by Liliana Hart
Annabeth tried to move quietly as she searched for the end of the blanket that was wrapped around them and escape his hold, but luck wasn’t with her.
“Are you okay?” Grant whispered sleepily, causing her to freeze against him. He nuzzled against her neck, and every nerve ending she had was suddenly on overload.
“I’m fine,” she assured him. “I’m just going to head to the bathroom and be on my way home. I don’t want to keep you from your family. Would you mind if I borrowed an extra pair of sweats or something?”
Her eyes were becoming accustomed to the dark and she saw his eyes narrow as he tested her words for truth. The only truth she knew anymore was that he’d saved her life, and that she’d loved him for as long as she could remember. If she didn’t get out of here, she was going to make a fool of herself to the point that things would never be the same between them again.
“Why don’t we take it a step at a time,” he said. “I’ll help you to the bathroom and then we’ll see how you feel.”
“I can manage to get myself to the bathroom,” she snapped. “Just untangle these covers and let me out.” She clamped her mouth shut as her voice broke in a panic of emotion. God, what was wrong with her? She couldn’t even act like a mature adult just because she was lying naked in bed with Grant MacKenzie.
The feel of his muscled chest against her breasts was wreaking havoc on her hormones. He obviously didn’t have any urge to have his way with her, but that didn’t mean his lack of response to her hurt any less. It’s not like she was a sex goddess or anything. Her hair was sweat dampened at the temples and her hips were probably rounder than those of the women he normally dated. Just because she didn’t have any experience when it came to sex, didn’t mean she couldn’t tell when a man was interested. She could only stand so much, and now that the cold had left her body, the only thing to think about was the incredible heat that was gathering between her legs.
Grant chuckled at her temper as he unwrapped the covers from around them, and that put her back up even more. But then she realized the problem at hand. Once the covers were gone she was going to be completely exposed to him. It was one thing to be naked while one was unconscious and didn’t know any better, but it was another matter all together when both parties were wide awake.
“No, don’t turn the light on,” she squealed as he snapped on the lamp by the bedside table.
She scrambled for the covers, but Grant was already out of bed and around to her side with his hand held out to help her.
“Come on, Annabeth. There’s no need to be squeamish. I’ve already seen everything you have.”
“Well, then. Why didn’t you say so? I’ll just strip down every time I see you now that you’re so used to it.”
She swiveled and threw her legs down to the floor, but stumbled when she tried to put weight on them. Grant caught her, his arms wrapped around her and his hand just on the underside of her breast. She caught her breath and stood very still, waiting to see what he was going to do.
“I never realized you had a temper,” he whispered against her ear, making her shiver once more, but for a completely different reason than when the cold had taken her. “Though I guess I should have known with all that red hair.”
He turned her so the fronts of their bodies touched, and he raised her chin with his finger so she had no choice but to look him in the eyes. “And as much as I like that sassy mouth, I wouldn’t get in the habit of making threats about you ending up naked. The last eight hours have been hell, and my control is right at the breaking point.”
He pressed against her and it was then she felt the hard ridge of his cock against her stomach. Her eyes fluttered closed and she held back a moan as desire swamped her. He did want her. Maybe a physical relationship between them would be enough.
She opened her eyes and looked at him. His eyes held a hard edge that she’d never seen before. Grant was always the easy-going brother. The one you could never make lose his temper or his patience, but right now he looked like he could cheerfully throttle her. Or kiss her. She really wanted him to kiss her.
Annabeth nodded and let out a shaky breath as he loosened his hold on her. She hobbled along beside him until they reached the bathroom door.
“I can get it from here,” she said softly, keeping her eyes downcast so he wouldn’t see her embarrassment. “I should have told you first thing, but I want to thank you for saving me. I’d be dead if you hadn’t been there just at the right time.”
“Sometimes fate has an interesting way of showing us things, Annabeth. That’s something to think about. Something we’re both going to have to think about. I’ve always believed things happen for a reason.”
