Chapter Twelve
Savannah
Walking, walking, and more walking around half of the lake, I’m just trying to make sense of everything. By the time I make it back to the house, I’m more mixed up than I was when I started. It’s late, the sun is setting, and the snow is coming down harder. After a quick trip to my room, I go to the kitchen, grab a bottle of wine, a glass, and an opener, and head downstairs. Luckily, most of the guys have been busy with the wind-up of The American case, so everyone seems to be keeping to themselves.
I step out into the freezing air in a pair of flip flops. Climbing up onto a chair, I cover the camera pointing in my direction with a t-shirt. I rip off my top and chuck my shorts to the side. I toss my hair into a messy bun as I sink into the deliciously hot water. It feels divine. I instantly feel the tension slip from my body. In the winter, they keep the hot tub covered with a tent that opens at the sides. I open only one flap, so I have a private view of the lake.
My second glass in, and I feel pretty damn relaxed. I can’t believe I haven’t come here sooner. Closing my eyes, leaning my head back, I listen to how quiet the snow makes everything. It makes for a perfect moment.
“See, Savi, this is the perfect place for a vacation.” Lynn grins with a lime green straw wedged between her lips. She’s on her fourth margarita since we hit the beach an hour ago. She surprised me with a trip to Fiji for my birthday. We’re staying in a little bungalow on Castaway Island. No one knows me, allowing me to blend in perfectly.
I slip my sunglasses on, plucking the melon from the rim of my mojito and popping it in my mouth. The cold juice is refreshing. “Yes.” A grin tugs at my lips, as our morning yoga trainer, Diogo, grabs a paddleboard and heads for the crisp blue ocean. “I think this is one of the best presents you’ve ever given me.”
She laughs, clinking her drink to mine. He might be married, but nothing matters with an ass like that.
“I wonder where his tan line ends.” I give her a devilish grin.
She shakes her head. “I have goggles, wanna go find out?”
“Yup!”
A shadow casts over Lynn, making me squint to see who’s interrupting our fun.
“Hello, ladies, my name is Jerry. I teach a scuba class with the resort.” Jerry grins with a large set of pearly whites and shows us his hotel ID. “Our first class starts in ten. Would you like to join?”
I glance at Lynn, who is downing her drink with a dirty grin.
“Yes, Jerry, that sounds like a great plan.”
Poor Diogo.
I didn’t even know I was grinning until my reality comes crashing around me, making my eyes pop open. I rub a spot over my heart, which hurts like hell when I think of our happyfakememories. I wonder if my father planned the whole trip, just to get me out of the media.
“I hate my past,” I bitch, shaking Lynn’s face from my thoughts.
“I’m glad I didn’t send Dell out here to check on the camera,” Cole says, standing in front of the open side and making me jump. His hands are tucked into his pockets as snowflakes hit then disappear when they meet the heat of his body through his sweater. He’s very sexy in his black sweater and jeans. “Is that even considered a bikini?”
I think about my suit rather than look at it. I guess its white strings may be a little skimpy, but I wasn’t planning on having company.
“You want to be left alone?”
I shake my head and take a slow sip of my wine, watching him intently. He yanks off his sweater, giving me a moment to gawk at his strong arms, chest, and back. I try to hide my body’s natural reaction to him, but it’s impossible. Pure lust rises to the surface whenever he’s around. His pants come off next and are set down carefully by his boots, his inner Army ways coming out. He settles in the water across from me, his legs stretched out on either side. Our eyes wander over one another, both knowing we’ve been physically attracted to each other from day one, so neither of us even pretends to look away.
I tip my glass of wine in his direction as if to ask if he wants some. He nods, holding out a hand for me to come to him, but first I lean back and pour more wine into my glass. Keeping low in the water, my eyes on his, I move toward him, stopping just in front of him but not quite touching.
He suddenly leans forward and grasps my hips, lifting me to straddle his lap. I squeak when the wine spills over my arms and down my chest, the cold liquid making me shiver. He bends down and drags his hot tongue across my skin, licking the wine from between my breasts, then along my collarbone and up to my earlobe where he nibbles lightly.
I try not to react, try to keep a clear head, but instead, I let out a sharp breath as my senses take a dive. Cole takes the glass from me, downing half of it while keeping those gorgeous dark eyes on mine. Then he comes in for a kiss, and that does it. I turn my head to the side. Suddenly, all I can picture is those lips on the blonde’s. He downs the rest of the wine and sets the glass aside.
The wind picks up, blowing snow in on us. I shift down and back, and so does he, so we’re both better protected from the storm, which is now becoming a blizzard. Cole pulls me back onto his lap where I meet a rather intense look. His fingers walk up my back, undoing the ties on the back of the suit. It springs forward as he lifts it over my head. My bottoms are removed just as fast, then he shifts and removes his.
He moves so his erection is between my aching thighs, with me just barely touching him, and waits, wanting me to make the first move. I hesitate while I battle it out with myself, and in the end, my lust wins, and I slowly slide down over top of him, making us both drop our heads back, sighing.
He wraps an arm around my waist, and the other grips my shoulder as I start to move very slowly. I can see his muscles flexing, trying hard to give me control. His jaw is set perfectly still as my breasts bounce in front of his mouth, his stubble teasing them as they brush by. The contrast of the cold air and the hot water is an intense sensation. Cole comes in for another kiss, but I turn my face away and continue at the same pace. He growls and grits his teeth, bucking his hips to get me to move faster, but I don’t. In fact, I move slower. Yes, I’m punishing him, but it’s hurting me too. I hate hurting. I hate even more that he’s the one who hurt me. I swallow past the growing lump, trying desperately to shove the feelings away.
“Enough of this shit.” He pulls me up, flips me over the side of the tub, and thrusts back in. He lies his front over my back, holding me down. “Stop punishing me,” he growls. “I only did what I had to do to get you back. I only kissed her, nothing more. I hated it, but I’d do it again if it means saving your life.” He pulls out then slams back in. “I know you’re dealing with a lot, but you better let me in. If you have something to say, then say it, but don’t,” he slams in again, making me cry out, “ever deny me your lips, Savannah.” He pounds in again, sending water spilling over the edge. He pulls out, making me whimper. “They are mine, just like this,” he palms my ass, “and this,” his fingers slip inside me, driving me wild. I grind my hips into him, wanting more. His other hand slips over my chest, making a point to stop over my heart. “All of it is mine, just like all of me is yours.” He leans back and grasps my hips with both hands, and nudges just the tip of him inside. “Will you kiss me when I’m done fucking you?”
I don’t answer. I’m so pent up I’m about to jump out and roll in the snow for some kind of relief.