20. Traumatized Raccoon in an Air Vent
Chapter 20
Traumatized Raccoon in an Air Vent
Tessa
I ’d been cooking and prepping since dawn, determined to have enough food ready for the impending snowstorm since guests wouldn’t be able to leave the resort. My feet ached, but there was a satisfaction in knowing I’d done everything possible to prepare.
Passing through the lobby, I looked outside for the first time in hours, and the sky looked like someone had draped a gray wool blanket over the world, with snow already falling. My nipples instantly pebbled at the thought of going out in that. It was one thing for there to be snow on the ground, but when it hit my skin and soaked through my clothes, it made it about a hundred times colder.
What was I thinking moving here?
Brushing off the doubts I had about the weather—which was only a few months out of the year—I headed in the direction where I’d seen Evan carrying a stack of boxes.
The guys had been busy all day, and I’d barely had time to talk to them. Archer, Liam, and Evan seemed to be getting along. I’d caught a brief glimpse of them earlier at the front desk, and they’d been laughing. I’d been a little worried that things would implode after my night with Archer and Liam, but so far, things seemed to be better between them.
I found Evan in one of the supply closets, muscling a box onto a high shelf. His shirt rode up as he stretched, revealing a tantalizing strip of skin.
“Need a hand?” I tried not to ogle him too obviously but failed.
He grinned over his shoulder. “I’ve got it covered. But feel free to keep admiring the view.”
“So modest.” I leaned against the doorframe, watching him work. “Are you guys staying in the cabin tonight? Because I was wondering if you’d all like to stay with me? The storm’s supposed to be pretty bad, and safety in numbers, and all that...”
Evan finished pushing the box onto the shelf and turned around fully. “Safety in numbers, huh? Is that what we’re calling it now?”
“Well, I was trying to be subtle about it, but if you prefer ‘hey, want to have a foursome?’ that works too.” I hardly survived two of them at once and didn’t know how I’d handle three. How would that even work logistically?
He took a step closer. “Maybe now I’ll finally get answers about Archer’s piercings. How many barbells can one dick?—”
“Five.” My cheeks heated as Evan’s eyes widened comically. “It’s important you know these things from my hands-on research. For science.”
“For science.” He was now close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body and see his dilated pupils. “You know, I’ve always been a big supporter of the scientific method. Especially the experimentation phase.”
I hooked my fingers into his belt loops, pulling him closer. “The experiments are my favorite part.”
“Is that so?” His voice had dropped to a low, gravelly tone that made my insides turn to liquid. “Care to demonstrate?”
“Well, first you form a hypothesis...” I pressed a kiss to his jaw. “You test it several times...” My lips found his neck. “And then you analyze the results...”
He gripped my hips as he backed me up against the shelving unit and kicked the door shut. “And what’s your hypothesis, Chef?”
“That you’re wearing too many clothes for scientific analysis.”
His laugh was cut off when I pulled his mouth down to mine. His kiss was hungry, and I melted into it. My hands found their way under his shirt, tracing the planes of his stomach as he pressed me harder against the shelves.
His fingers brushed over my nipple. “We should probably lock the door.”
“Mmhmm.” I made no move to stop kissing him or lock the door. “Definitely. Any second now.”
The thought of getting caught sent a thrill coursing through me. I could feel the hard length of him pressing against me, and I rubbed against him, the friction driving me wild. His hands were everywhere, exploring my body with a fervor that matched my own.
“You like that, don’t you?” He nipped at my neck. “The thought of someone walking in and seeing us like this?”
I moaned in response, my hands sliding down to cup him through his jeans. He was hard and throbbing beneath my touch. “Yes. It’s... exciting.”
“You’re a naughty one, aren’t you, Tessa?” His hand slipped into my pants, his fingers wasting no time sliding between my legs. “Fuck, you’re soaked.”
I gasped as he slid a finger inside me. “Evan!”
“That’s it, say my name.” He added another finger and pumped them in and out of me. “I want to hear you scream it when I make you come.”
His words turned me on even more, and the tension built in my core, the promise of release just out of reach. “More,” I begged, my voice barely recognizable. “Please, more.”
He complied, his thumb finding my clit and circling it with just the right amount of pressure. “You want more?” he whispered, his lips brushing against my ear. “Wait until tonight. Wait until we’re all with you, worshiping this gorgeous body.”
I bucked my hips against his hand, his words sending a fresh wave of desire crashing over me. I could picture Archer, Liam, Evan, and me, tangled together in a writhing mass of limbs. “Tell me how.” I wanted every delicious detail of how he envisioned things going.
A strangled groan left his throat. “There are so many things I want… I want Archer to fuck that sweet mouth of yours… or these tits. Would you like that?”
