Page 9

9

Wes

You know what annoyed me? Like really annoyed me?

When Max got all worried and overprotective and treated me like I couldn’t take care of myself.

And then I go and prove that maybe he has reason to be that way.

Yeah, hi, it’s me. The one who’s still pretty shitty at taking care of himself.

How’ve you been, bro?

I’ve been good. Well, except for my current situation.

The current situation? Being unable to stop because, in an attempt to avoid a shiny patch of snow, I skied around it, got too close to the bounds of the piste, and, well, I skied right into another patch of ice.

Oops.

Now I was barreling down the mountain right at the tree line, coming scarily close to taking out some of the yellow barrels that marked the run perimeter.

Oh my God , I was about to become like that footballer Romeo Anderson’s wife and get lost in the woods on a ski mountain.

Max would never let me live it down. Instead of one bodyguard following me around, I’d have two. He was going to be worse than a bear with an infected ass if I flung myself into the wilderness.

Focus, Wes.

Panicking was not going to do anything but waste energy. Instead, I refocused and swerved, narrowly missing another barrel. My left ski slid from beneath me, and I did a bit of a split. Yeahhh, I felt that. I mean, I was an athlete, but my parts did not bend that way.

Pulling my legs in, I slammed my poles into the ground, hoping they’d work like an emergency brake.

They didn’t.

I jerked but then kept going, leaving one pole behind.

“ Shit ,” I cursed and dug the edge of the ski into the snow, but the layer of ice made it impossible to get any traction. I tried again with the same zero luck, but this time, I stumbled, my arms flying out at my sides as I fought for balance. I would have laughed if this weren’t so fucking typical.

There was only one thing left to do.

After letting a few more colorful curses fly, I threw myself to the side, body hitting the packed snow with a grunt. I skidded, skis knocking together, but then I stopped. The only sound was that of my heavy breathing. Rolling onto my back, I flung my arms out and looked up at the floodlights and the sky beyond them.

The distinct sound of skis cutting into the snow came close, followed by a cold, vapory powder that floated overhead in my line of sight.

“Are you okay?” a voice I didn’t know asked.

Great. A witness to my humiliation.

Pushing up onto my elbows, I grinned, sheepish. “Hey, yeah, I’m all good!”

“Just, ah, enjoying the view?” the witness mused.

I laughed. “Yeah.”

The man came closer and leaned over, blocking some of the floodlights above with his head. He had on a red beanie with a white square logo in the center. His goggles were clear but still didn’t really offer a view of his face. His lower jaw was stubbly, and his teeth were white. I knew because he was currently grinning down at me.

“You sure you aren’t hurt? Should I call for backup?”

“The only thing that’s hurt here is my ego,” I said, pushing up into a sitting position. “I’m fine. Just hit some ice.”

“Need a hand?” he asked, sticking his out as I pushed to my feet.

“No, I’m good,” I said, then slipped.

He caught me by the elbow and pulled me the rest of the way up.

“Ah, thanks,” I said when he picked up my ski pole and handed it to me.

“Don’t see the other one.” He glanced all around.

“Yeah, I might have, ah, left it up there,” I said, thumbing over my shoulder.

He gazed past me, lifting the goggles onto his head and revealing his eyes. He was younger than I realized, probably not much older than me. Above his beard, his cheeks were pink and his eyes were blue.

“Oh, I think I see it,” he said. “Give me a few. I’ll get it.”

“Oh, no. You don’t need to. I can get it.” Actually, I’d planned on leaving it there. I mean, if I was having issues getting down the mountain, I sure as hell had no hope of going up it.

He turned back, still walking in the opposite direction. “It’s my job,” he said, pointing to the white patch on his jacket. It was the same as his hat. “Snow patrol.”

“You’re snow patrol?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yep. Wait there.”

He took off, and I watched as he went around the ice patch I’d hit and somehow made it to the abandoned pole, tucked it under his arm, and then skied back to where I was.

“Here you go,” he said, holding it out.

“Thanks,” I said, embarrassed. “I should probably, ah, get back on the run,” I mumbled, realizing I was on the other side of the barrel.

“Need some help?” he asked.

