Love Story for a Snow Princess (Siren Publishing Classic) (12 page)

What was it she had thought earlier?
It was hard to live just as it was hard to keep on living in sadness
. Paden had found a way to survive, but he hadn’t found a way to heal. His parents had treated the voice inside his head, his “monster,” as the disease. They had thrown medication at him, therapy, but perhaps they were only treating the symptom instead of the root of the problem.

And what if the problem wasn’t even inside him at all?

Thea turned off the computer and rushed to her room, dressing quickly. As she hurried to the door that led down to the garage that housed the snowmobiles, Miki called out to her.

“Where are you going, Thea?”

Thea turned, her heart racing at being startled. “You almost gave me a heart attack!”

“Sorry,” Miki mumbled as she pulled her robe around herself. “Where are you headed?”

“Can the snowmobile go on the slushy mud piles the snow left behind?”

“Yeah, sure,” Miki answered. “Why haven’t you answered my question?”

Thea hesitated for a moment more before answering. “Paden’s. I have to tell him something.”

Miki sighed. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Thea.”

“He won’t hurt me, Miki,” Thea said softly. “He doesn’t even want to hurt himself.”

“And what? You think you can help him?”

Thea took a deep breath and then shrugged. “I don’t know. But he’s dying inside. How can I walk away when he needs something? Someone.”

“You’re too nice for your own good.”

Thea smiled. “I’ll be fine.”

“Well, all right. But if you need me again, you call me.”

“Will do.”

* * * *

It was plain to see he’d been asleep when he opened the door to her pounding. The suit was gone, and he wore flannel pajama bottoms with a tight T-shirt. His hair stood up in all directions as if he couldn’t keep his fingers out of it. There were no lights on, only the glow of the fire that had been banked for the night.

He stood back and allowed her to come in. “What are you doing here, Thea?” he asked, and the weariness in his tone almost broke her heart.

“Have you ever visited Cale Kritchkofen?”

He blinked. “Who?”

“The man who took you. Didn’t you even know his name?”

He shook his head. “No, my parents never discussed that with me. I only talked about what happened to my therapists, and they sure didn’t bring up his name. Besides I never…I never wanted to know anything about him.”

“His name is Cale Kritchkofen, and he’s still in the Florida State Prison. He’s sixty-two years old and has been denied parole each time he’s been up because your father makes sure to appear at the hearings and gives testament about what he did to you.”

“How do you know this?” he whispered.

“I’ve been on the Internet this evening.”

“And this is on the Web?”

She shrugged. “It’s not hard to find information if you search hard enough. A couple of your fans actually reported about your father.”

“I didn’t know my dad did that for me.”

“Why wouldn’t he? If my child had been taken, I would do everything in my power to make sure the person responsible paid for the rest of his life.”

Paden shook his head, as if hardly able to believe it. She could see the wheels turning in his mind. He walked into the kitchen to grab a beer. When he offered her one, she actually accepted it.

They sat at the counter, facing each other.

“I guess I never gave it much thought if he was still alive or not,” Paden murmured. “To me he was this...”

“Monster?”

He nodded.

“He’s your monster, you know,” she continued. “The monster in your head, telling you to cut him out. I think everything got all jumbled in there, trying to forget and heal at the same time.”

“So you’re a shrink now?” he asked sarcastically. “What about you, Thea? Wasn’t it only two weeks ago that you were ready to marry a stranger?”

She took a deep breath. “Of course, when you psychoanalyze someone, it’s not that much of a stretch to start thinking of your own decisions. I admit, I came out here to try to find a replacement for the family I lost. And you know what? I did find a new family. Miki, Toothless Jim, Caleb. You. But you know what else I learned? My family is still there, in my heart, and yes, sometimes I miss them so much it’s hard to breathe. But my soul didn’t die with them.”

That shut him up. He stared at her with watchful, carefully blank eyes.

“Paden,” she continued. “I think it’s clear that you’ve been treated for a symptom, instead of being treated for the cause.”

“Of course I know my captivity is the cause of my cutting—”

“No. Not the captivity. The man.”

