Snow Bound Read online

  “Let’s get on it, Mykayla.” I set my hand on her lower back to steer her towards the kitchen. I grin when she doesn’t pull away from me.

  “Wow.” The kitchen’s impressive, even for a place this size.

  “I know, right? Pretty spectacular.” Mykayla opens up a big box of pasta and starts to add it to the pot of water that’s boiling on the stove. “I’m not sure what we can actually eat with this. I didn’t find any sauce.”

  “I can make some.” I’m already taking vegetables out of the fridge. Tomatoes, zucchini, green pepper. A little basil and my secret spice, and I’ll be good to go.

  “You can?”

  “Yeah.” I set up a cutting board beside the stove, so she and I are standing next to each other. “How come you sound so surprised that I know how to cook?”

  Mykayla stirs the bubbling pasta. “I don’t know. I guess because I don’t like doing it much myself. It’s hard to believe anyone else does.”

  “It’s not something I do all the time. But I find it relaxing. It’s a lot more fun with two people doing it though.”

  She sets her spoon aside. “So, how can I help you?”

  “You can cut this up.” I hand her the zucchini, making sure that my fingers graze against hers as I do.

  “A zucchini?” She tilts her head. “In pasta sauce? Is that normal?”

  I shrug. “I wouldn’t say it’s common. But why have something common, when you can have something special?”

  I catch her eyes, and there it is again. A tinge of red coloring her cheeks.

  She clears her throat. “I guess you’re right. Especially when we’re here, in a place this lovely.”

  Not nearly as lovely as you. I hold the words back. It’s not the right time.

  We stand side by side. Mykayla’s so close I can feel the heat coming from her skin, even though we aren’t touching. We might as well be. My pulse picks up. It’s gotten really warm in here.

  Setting down my knife, I step back and tug my sweater over my head. I’m draping it over a chair when I catch her looking at me. Quickly she turns her head back to her cutting board, but I saw it. She was checking me out. I’m sure of it.

  Mykayla wipes her hands on a kitchen towel. “I’m done here. Now what?”

  “Now we start cooking. It won’t take long. How’s the pasta coming?”

  “Oh, I forgot to check it.” She grabs the ladle and scoops some out to test it. “It’s ready.”

  She goes about draining it while I stir the spices into the sauce I’ve got going. I’m standing just as close to her as we were before.

  “Is there anything else I can do?” She doesn’t step away. Instead, she leans in closer to look at what I’m doing. It takes everything I have not to kiss her. I settle for breathing in the scent coming from her hair. It’s coconut, and some kind of fruit. Raspberry? Whatever it is, it’s making my heart pick up speed.

  “No, it’s pretty much done.” I try some, then offer the spoon to her. “Tell me what you think.”

  Instead of taking the spoon from me, she lets me keep holding it. She wraps her hand around mine to keep it steady and inside of guiding the spoon into her mouth, her lips part. Slowly she sticks out her tongue and licks some of the sauce up.

  Holy. Fucking. Sexy.

  “Mmm. That’s so good.”

  I’m so entranced by watching her mouth move, I almost don’t hear her compliment. “You’ve got a little sauce on your lip.”

  She licks her lips again. “Is it gone?”

  “No.” I set my fingers under her chin and brush the tiny dot away with my thumb. Then I do it again. “You’re good now.”

  Mykayla swallows hard. “Thank you.”

  I’m still touching her face. I’m about to lean in closer when a rough male voice shatters the moment.

  “So? What’s up with dinner?”

  Mykayla steps away from me. I scowl at Linc, but he doesn’t react. I test the simmering sauce one more time. “It’s ready.”

  “Great.”

  Without a word, Mykayla start searching through cupboards for plates. Linc doesn’t do a thing while I tend to all the food on the stove.

  “Okay. I can’t find any serving dishes so I suggest we serve ourselves.” Mykayla hands me a plate, and then gives one to Linc.

  We each get our dinner without a word spoken between the three of us. Once Linc’s plate is full, he heads back to the side entrance he came in from.

