Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

H olt

The cabin glows in the golden light of the setting sun, shadows from the pine trees dancing along the wooden floors. I lean against the counter, arms crossed, my eyes on Lila as she attacks a lump of pasta dough with a determination that makes my chest tighten. Her hair is pulled back, wisps escaping to frame her face, and she's got flour smudged on her cheek, right below the delicate curve of her cheekbone. It's all I can do not to reach out and brush it away, to feel her skin warm under my touch.

"You know," I drawl, watching the way her hands work the dough, fingers flexing, "I didn't think a city girl like you knew how to get her hands dirty." My voice carries that teasing edge, the one I know she hates, but I can't resist. Not when she looks up at me like that, eyes flashing, the way she bites her lip as if she's considering whether I'm worth a response.

She rolls her eyes, but a smile tugs at the corners of her mouth. "There's a lot you don't know about me, mountain man." She brushes a stray lock of hair back with her wrist, leaving a streak of flour across her cheek. The sight of it makes something twist inside me. She catches me staring and arches an eyebrow, all challenge and fire. "What, you think just because I like cappuccinos and Wi-Fi, I can't make fresh pasta?"

I push off the counter, closing the distance between us in a few easy strides until my chest brushes her back. Her breath hitches, but she doesn't pull away. Instead, she stiffens slightly, as if bracing herself against whatever I'm about to do. I lean in, my lips brushing the shell of her ear. "I think," I murmur, letting my voice drop low, "that you like showing off."

Her hands falter on the dough, but she recovers fast, shoving an elbow back against my ribs. "You want to learn how to make real pasta, or do you just like being a pain in my ass?" Her tone is sharp, but there's a thread of something else there, something breathless and electric.

I chuckle, the sound rumbling against her back, feeling the way her muscles tense under my hands. I let my palms slide over hers, guiding her movements in the dough, feeling the warmth of her skin against mine. "Fine, teach me, then," I say, my lips close enough to her neck that I catch the scent of her—something sweet and earthy, like wildflowers. "But don't expect me to go easy on you, princess."

She gives a small, breathy laugh, but I can hear the tremor beneath it, the way her body leans into mine before she catches herself. We work side by side, flour dusting her shirt, her hair, even the tip of her nose. It's in the air, swirling around us as we move through the tiny kitchen. And damn, I can't stop looking at her—at the way her mouth curves when she concentrates, at the flush in her cheeks from the warmth of the stove. She fits here, fits into this space like she's always been a part of it.

I nudge her with my shoulder when she's not looking, grinning at the exasperated look she throws over her shoulder. "You sure this is how Italians do it? Looks more like a disaster waiting to happen." I flick a bit of flour at her, enjoying the way she gasps, her eyes narrowing in mock outrage.

She retaliates fast, scooping up a handful of flour and tossing it in my direction. It catches me right in the face, a light dusting settling over my hair and shoulders. "How's that for a disaster, Holt?" she says, her tone daring, her lips curling into a triumphant smile.

I stand there for a beat, blinking through the flour, and then my grin turns wicked. "Oh, you're gonna pay for that, city girl."

Before she can react, I lunge forward, my hands finding her waist, lifting her easily off her feet. She lets out a shriek, laughter bubbling out of her, and I spin her around until her back hits the counter. Her hands come up to my chest, but she's still laughing, bright and breathless, and it's the best damn sound I've heard in months.

"Put me down, Holt!" she gasps, but she's grinning up at me, her cheeks flushed, and I can feel the way her breath stumbles against mine.

I lean closer, my grip firm on her waist, my thumb brushing a stray bit of flour from her cheek. "You look good like this," I say, my voice rough, barely more than a whisper. "Messy, unguarded...real."

Her laughter fades, the space between us tightening with something electric, something neither of us seems able to look away from. Her eyes drop to my mouth, then back up to meet mine, and I see the flicker of uncertainty, the way she hesitates for just a moment before she tips her chin up.

"Are you going to kiss me, or just stare at me?" she challenges, but there's a tremor in her voice that betrays her, and I feel her fingers twist into the fabric of my shirt, pulling me closer.

My smile turns feral, a slow, dangerous grin. I let my lips hover a breath away from hers, close enough to feel the warmth of her skin, the way her breath catches. "Oh, I'm going to do a hell of a lot more than kiss you."

And then I'm kissing her, hard and hungry, my mouth claiming hers with a need that's been simmering for too long. She gasps against my lips, her hands sliding up to tangle in my hair, pulling me closer like she can't stand the thought of any space between us. The kiss is messy, frantic, and perfect, like everything we've been holding back has finally snapped free.

I slide my hands down her sides, lifting her onto the counter as my mouth moves down the curve of her neck, nipping at the soft skin just below her ear. She moans, arching into me, her legs wrapping around my waist, and the sound goes straight to my head, makes my blood thrum with heat.

"God, you drive me insane," I growl against her skin, my hands slipping beneath her shirt, finding the warm, smooth curve of her back. "Do you have any idea what you do to me, Lila?"

She shudders, her nails scraping lightly against my scalp, and I hiss at the pleasure of it, at the way she moves against me like she's daring me to lose control. "Then show me, Holt," she breathes, her voice breaking with the need that thrums between us. "Show me everything."

