'Tis the Season

by Carole Mortimer, Alison Roberts

  ‘That’s the second time today you’ve flinched away from me!’ Jake growled, his clenched jaw as in flexible as the fingers that now encircled her nape.

  ‘Let go of me, Jake,’ she ordered, even as her legs began to shake in reaction to his touch.

  The intensity of his gaze held hers captive as he slowly shook his head. ‘I can’t do that, Caro.’

  She swallowed hard, her eyes wide. ‘Can’t…?’

  ‘Can’t,’ Jake echoed gruffly.

  It was true! Touching Caro again, feeling the silkiness of her skin beneath his fingers, there was no way Jake could just let her go. Not without first tasting her…

  Caro trembled, her eyes deep blue pools in the pallor of her face. ‘You’ve always been able to do anything you want, Jake, so don’t say you can’t let me go…’

  ‘Not this time,’ he breathed, his gaze holding hers as his head lowered and his mouth captured hers. Not gently or tentatively, but more like a thirsty man in a desert being offered his first drink of water in a very long time.

  In complete contrast to her struggles against the restraint of his hand against her nape, her lips were soft and warm beneath his, and they tasted of the sweetness of honey. Honey that Jake wanted to drink, to drown in.

  And he had every intention of drinking from her until he had ensured Caro wanted this as much as he did!

  He kissed Caro deeply, hungrily, his arms about her now as he held her captive, one hand against her back and the other against the base of her spine. He pressed the slenderness of her hips against the arousal of his thighs, letting her know without words exactly how she affected him.

  Caro gasped, her hands moving up to grasp Jake’s shoulders as she felt the hard intimacy of his thighs pressed against the soft swell of her abdomen. Jake at once took advantage of her softly parted lips to run the silkiness of his tongue along the pout of her lower lip.

  She gave an aching groan, having no will left with which to fight as Jake plundered the softness of her mouth, his tongue a warm and silky invasion, teasing, duelling with hers, playing with all of her senses. That tongue plunged and claimed, and then plunged and claimed again and again, in an ever-arousing rhythm.

  Caro moaned low in her throat as both Jake’s hands lowered to cup the soft curve of her bottom, to hold her against him as he moved the hardness of his arousal against her in the same erotic rhythm as his lips and tongue continued to claim, to lay siege to hers.

  She forgot everyone and everything in the wild rush of her own desire. She was so hot, consumed with the sensual need of her heated senses, as aroused now as Jake obviously was as she feverishly returned the demand of his kisses.

  Caro shivered as she felt the coolness of Jake’s hand against the heat of her flesh beneath her sweater, her protest becoming another aching groan as that hand cupped her breast, the soft pad of his thumb moving unerringly across the hardened bud of her nipple through the thin material of her bra. Stroking softly. Rhythmically. Pleasure was pulsing, dampening between Caro’s thighs as she felt the aching need for Jake to fill them.

  It had been so long—too long!—since Caro had been aroused like this. She knew that Jake would only have to touch her between her thighs, just a single touch of his finger against that pulsing nub, and she would explode into climax. A climax she now needed so badly that her body actually throbbed with a pleasure that bordered on pain.

  The sudden sound of Magdalena’s gurgling and incomprehensible talking as she awakened came over the baby-listening device, causing Caro to freeze in Jake’s arms before she pulled away to stare up at him in horrified disbelief.

  Jake drew in a deeply controlling breath, and a nerve pulsed in his tightly clenched jaw as he saw the unmistakable look of horror on Caro’s face before she pushed completely away from him, immediately averting her face so that Jake could no longer see or read her expression.

  ‘Damn it, Caro—’

  ‘Don’t say anything, Jake!’ she warned shakily. ‘That was— I have no idea what just happened.’ The tone of her voice was obviously one of self-disgust. ‘You know exactly what happened—’

  ‘I know what happened—I’m trying to tell you it won’t happen again!’ Caro cried, and her spine straightened before she turned to give him a fiercely challenging look.

  Jake studied her through narrowed lids, knowing by the flush to her cheeks, the brightness to her eyes, the slight shaking of her hands, that he hadn’t imagined Caro’s arousal just now. That, despite her denials, she was still aroused.

