Finally Satisfied (9 page)

Sam and Reggie joined the group, carrying a
bottle of champagne and a tray of glasses. They passed the glasses
around to the assembled group, then Sam poured each one a glass.
“I’d like to make a toast to the bride and groom to be. “May you
still enjoy the love and friendship you have today when you’re old
and gray, may your life be filled with laughter, the joy of
children and grandchildren if that’s what you want, and may you
both look back with no regrets.”

They clinked glasses and drank. Sam and
Reggie remained standing and everyone looked up at them
expectantly. “I also want to announce our own engagement. We didn’t
make it to Paris for Christmas, but Reggie has agreed to marry me
in spite of that grievous error. I plan to make it up to her with a
honeymoon in Paris instead. We hope you all will join us for a
beautiful June wedding in the gardens at the Hyatt manor.”

Cara squealed and enveloped Reggie in a
crushing hug. “I knew it! You were way too quiet on Christmas Day.
You already knew then, didn’t you? And you kept it a secret this
long? How could you?”

Reggie hugged her back. “I’m sorry. Had to
let Sam make his big announcement. But yes, he asked me Christmas
morning, down on one knee in front of the Christmas tree. George
actually cried when we told him. Can you believe that?”

Sam chuckled. “He was probably thinking about
how much work he has to do to be ready in six months.”

Reggie elbowed him in the ribs. “Was not. I
think he’s learning to like me.”

“He loves you.” He dropped a gentle kiss on
her lips. “Almost as much as I do.”

Gray left the room and soon returned with
another bottle of champagne. “This requires another toast.” He
refilled everyone’s glasses. “I can’t imagine two people more
perfect for each other than Sam and Reggie--other than Cara and I,
of course. May your life be perfect, full of fun and hot sex, and
free of the likes of--what was her name?--Barbie. or Beebe.”

“Here, here!” Reggie said, laughing.
“Definitely Beebe free.”

“And here I thought you were cheering the hot
sex part,” Sam teased.

“That, my dear fiancé, is a given.”

Mitch reached over and took Angel’s hand in
his, not speaking but conveying by his action that he was staking a
claim. It was there in the set of his jaw, in the firmness of his
grip. Somehow, Angel knew what he was thinking without hearing a
word. And for the first time, she was totally okay with that.

***

Mitch followed her up the stairs to her room,
but before she could put her key into the slot, he pulled her back
against him and nuzzled the base of her neck. “Come to my room with
me, just for a little while. We won’t do anything you don’t want to
do, but I need to be alone with you.”

Angel hesitated. Was she ready for this?
After so many years of celibacy, was she ready to have an affair
with the one man she shouldn’t? Her head warned her of what
happened the last time she let a man--a boy--get close to her, but
they weren’t horny teenagers with no idea what they were getting
into.

She nodded, slipped her hand in his, and
followed him down the hall.

Once inside, he led her out onto the balcony
instead of trying to get her into his bed like she’d expected. She
let out a pent up breath. He wasn’t going to pressure her, and the
sudden release of tension left her feeling drained. He was
definitely full of surprises.

Outside, the night was clear and cool, but
the wind was calm and the stars sparkled brilliantly. “Remember
what I told you about the stars on the mountain? Look up.”

She did and it took her breath away. It was
like being in a planetarium, with the stars almost close enough to
touch. There were so many more than she could have imagined, even
more than she’d been able to see at his home.

He stood behind her, his hands linked against
her stomach. She relaxed against him and leaned her head back
against his chest. They stood there, watching the sky, until she
began to shiver.

Mitch wrapped his arms around her and backed
up until they were inside. He closed the patio door without letting
go of her, then turned her in his arms. “I’m going to kiss you, and
then I’m going to hope you’re up for a little more, but I’m not
taking you to my bed tonight. I just want you to know that ahead of
time.”

She looked up at him. She knew he could see
the question in her eyes.

“When we make love, it’s going to be because
you made the first move. I’m going to let you choose the time and
the place, whenever you’re ready.”

