One hand braced against the tile, I wrapped the other around my hard, thick dick that was already oozing precum. The first stroke had me damn near losing my balance. I groaned tilting my head back as the water ran down my face My grip tightened, dragging my hand from the base to the tip, slow, squeezing pressure that had me sucking in air like I forgot how to fuckin’ breath. I saw her in my mind… knees on the cold tile, hair wet down her back, her mouth open and her tongue circling the tip of my dick. The vision had me stroking harder. The rough, wet sound echoed off the shower walls as my fist pumped over my shaft.
Her voice filled my head: “Niko—oh my God—don’t stop… please don’t stop?—”
I thrusted into my hand, chasing the way her pussy used to milk every inch of me. Water hit my chest, my muscles tensed.
“Elise—” I growled.
My body jerked forward as cum spilled across my hand, my stomach and the tile floor, uncontrollable. I stood there shaking, breath ragged and pressed my forehead to the wall while the water washed everything off my skin but not off my mind. When the aftershocks eased and I washed up and stepped out. I walked over to the sink and wiped the fog off the mirror. The same truth stared back at me: I was fucked. Completely. She was back on this mountain, and one look at her had every part of me lit up like I hadn’t gone a damn day without craving her.
I walked out the bathroom and sat on the edge of the bed, towel hanging around my waist, palms digging into my knees. I still couldn’t breathe right. I wanted answers. I wanted to know why seeing her again felt like the oxygen was leaving my body. Her running meant she had to feel the same thing that I was feeling. One thing I knew for sure… tomorrow, I was finding out. No more running or hiding behind the past. She came back toWinter Haven for a reason and I wasn’t leaving without finding out exactly what the hell that reason was.
Chapter 15
Niko
Morning came faster than I expected, which was fine because I didn’t get a wink of sleep. Every time I closed my eyes that woman was right there again. My brain kept trying to figure out how the hell everything flipped that fast. I got up faced my face, brushed my teeth, threw on a black thermal and some joggers and headed straight to the lodge. I didn’t even bother eating. I moved through that place with one thing in mind. Find her.
I checked every part of the retreat and came up empty. My pulse spiked with each empty room. Every face I passed that wasn’t hers pissed me off even more. I ended up by the front desk, hands in my pockets, heart beating harder than it should for a man who was supposed to be unbothered, but I was bother as fuck
The clerk straightened when she saw me. “Good morning, Mr. Frost. Is everything alright?”
“No,” I said. “I need some help.”
“What can I do for you, Sir?”
“I’m looking for a guest,” I told her. “She checked in a couple nights ago under Elise Winters.”
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. “I’m sorry, sir, but we don’t release?—”
I pulled my wallet out and dropped a hundred dollar bill on the counter.
“I’m not asking for her social security number,” I said. “I just need to know her real name and if she’s still here. That’s it.”
She swallowed, glanced around, then slowly started typing. I could read guilt all over her face.
“There is a note on the account,” she said. “It was booked under Elise Winters, but the legal registration name is… Noelle Sterling.”
Noelle.A real name this time.
“And her cabin?” I asked.
She hesitated. “Cabin Seven.”
Not far from the cabin I was staying in.I leaned in. “Is she still here?”
The clerk looked back at the screen and winced. “According to the system… Ms. Sterling checked out last night.”
For a second, everything around felt distant. Damn. She didn’t just run… she left my ass I nodded once and walked off before I said some sideways shit to the wrong person.
I found myself at the bar again. Early as hell, but I needed to sit somewhere before I lost my mind. The bartender slid me a shot, I tossed it back and told him to bring two more. I had a name now. I couldn’t do shit but wonder with that fake ass name because I couldn’t find her anywhere, but I’m sure Noelle Sterling had an internet trail. I pulled my phone out, opened Facebook and typed her name in.
Her profile popped up instantly. The profile picture was of her at an event, wearing a black dress that hugged every curve, that soft smile I knew too well now. I scrolled through photos of weddings she planned, corporate parties, and before-and-after shots of ballrooms and lobbies she decorated. She looked goodin every picture. She was fine as fuck and successful. Atlanta locations tagged all over her page. I kept scrolling, then paused on a picture of a tiny hand grabbing her finger. The background was blurry but you could tell it was something pink.
Caption:My whole heart in one photo.
It was posted five months ago. My chest tightened as the thought evaded my mind but I wasn’t sure. I scrolled back further and stopped on a boomerang of a sonogram on a light box with heart emojis. That was posted about eight months ago. I started feeling anxious as fuck but I kept going. My thumb paused on a mirror selfie. Noelle was standing in her bathroom in a fitted dress, hand resting low on a small but clear bump.
Caption:Didn’t expect this plot twist, but God doesn’t miss.
