Dark Pleasures

  “Let's unpack.” He gestured to the top two drawers. “You take the top, I'll take the bottom.”

  “And here I thought you preferred me on the bottom,” I quipped.

  He chuckled, a deep sound that made things low and deep inside me tighten. “Top, bottom, upside-down. As long as you're calling out my name, I don't care what position you're in.”

  I had to turn away before I told him to take me right there. I wanted him, of course, but I wanted this to make up for what had happened at Christmas, and that didn't mean a quickie right now. I was hoping for something a bit more romantic.

  “We'd better hurry,” Rylan said. “We don't want to miss the sunset, and if we keep talking like this, we will because I won't be able to keep my hands off of you.”

  Fifteen minutes later, we stood at the French doors at the back of the cabin, watching as the sun began to set. I'd always loved the mountains and watching those orange rays reflecting off of the snow made me smile. I'd never been a very spiritual person, not with my past, but there had always been something about the beauty of the mountains and how they looked, covered with snow. The trees. The sky. They'd always spoken to something inside me.

  “Somehow,” Rylan said softly. “They never quite look the same from the city. Sunsets, I mean.”

  He slid his arm around my waist and pulled me against his side. We watched the rest of the sunset in silence. We didn't move or speak until the stars began to come out.

  “How about we open the bottle of champagne I brought and get something to eat?”

  I nodded and the two of us headed for the kitchen. Rylan had ordered the cabin stocked with the basics before we arrived, but he'd also brought a few special things and he unpacked those now. It seemed like I wasn't the only one who wanted to make up for our missed night together.

  Champagne, strawberries, cheese and chocolate. An absolutely perfect way to set up the rest of the night. We made small talk as we ate, sharing New Year's Eve stories that generally involved random parties for me, and Zeke for Rylan. I heard about how Zeke had gotten so drunk one night that he'd taken up a dare to streak through Times Square. And then there'd been another time that Lara and Zeke had gone with him to a college party and they'd gotten into an argument with the head of security, causing them to completely miss the countdown.

  They were pointless stories, not the kind that provided deep insight or anything like that, but they were important in their pointlessness. These were the kinds of things couples shared when they just talked. When there weren't huge revelations to make or serious, important things that needed to be discussed.

  When we'd finished eating and drained our glasses, I stood. “Remember how you said you regretted not seeing what I had on under that robe?” He nodded. I leaned over and kissed his cheek, then whispered, “Give me fifteen minutes.”

  When he opened the bedroom door ten minutes later, I was ready. I gave him a saucy grin. “I figured you'd come early.”

  He glared at my choice of words, but then he saw what I was wearing and his eyes widened. I'd stretched myself out on top of the bed, positioning my body so that every curve was shown to the fullest.

  “That's what you were wearing?” His voice was hoarse. “Damn, Jenna. If I'd known, I would've thrown Zeke out on his ass and not thought twice about it.”

  Even though I knew he really wouldn't have done that to his best friend, it felt good to hear him say it. I stood and walked towards him, putting a little extra swing in my hips. “Does that mean you're going to make it up to me?”

  He wrapped one hand around my waist and buried the other in my hair. I couldn't stop the moan that escaped when he used my hair to tilt my head back. He claimed my mouth with a ferocity that took my breath away. His tongue plundered my mouth even as his hand dropped to squeeze my ass. I wasn't even aware that he'd backed me to the bed until we were falling back on it.

  He caught himself on his elbows so I wouldn't take his full weight, all the while managing to not break the kiss. I knew it would happen though. I needed to get that damn shirt off of him somehow.

  The moment he lifted his lips from mine, I yanked on his shirt and he laughed, helping to get the shirt over his head. He straightened, his knees on either side of my waist. I looked up at him, arousal spiking sharply as I ran my eyes over him. He was so beautiful. And then my gaze met his and it was like all of the air was sucked out of the room. I'd seen him stare at me before, but there was something different about this time. It was intense, but the kind of intensity I'd seen him focus on work, the kind that meant he wouldn't be satisfied until his task was done.

