“It’s okay. Next time you’re in there though, make sure I’m with you. It’ll give the room a completely different feeling.” He didn’t wait for her to respond before he stood and began clearing the dishes.
Chapter Four
She padded down the hall with bare feet and stopped when she saw Jonas who was showered, dressed and gorgeous. She glanced down at her own rumpled appearance and groaned. “What time did you get up?”
“A couple of hours ago.” He shrugged. “Job hazard. You want some coffee?”
“It’s like you can read my mind.”
“Have a seat. I’ll get it for you.” He set the book he was reading to the side and stood.
“You don’t have to keep waiting on me, you know? I can walk.”
“I don’t mind.” He smiled at her and made her heart beat faster.
Before she could protest further, he was striding out of the room.
She sat down on the sofa and listened as he whistled to himself in the kitchen. There was already a fire blazing in the hearth. The large windows showed the sky covered in dark blue clouds blocking out the mountaintops. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled down through the entries until she found her mom’s number.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine, but we may have to make it a New Year’s date this year.” She paused to listen to her mother’s worried voice as Jonas walked in carrying two steaming mugs. “I’m really sorry.” Tears filled her eyes. “I love you, too. Yeah, Merry Christmas.”
She dropped her phone on her lap and ran a finger under each of her eyes to wipe away her tears.
“Everything, okay?” He was watching her with concern in his eyes as he handed her coffee.
“I’m fine. I just hate disappointing her.” She wrapped her fingers around the warm mug for comfort and blew at the steam rising off the coffee.
He sat down on the couch beside her, almost close enough for their legs to touch. “Are you close with your parents?”
“It’s just my mom and me now. My dad passed away a few years ago, and Christmas is kind of our thing.” Lizbeth sipped her coffee and tried not to think about her dad. “No matter what, I always make it home for Christmas. I don’t take any assignments, and I stay with her for an entire week. We do all the traditions—cookies, the tree, adopt a family. I hate missing it.”
Jonas looked around the room and then back at her. “I guess it doesn’t feel too much like Christmas up here.”
“That’s okay. You were just trying to have some time to yourself. I completely understand not feeling like celebrating. The year my dad died, we didn’t even put up a tree.” She saw her own pain reflected in his eyes. “It takes time to grieve.”
“That it does.” He shifted in his seat and turned his body toward hers. “So what would you like to do today, Lizbeth?”
A little thrill rushed through her when he said her name. She couldn’t imagine how she’d feel if he touched her. She forced a smile and tried to push her thoughts aside. “I need to do some work. What about you?”
“I do have a few things to do around the house. Maybe we can eat lunch together later?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
He stood up, and she returned to her room, mug still in hand, to dive into work. Across from the bed stood a small oak desk. It looked handmade, and she wondered if Jonas or one of his family members made it as well. The desk allowed plenty of space to set up her laptop and camera. She attached the cord between the two devices and hummed as the pictures uploaded to her computer in quick succession.
One picture at a time, she scrolled through her images of the waterfall. It had been the final stop to complete her assignment—the twelve best falls in North America. Her brows furrowed in concentration as she studied each shot with an expert’s eye. The lighting was right on some and off on others. She cropped, turned, zoomed and played with the tones on several shots until they were perfect. The light in the room changed as the sun changed positions in the sky, but she barely noticed. When she worked, time ceased to exist. With her view of the world laid out in rows of pictures, she weeded out the mediocre from the breathtaking.
Her final image appeared on the screen, and she leaned back in her chair. The falling snow blurred in some spots and showed clear in others, but the rushing water remained the constant in the background. She changed the picture to black and white and turned her head to the side to study it further. Her concentration was fully vested in the image before her. This was the one.
“That’s beautiful.”
She jumped at the sound of Jonas’s voice and spun around in her chair.
“I’m sorry I startled you again. I knocked first this time, but I guess you didn’t hear me.”
“No, I’m sorry. I was distracted. It always happens when I work. It’s one of my many faults.”
“Taking your work seriously isn’t a flaw.” He leaned over her shoulder and studied her screen. His face no more than a breath away from hers.
Heat flowed through her. It would be easy to touch him. All she would have to do is turn her head. If he were to do the same, their lips would brush. It would be impossible for them not to.
She blinked when she realized he was waiting for a response. “What?”
“With your work, are you finished?”
“Yes. Work. I’m finished.” She sat up straight in her chair and began saving her files. “I need to be anyway. I need to send this in. If I don’t, I’ll sit here and start second guessing myself and fiddling with different images all afternoon.”
“Better quit while you’re ahead then.” He straightened and moved to the door. “There’s something I wanted to show you. Meet me in the living room in five?”
“What have you been up to out there?” She turned her head to the side and grinned, but he shook his head and left without a word. “What are you up to, Jonas?” she whispered to the closed door. She maneuvered quickly through the steps to send in her assignment as her curiosity mounted.
She was still smiling a few minutes later when she sighed in relief and wandered out to the living room. When she saw him, she gasped.
