She left the kitchen briefly to put some more wood on the fire in the living room and some clean towels in the bathroom in the hallway glad that Cooper had gotten her hot water tank installed last fall. When she came back into the kitchen, Calvin had finished his food and was asleep in the chair. Kissing him on the forehead, she gently woke him up and pushed him into the bathroom, helping him take off all his clothes except his boxers, which she couldn’t quite bring herself to do.
Calvin emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, a towel wrapped around his waist, clean but exhausted. She led him to the bed in the corner and tucked him, taking the towel from him once he was in the bed and covered up. He was half-asleep, but when she bent down to give him a kiss on the cheek, he turned his head and met her lips with his, sending a rush of desire through her instantly.
He slept for the rest of the day and right through dinner. Brooke checked on him several times only to find that he was sound asleep but otherwise just fine. When it was time for bed, she climbed in beside him, very conscious that he was naked under the covers, but as she curled herself around him, he continued to sleep and before long she joined him, happy that he was here with her.
She awoke the next morning to the smell of bacon and coffee. Rolling over, she was confused for a second, then remembered that Calvin had shown up the day before exhausted but okay. Jumping out of bed, she threw on her robe and ran to the kitchen. So happy to see Calvin at the stove, she squealed like a child and threw herself into his arms.
“Well, good morning to you too,” he said after he’d kissed her until her knees buckled and she had to lean on him.
“You really are okay,” she said with relief, putting her head on his chest to listen to his heartbeat.
Calvin just held onto her for a second before saying, “Sorry about that, but it was the only way I could make it home,” he said, then rocked her gently when a sob escaped her chest.
She looked up at him and said, “I didn’t think you were ever going to wake up, it was kind of scary.” Then added, “You shouldn’t have pushed yourself that hard.”
“I couldn’t miss Christmas with you,” he said, melting her heart. “Besides, I have a surprise for you, but first breakfast.”
Brooke let him set her down at the table and serve her breakfast, enjoying watching him move around the kitchen expertly. After she’d taken a few bites, she said, “I didn’t know you liked to cook. This is really good.”
“Well, I’ve been single for so long it just kind of happened,” he said, joining her at the table. “Maybe I’ve been gone for too long, but this food tastes better than I remembered.”
“It’s not because you’ve been gone for too long, it’s because it’s fresh. The milk and eggs came from Margret and the bacon came from a farm Marissa found last time we went into town,” Brooke explained.
“I wondered why it all seemed to taste so good,” Calvin said, then there was silence while they finished their food.
Brooke pushed her plate away when she was finished and asked, “So, what are these big plans you have?”
“Are you up for a trip to our cave?” Calvin asked. “I think it would be the perfect place to celebrate our first Christmas together.”
Brooke thought about that for only a second before saying yes, liking the fact that he’d said their first Christmas. “As long as we can take all the food I already cooked.” She’d been cooking for days, planning to have everything done when Calvin got here.
“I wouldn’t dream of leaving it behind,” he said, getting up and taking her plate. “You go get ready. I’ll do these dishes and then we can start packing.”
Less than an hour later, they were on the snowmobiles and heading up the mountain, Brooke was a bit confused because they hadn’t taken half the gear they had before, but Calvin had assured her that they’d be fine with a smile that told her that he had a secret. That secret was revealed to her when they walked into the cave, making tears come to her eyes when she realized just how much trouble he’d gone to.
As she looked around the cave, she asked, “Calvin, how did you do all this?” Amazed to see not only a Christmas tree in one corner, but a luxurious bed at the back of the cave.
“I might have had a little help from my brother,” he said with a smile happy that she was pleased with what he’d planned.
“It’s amazing,” she said, fighting back tears.
“It wasn’t supposed to make you cry,” he said, pulling her into his arms and lowering his mouth to hers.
They spent the rest of the afternoon putting the food and the supplies they’d brought away. Then they decorated the tree with the ornaments that Cooper had left for them, the passion between them simmering. Each touch seemed to turn to a caress, the caress to a kiss, but neither wanted to take the next step until that night. They knew that they had all the time in the world to explore the passion between them and putting it off only made it that much more exciting.
Brooke and Calvin were curled up together by the fire after the huge Christmas Eve dinner Brooke had brought with them. They were sitting in a two-person camp chair that Cooper had found. Brooke was leaning up against Calvin with her feet propped up on a stump, feeling way too full and sleepy.
“I shouldn’t have eaten so much,” she said with a big sigh.
“That was quite the dinner, I had no idea you could cook like that,” Calvin said, then added, “It must have taken years to master those skills. I know how to cook but nothing like that.”
Brooke was silent for a minute, then said, “Well, I used to spend a lot of time home alone after...well, you know, and it kept me from getting too depressed.”
“So, I’ll know when you start cooking like this that you’re upset.”
“Or really happy,” Brooke said, looking up at him.
“Oh, that really helps,” he said, tickling her. “Can I assume this was all because you were happy?”
“Do you have to ask?” she said, pulling him down for a kiss.
