"Sure was." I slipped my hands in my pockets and tilted my head as I studied her. Butterflies ripped through the center of me as she narrowed her eyes a little.
"Even though you don't like it?"
"If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." I chuckled, knowing what was coming next, and said it in tandem with her.
"Ain't isn't a word." She smiled and walked back to the counter, leaving me with my insides on fire and the future opened for anything to happen. It was terrifying, but would be worth every minute that I got to enjoy.
* * * *
"How do you want your steak cooked, baby?" I glanced over my shoulder at her. We were on the small porch I'd built at the back of my cabin. Her long legs were stretched out as she lounged in a chair beside me, the top half of her wrapped in three blankets. All I could see was her little red nose and piercing green eyes.
"Medium." She lifted her mouth out of the covers before slipping it back under quickly.
I turned the steaks, and moved to sit beside her on the lounge chair. "Did you have that meeting with your Dad over the jackets?"
She nodded as the top of her cheeks lifted above the covers.
"And?" I reached out and tugged the blanket down. "Tell me what happened."
"It went really well. He's going to let me take one of the designs to market under his line. I guess he wants me to understand the full cycle from idea to an actual product on the shelves."
"And you're excited?" I pulled the blanket back up.
She nodded, and I stood, checking the meat one more time before pulling it off the grill.
"Let's get inside, Miss, I hate the cold." I grabbed my beer and put my shoulder against the door as she moved in quickly behind me, grumbling about the freezing cold weather.
After setting the steaks down in the kitchen and checking on the potatoes and green beans on the stove, I walked over to the fireplace, and wrapped her in a hug from behind. She was thick due to the blankets, but I still managed to get my arms around her. I snuggled my face into the side of her neck as she swatted at me.
"Your nose is cold! Damn."
"Hush, woman. Part of being my girl means you have to warm me up when I'm cold. It's in the contract." I smiled and moved back as she turned to face me.
"All of you?" Her lips turned up into a naughty smile and my chest tightened.
"Yeah. Every last inch." I pulled her in tightly and kissed her with the intent of exploring her warm mouth. The sensation of her cold lips and nose combined with the warm wetness of her mouth caused a growl to slip from my lips. "I want you, Chloe. Say your stay the night with me."
She nodded, and pulled her thick bottom lip into her mouth as she watched me. It was enough of an agreement for me. I kissed her nose and moved back to the kitchen. "I'm not the only one with a freezing-ass cold nose."
Her laughter caused me to glance over my shoulder.
"What?" I asked.
"Freezing-ass. We should just make that our private joke. You're a grown-ass man with a freezing-ass cold nose."
I laughed too, and shook my head. "Tell me a few things about you while I cut this up, then we'll eat."
"Like what?" She moved to sit on the stool at my small two-seater table.
"Like your age. Where you were born. Um...the color of your panties?" I kept my back to her, but couldn't help the huge smile that lifted my lips.
"I'm twenty-four. I was born here in Aspen and I don't wear panties."
I jerked around and pinned her with a stare. "You do, too. You had on panties the other night in your bedroom."
"Those were my sleeping shorts." She shrugged. "Panties get in the way. I don't like them."
"In the way of what, exactly?" I lifted an eyebrow, loving this girl all the more. She was letting us have a full on conversation over her underwear.
"Of my pants looking good." She tilted her head to the side and smiled. "What did you think I meant?"
"I'm the town whore, remember? My panties get in the way of a quickie." I winked, and turned back to the stove after teasing her a little. I was surprised when her arms slid around my waist tightly.
"Don't call yourself that again, okay?" She pressed her lips to my back, and I relaxed against her.
"I was just teasing, baby."
"I know, but I don't like it. I don't think you're a whore. Everyone needs warmth, Finn. You just find it in the arms of a woman." She kissed my back a few more times, and I wished like hell that I didn't have my shirt on.
I cut her a piece of the steak and turned in her hold, offering it to her and smiling as she took it. Her eyes closed and she groaned. "Delicious."
"I bet that's not the only thing that tastes good." I tossed the fork behind me and took her face into my hands, leaning down and kissing her. "Where do you find your warmth?"
"I didn't have a place." She licked at her lips and swallowed. "But I do now."
Dinner was ready, but all I could think about was tasting her. I wanted her to find not only warmth, but pleasure beyond anything she could imagine in me - with me.
I pushed at the blankets around her, and ran my hands down the column of her neck before leaning in for another kiss.
She groaned, and slipped her cold hands under my layers of clothes, her fingers freezing, but silky soft. I reached down and pulled my shirts off, tossing them to the side. Pulling her back against me, I cupped her perfect ass, and pressing at the back of her thighs.
"What about dinner?" She pulled back as I beckoned her to jump and wrap her legs around me.
"Fuck dinner." I gripped the back of her neck forcefully, and pulled her back down to consume her mouth as I moved us to the couch. Every cell in my body came alive at the thought of seeing her come, of hearing her cry out my name. I had to force myself to calm down. I didn't want to scare the poor girl, seeing that I hoped like hell that this would be the first night of many with us together.
I couldn't imagine a better future.
Chapter 21
Chloe
The heat in Finn's gaze left me tingling from head to toe. I laid back on the couch and reached for him, wanting to run my lips over his shoulders and neck, but he pushed my hands away and moved down between my thighs. His tongue darted out to lick his lip as he unbuttoned my jeans and smiled up at me.
"Lift up and stop being so damn difficult."
I laughed and lifted up before reaching out and running my fingers through his messy hair. He was masculine sensuality and so damn hot. The thick muscles of his shoulders and chest were built through hard work every day and I found myself wanting to be the soft place he landed every night, the arms that welcomed him when he got home.
"You do have on panties, you bad thing." He brushed his fingers over the front of my black panties and I groaned, the sensation of being touched intimately not having belonged to me in far too long.
"I wanted you to want to find out." I bit at my lip and reached out, touching the side of his face as he watched me with extreme interest.
"You missed that train, baby. I've been wanting to find out since we met." He moved down and pressed his mouth and nose to my sex, breathing in deeply and glancing up at me as I stiffened. His eyes closed and he flicked his tongue over my scantily covered mound.