Matchmaker Backfire: An Instalove Possessive Age Gap Romance (A Man Who Knows Who He Wants Book 226) Read online

  “If it comes in too thick on the way back, make sure and stop at a motel, won’t you?” I ask him, watching his eyes dart to the cash before his fingers close around it.

  “Oh, I’ll be sure to,” he says. And I have to let it go, realizing this guy isn’t my problem anymore.

  He got me where I need to be.

  “I’ll wait a bit,” he adds, jutting his chin towards the lodge. “Might get a fare back,” he murmurs.

  “I’ll ask at the desk if you like?” I offer, watching him shiver already as I open the door.

  It’s his lucky day as it turns out.

  Some woman who looks more like a bundled up Barbie doll than anything else rushes from the bar into his cab once I tell the concierge there’s one if anyone needs it.

  “She leaving so soon?” I ask him, casting my gaze to the check-in form after shuddering. She pauses to look like she recognizes me, but fortunately keeps going.

  “It’s the weather I’m afraid,” he explains in a low voice. “Haven’t had anything like this for a while… we won’t mind if you choose not to stay, but there’s no refund on deposits, and if we do shift to a weather emergency… well…” he adds dryly, running his thick white tongue around his lips.

  I shrug.

  “I’m all set,” I tell him, lifting my single bag high enough for him to see, already looking forward to a hot shower and an early night.

  Greg and Serena will be up tomorrow, and unless there’s a category five blizzard coming, I know Greg will have his chains on the SUV and be here as planned. If he wasn’t going to be, I would’ve heard by now.

  Greg’s no dummy. He’s the state manager for an SUV accessories manufacturer.

  I almost wish I’d gotten a ride up with him, would’ve saved my nerves but I’m here now.

  Taking my key, I trudge outside again. There are rooms here, but Greg’s splashed out on adjoining cabins.

  Kind of. One large cabin has been divided into three separate cabin rooms.

  The concierge almost insisted he show me the way, but the white outside only made his icy smile a little colder.

  Letting myself into my room, I wonder which adjoining room or cabin will have Serena in it.

  I shake my head, groaning softly as I remind myself to stop thinking like this.

  She’ll be here soon and you can’t think like that. I think happy thoughts about Greg. About old times…

  About Serena by that pool.

  I’m practically growling by the time I tear off my two-day old clothes, ready to step under a steaming shower.

  My pants catch on the one thing I can’t ignore.

  About nine inches of throbbing hard on that make me suck air in through my teeth as I fight the urge not to rub it raw, and shoot thick ropes just thinking about her now.

  I can’t.

  I mustn’t.

  I have to save it...for her. Every last drop. Every fucking inch.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Serena

  “This looks like pretty thick weather dad. Are you sure you’ll have the whole week off?” I ask, grimacing at the sky as we leave the house.

  Knowing what the forecast said.

  “It’s fine, honey. I got the chains in the back, plus. What better weather for skiing and snuggling, right?” he asks, slapping his own thigh as we pull out onto the road, both of us glad to be moving closer to what we both want.

  My dad? His best friend he hasn’t seen properly for almost two decades and trying to set up with a plastic doll I’m sure of it.

  Me? A growing heat between my legs that I have to fight rubbing against, despite the already warm cab of dad’s SUV whenever I think of Carter.

  Which is the whole way. Almost.

  “Sorry,” Dad finally says, sensing my mood and making me twitch when he rubs my leg.

  “I know you have a thing for Carter,” he says off the cuff, making me flush so red I feel like my face is bleeding.

  “No, I don’t!” I protest, sounding wounded.

  Feeling it in my chest.

  Knowing he’d never love me not just because I’m young, but because…

  Well. I’m my dad’s daughter. His best friend.

  “I saw your phone honey,” Dad chimes, eyeing the road and focusing on anything but me.

  “I don’t blame ya. He’s a handsome man, but I tell ya, sweetie, Vermont is gonna be crawling with young… eligible men.”

