Page 29 of The Proximity Effect

“Oh, God,” I moaned, my fingers digging into the blanket.

He leaned forward, his body flush against mine, his lips against my ear. “You like that, don’t you?” he murmured, his voice a low growl. “You like being fucked like this. Like an animal.”

I nodded. His filthy words shouldn’t have affected me this much, but something about the raw possession in his voice made my inner walls clench around him. God, what was he doing to me? Every dirty phrase that fell from his lips only made me want more, made me push back harder against him, silently begging for everything he had to give.

He pulled me up, my back flush against his chest, his arm wrapping around my waist to keep me in place. His other hand snaked down my body, his fingers finding my clit, rubbing it in tight, fast circles. “Look at the stars, Tessa. Look at the snow and the lake and the mountains. Look at how fucking beautiful it all is.”

I opened my eyes, my gaze taking in the scene before me. The stars twinkled above us, the snow glistened in the moonlight, and the lake reflected the mountains surrounding us. It was beautiful. Breathtaking. Overwhelming.

Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes, a mix of emotions welling up inside me. It was all too much, too intense, too... everything.

“Liam, oh God.” I gasped, my body trembling with the force of my impending orgasm. “I’m close. I’m so close.”

“Come for me.” His fingers moved faster, and his cock slammed into me harder. “Come around my cock. Let me feel you come undone.”

My body convulsed around him as pleasure washed over me, drowning me in a sea of sensation.

Liam followed soon after, his cock pulsing inside me. He groaned, his arms tightening around me.

We stayed like that until our breathing slowed. Liam gently pulled out of me, his arms still wrapped around me. He turned me to face him, his eyes soft and expression tender.

His fingers brushed a strand of hair from my face. “Absolutely incredible.”

I smiled, my cheeks flushing at the compliment. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

He chuckled, squeezing me briefly before letting go. He tossed the condom into the snow. I giggled and covered my mouth.

“What’s so funny?”

“I had a vision of that turning into ice and someone coming across it.” I shimmied my underwear and pants on.

He groaned. “I’m going to pick it up before we leave. Come here.” He pulled me down beside him and pulled the blanket over us.

As the warmth of our shared blanket and the afterglow of multiple orgasms began to fade, reality hit me like a snowball to the face. Oh God. What had I done?

Less than twenty-four hours ago, I’d been in the kitchen with my tongue down Archer’s throat, and now here I was with Liam under the stars.

“I can hear you thinking from here.” Liam’s fingers traced lazy circles on my arm. “Your brow is all scrunched up.”

“I kissed Archer. Last night. In the kitchen. Over ice cream. And now I’ve had sex with you. Amazing sex. Mind-blowing sex. But still... what am I doing? I’m not this person. I don’t do this. I’ve barely been single for a month, and suddenly I’m living out a mountain resort fantasy with multiple?—”

“Tessa.” Liam’s voice cut through my rambling. “Breathe.”

I sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts. “Sorry. I tend to word vomit when I’m nervous. Or confused. Or both. Which I definitely am right now.”

Liam sighed, but it wasn’t an annoyed sigh. If anything, he seemed amused. “Look, what happened with Archer is between you and him. And what happened here?” He gestured between us. “This was just some fun between two consenting adults. Really hot, really enjoyable fun that I personally wouldn’t mind happening again.”

“But you’re my boss,” I pointed out, though my body was already warming at the thought of a repeat performance.

He laughed at that. “Technically, I’m one-third of your boss. And trust me, I have zero concerns about mixing business and pleasure.” He shifted to look at me directly. “Want to know why? Because this place?” He waved his hand in the direction of the resort. “It’s temporary. All of it. We’re stuck here for what, another twenty months? Then we can finally sell and move on with our lives.”

I frowned. “But the resort has so much continued growth potential. If you?—”

“That’s Evan talking,” he interrupted, though his tone remained light. “He’s the dreamer. Always has been. But the reality is, this isn’t my dream and hasn’t been for a while.” His voice was thick with emotion, and he cleared his throat. “Once our two years are up, I’m selling my share to the highest bidder, and I’m going back to my real life.”

“Oh.” I wasn’t sure why that revelation stung a little, but it did. Maybe because in the short time I’d been here, I’d already started picturing what this place could become—or return to.

“Hey.” He tucked a finger under my chin, turning my face toward his. “That’s why this is perfect. No expectations, no complications. Just two people having fun while they happen to be in the same place at the same time.”

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