Checking It Twice, page 12
“Seals have flippers.”
I phoned Colleen back after seeing that it was well past nine. Wat lowered his head to my throat and began sucking. Hard. I winced, but my prick, already hard, was totally into the hungry vampire vibe. I still would offer my vine to vamp Kiefer Sutherland from The Lost Boys. She giggled all the way through the short conversation. When I hung up, Watley had moved from my neck to my dick.
“The boys are ready to come back but Colleen is taking them to the main…damn, but that feels so good…what was…oh yeah, breakfast time is upon us.”
He pulled off, pupils blown, lips slick and pink. “I’m having my morning protein right now.” And back down onto my dick, he went. Only a bastard would deny his lover breakfast.
A half hour later, after I sucked him off out in the kitchen—paybacks were important in a relationship—we dressed and made our way to the inn. Everyone in our little hockey group was done eating when we entered the main dining area. Thankfully, there was food left. What with several dozen hockey players, one took one’s chances when one showed up to meals late.
Wat and I kept sneaking glances at each other as we filled our plates with bacon, scrambled eggs, and toast. Colleen wasn’t as discreet as we’d been when we sat down after kissing our sons on top of their heads. Moves that got us grunts of displeasure from the young men being smooched. I didn’t care. Yes, I knew Zach thought he was too old to be fussed over, but I was walking on sunshine this morning, even though the temperature outside was a balmy four degrees.
“You two look well-rested,” Mark said with a smirk above his cup of coffee.
“They look well loved. You have a little thing, honey,” she told me, pointing to her neck right above where her clavicle was. I looked down to see a giant hickey poking out of the collar of my shirt. Heat flooded my face. I tugged my sweater up higher and buttoned the white shirt I’d worn underneath. “You don’t have to garrot yourself, Sutter. We’ve all seen horse bites before.”
“We called them bug bites when I was a teenager,” Kurt interjected, while Watley tried to hide behind a triangle of toast to no avail.
“My dad always asked if I got too close to the exhaust pipe when I was a randy young man,” Mark tossed out. I pretended not to hear any of them and tried to focus on forking up some fluffy eggs. “It’s been centuries since I had a hickey.”
“Don’t even start. The last time I tried to nibble on your neck you told me you weren’t corn on the cob,” Colleen fired back with a toss of her hair. We all snorted in amusement.
“Can we please stop talking about my father’s hickey?” Zach shouted from the table behind us. My face got even redder somehow. The whole dining area erupted into titters. Thankfully, just as I thought I would have to eat my breakfast under the table, Bryan hustled into the room, smiling widely, his tie a little windblown, as was his hair.
“Attention, folks! I have great news. The state police have just informed me that the main road to the inn is now clear to traffic!” Bryan yelled to be heard all the way in the back. A rousing cheer went up from all of us. The kids all jumped up and danced, thrilled to be going home to those gifts awaiting them under their Christmas trees.
Home. Boy, did that sound good. My own bed, a shower stall large enough for an ex-jock, my books. Yep, it would be great to put this place behind us.
I peeked down the table at Watley, and his gaze met mine. Perhaps I would miss that old cabin with the bunk beds and handpump a little. He blew me a kiss. My heart did a flip flop.
Right. Okay, I would miss it more than a little. Maybe, someday, if the fates were kind, we could come back and spend a few nights in the honeymoon suite. Minus any natural disasters.
Epilogue
A year later
“Welcome back to the Retreat Inn.” Bryan grinned at us as we dropped our bags by the registration desk. The place was hopping, as usual, and there were now three people at the huge front desk checking people in. “We’re so happy that you chose to come back and to let us spoil you for your honeymoon. Congratulations, Mr. and Mr. Thompson-McCutcheon!”
Everyone in a mile radius, it seemed, stopped what they were doing to clap and cheer. A bellhop raced up with a popper. Confetti filled the air. More clapping took place. I reached for Watley’s hand, found it, and gave it a squeeze. He laughed at the fuss but, being the good sport that he was, lifted my hand to his lips and gave the shiny new gold band on my left ring finger a kiss. Everyone applauded, then clapped our backs or shook our hands.
