Determined (Determined Trilogy Book 1) (14 page)

“And such a gentleman,” she said, directing her comments at me. We ventured out to the car to unload. On our way down the stairs she leaned in to me and whispered, “Is his father single?” I looked at her, and she winked.

Very funny, mom.
I was glad my dad didn’t hear. But I was also glad she approved.

~

My whole family seemed to like David. After we unpacked the car, we settled in around the fire with glasses of wine and some cheese and crackers. David draped his arm along the back of the sofa, keeping me close. My dad spoke excitedly with David about the different ski slopes available nearby, and I think he was pleased to have another male around for once. My sister regaled us with stories of her new favorite television show; a reality show covering sports injuries on one of the cable channels.

“And then they took the sheet off his leg, and the bone was pointing one way and his leg was pointing the other way.” She gestured with her fingers.

Everyone groaned. Erin looked very pleased with the reaction.

“Erin, please,” my mother coaxed gently.

“It was so gnarly!” she continued, laughing. She was enjoying the disgusted looks on our faces.

“Enough, Erin, we have guests,” my father urged.

David chuckled. “It’s okay. My dad was a surgeon, and my mom was a nurse, so I’m used to all sorts of horrible body-talk around the dinner table.” Damn, he was good at charming them.

“Actually, I think it’s best if we turn in,” I say, cutting into the conversation. “It’s been a long day.” I tried to act nonchalant and sleepy. Could they tell that I had sex a few hours ago on the sofa they were sitting on? I hoped not.

“David, I can show you to your room,” I added, before my Dad could make some awkward joke about separate rooms. “We’ll see you guys in the morning, good night.”

“Sleep well, you two,” my mom said with a smile.

I took David down the hall toward my bedroom. The cabin was huge, and there were plenty of rooms. I normally slept in one of two bedrooms on the main floor, and everyone else usually slept downstairs. There was also a sleeping loft above the living room, which had four beds, in case we had extra guests. No need for that tonight, though, I was putting David in the room directly across from mine.

I walked him in. The whole house was done in a classic mountain lodge theme, and this room was no exception. There was a big knotty pine bed covered in a red and brown quilt. David pulled me in closely.

“Are you sure I can’t convince you to stay with me?”

I lowered my voice. “Are you kidding? My parents would kill me.”

“You are twenty-four years old.”

“I know, but to them I’m a completely virginal teenager” I hissed. Being at my family’s house was making me nervous. I mentally reminded myself to check the functionality of the door locks tomorrow.

“Hmm,” he cooed, nuzzling his nose to the nape of my neck. The feeling was so familiar; my body knew what to do next. I wanted to pull him in, and let him have his way with me again but I couldn’t, knowing that my parents were just down the hall. I pulled back.

“I can’t.”

“Okay, but just tonight. You win only because I’m exhausted from fucking you on the sofa.”

I playfully slapped his chest and glared at him, smiling.

“Good
night
, Mr. Keith.”

“Good night, Ms. Sharp.” I retreated to my room and fell asleep amidst thoughts of snowflakes and jet planes.

10

The next morning I woke up lazily to the smell of waffles and bacon. It was heavenly. My mom always made waffles and bacon on our first morning at the cabin. I made a quick stop in the bathroom to make sure my hair wasn’t behaving too badly and swished some mouthwash around before heading out to the living area.

I was the last one up. My whole family, along with David, were seated around the big wooden breakfast table. David had not shaved yet that morning and was sporting a substantial scruff. It was hot. I made a mental note to ask him not to shave later. My dad was fully animated, telling David a joke we all had heard a thousand times before.

“...so then the pilot said, ‘This gravity keeps bringing me down.’“ My dad clapped his hands to punctuate his joke, and everyone tilted their heads back and groaned. My dad is such a nerd sometimes, but David seemed genuinely amused by his enthusiasm. I took a seat in the empty spot next to David at the table.

“Good morning,” I said brightly to everyone, and I rubbed David’s back, careful not to show too much affection lest my younger sister rib me for all eternity. David, of course, knew of no such fate and leaned in, pecking me sweetly on the cheek.

“Sleep well?”

Before I had a chance to answer, my dad interrupted.