“Ah, no. I’m good,” I said, moving back onto the run, eyes automatically searching for Max’s familiar figure. He’d probably already passed me.

“You sure you aren’t hurt?” the guy asked from right beside me. I hadn’t heard him approach, so of course I jolted.

You’d think I’d have better jump-scare reflexes after all those horror movies Jess made us watch.

He grabbed my arm again. “Whoa.”

I glanced down to where he touched me and then back up, quickly pulling away. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were there.”

“Name’s Josh.” He introduced himself.

“Wes,” I replied.

“Well, Wes, if you stick to the side here for another couple feet, then you can move back out into the center of the piste, and it will be less icy there. That’ll get you the rest of the way down the mountain.”

I looked where he pointed and nodded. “Thanks.”

“How about you just follow me?” he offered.

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him there was no need. I wasn’t some newbie on skis, but hadn’t I already made fool enough of myself? And Max was probably going to wonder where I was.

“Yeah, sure. Thanks.”

“Like I said, it’s my job.”

I glanced again at the logo on his hat and jacket. It did say snow patrol.

I followed him and soon made it out onto the run. He gave a yell, and I smiled, waved a thanks, then went on my way. Toward the bottom of the hill, I picked out Max immediately, dressed all in black and radiating dark energy as he paced.

I angled toward him, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a flash of red. But then Max looked up, and I waved.

Scowling, he marched forward— where are his skis? —and I dug my edges in to stop. This time, thankfully, I did stop right in front of my surly boyfriend.

Even surly, he was so sexy. The silver ring in his eyebrow stuck out from beneath the black hat, and a few silver studs showed in his earlobe.

“Where have you been?” he demanded by way of greeting. “You should have been down here before me.”

Before I could answer, Josh skied up, spraying us with a little snow. “Everything okay here?” he asked, lifting his goggles to glance between me and Max.

Max, being himself, bristled and crossed his arms over his chest. “Why the hell wouldn’t it be?”

Josh turned to me. “Wes?”

People say all the time, People don’t growl. Animals growl.

Well, Maxi was a beast, then, because this man was a growler, and he let out a low, menacing one the minute my name left this guy’s lips.

Shoving between me and the snow patrol, Max pushed his arm behind him, wrapping it around my hip, anchoring me right there against him while at the same time rising to his full height and leaning toward the man in red.

“Who the fuck are you, and how do you know his name?”

Josh’s eyes widened a little, but then he said, “He told me.” Was that a little bit of… baiting in his tone?

I tensed, something Max clearly felt, and it put him on greater defense. Josh might be good on skis, but he was shit at reading the vibe of the room.

The snow crunched as Max stepped forward, fist clenched. I grabbed his wrist, wrapping my hand around it while speaking fast. “This is Josh. He’s snow patrol.”

“Snow patrol?” Max repeated.

Josh pointed to the logo on his hat.

“I dropped my pole going down the run, and he saw. He picked it up and got it back to me.”

I hoped Josh would leave out the part where I had to yeet myself off my feet and fall on the ground to keep from becoming the star of the next episode of People Investigates .

Thankfully, he nodded without adding any further detail.

Max glanced at me, eyes dropping to the poles in my hands. “You dropped your pole?”

I nodded.

His expression softened, turning into a look I’d only ever seen him give me. He stepped so close our coats brushed. “Baby, did you get hurt?” he asked, gentle.

Made me feel guilty I was over here avoiding telling him the whole truth. I might get a lecture, but Max cared. There was no doubt about that.

“I’m not hurt, Maxi,” I said quietly. “Promise.”

Behind us, snow crunched.

Max turned back to Josh. “What the hell are you still doing hanging around?”

I made a strangled sound.

“Well, I became concerned when I saw you yelling at him,” Josh answered.

“I wasn’t yelling at him,” Max argued.

“Looked like it to me.”

“Maybe you should get your eyes checked,” Max spat.

Flicking his eyes away from Max, Josh turned to me. “Is he bothering you?” He stepped toward me. “Should I have him escorted off the slopes?”

Max lunged forward and shoved. “Come near Wes again, and you’ll be the one escorted off this mountain. In a body bag.”