When they finally managed to pull themselves apart, Calvin said, “I have a Christmas present for you to open tonight.” Then he got to his feet and disappeared outside.
He came back with a big box in his hands. It wasn’t wrapped but she didn’t care, and it mattered even less when she saw what was inside. Nestled in the tissue paper was the most beautiful robe she’d ever seen in a purple that shimmered in the firelight. Instead of being made from silk, it was cashmere, so soft and light that it practically floated out of the box when she picked it up. Underneath, was a pair of slippers made from the same soft yarn, the soles made of leather so soft she hated to thought of putting them on her feet.
Chapter 7
Brooke looked up at Calvin tears in her eyes. “This is beautiful,” she said, rubbing the robe against her cheek.
Looking down at her, he said, “I had it made especially for you by a woman who Marissa knows.” Then he pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her. “But the robe comes with a limitation.”
“Oh, and what would that be?” she asked, her heart pounding in her chest at the steamy look in his eyes.
“You can only wear it when you’re naked,” he said, making her body sing with desire.
Brooke sucked in a breath and licked her lips, knowing that the moment she’d been waiting for had finally arrived. Suddenly worried that it wouldn’t live up to both of their expectations, she panicked and tried to pull out of Calvin’s arms. He pulled her firmly back into his arms, tipped her head up, and kissed her, immediately dissolving all her fears.
Calvin had sensed her sudden nerves and understood, they’d waited so long, put so much into this one moment that it felt like the rest of their lives depended on what happened that night. “I want to make love to you, Brooke, let’s go to bed,” he said when she’d finally relaxed in his arms.
She looked into his eyes and knew that no matter what happened between them, tonight would be magical, a ni
ght she would always remember. Satisfied at what she’d found in his eyes, she took his hand and led him to the bed at the back of the cave, not caring that the fire should have been fed or that they’d left food sitting out. They’d waited long enough, it was time to fulfill the need deep inside her to be one with Calvin in the most primal of ways.
When they got to the back of the cave, she turned to him and unzipped the jacket he was wearing and pulled it off his shoulders, then ran her hands up and down his chest, loving the way his muscles felt under her hands. Calvin took her jacket off, cupping her breasts through the sweater she wore underneath, making them swell immediately and a small gasp escape from her lips. She closed her eyes as he rubbed his thumbs across her sensitive nipples, then opened them when his hands left her breasts to pull her sweater over her head.
She shivered a little when the cold air hit her skin, but no amount of cold could chill the heat burning deep inside her. “Are you cold?” Calvin asked, pulling her against him.
“No, I’m not cold,” she said, pulling back and lifting his sweater over his head, then letting her hands trace the contours of his chest down to his stomach until she reached the button on his pants.
Locking eyes with him, she slid her hand lower to his erection which was pushing against the fabric of his pants, making Calvin groan with pleasure. His mouth found hers as she stroked him, his arms coming around her and pulling her close. At the first touch of his bare skin on hers, she wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to get closer, the need for more contact instantaneous and driving.
Panting with need, Brooke almost collapsed when Calvin sank to his knees and removed her boots and then her pants, his hand caressing the inside of her leg as he rose to his feet. He kicked off his boots and quickly removed his pants, then pulled back the corner of the sleeping bag and climbed in, holding his hand out for Brooke who quickly climbed in next to him. Heart hammering in her chest, her body alive with desire, she gasped when their skin touched.
Calvin covered her body with her own, a weight she’d been wanting to feel for what felt like forever. Then his mouth came down on hers in a demanding kiss that told her that there was no going back now. When he stripped off her bra and panties, she helped him out of his boxers, smiling to think how many times she’d come close to doing the same thing over the past few months.
But that smile disappeared quickly when Calvin’s mouth came down on one of her taunt nipples, the wave of pleasure so intense that she grabbed his head and pulled him closer with one hand, while the other gripped his shoulder. Brooke had never felt such intense pleasure, the waves stealing her breath as Calvin teased first one nipple then the other. When his hand dipped down her body and settled between her legs, the fire inside her leapt to new heights, the anticipation of him touching her making her hips come up off the bed.
Growling in his throat at the feel of Brooke’s heat on his hand, he slid his finger between her folds and across her swollen clit then deep inside her. She was frantic with need, the fire in her belly spreading through her body as the waves of pleasure his fingers were producing flowed through her like molten lava. He found her clit with his thumb and began to rub her in gentle circles until crying his name, she crested, the pleasure leaving her trembling in his arms.
Calvin leaned up on one elbow and looked down at her, her eyes still half-closed from the pleasure he’d just given her and said, “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are? I need you, Brooke, more than I’ve ever needed anyone before.”
Looking up at him she practically purred, “I need you too, Calvin.”
He was lost then in the chocolate depths of her eyes, his world reduced to the woman in his arms and the promise of what was to come, not just now but for years to come. Right then, he promised himself to never let Brooke get away from him, the impulse coming from someplace deep inside him he hadn’t even know existed.