  “Where are you going? The dining room’s that way.”

  “Yeah, I know. I’ve got some more work to get through. I’m going to eat while I’m at it.” He disappears before I can call him out on his rudeness. For fuck’s sake. I was hoping he and I could smooth things over between us over dinner. It’s going to be a really long three weeks if we don’t.

  “No loss.” Mykayla’s taking cutlery out of a drawer. “Just the two of us will be nice.”

  “Good point.” To hell with Linc.

  His loss.

  My gain.

  I pick up her plate and mine. “Since it’s just us, let’s eat in front of the fire.”

  “Ooh, good idea.”

  Mykayla curls up on the huge sofa and I settle in close beside her. She takes a bite. “Jase, this is amazing.”

  “We did good, huh.”

  “You did the good part. I didn’t do much more than boil water. How did you learn to make something this great?”

  I taste the pasta myself. The sauce came out exactly how it was supposed to. Yes. “My mother taught me this recipe. Others too, but this one has always been my favorite. As a kid, I’d always try to get her to make pasta every night just so I could make this sauce with her. The first time I made the entire thing on my own, including cutting up all the veg, I couldn’t have been more proud. And she was as excited as I was. She always encouraged me, in anything I wanted to try out.”

  Mykayla smiles softly. “That’s so nice. Are you close to her?”

  I pause for a moment after I swallow a mouthful of food. “We were. Right up until she died a few years ago.”

  “Oh, Jase. I’m so sorry.” Mykayla looks stricken. “I didn’t mean to bring something like that up for you.”

  “It’s okay.”

  She rubs at my arm.

  “I’ve been thinking about her anyway lately. She and my father had a great marriage. I’ve been thinking more and more about settling down these days. Finding the right person and starting up a life together.”

  Mykayla gives me a quizzical look. “But you’re already in a relationship. Aren’t you living together?”

  “We were, but that’s over now. We’re over. It’s been awhile now. I didn’t mention it before because I wanted it all to be in the past. Not think about it all the time. You know how it is when a relationship ends.”

  “Yes, I do. I got out of something a few months ago myself.”

  “So. You’re single. And so am I.”

  “Looks like that’s true.”

  “So we should go out sometime.”

  Mykayla blinks at me. “But you told me you were living with a man. Why would you want to go out with me?”

  “Because you’re amazing. And I’m bisexual.” I take another bite of dinner. “Unless you have a problem with that.”

  She gives her head a shake. “No. No problem. It’s just not what I expected.”

  I set my plate on the side table. “If you’re not interested, I hope me asking you out won’t make things awkward between us. It won’t for me.”

  “That’s not it at all. It’s just that you’re pretty much telling me all of this out of the blue. It’s a lot of new info to take in all at once. Especially in less than a minute.”

  “Fair enough. Are you finished?” I glance down at her empty plate. She nods and I take it from her, setting it down on top of mine.

  Mykayla hasn’t answered my question. Her silence is answer enough. I grab for the remote that’s sitting nearby. “Is this for the stereo? We could do with
some music in here.” I start clicking buttons to see what happens.

  “Jase.” She lifts her hand, setting it down on top of mine as I grip the remote. Her pretty brown eyes are shining. “I’ve had a crush on you from the moment we first met.”

  A slow grin crosses my face. “Is that right? I wouldn’t have known.”

  She laughs. “As if I’d tell you. You were living with another guy.”

  I shift closer to her, setting my arm around her shoulders. She leans into me. “So you’ll go out with me.”

  “There’s nothing I’d like more.”

  “Nothing?” I stroke her hair lightly. “Nothing at all?”

  Mykayla pushes her body back into me. “Maybe not nothing.”

  I graze my fingertips over her cheek, sliding down towards her neck. She presses ever so slightly into my hand. That’s all the encouragement I need.

  I use my other hand to tilt her head towards me. Her eyes are darker than I’ve ever seen them, and I like what I see reflected back to me. Desire. Need. Want.

