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A rock and a roll, I press her further into the bed. My mouth follows a new kind of map from the corner of her mouth, to her cheek, along her jawline, down her neck to the divot of her collarbone.
“Do you have flashbacks?” Her soft, trembling voice breaches the music of our heavy breathing.
I lift my head and meet her worried eyes. “Are you nervous, Spitfire?”
Dainty hands trail the line of my spine with a subtle dip of her chin.
“Honestly? Yes, this feels like my first time all over again.”
It may last as long as our first time if I can’t control myself. I might be twenty-four, but my body has the patience of a horny teenager.
“I didn’t mean flashbacks of us.” Her teeth graze her lower lip. “I meant, do you… Does intimacy bring back memories, or… I don’t know. If sex has been so difficult for you, there must be a reason. What are you feeling?”
This woman, so worried about hurting me. I swallow a million things I want to tell her. Promises and pledges that would probably scare her away if she knew the depth of my feelings. I’d get down on one knee in the middle of this mattress if I knew she’d say yes.
The truth is, I’ve wondered if the first time was a fluke. If the desire I had to work so hard to muster with every other woman, the desire that came so easily with Nova, was a one-time thing. We lost our virginity in an emotional race to a finish line neither knew we were running. Maybe the next time we tried, it wouldn’t work. Maybe Tara’s betrayal of trust would forever ruin intimacy for me.
Nova mutters a whispered curse, her legs falling away. “I’m ruining this, aren’t I? I’m talking when—”
Slamming my mouth to hers, I smother her apologies with deep, ravenous kisses. My tongue dancing with hers, my hand slipping along her thigh and hooking her knee to wrap around my hip as I realign our bodies. I refuse to believe my own misgivings. I refuse to let Nova be fearful of wanting me.
“You could never ruin this. The things in my past are just that when I’m with you. In. My. Past.” Touching my forehead to hers, I press forward, driving home. “I only feel you, baby. I only see us.”
forty-four | nova
“I can’t believeyou planned a date outside. In Alaska. In December! Do you not know me at all?” I cinch the cords on my ski jacket, absorbing the last of the heat from the car.
Devin’s gloved hand waves before my face, the arctic air whooshing in along with his light laughter. “Nova, your father works at one of the largest snowboarding companies in the world. You’ve spent your life on the slopes and going to winter events.”
He’s chiding me like a child. “And now I live in Miami.”
“Baby, you’ve lived in Miami for less than six months. And let me stop you now before you tell me you lived in California because so did I.” One dark brow lifts, challenging me.
Am I a baby about the cold? Yes. I can’t help it. My skin has grown accustomed to sunshine burning it. I woke up this morning with expectations of long, pleasurable hours in bed with the man currently laughing at me. Instead, my wake-up call was a slap on the ass and the orders to hurry because we had things to do. The sun hadn’t even risen, though that’s not exactly unusual in Alaska.
“Whatever happened to never allowing me to leave your bed? I liked that option.”
“There will still be plenty of time for that, I assure you.”
I exit the SUV with a groan, placing my gloved hand in his. I miss the heat of his skin against mine already. The rough hands of a ball player kneading my body. I’ll take those over the soft hands of a man not used to working with them any day.
Devin steps in, his mouth brushing my ear while closing the car door. “I know where your mind is lingering and that sexy little gleam won’t get you out of today’s plans.”
I fist his thick jacket—his Burton ski jacket, why am I not surprised—arching my eyebrow. “I could make it worth your while.”
“You already did.” He kisses my temple and steps away. “C’mon, I promise you’ll love this.”
* * *
Devin and I race to the front steps of the cabin, laughing and tripping over each other. Not even the seat warmers and blast of heat in the SUV could warm me up after three hours of glacial Alaskan dog sledding and touring the kennels. This cold is in my bones and just might remain until I’m back in Florida.
I shiver, toeing off my snow boots and shrugging out of my thick coat in the entryway. “I don’t care what you have planned for the rest of the day. I’m taking a hot shower, bundling up, putting a fire in that wood stove, and never leaving this cabin again.”
“Wimp,” Dev teases as he tweaks my side.
I swat at his hand with a giggle, hurrying for the bathroom. “I’m not kidding. There probably won’t be any hot water left for you when I’m done, either, so enjoy your cold shower.”
When he charges me, I squeal and rush for the door, readying to slam it shut behind me, but Devin’s too fast. A mischievous glint in his eyes, he busts through, backing me in before closing us inside.
