Tim's and Sky's laughter echoed in the snow-covered forest. They were ahead of me now. Tim, telling Sky yet another story about his and his friend's adventures, gripping her hand as he tried to keep up with her- or Sky with him- was a sight I didn't think I would ever observe. Maybe that was why I lingered behind them, not wanting to spoil their moment.
It was Christmas Eve tonight. We'd been in the mountains for a couple of days now - days and nights, which I spent with Sky in my arms.
We were worried about our friends -Ellie's condition remained the same. Although Sky tried to hide it and downplay the importance of it, I knew she also thought about her situation. Felix notified his colleagues in Paris, and they started to gather evidence. It would take some time, and I hoped they would arrest that bastard before we went back to Paris.
I would hate it if he were free, and my girl had to look over her shoulder, afraid of having him stalk her yet again.
Seeing the bruises on her skin nearly broke me. I still felt guilty for that one time where I behaved like an asshole, doubting her when I should've been punching the shit out of Paul in that restaurant.
Then again, maybe that giant fuckup of mine was what finally made us be together.
"Liam, you're slow," Tim yelled, swiveling his head around to cast me a disapproving glance. "We'll be late for dinner."
Amelia, Felix, and Antoine invited us to have Christmas dinner at their house. We didn't object. However, our cabin had a Christmas tree that Sky, Tim, and I decorated together. That, paired with the white blanket of the snow covering everything around us, made me feel the festive atmosphere I hadn't felt in years.
"Go ahead, buddy," I shouted. Tim returned to his conversation with Sky, and I let my eyes soak in the sight of her in black leggings and a short coat that didn't even cover her bum.
A childish idea came to my mind immediately. I scooped up some snow from the ground and molded it into a sphere. Then, I aimed it at Sky. The white ball hit her butt, making her yelp and glare at me.
"Tell your brother to behave," Sky said to Tim. I should have known that the little traitor would take her side. Laughing, Tim ran toward me and tackled me. Both of us fell onto the white ground. Tim climbed on top of me, and Sky did the same, tickling my ribs until I threw the two of them off me, not without squeezing Sky's behind first.
"We'll be late for dinner. Come on." I laughed, drawing my arms around Sky and Tim as soon as I got up.
"We need to get changed first," said Sky. "I'm not having dinner in these pants, and they are wet."
"What else is wet?" I whispered in her ear, making her blush and stare at me with her baby blues.
Tim was ahead of us now, and I took advantage of him not looking our way to kiss Sky, hard. I could do it all day now that she was mine.
Once in our cabin, we changed into less casual clothes, grabbed the wine and desserts we bought, and went to Amelia's house.
There was hardly anything better than a good homemade dinner. Both of Antoine's parents were excellent cooks. We were stuffed before the dessert. I smiled when Sky yawned next to me and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
Amelia threw me a knowing glance. I was sure she noticed that we were together. I was done hiding it, but Sky didn't seem to be in a rush to tell people we were dating. It was recent and new. I got it but didn't see a problem in sharing the news.
"I have something for you," whispered Sky when the rest of the people were talking about something, not paying attention to us.
"Shorts and oranges?" I asked, making sure to plaster a hopeful expression on my face.
Sky giggled. "No. I'll give it to you in the cabin."
I pecked her cheek. "Okay, sweetheart."
Then, Amelia made us eat some cake, and we stayed chatting with her and her husband for a while until Tim got tired, and we went back to our cabin.
As soon as Tim closed his bedroom door behind him, I drew my arms around Sky and pressed my eager mouth to hers. "Merry Christmas, baby, " I whispered between heated kisses. "My gift first."
I took a box from my nightstand drawer and handed it to Sky. An adorable blush coated her cheeks when she took out a thin golden bracelet adorned with small stones. I thought it would look beautiful on her delicate wrist, and I was right.
"Thank you," whispered Sky. "Mine is a bit similar."
Sky got me a watch, and I couldn't help smiling at the words, engraved on the back of it - Love every moment with you.
I made sure to thank her, crashing my mouth to hers and walking her to the bed, where I was planning on showing her how much I loved our first Christmas together with kisses. I hoped Sky would love something I planned for both of us in a couple of days.
***
"Sweetheart, are you ready to go?" I asked Sky from the bathroom, where I was trying to make my hair look decent. Tim stayed at Antoine's, and Sky and I were going to have a date night.
