I wanted very badly to reject her assessment of the situation. After everything that happened last night, she only wanted one night? Bullshit. No fucking way. Our chemistry went beyond logic. Why would she walk away from that?

"Look, Beau," she started, and I cringed at the tone she continued to use. "I had a good time last night, but—"

I cut her off with a humorless laugh. "A good time?"

Baby girl screamed my goddamn name more times than I could count, and she wanted to classify that as a good time?

Collins closed her eyes for a brief moment. "Okay, it was great. But I'm not looking for anything more right now."

"We can take it slow, Collins. I just want the chance to see you again, ya know?"

She started shaking her head, and my stomach sank even lower.

"Beau, we live two hours away from each other. I don't leave Fresno much. I—"

Collins wrapped her blanket tighter, and I couldn't help but reach out to her, hooking an arm around her middle to bring her back onto the bed with me.

"I don't mind the drive," I whispered against her neck after moving those curly strands out of the way.

She sucked in, and her voice was as quiet as mine. "I do, though." Pressing my lips to her skin, I heard my name on an exhale before she continued. "I just can't have any more complications in my life right now. I'm sorry."

Grabbing her chin, I brought her around to face me.

"Does this feel complicated to you?" I asked before kissing her with everything I fucking had.

—

The pop of the champagne bottle woke Collins the next morning. A flying cork hit the window in my bedroom, thankfully not breaking it, before it clattered to the floor. Collins barely stirred. Baby girl was out cold. But when I began pouring the bubbly into champagne glasses filled with orange juice, she began to rub the sleep from her eyes.

"What's going on?" Blinking up at me, she half-laughed, half-groaned when she realized. "You are so extra...you know that?"

"It's all relative," I said, waving a hand.

Collins sat up in bed, eyes widening as she realized that there was a whole tray of food at the foot of it. It wasn't exactly what I'd ordered from room service that morning at the Cardairel Hotel, but it was pretty damn close. I set down the champagne glasses on the tray, trying not to spill on my bed.

"That looks delicious. This is so sweet of you, Beau," Collins said with a yawn. Her words made my grin turn prideful, at least until I looked up to see a flash of her curls as she slipped into the hall.

"It's called breakfast in bed, baby girl. Where ya going?" I called after her. "Bed's in here."

"Bathroom!"

I supposed that was acceptable. Nature did tend to call in the morning. Ten minutes later, though, I heard doors opening and closing in the kitchen. Not the bathroom.

"Jesus Christ, Collins," I groaned, striding into the kitchen to find her bent in front of the refrigerator.

I hadn't even realized what she'd crawled into bed wearing last night. Those tiny cotton shorts of hers were designed to tease the crap out of me—I was sure of it. And her tank top. Cute shirt, to be sure. But it did absolutely nothing to hold in those tits while she hung on the fridge door, searching for something.

Hey there, God...I honestly don't even know what to say to you anymore.

"What?" Her head popped up. "I'm just getting coffee to go with breakfast." She wrinkled her nose, eyes dropping to scan the fridge shelves again. "Where's the creamer?"

Coffee. Damnit. How could I have forgotten coffee? Getting herself a cup was the first thing she did every morning.

And fuck, she looked good doing it. Watching her made my entire body ache with an intensity I should be used to by now.

I thought that living with Collins now that we were together would be easier on my sanity, but I learned this week I'd been so goddamn wrong about that. Knowing she was mine to kiss and touch...now all I wanted to do was that. Every time I saw her, I had to resist the urge to kiss the shit out of her.

Well, sometimes, I did not, in fact, resist. And this morning would be one of those times.

Thank you, Nessa.

"It's right here," I grunted, plucking the bottle of creamer from the shelf and bringing it over to the mug she'd already filled with that black, liquid drug.

"Show me how much you like."

"Just a splash," she said with a sleepy grin, flicking the top off and pouring creamer into her coffee.

It was definitely more than I would consider just a splash.

I let her take a sip, humming softly before I snatched the cup out of her hands and set it back down on the countertop.

"Hey!" she protested. "Why are you so grumpy that I came to get coffee? I'm coming back to bed."

Sweetheart, you'll be coming before you get back to bed.

"I'm not grumpy that you came to get coffee. I'm frustrated."

"Oh." Doe-eyes replaced the vengeful ones she'd been using to stare at me a moment ago. "What's wrong?"

I stepped into Collins, letting her feel all of my frustration. "When you wear those shorts, it makes my dick feel like it will explode."

Her eyes flew open, suddenly wide and awake. "These shorts?"

"Yes." Picking up where we left off this weekend, I backed Collins against the kitchen island.

Hello again, old friend.

Collins tipped her head back, closing her eyes in response to how I flexed my hips against hers. I lowered my head, breathing harshly in her ear.

"You had these on when I came back from Mammoth Mountain the first time, and I about had a heart attack when I walked into the apartment to find you in the kitchen, all happy to see me, wearing next to goddamn nothing."

"I was happy to see you," she confessed. I felt the vibrations of her quiet voice in her neck as I kissed down the length of it. "And I might have worn them on purpose."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Kinda like how you always seemed to lose your shirt around me."

Chuckling, I dragged my mouth back up to her ear. "No, baby. You got that wrong."

"I do?" Collins gasped, squirming her body so that it would reach more of mine.

"I tried to keep my clothes on because whenever I took my shirt off, you'd flash fuck-me eyes. It was goddamn torture considering how badly I wanted to. Why do you think I asked you to leave when you were drawing my portrait?"