He frowned. “Is there a difference?”

She sighed and leaned into him. She placed her hand directly on the spot where he had sliced. His breath hitched in his throat.

“Kiss me,” she ordered.

“What?”

“Kiss me.”

Hesitantly, slowly, he leaned into her. Their lips touched, melted, and her tongue touched the seam of his lips. It didn’t take much for him to capitulate, opening under her pressure and sweeping inside. He reached for her, pulling their bodies together as the haze of desire swept over them.

She started backing away, holding onto him and pulling him along with her. She swept kisses over his mouth, enticing him to follow her up the stairs into his bedroom. When she finally broke the kisses it was so she could undress. He watched her, green fire burning up his gaze even in the dim light.

“Are you sure, Thea?” he asked, need burning in his voice.

For an answer, she crawled onto the bed and slid her hands over her body. She watched him as he watched her, saw his eyes follow the movement of her own hands upon her body. One hand trailed down her shoulder and chest, across one breast to her stomach while the other hand continued toward her pussy. She kept herself trimmed so it was easy to slide her fingers in until they brushed over her clit. She could feel his tension, saw him tenting the front of his pajama bottoms, and ran her tongue over her bottom lip. This was different for her, playing the seductress, but in front of him it felt quite easy to beguile.

She pinched one nipple and moaned. Thea lay back and parted her legs a little farther to show him that her finger was pumping herself, in and out, up and down. It wasn’t enough to get herself off, but enough to tempt him.

“I want you want to fuck me, Paden. I want your cock buried so far in me we both lose control.”

“Jesus, Thea.”

He took off his T-shirt, slithered out of his pants, and knelt on the bed at her side. He still watched her, not doing anything as she gently played with herself.

She withdrew from her body, reaching out to take his hands and bring them to her breasts. She manipulated them to rub her mounds, lightly over her nipples until they puckered into hard little nubs of need.

With a moan Thea arched, offering herself to him in seductive submission.

Paden leaned over her and took a nipple in his mouth, teasing it, nipping it slightly, not enough to cause extreme pain but hard enough to heighten the underlying pleasure. He kissed and licked his way down her body, over her stomach, gripping her hips to hold her steady.

“Spread your legs,” he ordered in a rough, raspy voice.

She obeyed, bending her knees before moving them widely apart. He settled his face in her feminine folds, and she felt him inhale against her before using the first swipe of his tongue to bathe her clit. Thea moaned at the feathery lick and reached up to grip the headboard as she pressed her head deeper in the pillows, waiting for the next pass over her sensitized nexus.

Again he took her with a slow drawl of his tongue as he started as far back as he could reach, up the slick opening dripping juice to the swelling bud of her clitoris. She moaned as his long tongue slid over her slick walls.

Two of his fingers found her center, sweeping in and out in a circular motion as he pressed in. The unexpected feeling of having something in her vagina, as well as manipulating her clit was too much of a shock, and she came suddenly, crying out as waves crashed over. She arched her back but Paden didn’t relent, perhaps even pressing harder as she rode the crest of her orgasm.

When she finally shuddered on the last wave of excitement, he withdrew from her, wiped his mouth on the comforter and settled his body on top of hers, in the open juncture of her thighs. She could feel every bit of him against her, muscle to muscle, chest on chest, hip to hip, his legs rubbing along hers, and his heavy cock nestled flush against her slit. He was big and hard and heavy for her.

His mouth settled on hers, and she opened, allowing him in. She tasted herself on his lips, a dark, exotic musk that wound up through her sense. Thea let go of the headboard and encircled his neck with her arms, hugging him tightly.

He didn’t press to enter her. He only moved his hips to rub a little, up and down.

He gripped the sides of his face, and she pulled back from his kiss. They looked at one another, memorizing and committing to detail every single expression. In his eyes she saw him question if this was what she wanted.

In answer, Thea raised her hips. The fat head of his cock nudged past her swollen pussy lips and burying deeply inside. For a second, neither of them moved, only savored the feeling of skin to skin.