“Sam, did you know David here has a plane?”

“Oh, uh.” I looked at David helplessly. How much of us, of him, has he revealed this morning? “Yeah, I did.”

“A couple, actually,” David managed to make the statement sound modest. “I have to travel a lot for work,” he explained.

Oh really?
Actually, I wasn’t surprised. Of course he had a fleet of planes. He’s David-fucking-Keith.

He continued “In fact, we came up here in one of them,” he said without a trace of gloating.

My dad’s eyes widened, and he looked over at me with an,
‘And when were you going to mention this?’
expression. He was an aerospace man through and through, and would get on a goose if it would get him up in the air. I couldn’t even bear to look at my mother or my sister, and instead trained my gaze on the plate of waffles in front of me. “I’m happy to give you guys a lift back, if you would like. My driver could always take your car back.”

“Ang, baby what do you think?” There was boyishness and hope in my dad’s voice as he turned to my mother for approval.”

“I think as kind as the offer is, I’d rather stick to the highway, John,” she coaxed. My mother, unlike my father, had never favored air travel. “You two have fun.”

My dad looked resigned but happy, aware that his chances of getting on that or any plane were always slim.

“So what are we doing today?” my sister cut in.

“Well, you guys could hit up the mountain,” my mom started, when David gently interrupted her.

“Actually, I have a surprise planned for everyone.” We all turned and looked at him. They had known him for barely a day, and already he was working his David Keith magic?

Erin’s eyes opened wide, and she bounced in her seat. “What is it?”

“Well, I’d like to treat the ladies to a day at the spa ...” My mother’s eyes lit up. She loved pampering but rarely indulged herself. David continued, “And while the ladies are being polished and massaged, I originally thought Mr. Sharp and I could go skiing, but knowing where his passions now lie, perhaps we could take a little zip around in the plane.” My dad’s face lit up like a kid on Christmas, and David glanced at my mom and raised his eyebrows sweetly. “Pending Mrs. Sharp’s approval, of course.”

My mom’s brow furrowed, and for a second it seemed like she might put the kibosh on the idea, but then she cracked a smile. No woman was immune to his charms.

“Oh, I guess I have to let you boys be boys some of the time. And please, David, call me Angela.”

“Hey wait, I want to go on the plane, too,” Erin piped up in her usual forthright way. She’d always been a bit of a tomboy, and I knew a spa day would try her patience. We all looked at my mom.

“Oh, fine,” she said, exhaling. “Just please be careful.”

“Of course, Angela.” David flashed one of his charming grins, and it was set.

After breakfast, we packed into two cars, and went our separate ways.

~

As Thomas pulled up to the Ritz-Carlton, I peered out the window at the hulking mountain lodge, picture perfect in its rusticity. A valet came around to our door and whisked my mother and me into the grand lobby. A polished young Asian woman dressed all in navy greeted us.

“Ms. and Mrs. Sharp? Welcome to the Ritz-Carlton. My name is Amanda, and I will be your concierge for the day. If there is anything you need, please let me know, as it would be my privilege to be of assistance. May I show you to the spa?”

We both nodded and set off, following the young woman down a beautiful hallway trimmed with timbers and slate. Once behind her and out of sight, we turned to each other and made knowing faces at each other.

The spa was gorgeous and seemed to stretch on forever. Amanda brought us to a private changing room where we stripped out of our flannel and boots and into plush white terrycloth robes, sipping on mimosas. We were just getting comfortable on leather loveseats when Amanda knocked.

“Ladies, if you would follow me.” She gestured for us to accompany her. What followed was four hours of bliss. We were led to a dark stone grotto where we were buffed and polished and massaged with exotic scented oils until we fell into a state of hypnotic bliss. My sex-sore muscles appreciated the attention, and I almost managed to forget about David. Almost.

After, we were supposed to go to a relaxation room, but Amanda took me down another hallway that led to a lobby with elevators. David was there, standing, with lips curled up, those cheekbones on display. Amanda slipped away, her work done.

“Hey,” I said, breathless and bewildered. What was he doing there? Damn, he looked fucking hot. He was wearing a dark plaid button down and thick leather boots. His hands were shoved into his jean pockets. He didn’t say anything but instead took my hand and led me confidently to the last elevator. Inside, he swept a room key across a sensor and pressed a button.

