“How…how do you mean?” Her voice was already growing breathless and he thought again how incredibly sexy she was—and how good he wanted to make her feel.
“I mean like this.” He rolled her under him, making her moan softly with surprise as he got into position between her thighs.
She opened willingly for him and moaned again when Drew reached down and rubbed the length of his cock over her wet, open pussy before finding her entrance.
“Easy this time, baby,” he murmured, sliding slowly into her channel. “Easy and slow.”
“Drew!” she moaned as he found home inside her. “Oh, God.”
Drew bracketed her head with his forearms and stared down intently into her eyes as he thrust inside her.
“Mmm, you’re so beautiful, Gen,” he murmured, loving the way she looked in the dancing shadows and firelight. There was a softness to her face, an openness he didn’t think had been there before.
Genevieve returned his gaze, her eyes dreamy and full of emotion as they drank each other in, joined completely in body and mind.
There was no doubt in Drew’s mind anymore—he was in love with Genevieve Wells. He’d fallen in love with his boss which was probably an incredibly stupid thing to do. But damned if he could help loving her now that he knew the real Genevieve…and now that they’d shared their bodies as well as their hearts.
Spiritual Soul Mates says they can help everyone find their soul mate and stick with them, he thought. Too bad I didn’t realize I was working with mine for so many years.
He wanted to tell Gen how he felt—tell her he wanted her, wanted to be with her even after this weekend ended. But what if she didn’t feel the same? Or what if she didn’t want to continue their relationship because she felt it would be inappropriate at work?
Drew wanted badly to tell her he loved her but he held back, made himself swallow the words that wanted to come out.
I love you, Gen, he thought instead, staring into her eyes as they built their pleasure together. Love you so damn much! I wish this could never end…
Chapter Ten
“Rise and shine, beautiful. The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and hopefully Mr. Bear has gone back to his den.”
Drew’s cheerful voice brought her awake and the first thing Genevieve realized was that she was freezing.
“It’s cold in here!” she complained, burrowing further down into the covers.
“That’s because we’re out of firewood. We used it all up last night to keep from freezing.” He sat on the bed beside her and stroked a warm hand over her cheek. “Come on, baby—we need to get back to the resort. It’s past nine thirty and everyone is going to be wondering what happened to us.”
“We’ll tell them the truth then—we almost got eaten by a freaking bear,” Genevieve grumbled, sitting up at last. “Ugh, my head!” She clutched at the side of her head as the bright sunlight lanced through the high windows right into her eyes.
“Feeling sorry you drank half a bottle of wine last night?” Drew grinned at her, annoyingly chipper.
“I only had two mugs-full,” Genevieve protested. “I’m just still tired. We were, uh, up late last night.”
“So we were.” Drew gave her a meaningful look. “Very late.”
“Um…” Genevieve could feel her cheeks getting hot. “I, uh…” She fumbled for words, not knowing what to say.
“How about a little pick-me-up?” Drew said, changing the subject, much to her relief. He got up and came back with another one of the chipped china mugs.
“What’s this?” Genevieve took it from him.
“I found a little instant coffee in the cabinet and managed to boil some water before the last of the fire went out. It’s not great, but—”
“Coffee is coffee—you’re my hero.” Genevieve sniffed the warm fragrant liquid and took a sip gratefully.
“Hmm, if I would have known all it took was coffee to win me the hero status I might not have bothered fighting off the bear.” Drew grinned at her and Genevieve smiled back. She noticed that both of them were being careful not to dive too deeply into what they had done last night—she didn’t know if that was a bad thing or a good thing.
Probably just a realistic thing, she told herself wistfully. We both know that no matter how good this weekend has been, it can’t last. Even if we might want it to. But did Drew want it to? Genevieve knew she certainly wished the overwhelming emotion that had been born between them last night could last—she could still remember the way Drew had taken her the second time…his long, slow, delicious thrusts as he pinned her gently but firmly to the bed and looked into her eyes while they made love. But that was an unrealistic wish and she knew it.
