All I Want For Christmas Is You

by Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward, Samantha Young, Aurora Rose Reynolds, Lani Lynn Vale, TL Swan, Natasha Madison

  “Yeah.”

  He fastens my bandage with a small clip. “Yeah, I got nothing in common with suits.”

  I watch the huge muscles contract under his t-shirt as he moves. “I can imagine.”

  He picks me up and places me carefully on the sofa; he puts two cushions under my foot to elevate it. “Are you hungry?”

  I bite my lip, I’m starving. It was raining so hard that I couldn’t see a shop along the way; that is if there even was one. “A piece of toast would be great. Do you have toast?” I ask.

  His eyes hold mine. “I have toast.”

  “I can make it,” I offer.

  “You stay there,” he demands as he gets up. “You want a drink?”

  I glance at his glass of amber fluid on the coffee table. “What is it?”

  “Whiskey.”

  Hmm, I love whiskey. “Umm.”

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” he cuts me off. He fusses around in the kitchen and returns with a glass of whiskey and ice. “This will take the sting out of your foot,” he says as he passes it to me. He goes back into the kitchen. I take a sip and wince as I stare at the glass.

  Fuck, what is this…200% alcohol? “Thank you,” I call.

  I look around the room; it’s innately masculine. The walls and floors are timber, a huge rug in muted colours is on the floor. The fireplace is big, and a giant metal tub has a heap of huge timber pieces inside of it, waiting for their turn to burn. The dog that lies in front of it hasn’t moved. Is it dead? The couch is tired and slouchy, but very comfortable, and there are curtains and cushions. I wouldn’t imagine a man like him to have cushions. I wonder, does he live here alone?

  There’s a framed photo on the TV cabinet of a family portrait. It looks like a group of people all standing together in front of a waterfall, though it’s too far away for me to see who’s in the photo.

  “Do you live here alone?” I call.

  “Aha,” he replies as he does whatever he’s doing.

  I take a sip of my whiskey. Who bought those cushions?

  “Do you have a girlfriend?” I call.

  He appears and places a tray down on the coffee table in front of me. It has a big bowl of goulash on it with crusty ciabatta toasted bread on the side. It smells delicious. I look up surprised. “You made this?”

  “Last night.”

  “Wow, I’m impressed.”

  He holds out a spoon. “You didn’t taste it yet.”

  I smile as I take it from him. “Well, it smells delicious.”

  He walks back into the kitchen and the rain comes down hard outside. It’s absolutely disastrous and sounds so loud on the tin roof.

  “Are you not having any?” I call.

  “I already ate.”

  “Oh.” I pick up my bowl and take a spoonful. Holy shit…this is good.

  I notice he didn’t answer my girlfriend question, he obviously has one.

  “So, have you lived here long?” I ask.

  “In the area, all my life. I bought this farm about ten years ago.”

  I smile as I eat. “You should open a restaurant; this is really good.”

  “You obviously hit your head, too,” he answers dryly.

  I hear him washing dishes in the kitchen.

  “How did you see my car?” I ask.

  “I was out feeding Rex and I looked down the hill when I saw your headlights spin and then go off the road.”

  I get a flashback of how scary that few seconds were.

  “I thought someone may have been hurt so I came looking for you,” he says.

  “Thank you.” I take a big mouthful. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you hadn’t shown up.”

  “You would have been okay,” he replies. “I get the feeling that you can look after yourself just fine.”

  I smile proudly. I like that he made that observation.

  I can look after myself…. I’ve had to do it all along.

  My douche bag husband certainly never did it.

  I hear the front door open as the rain really hammers down. “Rex,” I hear him call. “Get out of the rain,” he calls. I smile as I listen. “Dumb dog,” he mutters. “Rex,” he calls again, as I hear the rain really come down hard now.

  He comes in and slams the door closed.

  “Kid troubles?” I ask.

  “You could say that,” he replies. “He’s young and wild, out running around all night. I’m constantly chasing the damn thing and bringing him home.”

