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“What?”

“Fuck me, Derek!” I cried, digging my nails into the couch as he buried himself into me as deeply as he could go. A tear fell down my cheek as my body fought to comprehend the pleasure of my erupting climax.

Turning my head to him, I moaned into his ear with no regard for his eardrum, my body completely out of my control as an unearthly sensation washed over me. It felt like heaven.

“Now there’s my favorite sound,” as I moaned with every breath I could manage to take.

Losing never felt so good.

13

I shot up out of bed the next morning, quickly dropping back on the pillow as my head throbbed from a hangover. I massaged my temples until the throbbing subsided, licking my dry lips. When Derek suggested more wine after sex, I didn’t know he meant another bottle.

I wanted my last evening with him to be epic, a night I’d never forget. Unfortunately, the amount of wine I consumed created a few faded memories during certain portions of my night, but my body told me all I needed to know. I was incredibly sore, but my muscles felt relaxed.

My shoulders weren’t tense, the stress-related tightness in my chest was gone as I took a deep breath of clean air, and I woke up with yet another smile on my face. Perfect ending to my trip, but now it was time to go.

I searched through the covers and on the nightstand for my phone, but it wasn’t in the room.

“Shoot.” I jumped out of bed, running downstairs to the kitchen, spotting my phone where I’d left it the day before. I’d missed my flight by hours. I looked at the alarm I’d set, and it was disabled.

“Derek!”

“Yeah?”

I followed his voice to the living room, where he sat stark naked on the couch with a laptop on his lap. I held up my phone.

“Did you touch my alarm?”

He looked up from his screen, his golden hair falling over his gorgeous blue eyes. “Did you think you were going to skip out on me without telling me?”

“So you admit it? You went through my phone?”

“Your phone kept chiming yesterday when you went to the bathroom to avoid me. I saw the flight and canceled it for you. You’re welcome.”

I stormed up to him. “You had no right!”

“Fine. I was out of line for going through your phone. You were out of line for trying to sneak away. We’re even.”

“I don’t think so. Great; now I have to book another flight.”

He closed the laptop and stood up. “But I already made plans for us.”

“What?”

“Get dressed; it’s a surprise.”

I folded my arms. “I don’t like surprises.”

“No… it doesn’t seem like you would. But that’s exactly why I’m not telling you anything. I’m in control today, baby. Get dressed.”

He slapped my butt and sat back down. I knew he could feel my eyes boring into him, but he ignored me, typing away on his laptop.

Unbelievable. I may have been going crazy, but Derek was an absolute nutcase. A sociopath. It was starting to seem like the only way I’d be able to get away from him would be to go to the airport and wait it out.

“I should just walk out of here right now!” I said, arms folded.

He sighed, looking up from his screen. “But you won’t. Don’t argue with me today. Just get dressed.”

I had no idea where we were going, but I was sure he put a lot of thought and effort into it. It would’ve been a shame for his plans to go to waste, despite the fact that I was enraged.

He did it just for me, and it had been a long time since someone did
anything
just for me. With my flight canceled, there was no harm in going along with him. After all, I had nothing in particular I was going home to.

“Fine. But don’t think this means I’m okay with you invading my privacy. Don’t do that again, Derek.”

I put on my favorite sweater and a pair of nice jeans, but when I looked at the final result in the mirror, I wasn’t satisfied. My repetitive style and clothing choices usually never bothered me, but I felt like jazzing up a bit. My eyes narrowed as I studied my reflection, my hand reaching to my head and pulling my hair out of its
normal
bun.

My long hair cascaded down my back in loose waves. I combed through it with my fingers, shaking it out. I didn’t mind having my hair down; it was just easier to pin it up. And it looked neater.

I couldn’t help but match Derek’s smile as I walked downstairs.

He tucked my hair behind my ears, and I blushed under his silent admiration. I didn’t know what it was, but when Derek looked at me, I felt
beautiful
. There was no other way to describe it, to explain the glow in my cheeks.

“Okay. Where to?”

“Breakfast. Have you been to the coffee shop on Main yet?”