“I guess it’s time to get going,” she said, finishing the coffee and starting to pull on her clothes.
“Yup.” Drew was already dressed and waiting for her. He looked like he wanted to say something but in the end he just waited silently until she was ready to go.
“Okay, well…” Genevieve finished getting dressed and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to get the tangles out. At last she gave up. “All right, this is as good as it gets until we get back to Whispering Pines and I can get a shower,” she grumbled, straightening her sweater.
“You look beautiful,” Drew murmured. He had unlocked the door and had his hand on the latch but he paused, looking at her for a long moment. “Gen, I…”
“Yes?” She looked at him, her heart beating hard though she tried not to show her inner anxiety.
“I…uh…” He sighed and shook his head. “I was just going to say Merry Christmas.”
“Oh, it is Christmas, isn’t it?” It took Genevieve a moment to process—she usually didn’t do much for Christmas. “I…I’m sorry I didn’t get you anything,” she told Drew, rather lamely.
“I wouldn’t say that.” He gave her a half-lidded look and Genevieve felt her cheeks getting hot again.
“In that case I’d say it was a gift we gave each other,” she blurted. “Drew, I—”
“Yes?” He was suddenly looking at her intently and Genevieve felt the words she’d been about to say desert her.
“I….I was just worried about…wondering if the bear is still out there anywhere?” she said at last.
“Oh.” Drew looked disappointed. “Well, you’d better let me go first in case Mr. Bear is still out there. He’s probably asleep in his den but just in case…”
“Oh. Oh, of course.” Genevieve tried to smile though the expression felt fake on her face. She wished she hadn’t lost her nerve. If only she could be brave enough to admit how she was feeling! But what if Drew didn’t feel the same? She didn’t want to look like a fool. She wanted to try again, to say something else but Drew was already opening the door and looking cautiously out into the chilly woods.
“Well, would you look at that,” he murmured, pulling the door open wider so she could see. “It snowed last night—at least a little.”
“Did it?” Genevieve peered around him to see that the forest had been transformed by a thin but lovely blanket of white. “Oh, it’s gorgeous!” she exclaimed. “Everything looks fresh and brand new and frosted!”
“Speaking of frosted, I wouldn’t mind a frosted donut or some Frosted Flakes right about now.” Drew put a hand to his stomach. “Last night’s cheese and crackers are all gone.”
“Well, if there’s no sign of the bear let’s get down to the resort,” Genevieve said. “Hopefully we can slip in unnoticed and go straight to our room to shower and change. Maybe we can even get some room service.”
“Sounds like a perfect morning.” Drew ran lightly down the porch steps and then turned and held out a hand to her. “It’s slippery,” he said, when Genevieve looked at him uncertainly. “Don’t want you to fall in your ridiculously inappropriate footwear.”
“Ha-ha,” she said, but she took his hand anyway and felt a surge of emotion go through her when he entwined their fingers. He didn’t let go, either—they m
ade their way through the trees hand in hand like a couple of children in an enchanted forest. Looking up at him and watching their breath plume out in the chilly air, Genevieve felt that the emotional bonds they had forged the night before were still there. It made her heart thump in her chest and the longing to tell Drew how she felt about him was so intense it was almost insurmountable. Somehow, though, she kept her feelings to herself and just kept walking.
She couldn’t help wondering if Drew felt the same way, though. He was looking at her as they made their way through the forest, stealing glances from time to time and being careful to help her over the snow-covered underbrush. In the slippery snow Genevieve’s high heeled boots were even less practical than they had been the night before.
“Gen,” he said, as they finally reached the front door of the resort. “I have to tell you something.”
“You do?” She looked up at him, her heart pounding. “Because I—”
“There you are! We’ve been extremely worried about the two of you!”
Suddenly Phillips was in the doorway, drawing the two of them into the vast front entryway.
