12. Sofia
Sofia
It was our last night in the cabin and for some reason I was more nervous than any of the nights before.
We had finished our mock-up of the CCB app, the recycle drop-off containers, and all of the marketing that went with our new ideas.
Rick had even drawn up a makeshift speakeasy using the digital plans of the brewery.
We had pulled up the plans of the building that I’d thankfully saved to the account folder, and we’d discovered that there was an older bottling building that hadn’t been used in years.
From the pictures in the folder, we could see that there was plenty of old equipment and a bunch of barrels that had been used for a special barrel-aging that induced deep flavor.
With a lot of work, the space could be a really cool speakeasy.
The design program that Rick used added a long oval shaped bar in the middle of the room and utilized several barrels for table tops scattered around the space.
He added some metal hanging lights, art work, and a hidden entryway that completely blew my mind.
It utilized a large metal door that was already there between the old shop area and what would be the new speakeasy space.
It was a good idea. People could come in, buy things, then enter the speakeasy.
When they left, they would have to exit through the tap room again, and hopefully buy more things.
He had mapped it out so that a heavy, false wall of stacked aging barrels at the back of the tap room area would serve as the secret door.
They just needed to be moved in front of the real door and a hidden mechanism created with a digital code reader.
When a customer scanned their maximum-tier app token on a small, disguised reader, the central barrel would click open, swinging inward to reveal the warm, amber-lit sanctuary inside.
“It’s perfect,” I breathed, leaning over his shoulder to watch the 3D rendering spin slowly on his laptop screen. “It looks fun, like someplace I’d want to hang out, but it also physically connects the craft of brewing with the reward system.”
“It’s all thanks to you,” he murmured, closing the laptop just enough that the glowing screen dimmed, plunging the kitchen island into the soft, flickering light of the fireplace.
He turned on his stool to face me. He had a glass of bourbon in his hand, the ice clinking softly against the glass.
I had a glass of champagne that he’d poured me after dinner. We were celebrating a little early. We had finished everything we needed for the project. The large posters were at the printers and ready for us to pick up in the morning, on our way to the brewery.
Rick had a relaxed, easy air, and everything felt different tonight. Lighter. More casual than the rest of the work trip.
My heart did that familiar, erratic dance against my ribs when he looked at me. Tomorrow morning, we had to drive back down to Golden and face the wolves.
The professional boundaries that had kept us safely on opposite sides for days felt incredibly thin tonight.
“You’re quiet,” Rick said. Those sexy blue eyes held mine with an intensity that made it hard to blink or breathe. “Nervous?” he asked.
“A little,” I admitted, crossing my arms over my chest to keep from reaching out. “But mostly I’m just thinking about how much everything is going to change once we leave this mountain,” I added honestly.
Rick set his glass down on the counter with a soft clink.
Then he stood up and stepped into my space until the heat radiating from him was completely overwhelming.
He reached out and brushed back a stray lock of my hair, tucking it behind my ear softly.
His touch sent a violent, electric shiver straight down my spine and to my core.
Desire, pure and fast, hit me like I’d never felt before.
“Sometimes change is good,” he whispered, his voice dropping as his thumb lingered on my jawline. “But some changes are inevitable.” He shifted slightly. “This time, I don’t think I’m going to let you make the first move.”
“Okay,” I said, smiling. “Show me what—” I ended on a groan as his mouth covered mine.
This, this is what I had been missing in life.
I hadn’t realized I was missing it until I’d tackled him in the elevator and I’d kissed him outside of my apartment.
When his body pressed against mine, I knew there would be no stopping the wave of desire I felt for him. Not now. Not when we had just created something so… magical. So perfect.
I wanted—no, I needed—to celebrate that in the most raw way I could think of.
My fingers slid into his thick hair, holding him, pulling him closer until we were pressed up against one another. He tasted like the richness of the bourbon, like smoky, sexual, and forbidden fruit.
This should be wrong. He was my boss. He was practically a stranger.
Parker and I had known each other for years before we’d done anything like what I was imagining doing with Rick.
“Sofia,” he murmured against my lips. He shifted slightly to look down at me. “This has nothing to do with work. In no way will this affect your job. Just so we’re clear.”
“I didn’t think it would,” I agreed, understanding everything. “So why don’t we go upstairs?” I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.
He smiled and wrapped his fingers with mine as we started walking up the stairs.
He led me down the hallway and opened the door to his room. We stepped in and stood at the edge of his bed. I couldn’t help it, I chuckled.
“Sorry, my parents use the master bedroom and, it’s just…”
“I get it.” I reached up on my toes and kissed him again.
His room had a queen-size bed with another rustic log frame. There wasn’t a fireplace in the room, but it was spacious and had a sitting area with a sofa and bookshelves under large windows. The view was just as nice as the master suite.
His fingertips dug into my hips as I started unbuttoning his flannel shirt.
