I thought that Rylan would forget about wanting to pay for my skiing stuff, but when I finally headed home Sunday night, he handed me a credit card and gave me the name of a shop. They, he said, would know I was coming and wouldn't give me any problems about using his credit card. Then he told me that he'd decided to give the staff this week off as well. I told him he was crazy, but he said he didn't want everyone to find out what happened with Christophe and him leave two days later while people were still dealing. I couldn't say that I blamed him. Besides, the Christmas rush was over and we did have things ready for our first of the year releases already. There wasn't really anything pressing.

So, I slept in on Monday and spent the rest of the day shopping. I never realized how expensive skiing stuff was until I began adding things up. It was no wonder ski vacations were for rich people. I'd originally told Rylan that I wanted to rent skis, but he'd vetoed that idea, saying we weren't going to one of the resorts. We'd ski from the cabin, which meant I'd need my own. Then he'd added that I could keep them there for future use.

By the time I finished, I had skis, poles, gloves and boots – two pairs since I'd apparently need a set for skiing and a set for just being outside – a heavier coat, scarf, hat, protective eye gear, thermal underwear, thicker pants and a ton of chapstick and sunscreen specially designed to deal with the wind as well. I winced when I saw the total, but the cashier didn't even blink. I just hoped Rylan didn't freak out when he looked at his bill.

Tuesday wasn't the best day for me since I didn't have anything specific planned and packing for the next day didn't exactly take me long. In the end, I headed over to the CSU library and browsed the shelves for hours, losing myself in the possibilities of stories until it was time to go home. I wanted to get a good night's sleep. We were leaving in the afternoon and I was hoping for another chance to wear the lingerie I bought.

I paced for a good half hour before Rylan knocked on my door. It shouldn't have been so nerve-wracking. I'd spent time alone with him before. Spent Christmas with him. New Year's Eve and Day weren't exactly more important holidays. Maybe, I thought, it was because it wasn't just me staying with him now. We were going away together. A vacation. Where we'd be isolated. Granted, his house wasn't exactly in the city, but it was still close enough that people could stop by. Zeke had proven that. In this cabin, it would truly be only the two of us. I doubted it would be completely rustic since his family didn't seem like the sort to not have the latest electronics there as well, but I doubted there'd be wifi or even a cell signal. We'd be cut off from the world.

It took until Rylan and I had packed everything up before I realized that I wasn't actually nervous about this. What I was feeling was anticipation. As much as I loved working on computers and doing my shopping online, it would be nice to unplug for a few days. No interruptions, no family or friends.

Once I got that, I relaxed. The drive was a nice one. Apparently, Rylan bought this four-wheel drive for this exact purpose, making its way up the mountain, and it was perfect. Smoother than anticipated and running quiet enough that we could enjoy the classical music he'd selected. The road we took was little more than dirt, but Rylan had enough control that he could hold my hand for most of the journey. I'd never thought before about how much I enjoyed just holding someone's hand. In a way, it felt almost more intimate than sex. It was hard to explain and I wasn't entirely sure I understood it myself. But I didn't need to understand it, only feel it and accept it.

“When was the last time you were up here?” About an hour in, I broke the silence.

He thought for a moment and then answered, “My family came up a couple years ago and I stayed for a couple days.”

“Only a couple days?”

“I was busy with work,” he said. “And Suzette and Zeke had just broken up, so it was a bit awkward being around my sister when she was going off about my best friend.” He gave me a grin. “Though it was better than having to listen to them through the walls.”

I wrinkled my nose at the thought. I was no prude and the walls in my apartment were thin enough that I'd heard my fair share of fucking, but the idea of Suzette and Zeke together was just, in my mind, a little weird.

“Before that, I came up after Lara and I had broken up,” he said. “Only twice in the past four years.” He frowned. “Does seem like a bit of a waste.” He glanced at me. “We'll have to make up for that.”

I squeezed his hand. I'd never been skiing before so I wasn't entirely sure if I would like that part of it, but even if I hated skiing, I'd suffer through it as many times as possible if it meant getting Rylan to myself. A part of me wondered if I was being selfish, but I pushed the thought aside. Now wasn't the time to be introspective about my personal motivations. Now was the time to enjoy the moment.

“So, I never did ask.” He changed the subject. “Have you ever been skiing before?”

“Nope.” I grinned at him. “I guess that means you’ll have to teach me.”

“I look forward to it.” He winked at me. “It's all in how you move the hips.”

Well, damn, if that didn't just send my mind straight into the gutter.

The heat between us was increasing, but was still at a comfortable level. A kind of simmer rather than a full-on boil. A promise of things to come rather than an urgent need.

When we rounded the bend, I stared. He'd said cabin, so I'd naturally assumed it was a cabin. Logs. A chimney. Inside would be one main room that would combine kitchen, living room and dining room. There'd be at least two bedrooms, probably three, but they'd all be small. A single bathroom.