He ran his finger down the side of her cheek just before she escaped into the privacy of the bathroom. For the first time in her life since her parents’ death, Annabeth truly missed what it felt like to be loved. She thought back to the Christmas wish she’d made that morning and shook her head. If Grant would give her his body and not his heart, she would just have to be satisfied with that. It looked as if Christmas wishes didn’t really come true after all.
Grant had very nearly kissed her. It had been one of the hardest things he’d ever done to stare into those startling blue eyes and realize that he’d been the biggest idiot on the planet for most of his life. Everything he’d been looking for had been right there in front of him.
He realized he knew Annabeth better than he did any woman he’d ever dated just because he’d practically spent a lifetime with her underfoot. He knew she didn’t put milk on her cereal in the mornings and that she detested coffee. He knew she was all alone in the world, and that no matter how hard Darcy had tried over the years, Annabeth had refused their invitations to Christmas dinner. She always said Christmas was just another day. Nothing special. Nothing to be celebrated. That was something that would definitely have to be changed in the future. No one should ever spend Christmas alone, no matter how much they protested.
Annabeth had always been somewhat of a puzzle, but part of that was because she’d always seemed so shy around him. But she certainly hadn’t been shy when she’d decided to let that redhead’s temper loose. He needed to hold her again. To feel the softness of her skin against his. He’d only been able to guess at the beauty of her body before now, but now that he knew every lush curve, he knew he’d never see her the same way again. He had to have her. Had to claim her. All he had to do was make her want him as much as he wanted her.
Grant was willing to see that something miraculous had happened that day. He didn’t know if it was the spirit of Christmas, the fates, or some other celestial being, but his and Annabeth’s paths had aligned, and he wasn’t the kind of man who had to be struck by lightning twice to get the point. She was meant to be his. All he had to do now was find out if what she’d said was true. If she’d really loved him all this time, or if she was just grateful to him for saving her life.
“Grant,” she called out from behind the closed door. “Do you have those extra clothes?”
“Yeah, just a minute.”
He pulled on a pair of grey sweatpants and grabbed the thick terrycloth robe he had hanging from the peg on his door. His lower body tightened as she opened the door just far enough for him to get another tantalizing peek of soft flesh. He didn’t move away, but stood his ground as she slipped on the robe and tied it in a loose knot around her waist, keeping her head lowered in embarrassment.
“I need to go home, Grant,” she said, trying to push past him. “And you need to be with your family.”
“Annabeth—” He put his hand on her shoulder gently before she could move away. “Look at me.”
Her eyes were wary as she finally met his gaze, and he watched in amusement as they grew wider when he pushed the long fall of hair off her shoulder and bent his head closer, so their lips were just a whisper away from touching.
“Do you believe in miracles?” he asked, waiting to see if she’d back away. But she just stood
there, stone still, her breath trembling in and out. He could see the pulse fluttering in the hollow of her throat and her hands dropped down to her side limply.
She shook her head sadly. “I don’t think so, Grant. I tried, but— There haven’t been too many miracles in my life.”
“You’re my miracle, Annabeth. I was just too blind to realize it before now.”
His tongue traced along her full bottom lip and her eyes fluttered closed as he kissed the corner of her mouth.
“No sweetheart. Open your eyes.”
When they opened again what he saw almost stole his breath. Her pupils were dilated so only a thin rim of blue showed, and desire poured from her very soul. He touched her mouth softly, kissing her as if she were the most special woman ever created. And in truth she was. It was as if blinders had been taken off and he finally saw what stood before him. It was everything a first kiss should have been. Sweet and soft and pure.
Her mouth opened under his and he took advantage, slipping his tongue into the warmth of her mouth and tasting her for the first time. Her fingers bit into his biceps as he delved deeper, and he groaned as he felt her tongue slide in a dangerous dance against his.
