Chapter 20
Ford
There was something about this position in her office that had me barreling toward an orgasm. I couldn't slow it down, so I reached between her legs and rubbed her clit. She cried out, clamping down on my dick, drawing the orgasm from deep inside me. I couldn't hold back, releasing into her.
I rested my weight on her for a few seconds before kissing her shoulder and easing out. I had the wherewithal to grab a tissue to clean her as I withdrew. Sex without a condom was messy, but it made everything more heightened.
She trusted me with her body, to take care of her and make her feel good. That had to count for something.
I threw out the tissues and helped her to stand.
"I can't believe we did that."
"I already want to do it again. I believe we have a few more positions we can try," I said, my jaw tight at the thought.
A smile played over her lips. "Should I be taking notes on which one is better?"
"Mmm. I love that idea." I kissed her, already wishing we could do it all over again.
She hurried to get dressed, and I did the same. We couldn't be naked in her office for too long. Someone could come looking for her.
"You want to grab dinner or hang out tonight?" I asked, not sure of what she'd say. She might retreat.
Her lips pursed. "Can we go to your place? It was nice to get away for a while the other night."
Warmth spread through my veins. "I'd love to have you over. Are we cooking again?"
She looked up at me, her cheeks flush from our lovemaking. "If it's not too much trouble. I can help."
"It sounds like the perfect evening, just you and me," I said, taking a chance I wouldn't scare her off.
"I'll pack a bag then."
When she went upstairs, I stayed in the foyer waiting for her. If I followed her, we wouldn't leave tonight, and I wanted to give her the escape she craved. She wanted to get out of the inn for a few hours, and I'd make that happen.
The only problem was that Aspen was at the counter, and I'd just fucked her boss in the office. I wondered if she'd know what we were up to.
"You're just getting done for the night?" Aspen asked when I approached.
"I'm waiting for Natasha," I said, wondering what she would think of that.
She looked from the computer screen to me. "Are you two official now?"
"Not exactly." We hadn't changed the parameters of our relationship. I wanted to, but wasn't sure how to address it. Natasha was so skittish when it came to relationships, and it was all my fault. "I asked her to help me with a few things."
Aspen's eyes danced with amusement. "Oh, is that what we're calling it now?"
"We're hanging out."
She nodded. "Uh-huh."
I leaned against the counter. "I thought you wanted me to stay out of your business."
Her eyes narrowed on me. "True."
I raised a brow. "Then why are you in mine?"
Her eyes widened for a second. Then she shook her head, a smile playing on her lips. "You're right. I should stay out of your business."
I rapped my knuckles on the counter. "You should."
Then she lifted her concerned gaze. "But Natasha is my friend. I want to make sure you're not going to hurt her."
I winced. "I don't want to hurt her. The circumstances have changed since we were eighteen. I'm not going anywhere. My family, my house, and my job are here."
Her forehead wrinkled. "Does she know that?"
"That's the problem. It's like she's holding herself back, not able to fully be in this thing with me because she's scared of me hurting her again. And I can't blame her."
Aspen blew out a breath. "I have faith in you. You'll convince her that you're a good guy."
"I'm glad you have faith in me," I said, wondering what was taking Natasha so long.
"I'm really happy you two reconnected. It gives the rest of us hope," Aspen said lightly.
That made me turn my attention from the staircase to her. "You have an ex that I should know more about?"
She snorted. "I wouldn't tell you if I did."
"I'm starting to regret my promise not to be in your business. I don't want my little sister to get hurt."
Her mouth screwed up. "I'm not so little anymore."
Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Natasha came into view. She raised a brow when she saw me talking to Aspen. "You ready to head out?"
"Yes." I took her overnight bag, slinging it over my shoulder.
Natasha waved. "Night, Aspen. Call me if you need anything."
"You two enjoy your night," Aspen said with a wink.
I shook my head as we walked out.
In the cab of my truck, I asked, "Are you always on call?"
"When the counter person goes home, the calls get forwarded to my phone. But we don't get requests in the middle of the night unless we have a late check-in. It's usually quiet."
"But you never get a night off," I said, gripping the wheel.
"I guess not."
"Once the business is sufficiently profitable, you should hire more people. Give yourself a break."
She rested her head on the chair. "That sounds amazing. I can't wait for that to happen."
