License to Love: Holiday Box Set (Contemporary Romance)

by Kristen James

  “Alright, out of here, cowboy, and let me change.” She shut the door and took a deep breath. It wasn’t the cooling breath she hoped for. This was basic need, combined with some new emotional pull. She thought she sacrificed her chance with Nick when she ran away to find Jerry, but now they were together. Now she knew he had been on her side all along. He had gotten involved to help her.

  She brushed her teeth and pulled on the clean clothes he’d given her. He waited in the hallway, leaning against the wall with his hands in the pockets of his shorts. He still hadn’t shaved and it made him look even sexier. His dark eyes glittered with excitement as they caught the light from the bathroom. She reached up and felt his jaw, reveling in the texture.

  “Don’t leave me alone tonight.” Her tone was drastically different from minutes before.

  “I can’t refuse that.” He took her hand and walked into the bedroom. A single candle lit the room with soft, warm light.

  “Will you be okay alone for a minute?” he asked, pulling the blankets down for her.

  She smiled and nodded as she sank into the bed. Wow, the sheets were soft and the pillows fluffy. She lay down and pulled the blankets up. They smelled like new sheets and not Nick, and that disappointed her.

  The vixen in her came out and she thought about stripping and waiting for him naked. (A tad obvious?) It didn’t feel right though, not when her dad was fighting for his life and they were still on the run. Not to mention, Herald and Adam were also in the house.

  She wanted to feel his naked body against hers. It wasn’t completely sexual; something about the thought felt simple and comforting, but of course it still raised her body temperature.

  Nick walked into the room and shut the door. When he paused next to the end of the bed, she heard his shorts slide to the floor. His thoughts couldn’t be completely innocent right now, either. It’d be interesting to hear his thoughts, and somehow know how he’d react to the images flashing through her mind.

  She lay on her side, facing the inside of the bed. Watching her, he slid in from the other side to lie facing her. She imprinted her brain with a vibrant picture of him in blue boxers. Just blue boxers, a nice six pack and a light dusting of chest hair.

  He could be one of those underwear models. Not that she wanted other women salivating over him the way she was right now.

  He smiled, slow and sexy, as he laid his head on his pillow and slid his arm underneath, the way she was laying on her side. He reached with his free arm and traced a line down her arm, from her wrist to inner elbow, and then to her collar bone. The slow, sensual caress changed the mood sharply. She focused her attention on Nick’s warm brown eyes watching her, caressing her visually, and on his full mouth so close. So kissable.

  She gave in and touched him, running her finger along his bottom lip, the way he’d teased her before. He accepted the invitation. His hand slide down from her shoulder to the dip of her waist and over her hips. Even over her clothes, his hand sent quivers through her and sparked heightened sensitivity deep inside.

  “You’re so beautiful and you don’t seem to know.” He traced back up her body, following the same path over her curves. Her body responded and ached for him. He traced every feature on her face, not letting her look away or hide from his warm eyes.

  “Stop telling me sweet things and kiss me.”

  He smiled slightly before he slid over to cover her. He had rolled her body with his so she was laying on her back and looking up at him, waiting and wanting. He lowered his head to meet her lips, pausing there with his body lightly against hers. The contact was just enough to make her want to scream for more and push up into him.

  She murmured her protest. Then, finally, his lips caressed hers softly and she pulled him closer, exhilaration filling her and making it easy to forget the circumstances that brought them together. He kissed like a hungry man, hungry for her.

  The room felt hot, a good steamy hot.

  “You’re making me lose my mind,” Nick said, his voice rugged and his breath catching. “And I’m enjoying it.”

  She slid her hands around him and up his back, feeling his muscles tense.

  Nick pulled her shirt up enough to nuzzle his face into her stomach, kissing her there, mumbling words she couldn’t understand, though the emotion in his voice spoke loud and clear.

  She felt fire burning through her. Grabbing his hair, she had to bite her lip to keep her cry in. How was it he could drive her this far over the edge while they still had their clothes on? Dying for more of him, she wrapped her legs around his body while he kissed her stomach and grazed her skin with his stubble.