Pulses pounded and desires roared as things quickly got out of hand. Her hand delved into his hair, and she arched back as he kissed down her neck to the swell of breast that peeked from the lapel of the robe. He pushed her back against the wall and hitched her legs around his waist, swallowing every moan and whimper for more. He could feel her wet heat through his sweats and he knew all he had to do was pull them down slightly and he’d be inside of her.
Grant pulled back and looked at the shock in her eyes that he was sure mirrored his own. They were both gasping for breath, and he rested his head on her brow, trying to get control over his rioting body.
“This can’t be real,” she panted, rocking against him, cradling his hardness between her thighs. “I woke up with the taste of you on my lips and the feel of you against my body. I’m still dreaming. I must be.”
“It’s not a dream, love. I’ve watched and wanted you for awhile now, but I didn’t think you’d want the same things I did. I know you, Annabeth. And we’ve been given a second chance to get this right. Christmas wishes do come true, because I wished for you. Spend Christmas with me. Make love with me.”
Her breath sobbed out at his words, but she didn’t let tears fall. “I’ve wanted you for so long, but I thought you never noticed me. I’ve dreamed of you for years, and I’ll gladly give you my body. I think it’s probably always been yours anyway. Maybe you’re right. Maybe Christmas wishes do come true, because I wished for you too. I know in my heart this is the right thing to do. I’ve never been with another man, Grant. That’s my gift to you.”
Grant closed his eyes against the onslaught of feelings that one tiny statement brought. A fierce need to conquer—to claim her as only his—overwhelmed him and he took her mouth again in a kiss that left no doubt how much he wanted her. The heady desire built until he was almost blind with the need.
He pressed his lips to her throat, remembering that he was the only man who would ever have her this way, remembering her fragility and the gift she was giving. He had to slow down. Make this perfect.
“You’re trembling,” he said, nibbling at her lips as he slowly unknotted the robe. It gaped open, showing him teasing glimpses of the woman beneath. The soft curve of breasts and belly and the fiery curls between her thighs.
“So are you.”
“Because I need you more than I’ve ever needed anyone in my life. Are you scared?”
“Not scared.” She gasped as his tongue flicked across the pulse in her throat and his hands trailed over the flared curve of her waist. “A little nervous. Excited. Your kisses make me warm. They make me throb.”
Grant felt the primal urge to claim flare up once more with her innocent words, but he tamped the feeling down. “Come to bed with me, Annabeth. We shouldn’t waste our miracles.”
Grant took her hand and led her to the bed. The hardwood was cool beneath her feet and the moonlight gleamed across their skin. The bedside lamp glowed a soft yellow across the white sheets he’d straightened while she’d been in the bathroom. The night was black, but fat flakes of snow hit against the window pane and swirled in a chaotic dance. She watched as Grant turned down the covers and pulled her into his arms.
“You’ll have to tell me if I do something you don’t like. If I hurt you.”
“You couldn’t. I’ve waited for you so long, Grant. Take me to bed.”
He cupped her face in his hands and leaned toward her, touching his mouth softly to hers, testing, nibbling, lingering, as if he had hours to spend in just that one spot. He deepened the kiss, tasting the sweet honey of her mouth while his hands flitted over the softness of her skin. Her breasts were heavy and full against his palms, and when he stroked her nipples with the rough pads of his thumbs she shivered against him.
Annabeth sighed with every touch, her body a riot of sensations she’d only ever experienced in her dreams. The need to take him, to please him, rose up fiercely and she kissed him back with everything she had, rubbing her tongue against his and touching every hard plane of his body.
He lowered her to the bed slowly, taking his time and savoring every gasp and moan as he pressed his weight against her. Words he’d never spoken to another woman escaped his lips with promises of eternity. He kissed his way down the valley between her breasts and moved to take a nipple into his mouth, suckling at the rigid peak until she was writhing against him in pleasure.
