by Connie Mason
"I'm sorry, dartin', I didn't mean this to be so fast Let me catch my breath, and I promise the next time will be better "
Maggie wanted to say that she wasn't disappointed, but her breath still pounded in her chest and coherent speech was beyond her Held securely in the cradle of his body, she drifted off to sleep
Flames licked at Maggie, the heat threatening to
consume her Hot, so very hot, yet she shivered in delicious agony as sizzling warmth spiraled up from her loins A sensual smile lifted the comers of her lips and she squirmed uneasily
"Hold still, darlin1, let me clean you "
His voice brought Maggie immediately alert, and her eyes widened when she saw Chase hovering over her One hand held her legs apart while the other gently cleansed all traces of himself from her with a warm wet cloth When he saw her eyes on him he dropped the cloth and caressed the inside of her thighs, shoving her legs even farther apart Then he lowered his head, his lips gently stroking her flesh, seeking until they found the moist, pulsing center of her sensual being His tongue was a hot piercing lance that sliced her self-control and sent her senses screaming Once he felt the heated bnllance of the wild passion he created in her. Chase grew bold, wanting to bring her to completion with his hands and the hard thrust of his tongue
"Chase, I can't stand it I"
No answer was forthcoming. Chase's mouth overflowed with sweet, fragrant flesh, preventing speech Maggie's bright head thrashed mindlessly, rapture licking at her like devouring flames, turning her to molten lava about to erupt Then she did erupt Trembling violently, Maggie exploded, nearly bucking Chase off the bed Then he was pushing inside her, thrusting wildly, bringing himself to climax
"Ah, Maggie, I missed you so No one but you can make me feel like this Look at me, darlin', I want to see the expression on your face when you give to me, and I want you to see mine when I empty myself into you This is forever, darlin', forever "
How wonderful it was to wake up in Chase's arms, Maggie reflected, cuddling closer to his welcome
warmth The fire in the stove had died, and she pulled the covers up around her chin, too toasty to move She glanced over at Chase lying beside her and saw that he was awake and watching her Something warm and affectionate floated in his eyes
"Momin1, sleepyhead," he drawled, patting her bare bottom "I'm starvin' "
"Oh," Maggie gulped guiltily, "I'll bet you were hungry when you came in last night"
"I was—for my wife Or you will be my wife again as soon as we can get to a preacher "
"I'm still your wife. Chase"
"But the annulment
"I tore it up," Maggie revealed sheepishly "I wanted to sign it, had intended to, but couldn't"
"Oh, darlin', I love you," Chase said, kissing her soundly Naturally his hands gravitated to her breasts
"Stop that," Maggie said, slapping his hands play-fully "I'm certain Beth is awake by now and Bright Leaf has breakfast started It's Christmas day and company is coming, provided they can get through after last night's storm I can well imagine every-one's shock when they see you "
"If you're expectin' Rusty and Kate, they won't let a little snow stop them They've seen worse in the Yukon and Alaska Lie still while I stoke the fire It's colder than a witch's tit in here "
Maggie giggled at his picturesque speech, sinking back into the feather mattress as she watched Chase shrug into his clothes She loved the way he looked Facing away from her, his buttocks tautened as he stepped into his longjohns and pulled them up over narrow hips, slim waist, massive chest, and shoulders thick with ropy muscles beneath smooth skin with its downy surface of tawny hair
"You keep lookin' at me like that, darlin', and I won't be able to button my pants," he threatened.
"and Lord knows if and when I'll get this dang fire built"
Maggie sighed wistfully, thinking it would be wonderful spending all day in bed with Chase and sorry that they couldn't "I love you. Chase McGarrett Now get your chores done, we've got a Christmas tree to decorate Sarn cut a lovely spruce yesterday that reaches all the way to the ceiling "
Their company arrived at noon, trooping in stomping their feet and brushing snow from their clothes By then the tree was up and decorated. Chase had gotten reacquainted with his enchanting daughter, and the delicious aroma of roasted wild turkey and sage dressing wafted through the house Rusty had fastened runners to a wagon and they had arrived by sleigh Unfortunately Chase was in the bunkhouse with the hands and wasn't on hand to greet their guests
"Why Maggie, you look right pert this momin'," Rusty said, kissing her cheek "I swan, you get purtier every day, don't she, Kate1?"
Just then Scott walked through the door, followed closely by Virgie The Mountie gave Maggie a big hug and Virgie managed an insipid smile "Where's my goddaughter1?" Scott asked, glancing around the empty room
"Spotted Deer is changing her into her Christmas finery," Maggie replied "Come in everyone, take off your wraps " "That's a beautiful tree," Kate admired "Did ya decorate it yerself?"
The tree, rising to the ceiling, stood before the window trimmed with strung popcorn, pinecones, and handmade decorations Maggie had fashioned in her spare time, wanting to provide Beth with an old-fashioned Christmas despite the lack of a father Her lips curved in a secret smile as she recalled the
wonderful time she and Chase had had decorating the tree
"No, I helped"
All eyes swiveled' to the doorway leading from the kitchen, where Chase lounged lazily against the frame
"Damnation, son, it's 'bout time ya showed up," Rusty chastized his partner reproachfully "Damn near took off after ya myself, but I didn't know where ta look Did someone knock some sense in yer head1?"
