Lochlan

I had whiplash, and it wasn't from the car accident. In the last two days, I'd determined to court Millie the way she deserved to be courted, nearly gave in to temptation in a limo, discovered she might actually be Marianna only to be talked down by the very person who would benefit the most from being her, had the best and shortest hand job of my life, wrecked my car and decided it was a sign from the universe to stick to my plan to go slow with Millie...

I sucked in a sharp breath as the door to the cabin swung open, and the thin thread of hope that this place was going to look like a cheesy tourist trap and not the slightest bit romantic snapped in two. It was fucking perfection.

Well-worn, wide planked hardwood floors in rich espresso tones stretched out before me. The primary source of light came from black iron lanterns in sets of two that were strung in each of the four corners of the room, their soft golden glow the perfect ambiance for lovers. Two of the four walls were made of mostly grid-less windows. They started a few feet off the floor and stretched to the ceilings, giving an uninhibited view of the snow blanketed forest. Every window ledge jutted out far enough to support candles in glass jars.

Considering this was the honeymoon cabin, so many uncovered windows could have left its guests feeling exposed, but with the cabin's location on the downslope of a hill and nestled in clearing, it felt as if we were removed from everyone else in the world. But just in case someone wanted more privacy, filmy white curtains hung in every corner and could easily be pulled across the windows.

The back wall had two windows- one on each of the sides and double the width of the others, but its focal point was the glass fireplace that stretched between them. Beatrice must have had access to the controls because a fire burned inside the glass panes, orange flames stretching high and bright against the black and white backdrop behind it.

Millie nudged me out of the way, but stopped short at my side as she took in the room for the first time. "Holy—oh, wow."

I shut the door and set my bag down. Millie left her suitcase in the entrance and rushed to the bed—the one I'd avoided looking at. With Millie lying across it, her soft blonde hair fanning around her head, I couldn't look anywhere else.

It was a monstrous thing. Four posters to the ceiling wrapped in the same gauzy material as the window curtains and big enough a couple could sleep with no worry of touching one another, which would be ideal if I seriously thought I could lie in that bed with Millie without reaching for her.

"How is it?" I asked gruffly, hanging my coat on a hook by the door and keeping one eye on the delectable temptation sinking into the plush snowy white duvet.

"It feels so good," she moaned—no doubt on purpose.

She used the toe of one foot to push off a brown suede boot, but she struggled with the other. Knowing going anywhere near her while she was on that bed was tantamount to giving in, I crossed the room and removed her shoe, dropping it to the floor while pressing my thumb into the arch of her foot. Her other leg dangled over the side, and all I could think was how perfect this position was to thrust into her, hooking that leg around my waist while pushing the other leg to her chest.

"Lochlan."

I blinked and saw she'd raised herself on her elbows. She watched me, her eyes unreadable in the dim lighting. I released her and stepped back—a single, ineffective step. God, I'd never wanted someone the way I wanted her, but that also meant I was terrified. Terrified of messing it up. Terrified of hurting her. And maybe—if I couldn't admit it to anyone else, I could admit to myself—terrified of the power she would hold over me if I gave in. No one could take her away from me if she was never mine.

Now, she was up on her knees and placing her hands on my shoulders. It put her in a precarious position, and instinctively, I put my hands on her waist to steady her. She moved her hands up and linked them behind my neck, forcing me—no, luring me—closer until the edge of the bed stopped me.

"I want you." Millie rubbed her breasts against my chest as she pushed up to place her lips on my jaw. "I need you."

Later, I would tell myself if she'd said anything else, I would have denied her. Denied myself. But the plaintive note in her voice had my head turning to capture her mouth and put a stop to the pleading. Millie melted into the kiss, her body giving out and falling back to the bed, drawing me with her.

After all the tension and almosts between us, I thought this first time would be frenzied and desperate; instead, I resisted her efforts to tug at my clothes and took my time tasting her. When she persisted, I pinned her hands against the mattress, and rolled my denim clad hips against hers as my tongue swiped between her lips.

"Too many clothes," she said with a pout when I broke away to pepper kisses along her neck.

"I let you start this, but I'm the one in charge now."

"You're an animal." It was an echo of what she'd said to me in the parking garage, and I knew she was trying to rile me up. "Stop playing and fuck me already."

Millie shrieked when I flipped her over to her stomach. My erection pressed into her as I put my mouth against her ear. "Oh, I agree, and I will. If you can walk in the morning, I haven't done my job, but right now, I'm going to worship you."

Sitting back, I palmed her ass, then spanked her. The comforter bunched under her fingers as she gripped it tight, then arched her back so her rear pressed into me. I chuckled. So, she was going to keep pushing. Keep being a brat.

Fine. This might be easier. She wanted fucking, not lovemaking. I could do that. I'd been doing it for years.

I froze. No. I wanted more with her. Even if it didn't last, this would never just be physical for us.

Crawling off her, I slid my hands under her stomach, undid the buttons of her jeans, and shimmied them down her hips. The sight of red, lacy boy shorts hugging the full globes of her ass almost drove me to do exactly what she wanted. Free my cock, put her on her knees, move the underwear to the side, and take her until we both found the release we so desperately craved.

She looked over her shoulder, blonde hair covering half of her face. "Why look when you can touch?"

Dropping her pants on the floor, I drew my shirt over my head and grinned when her mouth dropped open in obvious admiration.

"Patience baby girl. We have all night." The bed dipped beneath my weight as I joined her. "And I intend to use every minute."