I bit back a groan and nodded.
“And you’d be riding Liam’s cock so he hits you in just the right spot.” His fingers brushed over my G-spot. “And me? I’ll be right here, watching, waiting for my turn to taste you, to fuck you, to make you scream my name.”
His words were pushing me closer to the edge, the dirty promises painting a vivid picture in my mind.
“And when you think you can’t take any more...” His fingers moved faster, the delicious friction building to an almost unbearable intensity. “We’ll switch. Liam will take your mouth, his hands tangled in your hair as you drive him wild. Archer will fuck that tight pussy. And me? I’ll be behind you, spreading those gorgeous cheeks and sliding into your ass, claiming every inch of you.”
I whimpered, my body trembling at the thought of all three of them. My inner muscles spasmed around his fingers, my body already begging for the release he promised. I could almost feel it—the heat, the intensity, the overwhelming sensation of being surrounded and filled by them. It was too much, yet not enough. My mouth opened, a silent plea for air, for sanity, for the climax that hovered out of reach.
“Or would you like two cocks in this cunt? I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you? Two cocks sliding in and out. The press of Archer’s piercings against this spot right here.” He crooked his fingers, sliding right along my G-spot.
My orgasm rolled through me, and I bit down on his shoulder to muffle my screams, my nails digging into his back.
He rode out my orgasm with me, his fingers slowing their pace but not stopping completely. “That’s it, let it all out.”
As the last of my tremors subsided, I sagged against him. Evan withdrew his fingers, bringing them to his mouth and sucking them clean. It made a fresh spark of desire ignite within me.
I reached for his cock, and he caught my wrist gently, bringing my hand up to kiss my palm. “Tonight we’ll make that fantasy a reality.”
I nodded, still breathless from my orgasm. “You’re going to walk around with that in your pants?”
He adjusted himself before giving me one last kiss and stepping back. “I like to be tortured. Just know that every time you look at me today, I’ll be thinking about tonight and all the things we’re going to do to you.”
I shivered at the promise in his words, my body already aching for more. As I straightened my clothes and opened the door, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of anticipation.
“What do you mean I can’t have a key to a room in my name?”
I froze mid-step, my post-orgasmic bliss evaporating faster than a snowflake in hell. That voice. That perfectly modulated, ‘I have a ten-year plan for my ten-year plan’ voice that had once made my heart skip beats but now made me want to crawl into the nearest air vent and live there like a traumatized raccoon.
Declan.
My ex-fiancé was here. At Sterling Pines. Because apparently, the universe wasn’t done playing “Let’s Make Tessa’s Life as Awkward as Possible.”
“Sir, as I explained, the reservation was already claimed by the other party, and the room is not available.” Liam’s voice had taken on an edge of steel that made him sound like a sexy bouncer.
“A room that I paid for!” Declan’s voice carried that familiar note of controlled frustration he used when things weren’t going according to plan. The same tone he’d used when I’d suggested we should have chocolate cake instead of traditional white at our wedding. “With my credit card. For my honeymoon. If you’ll call her, she’ll clear up this misunderstanding.”
I pressed myself against the wall, trying to become one with the wallpaper. Why hadn’t I picked a different resort? Why hadn’t I gone to Fiji? Or Mars? Mars seemed like a reasonable distance right about now. I bet Mars didn’t have ex-fiancés or snowstorms.
“If you’re unable to reach her and have her come to the front desk to clear this up, there’s nothing we can do.” Archer’s cold lawyer voice cut through my panic spiral. “We’re not accepting additional guests due to the incoming storm.”
Evan brushed past me, his hand briefly squeezing my shoulder in a gesture that somehow managed to be both comforting and slightly possessive. “I better go help deal with Ken over there.”
“It’s Declan,” I whispered, my voice sounding small even to my own ears. “My ex.” The word ‘ex’ still felt strange on my tongue, like trying to speak around a mouthful of cotton balls.
“Even better.” Evan continued toward the front desk anyway, his shoulders back and his fists clenched at his sides.
I stood there, not sure what to do. Minutes ago, I’d had a mind-blowing orgasm in a supply closet, and now I was hiding from my ex-fiancé like a teenager hiding from her parents after missing curfew. If there was a guidebook for how to handle this situation, I definitely needed to order it. Rush shipping, please.
“This is completely unacceptable!”
Well, shit. Declan’s voice was louder now, and I doubted Archer, Evan, and Liam would be able to stop him from making a scene. Time to face the music.
Smoothing my hands down the front of my clothes, I walked the short distance down the hall. As I stepped into view, I forced my face into what I hoped was a neutral expression but probably looked more like someone trying to smile through a root canal. “Declan. What are you doing here?”