“And what if I’m ready tonight?”

He shook his head. “Tonight is for getting
comfortable with each other. I want to learn more about you, I want
to kiss you and touch you. But when we make love, and I have no
doubt we will, it will be your idea from start to finish,
okay?”

If she wasn’t already falling in love with
him, she would have done so at that moment. He was giving her the
control she so desperately needed.

He kissed her then, but he let her lead the
way. She decided when to take it from a chaste meeting of lips to a
mating of mouths and tongues. He ran his hands over her body, but
kept them on top of her clothes. She did the same. His groin
tightened and hardened beneath her hand and he pulled her more
tightly against him, but took it no further.

She felt the heaviness between her legs, the
moisture than told her how much she wanted him, but she resisted
the urge to pull his hand there, under the layers of clothing. He
was right. They shouldn’t rush things. She’d been there, done that,
and had the scars to prove it.

But by the time he took her back to her room,
she really wished she wasn’t sharing the room with her mother and
hadn’t left her vibrator at home.

***

The morning before the wedding dawned with
brilliant sunshine and temperatures below freezing. Perfect for
skiing or ice skating. Not so perfect for taking pictures. Angel
prayed that the promised clouds would roll in before tomorrow. They
weren’t supposed to bring moisture, but they would make taking
pictures so much easier.

Since she wouldn’t be wasting her time taking
any pictures during the day, she decided to join the others on
their snowmobile outing. She dressed in layers, with silk against
her skin and progressing to a ski suit in hot pink trimmed in
yellow. She added two pairs of wool socks and fleece-lined
waterproof boots, tucked two pairs of gloves into her pockets, and
tugged a fleece hat on her head.

A look in the mirror told her she looked like
an overdressed snowman.

She’d never been on a snowmobile in her life,
so she opted to ride with Mitch rather than trying to drive her
own. With her arms wrapped tightly around his waist and his hips
tucked tightly between her thighs, they took off across the meadow,
following behind Cara and Gray, with Reggie, Sam, and several other
couples bringing up the rear.

At first Angel tried to watch the path ahead,
but the cold wind and blowing snow finally drove her to hide her
face against Mitch’s back. Without the distraction of the scenery,
her thoughts drifted to the man in front of her. Even through the
thick clothing, she could feel the play of muscles under her cheek
as he steered the machine. She could feel his taut abdomen under
her hands.

Could he feel her against him, or was he too
distracted by driving to notice? She rubbed her hand against his
jacket and was rewarded with an instant tightening of the muscles
beneath. She moved her hands to his thighs, rubbing down the length
of them to his knees and back up again.

She heard a rumble under her cheek. Was he
laughing? Or was that a groan? She scooted closer. He leaned back
against her. She took a deep breath and slid a hand across his
groin. He was hard as a rock. The same rumble ran through his chest
and she smiled against his back. Definitely a groan.

She glanced around to be sure no one could
see what she was doing. The closest snowmobile was a couple hundred
yards behind them, Cara and Gray another couple of hundred yards
ahead. With the swirling snow kicked up by the machines, they were
in a world of their own.

Feeling bold and as wild as the ride they
were on, she slid her hand under the front of his jacket until she
found his waistband, then underneath. There were still layers of
clothing between her hand and his body, but less bulk to get in her
way. She ran her hand up and down, measuring the length and breadth
of him. Pretty impressive. She tightened her hand around him and
this time the groan reached her ears through the helmet.

“I’m not complaining, but I just wanted to
warn you I haven’t had sex in months. You may find yourself with a
bit of a surprise if you keep it up.” And this time he did
chuckle.

“I don’t mind,” she hollered over the roar of
the wind and engine.

“I do. I have better ways to expend that
energy, someplace warm and private.”

He leaned his head back and she kissed his
cheek. “Spoilsport.”

A few minutes later the group pulled into a
clearing near the ski lifts so those who wanted to ski could go
ahead and those who wanted to warm up could go inside for hot
chocolate. Mitch took his time removing his helmet, waiting for the
group to disperse. When he and Angel were basically alone, he
cupped her face in his hands.

