As much as I questioned whether Jameson and I could actually get one of the massive trees all the way back to — and then in to — the truck, I couldn’t argue with riding in a sled and watching his fine ass work under those pants. The man had legs for days, which was just plain unfair. It was even worse that he knew perfectly well how nice the view was as I sat in the sled and let him tow me through the snowy field toward the tree line.
It would have been a lot better in some tight jeans or even basketball shorts. A speedo would have been asking too much, though. The universe wasn’t ready for that man in a banana hammock.
I tried to concentrate on the problem right in front of us, rather than the heinie right in front of me, since everyone else in the building was utterly miserable. It didn’t seem right that Jameson and I were having fun traipsing about the countryside on a Christmas adventure while someone else changed my kids’ diapers and wiped up their barf. My mood hadn’t been helped when I talked with them on the phone and they cried for me to come get them. Even when I tried to explain that I couldn’t come for them right then but would soon, it broke my damn heart. Josie and Kara and about a dozen other little kids immediately converged on the twins to cheer them up, but I still felt like a complete monster for not tossing my health worries aside and going directly to them.
Which meant I was an absolute grinch when I got in the truck, scowling and huffing at Jameson like it was his fault I couldn’t go to my kids. It wasn’t his fault, obviously, but I still wanted someone to blame. Shaking my fist at the sky and fate and the universe for putting us in that position didn’t make me feel better. Snapping at Jameson did, at least for a little while until I re-played what I said and felt like a colossal ass for being mean to him for no reason.
It was a miracle he still talked to me at all, and that he didn’t plan to leave me in the forest to die of exposure. Of course, maybe that was his plan all along and I was bebopping along like a lamb to the wolf’s jaws. At least it was quiet out near the trees. I hadn’t realized how much noise was in the city, even in the relatively quiet semi-industrial neighborhood where Kara lived. We’d heard car alarms and occasional shouting even through the softly falling snow the night before, but out there by the road… the only things making noise were Jameson and the sled.
Despite the cold, I stayed reasonably warm with the extra layers he’d brought out, even though I’d never admit it to him that I’d been unprepared for a frosty outdoor excursion. Call me crazy but I’d been headed to warmer climes and fully intended to never need snow pants again. Ever. Disliking snow went right along with hating Christmas, so it really shouldn’t have been a surprise to Jameson that I was completely unenthusiastic about tromping through the woods on a snowy mission.
He slowed from the headlong march when we finally passed into the trees. The snow wasn’t quite so deep and the trees made maneuvering the sled a little more difficult, plus he started looking around for potential Yuletide candidates. I mostly just lay back in the sled, daydreaming, as Jameson discussed the virtues and drawbacks of each tree we passed. The fresh air burned my lungs it was so cold, and started freezing the insides of my nostrils as a warning to not stay out too long. Somehow it felt colder in the trees, without the wind or falling snow.
Jameson finally ambled to a halt in front of an absolutely gorgeous fir tree with snowy branches and a perfect blend of green and white, and no obvious signs of damage or wild animals living in it. He put his hands at his lower back and stretched, frowning at the tree. “What do you think of this one?”
“It looks just as good as the last dozen we passed,” I said, smiling innocently. I hauled myself out of the sled and almost pitched face-first into another tree trunk as I misjudged the depth of the snow.
He snorted with laughter as he caught me and set me on my feet. “Okay, graceful. Maybe wait to talk shit until you’re on solid ground.”
“You started it,” I muttered, even though it was childish and not really entirely true. I rubbed my upper arms through the borrowed coat, though the memory of his hands left residual warmth behind. “Besides, I mean it — what’s different about this tree compared to literally the hundred or so we passed on the way from the truck?”
Which was very far away when I looked back toward the road. At least we’d gone in a straight line and it wouldn’t be difficult to find our way back. Not that I dared questioned Jameson’s woodsy skills. He probably had stories from jungles and mountains about getting lost and then finding his way by stars or which side of a tree a badger shit on. That seemed like something he would know.
Jameson walked up to the fir and peered through the branches, even sticking his head in to survey the trunk, so his voice was muffled as he answered. “I dunno. It just feels right, doesn’t it?”
