Page 21 of Let it Snow Queen

I jumped, having not noticed him. “Yep, looks like it, hopefully.”

“Yeah, hopefully.”

I rolled my eyes and leaned against the counter. “Eager to get rid of me?”

“Yes, more than ready.”

“Wow, Mr. Sunshine this morning. Where’re the guys?”

He huffed and made a sarcastic comment under his breath. “Your boyfriends are checking the mountain to see when travel might be safe.”

“Good,” I answered.

“Good,” he copied, standing. I held my ground, though my heart rate kicked up a notch. “With you gone and this snow melted, I can get back to work.”

Anger stirred in my gut. “Yes, have fun destroying this place.”

He stalked closer until I could feel his warmth just inches from me. I pressed into the butcher block countertop to keep any part of me from touching him. “I’m cashing it in now,” he growled.

“Cashing in what?” I hissed back.

“My hate fuck.”

My heart leaped into my throat. He pushed into my body then. I could feel his hard length poke into my belly. I shoved weakly at his chest, though there was no fight in my arms. “What if I say no?”

“You don’t want to,” he replied, taking the snap buttons on the front of my dress. With one quick movement, he ripped my T-shirt dress down the middle, exposing my bare breasts. “I’m right, aren’t I? Look at your hard, pink little nipples. You’re so turned on you can’t stand it.”

“So are you,” I gritted out, palming a hand between us and rubbing against his manhood. He growled low in his throat.“We don’t have a lot of time.”

“Bend over,” he demanded, twirling me around to face the counter. I’d have done as I was told without his hand around the back of my neck, but it was sexy. Koji pulled my sleep dress over my ass. I was about to speak when a slap of pain surprised me.

With a breathy laugh, I asked, “Did you just spank me?”

This time he hit my right cheek. “Yeah, what of it?”

My ass tingled in anticipation from the slaps, and I felt my body respond. “Fuck me, Koji,” I ordered, gripping the counter and arching my back. “Fast, before—”

His rough hands gripped my hips and pulled my backside closer before his cock impaled me from behind. I cried out at the tightness of that position. He pulled out, and as he slammed back in, he slapped my ass again. Shocks of pain and pleasure, cold and heat, rippled through me. All that could be heard through the tiny cottage was our ragged breathing and the wet sounds of my arousal.

“Why do you have to feel so fucking good, Ruby?” he growled. “You feel better than anyone I’ve ever been with. Goddamn.”

He seemed genuinely annoyed by the fact that he wanted me, and for some unexplainable reason, I loved it. I shoved my ass out, allowing his next thrust to hit deeper. We both moaned in unison. His fingertips clutched my soft hips so hard I was sure there’d be bruises, but he was right; it feltso good.

“Fuck, Ruby, you’re going to make me cum,” he gritted out. “You like that, don’t you?”

“Yes, I like you spanking me, too.” I whimpered as my breasts pressed into the cool countertop.

He slapped my ass again, harder than ever, and my orgasm exploded. Waves and waves of pleasure darted through me like a blizzard. Koji Mukai was the human embodiment of a snowstorm: foreboding, powerful, and all-encompassing. As he stilled, panting through his release, I realized something tragically annoying. More annoying than iced roads and canceled plans. This man, with all his iciness, had melted me. And I wasn’t sure I’d ever recover.

Chapter 15

4 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

The crackling fire warmed my toes through my wool socks. I sat indoors with my thick ear band over my hair. My layers reminded me of how my papa would bundle me in yards of clothing before a cold day at school. I wondered what he would think of the guys. That wasn’t something I should have been considering, as my bags sat packed by the door. The past two days were so . . . normal. We cooked, laughed, and explored the thawing-out woods. I could have struggled down the mountain that day, but instead, I sat in front of the fire on the floor of the tiny cabin. I wanted to leave. I wanted to stay. My entire purpose for coming here was null and void. The forest was the opposite of rescued. Everything was ruined. I should have been begging my dads to come and get me. But I wasn’t.

Tossing back my medication, I closed the orange bottle and swallowed.

The screen door squeaked open, and bounding footsteps sounded behind me. “Koji and Fox are clearing the way. You should be able to make it down whenever you’re ready.” Gallow’s dreamy Irish accent would be something I missed. My chest tightened with a mismatch of emotions. The big burly man knelt next to me and cradled my chin. “You look sad, little one. I bet you’re missin’ your boy. Declan will have his mama home soon.”