Chapter Nine

Rayne

I’m enveloped in a warm, dark cocoon. I have no intention of moving from this spot, and I shift slightly to get even more comfortable.

Smooth skin glides along my cheek.

My eyes pop open, and in the gray light before dawn, I make out Lorn’s melting clock tattoo, chiming an indiscernible time. I can’t help but grin and nestle in a little closer.

Last night was unbelievable. I’ve never had sex like that. Lorn is passionate and strong and gentle all at once. He’s able to tap into every erotic zone I have and stimulate them all at once.

And his tongue. My God. Just thinking about it has my panties wet again.

Wait. I’m not wearing panties.

We’ve gone to bed together fully nude, wrapped in each other’s arms. The pace of Lorn’s breathing changes from slow and deep to a shallow inhale and exhale, and his fingertips slide along the length of my back.

“Good morning,” he says. His voice cracks like it did when we first met, when I thought he was a bear.

The idea is laughable now.

I grin up at him. “Good morning.”

“That was some night.”

“Mmm,” I agree.

I snuggle closer to him and feel the telltale sign of desire. His dick is hardening against my naked body, and I wonder if we have time this morning for sex.

I mean, what else do we have to do?

His fingertips glide across my back and to my hips. He turns my body and pulls my knees apart, exposing me to his touch. My body tingles as his hand slides up my thigh, higher and higher. He reaches my center and pulls my vaginal lips apart, toying with them.

I let my knees drop to each side, opening myself to him fully. He accepts my invitation and slides a finger deep into my soaking wet pussy. He beckons inside me, tickling my g-spot, and I moan. His thumb curls up and circles my clit as he pumps his finger in and out of me. He pulls the blanket off and exposes my breasts to the cool morning air before he covers a nipple with his mouth and licks. He pulls my hardened nipple up with his teeth and sucks as his finger straightens, sliding in and out.

“More. Please, more.”

It’s so unlike anything I’ve ever felt that I can’t help but beg him for what more he can offer. He grins against my chest, then his finger slips from my pussy, leaving me aching as he hovers over me, his massive frame comforting and exciting all at once. He spreads my legs all the way, and his hard dick presses against my entrance. He slides in without hesitation, my pussy hot and ready for him.

His face appears above me, and he captures my lips with his own. He presses all the way in to the hilt, filling me completely. He pulls out, then presses back in, and the delicious friction between us is maddening. He keeps his pace deliciously slow, and my hips arch forward of their own volition, asking for more without words.

Lorn doesn’t obey. He maintains his achingly slow pace, filling me entirely then sliding back out. I palm his cheeks as he fucks me leisurely, gently. In spite of his pace, or maybe because of it, an orgasm streaks toward me as I arch and moan and beg for more.

He reaches between us and captures my clit between his fingers. He rolls it between them as his massive cock fills me, and I can’t take any more.

“I’m coming!”

I’m surprised at how his slow and steady pace has lit my entire body on fire. Without warning, I pulse around him, and he finally increases his pace and fucks me harder. It’s his turn, and he’s going to get what he needs. I cling to him as he finishes with a grunt, and his massive body collapses on mine as we find our breath.

My belly grumbles, completely ruining the romantic mood. My cheeks grow hot with embarrassment, but Lorn simply chuckles.

“What kind of host am I, to let you go hungry? I thought you said something about a nice big breakfast?”

I smile up at him as he rolls off me and lands by my side before he hops off the bed. I sneak a glance at his perfect, muscular frame. His ass is flawlessly sculpted, his back broad at the shoulders before it narrows to his hips.

My mouth goes dry.

He turns and finds me staring at him, and my cheeks blossom with heat all over again. Why am I such an idiot?

“Are you coming, or are you going to ogle me all day? I’m good either way, but I’d rather you be fed. Also, I can make a great ramen breakfast.”

I sit up and lift a critical eyebrow at him. His expression is flat, and I can’t tell if he’s suppressing a laugh. “You’re joking, right? Tell me you’re joking.”

Lorn shrugs. “Only one way to stop me.”

He pulls a shirt and a pair of pants off the floor and dresses as he walks out of the room. If I don’t get up, I’m in serious danger of eating ramen for breakfast.

No way.

I slide out of his bed and open a dresser drawer. I pull out a nice large white T-shirt and slide it over my head as I pad on bare feet out into the living room. Lorn is in the kitchen fiddling with something, and I stomp over. When he looks up and sees me, his eyes widen.

I glance down, then back up at him. “What?”

He swallows, shifts, revealing a French press coffee maker. “Nothing. You look nice in that shirt and nothing else.”

And you look nice in nothing at all.

I move in and open his fridge. I’m delighted to see that sometime in the past day, Lorn got supplies. A carton of eggs, a packet of bacon, and a variety of fresh fruit now wait in his once-barren fridge.

“Now this I can work with.” I pull out the food and dig around for utensils. Within minutes, I’ve got two frying pans heating up as I whisk the eggs in a bowl to scramble them.

“Oh, no, you’re telling me we won’t get any instant noodles this morning? Such a shame.”