  I catch my Dad’s eyes in the rearview. I know what he means.

  He wants me to find romance on our little trip too.

  As far as he knows, and God knows I told him college was nothing for me in that department.

  I almost retort with his own romance efforts.

  The situation with my mom, but I know that’s a low blow so I skip it.

  “I dunno what you mean,” I rasp, twirling my hair and stifling a whimper as I picture myself unzipping Carter for the millionth time this trip.

  I hope I can at least look him in the eye by the time we get there.

  “I mean honey, that Carter’s a grown man, old enough to be your father,” he adds, an edge in his voice I don’t care for much.

  Not during one of my Carter fantasies, especially.

  “I mean, that you should be thinking about boys your own age. Carter would never-” he starts to say but stops himself.

  I feel a stabbing in the center of my chest.

  “Never what?” I ask defiantly, feeling all the heat rushing to my face as my voice cracks.

  “Never go for a fat kid like me? Then why would anyone else!” I blurt out, fighting tears with my anger, crossing my arms firmly over my chest and turning to look out the window.

  This holiday isn’t getting off to a good start.

  I hear my dad groaning quietly.

  “You know that’s not what I meant, Serena. Let’s not start on your weight again, I thought we’d been through all that. You’re not fat and any boy should be glad to have you,” he reminds me. Always the diplomat whenever I start to get down on myself.

  “Just not Carter Everett, right?” I ask sarcastically, knowing he’s right.

  Why would a guy like him go for me? He could have any woman he wants.

  “Let’s start over, huh?” Dad finally asks after an awkward silence. I’m halfway to getting my earbuds out so I can at least pretend I don’t have to listen to him, but I miss times like this with dad.

  Like he said, this trip’s supposed to be my belated graduation present. It isn’t fair on him to ruin it before we even get there.

  “Sorry dad, you’re right. It’s just a stupid photo anyway… I had it on my phone, telling some kids at college it was my hot uncle. But they only chewed me out about it,” I lie.

  Although, being torn to shreds by people at college wasn’t. It’s not something I tell dad about. People can be so cruel, and college was way harder for me than high school ever was.

  It was like everyone was from the perfect gene pool, had the trimmest body, and the best of everything else we’re told makes us ‘attractive’.

  I’m glad it’s behind me and tell myself I should make more of an effort.

  Dad’s paid for all this, as well as taken time off his job that I know hasn’t gone down well with his own boss.

  “We’ve got a couple of hours ahead of us, and I’ll see how far we get before putting the chains on,” dad says, letting me know he’s happy to start our little trip over again.

  It’s a relief. The last thing I need racing through my mind, parallel to thoughts about Carter, is worrying about my dad.

  It is a ski holiday after all, but even I can tell once we get closer to the lodge that the snow is thicker than expected, making the roads nasty real quick.

  At the first sign the SUV is drifting once we leave the highway and hit the soft roads, dad announces he’s stopping to put the chains on.

  I offer to help, but I know dad loves any chance he gets to play with his off-road gear.

  “You stay warm hon
ey, I’ll let you know if I need a hand. It shouldn’t take too long,” he adds, pecking my cheek before he opens his door.

  I shrug okay and opt for my earbuds, after all, catching up on a little audiobook and rest my eyes while I feel dad tinkering outside as he fits the chains.

  Even with my eyes closed, I can still see Carter, and it doesn’t take long before I have his picture back up on my phone, looking at him dreamily now that I know that dad knows that I have his picture.

  He didn’t seem too bothered by it, like I said I’ve had a crush on Carter forever and dad knows me better than anyone.

  It wouldn’t take much to tell how I react to the mention of him, or the sight of his picture, which we have quite a few of around the house.

  Thank God.

  In what feels like not enough time to look at Carter again, dad adjusts the chains and we’re back on the road again.

  “Not far now,” he adds, and I can see the glint of excitement and humor in his eyes.

