Ice for His Ego: A Novelette Read online

  Roxy glanced around the living area and didn’t see Baron, but noticed his stinky gym bag in the corner. She quickly ran across the room on the balls of her feet, she pushed opened the sliding barn wood door that led to their bedroom. When she stepped into the room, she heard the light patter of water from the bathroom shower. Good he was in the shower. Perfect time for her to hide her bags in the closet. She dashed to the full-size closet and pushed her bags up onto the top shelf of her wardrobe, all the way to the back. Hopefully, Baron wouldn’t see it.

  Discarding her coat and slipping from her heels, Roxy opened the door to the bathroom. The humid air immediately stuck to her skin. And although the shower glass was slightly fogged, she could see Baron quite clearly. The water ran over his olive skin in sensual rivulets. Over every dip and curve of his muscular back and over the globes of his tight ass. He turned around and his hazel eyes locked with hers. A hand reached up and pushed his short dark hair back from his forehead. His stare was intense but there was a smirk playing at the corner of his lips. “Are you gonna stalk me or join me?”

  Roxy felt a blush of embarrassment rise to her cheeks. She was caught staring but wasted no time unbuttoning her blouse. She unhooked her bra and made a show of removing her slacks; her panties going effortlessly with them.

  “Don’t make me come over there and get you,” Baron growled.

  She peeked up through her lashes from her bent position. Baron was hard as a rock. His shaft jutted from between his muscular thighs. His hand stroked slowly but steadily up and down his thick length. Roxy’s heart thrummed in her chest. She and Baron always had an unshakeable chemistry. Always responding to each other just by mere proximity. Her nipples grew hard just from the anticipation. She needed Baron just as much as he needed her.

  He pushed open the glass door to the shower, and the damp moisture enveloped her. As soon as she was less than an inch from him, Baron wrapped his arm around her waist, pulled her over the threshold and took her lips into a wet, smoldering kiss. His lips ravaged her and his tongue slicked into her mouth—his hand at the back of her head held her firm. He was dominating her and Roxy was thirsty for it.

  Their kiss broke for a moment, long enough for Baron to whisper against her lips, “God I missed you.”

  Her forehead leaned against his. The air sizzled between them as they both worked to catch their breath.

  “I missed you too, Baron.” Roxy’s hands ran over his broad shoulders and over his pectorals. She savored the feeling of the hard muscle beneath his flesh and watched as her fingers created an invisible trail as they moved over the plains of his abs. Sometimes she couldn’t believe she was with such a beautiful creature. Not only physically—let’s face it, she was completely obsessed by his physique—but he was such a wonderful man. Honest, loving, supportive, and absolutely protective. Roxy had been through at least one heartbreak in a lifetime—which to say was one too many—and Baron was the one who brought her back from a hole so dark and deep she didn’t think there was any coming out of it. He had shown her that there were things worth taking risks for even if she was afraid.

  “What are you thinkin’, angel?”

  Their foreheads still touched and Roxy’s fingers danced over the trail of dark hair leading down from his navel. She glanced up and he was looking right at her. His hazel eyes were so light that she always felt like he could see right through her; knew everything she was thinking or feeling. That he could see right to the core of her.

  Baron chuckled at her silence and dipped down to take her lips into another kiss. She moaned into his mouth and he reached down and lifted her by her ass. Roxy wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his shoulders. She was average height and had curves in all of the right places but Baron lifted her like she weighed no more than a feather. Her fingers ran through his wet hair grasping fistfuls as if her life depended on it—or more like her lady bits depended on it. He always aroused her until she was nearly begging for it. He loved to tease her even when she didn’t need it. At the current moment, Roxy was aching to feel him inside of her.

  She broke their kiss. Both of them panting. “Baron,” she whispered as she reached between them and grasped his hardness. Gods he was like a hot, thick steel rod. She could feel him pulsing in her hand.

  “You know what to do, baby.”