Since Josh was wearing skis, he slid backward.

His poles sank into the snow, and he used them to push off, eyes narrowed, lips in a straight line as he came toward Max.

I scrambled forward, the skis making me awkward. My heart beat fast with the new burst of adrenaline, and I pushed myself between Max and Josh, halfway stumbling into Max’s chest. Grunting, Max grabbed me around the waist, and I righted, turning at the waist and holding out my hand.

“Back off,” I said, more aggressive than I’d spoken to Josh before.

Josh stopped, brows furrowing. “You’re defending him?”

“He’s my boyfriend. Of course I am.”

Josh’s brows shot in the opposite direction, making him look like a scarecrow in the snow. “This is your boyfriend?”

“Who the hell else would I be?” Max asked.

Josh shrugged, turning a little sheepish. “I was hoping an overprotective brother.”

“I’m that too,” Max snapped. “As far as you’re concerned, I’m everything you will never be. So go find someone else to drool on. It ain’t happening here. Wes is mine.”

Was it very wrong to get that overly light, giddy feeling inside when Max went around declaring his ownership over me to random people?

He was a total red flag disguised in black.

Josh made a sound, eyes finding me once more. Gesturing to Max, he said, “This really your type?”

“No,” I snapped.

Max inhaled sharply.

Josh smirked.

“He’s not my type,” I repeated. “He’s my everything. So get lost.”

Josh looked like someone had thrown about four lemon Warheads into his mouth at once. That’s what he got for flapping his lips.

For a second, I thought the sour look on his face would fire off his tongue, but he just shook his head and skied off. I watched him go, making sure he wasn’t one of those guys who would double back for the last word.

“Wesley.”

Shivers raced up my spine, induced by the commanding way he said my name. His voice was dark and rumbly, such a contrast to the bright snow and crisp air.

I didn’t turn fast enough, and he caught me around the waist from behind, winding his arms around me like a seatbelt, locking me in place. My stomach flipped and flopped, the adrenaline flooding my system before churning and changing into heavy desire.

Keeping a firm grip on my upper body, he shifted his lower half, his boot coming down on the latch to release my boot from the ski. He did it again for the other one, and then the brush of his hot breath hit the exposed part of my ear.

“Pick up your skis and follow me.”

I was buzzing—no other way to describe it. My limbs were not really shaking, but they were not still. They were not relaxed. Excitement coursed through me as I bent to pick up the skis. Arguing was not even on my radar. I was too far gone for that.

Max was riled, and when he got this way, I submitted without even questioning it, slipping easily into the role I loved to play.

My leg muscles worked as I walked through the snow, eyes trained on his black back. Max barely paused to snatch his skis from where he’d left them and continued walking without even checking if I was following. He knew I would. I’d follow him anywhere and not think twice about it.

We traipsed away from the lift and runs, over near the fire pits and concessions. He stopped beside two empty Adirondack chairs and plunked his skis into the snow, then reached for mine and did the same. Only then did he turn, my breath catching at the smolder glittering in his onyx stare. The fire just beyond the chairs reflected in his black orbs, threatening to scorch my skin.

Without a word, he snatched the hat off my head and then yanked his gloves off with his teeth. The items landed in one of the chairs, and then both our goggles hit the other.

When that was done, he grabbed my hand and pulled me forward. A sound of protest broke from my tight throat, and I pulled my hand free of his. He turned back, eyes narrowing into slits, silently promising punishment if I didn’t do exactly as he said.

I yanked off my own gloves, throwing them with the rest of the stuff, and then pushed my hand toward him again, fingers wiggling for his.

He grunted a satisfied grunt and wrapped his fingers around mine, his grip so tight I felt it in my joints. I let him tow me past the live band singing some terrible cover of a Christmas song and then past the long line for hot chocolate and other concession booths until the noise of the crowd grew dim and we were out of the circle of floodlights.

The fingers on the hand Max wasn’t holding prickled with cold, and I tucked them into the sleeve of my coat as he tugged me around a small wooden building that was some sort of shop during the day. Right now, though, the place was locked up and all the windows were dark.