“I hope I didn’t upset you back there. But
I’ve dreamed of making love to you for years, and I don’t want to
start by running at half-power.”

She smiled up at him. “Not at all. That was
pretty brazen of me. I’ve never done anything like that before. But
once I started touching you, I couldn’t stop. Didn’t want to
stop.”

He leaned close until their lips were nearly
touching. “Once I start touching you, I don’t plan to stop. Not
unless you tell me to, and I’m praying you don’t.”

“Any chance we could skip out on this and go
back to the lodge?” Angel murmured, her lips grazing his.

“I don’t know. Don’t you think they’d be
suspicious?” His tongue traced her icy lips, warming them.

“I could fake a headache.”

“As long as you don’t fake one with me,
that’s fine.” He kissed her, gently at first, then he gathered her
in close and deepened the kiss, his tongue demanding entrance
against her lips.

She opened to him, loving the feeling of
being invaded, devoured, consumed. It was over way too quickly.

“Let’s tell the others we’re heading back
before we put on a show for all these families out here.”

They made their excuses before racing back to
the lodge. The attendant looked surprised to see them back so early
but wisely didn’t comment. They made it upstairs and into Mitch’s
room in record time, barely waiting until the door had shut behind
them before they started peeling off layers of clothing between
kisses.

When Mitch was down to boxers and she was
down to her silk t-shirt and leggings, he backed her to the bed,
stripped back the blankets, and lowered her to the sheets. “Are you
sure?” he asked.

“Absolutely. Come here.” She reached up and
pulled him down on top of her. He settled between her thighs, still
partially clothed, and gave her time to get used to his weight. She
ran her hands across his shoulders and down his arms, loving the
feel of the hair-roughened skin over tight muscles.

She continued to explore his body with her
hands, running them down his back, over his hips and back up
again.

He shivered. “You have beautiful hands. Soft,
sexy. Strong.”

She cupped his ass and squeezed gently. “You
have a beautiful butt. All tight and lean.”

“You like my ass, huh?” He laughed and kissed
her nose. “Yours is pretty cute, too, now that I think about
it.”

She reached up and pulled his head down until
their lips touched, and all joking stopped. He took her mouth with
all the rapidly escalating desire she herself felt. He rubbed his
groin against her aching flesh and she wrapped her legs around his
back, bringing them into the closest contact they could manage with
clothing between them.

He lowered his mouth to her breast, drawing
the tip into his mouth. His warm breath, the heated moisture
through the silk, his tongue flicking at the tip, nearly sent her
into an orgasm. She arched her back, giving him better access. He
deepened the intimate kiss, then turned his attention to the other
breast.

She nearly cried out when he pulled away, but
it was only long enough for him to strip the shirt over her head
and toss it across the room. Then he was back, devouring her. He
slid one hand beneath her hips and lifted her against him. Her silk
leggings were soaked with moisture and he slid easily, back and
forth, against her until she shattered. He muffled her cry with his
mouth as he eased back and let her come down from the peak.

With limbs as limp as overcooked spaghetti,
she reached up and caressed his cheek.

He smiled down at her. “That was just the
beginning.” With one hand, he pulled her leggings off her legs and
tossed them toward her shirt. Her panties followed.

She felt the loss when he pushed himself off
the bed to remove his boxers and put on protection. She couldn’t
believe she hadn’t even thought about it. And then he was back,
settling between her thighs once again. But instead of pressing
into her, he waited until she tilted her hips upward, letting him
know she was ready.

He slid inside slowly, giving her time to
adjust to his size. But she was slick with moisture and ready for
everything he had. She arched her hips upward once again and he was
all the way inside, filling her, stretching her to accommodate him.
And then he began to move, and she matched him stroke for stroke.
Her muscles clenched around him and she felt every memory of the
last time she’d done this fade away to be replaced by only him.
Only Mitch.