I was wrong.

This was a house. Two stories and big enough that I guessed it had at least half a dozen rooms, maybe a few less if they were big enough. I looked over at him and he shrugged, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face. I recognized that look. It was the one he got when something was a bit extravagant but he wasn't entirely sure how to make it seem like nothing without feeling like he was showing off.

“It's beautiful,” I said. I looked out at the woods. “How far out do you own?”

“Six acres,” he said. “Which includes a couple nice runs.” He parked the car. “I'll take you to those tomorrow.”

We carried our luggage inside, which was just as impressive as the outside.

“My room is on the first floor,” he said. “And that's where I'd like you to stay, but if you would prefer to have your own room, there are five upstairs you can choose from and a bathroom up there.” His tone was serious. “I won't be offended if you feel like you need your space. I know we've been together a lot recently and–”

“Which way's our room?” My stomach clenched using the word 'our' and I hoped he didn't think I was taking it too far, but I wanted to make sure he understood that, whenever he wanted me with him, I'd be there. I knew it was dangerous to get too attached, but I couldn't seem to stop myself. The longer I was with him, the deeper in I got.

“Our room's this way.”

The fact that he was beaming when he said it made me relax. I followed him down the hall off of the living room. To the right was a bathroom and he opened the door to the left to a nice-sized bedroom. It was smaller than any of the rooms back at his house, but for a cabin, it was bigger than I thought it would be. The bed took up most of the room, but it looked like a queen to me rather than the king he had back at the house. There was a small table next to the bed and a dresser, but not much else. I set my suitcase next to the dresser and looked over at Rylan.

“Let's unpack.” He gestured to the top two drawers. “You take the top, I'll take the bottom.”

“And here I thought you preferred me on the bottom,” I quipped.

He chuckled, a deep sound that made things low and deep inside me tighten. “Top, bottom, upside-down. As long as you're calling out my name, I don't care what position you're in.”

I had to turn away before I told him to take me right there. I wanted him, of course, but I wanted this to make up for what had happened at Christmas, and that didn't mean a quickie right now. I was hoping for something a bit more romantic.

“We'd better hurry,” Rylan said. “We don't want to miss the sunset, and if we keep talking like this, we will because I won't be able to keep my hands off of you.”

Fifteen minutes later, we stood at the French doors at the back of the cabin, watching as the sun began to set. I'd always loved the mountains and watching those orange rays reflecting off of the snow made me smile. I'd never been a very spiritual person, not with my past, but there had always been something about the beauty of the mountains and how they looked, covered with snow. The trees. The sky. They'd always spoken to something inside me.

“Somehow,” Rylan said softly. “They never quite look the same from the city. Sunsets, I mean.”

He slid his arm around my waist and pulled me against his side. We watched the rest of the sunset in silence. We didn't move or speak until the stars began to come out.

“How about we open the bottle of champagne I brought and get something to eat?”

I nodded and the two of us headed for the kitchen. Rylan had ordered the cabin stocked with the basics before we arrived, but he'd also brought a few special things and he unpacked those now. It seemed like I wasn't the only one who wanted to make up for our missed night together.

Champagne, strawberries, cheese and chocolate. An absolutely perfect way to set up the rest of the night. We made small talk as we ate, sharing New Year's Eve stories that generally involved random parties for me, and Zeke for Rylan. I heard about how Zeke had gotten so drunk one night that he'd taken up a dare to streak through Times Square. And then there'd been another time that Lara and Zeke had gone with him to a college party and they'd gotten into an argument with the head of security, causing them to completely miss the countdown.

They were pointless stories, not the kind that provided deep insight or anything like that, but they were important in their pointlessness. These were the kinds of things couples shared when they just talked. When there weren't huge revelations to make or serious, important things that needed to be discussed.

When we'd finished eating and drained our glasses, I stood. “Remember how you said you regretted not seeing what I had on under that robe?” He nodded. I leaned over and kissed his cheek, then whispered, “Give me fifteen minutes.”

When he opened the bedroom door ten minutes later, I was ready. I gave him a saucy grin. “I figured you'd come early.”

He glared at my choice of words, but then he saw what I was wearing and his eyes widened. I'd stretched myself out on top of the bed, positioning my body so that every curve was shown to the fullest.

“That's what you were wearing?” His voice was hoarse. “Damn, Jenna. If I'd known, I would've thrown Zeke out on his ass and not thought twice about it.”

Even though I knew he really wouldn't have done that to his best friend, it felt good to hear him say it. I stood and walked towards him, putting a little extra swing in my hips. “Does that mean you're going to make it up to me?”

He wrapped one hand around my waist and buried the other in my hair. I couldn't stop the moan that escaped when he used my hair to tilt my head back. He claimed my mouth with a ferocity that took my breath away. His tongue plundered my mouth even as his hand dropped to squeeze my ass. I wasn't even aware that he'd backed me to the bed until we were falling back on it.

