Avalanche Page 27

  I whimpered again, and he rocked into me, milking my inner walls, stroking my swollen clit for every last ounce of pleasure.

  I collapsed against his chest, lungs heaving. I was totally boneless as mini ripples still coursed through my limbs.

  Liam moved beneath me, surging up again. Feeling the way he pulsed inside me, I knew he was ready. I started to push up so I could ride him through it, but he made a sound, locked his arms around my waist, and held me to him.

  I shoved down, and he surged up. His deep shout filled the room, and he thrust into me over and over again. I was pressed so tightly against him I could feel the pounding of his heart and hear the gasp of each breath he took.

  Eventually, his body calmed and relaxed against the mattress. I lay prone over his chest, his body still cradled inside mine.

  His fingers dragged slowly through the length of my hair as satisfaction curled around the room.

  A short while later, I realized the air in here was cold. I reached for the blanket, only to realize we were lying on top of them.

  “Up,” he murmured and lifted me off him. I pouted a little because I wasn’t ready for him to leave me yet. He chuckled and kissed my pouty lower lip.

  My shoulder was sore. It was almost time for some pain meds, but I was too satiated to get up. I settled for resting my back against the plush headboard and pulling the covers up around me.

  Liam kissed my shoulder when he crawled back into bed. He mirrored my position, and we both sat in bed together, holding hands.

  “I feel like I could sleep for a week.” I confessed.

  “You and me both.”

  “You didn’t get a chance to talk to your parents,” I said, worrying about them. About Liam. I saw his reaction when he noticed his dad in a hospital gown. My stomach seized for him. Liam had the kind of relationship with his father I’d always wanted with mine.

  If I was so broken by losing my dad, what would it do to Liam if something was seriously wrong with his?

  “We were all so exhausted after the Feds left. If I made them explain, then they were gonna make us explain. I was tired of talking. Tired of trying to make sense of any of it.”

  “And maybe…” I began, my voice gentle. “You’re scared to find out what’s going on?”

  “Maybe,” he echoed, his voice barely there.

  “Whatever you need, Liam, I’m here.”

  He lifted our joined hands and kissed the back of mine.

  “We’ll go see them tomorrow. After we’ve had some sleep.”

  I loved when he said we. Like it really was him and me now. Like I really wasn’t alone anymore.

  “Do you think they’ll want me there? I know it’s a personal family matter.”

  He made a sound. “You are family. And hell yes, they want you there. Most importantly, I want you there.”

  I wanted his parents to like me. To love me even. I would love to have a close relationship with them. I just prayed they would want that too once we told them everything I’d brought into their son’s life.

  “You know what Agent Frost said earlier today is true.” I began.

  He glanced at me swiftly, a sour expression forming on his face. “I don’t like that guy.”

  I smiled. “You made that very clear. To everyone.”

  He grunted. “I’m not sorry. He needs to know I don’t like him. I want him looking over his shoulder, knowing I’m watching. Because I am. I will watch every decision that guy tries to make when it comes to you.”

  “They only found one body up on the mountain.” I reminded him. As if he could forget.

  “Doesn’t mean the other one isn’t just too buried to find.”

  I nodded, praying he was right.

  Still. There was this feeling inside me… deep down. The same kind of feeling that spider crawled up the back of my neck whenever Crone’s men got close.

  Spidey wasn’t found on that mountain today. But a trail of blood was. Until it disappeared, just stopped suddenly, leaving the snow as pristine as it when it first fell.

  They didn’t find his body because he hadn’t died.

  He was still out there. I knew it.

  He’d gone back underground again, skillfully hiding from the FBI and any other interested party who wanted to bring him in. Spidey would stay hidden, too. I knew he would. He would lie in wait like a cobra, ready to strike. Like an angry grizzly bear in hibernation.

  He would heal from his injuries. Bide his time. Probably even somehow get word to Crone.

  Agent Frost told us as much, and I knew he was right.

  I’d gotten away from this guy more than once now.

  To Spidey, I wasn’t just a job. I wasn’t just a target of the mob. This was personal. Liam and I might have bought some time up in that avalanche, but I wasn’t stupid, and neither was the man beside me.

  Crone’s men would be coming back. And since I refused to run anymore, they knew exactly where I’d be. There wasn’t much the FBI could do if I refused to cooperate with witness protection.

  Liam sensed my troubled, dark thoughts and turned, wrapping his body around mine. “We’ll be ready when they come back, sweetheart. There’s nothing I won’t do to protect this.”

  Charlie jumped up on the bed, making the mattress bounce beneath his giant body. He flopped down on the foot, stretched out, and continued chewing his bone.

  My chest swelled. My heart felt so full here in this bed with my two guys. Turning, I swept a gaze over Liam’s face. “All those times I wondered what might have been,” I whispered, stroking his face. The stubble on his jaw tickled my palm and sent butterflies through my middle.

