| |
“That was spectacular,” I gush, taking Simon’s hand as he helps me down from the carriage. The moment my feet touch the ground, I do a little skipping jump, unable to contain the cornucopia of sensation sizzling in me. “It was so much better than I imagined.”
“I’m glad you liked it.” Simon chuckles, and the rumbling tone reverberates through my core.
I press my hands to my cheeks to cover the warmth erupting there. Simon has a way of making me relax and forget about trying to be someone I am not. I am that girl who talks too much, gets too excited, and is just generally too much.
It could be because this isn’t an actual date, but I am starting to suspect that Simon doesn’t mind. And it feels good.
“I’m glad I came.” I peer up at him through my lashes, suddenly shy. It is a big confession. Or at least it feels that way to me.
The ride was a dream. Simon spoke to the coachwoman, and instead of taking us on a tour of the village, she drove us out into the country. The route wound through old growth forest and along the coast, giving us breathtaking views of the Alberni Inlet that only the locals know.
As the horse cantered along, the brisk sea breeze pierced the heavy flannel blanket wrapped around our legs, chilling me deep into my bones as only a west coast wind can do. Or at least it did until Simon casually laid his hand along the back of the seat, and I snuggled right in while he told me anecdotes about Ascot family adventures in Christmas Cove.
True to his word, he didn’t mention Christmas. Not even once. I could have stayed riding in that carriage all day.
“If you two are looking for a hot drink and a bit of lunch, today is the annual pre-Christmas buffet at the Gingerbread House. It features all the turkey dinner fixings, buffet-style,” the coachwoman says as she leans in to grab the green fleece blanket and carefully fold it.
I swallow a groan. We are back in reality.
“Thank you for the recommendation, but we’re looking for more of an anti-Christmas buffet.” Simon grabs hold of my hand and winks at me while we walk away.
I hear the woman mutter under her breath something about the tourists sucking the life out of the holidays, but I don’t turn back. “Anti-Christmas, eh?” My lips quiver with suppressed laughter.
Simon winks again, and a shower of pleasure shivers down my spine. The things his wink does to me should be criminal.
“You’re cold. I think we should grab some takeout and head back to your cabin.”
A voice in my head warns me that I should say no. Our innocent date is turning from sweet to spicy—at least inside me. I am in no fit state to be alone with this man. I will do something reckless for sure.
“I’m supposed to meet the ladies for lunch.”
He quirks a disbelieving eyebrow at me. “Stand them up.”
I could, and I want to. My friends wouldn’t even blame me for it. They would probably encourage me if I asked them.
Simon is not only certifiably hot; he is also undeniably sweet, and I would be crazy to walk away. My breath hitches as my eyes dart to his, then along the main street to where I know the café is hidden behind the decorated trees, before looping back to him.
Anxiety grips my chest, squeezing up into my throat, almost choking me. I can’t. I have been here before. Not here in Christmas Cove with Simon, but in the critical moment where I hand my heart to a man who is clearly out of my league. And I know what the aftermath looks like.
My heart thunders, and my breath comes in short, staccato bursts, like I have been running. Except I am standing still.
I step away from him, breaking the connection of our linked hands. This feels like too much. I am not a naïve twenty-something who believes that taking home a man like this isn’t courting trouble.
“It’s just lunch, Ruby. I don’t have a plan any more nefarious than trying to avoid Christmas. Every single restaurant around the greater Christmas Cove area is full-on Christmas all the time.”
My heart still pounds in my chest, even as my breathing smooths out. His voice is soothing, and the fact that he doesn’t imply that I am being dramatic matters. I nibble my lip. It isn’t like the ladies are going to care if I blow them off. They will probably have an extra drink to celebrate the sex they will immediately assume I am having.
He walks backwards away from me with his arms spread wide in a welcoming gesture. His eyes say I should follow him. My gut agrees. And he looks so comical that I giggle and go with him.
He leads me to his SUV. “You wait here, while I brave the Christmas dangers lurking everywhere. Is sushi un-Christmas enough for you?”
I laugh, a full hearty belly laugh. Simon is too much. “Sushi is perfect.”
And it really is.