As the elevator climbed, I purposely kept my distance across the small car and noticed he did the same. Was he gripping the rail behind him to restrain himself from me? Where was he taking me? He looked at me with ravenous intensity. It was so arousing. I hadn’t seen him this charged before. Finally, he stepped close to me and pulled a way-ward brown tendril off my face

“Nice outfit.” He looked down at my spa robe.

“I didn’t know you were coming”

“That was the plan,” he said, his eyes trained on mine. My groin tingled as he stared at me.

There was a quiet ding, and the doors opened right into the foyer of a huge suite. I’m sure the space was gorgeous, but as soon as we crossed the threshold, it all faded away. David pulled me into him, and then lifted me up and slung me over his shoulder, reaching under my robe to slap me on the ass. I squealed, delighted with the display of raw, caveman-like, masculinity. He took me to a large bedroom, flung me onto the bed, and proceeded to remove his boots and peel off his clothes. I was just expected to sit there and watch this lumberjack striptease. I loved the way his dark jeans hung off his hips. I opened my robe and slid a hand in, touching myself while I gazed at him. He caught my brazen gesture, and held my stare as I massaged myself.

He rubbed his jaw and looked at me.

He didn’t need to say a word. He looked at me in awe. His manhood on full view, he sauntered over to me. I felt a rush of power come over me. He was so turned on by me, and I could pleasure myself without him. What an interesting situation. I undid my robe, allowing my plump, swollen breasts to fall out. I think I heard him inhale sharply. I was so aroused, so ready for his cock, but I wanted to give him more first. I rubbed myself faster and massaged my breasts slowly, tilting my head back as I groaned with pleasure. He just stood there, transfixed, his cock so hard and raw. I kept my eyes closed and continued. Was he going to stop me? I wanted him to take me right then and shove that cock inside me, to give me relief from the building need inside me.

But he didn’t. He just stood there, mesmerized. Finally, he slowly started rubbing his length, and I opened my eyes to watch. It was quite a sight to behold. Such a strong and attractive man; a man who could have any woman he wanted fuck his brains out—brought down to touching and pleasuring himself. Because he just couldn’t help himself while he was watching me.

It was enough to send me over the edge. My sex started to quiver and shake, and I inhaled deeply and closed my eyes, trying to pace myself, but the climax took over and ripped a chasm of pleasure into me, radiating outwards, pulsing and convulsing with sweet intensity. I moaned with pleasure.

Once the tremors had passed, I opened my eyes, and David climbed over me in the bed. He put one of my breasts into his mouth, attempting foreplay. I redirected him.

“Just fuck me,” I ordered, breathlessly.

He met my eyes and flashed a wicked grin. He redeployed his efforts and flipped me around, pulled off my robe, and pushed me down on my hands and knees. Shoving my legs wide, his hands reached around and felt me with his fingers.

He slipped two fingers in and rubbed the inside of me. Then, he brought them around to my mouth. Salty.

“Do you like the way you taste?” He teased me. I sucked on his fingers harder. “Oh, Samantha. You drive me wild.”

“Fuck me.” I breathed, again begging for his cock.

His southern accent roared to life. “Yes, Ma’am.” And with that he thrust his full length into me. I let out a little yelp as it filled and stretched me.

This angle allowed him to penetrate me deeper than he had before. He went deep and then pulled back with his hips, creating a heart-stopping rhythm. I arched my back and glanced over my shoulder. His gaze was fixed on me, his abs contracting with strength at every insertion. His eyes lost with sexual need.

I was building again, more quickly than I thought, and was soon back at the precipice of orgasm. He slapped me again on my ass, and I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the sensation. Then the pace quickened, and I grabbed at the bed to steady myself against his thrusts. But the pressure was too much, and I succumbed to him, my sex convulsing around his cock, a guttural sound emitting from my throat. He came also, his hips pushing deeper and deeper into me, and I felt his hot juice.

He pulled back and came down next to me. We both lay there for a moment, catching our breath, reveling in the post-sex haze.

“Hey,” he said softly, propping his head up with his hand.