“I have to be honest with you,” I said, between kisses, after I noticed my fingers shaking. “I’ve only done this with one other person before.”
I watched his reaction, seeing his eyebrows slowly rise.
“Then, I’m honored.” He stood back, letting me pull his shirt off his impressive shoulders.
“My ex did not look like this,” I said, trailing my fingertips over his chest as his flannel hit the floor.
He chuckled. “Do your worst, Sofia.” He motion for me to continue. I did, enjoying the way his muscles twitched under my exploration. When I trailed the light dusting of dark hair that disappeared beyond his jean’s buckle, he sucked in a deep breath.
“You’re killing me,” he groaned before finally reaching for me. “My turn.”
Somehow, I was more nervous now than when I’d explored him. When my shirt hit the floor, followed by my jeans and bra, I closed my eyes as my face heated.
“Beautiful,” I heard him whisper.
I’d needed to hear that. Needed the tiny boost I got from knowing I was someone he’d want.
I wasn’t the skinniest, tallest, or most toned woman in the world. I really should be hitting the gym two times a week instead of just once, and since taking on the bakery account I was enjoying the fruits of the job more.
His rough hands trailed over my shoulders, down my chest, slowing briefly to pluck at my nipples. I groaned and held in a gasp when he dipped his head and took my left nipple into his wet mouth.
My fingers returned to his hair and held him as he lapped at my skin. His fingers continued downward until he covered my panties, slowly making circles over my wetness. God, I wanted.
Darkness filled my head. I was consumed by desire. By the thought of what he was going to do to me next. Was he going to nudge my panties aside? Dip his fingers in? Make me come?
His mouth was still on my nipples, slowly, gently, sucking, matching each circle his fingertips made.
How much longer could I hold off what was coming? Why did I want to prolong this feeling?
“Come for me, Sofia.” His deep voice vibrated against my skin. “Now,” he said. In one movement, he pushed my panties aside and dipped his finger into me.
My fingernails dug into his bare shoulders as I cried out his name. My entire body convulsed as he held me upright. My knees buckled as another wave consumed me.
Before I could realize what was going on, I was lying down on the bed with Rick hovering above. His mouth covered mine softly as he slowly filled me. I didn’t even realize he’d removed the rest of my clothes. Didn’t see him slide his jeans all the way off.
This, I thought just before he built me up again. This is what I’ve been chasing all my life.
Sometime in the night, I woke when Rick shifted under me. My head was lying on his chest and my left leg hung over his hips.
I had never slept through the night with a man before. Parker and I had never slept at one another’s places because we had been teenagers and had been living at our parents’ places.
Waking up in Rick’s arms felt so good. Right.
“Sorry.” His voice was low and made his chest vibrate. I leaned into it, closing my eyes. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
How was this going to work when we returned to Golden? Could this work? I wanted to hold onto this moment. But I could see the light from the sunrise already breaking into the room.
“It’s okay, we have to get going soon.” I shifted, knowing that I had to break contact or I’d want to stay right here all day long.
Then his arms came up and wrapped around me.
“We have time,” he said, holding me close. I shifted to look up at him. God, he was so pretty. How did he not have more women falling at his feet?
Then suddenly I remembered my one-sided confession last night, that I’d only been with one other man before. He’d obviously stayed quiet because there was probably an arsenal of women in his past.
Feeling my face heat, I shifted until I could lay my cheek against his chest, hiding my embarrassment.
When his hands started moving over my body, I completely forgot about either of our pasts. There was only here. Right now. Him.
Focusing on how he made me feel, I countered each of his moves with my own. If his fingers traced me, with featherlight touches, I’d trace him. The way his muscles flexed under my exploration was mesmerizing to me.
Realization hit me that Parker had been a boy compared to Rick.
There wasn’t even a way to compare the two.
This, what I was enjoying now, was in a completely different ballpark.
Something I’d never had before. Something I wanted more and more of, if possible.
Something I knew that I may not have again, once we left our secluded mountain getaway.
I straddled his hips and looked down at him as he cupped my breasts. My eyes ran over him, drinking in every detail. A colorful tattoo of a mountain peak with a large wave crashing into the bottom covered his left pec.
I had my own tattoos. They were much smaller than his, but I still liked the sunflowers on my ankles and the wildflower lines along my right rib cage.
“I want to enjoy this while I can,” I said, shifting slightly. I watched his blue eyes deepen as a low half groan, half growl vibrated his entire body.
“Whenever you want it, I’m game,” he said, running his fingers over my skin. “Anytime.”
His hands found my hips and started to pull and push me until I was moving on him. Deeply. Slowly.
“Sofia.” He groaned and shifted until he was sitting up, kissing me. “Anytime,” he said again as I wrapped my arms around him, holding on to that promise, to this very moment, just in case it wasn’t true.