“Thank you,” I said to the small group and turned my attention back to Bryan. People returned to their own business, some with tidbits of rainbow paper stuck in their hair. Mine was probably thick with confetti. Watley’s dark hair was nothing but paper bits. It looked cute as hell on him. Of course, I’d not seen much that my new husband didn’t look good wearing. Other than that ratty tartan robe of his. That needed to be burned. I prayed he hadn’t packed it…“So, we’re ready to check in now. Is our cabin ready?”
“It is yes. We’ve made some changes to it we hope you enjoy,” Bryan chattered on about the Blue Spruce cabin as he typed merrily away. I was sure that whatever they’d done would be acceptable. Right now I’d be happy to find it just as we had left it a year ago. We’d just push the beds together and get to consummating our vows like any other newlywed couple. Hell, I’d make love to Wat on the floor in front of the fire. Actually, that sounded kind of romantic. “We’d love to have you join us for some of our outdoor activities, but we know how newlyweds are.” He gave us a wink as he passed along our keys. “We’ve added a horse-drawn sleigh ride to our growing lists of fun things to do while you’re here. If you need more information, just call the main desk and we’ll be happy to pass along any info or sign you up for an event.”
“I love the sound of a sleigh ride,” Watley and I said in unison. We chortled, then kissed. No one batted a lash, which was one reason why we’d picked this inn for our week of newlywedded bliss. That and the fact that our new lives had begun here a year ago. “In a day or two maybe?” Wat added with no shame whatsoever. Two days in bed with Wat sounded damn good to me. It had been a solid week since we’d had more than five minutes alone. Weddings were stressful. Thank the gods this would be my last one. Ever. Spending my dotage with this man was my life plan. That and seeing my son graduate college and find a person who loved him. Man, woman, didn’t matter what their gender as long as they treated him well.
“Not a problem. I’ll put you down for an afternoon ride in three days. I’ll email you the information. Your cabin is waiting for you. If you don’t want to come to the inn for meals simply call for room service. I promise we’ll have more than cold sandwiches to offer you this time.”
“Those were the best ham sandwiches we ever had,” I told the day manager.
He grinned and thanked us. We grabbed our bags and headed outside. The sky was now a brilliant shade of scarlet, as the sun was already behind the mountains. We’d flown in this time. And even had a cab bring us from the airport to the inn in true swanky style. Every penny spent on our small ceremony had been worth it. I wanted to spend the rest of my days spoiling Watley. Even the boys—our best men who were now brothers—were okay with wearing tuxes for a few hours. The knowledge that they were going to Toronto with Kim and Jamie to see a hockey game and then visit the Hockey Hall of Fame while we were here being romantic goofs helped ease the initial tuxedo terror. My ex-wife had really stepped up for our nuptials. She was genuinely happy for me. As I was for her and her new boyfriend, Jamie, a guy ten years her junior. I teased her about her new cougar status all the time. She would just laugh and roar. You go gurl, as the kids say.
“You know,” Watley said as we moseyed along the familiar snowy path to the cabins. “If we were stuck here for a few extra days by some random act of God, I’d not be all that upset about it.”
“No, me either.” I breathed in the bitter cold and thin air, letting it settle in my lungs, then releasing it. “I’m sure emergency rescue has other thoughts on it, though.”
“Probably.” He held my hand tightly, giving it a little swing as kids do when they’re skipping along. I hoped he didn’t expect me to skip. My knees wouldn’t take it and the exertion at this elevation would make me blackout and fall face first into the snow piled up along the paths. “Oh, hey, there it is.”