  This time it was Roxy taking him into a ruthless kiss. She placed the tip of him at her entrance and his hands on her ass tilted her up impaling her on his shaft as he pushed forward. Her fingers dug into his back and she moaned as she felt every single inch of him slide into her—stretching her. She was very used to having Baron inside of her but that initial penetration was always like heaven.

  Baron bottomed out and she was so full of him. He groaned as his head fell to her shoulder.

  “Babe,” he said breathlessly, “The way you feel. It drives me fuckin’ crazy every time—so fuckin’ tight.”

  Baron’s hands tightened on her ass as he pulled out and pushed back in. His thrust went so deep, she could feel the rush in her toes. He thrust again and a tingle ran up to her fingers. Baron walked them back and the tile was against her back. Roxy opened her eyes and Baron was staring down at her. He was considerably taller than her and even wrapped around him at waist level, her view was only of him—his body, his spicy scent surrounding her making her crazed with arousal. His nostrils flared and his eyes watched her with intent. One of his hands came off of her ass and braced against the wall. Roxy moved her hips back and forth digging her heels into his lower back to get some leverage and just reveled in the feel of him in and around her.

  This was what she needed at the end of the day. To get lost in her man and the pleasure he could give her. It was so easy to get lost in the judgment and the ideals of others—to get lost in her own doubts and concerns—but in the present when it was just her and Baron, everything seemed so much simpler. So much easier.

  “Gods, you’re beautiful when you just take me.” Baron pushed her flat against the wall and gave her all that he had. Both of his hands tight on her ass now, gripping her—keeping her exactly where he wanted her. Relentlessly he pounded into her. Roxy moaned her head moving up and down the wall from the vigor of his thrusts. She would be sore and probably bruised later but she didn’t care. She just didn’t want him to stop. Her nails were probably embedded in his back she was grasping him so tightly.

  His hand came up to her hair and at first, she thought he was going to cushion her from the friction of the wall, but no, Baron fisted a hand full of her hair, pulled her away from the wall a little and pulled her head back, baring her neck to him. She was completely at his mercy, bound by his will. His mouth latched onto her throat and he sucked and nibbled to his heart’s content. He lathered kisses all over her neck and to her chin. “I’m taking you to the bed.”

  The water was off and he carried her to the bed in what felt like two seconds. Roxy didn’t even have a moment to complain about the sheets getting wet before he was thrust balls deep inside of her again. He took the air right out of her. But this, this was so much better. She arched back in ecstasy and the pillow beneath her head enveloped her. Baron still had his hand buried in her hair. His other hand pushed her knee up to her side allowing him to go deeper. He was pounding into her so hard her toes were permanently curled. Her moans were coming so fast, before she could realize it she was climaxing. Her climax obliterated every nerve ending in her body and Baron was right behind her with a deep groan into her neck. His weight gently settled on top of her and she welcomed it. Who wanted to be left cold and vulnerable after getting ravaged like she had.

  Chapter Three

  “Gotta love reheated Chinese food?” Baron said sarcastically. “You know next time I might just decide to go shopping when you’re bringing home dinner.”

  Roxy rolled her eyes, “Right, because we didn’t just make love in the shower and the bedroom. This is all about me.”

  He was being a jerk because he’d found the ba
gs, and she was a bad liar. He never missed anything; she didn’t even know why she had thought he wouldn’t see them in the first place.

  “That was not lovemaking. That was pure, unadulterated fucking,” he said around a mouth full of food.

  Roxy slanted her eyes at him.Baron set his fork down on his plate after swallowing, “Babe, you can’t even be mad. You stuck your clothes on my side of the closet—the side you’ve been slowly taking over?”

  Roxy laughed because he was so right.

  It was times like these when she and Baron were sitting alone and enjoying each other’s company that made her love him even more. Even when she really wanted to punch him. She turned her head to the right, watched Baron smile and lean back in his chair. From the first time Roxy walked into Baron’s gym and he smiled at her, she was stuck. He had such an infectious smile. It always went straight to his beautiful eyes.

  “How was work?” Roxy said.