  “What kind of dog is he?” I ask.

  “His mother was wolf. I found her on the side of the road; she’d been hit by a car and been killed. I saw she was nursing so I went looking and two days later I heard them crying in the forest. Brought both pups home, but his sister didn’t make it.”

  I turn to look at him over the back of the couch as I see a new side to the prickly man.

  “I think his father must have been dog though,” he continues, “or there is one somewhere back in his family; he’s not a full bred wolf.”

  I sip my whiskey as I listen. “Is that why he acts different, cause he’s half wild?”

  “Maybe,” he replies. “I don’t try and curb him too much. He has free reign. I let him be who he was meant to be. I do spend way too much time looking for him though.”

  I smile impressed. Jack’s a big softy.

  I finish my dinner and he comes to collect my plate. “Leave that,” I say. “I’ll wash it in the morning, you’ve done enough.”

  He gives me a lopsided smile as he picks it up. “It’s okay, I’m used to doing everything.”

  I watch him, and suddenly I want to know all there is about Jack.

  “Come sit with me and talk,” I call, while I hold my empty glass in the air. “We can have another drink together.”

  He picks up the whiskey bottle and comes and sits down on the other couch. He refills both of our glasses and takes a sip as his eyes hold mine. “What do you want to talk about?”

  I shrug. “Is there anything you want to ask me?”

  He shakes his head.

  “What’s your last name?” I ask.

  “Stevens.”

  “Jack Stevens?” I smile.

  He nods.

  “I’m Holly McMillan.”

  His eyes hold mine and he takes a slow sip of his whiskey. “You got a man at home, Holly McMillan?”

  My stomach flutters. “No.”

  “Why not?”

  I shrug. “I was married once, to a liar.”

  He listens intently.

  “It’s ridiculous. I thought he was the love of my life and he thought I was his meal ticket.”

  He frowns.

  “He was a stockbroker and he got caught for insider trading.”

  “He stole from people?” he asks horrified.

  “Aha, and I thought that was the worst of it. But when they were doing his character analysis in court, they brought up all these affairs that he had behind my back with numerous women and it was splashed all over the tabloids.”

  His face falls. “You didn’t know?”

  “No idea at all. I was completely blindsided. He even had a child with another woman and paid her off not to tell me.” I shrug sadly.

  He raises his eyebrows and sips his drink as if lost for words.

  “He’s in jail.”

  “You divorced him?”

  “Aha.” I smile sadly. “It’s funny you know; you think you know how your life is going to turn out. But I never imagined I’d be a thirty-three-year-old divorcee; that was never even on my radar.”

  He nods as if understanding.

  My eyes go to him in question. “Did your life turn out to be what you thought it would be?” I ask.

  He shakes his head. “No.”

  I wait for his reply.

  “Never thought I’d be a widower.”

  My face falls. “Your wife died?”

  He nods.

  I stare at him.

  “Brain tumour, se
ven years ago.”

  My heart drops. “I’m so sorry.”

  He smiles sadly. “Me too.”

  “Were you together long?”

  He nods but doesn’t elaborate and I get the feeling that he doesn’t want to talk about this anymore. I change the subject. “So, what do you build?” I ask.

  “Houses.”

  “Tree houses?” I tease.

  He chuckles. “No, not tree houses. I own my own business. I have six guys working for me.”

  “How wonderful.” I smile as I think about this. “It must be so rewarding to see something that you built from the ground up come to fruition.”

  “It is.” His eyes rise to mine. “What do you do?”

  “I’m an acquisitions manager.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I work for a large media company in New York and I buy small companies around the world for them.”

  He frowns. “You travel a lot?”

  “I do.” I frown as I remember Clancy. “Oh shit. She’s going to be freaking out.”

  “Who is?”

  “My assistant, Clancy. I have no internet on my phone, and I couldn’t check in, she’ll be worried sick.”

  “You can use my phone if you want, I have coverage.”

