Page 49 of Worth the Rush
He’s going to take me to bed, and I’m going to get what I want from him, and then tomorrow, it will all be out of my system. “So, my place or yours?” I ask, and he chuckles and leans in to kiss my swollen lips. It lacks some of the passion from before, and when I make a move to deepen it, he pulls back just enough to move his mouth to my ear.
“Not tonight, Ivy,” he says, kissing my neck.
“Why not tonight?” I ask somewhere between a gasp and a pant.
“Tonight, you’re going to give me this dance,” he tells me, pulling me from the railing deeper into him. “Because I’ve wanted to dance with you in this dress all night. Then I’m going to take you home and kiss you goodnight. If you feel the same tomorrow, then we’ll be having a different conversation,” he promises as he spins me away and then back to him. The music that’s playing over the outdoor speakers is soft, but Alder hums along with it. It’s an older song. His favorite kind. I love, and I hate that I know this about him. That and the fact that he won’t be taking me to bed tonight is irritating.
“So, when you say you’ll do this my way, you actually meant that we’ll be doing this your way?” I snipe, and he laughs as he pulls me across the balcony, perfectly leading us in a waltz.
“No, princess. We’ll do this your way; we just won’t be doing it tonight. Tomorrow, we have another snowboarding lesson. You showed a lot of potential in our last session.” I roll my eyes at that and can’t stop my laugh.
“No, I didn’t. You are such a liar.”
“I’m not lying. I was surprised it was your first time on a board.” I laugh harder.
“It wasn’t the first time actually. The first time I tried to stand up on a snowboard, I fell backward on my ass and thought I was going to break my ankles.” It had been on a class trip to a ski resort in Northern California, and I found out Thomas “Tommy” Caldwell had cheated on me with Rebecca Sampson. It wasn’t the best introduction to snowboarding.
“It sounds like maybe you just needed a more competent teacher,” he says, holding me closer. I let him. I want to be even closer.
“It’s a good thing I have you for now, then, isn’t it?” I tease.
“I’m hoping a very good thing, Ivy,” he whispers, and I hum in response. Letting Alder in, even a small amount, is something I’m not sure I’m ready for. I’ve already had a taste of him. I’m unsure if I’ll be able to give up the rush that comes with being with him. His attention and affection alone are so consuming.
We dance for another song before walking out of the big lodge and toward my cabin. Alder is still humming, sometimes singing softly. Over the last month, I’ve come to love the sound of his voice. He’s one of those people who’s always singing or humming or making up a song about the most inane tasks. It used to wear on my nerves, but this week, I heard him singing about putting away the snowboarding equipment and found it incredibly charming. I don’t even think he knows he’s doing it.I’m in danger here. I’m playing with fire, but something tells me the burns would be worth it to let his flames lick at me again.
After dropping off the checks with the caterer, we walk the short distance to my cabin. When we arrive at my door, I’m reluctant to let him go. This is not at all how I envisioned my time here or even how I thought my night would go. In one evening, I have swung from one end to the other on the pendulum that is my attraction to Alder Holloway. Telling him he’s not my type to practically begging him to take me to bed, and now, preparing for a night alone. I’ve never had to go to bed alone if I didn’t want to. Not since I got out of my marriage to Noah. Something about that unsettles me.
“I’ll see you in the morning, Ivy,” Alder says, interrupting my internal struggle. “We’ll be out at Lovers Leap, so I want to get an early start. I’ll be here at five, be ready.” He pulls me into his warmth. I’m always so warm with him around. He really is sunshine personified.
“Five o’clock, huh? Will the snow not wait until seven?”
“It takes some time to get up there, and I want you to see the sunrise from the gondola.” That surprises me, and I pull my head back slightly to look at him.
“Why do I need to see the sunrise from the gondola?” I want to. I’ve wanted to from the minute I saw them out my office window…but I’m not sure how he knows that.
He rolls his eyes at me, and now Alder rolling his eyes at me is so cute I can’t stand it. “Everyone should see the sunrise clear the peaks out here at least once, and you’ve stared longingly out your window at them every day you’ve been here. I think it’s time you get on one,” he says matter-of-factly.
“Oh, I see,” I say somberly, biting my lip, and he cocks his head in confusion. “You’ve been stalking me,” I tell him asgravely as I can manage. “Why does this keep happening?” I feign frustration. “I meet a guy. He bangs my brains outone time, and then he’s obsessed with me.” That last bit gets me a laugh. A loud one. I grin. I’ve never wanted someone’s laugh so badly. Craved it. His laugh knocks something loose in me. It sounds like home. It sounds likemine.
“If you think I’m going to deny how obsessed I am with you, you’ve got another thing coming.”
I lean back into him and drop my voice. “I would like to be coming, but…”
“Ivy…” he cautions.
“What? This is me telling you what I want. I want you to come inside,” I deadpan. He doesn’t take the bait though.
“There’s an innuendo in there somewhere, but I’m not taking the bait. Not tonight,” he says softly, kissing the hair at my temple.
“When you’re home alone in a few minutes, I hope you remember this moment,” I tell him, inching up slightly to bite at his lower lip. He leans into my mouth and plants his lips on mine. His tongue swipes at my closed lips, and I open, letting him in to deepen our kiss. Damn, can this man kiss. I’m floating again, relishing the feel of his arms circling around me and the contrast between my cold nose and his warm mouth. I’m melting into him, absolutely pliant. He kisses me for a few seconds longer, then pulls back briefly before planting the sweetest, most intimate kiss to my lips.
I open my eyes to find his blue ones blazing. Clearing my throat as delicately as I can before speaking, I lower my already breathy voice. “I also want you to be thinking about me and what I’ll be doing. Alone. Thinking about that first night we met. I hope it doesn’t keep you up late,” I tell him with a wink. “We have an early morning.” I step back and instantly feel the chill it brings. I miss his heat. I miss how his body makes me feel.
He smiles at me, that amused, playful expression that’s ever-present. “Goodnight, princess. I’ll see you in the morning,” he tells me as I open my front door. He frowns then. “Ivy, please tell me you lock your doors.” I smile.
“Why would I need to? I don’t think anything bad ever happens around here in Silverthorne.”
“Bad things happen everywhere. Lock your door. Please.” Thepleasegets me. It feels like my chest is being lit up from inside.