He caught himself on his elbows so I wouldn't take his full weight, all the while managing to not break the kiss. I knew it would happen though. I needed to get that damn shirt off of him somehow.

The moment he lifted his lips from mine, I yanked on his shirt and he laughed, helping to get the shirt over his head. He straightened, his knees on either side of my waist. I looked up at him, arousal spiking sharply as I ran my eyes over him. He was so beautiful. And then my gaze met his and it was like all of the air was sucked out of the room. I'd seen him stare at me before, but there was something different about this time. It was intense, but the kind of intensity I'd seen him focus on work, the kind that meant he wouldn't be satisfied until his task was done.

And tonight, his task was me.

Mmm.

He climbed off of the bed, shed his pants and then set to work. His hands and mouth covered every inch of my body, moving over the teddy as well as around it. He kissed and caressed through the soft material, teasing my nipples into hard peaks that chafed against the fabric. By the time his hand slid between my legs to cup my pussy, I was soaked.

I moaned as he stroked me, my hips pushing up, desperate for more friction. I'd thought when I teased him, when I asked him to make things up to me, that he'd take me hard and fast, drive me to a screaming orgasm. Instead, he was torturing me, pleasuring me but not giving me what I needed to tip over. He wasn't denying me anything, but he wasn't helping either.

“Jenna,” he said my name softly and I looked up at him. His eyes stayed on my face as he took my wrists in his hand. He held me lightly, but I knew what he was asking.

I nodded and he stretched my arms above my head. He held them there for a moment, squeezing until it was almost too tight, then released me.

“Stay.” It was a command and one that I was all too willing to follow.

He lowered himself between my legs and ran the tip of his finger down the thin strip of silk. “So wet for me,” he whispered almost reverently. He pulled the material aside and ran his tongue along the same path his finger had taken, only with nothing between us this time.

I cried out, my fingers twitching above my head as he went down on me. My back arched, my head tilting back as my eyes closed. His lips and tongue worked their magic, sending waves of pleasure coursing through me until I came. He slid two fingers inside even as my pussy was still quivering. He crooked them and I was coming again.

I wasn't aware that he'd moved again until his fingers were gone and something much larger was pushing against me. He eased into me, slowly stretching me around him. Every nerve was on fire, electricity racing from cell to cell as he filled me. And then his fingers wrapped around my wrists, a gentle pressure at first.

“Harder,” I moaned. I opened my eyes to see him staring down at me. “Hold me tighter.”

He froze above me, his eyes wide. “Jenna, love?” He made it a question.

I nodded. “Hold my wrists tighter.”

His fingers flexed, then settled again, his grip more firm than before. He continued to move forward, the stroke still agonizingly slow. I struggled against his hand, not enough that he would think I wanted free, but enough that he had to press harder, put more weight on my wrists.

“Is this what you want?” he asked, panting as he fought for control. He was holding himself inside me even as I trembled around him. I was close again, my body responding to the sensation of him inside me, the feel of his fingers around my wrists.

“Yes,” I gasped.

“Say it,” he commanded.

“This is what I want.” I tried to raise my hips, but his pinned me down.

He withdrew slowly and my eyelids fluttered. I waited for the next thrust to be hard, but he didn't oblige. Instead, he kept his strokes steady, moving at a pace that soon had me begging and writhing. Even as his stomach pressed against mine, I felt the tension as he fought to keep himself from taking me hard.

“What do you want, love?” he asked. “Tell me.”

“You,” I said. “I want you.”

He leaned down and nipped at my breast through my teddy. I let out something that sounded very much like a whine. He ground his hips down, rubbing against my clit.

“Come for me,” he said. “Come for me and I'll take you hard. Is that what you want?”

I nodded, every inch of me tense. He continued that delicious pressure even as he continued to use his teeth on my nipple. When he bit down, I cried out and came. Pleasure washed over me and then everything exploded as he began to move with short, rapid thrusts. He pounded into me, driving me higher and higher. His fingers dug into my wrists, his teeth around my nipple and my world was pleasure and pain all mingling together until tears streamed down my cheeks and all that came out of my mouth was a soundless wail.

His body stiffened as he buried himself inside me, a long, drawn-out groan falling from his lips as his cock pulsed. He let go of my hands as his head fell onto my chest. I brought my arms down, ignoring the pins and needles. I combed my fingers through his sweaty hair.

“I love you,” I said softly. “I love you so much.” I ran my fingers down across his cheekbone and then across his lips.

“Did I do it?” he asked, his voice sleepy.

“Do what?” I asked, confused.

“Did I make it up to you?”

I smiled and smoothed back his hair. “Yes, Rylan. You more than made up for it.”

“Good,” he said, his words fuzzy. “I want to start the new year right.”

I looked down at him, felt the afterglow buzzing in my body. For the first time in my life, I was actually looking forward to the new year. With him.