Page 65 of Forty and Fighting Dirty
I moaned as he entered me, my fingers curling against the stone countertop. I couldn’t spread my legs any wider, pinned as they were by my pants, so I leaned forward and arched into his hips. Rhett made a harsh sound at the back of his throat, his fingers digging into the flesh around my hips. The intrusion was intense and hot and unbelievable. I dropped onto my forearms and glanced over my shoulder.
Rhett looked stunned. He exhaled, hands easing their grip on my hips, and then he began to move.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. I wasn’t supposed to sleep with my boss. I wasn’t supposed to fall for him. I knew it, deep down. Rhett had too much power over me. He could make me lose my job, blacklist me from the town, and make sure I had to leave.
I was being reckless after so very long spent being utterly responsible. After scrimping together enough to leave my ex and making sure I was always rock solid for my boys. After pulling together every scrap of determination, working twice as hard as other applicants, and doing what I could to make sure I never faltered.
Sleeping with Rhett put that all in jeopardy. I was taking all my hard work, my effort, my tears, gathering them in a pile and setting them all on fire.
And when he said my name, hisvoice rough and raw, his cock buried deep inside me, I could only think one thing: it was worth it.
Worth it to hear and feel a man come apart at the feel of me. Worth it to have pleasure tighten in the pit of my stomach, until I didn’t think I could take any more. Worth it to look over my shoulder, my hair falling all around my face, and have him band his arms around my chest to pull my back up hard against his body.
I came with a cry, my head falling back against his shoulder. He followed me to oblivion a moment later, his hold on my body not easing for long, breathless minutes. Then he pressed three slow kisses to my shoulder and eased out of me, his hands gentling as he stroked my sides, my hips, my thighs.
I turned around, remaining in the circle of his arms, and rested my forehead against his chest. My breath gusted out of me, thoughts still hazy and unfocused. When we finally pulled away to put our clothes back on, I wondered if I’d just made a monumental mistake.
Then Rhett’s head popped out of the neck of his undershirt, his hair a beautiful mess, and he gave me one of those smiles that made my knees weak. His hand lifted to gently grip my chin, and he pressed a soft kiss to my lips. “Hey,” he whispered, inching closer so he could wrap his free arm around me.
“Hi,” I whispered back.
His smile widened, and I had no choice but to smile back. Then my smile turned into a giggle, and I buried my face into his chest as we both laughed. The tension broke, and with one last kiss to my temple, Rhett pulled away. He grabbed the glass of water I’d left on the other side of the kitchen and placed itbeside me. “Drink,” he said, “then we’ll go shopping for knickknacks around the place.” He waved to the house at large, and I glanced over his shoulder.
The cat lay curled on the back of the sofa. He cracked a disapproving eye in our direction, then buried his head back against his body.
TWENTY-FIVE
RHETT
Winter camein fits and starts in the valley, with snow fluttering down between days of blazing sun. The air was bitterly cold as November wore on, but I felt only warmth as I stood in the lodge’s main room, watching the dining area come together. Carpenters installed long banquettes, and the tables we’d ordered were stacked against the far wall. The seating area by the windows was ready for furniture.
Through the windows, a few skiers and snowboarders carved curving lines along the wide, gentle hill that ended at the lodge. Our snow machines were running every night to make sure we could open in the unusually temperate weather, though it was only a few brave locals who had bought passes so far this year. A temporary container had a canteen for hot drinks and snacks to feed them.
Once we opened the doors to the lodge, our marketing efforts would begin in earnest. It wasn’tideal, and the project had been far from smooth, but I couldn’t complain. If everything had gone according to plan, I’d never have needed to hire Piper at the last minute and watch her work her magic.
“I got a killer deal on this lighting, even with the rush order,” Piper told me, pointing to the big custom lights that had been installed the day before.
“I noticed they were under budget in the last report Nora sent through,” I said. I’d shoved my hands in my pockets the minute Piper walked onto the site, because I knew my palms would drift toward her and my arms would want to circle her if I let them hang free.
Piper beamed at me, and the light from the big windows shone on her like even the sun loved to stroke her skin. I hadn’t kissed her since last night, when we’d met at the house for a few minutes to check on the progress of the floors, and I hadn’t touched her body since last week, when she’d come to my place.
It was too long. Now that I’d had a taste of her, I couldn’t stop myself from wanting more.
“Delivery!”
We turned to see Ollie backing up the staircase, a big, plastic-wrapped armchair in his arms. Another worker held the other side of the chair, and the two of them shuffled toward us. Piper let out a tiny squeal and clapped her hands together at her breast.
“Where do you want it, Pipes?” Ollie asked.
“Over here, by the window,” she replied, hurrying ahead to gesture to an open spot by the windows. “Oh my goodness, it looks amazing!” She looked at me and lifted a finger. “Not a word, Rhett. Not until everything’s in and you see the vision. Idon’t want to hear the words ‘Grandpa’s cabin’ come out of your mouth.”
I lifted my hands in surrender. “I trust you,” I said, and was surprised to realize it was the truth. I trusted her with the design of the lodge and with the vision for the house. I trusted her to be honest with me, and to guard my secrets as fiercely as I did.
She knew me, she’d seen me, and she hadn’t turned her back on me. No—Piper had leaned in. She’d heard about my ugly past and the way I pretended to be better than I was, and she kissed me like I was worth something despite it.
As she tore off the thick plastic wrapping the chair, I couldn’t help but smile at her excitement. The chair was upholstered in that god-awful plaid fabric, but seeing it here, against the rich wood and the snow-covered slopes with the evergreens framing the view…
It made sense. Grandpa’s cabin was exactly what we needed—especially when it was elevated the way Piper had envisioned.