  Nick raised his head and looked at her face in the candlelit. “Is this okay?”

  She writhed and tried to answer. He kissed her stomach again it felt like an electric shock driving through her. “Nick!”

  He moved up by her face. “Are you trying to be quiet?” His lips held a very satisfied little smile.

  “I can’t handle any more teasing.”

  His expression sobered. “But is this okay? Now?”

  “I’ve been thinking about it, about you, all week. I didn’t want to leave you up there.”

  He twirled a strand of her hair. “I know that now and it’s okay. It’s behind us now.” He locked gazes with her and looked so earnest and focused on her.

  She’d seen that yesterday, that it was okay and he wasn’t angry about it even though he had every right to be after she ran off. “Okay,” she said, leaving it at that.

  “So,” he said, memorizing her face. “You thought about me all week?”

  With his body so close, his heat warming her, his breath on her, she couldn’t help wiggling against him. “You didn’t?”

  At that, he gave her a wide smile. “Oh, I probably shouldn’t tell you the things I’ve been thinking about. Although…I could show you.”

  He bent to kiss her neck, teasing his way to her ear while his hands wrapped around her waist. She liked teasing. She wanted to see what he had been dreaming up but right now she needed fulfillment.

  “Let’s get fancy later,” she breathed. “I need you.”

  He rose up, grabbed the bottom of her T-shirt, and pulled it up. She lifted enough to allow him to slip it off. Her next thought was her shorts, and getting them off. As if he was reading her mind, he dropped down and began trailing his mouth down her body. She couldn’t hold in the cry this time. Instead, she had to cover her mouth with her hand and hope no one heard.

  He wasn’t being quiet, either.

  “Nick!” she said his name again, pulling two fists of his hair. His fingers slipped into her shorts, sliding over the sensitive skin of her lower abdomen and thighs as he pulled them down, sending her desire to a frantic level, her back arching off the bed.

  His boxers came off in lightning speed and he lay over her, looking into her eyes. He looked delirious with desire too, his face almost pained in concentration. His mouth came down on hers as she wrapped her legs around him, begging him.

  It turned out he didn’t need convincing. He came down onto her, into her. She lost it, giving herself up in mind blowing, wet release, gasping at the wave of endorphins surging through her body.

  “Cora?” He paused, his entire body shaking – vibrating – from the effort.

  “More, Nick!”

  Fourteen

  Nick awoke to Adam softly tapping on his door to wake him for his watch. At first Nick didn’t hear it, and when he did he was surprised that he had been able to pull himself out of that dead-to-the-world state of bliss.

  He slid back from Cora and out of bed, resisting the urge to kiss her cheek. She needed a good night’s rest.

  “I’ll be right out,” he said to the door while finding his shorts and shirt.

  In the hallway, Adam told him, “Herald and I talked for a while. He’s got an extra mini 9mm.”

  “What are you saying?” Nick wasn’t sure if Cora would want a gun.

  “Just ask her, and show her
how to use it. You never know, bro. What if she needs a way to protect herself and has nothing?”

  He wouldn’t be able to live with that. “I’ll talk to her in the morning.”

  Adam nodded, and only then did he give Nick a knowing glance. “Now that you’ve enjoyed some beauty sleep…I’m going to catch some zzz’s.”

  From Adam’s smile, Nick guessed he was happy for him. He went to the front room and began silently looking around, ensuring the doors and windows were locked, the alarm was on, and there wasn’t anyone lurking around. The house was silent and dark. Several motion activated lights surrounded the house near the doors and windows. They were hidden so they weren’t visible until someone walked by and turned them on.

  He’d brought his own gun into the house, but he prayed they wouldn’t need it. Using a gun was his last resort. Alexander had pushed him that far by trying to kill Jerry. Hopefully the police would come through for them and finish this.

  He left his family behind, thinking he could never change them. He now had a responsibility to stop them from hurting anyone else.