"I thought you were mad at me."

A shake of my head. "Mad at myself for how much I wanted you."

Collins slipped her hand between us, stroking my erection. Fuck, her touch did things to me.

"You feel how hard I am?" I groaned.

"I do." Her response was a tiny bit cocky, and I absolutely adored it.

"You get me like this with just a single look. That's why you can't tease me, Collins." I grazed my teeth across her skin. "I can't handle it."

"I'm not teasing this morning," she whispered.

I got my palms on that ass of hers and lifted her up against the counter, pinning her there. "Damn right you're not."

I heard Collins' lose her breath, and then I heard it again when I pushed her shorts out of the way to slide a finger across her wet clit. So wet and ready. So responsive. Always. From that very first night.

Collins' fingers wrapped around the waistband of my sweatpants, and I nodded, encouraging her.

"Take me out, baby. I want to fuck you with these shorts on."

Saying that I simply wanted to fuck her felt like an understatement. But she didn't need to know how absurdly desperate my desire was. I had to reign it in somewhere.

After eagerly pushing my sweatpants down over my hips, Collins fisted my cock. Oh, hell. She pumped it up and down, sending a wave of heat through me that was so strong that my vision momentarily blurred. Collins' heavy breathing mixed with mine, her moans just as loud as mine while I continued to stroke her.

"Yes," she cried, and I realized that we were both at risk of coming too soon. "Beau."

No time to be wasted this morning. This was happening, and this was happening now.

"I'm here," I growled before lining myself up and thrusting into her.

Holy fucking goddamn. Her body was so warm and welcoming. We fit so magically, and my entire body, heart included, sang.

I'd meant to bend her over the counter and take her from behind while she looked back at me with those fuck-me eyes. But I hadn't even had the patience or control to turn her around, and now I got to see her entire face while drilling into her repeatedly.

So fucking pretty with those parted lips, dark eyes, and heavy lids. I yanked down her tank top, desperate now to see more of her, and Collins cried out when I bent my head to take one nipple into my mouth. And then the other, twirling my tongue around to taste her.

"Oh, God." I loved the feel of her and how it was everywhere, consuming all of me. Kissing my way back up her chest and neck, I pulled back with a groan when I got to her jawline. "You never fucking disappoint, sweetheart. You're so good."

"So good," Collins repeated breathily, dazed. Made me wonder if she'd even really heard what I said. I chuckled and ground my hips against hers, burying myself to the hilt to get her attention.

That sure as fuck worked. Her eyes sprung open, widening as she found me.

"That's it, baby girl," I said with a cocked grin. "Stay with me. Focus."

Collins began to nod in agreement, in a promise, but then her eyes widened even more.

"Shit, Nessa," Collins gasped as an afterthought. "Grayson."

"Don't fucking say Grayson's name while I'm inside you," I said, pulling out and pushing back in with an extra hard thrust.

Collins bit down on a moan as her ass hit the edge of the counter. When she recovered, she muttered, "You said Nessa's when we were kissing once, so now we're even."

"They're not here," I grunted, wanting to get back to the point of what we were doing. "Now pay attention, will ya?"

"Oh, thank—" Collins' voice flew into a cry as my mouth revisited her tits, and my dick found a deeper home inside her. She was close. I was close. Oh, shit, I was so close.

"Yes," I rasped against her skin. "So let me hear you."

Collins took that direction to heart as she dug her heels into my lower back and let loose a long, loud groan. With that wildness I loved, she bucked up against me.

Her satisfaction sent tingles spiraling through me, starting at the base of my spine, and I knew I wouldn't last much longer. Especially not when Collins fisted the hair at the nape of my neck and brought my head up so she could kiss me.

As soon as her lips hit mine, I came apart. And thank fucking God, Collins did, too. She spasmed around me, which only set me off more. With our releases synched, we gasped into each other's mouths through the letdown. Which wasn't really much of a letdown at all. I was flying so high right now.

Finally, I leaned back, looking over Collins and her sated, pleasured expression.

"Hey, Beau?" Her breaths were still coming hard, her bare chest heaving. My gaze lingered for a second. "One thing, about your trip," she added.

My gaze flew back up to her face. "What's that?"

Collins' lips flattened during the short pause where she considered what to say. "I think that redhead girl might need to be told that you're not available this weekend."

Redhead? Redhead, redhead. Did I know a redhead? My mind flipped through pictures of the other people on the snow team, and—oh.

"Baby girl, I'm not available ever. Not now that I have you, and especially not for Chelsea."

I took the opportunity of still being inside her and thrust deeper for emphasis.

Mouth open, eyes rolling, Collins took a moment to recover before repeating me.

"Chelsea." She wrinkled her nose.

I laughed loudly before tapping that wrinkled nose. "You're cute when you're jealous."

"Yeah, well, that's good. Because I've learned I'm not good at controlling it when it comes to you." Her voice lowered as she leaned in to whisper in my ear, making my pulse race. But nothing compared to how it sped up when she clenched around my cock at her next words. "You're mine, Beau."

Oh, hell yes. "Don't I fucking know it."

Collins pulled back, eyes sparkling. "Make sure Chelsea knows it, too."

Hot. Collins was hot when she was jealous.

I gave her a little salute and a wink before we regrettably disentangled. It was finally time for that breakfast in bed. I had a morning to finish recreating before I kicked ass on the slopes this weekend.

✨

so if you had to pick...would you get it on in the

apartment kitchen, Grayson's car, or outdoor beach shower?

hope you enjoyed xoxox

amelie