"Chase I" Virgie squealed, and would have rushed into his arms if Scott hadn't placed a restraining hand on her shoulder and hissed into her ear "Chase doesn't belong to you, he's married to Maggie If you run to him now, you can forget me and any future we might have together "
Virgie flushed, old habits dying hard She had pursued Chase since she first arrived in Montana, and it was difficult to think of him as belonging to another woman She watched him walk to Maggie's side, place an arm around her waist, and hug her close The look he bestowed on his wife was so intimate, so filled with love and devotion, that Virgie had to turn away It made her realize her dreams of Chase were merely fantasies, he had never wanted her, it was always Maggie
"Are you going to let Chase claim your child1?" Virgie asked, remembering that Beth belonged to Scott
"Beth is Chase's daughter," Scott whispered from the side of his mouth "There's not the remotest possibility that Beth could be mine, for Maggie has never been unfaithful to Chase She's loved him from the first day they met If Chase thought otherwise, he did so out of misplaced jealousy "
Virgie stared at Scott as if seeing him for the first time He was every bit as handsome as Chase, she
thought, amazed that she never noticed it before He was kind, gentle, and she could do a lot worse They had grown quite close these past weeks, and she found she thoroughly enjoyed his company as well as his kisses They hadn't gone to bed yet, but instinctively she knew she'd enjoy that too
After Chase greeted Rusty and Kate, he deliberately walked to where Scott and Virgie stood whispering together "I owe you an apology, Gordon," he choked out Pride was a bitter pill to swallow "I'm grateful for all the help you've given Maggie in the past You'll always be welcome in our home " They shook hands Though they'd never be close friends, it was a start
"As for you," Chase growled, turning to Virgie with a ferocious scowl, "your meddlin' caused me and Maggie weeks of painful separation and profound anguish " Virgie asssumed an innocent facade, causing Chase to add, "You know what I'm talkin' about"
"What do ya mean. Chase1?" Kate asked anxiously She didn't want to believe her niece could do anything so despicable as cause trouble between Maggie and Chase
"Wait, Chase, before you say anything, I have an announce
ment to make " Scott intervened
He had come to know Virgie quite well these past weeks and reached the conclusion that she was a misguided young woman who was basically honest and sweet Being deprived of her parents forced her to survive on her wits, and when she met Chase he represented everything she lacked It's no wonder she latched onto him and refused to let go If given half a chance, Scott knew, Virgie would be a woman a man could be proud of
"Virgie has consented to become my wife," he continued, shocking everyone "I've decided to buy land in Montana and settle down "
Kate stared from Scott to Virgie, surprised but not displeased Scott Gordon was a good man and Virgie could do a lot worse She knew Scott had been in love with Maggie for years but decided Virgie was quite capable of capturing his love and holding onto it "I'm right happy about that," she finally said, smiling "Virgie is special to me She's the daughter I never had and my dead sister's only child "
"I wish you luck," Chase said tersely "She'll be a handful, and I don't envy you I think you should know that Virgie—"
"Chase," Maggie interrupted, "forget it I'm sure Virgie is sorry for what she did, and nothing can be gained now from pursuing the matter I wish nothing but the best for both you and Scott," she said, turning to the couple Though she had grave reservations about the unlikely match, it wasn't her place to interfere Scott was a grown man and knew what he was doing If anyone could handle Virgie, he could
Virgie flashed Maggie a grateful look, clinging tightly to Scott's arm She was relieved that Maggie stopped Chase from telling everyone how she had tried to break them up She was ashamed now of the way she had behaved, but she never thought a special man like Scott Gordon would enter her life
"If you say so, darlin'," Chase grumbled, far from placated He wanted to wring Virgie's lovely neck Because of her he'd lost precious weeks out of his life But perhaps Maggie was right—accusing Virgie would serve no purpose except to hurt Kate He and Maggie were together now and would be for the rest of their lives Let Scott worry about the little vixen from now on
The day was the happiest Maggie had ever known Bright Leaf had prepared a virtual feast Gifts were exchanged by everyone except for Chase, who wasn't expected, and everyone sang Christmas carols before
the cozy fire later that evening The guests were to stay through the New Year, and it was after midnight before everyone retired to their assigned rooms
While Maggie and Chase made love with wild abandon in the privacy of their bedroom, they had no idea Virgie had tiptoed into Scott's room, where she willingly surrendered her maidenhead to her handsome Mountie
"I have a gift for you, darlin'," Chase said, rising from bed in all his naked splendor "Oh, Chase, that's not fair," Maggie waited "I have nothing for you "
"That's not true You've given me the pleasure of beddin' the best damn newspaper reporter and publisher in the whole damn state I'm proud of you, Maggie "
"You don't care if I spend my time at the newspaper office and come home with ink on my fingers'?"
"Not as long as you come home to me I wouldn't have bought the paper if I didn't expect you to ran it You should hire a good editor, though," he suggested, his eyes sparkling "You won't be wantin' to go to work with your belly in the way Now close your eyes so I can get your gift"
Maggie squeezed her eyes tightly shut, blotting out the arousing sight of rippling muscles and virile male flesh Then she felt something slide over her head and settle between her naked breasts At first it was cold, but it warmed instantly to her flesh
"Open your eyes, darlin' "
Maggie looked down at the huge gold nugget on its delicate gold chain resting in the cleft between the coral-tipped mounds of her breasts and gasped in delight "It—it's lovely!"
"Not as lovely as its restin' place," he quipped "I wanted you to have a keepsake of our time in the
Yukon, those months of endless snow and ice and all the hardships you endured "
"And don't forget the rapture," Maggie reminded him, her amber eyes hazy with remembrance "There was rapture along with the ice "
"Ice and rapture—and the most wonderful, exasperatin', feisty, lovin', beautiful woman all to myself in that frozen wilderness I'll never forget those weeks when nothin' mattered but the love we shared," Chase sighed wistfully
"Come back to bed, sweetheart," Maggie urged in a seductive whisper, patting the place beside her "We can create the same kind of rapture in Montana We're alone and there's plenty of ice outside our window "
"And rapture to be found in our bed," Chase murmured, more than eager to love Maggie again—and again—and again Forever