––––––––
I UNLOCK THE DOOR TO the cabin, then stand aside to let Simon through with our lunch. It only took him a few minutes to purchase us enough sushi to keep us supplied for the two days until Christmas, even if there was a crazy fluke blizzard and we got snowed in.
“Let me get the fire going.” Simon places the sushi bags on the coffee table, kneels in front of the fireplace, and starts stacking wood.
“The temperature has dropped.” I scoot into the kitchen to grab us some plates and put the kettle on for hot chocolate, which I fully intend to spike with some Bailey’s Irish Cream. It is time to embrace my wild side.
“Am I allowed to mention that the chill in the air makes me hopeful we might have a white Christmas?” Simon asks from the living room.
“No!” I pop my head around the door. “You promised no Christmas talk.” The truth is that I don’t really mind the reference. It makes me a little nostalgic to think of Jake missing the snow, but it isn’t like he has never seen snow. And he is having so much fun in Mexico, he probably wouldn’t care if there was snow up to the rafters here.
“Then pretend I didn’t say anything.”
I linger at the doorway, watching him prep the fire. There is something about Simon that feels homey. Something that I never really felt with Greg. Being with Simon is easy. I don’t have to pretend that I am someone different. I can be my fully dramatic, hot mess self.
And he would be so great with my kids.
The kettle hisses, pulling me out of my daydream involving more scenes exactly like this one, except filled with our kids. Between the two of us, we have five. It would be quite the crowd on a Christmas morning.
I shake my head to clear the thought. My heart is in no condition to go there. This thing happening here can’t go any further than the limits of Christmas Cove. As soon as I drive away from here, everything with Simon will become a memory.
My hand shakes as I pour the water into the mugs, spilling it on the counter.
“Steady.” The heat of Simon’s hand over mine sends a delicious wave of pleasure up my arm, and I almost lose control of the kettle. He takes it from me and finishes filling the cups.
He passes me one, never taking his eyes off mine.
I gratefully accept the warm mug, breathing in its chocolatey heat to give myself a moment to process. My body is covered in goosebumps, but it isn’t solely from the cold this time.
He is so close that I can feel his warmth, and I am drawn to it. His lips are right there. All I need to do is lean ever so slightly forward, and we will be kissing. Our energies are entwined, and it would be only natural for me to rise up on my tippy toes and press my lips to his.
It terrifies me, how badly I want it.
“I’ll set the table.” I back away. It is the wrong thing to say. I can see it in the way that his eyes narrow, the haze of desire clearing. My movements feel stiff as the air around us shifts subtly. Simon gave me a clear message, and I gave him just as clear of an answer.
It wasn’t the answer I wanted to give. But it is too late to take it back now.
“Let’s eat in front of the fire.” Other than the slightest catch in his tone, he gives no outward reaction.
I want to tell him that I changed my mind, and I am hungry for something other than sushi. Instead, I mutely follow him into the living room, swallowing my crushing disappointment. I just missed my chance because I don’t know how to say what I want, and I know deep down that he isn’t going to make another move. He is too much of a gentleman to not respect that I didn’t give my consent.
I may not have said no to his invitation, but I didn’t say yes.
And I wanted to say yes.
Which means the next move will have to be mine. My throat goes dry, and my fingers worry the fabric of my pants. I have never been the one to make the first move.
Simon busies himself with the fire while I set out the sushi. It is so domestic that my jitters begin to quiet. This kind of thing would drive Marisol insane, but for me, it is comforting. She would tell me there is nothing sexy about plating food. It just sets me up as the likeliest candidate for doing the dishes, but I disagree. I think doing what you are good at gives you an inner satisfaction that just breathes sensuality.
And right now, I feel warm and tingly, and I want this to be more than just a friendly lunch. Glancing at Simon, I realize that I don’t have to miss out on what I want just because I hesitated earlier. Leaving the sushi half-unpacked, I move hesitantly towards him. This is uncharted territory for me.
“I think you’re incredible and, if you want, I’d love to kiss you and...” My voice falters as he turns. I am not sure where my courage to say the words came from, but the heat in his eyes tell me it wasn’t a mistake. “And... uh... and see where it goes.”
Time slows as my face erupts with heat. My confidence wavers, and I take a step backwards. Instantly, he is in front of me, reaching for me, tangling his hand in my hair.