  “Would you mind?”

  “Sure.” He gets up and hands me his phone and I dial her number. “Hello.” She answers.

  “Clancy it’s me.”

  “Oh, thank fucking God. I thought you were dead. I was about to send out a search party.”

  I smile. “No, I’m fine. I did crash my car but I’m okay and the weather is horrendous so I’m staying with a ….” My eyes flick up to Jack and I pause as I try to think of the right description… a hot mountain man. “At a farmhouse; a very kind person brought me in. I just wanted you to know I’m safe and I’ll call you in the morning. You can reach me on this number.”

  “Okay, great. I’m so relieved.”

  “Speak tomorrow.” I hang up and pass the phone back to Jack.

  “You have an assistant?” he asks.

  “I have three.”

  He raises his eyebrows in surprise.

  “Well you have six,” I reply.

  “I guess.” He sips his drink, amused. He refills our glasses.

  Two hours later.

  I hate to admit it, but the cranky mountain man is actually quite witty.

  And dare I say it…. a little gorgeous. We’ve chatted about everything, with no real deep subject. He’s easy to talk to, and smart. A lot more intelligent than I first gave him credit for.

  “Are you working tomorrow?” I ask.

  “No, there’s more rain in the forecast.”

  “You don’t work in the rain?”

  “Depends where we are in the job. If the roof is already on, we do.”

  I smile as I imagine him being all rough and rugged with a hammer. “So, what do you do for fun up here?”

  He shrugs. “Not much. There’s a few bars in town.”

  “Not much?” I tease. “I imagine you would have Alaskan women falling at your feet.”

  He smiles bashfully. “Well……I’m a one-woman kind of man.”

  What does that mean? “You don’t have a girlfriend or someone you see?”

  “No. Not since….” His voice trails off.

  “Not since your wife?” I frown.

  “No.”

  I stare at him and blink in disbelief. “I didn’t think men like you existed.”

  “We do.”

  The air crackles between us as we stare at each other.

  “I should get you to bed.” He murmurs.

  “You should,” I whisper.

  He stands and picks me up and I put my arm around his neck. We walk into his bedroom and he places me down to sit on the bed. He pulls the covers back and I notice a photograph of a woman on the side table. “Is that your wife?” I ask. I pick it up.

  “That’s Tara.”

  She has blonde hair and is laughing, she seems kind. “She’s beautiful.” I smile.

  “She is…. was.”

  He opens the bottom drawer and puts her photograph in it. “About time I put that away,” he mutters to himself.

  “Don’t do that,” I say as I open the drawer and pull her picture back out. I put it back on the side table. “She should always be next to you when you sleep, and when you meet your new love, she will want to sleep next to her as well…. because she’s a part of you.”

  He stares at me as his jaw clenches.

  A closeness runs between us and I reach up and run my hand down the stubble on his jaw.

  His forehead creases and he stands in a rush and turns his back to me. “Do you need anything else?”

  “No.”

  He drops his head and stares at the floor as if contemplating a decision. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

  I close my eyes, shit…. I crossed the line. “Okay, goodnight.”

  He walks toward the door.

  “Jack.”

  He turns back.

  I give him a soft smile. “Thank you.”

  He nods and leaves. The door clicks closed. I turn the lamp off, flop back to lie on my back and stare at the ceiling. I wasn’t joking, he really is one of a kind.

  I wake to the sound of rain, hard on the roof and I lie and listen to it for a while. I need to go to the bathroom. It’s just getting light and I can see the glow of white through the crack in the curtains as the sun gets closer to rising. I climb out of bed and wince while I do so because my ankle is still sore.

  I hobble over to the door and peer out. Jack is asleep on the couch. I tip toe past him and make my way down the hall to the bathroom.

  After finishing, I wash my hands and open the bathroom door to see Jack standing there waiting for me. “You alright?” he asks.

  I nod with a smile. “I’m fine.”

  He bends and picks me up like a bride once again.