“Oh, we…we got stuck outside last night,” Genevieve said quickly, wondering what Drew had been about to say. “We decided to do our feed-me picnic for dinner and then we got attacked by a bear.”
“A bear you say?” Phillips’ bushy eyebrows rose nearly to his non-existent hairline.
“A big, hungry bear,” Drew confirmed. “Luckily we were by a small cabin so we spent the night there.”
“Well…” Phillips shook his head. “I’m just glad to see the two of you safe and sound and in time for the big ceremony.”
“Ceremony?” Genevieve put a hand to her hair which was still tangled and no doubt had bits of leaf and twig in it from their trek through the forest. “What are you talking about?”
“The Renewal of Vows, ceremony of course!” Phillips frowned. “It’s Christmas Day—the very focal point of our retreat. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten!”
“We kind of had a lot on our minds what with fighting off a hungry bear and trying to find shelter so we didn’t freeze to death last night,” Drew pointed out, sounding irritated. “It sort of drove other non-survival related items to the bottom of our to-do list.”
“Well, we have six other couples waiting for you in the love chapel right now as well as some very distinguished guests,” Phillips rumbled, frowning. “Come now—I hope you still have the wedding band that came with the engagement ring you purchased, Drew?”
“Um…” Drew dug in his pocket as they walked rapidly down the plush hallway of the resort. “Actually I do.”
“Good. And you’ve practiced your vows?”
“Our vows?” Genevieve looked at him uncertainly. “What vows?”
Phillips shook his head. “The vows you’re going to say to each other! The two of you were supposed to write your own vows to speak when it’s your turn to renew your commitment to each other.”
“Oh, uh…” Genevieve felt close to panic and Drew looked uncertain too but before either of them could protest, Phillips spoke again.
“Don’t worry if you forgot to prepare something,” he said, looking slightly less stern. “Just speak from your heart. Tell your partner and lover exactly how you feel about them and why you want to spend the rest of your life with them. Is that so hard?”
Genevieve opened her mouth to say yes, it was hard when she hadn’t had the time or forewarning to prepare anything to say but then Drew said,
“No. No, it’s not hard at all.”
Surprised, she looked at him. There was a light in his cobalt blue eyes—a look that she’d seen sometimes at work when he was working out a solution to a particularly tricky problem. She wanted to ask him what he was thinking but just then Phillips hustled them into the small private chapel.
The chapel, which was carefully non-denominational, had four large stained glass windows that let the winter sunlight pour in. It made brilliant, multicolored patterns on the hardwood floors and warmed the dim room with a rosy glow. In one corner was a Christmas tree, decorated in gold and white and in the front of a room was a small raised dais. There was a balcony at the back of the chapel, with a narrow spiral stairway leading up to it but Genevieve couldn’t tell if anyone was sitting up there—the area was in shadows. She wondered where the “distinguished guests” Phillips had talked about were—all she could see were the other couples from the retreat.
“Now,” Phillips murmured, escorting them to a pew. “You two just wait here for your turn. I have to go up front—I’m officiating.”
“Of course.” Genevieve nodded and she and Drew took a seat on one of the pews, which were filled with couples waiting to renew their vows.
“Looks like the gang’s all here,” Drew muttered in her ear as she took off her coat and brushed her hands through her hair, trying to look more presentable. “I think Myron and Mitzie are first.”
“I didn’t know Phillips would be officiating,” Genevieve murmured. “I doubt he’s ordained anywhere.”
“Maybe he’s ordained by the Church of the Peeping Tom,” Drew murmured back.
Genevieve stifled a nervous giggle. “I guess it doesn’t matter since this is just for show anyway,” she whispered.
“Yeah…” Drew seemed to be giving her a very intense look for some reason. “Just for show.”
At that moment, organ music began playing from the PA system and Phillips strode up onto the platform at the front of the chapel.