Behind, it was even darker, the small cabin blocking out the rest of the light from the resort. It felt colder here too, maybe because of the absence of said light and the fact there were no other people to give off body heat.

All at once, my back hit the building and all the air in my lungs expelled in a white puff. He was on me instantly, broad chest pinning me against the unforgiving surface, arms caging me in and thigh pushing between mine.

“I left you alone for five minutes, Wesley.” His voice was gravelly and threatening.

Delicious.

“I can’t help it if he liked what he saw.”

Max’s eyes snapped up, incredulity warring with danger. His hand found its way around my throat, and I angled my chin to give him better access.

His digits tightened, but I whined because the high neckline of my coat kept his skin from mine. With a dark curse, he pulled back to roughly yank the zipper down so my coat was open halfway down my body.

He brought his hand back, not really a necklace, more like a cuff. I whimpered, lashes fluttering as he applied even more pressure.

“What did you just say to me?” Max intoned.

Lifting my lashes, I met his gaze, trying to appear challenging but knowing I probably already looked drunk on desire.

“I said he wanted me—” The words cut off with my breath when his grip increased. My eyes widened a little, a flash of alarm like a jolt of lightning when I realized this was probably the tightest he’d ever had me by the throat.

That alarm had my stare seeking his because, even in his ire, Max was my safety.

“He can’t have you,” Max snarled. My words absolutely enraged him more. “ I won’t let you go. ”

He bulldozed into me, lips claiming mine in a rough, demanding kiss. The fingers on my neck loosened, and I gasped as he continued to kiss, slipping his tongue beneath my lip and gliding over my teeth.

His free hand pushed between my head and the building, and I let him support me, turning to putty under the fierce kiss. All that restrained power that lived just beneath his skin seemed to rise to the surface and take over, the only thing on his mind to claim.

After one last squeeze to my throat, he released me, reaching between us to unzip my coat the rest of the way, never once breaking the kiss. Despite the cold temperatures outside, the air between us was heated, my lips slick and body warm.

The second my coat fell open, he pushed his hand beneath the layers, dragging his nails over the small of my back and leaving scratches in their wake. I arched into him, rutting against the thigh between my legs.

When he wrenched his lips away, I whined, and he shushed me, grabbing the hem of my shirt and yanking it up, bunching the fabric beneath my chin.

Cold air slapped my skin, and I gasped. His hand flattened on my side, splaying across my ribs as his other hand forced up my clothes.

“W-what—” I started to question him, but then his mouth dropped to my chest.

On the spot where he’d tattooed me with his name.

Groaning, I melted against the wood, head lolling to the side as he licked hungrily over the art. My eyes slid closed as he licked and kissed the stars and moon decorating the area above my heart.

“ You’re mine ,” he rumbled, pressing kisses into the damp skin exactly where his name was written, then flicking over my nipple in a passing glance, and then going right back to the tattoo where he latched on and started to suck. I cursed as pain pricked under the pressure and my dick turned to stone. Panting, I gripped his shoulders, rocking against his leg as he sucked a mark onto my chest.

God, it feels fucking good to be owned by him. To be marked by Max.

Greedy, I dropped my hand to the zipper on his coat, fumbling around until I was able to slide it down. I got it as far as I could and then he yanked it the rest of the way, finally lifting his mouth off my skin.

I rolled my head to look at him, and even though his hand wasn’t around my throat, he managed to choke me. Naked greed burned in the black coal making up his heavy-lidded stare. He was a wolf in that moment, and I was mere prey, innocent, weak, and under his control.

On instinct, I arched my bare torso out and tipped my chin, showing him my surrender.

He growled, clutching me close, and buried his face in my neck to suck another mark into my skin. One hand dropped low, rubbing the rock-hard bulge under my snow pants. I groaned on contact, the sound echoing up into the massive dark sky above us.

Pulling off my neck, he brushed a kiss along my jaw, and I turned my head, seeking his lips. They were warm and swollen, and I licked across the seam before sucking the lower one between mine.

His hand grabbed the laces on my snow pants, undoing the waist, and I jutted forward to give him better access. His throaty laugh rumbled between us, and then I hissed when the cold air wrapped around my rigid dick along with his hand.