And I do. I kiss her until we're both breathless, until the pasta and the kitchen and everything else fades away, leaving only the heat of her in my arms, the way she responds to every touch, every desperate pull of our bodies. We tumble to the floor in front of the fireplace, a tangle of limbs and heat.

"I need you so much, Lila. I can't breathe without you." The words tumble out of me, raw and urgent, as I press my lips to hers, nipping her bottom lip with my teeth. The taste of her, the feel of her beneath my hands, it's all too much, yet somehow not enough.

"You're one of the only people in this world that matters to me. I–I love you like I've never loved anything in my life." My voice is a low growl as my hands slide into her hair. I tug gently, tilting her head back as I trail kisses along her jaw, needing her to understand—needing her to know—she's everything. I'd run to the ends of the earth for her. Hell, I'd tear apart anyone that tried to take her away from me.

"I love you too, Holt." Her hips arch against mine, her voice breathless, and those words—God, those words charge through me like a bolt of lightning, setting fire to my chest with each syllable.

"You don't know what it does to me to hear you say that." My hands trail down her sides, feeling the soft curve of her body, the delicate give of her skin beneath my fingers. I slide my hand down her thigh, inching her dress up, savoring the way her breath hitches in anticipation.

"I'll spend a lifetime worshiping the ground you walk on," I murmur, pulling her dress over her head, baring her creamy skin to my love-drunk gaze. She's perfect, every inch of her, and as I slide her panties down her thighs, my heart pounding harder at the sight of her—silky, sweet, and so goddamn beautiful.

Trailing a fingertip along the delicate skin of her precious pussy, I watch as her body responds, shallow pants escaping her lips, her hips shifting closer to my touch. Her body is heaven, her moans falling like music meant just for me, drawing me deeper into this maddening need.

"My beautiful Lila," I breathe, plunging my fingers into her warm heat, dragging her sweet arousal across her skin. The sight of her sets my blood boiling, my cock straining and throbbing beneath my pants, desperate for her.

"Fuck, I need you," I growl, lowering my head to lap at the juice glistening on her bare pussy, savoring her intoxicating taste. My fingers dip into her pussy again, smearing more of her juices across her breasts, her nipples standing in tight peaks beneath the glistening glaze.

Her hooded gaze locks with mine, and I can see the heat, the desire that's burning in her. She watches me, breathless, as I coat her in her own arousal before my mouth latches onto her nipple, sucking it clean.

"I've been waiting a lifetime for you," I murmur against her skin.

She moans, the sound low and desperate, her body writhing against me as her hands tangle in my hair. "No more waiting. I'm yours, Holt."

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut, sending a surge of lust and possession racing through me. I lean over her body, dragging my fingers through the pussy juice that glistens on her lips, trailing it down her neck, leaving a path for my tongue to follow. I kiss her fiercely, my tongue thrusting into her mouth, tasting her as I pin her arms above her head with one hand, the other still caressing her, exploring her, making her mine.

"You're a vision laid out for me like this. Look what you do to me." I pull my cock from my pants, hard and thick, and I stroke myself as I slide the tip between her swollen lips, teasing her entrance. Her slick heat draws me in, but I hold back, torturing us both with the anticipation.

"I'll do anything to keep you with me every night."

Her gaze is fierce, her body trembling with need. "You don't have to do anything, Holt. You are enough. Everything about you makes me want to stay forever."

"Mm... princess," I groan, wrapping my hands in her hair as I thrust my hips forward, sinking into her tight, wet heat. "I'm going to take this sweet pussy like a starved man. No holding back. I need you."

Her fingernails dig into my back as I push deeper, her walls clenching around me, pulling me in further. The heat between us is unbearable, a wild inferno that threatens to consume us both, and I revel in the feel of her, the way her body moves with mine, as if we were made to fit together like this.

"You're an angel," I pant, kissing her neck, feeling the rapid pulse of her heartbeat beneath my lips. "Don't know how I lived a day without you."

I swirl my fingers over her sensitive clit, feeling her thighs tighten around my waist, her breath hitching as her orgasm builds. "Come for me, city girl," I demand, my voice rough as I watch her face, desperate to see her fall apart for me.

And she does—her back arching into me, her lips parting in a cry of pleasure as her orgasm rips through her. Her pussy clamps down around my cock, pulling me deeper, and I lose myself in the feel of her, in the way her body shudders against mine.

I pull her up, her legs wrapped around my waist as I drive into her, the flex and pull of her sending me spiraling over the edge. I come with a roar, my orgasm crashing through me like a wildfire, consuming everything in its path. I hold her tight, burying my face in her neck, breathing in the scent of her as I ride out the waves of pleasure.

"I missed you so much," I whisper against her skin, my cock still pulsing deep inside her. "I'll never let you go."

She sighs, resting her head against my shoulder. "I missed you too. Don't ever leave me again."

"Never," I promise, pulling her even closer, my hands sliding down to cup her ass as I roll my hips, feeling her body tighten around me once more. "Wherever I go, you go. That's the only rule."

Her lips curve into a teasing smile, and she arches into me, her breath warm against my ear. "I think I can follow that one."

"Good." I nip at her lips, feeling my cock harden inside her again. "Because I'm not done with you yet."