  “It was great as always. You know the women love me. And my last client, whew…she wanted to take me home, but I told her I had to get Chinese for my girl tonight. I told her I was willing to reschedule though.”

  Roxy reached over to push Baron, but he caught her hand and dragged her from her seat and into his lap, screaming, “No! No playing at the table!”

  Baron bent her over his arm kissing and biting her cheeks as she kicked and tried to squirm from his grasp. Eventually, he let her up.

  Roxy wiped her face, in mock disgust. “Are you done taking advantage of me?”

  Baron squeezed her cheeks and kissed her. “I’m never done taking advantage of you.”

  The remainder of their earlier activities sent a shiver down her spine.

  She watched him pick at a fancy napkin on the large Victorian oak table and glance at its other contents. “Why don’t we ever use this table? Didn’t you buy it to have family dinners?”

  “Yeah,” Roxy hesitated.

  “We should invite your parents over when we get back. No point in having a ten-seater when you don’t use it.”

  Roxy draped her arm over his shoulder and tilted her head to look into his eyes, really trying to take him in. “Are you sure, babe?”

  Baron’s eyebrows dropped across his forehead. “Why wouldn’t I...is this because...” He sighed. “Babe, I’ve had my time to mourn my parents’ deaths—”

  “You can take as long as you want, baby.” Roxy interrupted.

  “I know and I have. I’d love to have your parents over for dinner. Okay?”

  Roxy nodded but she was still a little unsure.

  “You’ve got to stop trying to protect me. I can’t have people walking on eggshells around me all the time. I’m fine.”

  Maybe Baron didn’t need her protection. But she kept remembering that night when he broke down. Maybe he was past it. She propped her elbow on the table and dropped her head into her hand. Roxy didn’t know what to think. Baron grasped her chin and tilted her head to look at him; he just shook his head and grasped her hand pulling it to his lips. His long fingers wrapped tightly around her hand and she could feel the calluses on his palm against her soft skin. His natural Mediterranean skin tone was slightly lighter than her bronzed tone.

  “Wanna see what I bought?” Roxy smiled up at him, trying to lighten the mood.

  Baron chuckled and smirked, “Only if you’re modeling it for me.”

  ***

  Roxy glanced over at Baron in the driver’s seat. The packed snow crunched underneath the Range Rover’s tires as they pulled up to the resort’s main lodging. He’d woken her up at the crack of dawn, or no…before the sun even had the thought of rising. He’d dragged her out of bed literally by the ankle—something about his second attempt—and pushed her into the bathroom to get ready. Baron had already been awake for a couple of hours. He was always awake before her; he was that irritating morning person. Roxy on the other hand, was not. She needed her coffee before any type of action could happen, hence the reason he’d dragged her from the bed.

  After whining at having to get ready without her coffee, Roxy shuffled from the bedroom, and as soon as she opened the door, the smell of freshly brewed coffee assaulted her nose. When she came to the hallway, Baron shoved a thermos of steaming coffee into her hands and passed her coat. Like the gentleman he was, he’d already thrown her bags into their truck and was ready to go. Ugh, she couldn’t stand morning people, but he’d redeemed himself a little with the coffee. Now, she was only making him suffer a little with a little back-to-back of Rihanna. Her second wake up addiction.

  It had taken almost four hours to get to their lodge, and by the time they arrived, Baron looked like he wanted to drive the truck over a cliff.

  “On the trip back, that album,” he pointed to Roxy’s phone. “Is not an option—or anything else featuring Rihanna.”

  Roxy chuckled as he put the vehicle in park and jumped out to get the lodging information and keys. Five minutes later, they were on their way to their cabin. She hated how they bumped along the road, especially in the snow. She always felt like the truck would go sliding into a ditch. But Baron, always the fearless one, pushed right through it. Roxy hated driving in the snow.

  Baron pulled up right to the front door of the cabin. From the front of the steepled roof log cabin, there was a porch with a cute rocking chair by one of the symmetrical windows. Roxy turned to Baron just before he tossed the keys her way. He chuckled, watching her fumble.