  He holds me close and his eyes drop to my lips; my heart stops.

  Is he going to kiss me?

  Holly

  His lips softly take mine as he kisses me. It’s a soft kiss, with an undertone of suction. My arms are around his neck as he holds me in the air. It’s as if I am light as a feather. We kiss again and again and oh……. this man is such a different species of male to what I’ve ever known before. He’s not flashy or trying to woo me with smoothness. He just is as he is, and it’s so refreshingly honest.

  Real.

  His lips take mine again and this time with hunger. I can feel the arousal as it takes over his body. With every thrash of his tongue, his grip tightens around my body. Seven years is a long time for a person to go without physical touch and I want to give it to him. I want to be the first person that he …

  He carries me down the hall and places me carefully on the ground in the kitchen. His eyes hold mine and it’s as if he’s assessing the situation, thinking carefully about his next move or sentence. Wondering if I’m going to run…. or if he should.

  I pause as I try to get the wording right. “I like you, Jack.”

  His arms snake around me once more and he pulls my hips to his and I feel his large erection as it presses against me. “I like you, too.”

  My stomach flutters …fuck, he’s big.

  He kisses me and this time with purpose. This isn’t a promise of a grand love affair. We both know that’s impossible, or rather, it’s a decision. A conscious decision to get to know each other physically. And I’m okay with that, and by the feeling of his hard body up against mine, I’m pretty sure that he is, too.

  Our kiss turns frantic and he lifts me up to sit on the kitchen counter. The sound of the rain on the roof hammering above is adding to the dramatic feeling between us. His hand snakes up my leg as he wraps it around his hips. His open mouth drops to my neck as he kisses me hungrily, his teeth grazing my skin.

  Goosebumps scatter all over.

  I glance up and see our reflection in
the kitchen window. Me on the counter with my legs spread around him, his two hands on the counter behind me as he holds himself up, his lips on my neck and his eyes tightly closed.

  He’s completely lost in the moment.

  The thought of what he’s been through and what he’s missed since then tears my usual defences wide open and suddenly, I’m frantic. I want this man. I want all of this man; I want to spoil him…bring him undone.

  I whimper as I pull him closer. his hand runs up my thigh and he slides it into my shorts. He brushes the backs of his fingers through my sex and his eyes flutter closed with arousal. “Fuck,” he murmurs.

  “Touch me,” I whimper. Oh God… don’t stop…I want it all…

  Fuck me.

  With his eyes locked on mine, he slowly glides his fingertips through my dripping wet sex. He lets out a low whistle. “You. Feel. So. Good.”

  I arch my back, searching for a deeper connection.

  Reading my queues, he slides his thick finger deep inside of me and I clench around it. His eyes are dark and I clench again to show him what I can do.

  He inhales sharply in appreciation. “Fuck yeah.”

  I shudder hard.

  Oh Hell, this could get embarrassing. I haven’t been touched for so long. I feel like I’m about to come already. He begins to pump me, first with one finger, then with two. His lips take mine as he kisses me hard. With one hand he grips the back of my head and with the other he adds another thick finger and I clench as I bite his bottom lip.

  Oh Hell, that feels good. Too good.

  My hands grip his shoulders as he works me hard and I can feel his muscles contract with every pump of his hand. His moves get faster and faster, more violent.

  And I grip his shoulders as I whimper into his mouth.

  “You like that?” he says as he watches me, though it wasn’t a question. It was more of a statement.

  And I don’t like that, I love that.

  He takes my bottom lip between his teeth and bites down and the pinch of pain on my lips reacts with the wave of pleasure from below and I shudder hard as I clench around his fingers, the orgasm so strong that I convulse. He smiles against my lips in triumph.

  I pant as my eyes hold his, well …that’s an embarrassing record. I came in three minutes flat.

  He scoops me off the kitchen counter and carries me into the bedroom and stands me next to the bed. He slowly peels my shirt over my head and then takes my pants down and throws them to the side. I stand before him, naked and vulnerable.