I point my whisk at him. “You clearly have a problem. That problem involves not eating food with nutrients. How did you get so big living on ramen noodles?”

Lorn shrugs again as he presses the coffee. A dark brown brew forms, and the scent permeates the room. “I didn’t. I never told you my last name. It’s Hart.”

I blink. Why does that sound familiar? Lorn Hart. Something there rings a bell. “Did we go to the same school or something?”

“I don’t think so. The name’s kind of a household one. Hart Real Estate.”

He casts a wary glance at me, and my eyes widen as I realize who he is. “Holy crap! You’re that Lorn? Like, the heir to one of the biggest fortunes in the world?”

“That’s me.”

His voice is loaded with bitterness, and I empathize with him instantly. When one is well-known, it’s impossible to trust that anyone cares about more than your wealth.

“I never told you my last name either,” I say. His gaze locks onto mine, and I can tell he’s going out on a limb here, trying to trust me. The least I can do is give him the same courtesy.

“I’m Rayne Carr.”

I wait for it to dawn on him. His gaze searches mine as he works to puzzle out my identity. A light goes off, and he looks at me differently.

As they all do.

“Nigel Carr’s daughter? I thought you looked familiar. You’re a socialite!”

“I would argue that you are, too. What is the son of Kyle Hart doing out in the middle of the woods? Shouldn’t you be skiing somewhere a little fancier, like the Swiss Alps?”

At the mention of his father’s name, Lorn’s expression closes, and he turns away.

OK, so maybe the dad connection is a sore spot. Noted. I want to know more, especially now that I know who Lorn is. We’re not so different. I know that now, and that knowledge feels strange. When we first met, I would have never guessed we’d have anything in common.

First impressions, as it turns out, can be terribly wrong. Then again…

Wasn’t Lorn the one who forced his girlfriend to get an abortion or something? Do I remember reading that right?

“Didn’t you have a girlfriend who, um…”

I don’t know how to proceed from here. I want to know, but I don’t want to upset him. When Lorn looks back at me, his eyes are hard even as his mouth twists into a bitter smile. “Who got an abortion because I told her to? Isn’t that what the tabloids said?”

I dump the eggs into a pan and throw on a few pieces of bacon in the other. “Well, what’s the truth, then? As you said, I’m a socialite myself, so I know when not to believe what I read.”

When I glance over at him, there’s a fraction of relief in his expression. He hesitates before he answers. “I’ve always been a bit of a black sheep in my family. I went on a sort of wild streak, and when I did, I got involved with a girl named Natalie. After my father died, I realized that I needed to get my shit together. The entire estate now rests on my shoulders, after all.”

Lorn exhales and pours two cups of coffee before he continues his tale. “So, I cleaned up my act, and Natalie came for the ride. She got pregnant soon after, but something was off. The timing, it turned out. She gave birth to a healthy baby two months early. I insisted she get a paternity test when she gave birth and demanded a fortune from me. She refused. I got one anyway. The baby wasn’t mine. I kicked her out for lying and trying to scam me, so she went to the tabloids and sold a bullshit story about how I tried to make her get an abortion. The kid’s pretty cute. Sold a lot of papers.”

The eggs solidify in the pan, and the delectable scent of hot bacon permeates the air. I turn off the burners and plate the food, then the two of us settle in at a small wooden table.

“After that, I couldn’t stand the world. I couldn’t go anywhere without being attacked by the press. I froze all my assets and bought out this place to be alone. I found a place remote enough that the paparazzi don’t want to bother me anymore, and I’ve grown a nice beard and changed my style, so I can stay un-found. It’s been heaven ever since.”

I take a bite of egg, and my stomach cheers. It’s been an eventful period of time to go without food for so long. I chew and swallow before I answer. “That must have been so tough. I have so many friends who were skewered by the press because they wanted a story. None of it was true.”

“You’re safe from that though, at least partially. Your dad was a human rights hero. I remember reading about the assholes he put in the can. In fact…” He stops and clears his throat. “So, is that why you’re here?”

“I told you why I’m here. To unwind and get away for a little while.”

He lifts an eyebrow at that, and I know he doesn’t fully believe me. Still, there are some things I’m still unwilling to confide. My own paranoid insanity is one of them.

“Well, it’s been nice having you here,” Lorn says, and I grin as I sip my coffee.

At least the man can make that well.

“It’s been nice being here, even if I haven’t seen much of my own cabin.”

His grin is wolfish as he bites into his last piece of bacon. “That’s true. I’m afraid I’m not much for entertainment today, either. I’ve got maintenance to do at the main cabin. You’re welcome to come if you’d like, or if you’d prefer to stay at your own cabin, that works, too. We’re flexible here in Wyoming.”

I consider that invitation. It doesn’t sound like the most exciting thing in the world, but the thought of my cold lonely cabin is not at all appealing. Besides, I’m finally getting to know Lorn. Maybe we’re both here for a reason. Maybe we can help each other heal. After all, we both have no family, and we’re both hiding away.

“I’m pretty good with a wrench,” I say.

His smile is like the sun. It warms my entire being to the core. “Then let’s get to it.”