“Are you sure?” His eyes search mine.
Desire paralyzes my throat, and my yes comes out as barely more than a whisper. I am forty-five years old, and I have never once initiated sex. Marisol always says there is a power in owning my own sexuality, but I never really understood what she meant.
Until now. Here, in the middle of nowhere with Simon, I know what I want, and I am going to ask for it.
My lips curl into a sultry smile. “Yes. I’m sure.” I press my hands against his chest and gently brush my lips across his.
He groans as I pull away before he can deepen it. “You’re a vixen.”
Gazing up through my eyelashes, I run my tongue along my upper lip. “I know what I want.” My finger snags on his top button. “And it involves you losing this shirt. Is that okay?”
“Yes,” he rasps, dropping his hand.
I make quick work of his buttons, running my fingers along the taut ridges of his abs, then up over his pecs, pushing his shirt off his broad shoulders. My brain misfires, and I moan softly. I knew Simon would be as gorgeous under his clothes as he is with them all firmly in place, but I wasn’t prepared for the reality of seeing him shirtless in the middle of the afternoon, with the firelight reflecting off his muscles.
And I have permission to touch.
––––––––
“ARE YOU WARM ENOUGH?” Simon adjusts the blanket covering us.
His voice infiltrates my sex-satisfied brain, and I shift on the couch to see his face. He has the same content look mirrored in my own, if the bonelessness of my limbs is any indication.
“Yes,” I murmur.
We have been enjoying a post-coital cuddle on the couch in front of the fire for who knows how long, and I have zero desire to move.
I can’t believe that what just happened really just happened. There is a small part of me that needs Simon to leave and my friends to get home so that I can dissect it all. Luckily, the part of me that isn’t insane and wants to stay wrapped up in Simon’s arms is much stronger.
“What we just did will keep me warm for a long time.” I bite my lip and bury my head in his chest. Despite the fact that we are completely naked and at one point were so intimately entwined that I didn’t know where my own body ended and his began, my normal hesitations around talking out loud about sex come flooding back.
“I could do it again if you find yourself getting chilled.”
My lips quirk. I can’t help it. Simon has a knack for cutting through my insecurities and making me feel safe. “I will keep that in mind. You better stock up on condoms just in case.” Oh God! Did I really just say that?
His chuckle rumbles through his chest, easing my mortification. “You don’t think Kelsey wants to keep us supplied for the entire holiday?”
I groan at the reminder of me pawing through Kelsey’s stuff, desperate to find a condom when we realized that neither of us had one. “She and Nolan will need them, I suspect.”
This time it is Simon who groans. “We might be twins, but I try to avoid thinking about his sex life.”
Laughing, I push myself up, so I can look him in the eye. It is late in the afternoon, and the light is already fading, making his features shadowy and undefined. “I thought men thought about sex all the time.”
“Yeah. Maybe. But not about what kind of sex other men are having. Especially, when there is a deliciously sensual woman rubbing her naked body on mine.”
“Oh!” I squeal as he runs his hands along my waist and squeezes my buttocks. “Are you saying you’re ready for some more?”
“Hell. Yeah.”
“Doesn’t a man of your vintage need a little extra—” I squeal again as he wraps his arm around me, pulling me tight against him. He rolls until he is on top of me, staring down into my eyes.
I still underneath him. I can feel how ready he is.
Then his lips are on mine, and I tumble over the edge of desire again. He cups my breast, kneading it in a rhythmic motion that has my core blooming with heat. It won’t take much for him to coax another orgasm out of me.
We both freeze as lights, accompanied by the sound of crunching gravel, sweep across the window.
“They’re back,” I mouth.
Suddenly we are both scrambling for our clothes.
“It’s like we’re bloody teenagers about to get caught by our parents,” Simon says as he pulls on his pants.
“Oh, trust me, the third degree we’re going to get from this crew is going to be much worse.” In my panic to get dressed, I pull my shirt on backwards. I struggle to get it worked around the right way.
“But it was worth it.”
I still as Simon’s hand tangles in my hair, bringing my mouth in for one more kiss as the door opens, and Charlotte, Jenna, Marisol, and Fae tumble through it, catching us half dressed and locked in a passionate kiss.