  And tonight, his task was me.

  Mmm.

  He climbed off of the bed, shed his pants and then set to work. His hands and mouth covered every inch of my body, moving over the teddy as well as around it. He kissed and caressed through the soft material, teasing my nipples into hard peaks that chafed against the fabric. By the time his hand slid between my legs to cup my pussy, I was soaked.

  I moaned as he stroked me, my hips pushing up, desperate for more friction. I'd thought when I teased him, when I asked him to make things up to me, that he'd take me hard and fast, drive me to a screaming orgasm. Instead, he was torturing me, pleasuring me but not giving me what I needed to tip over. He wasn't denying me anything, but he wasn't helping either.

  “Jenna,” he said my name softly and I looked up at him. His eyes stayed on my face as he took my wrists in his hand. He held me lightly, but I knew what he was asking.

  I nodded and he stretched my arms above my head. He held them there for a moment, squeezing until it was almost too tight, then released me.

  “Stay.” It was a command and one that I was all too willing to follow.

  He lowered himself between my legs and ran the tip of his finger down the thin strip of silk. “So wet for me,” he whispered almost reverently. He pulled aside the material aside and ran his tongue along the same path his finger had taken, only with nothing between us this time.

  I cried out, my fingers twitching above my head as he went down on me. My back arched, my head tilting back as my eyes closed. His lips and tongue worked their magic, sending waves of pleasure coursing through me until I came. He slid two fingers inside even as my pussy was still quivering. He crooked them and I was coming again.

  I wasn't aware that he'd moved again until his fingers were gone and something much larger was pushing against me. He eased into me, slowly stretching me around him. Every nerve was on fire, electricity racing from cell to cell as he filled me. And then his fingers wrapped around my wrists, a gentle pressure at first.

  “Harder,” I moaned. I opened my eyes to see him staring down at me. “Hold me tighter.”

  He froze above me, his eyes wide. “Jenna, love?” He made it a question.

  I nodded. “Hold my wrists tighter.”

  His fingers flexed, then settled again, his grip more firm than before. He continued to move forward, the stroke still agonizingly slow. I struggled against his hand, not enough that he would think I wanted free, but enough that he had to press harder, put more weight on my wrists.

  “Is this what you want?” he asked, panting as he fought for control. He was holding himself inside me even as I trembled around him. I was close again, my body responding to the sensation of him inside me, the feel of his fingers around my wrists.

  “Yes,” I gasped.

  “Say it,” he commanded.

  “This is what I want.” I tried to raise my hips, but his pinned me down.

  He withdrew slowly and my eyelids fluttered. I waited for the next thrust to be hard, but he didn't oblige. Instead, he kept his strokes steady, moving at a pace that soon had me begging and writhing. Even as his stomach pressed against mine, I felt the tension as he fought to keep himself from taking me hard.

  “What do you want, love?” he asked. “Tell me.”

  “You,” I said. “I want you.”

  He leaned down and nipped at my breast through
my teddy. I let out something that sounded very much like a whine. He ground his hips down, rubbing against my clit.

  “Come for me,” he said. “Come for me and I'll take you hard. Is that what you want?”

  I nodded, every inch of me tense. He continued that delicious pressure even as he continued to use his teeth on my nipple. When he bit down, I cried out and came. Pleasure washed over me and then everything exploded as he began to move with short, rapid thrusts. He pounded into me, driving me higher and higher. His fingers dug into my wrists, his teeth around my nipple and my world was pleasure and pain all mingling together until tears streamed down my cheeks and all that came out of my mouth was a soundless wail.

  His body stiffened as he buried himself inside me, a long, drawn-out groan falling from his lips as his cock pulsed. He let go of my hands as his head fell onto my chest. I brought my arms down, ignoring the pins and needles. I combed my fingers through his sweaty hair.

  “I love you,” I said softly. “I love you so much.” I ran my fingers down across his cheekbone and then across his lips.