"I think it will be sooner than you think."
"Reservations are up because of the season. Once we're officially in the offseason, things might die down. What we earn now has to last for the entire year."
I flashed her a smile. "I have a feeling more people are going to want the magic of Christmas year-round."
She sighed. "I hope you're right."
At home, I looked in the fridge, pulling out chicken, and then butter, mushrooms, and garlic for a pasta dish on the side. Natasha helped me prep and cook everything. Then we ate at the dining room table. It was becoming a ritual that I could get used to.
When we were finished, she asked, "Are we still going to the dance this weekend?"
"I wanted to experience everything there is to this holiday season."
"Apparently, it's a holiday party for the fire department. But we can still go."
"Will it be busier?"
"Yes, but that will make it more fun."
"I signed you up for the princess package. By the end of the day, you'll feel like a princess," I said, repeating what I'd read.
Her lips quirked. "You didn't have to do that."
"I wanted you to have the full experience since you're helping me. I'm enjoying doing the holiday things with you."
"I am too."
I hoped that what we had would last through the season. I needed to talk to her about what we were, but I didn't want to mess up what we had. She seemed to prefer to pretend that this was a plus-one holidate kind of situation, not a real relationship. I'd let her have that delusion for now.
I just hoped I had enough time to convince her that this was the real deal, and I wasn't going anywhere.
On Saturday, Natasha spent the day at the spa, getting a massage, a facial, and a pedicure, before trying on dresses like a bride at the dress shop. After she was finished with hair and make-up, I was supposed to meet her at the bottom of the staircase.
I felt nervous waiting for her, as if this was our prom. My breath caught when she appeared in a powder blue gown and silver heels. Her hair was done up in an elaborate style making me think of princesses.
When she reached the last step, I took her hand and kissed the back of it. "You're stunning."
A smile spread over her face. "Thank you. You're pretty handsome yourself."
I offered her my elbow. "Let's go to the ball."
I led the way to the ballroom where a doorman opened the double doors as we entered to a room that was filled with men and women dancing on the floor, mingling at the tables and the bars scattered throughout the room.
I didn't know many of the people here. I went to the bar to get drinks at the bar, then we hovered by the dance floor.
Everyone was dressed up and having a great time. There was a large Christmas tree in the center of the dance floor with presents underneath.
"How is the toy drive going?" I asked her.
Natasha showed me her phone where she had a picture of the town-hall room filled halfway. "We're working on it."
"Let me know if you need any help."
"You've already done so much."
"That was Sterling Brothers." Her gratitude made me feel uncomfortable.
"It was all you." Her eyes narrowed on the dance floor. "Is that my sister?"
I followed her gaze, finding a woman in a red dress dancing with a man in a tux. When she turned, her face was visible.
Natasha sucked in a breath. "Oh, my god. That is Eve."
My forehead wrinkled in confusion. "She wasn't supposed to be here?"
"She didn't say she'd be here." Natasha watched Eve dance around the floor; the man she was with held her slightly apart from him. So I didn't think they were dating or in a relationship. Maybe it was a first date, or they'd just met.
"She seeing someone?" I asked.
"Not that I know of."
"Maybe you don't know everything that's going on in your little sister's life," I suggested tentatively.
"I was hoping to come here and be invisible. I wanted to spend time with you uninterrupted. But now that Eve is here—"
That's when Eve looked at us; her eyes widened. She said something to her dance partner and walked over to us. The man trailed her, his gaze flitting to something behind us.
"Natasha, what are you doing here?" Eve asked.
"Ford wanted to see what the ball was all about," Natasha said stiffly, and I wondered if Eve had warned her away from me. "What are you doing here?" Natasha’s gaze moved to the man standing slightly behind Eve.
Eve sighed. "When I went to the firehouse to ask them to be in the parade, the chief said Maddox was in line for his position and needed a date to the party."
Natasha's eyes widened. "In order for the fire department to drive their trucks in the parade, we needed to host their holiday party, and you had to bring a firefighter as your date?"
"Not just any firefighter," Maddox said, holding his hand out to Eve and then me.
"Ford Sterling. Nice to meet you."
"Maddox Knight." He looked away. "Chief thought it would look better if I was dating someone. Make me look more stable or something like that."
"Huh," was all I could come up with.