He started to pull back, but I grabbed his shoulders and squeezed, thrusting up into his fist. “Please, Max.”

“Please what?”

“Don’t stop,” I said, thrusting into his fist once more.

He hummed, pushing his hands even deeper into my pants, cupping my balls, and giving them a gentle squeeze. “What a greedy little thing you are,” he murmured, laying a finger on my taint and dragging it up, the pressure between my sack making me whine. “You think I should give you what you want after you let that asshole hit on you?”

“He didn’t?—”

Max’s hand clamped around the base of my dick, squeezing and cutting off my words. “You defending him?”

“Never.”

His hand turned caressing, dragging lightly up my shaft and across my dampening tip. “Sounds like it to me.”

He started to withdraw, but I grabbed his wrist, collaring it between my fingers and squeezing. “You heard me tell him,” I said, dick pulsing, practically begging for his attention. “You’re my everything.”

Max’s hand wrapped around me again, the weight of his palm so delicious I sighed and leaned into the wall. “Am I your everything, Nemo?”

My hand shot out, catching him off guard and gripping his chin. I held as tight as my trembling fingers would allow and hoped that even half of what I saw in his eyes also shone in mine. “Everything,” I confirmed. “I have never wanted anyone else, and I never will. It’s you, Max. You and only you. Forever.”

Groaning, he fell to his knees in front of me and pulled my pants open the rest of the way. Bitter, icy wind struck my hot, hard cock and made my breath catch.

Max made a sound but continued opening my pants, going as far as pulling them down so they were just under my ass. I shivered a little, but seeing him on his knees for me, those gleaming dark eyes staring up my body as he fisted my dick in his hand… I didn’t feel the cold.

I nudged closer, desperate to feel his mouth sheathe my sensitive skin.

“You’d let me strip you bare right here on this mountain, wouldn’t you, Nemo?” he asked, lips a whisper against my tip. “You’d stand out here in below-freezing temps, completely naked, and let me do whatever I craved, and this dick of yours wouldn’t wilt because you’re my little slut to have anytime, anywhere I want.”

My ass cheeks clenched as I pictured him ripping off my clothes, leaving me completely defenseless and dependent on him for warmth and pleasure, knowing that anyone could walk around the side of this building and see me bent over and impaled on his dick.

“Look at this dripping dick. Practically begging.” He hummed, swiping the flat of his tongue over my head.

I melted into the wall, hands going to his head but meeting hat. Disgruntled, I ripped it off and tossed it away, burying my fingers into the inky strands and forcing his face closer to the center of my body.

His chuckle was warm and delicious. Knowing I was just as riled up as him seemed to make his pleasure that much more palpable.

“Good boy,” he rumbled, the words wrapping around my praise-loving heart as his lips wrapped around my shaft.

I groaned long and low, the sound carried off by the snowflakes and wind. I managed one satisfying look at the way he looked taking me into his throat before my head fell back against the building. I stared up at the cloudless black-velvet sky, my eyes crossing in bliss as the twinkling stars blurred and my heart stuttered.

Max purred with satisfaction, the vibration shooting straight into my balls. The muscles in my stomach contracted, and he shuffled closer on his knees, strands of his silky hair brushing my pelvis.

Tugging my balls with one hand, he held the base of my cock with the other and set a pace that barely left room for breath, working my dick until it was so hard it hurt, and every brush of the winter wind against the spit-dampened skin only added to my arousal.

I squirmed, whimpering and moaning, thrusting against his tongue. He pulled back and pushed my shaft against my belly, licking a stripe up the underside and latching his lips around the head.

One of his hands left me, and the rustle of clothes made me look down at him stroking himself.

I started to protest, to tell him that was mine, but he chose that moment to deep throat my dick, going so far his nose hit my skin. My body locked up as his throat worked around my tip, the silky, tight fit my undoing.

I started to shake, and I gripped his head in warning. He pulled back and gasped for breath, then dove on me again, the suction so strong I could not withstand.