  “Did I do it?” he asked, his voice sleepy.

  “Do what?” I asked, confused.

  “Did I make it up to you?”

  I smiled and smoothed back his hair. “Yes, Rylan. You more than made up for it.”

  “Good,” he said, his words fuzzy. “I want to start the new year right.”

  I looked down at him, felt the afterglow buzzing in my body. For the first time in my life, I was actually looking forward to the new year. With him.

  Chapter 14

  At some point during the night, I got up to use the bathroom and changed out of the lingerie. It was sexy, but not what I preferred to sleep in. Instead of digging out pajamas, however, I picked Rylan's shirt up off the floor and pulled it on. It smelled like him and, as I snuggled back under the sheets, his scent surrounded me and lulled me to sleep again.

  When I woke back up, I half-expected Rylan to be gone, out and about doing something. I rolled over and he was there, on his back, one arm thrown behind his head, the other across his bare stomach. The sheets and blankets were down around his waist, one side low enough that I could see the smooth expanse of his hip.

  My fingers itched to reach out and touch him, to explore the firm muscles of his chest and stomach¸ to slip beneath the covers and find soft curls and even softer skin. I didn't though. I folded my arms under my head as I rested on my stomach, enjoying the sight of him. The steady rise and fall of his chest. The faint morning stubble across his cheeks. His lips, parted ever so slightly. His hair falling across his forehead.

  He made a sound, a soft sigh that curled its way into my heart. He shifted, his head rolling towards me as his eyes slowly opened. I smiled as they focused on me and his lips curved.

  “Were you watching me sleep?” he asked, his voice still thick with sleep.

  “I was,” I admitted. “Does it bother you?”

  He shook his head and reached for me. I cuddled up against his side, resting my cheek on his chest as he kissed the top of my head. “I like waking up next to you,” he said.

  “I like it too.” I slid my arm across his stomach, reaching for the hand resting there. I laced my fingers between his.

  “You know what else I like?” he asked, then continued without waiting for my answer. “Seeing you in my shirt. Maybe it's old-fashioned or chauvinistic or something, but I like it when you wear my clothes.”

  I chuckled. “Well then, maybe I should wear your clothes and you wear mine.” He laughed, the sound rumbling up through his chest. “Or,” I added. “You could wear nothing at all.”

  “I think that's the one thing I like better than my clothes on you.” His tone was teasing, but there was heat to it.

  “Oh really?” I teased back, raising my head to look at him. “Then I suppose you're not interested in the other special garments I brought with me?”

  His eyes darkened. “I think I need to get in the shower right now or we’ll never get out of this bed.”

  “Would that be a bad thing?” I asked.

  He sighed. “As much as I'd love it, I really want to show you around, teach you to ski.” He reached down and brushed the back of his hand across my cheek. “I want us to be about more than sex.” He caught my bottom lip between his thumb and forefinger. “You mean too much to me to let things go that way.”

  He climbed out of bed before I could respond and I was treated to the sight of his tight ass flexing as he walked out of the room and across the hall to the bathroom. A moment later, I heard the shower turn on. I rolled onto my back and stared up at the ceiling. Rylan definitely had more self-control than I did. I wanted us to have a relationship, a real one that wasn't all about emotion and sex, but I didn't know how to do it. Giving up control by following Rylan's lead on this was, in some ways, harder than it was during sex. I so badly wanted things between us to work out that not being able to control the direction we were going made me nervous. I trusted him and that, I knew, was what I had to remember.

  After I showered, I joined him in the kitchen for breakfast. Nothing elaborate, but the simplicity of cereal and toast made it seem less like a one-time special event and more like us settling into something deeper. Once we finished, Rylan insisted that we take a walk in the woods. After lunch, we'd go skiing. I still wasn't entirely sure that was a good idea since I had no clue what I was doing, but I went along with it anyway.

