She held him tightly. “I know what I want,” she whispered.
“You’re a virgin,” he said, starting to pull away.
“Garrett,” she whispered, holding on to keep him from leaving. “Love me,” she whispered. “I want you to,” she said before kissing him passionately. He hesitated a moment and then slowly pushed into her, sending a sharp pain that was gone when he filled her and slowly moved in her.
In seconds she rocked with him, lost in desire. The tension increased. Garrett was covered in sweat, moving with her, trying to pleasure her while urgency grew. And then all control was gone. He pumped fast and she met him, clinging to him as relief burst and rapture poured over her.
“Garrett,” she cried out, holding him tightly, spinning away in ecstasy, oblivious of all else.
He shuddered with his release and then showered kisses on her, slowing as his ragged breathing calmed.
They were finally still, wrapped together, her heartbeat returning to normal. She held him tightly while her fingers played over one muscled shoulder.
“You should have told me,” he said.
“It didn’t matter.”
“Yes, it did. I tried to avoid hurting you.”
She framed his face with her hands and kissed him lightly. “You couldn’t hurt me,” she said and saw something flicker in the depths of his eyes that was like a warning bell to her, yet had it been her imagination? The warmth in his eyes now enveloped her and she pushed away her worry.
He rolled over, keeping her with him, their legs entangled. He combed long strands of hair away from her face and smiled at her. “You’re beautiful,” he whispered, kissing her lightly.
“Garrett, when I flew up here, I was certain this would never happen,” she said, running her fingers over his bare shoulder.
He showered light kisses on her temple down to her ear. “I actually hadn’t planned on it either. I didn’t think you’d want to make love.” He propped himself up on an elbow to look down at her, gazing intently. “I’ll never hurt you, Sophia. I’ll never be like your father.”
“Shh, Garrett. Let me enjoy the moment now,” she said lightly, touched by his statement. She noticed his voice had deepened, his words sounding heartfelt. She combed his brown hair back from his forehead. “This was a one-time thing. I’ll go right back to my former resolutions because that’s the safe way to live and protect my heart,” she said.
He kissed the corner of her mouth lightly. “We’ll see what the future brings,” he whispered, placing more kisses on her throat.
She ran her fingers along his jaw. “This was perfect. I’ll always remember it.”
“I agree with that. Monday night I want to see your house, particularly your studio.”
“That’s a deal. But I think you’ll be disappointed. My studio is just an art studio with all the mess that goes with painting.”
“It’ll be fascinating.”
“If it is, you do lead a boring life.” She smiled at him and shook her head in wonder. “I’m amazed there isn’t one particular woman in your life right now.”
“There is definitely one particular woman in my life right now.” He kissed her again on her throat and shoulders.
Through the night they made love and at dawn she fell asleep in his arms. Sometime later, she stirred and looked down at Garrett. The sheet was across his waist, leaving his chest bare. Even in sleep, his looks fascinated her.
She had no regrets. Garrett excited her more than any man she had ever known. He was intelligent, interesting, fun to be with, exceedingly sexy. She thought she could still keep her heart intact as long as she ended the intimacy when they returned to their regular lives in Texas.
But could she do that? She was realistic enough to know that she was not wildly in love. She was certain she could say no to intimacy.
She leaned down to kiss his shoulder so lightly her lips barely brushed him. His arm circled her waist, pulling her down against him as he slowly opened his eyes. He rolled over while she opened her mouth to tell him good morning. Before she could say a word he kissed her and all conversation was lost.
It was almost two hours later when he held her in his arms while sunshine spilled into the room.
“I have a suggestion for the day,” he said. “I’ll cook breakfast and then we can ski. Or I’ll cook breakfast and then we’ll stay right here in the cabin.”
She laughed. “I say we cook breakfast and ski because that’s what we came here to do. And we’ve been loving it up for hours.”
“And I’m ready to love it up some more,” he said, rolling over on top of her to end their discussion.
He finally cooked breakfast at one. They ate beside a window with a view of the mountains that surrounded the small town.
“Do we have time to ski for an hour?”
“Of course,” he replied, looking amused. “It’s my plane. We can ski for three hours if you want, or longer.”
“One hour will be sufficient and then I’ll be ready to go back to Texas.”
“One hour it is. But there’s no need to rush back to Texas.”
“Garrett, it’s over.”
He paused, gazing into her eyes. He cocked his head to one side. “Don’t make up your mind hastily. You might change how you feel.”
She shook her head. “No. Last night was special and I wanted it to be with you, but we won’t pursue it because that could to lead to heartbreak. I’m not taking that chance.”
“You’re scared to live, Sophia.” His gray eyes darkened slightly. He looked away and a muscle worked in his jaw, a more intense reaction than she would have expected. For an instant, anger flashed like a streak of lightning and then was gone.
“Maybe I’m just exercising caution and waiting for a deep, true love. This weekend was a brief idyll in my steady life.”
“You’re an artist and I doubt if there is any way you can describe your life as ‘steady.’”
“Let’s clean up and go ski.”
“I have someone who will come in and clean after we’re gone. We’ll spend our time on the slopes.”
She hurried to dress, thinking about their conversation and wondering if she could stick by her declarations. She had never expected to have this night of love and yet she had made the decision clearly and rationally and she had no regrets.
But she began to wonder: Was one of the consequences of her actions last night falling in love with Garrett?
She mulled over the question, unable to answer it. She didn’t feel the same toward him as she had before they’d made love for hours. And to her surprise, the night simply made her want to be with him more, not less. Could she stand by her resolutions, do what she knew she should do?
Could she avoid a heartbreak with Garrett? Or was she blindly ignoring the truth that she might be falling in love with him already?
Or, more likely, that she had fallen in love with him that first night she met him?
They skied and returned to his condo by five after eating burgers on the way back. Garrett made a call to his pilot. “He’ll be ready. I told him we can be there by six.”
“I can be ready in just a few minutes. After all, I didn’t bring much.”
“I’ll call him back and make it thirty minutes from now. Or maybe I won’t,” he said, his voice dropping. He tossed his phone on a table and