"One more text."
I smiled. Since the doctors woke Ellie up after Christmas Eve, Sky and Ellie had spent lots of time texting. Our friends needed support, and talking to them was the least we could do.
I washed my hands to get rid of the styling product on them, sprayed some cologne on me, and went to the bedroom.
My eyes couldn't get enough of Sky in a short black dress and the red shoes she'd been teasing me with.
"Come on, let's go." Sky smiled, hopping off the bed and shoving the phone in her purse.
We put on our coats and exited the cabin. Wintry air nipped at my skin right away. "Cold?" I asked Sky.
"No. The cab is already here, look."
She was right; a taxi idled farther down the road. I could've driven, but I decided I'd rather enjoy a glass of wine with dinner.
The short cab ride granted us a chance to observe the small, quaint town with its white church and almost identical, brown roof constructions. Bathed in warm, yellow light coming from the buildings, and surrounded by the imposing mountains, the place belonged in a postcard.
Once I'd paid the driver, we got out of the cab, and I led Sky toward the restaurant where I'd booked a table for two. She observed her surroundings, smiling widely.
The restaurant I'd chosen for out date faced the snow-covered mountain peaks. We sat at a small table next to a fireplace, and the waiter placed the menus in front of us.
Both Sky and I ordered some meat. "Hungry?" I asked the girl who was always famished after making love.
On our second night together, I caught her in the kitchen, making a sandwich at three a.m..
"A bit," she admitted, taking a small sip of her wine. "I love this place."
"Me too. I wanted to do something special with you before we go back to Paris."
"Right after New Year's Eve." Sky sighed. "Only a few days left."
Winking at her, I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. "We gotta make the most of them."
The wine we drank with the delicious meal made both of us slightly tipsy. After what Sky told me, I considered not ordering alcohol at all, but then I decided against it. She was trying to overcome what happened to her. I didn't want to remind her of her ex by treating her differently. True, I was more careful than I would normally be, holding back a bit when we made love. Seeing Sky open up to me and get more and more confident made me happy. I hoped everything would go on just like that, with us getting used to each other and our intimacy.
When we got into the cab to go back, Sky snuggled into me in the back seat. My breath hitched when I felt her lips on my neck and her hand on my chest, undoing a couple of buttons on my white shirt.
"Sweetheart..."
Sky kissed my earlobe and tugged at it with her teeth. "Yeah?"
"You have to wait."
Faking a pout, Sky rested her head on my shoulder. I patted her thigh and couldn't resist easing my hand under the material of her dress, caressing the inside of her leg through the tights she wore.
She let out a small, breathy moan and whispered, "Not fair."
Luckily, the cab ride was over shortly after. My lips were on Sky's as soon as the car disappeared around a corner, lighting up the show with its headlights.
I lifted her off the ground and carried her to the cabin, struggling to unlock the door, distracted by her greedy kisses.
Shrugging off my coat, I took off Sky's as well and pressed her to me. My hands traveled over each of her curves, palming her ass through the dress I desperately wanted to see on the floor. Tearing my lips away from Sky's, I gripped the hem of her dress and then pulled it over her head.
I got rid of the tights too. Sky was in front of me in nothing but a see-through bra and the tiniest black panties I'd seen a girl wear.
Thinking for a moment, I pointed to the shoes. "Those will stay on."
Sky shoved her feet in the high-heeled stilettos. I sought her lips again and kissed her deeply, sucking on her tongue while my hands felt her hot skin, and Sky unbuttoned my shirt, pushing it off my shoulders.
My first option was making love to her in bed, but the shoes would make it uncomfortable.
My eyes landed on a desk, propped against one of the walls in our bedroom.
"Do you trust me?" I asked Sky, stopping my kiss for a second.
She whispered, "Yeah." Her voice sounded shaky, and the sight of her slightly swollen lips alone would suffice to drive me insane.
I kissed her again, slowly, savoring her taste, and led her toward the piece of furniture I set my eyes on. Turning Sky around in my arms so that she would face the desk, I pressed a kiss to her neck from behind and pushed the straps of her bra down her arms before unclasping it and getting rid of the garment.
Painstakingly slowly, my hands moved up her sides and cupped her breasts. I couldn't imagine getting tired of touching her.
