Mountain's Captive (10 page)

“No, not angry,” he lied. “I’m just glad that I don’t have to be a part of it. How could he do that to you? His own child?”

Chloe nodded tensely in understanding. The wet strands of her hair loosened to frame her oval face. “You can’t blame my father. I don’t. You have to understand that he thought he was doing me a favor. I’m his only child. I hardly ever dated and I work all the time. This was the only way he knew he could force my hand. He understood that I would not let eighty thousand people get turned out onto the street. His factories employ whole towns in the Midwest. He was trying to give me a push. He thought that if I hadn’t done it by myself by the time I turned thirty, then it was his turn to do it for me. In his own way he thought he was doing me a favor.”

With a tight tilt of his jaw Everest acknowledged her assessment, but didn’t agree with her. He was mortified that a father would treat his child in such a callous, controlling manner. “Did you know about the will before he died?”

“No. And I do wish things could have been different between my father and I,” she admitted sadly. Everest had said that he would never be a part of such an atrocity. She couldn’t blame him. He was an honorable man, very respectable.

Everest knew her father was making her marry Paul. He wondered who Paul was to her father—a business partner or a rich friend’s son? He hugged Chloe tighter against the hard length of his unyielding form. He didn’t want to know.

Suddenly, she became aware of the solid block of his chest as it relaxed into her softer body. His unmoving muscles bent into her gentle flesh, molding it to his will. His heart beat steady and sure against her as she leaned into him. She felt right in his embrace. Everest was unlike any man she had never met. Truthfully, except for movies, she didn’t think such men were possible. He was incredibly sexy, rugged, strong, smart and even charming when he chose to be. He had a smile that could melt an arctic glacier and eyes that shifted between the green of grass and the woodsy color of a worn mountain trail.

Chloe had grown to love it in the mountainous country, with this silent mountain man. She didn’t know when it happened, but she had started to fall in love with her husband. Under the circumstances, that wasn’t a good thing. Instinctively she knew he was stubborn and proud. He would not be a part of her father’s plot. He could never know she cared for him. It was better in the long run for both of them. Her heart pounded dully with the realization. She hugged him closer to her, ignoring the sudden pain in her chest. They could not be together. He would never know if she did it for the sake of the will, and she would never truly know if he did it for the money.

“
P
aul
, I told you she was with an editor and then she would be flying to London.” Devon eyed the snappy young aristocrat as he sat on the corner of her desk. She wanted to kick him off with the spiked heel of her designer boot. “She never made it to London. The editor lives in Northern Montana. There was an avalanche and she’s snowed in. I contacted a local expert, Clark Beaumont. He said it could be anywhere from four weeks to four months until they’re gotten out. More than likely it will be the latter. He says that there is no way to contact them in the meantime.”

Paul ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Then I will wait. But, as soon as she is back, we will be married.”

“But, Paul, that’s just the thing. She won’t have the money in four weeks. Her inheritance needs to be collected by her thirtieth birthday. She will be snowed in way past when that happens. There is no money to get, you’ve lost.”

Paul glared at her condescending tone. “I need her money.”

“Why?” Devon shot back.

“That’s not your concern,” Paul hissed. His eyes fired at her in poisonous darts.

“Well, there isn’t going to be any money. She doesn’t have a cent to her name without her father’s estate.” Devon gloated.

“What about her career?” Paul asked.

“Please. Daddy published all of her books. Do you think she got paid? Daddy’s money is all she had. She squandered what was hers. She thought her father was going to provide for her when he was gone.” Devon shrugged her shoulders. “Sorry, but Chloe will be lucky to even get a contract when she gets back.”

Paul laughed, unwilling to let go of his gift horse so easily. “Pack your luggage. We’re flying to Montana.”

Devon looked up in shock.

“You didn’t think a Lucas would give up so easily, did you?” Paul stood. “We’re going to find a way to get her out of there. And we will be married, mark my word—even if we have to do it over a damned walkie-talkie through a snow drift.”

