Her eyes told me she needed me to be more than that.
I needed to be more than that.
And now I was here, with her, in her home. She was in my arms, safe, content, and slumbering.
How, I wondered, would she feel in the morning when she woke? Would she regret the day? Regret giving herself to me?
I didn’t know her whole story, nor did I know her parents. I did, however, know enough to recognize that they were blind when it came to her. That she needed to find a different path in life in order to be happy. It seemed to me, every decision Lottie had ever made was in some way to appease or please her parents. That way of life was slowly going to drain hers away—especially when they could not be appeased. It had something to do with her brother, that much I had surmised, but exactly what it was, I had yet to discover.
I looked down as she slept, her beautiful hair flowing down her back, her long eyelashes resting on the pale shadow of her skin. Even now, exhaustion was etched into her face. I thought of how beautiful she had been all day. How much she loved the cold and the snow. When flakes settled on her cheeks and hair, glistening in the light like small diamonds, she looked like a queen. A snow queen. My Snow Queen. The name suited her, and she smiled when I called her by it. I loved seeing her set aside the usual worries of a workday and simply be with me, enjoying the moment. The first time she had laughed, she looked startled, as if she weren’t sure who had made that noise. As the day progressed, it slipped out more. She had eaten and enjoyed the food. Savoring it as if she were tasting for the first time. She was open and caring. Sweet and kind.
Lost and seeking.
I wanted to be what she was looking for. I wanted to show her she wasn’t lost, and I was there for her. To show her there was more to life than a job that slowly killed you. Encourage her to do what she loved, not what she felt she had to do.
Whether she would listen or not, I wasn’t sure. But I knew I had to try. I meant it when I told her I had lost my father to the rat race and I didn’t want to lose her as well. She was already too important. She had been since the day I first played for her.
I only hoped I was important enough to have a chance to show her how different life could be.Lottie was endearingly shy when she woke up later in the morning. I was awake long before her, relaxing with one arm tucked behind my head, the other holding her close as I watched her in the early morning light. She was wrapped around me, her head on my chest, her arm draped around my waist. As she woke, she stretched, her toes curling against my calf, her fingers tightening on my skin. I felt the flutter of her eyelashes as she blinked awake, slowly lifting her head, meeting my eyes. I smiled at her incredible beauty. Her hair was messy, her mouth still somewhat swollen from mine last night. There was a small mark at the base of her throat from my teeth. Faint traces of red from my beard along her collarbone. Her breasts pressed against my chest, her nipples little points on my skin.
And her lovely eyes. Luminous and soft. Peaceful. I had never seen them look so peaceful.
I cupped her cheek, drawing small circles on her skin. “Hey,” I whispered. “Morning, my Snow Queen.”
She yawned and turned her head to kiss my palm. “Hi.”
For a moment, there was quiet, our eyes having a silent conversation. Mine beseeched her not to regret last night, not to regret me. Her gaze, already soft, became warmer, and she tightened her grip on me.
“I have never woken up with another person in my bed,” she confessed.
“Ever?”
“No. My parents didn’t allow the sleepover thing.”
“Boyfriends?” I asked, even though I hated to think of her with anyone but me. “I wasn’t your, ah, first.”
“No.” She looked away for a moment. “But there haven’t been many. And the two relationships I had, neither were the ‘stay with me’ kind. I usually went to their place, and I never stayed over. I never felt that need to wake up with them.”
I was surprised yet somehow pleased. “I’m honored.”
She blushed slightly, making me grin. She lowered her eyes, then peeked up at me. “So, I assume since you’re here, and um, naked, I have free access?”
I chuckled. She was already sliding her thigh along my leg, dragging herself against my erect cock. “I’m completely accessible to you, Lottie.” I spread my arms wide. “Do with me what you will.”