A rush of pleasure seizes me, but I beat it back, tossing my hair over my shoulder. “Sorry. You made the rules. This is going to be a long day.”
Turning, I make my way into the pantry, where I nearly collapse against the shelving. That man has the power to make me come with words alone, but he’s right. It’s time I find my power.
I’m going to need it when I return home.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
As I lift my head, peeking over the fender of my rental car, a snowball slams into my shoulder. I laugh, incredulous. “Cheater!” I yell as I lob my own ball in the general direction of where his came from. “Come out, scaredy-cat. I won’t hurt you.”
My hand is drawn back, ready to chuck another ball of ice at the first sign of movement. My eyes scan the vast white landscape, anticipating my revenge. To the left, at the corner of the cabin, a flash of red catches my attention. Instead of overreacting, I stay low and work my way around the car to sneak down the other side of the cabin.
Pausing, I roll up three more softball-sized ice weapons before making my way around to the back. When I reach the far corner, I peek around, careful not to make any noise. He’s there, up near the other end, huddled close to the side of the cabin. I take several deep breaths, gathering my courage.
With a loud scream, I round the corner, my feet pounding against the tightly packed snow. He jumps, turning to face me just in time to receive a ball to the chest. His jaw drops, and the second ball hits him in the neck. Before he can gather his wits, the third ball smacks him on his forehead.
He takes off, running toward me, and I throw the last ball only for it to go wide and miss him altogether. “Now what?” he says, tackling me and sending us both flying to the ground. “Someone was being sneaky.” He digs in, tickling my sides.
‘Stop!” I half-laugh, half-scream. “Don’t be a sore loser.”
“I’m not sore at all,” he says, laughing. “I just like making you squirm.” He stops the torture and allows me to catch my breath. As he stares down at me, my heart hammers inside my chest. “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”
Heat burns my cheeks. “I’m sure I look a mess.”
“A fresh-faced, gorgeous mess,” he whispers, running his tongue across his bottom lip, “who’s obliterating all of my carefully constructed expectations.”
“What does that mean?” I ask, my brows furrowing.
“I’m not even sure myself.” He snorts, rolling over to lie beside me in the snow. “Being here with you has changed things for me, though I’m not exactly sure how.” He turns to meet my eyes. “I guess I need to figure it out.”
This conversation is much too heavy for Christmas Eve, so I do the only logical thing. I move about three feet away from him and spread my arms. With gusto, I start moving them up and down in wide arcs. After sitting up and looking at me like I’ve lost my mind, he catches on and joins in the fun. By the time we retreat inside, the yard is covered in snow angels, and we’re both soaked to the bone.
“How about a hot shower?” Xander asks when we’re just inside the door, removing our wet coats. “Then we can bake some cookies and maybe settle in for a Christmas flick?”
“Sounds amazing,” I reply, handing him my jacket. “Toss those in the dryer, and I’ll meet you in the bathroom.”
His eyes rake over me, heating me from the inside. “I’ll be right behind you.”
I hurry to the bathroom, eager to get these wet clothes off and jump under the warm spray. The chill has settled in, and it feels like it goes all the way to the bone. Maybe it’s partly because my stay is halfway over, or maybe it’s because something happened earlier and I’m unsure what it was. I don’t know, but what I do know is that I need to make the most of every second I have with Xander.
By the time he joins me in the steamy escape, my mind is made up and I drop to my knees before him. His cock twitches to life at the simple action. This hasn’t been the best experience for me in the past, but somehow, I know it won’t be the same with Xander.
He gives me confidence.
“Ivy,” he groans, fisting my hair. “Are you sure?”
I lick my lips. “Absolutely.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“That was really good,” I say, stretching my arms over my head. “I haven’t seen A Christmas Story since I was a kid.”
“It’s a Rose family tradition to watch it on Christmas Eve,” he says, sighing. “Though I haven’t been with the family for the holidays in a long time.”
He’s squished behind me on the sofa, and I roll to face him. “That doesn’t mean you can’t get back into the habit. I’m sure your family would love to have you home for the holidays.”
“Probably so.” He smirks, pulling me tighter against him. “But they’re going to have to wait. Wild horses couldn’t drag me away from you this Christmas.”
I nestle deeper into his embrace, resting my head against his firm chest. “Being snowed in does have its advantages.”
His fingers trail from my hip up my side, easing beneath my PJ top. “The fact that we’re stuck here has absolutely nothing to do with it. I feel more grounded than I’ve felt in a long time, and it’s because of you.”
“I don’t know,” I hedge, not wanting to muddle things between us. We both know what this is, and I can’t let him make walking away any harder for me. “Just making the decision to come here sounds pretty grounding to me.”
His lip curls, but it isn’t directed at me. I know this because he’s looking past me with clouded eyes. “I suppose it was,” he says softly, trailing his gaze back to mine. “I knew I couldn’t stay. Tessa had become unbearable. The family business is all that matters, and that means keeping their star cock on a tight leash.”
“Tessa,” I repeat, exploring the way her name feels on my tongue. “Yep. Tastes like a porn star name to me.” I lean in and whisper, “Much like Xander.”
He goes from somber to happy in a second flat, tossing his head back and releasing a loud chuckle. “God, Ivy. This is what I mean. I’d be one lonely, pathetic fool if you weren’t here.”
“You could never be pathetic,” I assure, pressing a kiss to his lips.
He sits up suddenly, holding up a finger. “One second,” he says, climbing over me. “I’ll be right back.”
I’m dumbfounded as I watch him retreat into the bedroom. He doesn’t come rushing right back out either. It takes a good ten minutes before he reappears. I don’t notice at first, but he walks toward me with one arm behind his back. It’s only when he sits and produces a rectangular shaped package wrapped in shiny silver paper that I realize what’s going on. We’re snowed in. Trapped. There’s no way this present was meant for me.
It’s sobering.
“Xander,” I say, sighing as I sit up. “I can’t accept this.”
“Why not?” He opens my hand and sets the package inside, closing my fingers around it. “I think it’s obvious I didn’t buy it with you in mind since I didn’t even know you, but you can’t know how truly happy I am to have someone worthy to give it to.” He smiles, motioning for me to hurry. “I almost feel like fate stepped in or something crazy like that. Open it. Please.”