“Does this work?” Jonas grinned at her from his place beside the enormous tree erected in front of the living room windows.
“Oh my God, it’s wonderful.” She clapped her hands in front of her. “You didn’t have to.”
“I wanted to.”
She crossed to the tree and inhaled deeply. “Smells like Christmas.”
“After you help me decorate it, it’ll look like Christmas.” He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.
“You have decorations?”
“Yeah, there’re some in the attic. Be forewarned, they’re old. They were my grandparent’s ornaments. We used them a few times when the family spent the holidays here.” He straightened and moved next to her. “Ready for some lunch?”
“Lunch, I forgot. I’m sorry.” She glanced at the clock and realized it was halfway through the afternoon. “You didn’t wait on me, did you?”
He shrugged. “It’s no problem. It’s ready now.”
“Oh, Jonas I’m sorry. You should’ve eaten.” She followed him to the kitchen where chili sat warming on the stove.
“It’s fine, really. I was busy. You were busy.” He hooked a finger under her chin and raised her eyes to meet his. “Stop worrying, and stop apologizing.”
Her shoulders relaxed, and a little shiver ran through her at his touch. “Okay, let’s eat. It smells wonderful.” She sat down at the table, and happiness welled inside her when she looked back at the tree. It was tall and full, a Frazier fir. The smell of the tree, mixed with the spices of the chili made the cabin feel warm and comforting, like going home to her mom’s house. She didn’t know why he’d done it, but she was glad he had.
* * * *
He pushed his plate to the side, rested his elbows on the table and watched Lizbeth spoon another bite of chili into her mouth. For the first time in a month, his
shoulders didn’t feel heavy, weighted down with memories and the feeling of failure. He glanced toward the tree and smiled behind his hands. He’d been afraid the tree would feel intrusive or would somehow make him feel callous, but the joy registered on Lizbeth’s face proved he couldn’t have been more wrong. Making her happy made him happy in turn. He never would’ve imagined a stranger found half-frozen on the side of a mountain would be exactly what he needed.
“So, tell me, Lizbeth,” Jonas started as he leaned back in his chair. “What’s next for you?”
She wiped her mouth with a napkin and matched his relaxed posture. “I don’t know. That’s what makes life interesting.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him and laughed. “There’re two jobs on the table, but I haven’t decided which one I want to do.”
“It must be exciting to live like you do. Always going new places and choosing what you do next.”
“It is, but you know what that’s like. You’ve been to different parts of the world.”
“My experience was different. Every step was planned for me. I followed orders, not my own whims.” He sat up and leaned his elbows on the table again as boyish excitement swelled inside him. “I think it would be fun to take off and see new places whenever the mood struck. Of course, I would like a nice home to come back to.”
“I’m not overly attached to my two bedroom apartment.” She shook her head and glanced toward the tree.
“You’re missing your mom right now.” It wasn’t a question. In their short time together, he’d learned to read her face and the emotions behind her expressions.
“I am,” she admitted. “Not that you haven’t been wonderful. It’s just, she would love it here. This house is comfortable the way hers is. It’s the kind of home you miss and want to make memories in, raise a family.”
“Maybe my family should hire you to be our advertising executive.” He laughed. “You’d make me want to buy a cabin with that pitch.” He stood and removed their dishes from the table before turning back to her. “Are you up for helping me decorate the tree?”
“I’d love to. Lead the way.”
The lights were strung and twinkling as Lizbeth moved around to hang bright green and silver balls. “It’s fun to have a real tree. I’d almost forgotten what it was like.”
Jonas stood behind her stacking empty boxes and opening the remaining ornaments. “Don’t tell me, you and your mom have a fake tree?”
“Guilty.”
“Tragic.” He scrunched his face and left the room with an armful of empty boxes. When he returned, she was standing back, scrutinizing her handy work. “It looks great.” The tree was beautiful, and its reflection in the glass made it seem twice the size it actually was.
Lizbeth hugged her arms around her body and smiled. “It does, doesn’t it?”
“I think you’re missing one thing though.” He held the angel for her to see. The porcelain face was white with few signs of age. She was dressed in a velvet red and white dress.
“Your grandmother’s?”
“Yes, she made it.” He stepped toward her. “You can do the honors, and I’ll hold you up.”
“Oh, okay.”
She held the angel against her chest, and he tried not to think about his hands on her waist as he hoisted her into the air. His fingers almost circled her waist. He held onto her legs as she sat on his shoulder and set the angel in place. She took extra care straightening the angel’s dress over a few branches, and then Jonas lowered her back to the ground.
He kept his hands on her waist and turned her to face him. She tilted her face up to his, and neither of them said a word. With the tree sparkling behind them and the fire crackling in the fireplace, he lowered his lips to hers. Warmth flooded his body, and his senses became acutely aware of her. The way her mouth tasted, the way her breath felt against his, the way her hands ran along his back. He pulled her in closer against his body.
