Wrapped Up (Stone Cliff #4)

by Cathryn Fox

  Once they left the town center in their rearview mirror, Josie turned on the radio and sang along to the music as he watched the trees fly by. They rounded a corner and up ahead, he saw lights flashing and he leaned forward. “What’s going on?”

  “I don’t know.” Josie rolled her window down when they reached the police officer standing on the side of the road. “Hey Officer Sattler, what’s up?”

  “Highway is closed.”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Carter said.

  “Why would I kid about that?” the officer asked as he ducked his head to look into the truck.

  “I guess you wouldn’t.” Incredulous, Carter shook his head, even though he shouldn’t have been surprised at the turn of events. “What’s going on?”

  Sattler pointed to the mountains hugging the road. “The snow started tumbling down onto the road. It’s crazy. Nothing like that has ever happened around here before. It’s going to take hours for the plows to clear it.”

  “Of course it is,” Carter said, pushing back into his seat and calling up the next flight on his phone.

  Josie looked at him. “Doesn’t look like you’re getting out of town tonight.”

  “Next flight is tomorrow mid-morning.”

  Office Sattler stepped back and signaled for Josie to do a U-turn on the road. She spun her vehicle around and shot him a glance. “Looks like you’ll be here for Christmas after all.”

  “I think you knew that all along.”

  “Of course I did.” She grinned. “Do you believe me now?”

  “No,” he said, even though there was a part of him that could no longer deny that something was going on. Either the town was conspiring against him, or the legend of the wolf was real, and he was here because he needed something.

  “The wolf isn’t finished with you yet.”

  He looked at Josie. She wet her bottom lip and his entire body came alive. The wolf might not be finished with him, but it was obvious he wasn’t finished with her yet, either. When it came to her, there was a need he couldn’t seem to assuage.

  She went back to humming along to a song on the radio as she drove to her cottage in the mountains. Once inside, she took care of her dogs, then turned to him. “I’ll be right back. I need to get in to my Christmas pajamas.”

  She disappeared, and remembering he still had on the bucktoothed Rudolph sweater, he pulled it over his head and tossed it onto the sofa instead of folding it neatly like he normally would. Josie came back into the main room, and he noticed the way she was staring at him, the way he was relaxing around her, letting down his guard.

  Feeling out of sorts, he stood there looking at her and there was nothing he could do to rein in his emotions. He thought back to the way she’d lit up the church hall when she walked in. All eyes turned to her, but it wasn’t because she was carrying an armload of presents. No, it was because she was kind, gentle, and sweet. In fact, she was like a damn burst of sunshine on a gray winter’s day. She’d shared her family with him tonight. Invited him into her home where everyone treated him like he was one of their own. He knew she’d arranged the puppy, and that gesture meant so much to him.

  As he thought about that, need ripped a hole in the shield around his heart. Josie was so sweet and generous it made him want to reevaluate his life and ask for things, even though he’d sworn a long time ago that he’d never ask anyone for anything.

  “Are you okay?” she asked as he took in the nightgown decorated with sugarplums.

  “Yeah,” he answered, even though he wasn’t. Christ, how could he be falling in love with her? He barely knew her and they were completely different people.

  With a sweet smile on her face, she went up onto her toes and pressed her lips to his.

  “What was that for?” he asked.

  “You made a little boy very happy tonight.”

  He shrugged. “What am I supposed to do with a puppy?”

  “I don’t know, but I can think of a few things you can do with me.”

  She stepped back and peeled off her nightgown. “I know you only said one time, but since you’re stuck here with me, and it’s Christmas, and this is kind of what I asked Santa for, I thought—”

  “Josie,” he said, his cock thickening as he gazed at her beautiful naked body.

  “Yeah.”

  “Zip it,” he said, pulling her into his arms. God, she was so perfect. Her hips were narrow, her breasts small, but it worked on her. Hell, everything worked on her. He was well past the point of denying that something was happening to him, something he had no control over, and this time, he knew it had nothing to do with the wolf and everything to do with the beautiful girl standing before him, offering him everything he’d always wanted but was too scared to ask for.

  His mouth found hers and he scooped her up. He carried her to her room and tossed her onto the bed. “So is this what you asked Santa for?”

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “And you always get what you want because you’re on the nice list, right?”

  “Yes, but tonight I think I want to be naughty.”

  He groaned, ripped off his clothes, and climbed over her. He kissed her long and hard then grabbed a condom from her nightstand. He pushed into her and she opened so nicely for him. They held each other tight, like their lives depended on it as they came to orgasm, and once finished, he collapsed on top of her. She gave a contented sigh and he pulled her in tight. He held her for a long time, until her breathing changed.

  As he listened to her soft sleeping sounds, he couldn’t help but think sex was perfect with her. Heck, everything was perfect with her. Going over the events of the night, he pushed the covers off and stepped into the other room. The dogs looked at him, then rolled back over in front of the fire. He grabbed her laptop and booted it up. As it loaded, he went to work on making a pot of coffee because it was going to be a hell of a long night.