  He kissed the tips of my fingers and smiled. “You don’t have to wonder anymore.”

  “Now I know,” I whispered.

  A sound of agreement burst from his throat. “Now we know.”

  Resolve welled up inside me as I watched the dog and snuggled deeper into the arms of the only man I’d ever loved. We would survive whatever came at us. We had to.

  Liam and I survived the surge, but a whole new blizzard was brewing.

  THE END

  FOR NOW

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  I’ll tell you a secret. It’s been a while since I truly dug into a book I was writing and truly got involved and felt sucked in by my own characters.

  Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE all my couples. I really do. They all have something great about them, some of them, MANY great things. However, some—for me—just have a certain kind of magic. Previous couples that I feel this way with are Romeo and Rimmel, Braeden and Ivy, and Trent and Drew (my favorite of all time). They just have a magic about them. You get what I’m throwing down?

  In 2017, writing was sort of a struggle for me in many ways. I loved all the books I put out, but finishing up the GearShark series last year left me feeling a little lost. It’s hard to explain really, but sometimes an author feels like they might not write anything as good as their previous books. Or may not feel that same spark they sometimes have with certain characters.

  For quite a few months, I was ruminating on the idea that I wanted to write something set at a ski resort. Probably because I spent all of November and half of December in front of holiday Hallmark movies (#addicted). I just loved the setting.

  So when I started to feel burned out while writing Toad (Have you read that yet? Dooo it.) I knew I wanted to switch it up and write something different for a little bit.

  I came up with the idea for Avalanche and really just thought it would be fun to write. I thought it would be a standalone novel. Just, in a sense, a “filler” book between series… And then I started writing.

  I got sucked in so hard and so fast with this book. It shocked me. Even my husband was surprised at the amount of time I spent typing fast and furiously on the laptop. When I wasn’t, I was spacing off into the world or writing down ideas on pages of notebook paper. This book took roughly three weeks to write (maybe a little less)… with more than half being w
ritten in the first week.

  I often felt like Will Ferrell in Elf when he burst into his father’s office and twirled around singing, “I’m in love. I’m in love, and I don’t care who knows it!”

  Except I cared.

  I didn’t want to tell anyone about Bellamy and Liam. I wanted to sit at my laptop and hoard them in secret. I was worried if I told anyone about them, my newfound mojo love would wear off. I was afraid their magic would slip through my fingers.

  I still love them.

  So much that I’m giving them another book.

  I can’t quit them, yo.

  I’m even scared of admitting out loud how much I love Liam and Bellamy. I’m afraid the writer gods will come take away my mojo love.

  Mojo love is a real thing.

  Anyway, I have no idea if readers will feel this connection to them. It will be interesting to find out. No one knows about them yet, except a few select peeps, and even then, I guard them closely to me.

  I really love this story. I feel, in a sense, it’s unique for me. It’s my first “second chances” story. My first “mob” story. It’s a new setting for me. And I feel like it’s a faster-paced book (maybe that just feels that way because I wrote it fast) with good action and some good angst. (Am I making this up or are you getting this, too?) Of course, it has some of my familiar “feels” in it and the sense of building a family—sort of reminiscent of the #Hashtag series.

  I truly hope you guys love this one. I hope you feel a connection to Liam and Bellamy like I do. And to Charlie, too.

  Thanks for reading and taking an adventure into a new book world with me. Reader support means so much, and I’m truly grateful.

  Until next book!

  XOXO,

  Cambria

  ABOUT CAMBRIA HEBERT

  Cambria Hebert is an award-winning, bestselling novelist of more than forty books. She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major, and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair.

  Besides writing, Cambria loves a caramel latte, staying up late, sleeping in, and watching movies. She considers math human torture and has an irrational fear of birds (including chickens). You can often find her painting her toenails (because she bites her fingernails) or walking her Chihuahuas (the real rulers of the house).

  Cambria has written within the young adult and new adult genres, penning many paranormal and contemporary titles. She has also written romantic suspense, science fiction, and most recently, male/male romance. Her favorite genre to read and write is contemporary romance. A few of her most recognized titles are: The Hashtag Series, GearShark Series, Text, Amnesia, and Butterfly.

  Recent awards include: Author of the Year, Best Contemporary Series (The Hashtag Series), Best Contemporary Book of the Year, Best Book Trailer of the Year, Best Contemporary Lead, Best Contemporary Book Cover of the Year. In addition, her most recognized title, #Nerd, was listed at Buzzfeed.com as a top fifty summer romance read.

  Cambria Hebert owns and operates Cambria Hebert Books, LLC.

  You can find out more about Cambria and her titles by visiting her website: http://www.cambriahebert.com.

  Please sign up for my newsletter to stay in the know about all my cover reveals, releases and more: http://eepurl.com/bUL5_5