  Making me hope like hell he hasn’t set up any ‘romance’ between me and anyone else like he promises he has for his best friend Carter.

  “I let Carter know we’re not far off,” Dad says after a while.

  I can’t be certain, but when I look at his eyes in the rearview, it’s almost like he’s trying to gauge my reaction whenever he mentions Carter now.

  I smile and nod.

  Safe enough, I think.

  Even though my heart and stomach feel like a damned butterfly farm, those huge things you walk through with a million of them flying all over the place.

  Filled with heat too, usually.

  Hot.

  Sticky heat.

  But I think I pass my dad’s eyeball test, with him relaxing into the rest of the drive with confidence now that he has his chains on and those huge fog lights I just know he’s been dying to use all year.

  By the time we reach the turnoff to the ‘Ski-daddle’ lodge and hotel, I can hardly see the sign for the snow.

  Dad’s GPS which he has running into his own earbuds is the only way we’d know, I’m reckoning.

  “Hope this snow lifts, otherwise we won’t be getting much skiing done,” he remarks, looking gloomy for the first time since we decided to start fresh and enjoy ourselves.

  “I think it’ll be fine,” I hazard, remembering the weather warning I read not too long ago.

  Knowing that dad knows as well as I do this whole trip might be a challenge in more ways than one.

  Him for having booked it last year, and me for knowing I might have to put up with seeing Carter with dad’s latest attempt to hook him up.

  Calm Serena, Calm. It’ll be fine.

  Just fine.

  “Here it is. Here it is!” Dad announces, the snowdrift calming itself as if by magic to reveal the newly plowed road that leads to the main car park and lodge.

  It’s nice.

  Nicer than I expected. The whole wintery scene with bleached topped conifers and yellow windows. The puff of warming smoke from countless chimneys tells us we are in for a warm welcome.

  Tall pitched roofs and cedar panels give the whole place a gingerbread house feel, reminding me I skipped breakfast and we’ve probably missed lunch too.

  Dad remarks on how empty the lot is, and the fact we can’t see any sign of people out and about, let alone skiing.

  “But it’s early, we’re probably the first one’s here apart from Carter,” he remarks, killing the engine right out front and giving me his best excited look.

  “Ready?” he asks, and I nod with more enthusiasm than I mean to.

  And only because it’s Carter I’m really hungry to see.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Carter

  I’d like to say I’m not anxious.

  That I’m not waiting just for her.

  But once I see the tell-tale thick beams of fog lights through the thickening snow outside; lights I know only Greg would have, I feel myself getting fidgety.

  Almost nervous.

  And only because I know I have to watch what I say, do and how I behave in front of Serena.

  If she’s anything like she was in that summer photo… fuck.

  I feel myself start to stiffen under my jeans, inhaling sharply at the memory of her. Wondering if I should hug her or just give the nod of recognition.

  The last time I saw her she was old enough to tousle her hair and bounce on my knee.

  Now I can see she’s all grown up.

  A real woman.

  I don’t even consider Greg, which should make me feel bad, but I can’t help noticing a growing sense of protectiveness whenever I think about Serena.

  I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’d rather it was just the two of us up here.

  Serena and me. Not Greg so much, as much as I’ve missed hanging out with him.

  He’s parked right out front of reception, jogging carefully up the foot deep snow on the wide steps as he billows plumes of condensation.

  And I can see her, in his truck, looking out and over towards me.

  I want to recoil, not wanting her to see me, but how could she from that far away?

  Her body knows I’m watching. I feel that much.

  My hand strays to my front, pressing hard against my dick through my jeans, making me groan softly. Wondering how the hell I’m gonna get through this whole week.

  Realizing one thing straight away.

  I want Serena Blaxhall, the only daughter of my best friend and I don’t fucking care what trouble it causes.

  Before I even see her get out of the truck, my finger traces the frost in the window, trying to touch her.

  I can feel her long before I even see her.