  We didn't go deep into the woods since the trails were snowed over to the point it'd be easy to get lost, but we were so far from the nearest major road that even just standing a few yards away from the cabin made it seem like we were cut off from the rest of the world. With most of the animals hibernating, it was quiet. The rustle of a few creatures and the creaking of branches were the only sounds.

  As we stood there, Rylan came up behind me and wrapped his arms around me. He rested his chin on my head. “It's so peaceful out here,” he said softly. “I know Fort Collins isn't like New York or Denver, but there's still that city energy.”

  I put my hands over his, wishing there weren't gloves between us. “I know exactly what you mean.”

  I leaned back against him and let myself enjoy the moment. No pressure for time, nowhere we had to be. We had plans, but there was no one holding us to them, no schedule we had to follow. Our time was our own. No interruptions, no outside obligations.

  We headed back when we were hungry, then gathered our things for the ski runs. Getting me set up for my first lesson took longer than I suspected was necessary since Rylan's hands seemed to keep finding themselves in places that weren't exactly essential to putting on my skis or other equipment, a matter that seemed to increase in frequency as he showed me the proper way to move on the skis. By the time I was ready to try my first slope, I was hot and bothered in a way that had nothing to do with physical exertion.

  As expected, I took a few falls, but the snow was soft and Rylan was always there to help me up. Each time, I'd see the concern on his face as he approached and it wouldn't leave until he knew I was okay. What I appreciated the most though was that he didn't try to coddle me, no matter how much he worried. He never tried to get me to quit or suggest that I take it easy. He encouraged me to keep going, to keep trying, and when I finally made it down the slope without falling, the kiss he gave me made me wish it wasn't so cold out.

  It began to snow lightly as the sun headed towards the horizon and by the time we were ready to call it a day, the flakes were coming down in fat, thick balls that made me think that it was a good thing we'd done outside stuff today. We headed back to the cabin, cleaned up and ate, then fell into bed, too exhausted to do anything more than kiss each other good-night.

  When I opened my eyes the next morning, every muscle in my body was sore. I left Rylan still sleeping and spent a long time letting the hot water pound into my aching muscles. I popped a couple ibuprofen before heading back into the room. Rylan was standing at the window, wearing only the flan
nel pants he'd worn to bed last night. I took a moment to admire his tattoo and then walked over to the dresser to find something to wear.

  “Come here,” he spoke without turning away from the window.

  I crossed to his side, curious about what had captured his attention. My eyes widened as I took in our now-white surroundings. There had been a good amount of snow yesterday, but this was so much more. The trees were loaded with snow and there were drifts at least four feet tall. And it was still snowing.

  “I don't think we're going to be doing any skiing today,” Rylan said. He looked down at me and smiled. “Think you can handle being stuck inside with me or are you going to get cabin fever?”

  I grinned at him and winked. “Oh, I think we can find plenty to do to keep from getting bored.” I turned back to look at the snow. “I'm thinking the first thing we need to do after breakfast is check out that hot tub.” Aside from the fact that it'd be nice for my sore body, I was looking forward to being able to ogle a wet Rylan in swim trunks.

  I couldn't think of a better way to end the year.

  Chapter 15

  The hot tub wasn't the only thing heating us up as the day progressed. Rylan gave me a tour of the entire house and shared stories of family time here, but the tension between us continued to grow. While he made dinner, I excused myself to freshen up and change into one of the panty and bra sets I bought before Christmas. I pulled my jeans and sweater back on over the lingerie, but with it on, I knew where I wanted things to go tonight, no matter how sore my muscles were. There was only one thing I wanted to do when the year changed from old to new.

  When I walked back into the living room, Rylan was there waiting. He'd stoked up the fire, lit a couple candles and brought dinner out to the coffee table. He'd also poured us both glasses of wine. I took the one he offered and sat on the couch. He sat next to me. The meal was simple but delicious. Strips of tender steak and vegetables, eaten with our fingers, were way more sensual than I'd thought possible. Then there were the freshly sliced apples with cinnamon sprinkled on them for dessert.