“
I
should get to work
.” Chloe pulled back from the steel of Everest’s embrace. With agonizing slowness, she dropped her hands over the bulging folds of his flannel. Her body ached to hold him. His nearness tortured her heating limbs. A violent longing curled inside her midsection. She could feel her body growing moist with desire. Every primal urge inside her pushed to rip the flannel from his muscular body, to lean over his workbench and demand he take her amidst the flying sawdust.

Trembling, she pulled away completely. When he didn’t stop her, she moved to leave. It was the hardest thing she had ever done, walking out on him. But it would have been impossible to stay and not touch him.

“What am I doing?” Everest cursed under his breath as he watched her leave the workshop. His loins had grown painfully heavy and his heart thudded in loud protest to echo in his ears. Flashes of their shared night of passion assaulted his brain. She had been wild that night. They had come together all over the hotel room—the floor, the absurdly heart-shaped couch, the mini-bar, over the side of a table, the shower, even against the windows leading to the balcony. Growling at the sudden onslaught of memories, imagined or not, he stalked after her. He was unable to deny his need for her any longer. Right or wrong, he would possess her. And consequences be damned!

“Chloe,” his voice was deadly in its passion. He caught up to her in the living room. His hand reached for her arm, twirling her around to face him. Panting heavily, he growled.

Chloe jolted, startled by the intimate sound.

Everest didn’t miss a beat. As her lips parted in surprise, he gathered her into his arms. He pressed his lips to hers in a rough kiss that stole her breath and fluttered her heart. His hands trailed insistently up her shivering arms to grasp the back of her head. Running his fingers into her dampened locks, he groaned fiercely against her mouth.

“Are you sure?” She gasped when he freed her lips. His eyes bore into hers with the intensity of a winter storm. The hazel-green depths revealed his arduous need for her as he ground himself intimately into her hips. She felt the hard length of his arousal burning through the sweatpants. She could deny him nothing. He was controlling her.

Everest didn’t answer except to lift her feet off the floor in an easy sweep of his arms. He refused to let her go. Lowering his passionate mouth, he kissed her again. Chloe moaned as she wrapped her arms about his neck. He carried her backwards to the fireplace. Kneeling, he laid her onto the bearskin rug and gathered her fully into his determined embrace.

Chloe shuddered in the envelopment of his solid arms, matching his passion with her own. Her flannel was still unbuttoned so he ran his hand freely to the tank underneath, caressing her waist with his searching fingers.

Supporting his massive weight with his arm, his mouth forced her over onto her back. Once underneath him, his tremendous form trapped her to the floor. His legs settled around her thighs. Chloe couldn’t move. He grazed his lips across her neck and shoulder as he made his way farther down in rapturously tormenting caresses. The heat of the fire burned into her skin as his tongue flicked over the exposed line of her collarbone.

With her soft gasp of delight, his explorations grew bolder. Everest pulled up her undershirt to fondle the taut skin of her flat stomach. Her muscles tensed. A low, primal vibration began in Everest’s throat to reverberate seductively against her skin as he devoured her quivering flesh. Chloe gasped. Her head pressed into the fur as she arched her stomach to meet his mouth. His passion began to frighten her with the full force of its intensity.

Lifting her up, he pushed the flannel from her shoulders and watched as it slid gracefully off her slender arms. Her fingers shook with nervous energy as she untucked his shirt and started to work on the buttons. Finding a white undershirt beneath the flannel, she ran her hand underneath the thinner material. His chest was strong and smooth and she tested her fingers along the hot contours of his muscles. His heart beat in a solid rhythm—confident and sure. She lifted the shirt to pull it over his head.

The motion disheveled his hair and she ran her fingers up into the disarray. She pulled his mouth once again to hers and felt his muscles stretch as he leaned her back. His hand slid underneath her sweats onto her buttocks. She gave a slight moan as he squeezed the tender globes. Her center jolted to throbbing heat, growing moist. She gasped in open-mouthed pants.

His body was new and familiar at the same time. She touched his perfect form in a massaging caress. There was not an ounce of fat on the muscular frame. Strong arms led to a virile chest that tapered to a narrow waist. Drawing her hands over every crevice, Chloe thrust her hips up, needing to feel him against her in raw urgency. She had felt him a million times in a dream and now that her fantasy was flesh she quivered before the fire of passion.