“You’re so warm,” he whispered.

Then his hips pulled back before plunging forward. She gasped, he gasped, and their fingers twirled together to grip each other tightly. Again and again, harder and more insistent, he pumped into her.

“Ohhh!” she moaned. “Yes, please, please more!”

“You feel so good,” he growled in her ear.

She gripped his shoulders as the tension inside her rose. He paused for a moment to stare deeply into her eyes, and a quiver rumbled inside her as she began to lose control. Then he started to move again, harder, faster, deeper. She reached with her free hand to grab his hard ass, feeling his muscles clench each time he thrust.

“Come for me, Thea,” he urged. “Come on my cock.”

Her breathing turned shallow as he pistoned his massive cock in and out of her hungry pussy, slamming into her until the bed rattled.

“Oh,” she gasped. “Yes, yes, yes!”

She screamed as she came, the world splintering apart as bliss exploded within her. He reached between them, right as the crest hit, and rubbed her clit, which sent her into another wave of exquisite orgasm.

How long she shuddered in ecstasy she didn’t know, but slowly she drifted into the hazy world of exhaustion. Paden pulled out of her and she realized that he was still hard, still pulsing in his own need for satisfaction.

“I forgot to put on a condom,” he rasped, his voice filled with unfulfilled longing.

She forced her eyelids open. “That’s not why you didn’t come.”

He shifted until he lay beside her. She could feel his hard cock against the outside of her thigh.

“I know,” he whispered.

They lay facing each other. Paden had brought the fire back to life and the light cast a lovely glow in the loft. They stared at each other, and though Thea hadn’t a clue as to what he was thinking, she couldn’t help but think about their lovemaking.

It had been one of the most amazing experiences of her life. The only glaring exception being that he hadn’t been able to fall off the precipice with her.

“I’m leaving, Paden,” she told him softly.

A frown appeared between his eyes. “When?”

“Hank is expected Tuesday or Wednesday.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment, but she could see he struggled with something. “Are you going back to Malibu?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

She thought about how she wanted to answer. “I’ve never visited their graves,” she finally said, her voice somber. “In the year they’ve been gone, I’ve not stood at their gravesites and said good-bye to them. Now…now I feel like it’s time.”

“I want to come with you,” he told her in a slightly unsteady voice, unblinking.

That surprised her. “What? Why?”

“Because,” his voice broke. Tears swam in his eyes. “After your family in Malibu I want us to go to Florida.”

Finally, she moved closer to him, hugging him tightly. His arms went around her as he buried his face in her neck.

“I’m scared,” he admitted, his voice shaking.

“He can’t hurt you anymore,” she told him. “And I’ll be with you.”

He fell silent. They stayed wrapped in each other’s arms, simply holding each other tightly.

Just when she was almost dozing off, he said one last thing.

“What did I ever do without you?”

* * * *

She went back to helping Miki out at Suinnak, waiting for Hank to fly in. Most of the town came by to say good-bye to both her and Paden. Even Thistle Vann came out, as well as Mr. Quinn who wanted to know what to do with her bank account. She told him to keep it open for now.

Paden had met his deadline and sent everything off to his editor with instructions he’d be out of reach for a few weeks. He had since spent all his time sitting at his table, drinking cup after cup of coffee and talking with just about everyone.

She didn’t go back to his house, however. There was no way she would subject him to the same torture as the day she had seduced him to prove a point. So each night he kissed her and left at closing, showing up the next day to while away the hours.

Miki was sad to see her leave. Truth be told, Thea was sad as well. Miki had become a very good friend, her best friend, and since she wasn’t sure where she was going to end up, leaving was slightly bittersweet.

When Hank arrived on Tuesday, he brought with him supplies as well as the mail. People gathered around the post office excitedly to receive letters and packages.

As Paden helped Hank load up their luggage, Thea gave Caleb a tight hug.

“So you did find someone in River Ice after all,” he teased.

Thea flicked her gaze over to Paden’s sturdy frame for a brief moment. Heat stole into her cheeks. “I suppose Illa Partnership Services did make their money.”