she says, wrapping both hands around the mug and bringing it to her nose before closing her eyes and breathing deeply.
My dick makes a tent in my sweats.
And I’m not wearing underwear.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Would you like breakfast now or in a bit? I’m thinking about clearing the walkway and outside the garage.”
Her eyes open wide, her lips still pressed against the mug.
Why does every single thing this woman does look sexy? I get turned on just being around her.
Fuck. I gotta get laid.
“I thought we were literally buried in the snow,” Penny says as she gets up from the stool and walks toward the bay window in the living room. “It’s beautiful.” She wraps her arms around her middle as she stands with her back to me, enjoying the view.
Like she’s pulling me in without even trying, my feet carry me straight toward her.
I stop right behind her.
Penny’s about five-foot-four without heels. I could easily rest my chin on top of her head, wrap my arms around her, and push her against me.
But that’s not what this is. I’m truly just helping a friend—an acquaintance.
There’s something special about the first big snowfall of the season. Everything goes quiet. Clean. The roads empty out, the mountains disappear beneath all that white, and the whole town looks different overnight.
I get why Penny’s mesmerized.
“What was it like to grow up in the mountains?”
Penny’s question pulls me out of my thoughts.
I take a second before answering.
“I’ve never really thought about it much,” I admit. “I’ve lived in the same town my whole life.”
She turns around then, giving me her undivided attention.
“The farthest I’ve traveled was for Rain and Xander’s wedding,” I continue. “So I guess I’ve never stopped to compare it to anything else.” I hold her gaze for a second, “It’s the only life I’ve ever known.”
“Okay, that’s fair,” she says, walking to the couch. She sits cross-legged and pulls the blanket on the couch over her.
For a moment, I can’t breathe. She looks so comfortable, so cozy, like she belongs in my space.
“What if you tell me a memory of your childhood?” she asks, patting the couch.
Shoveling and breakfast forgotten, I take a seat across from her in my reclining chair.
“Are you sure you have time? I had a great childhood,” I say with a smile. I don’t think there’s anything I cherish more than growing up with my siblings.
“Well, I don’t think we’re digging out my car today. Unless you have a mini snowplow,” she jokes.
I laugh with her, even though I know I could easily call River and ask him to help me get her car unstuck.
“Yeah, well. As much shit as I like to give to River, we’ve been best buds for as long as I can remember.”
Penny’s smile turns soft and genuine, and something about it makes me want to keep talking. Which is weird as hell. Penny knows my family, sure, but I don’t usually share personal details—especially not with women I’ve slept with.
“River and I used to ride around the farm with Dad in his pickup. We’d mark sick trees, fix broken fences, harvest fruit, help with whatever veggies Mama or Granny had growing in the garden. We’ve always loved being outside."
“I’ve always wondered what it's like to have siblings, you know?” Her smile turns wistful.
“Were your parents older when they had you? Or why did they decide to only have one kid?” I ask, honestly curious about her family.
“My dad is older than my mom. She was an exchange student when they met.”
I lift a finger, stopping her for a second.
“I have a feeling we’re going to be here a while. The story sounds promising. Let me grab us fresh coffee and some biscuits. Do you like biscuits?”
“Thank you. I was starting to worry my stomach would stage a protest.”
I head to the kitchen and grab enough to hold us over until I make a proper meal.
By the time I sit back down across from her, Penny has curled her legs beneath her on the couch, looking real comfortable in my house.
“My mom has three sisters. All of them still live in Colombia,” she says after taking a sip of coffee. “They all have multiple kids. I have eight cousins, and even though I’m the only one living in the US and my Spanish is so-so, we get along pretty well. I talk to them all the time.”
“That’s cool. We don’t have any cousins.” I pause for a second. “Now that I think about it, maybe that’s why my parents wanted so many kids—they were both only children.”
“That’s so interesting,” she says.
I frown at her. “What is?”
“Well, Granny is larger than life. She has so much love to give, it’s just interesting that she and your grandfather didn’t have more kids.”
I nod slowly. “Yeah, I’ve never asked her why they only had my dad. But I bet it was hard taking over the family farm right after getting married.”
Bringing these memories up makes me feel like shit. How the hell have I gone through my life without really asking Granny about hers? She’s such a character that I’ve never stopped to think about the woman underneath it all.
I need to change that.
“Are you close to your Colombian family? Besides your cousins, I mean,” I ask, settling deeper into the recliner.
Some people might say this feels like the twenty questions game people play on a first date, but to me, I’m just getting to know my friend—and boss—on a deeper level.
“Oh yes. Mami and I used to visit all the time when I was little. I don’t go as often now, but I still make time to check on everyone. I’m even the godmother to a couple of my cousins’ kids.”
I nod, understanding what she means. “I think what you have with your cousins is probably similar to what I have with my siblings. I can’t imagine my life without them.
We’re all so different, and you know how loud and chaotic we can get when we’re together.
But I wouldn’t trade them for the world. ”
“Yeah, my family’s loud too. But I love them something fierce.”
A crumb falls from the corner of her mouth after she takes a bite of her biscuit. Without thinking, I lean across the coffee table and brush it away with my thumb.
At that same moment, Penny tries to lick it off. Her tongue slides over my thumb, and that simple action sets me off.
One second, I’m sitting across from her with a coffee mug in hand. The next, I’m setting it down somewhere and kissing her like I’ve been starving for it.
Her legs uncurl beneath her as she sinks back against the couch.
I follow her down, my body fitting naturally against hers.
“I’ve missed these lips,” I murmur as I let myself rejoice in our bodies reconnecting.
“Only my lips?” she asks against my mouth.
“Fuck, no.”
My hands slide up her body until I find her breasts, giving them a slow squeeze. I bite back a groan. “I’ve missed these too.”
Penny wiggles beneath me.
I lean back enough to give her space.
Then she pulls off the shirt I left in her room for pajamas.
She’s completely naked.
“Fuck, woman,” I mutter, my voice rough. “What do you want from me?”
She laughs, loud and unrestrained. “I want you. What do you want?”
You.
That’s the first thing that comes to mind. Right here. Naked beneath me, looking at me like she already knows I’m losing the fight.
But I can’t think with my dick. Not when I know how messy this could get.
“Penny,” I grit out.
“Miles,” she fires back, like a challenge.
“We said it was only one time.” Even to my own ears, the excuse sounds weak as hell.
“We’re snowed in, Miles. What else are we supposed to do? Keep walking down memory lane? Or play video games like two teenagers trying not to jump each other?” she says with a playful scoff.
My gaze drifts over her body. Absolute perfection. Those tits that fit perfectly in my palms, her tight dark nipples practically begging for my mouth—it’s an invitation to sin.
“We’re both adults, Miles. I don’t think we need to be half way in love to enjoy a good fuck.”