Fuck yes, I do.
But I shook my head. “That’s another secret. You still owe me one.” I paused, pondering my question. Then I had it. “What did you think after I kissed you?”
Caught off guard, she played with one of her curls, her teeth biting into that plush lower lip. It was as if she was torturing me on purpose, but from the conflicted look on her face, I knew she was taking my question seriously.
Finally, she said, “My initial reaction was ‘holy freaking crap, I cannot believe I just kissed another woman’s fiancé and my literal boss,’ and then went off into an anxiety spiral. I’m still not sure what I think about it. It can’t happen again, but…”
“But?” The hope that flared within me was swift and fierce.
When she spoke, her expression was pained. “That kiss set me on fire, Nolan. It’s lived in my head, replayed in my dreams, tormented me every night. It…it makes me wish for things I shouldn’t. You’re promised to someone else, and I will respect that.”
She is way too good for me.Any other women in my social circles would have jumped at the opportunity to hop in bed with me, engaged or not. The sanctity of marriage wasn’t necessarily honored in the upper echelons of society. Mistresses and affairs were as commonplace as annoying galas and useless parties.
I was about to throw caution to the fucking wind and admit everything, but before I could, Val pushed out of the water to sit on the edge of the hot tub. Steam poured off of her body and water ran in rivulets downthe valley between her breasts. My cock jolted and my train of thought came crashing to a halt.
And she noticed me noticing.
“Problem?” she asked.
As she toweled herself off with the robe, I pulled on the back of my neck. “If you’re set on this ‘no touching’ thing, we need to play a different game or change the subject.”
With color high on her cheeks, she leaned forward and I got a killer view of her perfect tits as she said, “I think I’m hungry now.”
Painfully aware of my raging boner, I could only raise an eyebrow in response.
“For dinner,” she clarified, but her voice held a rougher edge that belied her words.
Taking advantage of her closeness, I wrapped my hand around her thigh and felt her pulse jump under my touch. “I’m pretty sure the kind of dinner I want won’t be in Rocco’s gift basket.”
A surprised laugh slipped out as she stood and tied her robe. “I thought we werechanging the subject, Nolan. I’ll see you inside.”
I smiled as I gathered my own robe, all the while the thoughts of what our relationship would be like tomorrow, back in the real world and not in this suspended reality where we could be just Val and just Nolan, swirled in the back of my mind like storm clouds.
Chapter 19
NOLAN
Therestoftheevening passed with us enjoying the good food, good wine, and playful banter. Tonight in the cabin was the first night I allowed myself to fully relax. Being with Val was becoming as necessary as breathing. I needed her grounding presence, her ability to pull off my mask, her ability to see the good in everything—even in impossible situations and people. Even in me.
But the night had to end. And the cabin wasn’t real life.
Real life barged into our pleasant evening when hours later, Val glanced outside.
“Shit,” she said, scrambling off the couch and throwing open the front door, a gust of frigid air whooshing in. We were both still in our cashmere robes and the cold wind bit through me.
“What’s wrong?” If she was swearing, it had to be bad.
“Shit!” she said again, slamming the door on the blizzard blustering outside. “The snow must have gotten worse while we were talking. There has to befeetof it out there. We’ll never make it down the mountain in that.”
“Damn,” I said, going to the window to check it out. She was right—it was a whiteout. The resort car had four-wheel drive but the road wouldbe treacherous in that amount of snow. “Looks like we’re snowed in for the night.”
I couldn’t find it in myself to be too upset about that.
“I should change,” Val said, as if suddenly aware of her state of undress, tying the robe tighter while I followed her into the bedroom suite to grab my suit—the only other clothes I had.
But once inside, Val looked at the singular bed like it might sprout seven heads and bite her.
“I’ll sleep on the couch,” I offered. “You take the bed.”