We paused to stare at the cabin we’d booked. There were little fairy lights strung from the snowy eaves, along a few mounds of white snow that had bushes beneath them, and even wound around a split-rail fence that had been put up after our time here last year. Smoke poured from the chimney. The sweet smell of white birch burning tickled my nose. Someone—the staff I would imagine—had built two snowmen below the large front window. They were both wearing top hats and rainbow scarves and their stick hands were joined with a dozen or so multi-colored ribbons. It was just as charming as it had been a year ago, perhaps even more so now given our new married status. It was really adorable. Wat and I exchanged a giddy smile and raced to the front door. With a swipe of a card, we were inside and if I thought the outside was delightful, the inside stole my breath. We stood just inside the door, peeling off our gloves, stunned at the change in this rustic lodge.
“They really went above and beyond,” I whispered as my sight flickered from the tall spruce in the corner, decorated with tiny gold bands, itty-bitty white lights, white and gold ornamental hearts, and a massive ivory and gold ribbon tied to the top in lieu of a star. A big star hung in the middle of the tree with our names and the date of our marriage painted on it. It was something out of one of those fancy house and garden magazines Kim always read.
“That is beautiful,” Wat softly said, his chilly fingers meshing with mine. The bunk beds had been taken out and a small round table with a white linen covering sat by the rough-hewn log walls. It held champagne, candies, a grapevine wreath with little sparkly white stars, several white candles of various sizes, and a small wedding cake. Also, there was a crystal dish overflowing with condoms. Something we did not use anymore, praise be, but the thought was lovely. “This whole place is gorgeous.”
The fire crackled nicely, warming the cabin. “It looks like a different lodge.”
“Hey, let’s check out the bedroom.” Watley gave me a licentious wink. We both darted into the bedroom, dropping our bags just inside the doorway. This room, too, had been transformed. From a rustic sleeping area for scout leaders to a honeymoon suite. The twin beds were gone and in their places was a massive king-sized beauty with all white bedding. Atop the bed were two fluffy pillows that read Mr. and Mr. amid several lacy red throw pillows. Someone had arranged a rose petal heart on the covers as well as a dozen or so little battery-powered candles. More condoms were placed on the bedside table as well as individually wrapped candies in white and red foil papers. The door to the hot tub was closed, obviously, but the small patio had been cleared of snow. A small tree with white lights stood beside the tub.
“Holy hell, this is the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen, and Paul and I honeymooned in Paris,” Wat whispered, his hand warm now as it rested in mine. Paul was a pretentious booby at times, but I kept that to myself. He had been kind enough to send us a gift and offer to keep Adam while we honeymooned, but his son had chosen to spend a week with his new “official” brother in Toronto. Good choice if you asked me, but I was biased.
“Want to try out the hot tub, the bed, or the bubbly?” I asked as I ogled the room.
“Yes.” I glanced to my left. Wat was staring at me with desire in his eyes. “What? I want to try them all.”
“Okay, any idea of which order?”
“Well, we are standing right by the bed…”
“That we are.”
I turned to face him, cupped his beautiful face in my hands, and kissed him deeply.
Maybe if we were lucky, we’d have a nice, fat blizzard blow in. I’d have to check the weather app.
Tomorrow.
Have you read the other stories in the Snowed Inn Collection?
RJ Scott - Stop the Wedding
H.L Day - Five Night Stand
V.L. Locey - Checking it Twice
LC Chase - Breakfast Included
Xenia Melzer - The Real Kaimana
Meredith Russell - Stuck With You
Eli Easton - A Changeling Christmas
‘Snowed Inn’ Winter Romance
Read more in the Snowed Inn collection
Each book can be read as a standalone book and in any order, but the happily ever after wintery love stories are linked by the snowy mountain inn cut off by an avalanche. Get all of the stories from Amazon & in Kindle Unlimited here:
RJ Scott - Stop the Wedding
A desperate plea for help and an admission of love sends Patrick racing to stop his best friend from marrying the wrong man.
RJ Scott - Stop the Wedding
H.L Day - Five Night Stand
The advantage of a one-night stand is being able to walk away. Except, Nathan can’t.
H.L Day - Five Night Stand
V.L. Locey - Checking it Twice
Will confessing his deepest secret to his best friend ruin their friendship?