I nodded. “I went the day of the first storm, but I didn’t have a chance to eat before the shop closed.”

After we got our coats on, he offered his hand and we headed out the door. I couldn’t help but glance through the trees in the direction of the cabin Reggie and Danni were in. Luckily, I couldn't see anything.

The snow was thick and heavy, but manageable. Most of the trails were cleared, and a crew of six men was hard at work clearing the rest.

The day was mild, despite the heavy snowfall the day before. Derek didn’t let go of my waist as we made the ten-minute walk to Main Street.

We rushed into the shop, our cheeks and noses red from the cold, strands of hair stuck to our skin from the breeze, and bright smiles on our faces.

“What would you like?” he asked as we walked up to the counter.

I locked eyes with the older man behind the register, the same man from my first visit there.

He smiled when he recognized me.

“You make it home alright during the storm?”

I nodded with a smile. “Yes, thank you.”

“I should have insisted you accept my ride offer; I didn’t know the storm would pick up so quickly.”

Derek shook his head at the old man. “Horace, you let this lady walk in that snowstorm? I caught her trying to walk through the woods.”

Horace’s eyebrows shot up. “Okay, now I really feel terrible.”

I leaned into Derek, patting him on the chest. “It’s quite alright; Derek made sure I got inside.”

Horace smiled at us just as another customer walked in.

“So, what can I get you folks?”

“My usual,” Derek said before looking down at me. “What would you like?”

“What do you recommend?”

He smiled. “Everything is homemade by Horace and his wife; all of it is superb. I always get the omelette breakfast sandwich.”

“I’ll try it, then.”

We headed towards a table in the back corner with two sandwiches and coffees. The food eased the hangover aches in my body and head, and the caffeine helped perk me up.

“You must stay in Telluride a lot.”

He held out my chair before sitting in his own. “A few times a year. I love the mountain air, and everyone is so friendly here.”

“Yeah, it’s a lovely place.” It would’ve been a perfect honeymoon. I scowled into my food.
Not today.
Of all days to mope, I couldn’t do it on what was supposed to be my wedding day. It would have been too much.

I unwrapped my steaming sandwich, the smell making my mouth water. After taking a bite, I looked back at Derek.

His fingers laced around his coffee cup, body still as he watched me eat.

I lifted a brow. “What?”

“Are you still upset I canceled your flight?”

I opened my mouth, but snapped it shut once studying his face. He spoke in a low voice, his normal fiery eyes now burning a soft glow. For once, he wasn’t looking to fight. I was glad, because I wasn’t either.

“I mean, yes. I think it’s time for me to get back home and try to put the pieces of my life back together.”

He leaned back in his seat, taking a sip of his latte. “And I can respect that. I could even agree that maybe you
should
go home. But to leave without saying anything to me? After everything?”

I wiped my mouth with a napkin as I finished chewing my bite. “What do you mean ‘after everything?’ We… we’re just keeping each other company while on vacation.”

His eyes narrowed. “Is that what this is to you?”

I shrugged, but then nodded. “What else could it be? You won’t tell me anything about yourself; it’s obvious you want us to remain as anonymous as possible. And I’m alright with that. I’ve enjoyed my time with you, and I’ll never forget it.”

He set his cup down, scrubbing his face with his hands as he let out a long sigh.

“I don’t want you to leave here thinking I was
using
you; it’s not like that. I’m just not great at talking about myself.”

“And I don’t want you to interpret my words in a negative way. When you think about it, it makes sense. We have two completely different lives that we have to get back to. We just need to enjoy what we have here.”

He took a bite of his sandwich and I followed suit. He ate in silence, obviously not happy with my answer. But it was the truth. Derek was gorgeous. He had a warm personality, a breathtaking body, and a successful career. To top it off, he was amazing in bed- I was sure women flocked to him. And I was just… me.

I had nothing going for me, nothing special about me. When I eventually flew back home, I was going back to my mundane life and Derek would be able to continue on with his extraordinary one.

When we were together, he made me feel like one in a billion, and that’s all I could ask of him. When he got back to wherever he called home, he’d have skinny blondes and busty brunettes all over him. It was better if we just ended things on a good note.