  ‘Are you so sure of that?’ He softly returned that challenge.

  ‘Yes!’ she insisted. ‘I’m going upstairs to get Magdalena now, and once she’s changed and fed I’m going to order a taxi to take me back into London.’

  Jake hands clenched at his sides. ‘You’re not going anywhere, Caro.’

  The colour that suffused her cheeks now was due to outraged anger. ‘I really don’t advise that you even think about trying to stop me from leaving, Jake!’

  ‘You and I both know that I would do it if I had to,’ he grated harshly.

  She gave him a scathing glance. ‘Still as arrogant as ever, I see.’

  He smiled grimly. ‘Luckily for you, this time I don’t have to be,’ he said. ‘Take a look out of the window, Caro,’ Jake advised, as she stared at him blankly.

  A frown appeared between her brows as she stepped back to the window, that frown turning to a look of dismay as Caro looked out at what Jake must have already seen.

  Snow.

  Thick heavy flakes of it were falling steadily outside the window. And, from the look of the accumulation of snow on the lawn and flowerbeds in the garden, it had been falling completely unnoticed by either of them for some time.

  Long enough and heavy enough, Jake noted with intense satisfaction, for Caro not to be able to go anywhere this evening…

  CHAPTER FIVE

  HANGING, DRAWING AND quartering was too good for Gavin, Caro decided furiously as she impatiently paced the bedroom next to Magdalena’s. Mrs Weaver had brought Caro here so that she could bathe and change before dinner. It was a beautiful high-ceilinged bedroom, decorated in pale lemons and golds, and looking out over the long driveway at the front of the house.

  A driveway that was now covered in at least three inches of completely non-negotiable snow!

  Non-negotiable because she had the safety of her six-month-old baby to think of…

  Caro was totally unable to shut from her mind the memories of once again being in Jake’s arms, of responding to his kisses and caresses. If she’d only had herself to consider then Caro knew she would have risked trying to walk out of here.

  Magdalena was downstairs with Jake right now, having been bathed and fed. Father and daughter were both lying on the carpeted floor, playing with Magdalena’s new toys. Caro had left them a few minutes ago to come upstairs with the housekeeper. How could she have allowed Jake to kiss and touch her in that way?

  How could she have stopped him when her resistance had melted at the first touch of his lips against hers…?

  ‘Perhaps you would like me to run your bath for you, like I used to?’

  Caro turned sharply to find Jake leaning against the open bedroom doorway, her cheeks becoming hot as that green gaze moved over and down her body with slow deliberation. Heatedly reminding her of the times Jake had run a bath for her in the past—before joining her there!

  ‘No, thank you,’ she snapped irritably. ‘Where’s Magdalena?’

  ‘Apparently, Mrs Weaver has always wanted to be a grand mother,’ Jake divulged as he strode farther into the bedroom and deposited Caro’s suitcase on the bed. ‘She offered to show Magdalena the sweet delights of the icing on the Christmas cookies while I went outside and collected your case from the car,’ he added dryly as Caro raised a questioning eyebrow at his initial reply. ‘Do you have everything you need?’

  What Caro needed most of all, after what had happened between them earlier, was to get out of her
e! An impossibility for the fore seeable future, when the snow continued to fall so relentlessly…

  ‘I do now,’ Caro muttered awkwardly. ‘I—thank you for bringing in my suitcase,’ she added uncomfortably.

  Jake raised teasing brows. ‘Did that hurt?’

  Her smile was rueful as she sat down on the side of the bed. ‘Not too much—considering that you were the one who had to go outside into the cold snow!’ Caro hadn’t missed that Jake’s hair was still slightly wet from his venture outside, the dampness causing it to curl slightly about his ears and nape.

  Nor had she forgotten how soft and silky that hair had felt a short time ago, when her fingers had become entangled in its dark richness…

  Jake frowned. ‘We could use these few minutes alone to talk, Caro.’

  ‘About what?’ she asked sharply, her gaze wary.