V.L. Locey - Checking it Twice
LC Chase - Breakfast Included
What’s worse than being stranded at a mountain resort by an avalanche three days before Christmas? Being trapped with your teenage crush—who kissed you and ran away.
LC Chase - Breakfast Included
Xenia Melzer - The Real Kaimana
When a travel blogger with a serious love for color and a billionaire with the most gorgeous dark eyes serendipitously meet at a hotel in the Colorado mountains, could it be the start of a true holiday romance?
Xenia Melzer - The Real Kaimana
Meredith Russell - Stuck With You
Brodie loves Gabriel. Gabriel loves Brodie. So why is it so difficult for them to be honest with each other?
Meredith Russell - Stuck With You
Eli Easton - A Changeling Christmas
An avalanche, a quaint Christmas inn, and an assignment to sit on an international thief until the cops can arrive. What could go wrong?
Eli Easton - A Changeling Christmas
Also by V.L. Locey
Blue Ice Ranch series
Dawn’s Desire | Twilight's Touch | Dusk's Devotion
Laurel Holidays
The Christmas Oaks | The Christmas Pundit | The Christmas Tenor | The Christmas Rescue (Coming November 18, 2022)
Campo Royale
The Viking and the Drag Queen | The Bachelor and the Cherry | The Barkeep and the Bookseller | The Financier and the Sweetheart (Coming 2023) | The Chanteuse and the Soldier (Coming 2023)
Colors of Love Series
Lost in Indigo | Touch of a Yellow Sun | The Good Green Earth | Slow Dances Under an Orange Moon | A Brush of Blue | Songs of Red Currant Wine | Pines & Violets
According to Liam Series
Life According to Liam | Christmas According to Liam | Love According to Liam | World According to Liam | Family According to Liam | Tangled in Clouds—An According to Liam Novella
Harrisburg Railers (Hockey Romance)
Changing Lines | First Season | Deep Edge | Poke Check | Last Defense | Goal Line | Neutral Zone | Hat Trick | Save The Date | Baby Makes Three | Rivals | Perfect Gifts (Christmas 2022)
Railers Volume 1 | Railers Volume 2 | Railers Volume 3
Owatonna U Hockey (Hockey Romance)
Ryker | Scott | Benoit | Christmas Lights | Valentine’s Hearts | Desert Dreams
Arizona Raptors (Hockey Romance)
Coast To Coast | Across the Pond | Shadow and Light | Sugar and Ice | School and Rock
Boston Rebels
Lost In Boston (Free Novella) | Top Shelf | Back Check | Snowed | Royal Lines | Blade | Rental 2023
Tales of Bryant
Tales of Bryant | Nine Small Sips | Fade In | Reserved | Safflower
Cayuga Cougars Series
Snap Shot | Open Net | Coach’s Challenge | Overtime | One-on-One | A Star-Crossed Christmas (A Cayuga Cougars Short)
Point Shot Trilogy Boxed Set (including Two Man Advantage, Game Misconduct, and Full Strength)
Overtime – The Trilogy
Rebound | Final Shot | Draw | Black Tie—An Overtime Novella
Erie
An Erie Collection
Nightside—An Erie Vampire Tale
Gems
The Gems Collection (including Opal, Garnet, Diamond, & Onyx
Standalone Stories
Holly & Hockey Boots | Life is a Stevie Wonder Song | Blue Line Collection #1 | Improper Fraction | Love is a Walk in the Park | Shake the Stars | Loving Layne | The New York Nightwings Collection | Love of the Hunter | The Ballad of Crow and Sparrow | Forget me Not | Spiritual Whispers
Meet V.L. Locey
V.L. Locey loves worn jeans, yoga, belly laughs, walking, reading and writing lusty tales, Greek mythology, the New York Rangers, comic books, and coffee.
(Not necessarily in that order.)
She shares her life with her husband, her daughter, one dog, two cats, a flock of assorted domestic fowl, and two Jersey steers.