“Dearly Beloved,” he began, smiling broadly at all the couples assembled there. “We are gathered here together on this beautiful Christmas morning to reaffirm our love for one another. As each couple comes forward to say their vows, let us give them our utmost attention and remember why we are here—to reconnect with the people we care for most in our lives and to let our soul mates know why we love them.” He beckoned to Mitzie and Myron. “Would our first soul mate couple please step forward?”
They did, Mitzie mincing excitedly in a too-tight hot pink dress with kitten heels to match. Phillips went through the standard wedding ceremony—do you take this man and this woman, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, exchange of rings, etc. and then let them say their own vows to each other. He pronounced them man and wife, they kissed, everyone cheered and then the process was repeated with the next couple.
It was actually quite touching…or it would have been if Genevieve could have relaxed.
She couldn’t, though. She watched with growing nervousness as couple after couple was called forward to renew their vows. Some had memorized their vows and some had small pieces of paper or note cards. One of the husbands even sang his vows, getting down on one knee to do it and looking up soulfully into his wife’s eyes. It was becoming clear that everyone else had put a lot of effort into this. Genevieve was beginning to feel like she was back in high school with an oral report due, knowing the rest of the class had prepared while she had forgotten all about the assignment.
Oh my God—what are we going to do? What am I going to say? She’d never been afraid of public speaking…but she’d never been a big fan of it either. She could present in front of a group quite well…if she was prepared. Also if I wasn’t here under false pretenses and lying about being married to the man I’m with, she thought miserably. Was the whole ruse going to blow up in her face right now? Was she going to look like a stammering idiot with nothing to say? Was she—?
“And now let’s have our last couple, Drew and Genevieve Wells.” Phillips’ voice broke into her frantic thoughts.
Genevieve rose on shaky legs and felt Drew grab her hand. He must have seen the panicked look in her eyes because he bent closer to her and murmured,
“Hey, Gen—are you okay?” There was a worried expression in his piercing blue eyes.
“I…I don’t know,” she whispered back. “I…I don’t know what I’m going to say.”
“I do.” He gave her a reassuring smile and s
queezed her hand. “Look, I’ll go first—you just follow my lead. Okay?”
“All right.” Feeling a little less panicked, Genevieve let him lead her up on the raised dais at the front of the room where Phillips was standing, looking positively ministerial.
When they were standing in front of him, he nodded self-importantly and began.
“Dearly beloved…”
To Genevieve, the whole ceremony seemed to pass in a blur. The words flowed over her and she said, “I do,” and let Drew slip a plain gold band on her finger that went with the huge pink cubic zirconium engagement ring he’d bought her as a joke gift.
Drew said, “I do,” as well and then, almost before she knew it, Phillips was saying,
“And now, our last happy couple has something to say to one another.” He nodded at them. “You may give each other your vows.”
“Genevieve…Gen…” Drew took both her hands in his and Genevieve looked up at him, her heart pounding and her mouth dry.
“Drew,” she whispered, having no idea what she would say when the time came.
“Gen,” he said again. “When we first decided to go on this weekend together, I didn’t know what to expect. I thought you were cold and distant and that we’d never be able to get along and make this work. But then…things changed.” He stroked a strand of hair out of her face and cupped her cheek. “I started to get to know you…the real you,” he murmured. “The woman you keep locked away inside and don’t show to anyone. But you showed her to me—you showed yourself to me. You trusted me,” he almost whispered. “You let yourself be open and vulnerable with me and I couldn’t help myself…I fell in love with you.”
“Drew?” Genevieve’s breath seemed to catch in her throat. Could he be serious right now? Was he saying what he really felt or just putting on a really good show? But the way he was looking at her, the sincerity in his eyes made her heart pound and her own eyes wet.
“I love you,” Drew repeated. “You’re so beautiful, baby and you’re everything I’ve ever wanted in a woman…and in a wife.”
“Oh!” Genevieve thought she might cry but she didn’t want to start bawling in front of everyone.