  Our lips meet. I didn’t expect the wash of lust that rushes through me just from a kiss. We don’t break apart. It goes on and on. Instead of getting less intense as it goes it, it gets hungrier. I want Mykayla, even more than I was aware of. It’s just a kiss. It shouldn’t make me feel like this. Like she’s what I’ve been missing.

  My cock swells and she rubs against me. My hands are going to her breasts and at the same time, her hand slides down to my growing bulge. Bold. I like that in a woman. The last girlfriend I had took ages to touch me without my encouragement.

  I’m still lost in our kiss when the floor creaks loudly. The sound startles both of us. I come back to the reality that Mykayla and I aren’t alone here. Linc could come out of his room any time. And even though it’s really unlikely, anyone from the company could burst in through the front door. I don’t even know if the storm’s let up or not. The roads could have been cleared already.

  I hug Mykayla in close, nuzzling against her ear. It might be too soon to suggest it, but what the hell. I don’t want to wait.

  “Let’s go to my room.”

  Chapter 4

  Mykayla

  I’m still gasping from our kiss when Jase suggests taking this further. Were there actual sparks flying between us? Because it sure felt that way. That kiss was off the scale. I can’t believe it, but it’s like the best I’ve ever had. Jase’s so hot and in my fantasies, he’s an amazing lover. But never for a moment did I expect my heart to be trying to beat its way out of my chest like this.

  And all just from a kiss.

  It’s too soon. I shouldn’t. He just asked me out. Way, way too soon. Sleeping with a guy too soon is something I swore I’d never do again. It never leads to anything good, at least not for me.

  But this is Jase. Jase, who I’ve been dreaming about for so long now.

  I can’t speak. My voice will come out hoarse or something and I’ll sound ridiculous. So I nod at him.

  Yes.

  He grins at me. God, I love his smile. It makes his strong, sexy features even more irresistible. Standing up, he holds his hand out to me in an invitation I can’t resist. I slip mine into his.

  Jase leads me to a nearby bedroom. Stopping after he closes the door behind us, he pulls me in for another kiss.

  And it’s just as hot as the last one. Only this time we’re standing up, so his big hands have a lot more freedom to roam all over my body. I want to do the same thing to him. Normally I’m not comfortable enough to do anything like that. I need to get to know a guy first, have sex a few times before I feel free enough to go for it. I still can’t believe I touched him the way I did back there out in the living room. There’s just something about Jase that makes me feel like I can’t do anything wrong with him.

  So I go for it. My arms are around his back and I let my hands slide down. And keep going until they’re on his ass.

  His hard cock feels so good pressed against my body. And his hands. His hands on my breasts are making me throb all over.

  “Mykayla.” Jase’s voice is low. Sensual. The way he says my name makes me want to tear his clothes off. And mine. But he’s already kissing me again, this time everywhere but my mouth. My cheek. My earlobe. My throat. I want him to be kissing me all over but my heavy winter clothes are in the way.

  He’s got the same thought too, because he’s moving away, just enough so that he can pull my thick sweater up over my head.

  Jase smiles when he sees how many layers I’ve got on underneath it. “Wow. Were you planning on sleeping outside in a tent tonight?”

  “I get cold easily.” I tug one of my tops off and toss it onto the sweater. “Even in front of a fire.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll keep you warm.” He strips me until I’m topless. I have to fight the urge to cover my breasts up. Not because I’m cold now. Jase’s already keeping me warm. But because I’ve never had a man look at my body quite the way he does. Like there’s nothing in the world he wants more than me.

  It’s intoxicating. I can’t explain how I know, but he wants me. Me. Not just a woman to have sex with, like so many other men do. Me.

  Before he can move to my jeans, I grab for his shirt. He didn’t put his sweater on again after he took it off in the kitchen. So I finally got to see his frame without something covering it up too much. I can’t wait to see him shirtless. It only takes a moment before I do.

  Damn.

  He must go out and chop wood on the weekends or something. Because his muscles are spectacular. On top of his stunning chest, he has my favorite feature in a man. Big, strong, very well muscled arms. Arms that could lift me up like I weigh nothing. Arms that can keep me safe from anything.