Sky moaned when I sucked on her neck and teased her hardened nipples with my fingers. I wouldn't leave marks on her. The thought of hurting her in any way was nearly as bad as seeing the bruises on her skin.
"Do you like it, baby?" I asked, massaging her breasts. The way Sky moved her bum so that it pressed against my erection told me enough.
Putting my mouth on the nape of Sky's neck, I began to kiss my way down her spine, not stopping until I was on my knees behind her with my lips on the small of her back.
The way I wanted to make love to her was new. I hoped she wouldn't be uncomfortable.
Sky's breathing quickened when I gripped the string of her panties, pulling them down in one fluid motion, then helping Sky step out of them. Now, she was bared to me while I was partly dressed. Seeing her by the desk in nothing but those fuck-me red shoes, with her beautiful skin illuminated by the light from a small lamp, was the most erotic sight ever.
"Lift your leg a little, baby," I asked, caressing Sky's thighs.
She whimpered, "Liam..."
"Don't think about anything other than what you feel," I said, lifting one of Sky's legs and making her put it on the desk, with her knee pressed to the smooth wooden surface.
Not giving her time to wonder what I was going to do, I put my mouth on her sex and licked between the folds. Sky moaned, tilting her head back. Her grip on the desk tightened. I went on kissing her, changing the pace to a faster one when she started to move against my mouth.
Seeing her enjoy making love to me, being pleasured by me, was a turn-on. I could barely wait to fuck her when I eased two fingers inside her and felt her wetness coat them. When I sucked on her clit and moved the digits in and out of her, slowly and then much faster, Sky reached behind her and tried to grip my hair. Somehow, I managed to undo my slacks and free myself from my underwear.
My girl was more than ready. I felt her muscles tighten. Her release was close. Removing my fingers from inside her, I grabbed a condom from one of the pockets and tore at the package almost with urgency.
"Just a moment, baby, " I whispered against Sky's bum and bit it lightly when she let out an impatient whimper. Then, as soon as I was ready, my lips returned to her sensitive bud, and my fingers were inside her again. I curled them, rubbing at what I believed was the spot that would send Sky over the edge. I was right; her walls clenched, and she started to shake, moaning desperately.
Swiftly, I rose to my feet and aligned myself with Sky's entrance. My hand was still in her, on her. Not for much longer.
"I'm going to give it to you hard, baby," I rasped out.
Removing my fingers, I slammed into her and started to move at that very moment, hoping to give Sky more pleasure.
"Liam," Sky cried out, nearly losing her balance because of my thrusts.
"I got you, " I said against the tender skin of her neck, kissing it while I drew an arm around Sky's waist and pulled her to me so that she'd lean against me.
"Do you like it deep like this, baby?" I asked, moving faster, nearly losing my mind at feeling Sky so damn ready to come for the second time.
"Don't stop," she answered, angling her head so that she could look at me.
I crashed my mouth to hers and kissed her hard. Our tongues moved together in a crazed, wet dance. Placing my hands on Sky's breasts, I fondled them, knowing that she loved it, and being so aroused would make her enjoy it even more.
"I'm going to..." Sky moaned, breaking our kiss.
"I know, sweetheart. I want you to come hard with me inside you. "
No words were needed after that; I felt Sky's heat and the contractions of her walls, followed by her crying out my name. Increasing the speed of my thrusts, I moaned when my orgasm followed Sky's.
"Oh my God," she whispered, breathing fast, looking at me with those eyes that could easily bring me to my knees.
"Was it good, sweetheart?"
Sky tried to chuckle. "God, I didn't know it could be like this."
"I'm here to love you in every way you want. Hard and fast like now, or soft and slow," I said as I ran my fingers over Sky's leg and removed it from the desk so that Sky could stand up.
"Hold me, baby," she mumbled, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back and rest on my shoulder.
Smiling at the tenderness of the gesture, I turned Sky around in my arms and embraced her highly, running my hands over every inch of her skin I kissed and touched.
We were in bed in no time, naked and kissing once again, unable to get enough of each other.
As Sky's soft lips touched mine, and her hands explored my skin, I thought about the feeling that turned everything upside down in the most unexpected and the best of ways.
It was the feeling of free-falling, scary and sudden, crazy, and untamed. I didn't think I had it in me to fall for someone this hard. Now that it happened, there was no going back. I was all in.