“Grant!” she said, jerking against his mouth. “Please, I want to feel you on me again. I need you. I need you inside of me.”
The breath left Grant’s lungs in a rush as her words had him straining for control. He gentled his touch as his fingers skimmed over the slight swell of her stomach to the damp curls below. She was wet and ready for him, her body pliant as his thumb circled the tight nub between her folds. His finger entered her—first one, and then another—stretching her for what was to come.
Her hips moved against him of their own volition and his thumb began to move faster until he heard the catch in her breath of her nearing climax. When she moaned beneath his touch and tightened around his fingers, he pressed his mouth against hers, feeling her cries of release.
Grant watched the wonder cross her face as her body slowly relaxed, the desire sated for the moment, and when her eyes opened and met his, there was such love in their depths that it made his throat tight with emotion.
“Please, Grant.”
“I want to give you more, sweetheart.”
He stood and stripped his sweatpants off quickly. He stood still and let her look her fill, appreciating the way her eyes drank him in and then widened with nervousness as her gaze dropped below his waist.
“Grant,” she said, shaking her head. “I don’t think—”
“It’ll be all right, sweetheart. You’ll be ready for me.”
Grant lifted her foot and kissed the delicate arch, nibbling his way up her calf and skimming his fingers along the sensitive flesh behind her knee. She jumped when he nuzzled her inner thigh, and moaned as his mouth kissed and licked the slick folds of her pussy. He found the tight bud of her clitoris and circled it with slow strokes as she slowly went crazy in his arms. Her fingers entwined in his hair and she arched her hips against him. He looked up and pleasure filled him as he saw her body flushed and on the peak of fulfillment. His hands grabbed her bottom and he brought her to his mouth, flicking his tongue faster and faster as she thrust against his mouth.
“Ohmigod, Grant,” she screamed as he tasted the ambrosia of her release against his tongue.
He licked into her slowly as she came down from her orgasm and then kissed his way up her body, taking his place between her open thighs. He let her get used to the weight of his body and the feel of him hard against her folds, kissing her eyelids, cheeks and lips tenderly as he prodded against her.
; Their kisses fueled the fire of desire once more, and before long she was straining against him, lifting her knees to take him inside of her.
“Please, Grant. I need—”
“Shh, sweetheart,” he said kissing her softly, pushing inside her until he came to the barrier of her innocence. He groaned at the feel of her tight and hot around him and shuddered as she wrapped her legs around him, preparing to take him all. He was only halfway inside her, but he had to grit his teeth to keep from coming too soon.
He leaned down, so his chest rested against the soft pillow of her breasts. “Look at me,” he whispered against her lips.
When her eyes cleared and she looked at him steadily, with love and trust in her gaze, he knew miracles really did exist. “You’re mine from now on. I love you, Annabeth.”
He buried himself inside her with one thrust, swallowing her cry with his kisses, and kissing the tears from her cheeks.
“Ssh, baby,” he crooned. “I’m sorry, but it’s only for a minute.”
He brought his hand between their bodies and stroked at the hidden nub between her folds until the pain was forgotten and she was writhing beneath him, hitching her legs higher and taking every slow, smooth stroke. No matter how much his body demanded release, he wouldn’t rush her. Her pleasure would come first.
“I love you, Annabeth. I need to hear you say it.”
But she was already too far gone to form coherent words. Her head thrashed back and forth as his thrusts became harder, more demanding. His hands skimmed up her body, touching and caressing. His mouth tasted and treasured, drinking in every sigh and moan of pleasure. And when she tightened around him like a velvet fist and her body began to shudder, he buried his face against her neck and let go.
Chapter 4
The first light of dawn peeked through the window with shyness, the sun not quite sure if it should make itself known on that particular Christmas morning or hide behind the clouds. Annabeth stretched lazily, her muscles wonderfully sore as she felt Grant beside her, his hand resting comfortably on her belly. When she looked over his eyes were open and watching her with a contentment she felt bone deep.