I sighed. I hated to admit it, but he was right. “I suppose so. Maybe the forest gods have smiled on you and led you to a magical tree that contains the purest essence of Christmas spirit.”
He slid me a sideways look, like he knew I was being grinchy. “You think you’re being sarcastic but joke’s on you, since I think you’re right. There’s magic in this tree.”
I laughed and gestured at the chainsaw. “Great. I’ll cut it down.”
“I don’t think so,” he said. Jameson’s grin flashed as white as the snow. “Are you kidding? You couldn’t even get out of the sled without injuring yourself, and you want me to give you a revving blade?”
He wasn’t wrong. I rolled my eyes toward the sky, or what was visible of it through the trees, and sighed. “Fine. But can you move it along? It’s cold out here.”
“You didn’t bring the hot chocolate?” He laughed and fiddled with the chainsaw. “Good God, woman, what’s wrong with you?”
Before I could comment on the fact that he’d forgotten it, too, Jameson started up the chainsaw and my words were lost in the brrr-brrr-brrrr of the blades. He waggled his eyebrows at me and shouted, “I can’t hear you real well. You’ll have to speak up.”
“I meant to —“
He revved the chainsaw just as I started, and a loud brrrrrrrrrrr drowned out my words.
When I put my hands on my hips, waiting for him to stop being a child, Jameson released it so it went back to a quiet rumble. He managed to keep a straight face as he stared at me. “Seriously, what were you going to say?”
“I know that —”
Brrrrrrrrrrrr-rrrrrr-rrrrrr.
I had the worst time keeping a straight face as he let the damn thing quiet again and just looked at me like he had no idea what he was doing. I took a deep breath. He had to be done, right? Clearly no man was dumb enough to do the stupid bit one more time. “Are you finish—”
Brrrrrrrrrrr.
“This is so—”
BRRRRRRRR-RRRRRRRRR.
“Are you serious?” I shouted it, since he kept revving the chainsaw and then cupping his hand at his ear like I whispered.
“Oooh, you are just so…” I must have looked funny because the confused facade cracked and revealed his goofy grin.
He wasn’t laughing when I balled up some of that snow and popped him right in the kisser. That got him to quiet the chainsaw, at least for long enough to wipe the moisture off his face. I sighed and tilted my head back to appreciate the almost-quiet. “There. Would you stop being a child and —”
Something cold and frozen exploded against my chest, and I looked down to find ice crystals still clinging to the jacket. Jameson put down the chainsaw, careful with the blades, then fixed me with a look that made my blood run cold and hot at the same time. My stomach twisted and a nervous giggle worked its way up my throat. Oh shit. “What do you think you’re doing? Aren’t you doing to cut down that tree?”
“Not just yet,” he said. Jameson moved forward a step and I shuffled sideways, wanting to keep the sled between us. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me but he looked like some kind of sex-crazed mountain man about to hunt me down. “Gotta sort something out first.”
“Oh?” My voice went high and nervous, kind of giggly, and I wanted to slap myself for being ridiculous. We’d literally spent the night naked together, fucking in every possible position, I had no reason to be nervous. None. And yet the excitement felt new and fleeting, kind of urgent. Like we were about to go at it on the sled or braced up against a tree.
It was way too cold for that. I could get down in the truck, but getting snow anywhere near my hoo-ha was a definite mood-killer. “Wh-what are you going to sort out?”
“You,” he said, his grin going a little feral around the edges. Had his teeth always been a little pointy? I shook myself and dismissed it as a trick of the light.
“Does this mean I’m supposed to run?” My breath came unevenly as I watched him circle closer, my heart thundering against my ribs. Oh God. Adrenaline surged along with anticipation and threads of sheer lust. I wanted to jump his bones, snow be damned, especially if he chased me down.
“You can try,” he murmured. Jameson’s hands flexed and I noticed for the first time that he didn’t wear gloves. His hands must have been freezing. “But you won’t get far.”
I took a deep breath of the frigid air, trying not to exhale a cloud of steam to blind myself, and bolted. Well, I tried to bolt back through the footsteps and sled-path, struggling through the snow. Jameson growled behind me and my heart leapt with fear and anticipation.