  Jake gave a shrug. ‘Perhaps a good place for us to start would be for me to ask whether or not there’s anyone else in your life at the moment?’ He deliberately kept his tone light—when in reality even the thought of Caro in another man’s arms made him feel positively violent!

  Her eyelashes flickered down, concealing her expression from him. ‘Besides Magdalena, you mean?’

  ‘Don’t be obtuse, Caro,’ he rapped out curtly.

  ‘Is that what I’m being?’ she asked a little sadly, rising to her feet to stand in front of the window, looking out at the still heavily falling snow. ‘There really isn’t a lot of time left for anything or anyone else in your life when you have a young baby to care for.’

  Which didn’t exactly answer his question… ‘Are you emotionally or physically involved with anyone else?’ he repeated.

  She turned suddenly, challenge in the deep blue of her eyes. ‘Are you?’

  Jake easily met that challenge. ‘No.’

  ‘Oh.’ She seemed momentarily nonplussed by the blunt ness of his reply. ‘I somehow never imagined you would be spending Christmas on your own…’

  ‘Frankly, I’m surprised that you’ve bothered to wonder about how I would spend any of my time, let alone Christmas,’ Jake said bitterly. ‘As far as I can tell you haven’t given our marriage or me a single thought this last year!’

  ‘Not a positive one, at least,’ she confirmed hard-heartedly.

  Jake drew in a frustrated breath; Caro still hadn’t answered his question as to whether or not there was a man in her life.

  He had no idea whether to take that as an indication that there was another man or that there wasn’t…

  Either way, he intended making sure there would be no other men in Caro’s future! ‘Are you sure you wouldn’t like some help with your bath…?’ he offered sardonically.

  ‘Positive,’ Caro snapped.

  ‘Pity,’ Jake taunted.

  Caro felt the warmth of the blush in her cheeks. ‘Look, we’re obviously stuck here together until this weather breaks, but let’s not either of us imagine this is anything more than that—Jake…?’ Her eyes had widened in alarm as Jake strolled un hurriedly across the bedroom until he stood only inches away from her.

  So close that Caro could once more see those grey flecks in the darkness of the hair at his temples, the lines beside his nose and mouth that hadn’t been there a year ago, either. Just as she could see the gold flecks in the deep green of Jake’s eyes. And feel the heat emanating from his body…

  ‘Just an observation, Caro—but I don’t believe either of us was even aware that it was snowing earlier,’ he murmured.

  That was true, of course. But it didn’t alter the fact that Caro didn’t want even the possibility of a repeat of their earlier intimacy. She dared not risk a repeat! Being in Jake’s arms again, being kissed by him, kissing him in return as his hands caressed the length of her body, the warmth of her bare flesh, had shown Caro just how dangerous that close ness could be.

  She squared her shoulders defiantly. ‘I’m out of here as soon as the weather improves.’

  Jake glanced briefly out of the window, his gaze once again challenging as it returned to meet Caro’s. ‘Don’t wish the snow away, Caro,’ he chided. ‘I’m sure you wouldn’t want to deny all those thousands of children the fun of a white Christmas. Building a snowman. Snowball fights. Making snow angels.’

  ‘Perhaps next year…’ Caro responded sarcastically.

  His gaze was openly amused now. ‘I hate to disappoint you, Caro, but I turned on the television just now to check the weather forecast, and they’re expecting this snow to continue on through tonight and tomorrow at least.’

  Caro’s heart sank at the thought of being snowed in here with Jake for days rather than the hours she had been hoping for.

  ‘Then I’ll just have to wish very hard that “they” are wrong, won’t I?’ she said stubbornly.

  Jake gave an appreciative chuckle at her vehemence, his laughter instantly making him look younger and less grim. More like the Jake that Caro had met and fallen in love with two years ago…

  That man hadn’t been real, Caro reminded herself fiercely. The man she had loved, the man she had thought she’d married, had been a figment of her imagination. The real Jake Montgomery wasn’t the man Caro had believed was as much in love with her as she was with him.

  No, the real Jake Montgomery was faithless, selfish, ruthless and totally incapable of feeling love for any woman—least of all his wife.