He pulled the drawstring of her sweats and ran his hand up to slip off her tank. He smiled devilishly, as he found the pink lacy bra she wore. He could see her budding nipples as they reached for him through the sheer fabric. Leaning down he licked her breast, just above the curve of the bra. Chloe gasped in pleasure. Never had she felt like this with a man. With every soft entreaty of her mouth, his lips became more insistent, pushing his tongue under the lace to taste the stiffened peaks.

Everest slowly moved his touches down her side and into her sweatpants. With a confident tug, he pulled the soft material down over her smooth hips. To his delight, he discovered a matching pair of feminine panties awaiting him. He smiled again as he moved down her length, pulling the sweats off her stocking feet. He ran his hands up and over her inner calf and then her outer thigh.

Chloe felt the soft warm fur beneath her and the heat of the scorching fire above her, a fire that had nothing to do with the blazing fireplace. Everest stopped on his way up to kiss over her hip, as he had her chest, in a long hot stroke of his tongue. She jerked in response, drawing an assured chuckle from him. The soft glow of orange light softened his hard features as his lips lowered to press a kiss on her flat stomach.

Caressing his way over her navel to her breasts, he gazed deeply into her eyes. With a playful glint radiating from his face, he gave her a slow half smile. He licked his firm lips and flicked the strap of her bra off of her shoulder. Chloe could not help but return his impish grin as he moved a finger lightly over her neck to the valley of her breasts.

She kicked off her socks. Pulling him to her, her thighs fell open. He settled more firmly against her. His sexy smile was driving her mad with its confidence. She could see he wanted her, but he held back to tease her mercilessly. He stroked and kindled her body with his firm touch until she thought she might explode. Her legs rubbed restlessly against the stiff material of his blue jeans. Hooking her feet around his waist, she pulled his hips toward her hot center. She let loose a shivering moan of ecstasy. His belt scraped against her delicate skin, its metal as hard as the rest of him. She wanted to feel him inside of her. She wanted to taste his fervent skin.

Their ragged breaths mingled. She glided her hands to his waist, feverishly undoing his belt buckle. She gazed up into his soft hazel-green eyes and the stern intensity of them pierced into the depths of her soul. Unasked questions filtered across the hazy orbs. His lips dipped to claim her mouth. Chloe trembled, panted, moaned.

Everest groaned as she lifted her legs to push his jeans off with her toes. She felt the hard, hot length of his manhood spring free of the denim to press heavily against her thigh. The hair on his legs tickled her feet. He wore cotton boxers that hugged his member like a second skin.

Everest became savage in his craving for her. He jerked roughly at her panties until he slid them off her long legs. Pulling his manhood free, just enough to enter her, he tugged her bra strap down over her shoulder to fully expose a ripe breast. The nipple peaked, yearning for his regard.

He could feel the hot wetness of her core beckoning him inside. He entered her hard, not bothering to fully remove his boxers. Chloe gasped at the suddenness of his thrust. His throbbing arousal stretched the velvety boundary of her center. The vastness of him filled her completely. He squeezed her exposed breast as he consumed her mouth with his own.

Tearing her lips away from his, she took a deep breath and let out a cry of passion. She felt him moving seductively hard within her. He withdrew from her with agonizing slowness only to thrust in long even strokes. Everest gritted his teeth in pleasure. Leaning up on his hands to gain better leverage, his buttocks flexed and tensed as he delved within her.

Unable to endure the slow, torturous rhythm he had started, she pushed him backwards, keeping him hard inside of her. She maneuvered onto his lap as she urged his manhood deeper still. She let out a loud cry of wanton pleasure.

Everest leaned back, enjoying her greedy passion. He let her control the movements of their joining, liking the way she commanded his body into submission. Her golden locks curled around her face, framing the beautiful roundness of her blue eyes. Chloe screamed, knowing no one could hear her. Everest’s throaty groan joined hers as she rode the fiery length of his eager body. His head fell back as her rhythm grew more intense. She stroked the full length of his arousal within her moist velvet, pushing him to thrust deep and fast until his frenzied pace matched her own.