  Greg bounds back into view, and opening her door, I finally see her.

  Fuck.

  I groan loudly, realizing how lost I am now.

  Her thick thighs in super tight denim are topped with a vanilla puffy coat, open just enough to show her equally thick chest straining against a thin cashmere sweater, white also.

  My own breath, panting now has fogged up the window enough I have to swipe at it to keep an eye on her.

  Quite by accident, or is it reflex? I hear my zipper freed and in seconds I feel the thick, hot lines of pre-come oozing from my swollen length as I pump my organ furiously at the sight of her trotting up the same steps her dad was just on.

  I can’t help it.

  I haven’t jerked off in ages… years probably.

  Never been so turned on.

  Fuck.

  Serena.

  She disappears, but my raging hardness doesn’t.

  I know it’s stupid to unload without her.

  Everything I have inside me I know now I want inside her.

  For us.

  Her special gift, my seed…

  The shrill ring of the cabin phone jolts my senses but does nothing to diminish my aching hardness as I watch for her again.

  “Yes?” I hear my voice crack, picking up the receiver.

  “Carter! Its Greg. We’re here! Can you join us in the main lodge for some lunch?”

  I breathe a sigh of relief, of course, its Greg. They just got here.

  “Sure buddy… uh. Just gimme five minutes to get ready,” I tell him, almost hanging up straight away and wondering just how I can do something about the biggest erection I’ve had in my whole life.

  “You okay, slick?” Greg asks, making me flush harder as I stifle a groan.

  “Sure thing, buddy. Just caught me napping, long time since I had nothing but time on my hands, ya know?” I ask, looking down at the grip I have on my meat.

  Or my hands on your daughter…

  “Alright then, we’ll be in the dining room, see you soon champ, can’t wait,” he adds enthusiastically before hanging up.

  It’s freezing cold outside, blowing a near blizzard by the time I look out the window again.

  But I calmly undress, and ignoring my red hot arousal, I run a cold shower, not even feeling the
freezing water hit me and my hot fat length.

  Willing it to go down, I’m hoping I can make myself decent before I go down to the dining hall without having to take care of business myself.

  But I know that would be useless.

  It’s got Serena written all over it. I’ll never do anything with it until I feel it inside her tight, quivering-

  Dammit! I gotta stop thinking like this.

  I manage a shave to take my mind off things, growling once I find I can’t quite fit into my jeans like I should once I’m done. Even though I look up when drying myself off, thinking about anything but her, I can’t help it.

  This is gonna be one hell of a week.

  I wish I’d known the effect she’d have on me, being within a hundred yards let alone having to sit at the same lunch table in a few minutes.

  It’s a short walk from the cabins over to the main lodge, but I hug myself through my thin coat, nowhere near warm enough.

  I did notice the lodge shop next to the foyer carries a whole range of overpriced winter gear.

  How convenient.

  Ah well, I’ll need some skis anyway if we’re gonna do this thing right. I don’t want to count on Greg for everything like snow gear either.

  Even though I know, knowing him, he’ll have a trunk full of stuff he’s been saving just for such an occasion.

  Greg.

  My best friend. Lifelong too, I don’t have the courage to put his heartbreak and my balls deep inside Serena in the same thought.

  Not yet anyway. It is only day one though.

  Stamping my feet at the main entrance, I feel the welcoming rush of warm air as I step inside, glancing into the store full of gear as I pass.

  Just as I thought, way overpriced but damn. If that jacket isn’t just what I need.

  Money’s no issue, it’s the nerve of some places. I guess everyone deserves to at least try and turn a buck.

  The smell of food leads me to the dining hall, where an older female version of the guy who checked me in eyes me up and down, frowning.

  I figure she’s related, or maybe it just happens to people when they live in the woods alone, year after year.

  “Reservation?” she huffs, picking up on my vibe once I look her up and down in reply. “Only breakfast is included, you’ll need to make paid reservations for-”