  And Caro intended to keep reminding herself of that fact—often!—for however long the two of them were forced to stay here together.

  Jake’s gaze moved restlessly over Caro’s face. He could almost see her mentally rebuilding her barriers against him. Barriers he had no time or patience for. She wasn’t only the mother of his daughter, she was still his wife—and the sooner she accepted that fact the better it would be for all of them.

  Caro turned away to move to the bed, to unfasten her suitcase and look down frowningly at its contents. ‘I hope you don’t expect me to dress for dinner.’

  ‘Well, I’m not going to complain if you come downstairs naked, but Mrs Weaver may be a little shocked.’

  ‘Very funny!’ Caro turned to glare at him. ‘As I was spending the week with Gavin—whose only concession to going out for the evening is to change into a clean T-shirt—I didn’t bring any clothes with me but another pair of jeans and some sweaters,’ she explained impatiently.

  ‘I really don’t give a damn what you do or don’t wear for dinner, Caro,’ Jake dismissed. Considering the effect her tight-fitting jeans had had on him earlier, Jake had absolutely no problem with Caro continuing to wear them. Or not…

  When he’d held Caro in his arms earlier, kissed her, touched her, caressed her, it had been as if the last year had never happened. All the physical desire Jake had always felt for her had returned with a vengeance. Jake was sure the two of them would have made love if Magdalena hadn’t woken up when she had.

  Magdalena…

  Jake still felt completely awed by the existence of his daughter. She was totally enchanting. Beautiful. A tiny, perfect, unique human being that he and Caro had created together.

  Jake’s heart turned to ice as he thought of the months of Magdalena’s life that Caro had deliberately, wilfully, denied him. Months—over a year, if he included Caro’s pregnancy—that could never be recaptured. He didn’t intend being denied or excluded from another day, an hour, even a minute of his young daughter’s life!

  He looked at Caro coldly. ‘Let’s just try and make the best of our present situation, hmm?’

  ‘As long as it’s understood that I’m leaving here as soon as the weather permits, and taking the first available flight back to Majorca.’

  ‘Is there nothing you miss about living in England, Caro? Such as seeing your friends? Spending time with Gavin?’ Jake added unfairly, knowing that the bond between brother and sister was all the stronger because of the unhappiness of their childhood.

  ‘Well, of course I miss all of those things, Jake,’ Caro answered coolly.


  ‘Just not enough to live in England?’ he guessed, wondering more and more if there wasn’t another pull that drew Caro back to Majorca…

  ‘No,’ she confirmed huskily.

  ‘Could that be because I live here?’ He saw the answer to that question in the set of Caro’s mouth. ‘Damn it, Caro—’

  ‘Jake, I really would like to take a bath now.’ Caro turned away deliberately, not sure how much more of this her battered emotions could take.

  Seeing Jake again so unexpectedly at the airport earlier had been bad enough. Being here in this house with him—kissing him and being kissed by him earlier!—was shredding the barriers Caro had managed to gather about her emotions this past year.

  Being in this house with him? Hold on a moment…

  Her gaze was narrowed as she turned to look at him. ‘How long have you owned this house, Jake?’

  He eyed her, frowning. ‘Why?’

  Her expression remained wary. ‘I’m just curious. I don’t remember you ever expressing any interest in buying a house in the country. It just seems a strange thing for you to do, when all of your business interests are in London…’

  Jake’s eyes had narrowed to steely slits. ‘As you suggested earlier, it’s a business investment.’

  Was Jake telling the truth?

  Or was this house something else entirely?

  Caro had been so upset when Jake had left for that business trip to New York after the two of them had argued because she hadn’t been able to accompany him as originally planned. After two days of absolute silence from him she had decided to join Jake in New York for their wedding anniversary. The gift she had for him—her confirmed pregnancy—was something she had wanted to share with him in person.

  Caro had been so excited at the idea of surprising Jake by arriving unexpectedly, being able to tell him of the baby they were expecting. She had actually been in the process of packing her suitcase for her trip to New York later that afternoon when she’d answered the telephone call from an estate agent, concerning the house Mr Montgomery was purchasing in Surrey…