Her resignation letter had been the only thing waiting for him on Monday. She’d sent it with Reid rather than facing him. That choice had saved him. She was smarter than he was. Still, he wondered if she liked her new job and if her new boss was nice to her. He missed everything about her. Reid had been the one to keep in touch with her. Gideon listened in when he knew Reid was talking to her.
It was better this way. She was far too soft to handle him.
And he was never going to change.* * * *If there was anyone in the world who needed a change, it was Gideon. Reid couldn’t help but think about that fact as he walked through the lobby of his uncle’s ski resort. The Aspen Retreat was one of his favorite places in the world, and he couldn’t wait for Jessica to see it. He only hoped she didn’t get right back in her car the minute she realized Gideon was here.
He sighed. He also hoped Gideon didn’t punch him in the face when he saw Jessica. Gideon could be extremely indulgent with him, but he was pushing his Dom, and he knew it.
Theirs was an odd relationship. He wasn’t truly submissive enough to fulfill Gideon’s need to dominate, and Gideon couldn’t submit at all. They’d discovered ménages with female submissives filled the holes in their relationship. He’d always thought they would find a permanent third until the day Gideon told him he was getting engaged.
He’d almost left Gideon that day. He’d almost told the bastard where he could shove his vanilla, straight white picket fence dream.
And then Jessica had walked in for an interview. Perfect, sweet, submissive Jessica. He’d known then and there that this was fate, and he’d stood by the only man he’d ever loved. All through the two and a half years of Gideon’s “engagement,” Reid had stood in the shadows knowing the arrangement wouldn’t work.
Sure enough, it hadn’t.
Reid touched his jaw. There was a mirror over the registration desk and he studied himself in it. Gideon wouldn’t discipline him, though he probably deserved it. He really was too pretty to fight with. He made sure his black hair was perfectly mussed. It took an enormous amount of product to look that deconstructed.
The problem with Gideon was his stubbornness. He had a bit of a god-complex. What Dom didn’t? It led Gideon to believe he knew what was best for everyone. Gideon had made the decision that Jessica was better off without him, and he couldn’t be swayed. Jessica had made it easy on him by taking herself out of the equation. But if Gideon had to deal with Jessica in an intimate situation, he wouldn’t be able to help himself.
He caught sight of her struggling up the steps with her ridiculously oversized trunk. She was wearing a skirt and heels to a place where half an inch of snow was practically summer. Still, his breath caught. She was the sweetest thing. It went far beyond her luscious body and pretty face. Jessica was funny and kind. She was one of those people who lit up a room when she smiled. Gideon might think he knew what was best for her, but Reid knew better.
She was the one, and he intended to prove it.
What was life without a little risk? He moved to open the door for her.
He was making a big bet and gambling everything, but she was going to be worth it.
She smiled brightly and immediately threw herself into his arms. She was a soft armful in the parka he’d insisted she buy. “I’m so glad to see you. I thought I was going to fall off that damn mountain. I shouldn’t have come by car. I should have rented a mountain goat.”
He chuckled and enjoyed the feel of her pressed against him. He needed her softness the same way he needed Gideon’s tough exterior. “I don’t think a mountain goat could carry you and your luggage, love. I thought you were staying for the week, not moving in.” He looked pointedly at her trunk.
She wrinkled her nose at him. “It’s my only good piece. It’s antique Louis Vuitton. My very fashionable grandmother left it to me. If I’m going on a trip, it’s coming with me. I’m not a ‘pack light’ kind of girl. Besides, how do I know what I’ll need?”
“Sweetheart, this is a BDSM seminar. All you need is some rope and a pair of stilettos,” Reid quipped, loving how she blushed. Her face always flushed when he shocked her. He tried to do it on a regular basis. “See you don’t need to wear clothes to change colors. You’re the sweetest pink right now.”
She laughed and playfully struck his arm. She went on her toes and brushed her mouth lightly across his. God, she wouldn’t do that if she knew how hard it made him. His dick was standing at full attention. He took a step back and prayed she didn’t look down. She took off her coat, and Reid practically drooled. She wore a tight V-neck sweater that showed off her breasts to perfection. He wanted to reach out and cup them. He intended to reveal his plans to her, but the lobby wasn’t the place to do it.