  8

  A streak of morning sunshine cut through the crack in her curtains and slanted against the wall, pulling Josie awake. She stretched and she reached for Carter only to find his side of the bed cold, too cold. She jackknifed up.

  The smell of coffee and fresh burning wood in the hearth reached her nostrils. He’s still here! She grabbed the top bed sheet, wrapped it around herself, and walked into the other room to find Carter at her computer.

  She came up behind him and placed a kiss on his cheek. “Merry Christmas.”

  “Hey,” he said, turning to face her, and the second she looked at him, her heart missed a beat. As his eyes moved over her face, she knew there was a new intimacy between them, one that went way beyond the physical. She also knew she’d gotten in over her head with him. He was leaving in a few short hours, and even though she wanted to ask him to stay, she knew it had to come from him. It had to be his decision.

  “I’ll be right back.” She made a move to turn¸ to take care of her dogs, but Carter’s hand on her wrist stopped her.

  “I took care of them already.”

  “Oh,” she said. “What are you doing up so early?”

  “I’m not. I didn’t go to bed yet.”

  She took in the dark circles under his eyes. “Why? What’s going on?”

  His breath came shallow and his voice seemed a bit shaky when he said, “You shared your family with me for Christmas, and I wanted to give you all something back.” When she gave him a confused look, Carter spun the computer around so she could see it. As she leaned in to read, he explained, “I found the loop hole.”

  She quickly scanned the page. “Oh, my, God. The church is a heritage property.” She jumped from her chair, and her bed sheet fell to the floor as she hugged him. “That means it can’t be torn down!”

  “Which means my client will no longer want it.”

  She clapped her hands. “You saved the church. I can’t believe it. This is the best Christmas present ever. I need to call dad.”

  She made a move to go, but once again, Carter gripped her wr
ist to stop her. “I think you should wait.”

  “Wait? Why?”

  “Something’s come up.”

  “What?” She looked at the computer again then back at him.

  “Me,” he said, giving her a mischievous grin. God, she really did love this playful Carter.

  “Oh,” she said, taking note of the heat in his eyes as his gaze dropped to her breasts.

  His mouth twitched. “That’s what happens when you jump up and down naked, Josie.”

  Standing before him completely bare, she asked, “Is there something you want to ask me, Carter?”

  Instead of answering, Carter stood and scooped her up. As he carried her back to the bedroom, she thought about the changes in him in such a short time. Being here had done something to him, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he’d board that plane and never look back, or if he’d finally open his mouth and ask her for what he wanted—needed.

  9

  Carter adjusted his briefcase in his hand and walked through the relatively quiet airport, Josie keeping pace beside him. As they approached the billboard, he scanned it to find out his flight was still on.

  He looked at Josie. “Doesn’t seem like anything is keeping me here anymore.”

  She blinked up at him, and his heart missed a beat as he thought about how hard he’d fallen for her, how much he wanted her in his life. After spending the holidays with her and her family, he was second guessing everything he’d worked so hard for and reevaluating the direction of his life. Truthfully, he was hoping she’d ask him to stay, considering she was a girl who always asked for what she wanted. A knot tightened his stomach. Maybe she was ready for this to be over. Maybe it was only a Christmas fling for her. He supposed there was only one way for him to find out if there could be more between them. And that was to ask.

  “Nope, looks like you’re free to go,” she said.

  He raked his hands though his hair, his throat clenching hard. “Josie?”

  “Yeah?”

  He looked at the ticket counter, then back at her. He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, knowing if he didn’t do this, he would regret it for the rest of his lonely, unhappy life. Yeah, Josie was right about one thing. It wasn’t natural for any animal to be alone. No matter how happy he’d thought he was, he really was miserable.

  “I…I don’t want to go,” he said.

  A smile touched her mouth. “No?”

  “There’s nothing back there for me. Not really.”

  “And there is something for you here in Deerfield?”

  “I…I…”

  She put her hand on his face and he closed his over it. “What is it?”

  “I want to stay.” He laughed. “Believe it or not, I kind of like it here.”

  “Even with all the reminders of Christmas?”

  “Especially because of them. I kind of like the new memories we made.”

  “But you said you didn’t want to feel.”

  He grinned. “I’ve discovered there are some things I really like feeling.”

  She returned his grin. “Yeah, there are some things I like you feeling, too.”

  He shrugged and looked around. “I could hang my sign here. I think your father was right. This town needs a good lawyer—on its side. Someone to help protect the town from vultures.”

  She laughed. “I think you’re right.”

  “Josie.”

  Yeah?”

  “If I stay, this thing between us…” He let his voice fall off.

  She went still. Too still. And he worried that she might not want more. “Are you trying to ask me something, Carter?”

  He took a deep breath and said, “Yes.”

  “Okay. Then ask.”

  After a long pause, he said, “If I stay, will you go out with me?”

  “Of course.” She laughed and hugged him. “All you had to do was ask, Carter. It’s all you ever had to do.”