My entire body went rigid as I splintered apart, locked in pleasure, unable to do anything but jolt and erupt as wave after wave of ecstasy rolled over me. My eyes were wide, but I didn’t see, and if I made noise, I didn’t hear because, Jesus , this pleasure made me deaf.

By the time I came down, I was sweating at the base of my neck, my knees were weak, and the only thing holding me up was the building.

My dick was still in Max’s mouth as he gently cleaned up whatever was left and then pulled back, pressing a kiss to the tip before tucking me back into the protection of my clothes.

Muddled and barely coherent, I just stared at him, completely blissed out.

He got to his feet, swiped along his bottom lip with the pad of his thumb, and then sucked it between his lips. When he was done, he smirked, that possessive glint still shining in his eyes.

My eyes fell to his open snow pants and the near-purple swollen head peeking out.

I thought he already…

“On your knees,” he commanded.

I stood there stupefied, almost as though pleasure made me dumb.

Seeming to know I was still out of it, Max reached over and grabbed my shoulder, pushing me toward the ground. My knees gave out instantly, and I dropped into the snow.

Max’s fingers grasped my chin, pulling my face up so he could stare down. “I’m not done with you yet, Nemo. I won’t be satisfied until I unload down your throat and you swallow every last drop. And when we go back to the slopes, any man who dares to even look your way will see a man with a belly full of my cum.”

He caressed my cheek. “Can you do that for me, baby? Can you let me mark you inside and out?”

I nodded enthusiastically.

“Open your mouth.”

I parted my lips, and he wasted no time guiding his girth between them. He groaned on contact, and I grabbed his thighs.

“So warm for me.” His fingers carded through my hair. “You’re my best boy.”

I pulled back and pushed forward, coating him with my saliva. He moaned but then grabbed my head, holding it still. “You don’t need to do anything, baby. Just let me claim you.”

I stayed still, keeping my mouth open, and he started to thrust, going deep and making my throat stretch and eyes water. It didn’t take long. He was too worked up, too ready to mark his territory.

His cock began to pulse and jerk, his movements becoming sloppy, and spit dribbled over my lip. All at once, he stiffened, fingers twisting in my hair, and then he was spurting with so much force it barely touched my tongue, instead shooting right into the back of my throat. He moaned and pushed deep, and I swallowed around him, massaging even more pleasure out of him.

He stayed enclosed in my mouth even after I swallowed the entirety of his load. I sucked gently on his softening flesh, loving the weight of him on my tongue and the concentrated scent of his skin.

When he finally pulled away, I dropped back onto my ass with a deep sigh.

He paused in tucking himself away to look up. “You okay, sweetheart?”

Sweetheart. Oh, that word caused a flip in my belly. And for a moment, I couldn’t answer because my insides were trying to find their way back to where they belonged. I knew then the possessive beast in him was satiated—at least for now—because he didn’t pull out that term of endearment often.

Even though I was weak, I pushed back to my knees and reached for him, hugging him around the waist and pushing my face against his belly, rubbing my cheek against the softness of his hoodie.

He made a crooning sound and petted my head like I was some kind of dog, but damn, if I didn’t like it.

“You’re my everything too,” he said, but it was more like a vow.

I smiled and hugged him a little tighter.

After another minute, I looked up his body, the icy wind blowing my hair into my eye and stinging my ear. Now that we were done getting hot, the cold was much more noticeable. “Can we get some hot chocolate now?”

He laughed and pulled me to my feet. “Yeah, but you’re sitting in my lap while you drink it.”

“Gotta make sure everyone knows I’m yours?” I teased.

“Yes,” he said, not a hint of humor in his tone.

After we finished putting all our layers back on, he grabbed my hands and pulled them up, blowing into my palms and then rubbing them for warmth. “I want you next to me the rest of the night. Don’t leave my sight.”

If he hadn’t just blown my mind right there in the snow, I might have pulled out the brat. But I was sated, and the way he looked at me made my heart flutter.

“How about for the rest of my life instead?”

His eyes softened, affection filling his face. “I can work with that,” he said, wrapping his arm around me to lead us back the way we’d come.

“I want marshmallows,” I told him.

Leaning in, he kissed my temple. “Baby, I’ll get you as many as you want.”