  “Thanks for the warning,” she replied.

  He slid out of the truck and disappeared from her view, “Check out the place. I’ll bring the bags in. And if there’s a weirdo in there, scream. I’ll come running.”

  Roxy rolled her eyes, opening the truck door. “Aren’t you the perfect man, so protective.”

  Her black knee-high boots crunched into the snow until she stepped onto the wooden porch. She stuck the key in the lock and turned the knob. When she stepped into the cabin onto the rich wooden floor, the smell of pine and rustic cabin assaulted her senses. The space was an open concept with high steeple ceilings braced by sturdy wood supports, to her right sat an intimate living area decked with an area rug and its own fireplace, and a huge ancient kitchen in the far-left corner with a dining table next to it. She opened the first door to her left—closet, and the next—bathroom. The door in the far-right corner had to be the bedroom.

  Baron walked into the cabin with bags in both arms as she took off her coat to lay it on the back of the sofa.

  “Not so bad. So far looks better than the last one,” he said.

  “So far. Haven’t seen the bedroom yet.”

  The cabin they had rented last year was horrid. Proved to never trust the pictures online. Talk about rustic—the thing was practically falling apart. Needless to say, they picked another spot for this year’s trip.

  Roxy turned the handle to the bedroom and pushed the door open. The room was nice and cozy with a king bed to her left and master bath to the right. Sweet and simple. She pulled her phone from her back pocket and shot a text to Felicity letting her know they arrived safely. Baron sat the suitcases next to the dresser across from the bed, and pulled his jacket off.

  He yawned, “I know I only drove for about four hours, but I’m actually tired, babe. I think I’m gonna crash on the couch for a bit.”

  “That’s what happens when you go to sleep late and wake up before the ass-crack of dawn.”

  He chuckled. “Nope, this is what happens when you make your boyfriend drive and torture him with the same artist for four hours straight. My brain is on meltdown right now. It needs to recover.”

  She tried to contain her sigh but it slipped out.

  Baron walked over and kissed her on the forehead. “Don’t sigh. It’s all your fault.”

  “Whatever, Baron,” she laughed. “I’m going to put the groceries away.”

  “By the way,” he leaned back into the threshold. “Skiing all day tomorrow.”

  Roxy whined. “All day? I don’t wanna.”<
br />
  “I know you don’t. But just once I want you to go up with me.”

  “We do this every year,” Roxy fell back onto the bed and slapped her hands over her eyes. “It’s scary. I’m not a professional snowboarder like you. You’re going to leave me at the top of the hill.”

  A heavyweight came down on top of her and she felt fingers prying her hands from her face. When they succeeded and she opened her eyes, those mischievous hazel ones were gazing down at her.

  “What’s so scary about it?” Baron shifted his weight to the side.

  “You mean besides flying down a steep, slippery, snow-covered hill with really no way to stop? And don’t say I can point my skis together and I’ll slow down. That doesn’t work!”

  Baron threw his head back and laughed. Roxy punched him in the chest.

  “Ouch, okay I’m sorry,” he said rubbing the spot on his chest while trying to compose himself. “How about tubing you liked that last year.”

  “I was terrified the whole time that I was going to slide off the tube and the ice was going to filet the skin right off my face.”

  Baron grimaced at Roxy. Both of them were quiet waiting for the other to say anything. He always thought she was being dramatic about some of her fears but she was serious. These things could really happen.

  “Roxy…”

  “I’m serious.”

  He scoffed. “I know you are. So why are we here? What are you gonna do when I’m hittin’ the slopes all day tomorrow?”

  “Drink hot chocolate and lounge around in the main lodge in my cute boots.”

  Baron threw himself beside her onto the mattress. “You’re killin’ me! I’m not winning this, am I?”

  Roxy shook her head.

  “Ugh,” he pushed himself from the bed. “I’m gonna make a hot pocket. I’m sure I won’t have a heart attack.” Baron was mocking her fear.

  “You’re such a jerk.”

  “Love you too, babe.”