“Tessa, thank God. Tell them I’m supposed to be here. I’m trying to get a key to our room.”
“It’s my room.” My voice was stronger than I felt. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Well, neither should you.” He ran a hand through his hair, messing up its perfect placement, and I wanted to mess it up more out of spite. “I thought we could talk. Work things out. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking?—”
“No.” The word came out sharp and clear, surprising even me. “You don’t get to show up here and try to what? Win me back? Fix things? There’s nothing to fix, Declan. You made your choice.” And I was making mine.
All three men behind the desk were watching this exchange like it was a tennis match, their heads swiveling between us.
“Tessa, you’re being dramatic.” Declan really made me want to throw something at him. “You’re obviously emotional?—”
“The only thing I am is done. Done with this conversation, done with your plans that are all about you, and done with you showing up uninvited to my vacation, which you forfeited when you called off our engagement while I was glazing a ham. A ham, Declan.” My hands were shaking, but my voice wasn’t, and that was like its own kind of victory.
I turned to the guys, who were all sporting varying degrees of impressed expressions. “I assume you can handle this? I have dinner prep to start.”
Without waiting for an answer, I spun on my heel and walked away, my head held high. A tiny voice in my brain that usually reminded me to be polite and accommodating tried to make me turn back, but I silenced it with the mental equivalent of a pillow to the face.
The old Tessa might have stayed to smooth things over and to make Declan comfortable at her own expense. But the new Tessa? She had places to be and zero tolerance for gaslighting exes who thought they could derail her life with their surprise appearances. The click of my shoes against the floor sounded like applause, and for once, I deserved it.
I’d barely made it halfway across the restaurant when Archer’s hand caught my elbow. I turned to find him wearing a concerned expression. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I replied automatically, then rolled my eyes at myself. “I’m as fine as anyone can be when their ex-fiancé shows up uninvited.”
Archer shifted his weight like he had something to say but was calculating the best way to phrase it. His thumb was making small circles on my arm, and the gentle touch was simultaneously comforting and distracting.
He ran his free hand through his hair. “The storm’s already started. Declan was dropped off, and there’s literally nowhere else for him to go. The town’s shutting down, and we have no rooms available.”
“There’s a nice couch in the lobby,” I suggested brightly.
Archer’s thumb stilled on my arm. “I was thinking you could stay with us in the cabin. Give Declan the room.”
I jerked back like he’d suggested I take up competitive snake juggling. “Absolutely not. I am not giving up my room because he decided to crash my sad-girl honeymoon turned sexual awakening vacation. That’s exactly what men like him expect, that we’ll accommodate their wants and needs without considering our own. Well, not this time, buddy. I’ve evolved. I’m like a Pokémon, but instead of shooting lightning, I now have self-respect and boundaries and a new appreciation for?—”
“Tessa.” Archer cut off my rambling with a gentle squeeze of my arm, his eyes dancing with barely suppressed amusement. “This isn’t about letting him win. Trust me, nothing would give me more satisfaction than telling him to pound snow. But he’s...” Archer’s jaw tightened as he looked over at the lobby where Liam and Evan were still talking to Declan. “He’s creating a scene, and I’m worried about how it might affect the other guests. The last thing we need is a ragey twatwaffle making everyone uncomfortable during a snowstorm.”
I snorted at his choice of words, the tension in my shoulders easing slightly. “Twatwaffle? And here I thought you only spoke in carefully crafted paragraphs and legal jargon.”
“Evan’s vocabulary is unfortunately contagious.” A small smile played at the corners of his mouth. “But my point stands.”
“I guess you’re right.” My brain helpfully supplied new scenarios to panic about. “But what if we get snowed in? Like, really snowed in and can’t get out of the cabin because the snow covers the door? What if we run out of food? What if the power goes out and we have to huddle for warmth like penguins? What if—” I gasped as a truly horrifying thought struck me. “What if we run out of coffee? I’ve seen me without coffee, Archer. It’s not pretty. There’s usually crying and inappropriate use of kitchen utensils.”
Archer’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “The cabin has a generator, a wood-burning stove, enough food and water to survive an apocalypse, and I personally stocked the coffee supply. We’ll be fine.”
“You say that now, but what if?—”
He silenced me with a quick kiss that left me momentarily dazed. “Go pack, and we’ll take your bags over. We’ll handle Declan.”
I nodded, my lips still tingling. “Fine. But if we end up having to eat each other to survive, I want it noted that I’m probably very tough and gamey.”
He threw his head back and laughed, and I tried very hard not to think about how much I liked the sound of it. Or how it made me feel like this disaster might turn out okay after all.