Lizbeth awakened a part of him he didn’t know had been sleeping. When she let out a soft moan and rose onto her toes, his arms circled her tighter as one of his hands knotted in her hair. They remained pressed against each other, drinking in each other’s scents and tastes.
He pulled back and locked his eyes with hers. Her lips were red and her face flushed. Excitement rippled through him. He had never felt more wanted, nor had he ever wanted anyone so much.
“I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you in the kitchen.” His voice was husky and his breath shallow.
“I’m glad you did.” She smiled, and he lowered his mouth to hers again.
Chapter Five
She awoke the following day torn between her emotions. Her growing affection for Jonas was hard to ignore. She could go to him, spend the night, maybe even two, but to what end? How would she feel in a few days when she had to leave? She massaged her temples while she waited for the water to warm up.
There was something different about Jonas and the way he made her feel. She’d never met a man who made her want to stay home, stay rooted, put her career second. That wasn’t her. Career first and everything else second. Always.
The hot shower spray splashed over her shoulders and eased the built-up tension from her restless night of sleep. Every time her eyes closed the night before, she imagined Jonas kissing her again. His lips pressed against hers, warm, strong and welcoming. She wanted to kiss him again and feel his rough hands on her skin. Feel the passion between them ignite.
She braced one hand on the shower wall and laid her head against the cool tile. Fear twisted like a knife in her chest. What if she wanted him too much? What if he were like all the others who expected her to drop everything important to her, everything she had worked for, to sit at home and fuss over them? To accept what they did and act as though their careers were more important than hers.
With a shake of her head, she shut off the water and wrapped a towel around her torso. What she should’ve done was take a cold shower. Maybe it would’ve helped push the way his body felt against hers out of her mind. That way she could ignore what was between them. She sighed. She wasn’t sure how she was going to sit on the couch with him all day without kissing him again. Maybe if he’d never touched her, she would’ve been okay. Then she wouldn’t have known what she was missing, but he had, and she did.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, the smell of coffee and bacon filled the air and made her mouth water. She followed her nose to the kitchen. “Can I help?”
He turned and smiled, making her heart skip a beat. “Grab some coffee. I’m about done here. Eggs and bacon okay?”
“Perfect.”
He filled plates expertly and set them on the table before taking a seat himself. “It’s Christmas Eve.”
She turned her head and thought a moment. “You’re right.” She crunched into a piece of bacon. “It’s easy to lose track of time up here.”
“That’s part of the charm.” He rose from his seat and poured more coffee into his cup. “Since your ankle seems better,” he paused while he took a sip. “I think it’s safe for you to go out on a little field trip.” He smiled when she raised her eyebrow at him in question. “We’ll consider it your Christmas present.”
She perked up and clapped her hands, all anticipation. The thought of getting outside almost made her lightheaded. So much time indoors was making her stir crazy. She turned puppy dog eyes on Jonas as a way to find out what he was taking her to do.
“Oh no, don’t look at me that way. It’s a surprise. All I’ll say is that you need to dress warm and bring your camera.”
She was giddy. “Not even a hint?”
“No.”
“I could try to coax a hint out of you,” she teased. “I’m not afraid to use my female wiles.”
He shook his head and leaned toward her, rising to the challenge. “Ma’am, you can try all you like, but I’ll have you know I was trained by the United States government to withstand torture.”
“I see.” She slid her hand under the table an
d rested it on his knee, applying light pressure.
He cleared his throat and stood. “Well, we’d better not test my skills right now.”
She leaned back in her chair, smirked and reached for another piece of bacon.
His lips brushed her ear, and she froze. “We’ll have to save that particular activity for later, where I’ll not only let you test my limits, I’ll test yours.”
Heat flooded her face, and the bacon in her hand hit the plate as his words and scent swirled around her. Damn, he was sexy. He moved away from her and turned to the sink, humming under his breath.
“I’m going to go get ready.” She pushed away from the table and a minute later closed the door to her room.
She was glad she wasn’t the only one who’d felt the heat between them. Her rational mind was at war with her body. Logically, she didn’t need to start something with him. He would only end up disappointed. However, maybe if she were to talk to him first? Make him understand all she could give him was now. Maybe then, they’d both understand they could have this time in the cabin and nothing more. Maybe it would be enough.
* * * *
Jonas watched as Lizbeth descended the porch steps wearing the dark jacket and hat on loan from his sister-in-law. They fit her well and made her smooth white skin stand out.
She stopped at the base of the stairs with her eyes glued to the two black snowmobiles sitting side by side in the snow. “You’re joking?”
“I thought it might be fun.” He adjusted one of his gloves and then gestured to the first vehicle. “This one’s for you. Have you ever ridden one before?”
“No, but I’ve always wanted to.” She swung a leg over the seat and slid into position on the bench. Excitement practically vibrated from her small form.
He couldn’t stop his self-satisfied smile. “Okay, your throttle’s over here on the right.” He waited while she placed her right thumb into position. “Your brake is on the left handlebar. Place your feet under the metal pockets down here.”
Frozen: A Winter Romance Anthology Page 20