Moving between her legs, he locked eyes with her and slid inside her, the electricity between them suddenly merged taking their breath away as they became one. His eyes locked on hers, the connections between them intense and deeply satisfying. He moved inside her, filling her over and over again. As he moved inside her, Brooke’s body responded, gripping him tightly as her muscles contracted with each wave of pleasure that washed though her.
The pressure inside her began to grow and she thrust her hips up to meet each powerful thrust of Calvin’s hips. Lost in a storm of pleasure, she wrapped her legs around Calvin’s hips and pulled him deeper inside her, grinding her hips against him until with a burst of moisture she climaxed. Her muscles clenched so tightly around Calvin that he gave up his hard-held restraint and let himself fall over the cliff into the pure bliss of the pleasure Brooke gave him.
He collapsed on top of her, unable to bring himself to move for a long time, his body still trembling with the passion they’d just shared. Brooke welcomed the weight of Calvin’s body, conscious that they were still joined together, and hoping that Calvin wouldn’t break the connection yet. She was shocked and overjoyed at the power of what they’d just shared, her fears of being disappointed only a distant memory. She smiled and felt a stirring between her legs at the thought of what Calvin had been able to do to her body.
“Hmm, you’re squirming. Am I too heavy?” he said, rolling off her onto his back, dragging her on top of him and grinning at her whimper when he pulled out of her.
“You weren’t too heavy, it felt nice,” she said, tracing circles on his chest, then letting it sink lower, curious since she’d never actually touched him before. When her hand found that he was rock hard again, she sucked in a breath of appreciation and ran her hand up and down his throbbing erection.
“Maybe we should see what it feels like for you to be on top,” he said, lifting her all the way on top of him, and pushing her legs down until his erection was resting against her swollen nib.
“Oh, I think that feels nice too,” she said breathily as he slid inside her.
They awoke to a gentle snow the next morning, warm in the bed thanks to the heaters Cooper had thought to put in the cave. The fire had long since burned itself out and the thought of getting up almost kept them in bed, but it was Christmas. Brooke found her new robe and put it on, only then realizing how warm the featherweight garment was.
“That’s quite the fashion statement,” Calvin said, laughing at her in the robe and her snow boots when she came back into the cave.
“Very funny. I’m not going to wear those slippers anywhere but in my bedroom,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him.
Calvin laughed and got out of bed, grabbed her, and threw her back on the bed. “Don’t move, I’ll be right back,” he said, stepping into his boots and nothing else.
When he came back in and laid down next to her, his skin was cold but it wasn’t long before they were both more than warm, the purple robe discarded in a pile at the bottom of the bed. A few hours later, Brooke got out of bed again, this time driven by the need for food. Calvin reluctantly admitted that maybe they should get up and start their day, but not before he covered her with his body and kissed her.
“Merry Christmas, Brooke,” he said, his voice cracking a little bit because he knew that he was deeply in love with Brooke.
Tears in her eyes, she said, “Merry Christmas, Calvin,” her heart practically bursting with love for him.
Neither could express what they were feeling right then, the emotion too big to put into words, but each knew that they’d finally found the love they’d thought they’d never find. They made love again, but this time it was a tender, gentle merging of their bodies, an expression of the feelings they couldn’t express in words. It was an unspoken commitment to each other, a symbol of a love that was still new and tender.
When they finally emerged from the sleeping bags and got dressed, which Brooke insisted on fearing they’d just end up in bed again, it was afternoon. But since they had no place to be, they decided to have breakfast for lunch. The fir
e had burned down, but Calvin quickly revived it, and Brooke made coffee which tasted even better than it had the day before. Calvin lit the candles on the Christmas tree which gave the cave a warm glow, as the snow continued to fall.
After they’d eaten, Brooke suggested that they get out of the cave for a little while so they went out and gathered some more firewood, enjoying tromping around the forest in the snow, feeling like they were the only people in the world. Brooke couldn’t have been happier any place else in the world that day, and by the time they got back to the cave, it was no surprise when they ended up back in the sleeping bags, the passion between them only stronger each time they were together.
After dinner that night, Brooke brought out her presents for Calvin and shyly handed them to him. It was hard to buy a gift for someone who had enough money to buy himself anything he wanted, so she’d decided to make his gifts.
“I can’t open these until I get your other gift,” Calvin said, getting up and taking a small box from his bag.
“Open this one first,” Brooke said, handing him the larger of the two packages.
He opened it then sighed with pleasure. “Oh, this is wonderful,” he said, wrapping the scarf she’d made him around his neck. It was midnight blue and made his eyes look even bluer just as she knew it would when she saw the yarn in the store.
“It’s cashmere like my robe. I guess great minds think alike,” Brooke said, pleased that he was happy with the gift.
“Open yours now,” he said eagerly.
Brooke opened the package with trembling fingers to find a velvet box. When she opened the lid, it was to find a shimmering diamond necklace. The stone was set in the middle of a gold heart styled like it had been made in the 1930s. “Oh, Calvin, it’s beautiful and perfect,” she said. “Help me put it on.”
Never Let Go (Brothers From Money Book 9) Page 7