“Ready?” he asked once I finished breakfast.

I nodded. On the way out of the shop, he paused, turning to me. “D.C.”

“Huh?” I said after crashing into his back from the abrupt stop.

“I live in D.C.”

I smiled. “Columbus, Ohio.”

We really were worlds away. Columbus wasn’t a small town, but I knew it paled in comparison to the nation’s capitol. Our real lives were waiting for us to return.

We left the building, Horace waving goodbye. The breeze had picked up, but the sun was shining brightly. There were just enough clouds in the sky to add texture, but none blocked the brilliance of the light.

“Where are we going?”

“We have about a ten-minute walk.”

“Okay. Where are we going?”

He pointed in the direction we were walking. “That way.”

I shoved him playfully at his broad response and trudged behind him. Less than ten minutes later, we entered the outskirts of the main resort. Just as I was about to scold him for not telling me to bring my skis, we turned away from the entrance to the slopes.

“Bikes?” I asked as we walked up to a rental facility. He nodded. “There’s too much snow on the ground to bike.”

“Fat bikes. Perfect for the snow.”

What on earth made him think I’d want to go riding bikes in the snow? I hadn’t been on one in years.

“How do you even know if I know how to ride? And what if I don’t like riding bikes? See, this is why I don’t like surprises. Especially when you really have no idea what I like. Riding a bike doesn’t even make sense. How about we go-”

He grabbed my hand, his eyes sparkling, still excited about the idea even though I was hesitant. I didn’t know what type of reaction he expected me to have, but I was sure he knew there was a high chance I’d be less than thrilled.

“We’re riding bikes. Do you know how to ride? If not, we can do tandem.”

I huffed, a thick cloud of white coming from my mouth as my breath hit the cold air.

“Yes, I know how to ride. But-”

He nuzzled his face in my neck. “No buts. It doesn’t matter what we do today, Shae. Whether you enjoy yourself or have a miserable time is all up to you. It’s not what you expected, so you’re thinking the worst. Relax; I want to hear you laugh some more today. Come on.”

He smacked my butt and headed to the cashier. My cheeks heated as I scanned the area, making sure no one saw his inappropriate touch. Public affection was definitely not my thing. Luckily, my red cheeks could easily be blamed on the cold.

He waved me over to the cashier, and we each picked out a bike. I shook my head as I got on the seat; I couldn’t believe he had me out in the cold trying to bike in snow. Who came up with this idea, anyway?

He turned to me once he got on his, a half smile on his face as his hair wafted in the breeze.

“What are you doing?” I asked, suspicious of his playful expression.

“Race you!”

Before I could say no, he took off towards a steep slope. I followed behind, picking up speed once I got used to biking in the snow.

Although it was cold, the crisp breeze was pleasant on my skin. I wasn’t in a mood to chase after Derek, but there was no other alternative. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to perk up before working the pedals harder to go after him after he disappeared down the mountain.

He made it to the bottom of the hill and stopped to wait for me. I picked up speed, suddenly wondering how quickly I could bike through snow. I was going faster than I thought would be possible for the terrain; I was sure biking in snow would result in lots of slipping. My legs pumped harder, and it almost felt like I was flying down the mountain. It was a great feeling.

The wind stung my cheeks and eyes, cold air burning my lungs, but I felt alive, refreshed. I lifted one of my hands from the bar and waved to Derek as I made my way down. He waved back, and before I could replace my hand on the handle, the front tire jerked, causing me to lose control of the bike.

The front wheel snapped to the left and I flew off, briefly experiencing the literal sensation of flying before landing on the snow and tumbling the rest of the way down. Derek rushed over to my contorted body.

“Are you okay?” he asked as I groaned from the impact.

The worry lines in his forehead softened once he saw me laughing from my landing position. The bike was a good twenty feet from me, and I landed on my butt pretty hard, but it was the craziest thing I’d done in a while. I closed my left eye, blinking out the snow that was in it, smiling at the people staring who passed by so they knew I was alright.