“You said I could have her if I let you fuck me,” Andre said, his body shaking a bit when Jace angled to rub over the spot that made his whole body want to explode.
“Last for me and I might let you,” Jace said.
Evan made a desperate noise at that and Andre smiled. His bella wanted more than his hand, too. No way would he disappoint her. Jace could try whatever he wanted, but Andre wasn’t going to come before he got a chance to sink into his woman.
Lucky for him, Jace was in a generous mood because he started going hard and fast. Andre’s body clenched, his dick begging for relief. But despite the pleasure, he held on. He won. Jace’s hips were soon flush against his, and Jace let go with a low, grinding moan, pumping everything he had to give into Andre.
Jace swore his way through his release, and after a few more panted breaths, he pulled out of Andre and begin to unlatch him from the rest of the restraints. After he was done, Jace turned a showerhead their way, hitting them with glorious warm water. Andre moved his hand away from Evan and sat back on his calves to let the water cascade over him. “Come here, bella.”
Evan went to her knees in front of him on the mat, the water streaming along her curves—cheeks flushed and eyes bright—and his chest squeezed with this potent, overwhelming love for her. He took her face between his hands. “I couldn’t dream up a more perfect woman than you.”
She smiled. “You don’t have to flatter me. I’m a sure thing.”
“Doesn’t mean I’ll stop telling you.” He bent his head and kissed her slow, the water moving over their lips and the scent of the shower gel filling his nose. She had to be as desperate as he was for release, but she went liquid in his hold, letting him stroke his tongue over hers and take his time.
When he pulled back, he got to his feet to rinse off, then Jace shut off the water and laid a thick, white towel over the bench. Andre lifted Evan onto it a
nd lay her down, then brushed his thumb over her lips. “So we haven’t scared you off yet?”
She dragged him down to her, eyes resolute. “Either of you hide anything from me again, and next time I’ll be the one with the rubber whip.”
He laughed. “Deal.”
And he meant it. He thought they’d had it all figured out when they’d told each other I love you. That everything would naturally fall into place. But there was so much more to happily-ever-after than declaring commitment to each other. That was only the beginning. Evan feeling like she had to hide her possible pregnancy and him feeling like he needed to shield her from this side of himself proved that. They were still peeling back layers of each other, laying down bricks of trust, and learning how to show rather than say what love really meant for them.
But he was done holding back. He loved this woman. He loved Jace. And for maybe the first time in his life, he felt completely and totally accepted. He was not the third. He was not the friend. He was theirs.
So when he draped himself over Evan and eased his body into hers, he had no reservations about what he and Jace had discussed would come next.
This morning’s interlude wouldn’t be Evan’s only surprise today.
Chapter 10
Evan’s thigh muscles burned and her body was protesting the uphill climb, but she was determined not to head back down to the cabin yet. The boys had told her skiing lessons were out, but they’d taken her to lunch in the nearby ski village and then out snowshoeing. She’d never worn snowshoes before so the trek was awkward and slow, but she couldn’t get enough of the scenery. Everything was frosted and sparkling with the snow from last night, and the area they’d taken her to was so secluded that the only noise was their feet crunching over the snow and the creak of the trees when the wind blew.
Growing up she’d always seen snow as this magical thing, pristine white flakes falling over houses of happy television families and clinging to the hair of movie couples as they kissed. The one Christmas it had snowed in Dallas, she’d been six and her mother had taken her outside to build a snowman with what they could scrape off the driveway. The snowman had been lopsided and tiny but she could remember how excited they both were, the light in her mom’s eyes when they found the perfect sticks for arms. She’d told her mother she never wanted Christmas to end. Her mom had smiled and said maybe God had sent the snow to freeze time for a while so they could enjoy it a little longer.
Her mom had probably said it because the unexpected snow had cancelled her shift that night and they’d been able to spend the whole evening at home. But Evan had never been able to let go of that image of snow freezing perfect moments. Because that had been a perfect moment. The last one for a long time. Her mother had been killed by a drunk driver a few months later, eventually leading to Evan’s placement in foster care, so that moment in the snow had crystallized into some mythical moment in Evan’s mind. The memory she’d clung to the hardest while growing up. Because no matter what had happened to her after that, the night in the snow reminded her that once upon a time, she’d been loved for real.
Jace grabbed her gloved hand and gave it a squeeze. “Want to take a break, Ev? I know it’s steep.”
She peered over at him. He looked ridiculously adorable with his knit cap pulled over his messy blond hair and his cheeks pink. She could almost see the teenage boy she’d met all those years ago when she’d stayed with his family. He’d been all mischief and sex appeal back then, too. But now there was so much more there—this solid, pure-hearted man who had a depth to him that no one would suspect upon meeting the sarcastic, laid-back side he showed to the world. This man felt things down to the marrow. And he loved just as hard.
“I thought you said there was a good view near the top,” she said.
“There is. But we can rest if you need it. Andre brought thermoses of hot chocolate.”
Andre patted his backpack. “Yep. The Mexican kind you like.”
“Well, that is tempting. Nothing like a hot Mexican.”
Andre grinned. “You know it, bella. But right now I’m a freezing Mexican. So I vote we stop and drink.”
“Fine,” she said. “But let’s not pretend this is for my behalf. You’re the ones fading on me.”
“Duly noted.” Jace tugged her to a small outcropping of rocks and brushed the snow off of a flat one. “Sit down and rest anyway. We’ll drink some hot chocolate to warm up, then I promise we’ll see what’s at the top.”
Andre set his stuff down and handed them each a thermos. Evan hadn’t felt the cold seep into her bones, but on the first sip of the steaming cocoa, the smell of cinnamon filled her nose and the heavenly heat moved through her, making her all too aware of how chilled she’d actually gotten. She let out a satisfied groan. “Oh my God, that’s the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had.”