  Thinking about Jerry, and if he would make it, put a huge weight on his shoulders. No matter what Jerry’s involvement and level of knowledge was, he didn’t deserve this. Cora deserved so much more.

  Cora. He’d been trying not to think about the passion they’d shared. He tried to keep his mind clear and focused, but it wandered now, right back to the bedroom where she slept and to the bed where she’d lost all control over him. He’d gotten lost in her eyes, in her touch, and in the way she responded to him. This wasn’t the time or place for letting go like that, but he hadn’t been able to control himself, and she hadn’t either.

  One way or another, he’d make sure the Holloways and Alexander never bothered or scared her again.

  Nick returned to bed an hour before the sun rose so he could be with Cora when she woke up. He pulled off his shirt and slipped into bed, curling around her. Lucky for him, she hadn’t woke up and pulled her shirt back on yet.

  Since they’d just made wild, crazy love, he didn’t expect the feel of her skin on his to send him into a second frenzy. Somehow he had to get a grip on his hormones, at least for now.

  ***

  Cora woke up with Nick’s arms holding her close, keeping her warm in the cool house. She stretched, feeling the reminders of their night of lovemaking. It was a very nice feeling.

  Curling up with him in bed, naked, was a very nice feeling too. It could turn dangerous if she lay there too long. She slowly slid away from him, found her clothes, and got up so he could sleep. If she were tired from this week, he must be running on fumes. He had skipped sleep even more than her.

  She took a quick shower and towel dried her hair before heading to the kitchen. She found a bag of coffee beans and started a pot. A beautiful summer day was beginning outside. The sun was rising over the tree line and burning off the light mist around the house.

  “Morning,” Nick said behind her.

  Turning and standing on tiptoe, she wrapped her arms around his neck. She couldn’t get enough of him.

  When she leaned back and met his gaze, she could read his concern. His eyes were so expressive when he wanted them to be.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “Herald has an extra gun, and I’d like you to carry it.”

  The determination on his face wouldn’t let her argue. On top of that, she knew he was right. “Okay, but I don’t have a clue how to use one.”

  Nick pulled a gun out of a drawer and motioned for her to step closer. He demonstrated how to turn the safety on and off, load it, aim, and pull the trigger. Stepping behind her, he wrapped his arms around her and positioned her hand correctly. “It helps to support your gun hand with the other. Ideally, to get a good aim at something, you should use a rest. I pray you won’t ever need to use this information, but I can’t risk it. Here, practice aiming at a few things.”

  Cora nodded, taking aim at the handle of the front door and then at a tree out the kitchen window. She tried, but couldn’t, forget those scary seconds at Keith’s house. She had wished for a gun then, something she never thought she would wish for in her life.

  “Coffee’s done,” she said, while nervously checking the safety on the gun and setting it in the corner of the counter. He was watching her while he poured coffee for them, so she added, “I’ll take it with me.”

  Nick nodded and handed her a container of powdered creamer. “There’s no milk or creamer, but I have this if you don’t mind it.”

  “You have everything here. That worked out nicely,” she said.

  “I like to be prepared. I actually set everything up here in case I needed to bring you here to hide out. This was supposed to be your safe house while I figured out how to get Jerry out too.” He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I planned for several different possibilities…”

  She was shocked and touched by how he had been trying to protect her the entire time.

  “But Alexander followed us,” she said, finishing his thought. Adam came in the front door as she spoke.

  “Morning to you both,” he greeted. “I know we didn’t hear anything during the night, but I thought I’d check for any signs that someone was here.”

  “I don’t think there’s any way Keith or Alexander can know about this place.” Nick poured another cup of coffee and handed it to Adam.

  “You’d be surprised,” Adam said, “I think we should get out of here, go somewhere completely unconnected with any of us.”

  “They can’t look everywhere, but you’re right, we shouldn’t push our luck.”

  Cora had her cup to her mouth for a sip, but something made her pause. Looking everywhere. After sleeping so well, she felt like she’d missed something. She was supposed to look for something…from her dad! “My file.”