Chloe felt her body climb toward an unimaginable destination. Her loins racked and trembled until she thought she could take no more. Finally she reached her traumatic climax with a victorious yell. Everest was amazed at the passion with which she peaked. He grunted an almost painful release, spilling his seed deep within her.

Chloe felt as if the world was pulled out from underneath her. She held onto Everest, afraid that she would fall into the deep void if she let go. She rested her head against his steady shoulder as the last of the tremors racked her body.

Everest held her to him, not wanting to let go of her. He was afraid she wasn’t real. His member stayed embedded deep within her. Her body sucked all the energy from him leaving him drained and immensely satisfied.

Chloe slowly came about to reality. As the earth righted itself, so did her sanity. And with her sanity came her embarrassment. She had always had so much control over her emotions when it came to sex. Never had she been moved to the kind of madness that Everest’s sweet embrace invoked within her.

She took a deep breath, not knowing if she could lift her head from his shoulder. She was afraid of what she might see in his eyes. In her mind she saw him looking at her like a whore, like she did this kind of wanton thing all the time. In truth, she had only known a few men. She had always been too busy with her career for serious relationships. And somewhere in her life she had grown better at creating the fiction in her books than tending to the reality that was her existence.

Everest was puzzled by her sudden stillness and pushed her head up with his shoulder. An easy smile found his features. He felt her shift and move uncomfortably against him. She refused to look at him, which concerned him greatly.

“Chloe?” he whispered. Silently, he willed her not to regret what they had done.

“Ah, yeah.” Chloe’s voice trembled as she pushed off of him. She felt his member leave her. She declined to turn her face to him as she grabbed the flannel behind her. She slipped the shirt over her body, tugging the edges together to hide her nakedness.

Everest, sensing that something was not quite right, moved to his knees and grabbed her before she could move away. Pulling her around to face him, he uttered, “Wait. Look at me.”

Chloe turned her nervous expression to him, unable to deny his command. Her mouth became suddenly dry. Her eyes grew round with unshed tears.

Everest saw the uncertainty in her countenance and frowned. “What’s the matter?”

“I don’t want you to think that I do that kind of thing often,” Chloe stammered. Her cheeks blushed.

Everest smiled at her feminine insecurity. She always seemed so strong and yet here she was seeking his approval with the vulnerable tenderness of her eyes. Lightly, he ran his hand into her hair. He pulled her to his chest and kissed her gently on the lips. He felt his manhood stir as her lips parted to accept him. Chuckling in amazement, he willed his naughty member to lower.

“I never thought that,” he whispered against her mouth. He had to admit that he liked her like this, unsure. Her determined self-control was gone, as was her cool confidence. He felt as if he was seeing the real her for the first time. And he wanted to protect her. But even as he reveled in her emotions, he didn’t want her to feel like she had to hide from him. Everest knew he was beginning to lose his heart and didn’t like it. Nothing could come of it. The choice had been taken away from them and he was not about to burden her with his emotions.

“I know I’m being silly,” Chloe said at last. She pulled away from him, looking deep into his concerned eyes. “Just as I know nothing will ever come of us. I know that we have no future and I didn’t want you to think that I was taking this lightly, like I did it all the time.”

“I know all of that, Chloe.” Everest moved his head to nudge her. “I know that there can be no promises. Why don’t we just see what happens? And when it’s over, it’s over. There will be no lies between us. We both know what has to be and that we will have no future. It doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy each other’s company while you’re here.”

Chloe nodded her head. She knew that for him it was just going to be a brief, albeit incredibly passionate, affair with a friend. For her it was going to be much more. It would be an affair of the heart. It was unlikely she would find love with Paul. She had never held any thought of that. And, after meeting Everest, she doubted any other man could ever compare.

“Besides, technically we aren’t sinning. I mean we are married.” Everest put forth with a small laugh. He watched her for a smile that never came.