  Arms that can easily hold me up against the wall. Some day. Not now, when there’s a really nice bed sitting in the corner looking lonely.

  Jase’s undoing my jeans almost before I get his shirt off him. The extra few seconds I get to scope out his shirtless body while he lowers my zipper are fine by me.

  “Seriously?” Jase’s staring at me in disbelief. “What are those, long johns?”

  “They’re tights.” I blush a little. Thick winter tights. I wore them on the drive up, and they’ve saved my life ever since. Thankfully I brought my jeans from when I was a little bigger with me, and so a pair of tights can fit underneath them.

  Of course, they’re far from the sexiest piece of clothing for him to see me in when he’s stripping me. And I didn’t bring much in the way of lingerie to a winter work retreat in the first place. But Jase saves me from the creeping doubts about my body that are slowly rising up from the back of my mind.

  “They’re cute. But I think you’ll look great out of them.”

  I cast around for a joke to make but I can’t even think of a single thing to say. Gripping the elastic, Jase eases my tights down my legs. I want this part to be over with but he’s taking his time. Staring at me. I’m not used to attention like this. Part of me wants to run and hide.

  “You’ve got the sexiest legs I’ve ever seen.” He tosses my tights away.

  “I do?” I blurt out the question without meaning to. Smooth, Mykayla. Real super slick.

  He answers me in the best possible way. Getting to his knees, Jase starts to kiss his way up my legs. But kissing doesn’t even cover what he’s doing. It’s so much more than just kissing. He’s brushing his lips over my skin. Touching me with his tongue. I’ve got goosebumps, but not from being cold. True to his word, Jase’s most definitely keeping me warm.

  Oh yeah.

  He’s moving higher. The tip of his tongue is just barely grazing my thighs. All I’ve got on now are my panties. I swallow hard.

  But it’s not his tongue that travels between my thighs. His long fingers caress me in an easy, almost casual rhythm. Feeling how wet I am even through the layer of fabric.

  Not for long. He eases my panties off me, tossing them aside.

  He knows what he’s doing. I’m close to co
ming, just from his touch, when he takes his hand away and stands up abruptly. I moan softly. It’s all I can do at the loss of his touch.

  He takes hold of my hand. “Come here.”

  Jase’s still wearing pants as he leads me over to the bed. I’m naked and he’s only halfway there. Somehow that’s turning me on even more. I push the blankets aside and I’m about to climb in when he lifts me up and lays me down.

  I’m lying on a bed, naked in front of Jase. And he’s looking at me like I’m the most gorgeous woman in the world.

  He smiles at me like he can read my thoughts. I hope he can’t, because there’s a lot of dirty ones swirling around in there.

  “You’re beautiful, Mykayla.” Eyes still on me, he undoes his pants, pushing them down and getting them out of the way. Along with his underwear.

  It’s a lot to take in. Strong legs. But that’s not where my eyes go.

  I can’t admire his thick, hard cock for very long. In one movement, Jase’s covering my body with his. He’s rock solid. In every possible way.

  He’s kissing me again. I could stay like this forever except for the beating, pulsing need deep inside me that’s growing with every passing second.

  I have to come up for air. I’m about to break our kiss when he pulls away first. Already I miss him but he doesn’t stop kissing me. He’s working his way down my body and this time, there’s nothing in his way when he reaches my thighs.

  My hips buck up as his tongue grazes my clit. My hands tighten into fists as I grasp at the sheets. I need something to ground me. Anything. I’m feeling things I’ve never felt before. Jase not only knows what he’s doing, he loves what he’s doing.

  I’m on the edge almost instantly. I try to hold back because I don’t want this to end so fast. But I can’t hold back, not when Jase eases a finger inside of me.

  It’s too much. I lose all control. I think I call out his name but I’m not even sure. The orgasm overtakes all of me. My body, mind and ability to know if I’m speaking or not.

  Jase doesn’t let up, not until the last shockwave rolls over me. Lifting his head, he runs a warm hand up my leg. “Don’t go anywhere.”