  Nick stopped midsentence while talking to Adam. “What?”

  “On the way to the hospital, my dad said to look at my file. I think he meant the CD I found at his house.” Nick and Adam both raised their eyebrows at her. “I can’t believe I forgot about it.”

  “Well, it’s not surprising you forgot, not after everything,” Nick said. He shared a look with Adam before turning back to her. “Do you have it here?”

  Her shoulders sank. “I found it at Dad’s house… and then Alexander found me.”

  The light faded in Nick’s eyes too, but then relit. “If he has it, he isn’t tracking us down. That’s probably what he needs.”

  “He doesn’t know he has it.” She rinsed her mug and placed it in the dishwasher. Caffeine was the last thing she needed right now. “I wasn’t sure who I could trust. I kept it hidden until the morning I went to Keith’s house, and then I put it in the glove box in Alexander’s car before he got in. So hopefully he doesn’t know it’s there.”

  “That’s it,” Adam said. “We need that CD.”

  Nick didn’t look up when he said, “Cora, you would have said if you opened the file, or files, right?” He rubbed his stubble, forming plans already.

  “I didn’t get the chance. I never even took it out of the bag. The bag! It had a note and a key with it, but I’m not sure if they mean anything to us.”

  Nick threw his hand out in surprise, spilling coffee in the process. “The key! On the phone Keith said he wanted the key.”

  She gasped. “Do you think Alexander or Jerry put that money in a safe deposit box?” Cora finally understood the importance of the key, but she didn’t think Alexander locked the money away. “Alexander was depositing money slowly into the trust fund with my name on it. Then the money disappeared into a safe deposit box, and my dad had the key. Do you think my dad discovered Alexander’s activities and moved the money?”

  “So Keith couldn’t accuse Jerry of stealing it?” Nick spoke thoughtfully. “I think that’s it. So in a way, Jerry did steal the money from Alexander.”

  “He moved someone else’s stolen money.” Adam let out a sad laugh. “Guess it�
��s all how you look at it.”

  Cora pictured the rest of the story. “Then Alexander threatened Jerry, but he didn’t get his money so he went to Keith. He accused Jerry of stealing the money from Keith. Jerry didn’t have any way to prove that Alexander was behind it.”

  “Jerry was trapped. That’s when Alexander presented the idea of kidnapping you. What could Jerry do?” Nick asked.

  “Wait.” Cora suddenly wasn’t so sure. “At that point, he could have explained what happened and told Keith where his money was.”

  “And look guilty as sin.” Adam knew Keith and the rest of the family. “Keith would’ve shot him on the spot.”

  “I think we’re on the right track finally,” Nick said. “And now we know why Keith wants to get a hold of Cora.”

  Half an hour later, they crowded into Herald’s car again and headed back to Eugene. Adam drove this time. Herald’s gray hair stuck up everywhere as he gulped his coffee. Cora felt a twinge of guilt that he was involved. It looked like it was taking a toll on him. Nick noticed too. He squeezed Herald’s shoulder. “Thanks for helping us. I’m sorry I got you involved.”

  Herald turned in his seat and she caught sight of a gleam in his eyes. “You’d do the same for me, Nick, and I’m glad I’m helping you stand up to Keith and the rest of them. It feels good.”

  Adam whooped in agreement. “You can say that again.”

  It was amazing that Nick and Adam were both good people despite the family they came from. Thank goodness they had each other growing up.

  “I’ve been wondering,” Nick whispered to her, “just how did you get off that mountain?”

  Her eyes lowered. Nick’s hand cupped her face so she’d look at him. “Please don’t worry about it, I was just curious.”

  After a minute’s thought, Cora decided to tell him. “I jumped in the river and floated my way down to a road.”

  A crease formed between Nick’s eyebrows. “Didn’t that take a while?”

  She nodded as the memories of that day filled her mind. “Then I found a ride back to Eugene and went to my dad’s house.”