  “Okay then,” he said, picking her up. She yelped and wrapped her arms around him. Everyone turned to look, but he didn’t care. “Since I’m asking, can I take you home right now?”

  “Yes.”

  “When we get there, can I take all your clothes off?”

  “For sure.”

  Since he was on a roll, he continued, “Once I have you naked, can I kiss you all over?”

  Heat moved into her eyes. “If that’s what you want.”

  “It is. I also want to stay in bed with you until New Year’s. Can we do that?”

  She nodded. “New Year’s sounds about right.”

  His throat tightened and all teasing was gone from his voice when he said, “I want to be with you Josie, and only you.”

  “I want the same.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Then why didn’t you tell me?”

  “Because you didn’t ask.”

  He laughed out loud, then pressed his lips to hers. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “Um, I believe you just laid out the perfect plan.”

  “Oh right.” He grinned and hugged her tighter. “Let’s get out of here then.”

  He carried her outside and set her down when they reached her SUV in the parking lot. Off in the distance, he heard a howl and turned toward the sound. His gaze met with a set of blue eyes against a white backdrop.

  My white wolf.

  “I guess it’s true,” he said. He looked at Josie, then back to the spot where the wolf had stood only seconds ago. He searched the area, but the animal was nowhere to be found.

  “What’s true?”

  “The legend of the white wolf.” He dropped another kiss onto her mouth and said, “What I wanted was not what I needed.”

  “I could have told you that.”

  “I suppose all I had to do was ask.”

  “Of course,” she said laughing. “Now about this plan of yours…”

  Afterword

  Thank You!

  Thank you so much for reading, Wrapped Up. I hope you enjoyed Josie and Carter’s journey as much as I loved writing it. If you’ve not checked out the first three in the series, Crashing Down, Wasted Summer, and Love Lessons, head on over to my website for a sneak peek! Please read on, I’ve included an excerpt from Crashing Down, (Book one in the Stone Cliff Series) I hope you enjoy!

  * * *

  Interested in leaving a review? Please do! Reviews help readers connect with books that work for them. I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative.

  Happy Reading,

  Cathryn

  About the Author

  New York Times and USA today best selling author, Cathryn is a wife, mom, sister, daughter, and friend. She loves dogs, sunny weather, anything chocolate (she never says no to a brownie) pizza and red wine. She has two teenagers who keep her busy with their never ending activities, and a husband who is convinced he can turn her into a mixed martial arts fan. Cathryn can never find balance in her life, is always trying to find time to go to the gym, can never keep up with emails, Facebook or Twitter and tries to write page-turning books that her readers will love.

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  Crashing Down

  “You reek of sex.”

  Noah Ryan grinned at his buddy Jared, a guy he’d gotten to know over the last couple of years while living and working at Stone Cliff Resort in the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Taking his friend’s ribbing in stride, Noah scru
bbed his hands through his disheveled hair, and sank down onto the driftwood next to him, setting his motorcycle helmet at his feet. He let his glance surf over the crowd gathered around the nightly, beachside bonfire. He zeroed in on a cute blonde with big tits and gave Jared a wry smirk. “Not yet I don’t.”

  Jared reached into the cooler, pulled out a cold brew, and handed it to Noah. “Yeah, well that’s a matter of opinion.”

  “Fuck you.” Noah laughed and twisted off the cap, the taste of weed and smoke scratching his dry throat like coarse sandpaper. “How the hell can I reek of sex when I just crawled out of bed, alone?”

  Jared shrugged. “Well your bed smells like sex, then.”

  Okay, so that was probably true. His bed likely did smell like sex. Sometimes a hard, mindless fuck chased away the chills that had taken up residency inside him since the accident a little over three years ago. Then again, sometimes it didn’t. Sometimes the demons managed to tunnel their way past the wall he’d built despite a warm body lying next to him.

  Noah took a long pull from the bottle, and washed the grit from his throat. Too bad the alcohol did little to drown the pain that blackened his soul. Then again, did he really deserve for it to?

  He worked to push all dark thoughts aside, and tried to keep things light. He nudged his friend with his elbow. “Ah, come on, Jared. Don’t be jealous ’cause I’m getting all the play and you’re not.”

  Jared waved to Ryan and Bobbie, a couple of locals who had just rolled in, before he flicked his beer cap at Noah. “Yeah, well, fuck you. I get all the play I need, or I would be if you weren’t always hovering around.” Two well-built, dark-haired hotties moved in front of them, smiling flirtatiously at Noah. “Christ, Noah, what the hell is it about you?” He clucked his tongue and added, “You’re like nectar to the honey bee, my man.”

  Laughing, Noah took another swig from the bottle as the cute blonde he’d been eying glanced his way. He caught the mischief in her gaze and pegged her as a local, a rich townie who’d just returned home from university. He knew her type all too well. She’d spend her days lounging on the water with her friends and her nights here at the beach, otherwise known as the Cave, where many of the resort staff and locals alike gathered for a little action. Not that he was judging her. He wasn’t. After all, unlike him she was getting an education and going places.