The Christmas Holiday

by Maxine Morrey

Oh dear.

  I cleared my throat. ‘I would obviously immediately have asked to be put down.’

  ‘More like you would have wriggled like a worm on a hook, and demanded to be put down on pain of serious injury.’

  ‘Well, then I guess it’s a good job you didn’t try.’

  ‘I’m kind of fond of certain parts of my body.’

  I let out a noise of resignation and we plodded back up to the rooms in silence, which for the most part was companionable.

  ‘Night, Mia,’ Hunter said, as we got to my door.

  I beeped my card against it. ‘Night, Hunter. And thanks for coming up to get me tonight, making sure I didn’t miss out on the meteor shower.’

  He opened the door for me, and I ducked in under his arm. ‘You’re welcome. It’s part of Liv and Sandeep’s story so it was important for you to see it. Plus, if we do end up doing a piece on this place, it gives you an idea of what it would be like to sit in that same place and look out over the sea at the Northern Lights.’

  ‘Oh. Yes. Yes, of course.’

  ‘You all right?’

  ‘Yep! Tired. You know.’ I pointed behind me and he gave me an odd look.

  ‘OK. Get some rest.’

  I lifted my hand in a wave and let the door go before turning around and leaning on it. Note to self. Do not get caught squashed up against Hunter Scott’s toned, hard body in the middle of the night, no matter how innocent the scenario. Especially when it’s been so long since you had sex that you’re probably going to need a quick go-around with some Mr Sheen and a duster before anything else happens.

  ‘Ugh!’ I groaned, kicking off my boots at the same time as I fought to get out of my jumper, before falling back into bed.

  ***

  ‘Oh my gosh! I can’t believe it’s nearly over!’ Liv said, dropping the collection of designer shopping bags she’d been carrying and flopping down into one of the Chesterfields in the bar area of the London hotel. Classical renditions of Christmas songs played softly in the background and a huge, stylish, traditional tree made a bold statement at the end of the bar.

  We’d left behind the idyllic Scottish isle this morning, taking the private jet back to Heathrow and a cab from there into the city, with a quick diversion for a top-up of retail happiness for Liv on the way.

  Sandeep and Liv obviously had their own places in London, as did I, and so, apparently, did Hunter, but Liv had been adamant about us all being together for these last few days in the run-up to the wedding. There were still some activities on the list and she wasn’t about to let go of her holiday mood just yet.

  ‘What’s first?’ I asked, trying to remember the schedule.

  ‘Ice-skating. Somerset House,’ Hunter supplied, as he took the seat next to me.

  ‘Which you have to take part in.’

  ‘Uh. Nope,’ he replied, in a tone that I recognised as one that wouldn’t budge.

  ‘Hunter!’ Liv pouted at him a little.

  He laughed and leant forward to lift two of the glass mugs of luxury hot chocolate from the tray now in front of us. Passing one to me, he then sat back with his own.

  ‘You can pout all you like, Liv. It might work like a dream on that one.’ He nodded at Sandeep who gave a shrug.

  ‘Pretty much every time,’ Sandeep agreed, his face showing he loved every minute of it.

  ‘Not going to work on me, I’m afraid.’

  ‘You’re such a spoilsport.’

  ‘No. I’m going to take some great shots of you two instead of breaking my gear, and possibly a few other things, by falling on my face on the ice. That’s not being a spoilsport. It’s being sensible.’

  ‘Says the man who goes into war zones and gets…’

  Liv looked up from her drink and stopped.

  ‘Gets what?’ I prompted.

  ‘Lost!’ Liv finished quickly.

  Hunter and Sandeep were now both concentrating intensely on their drinks and I got the distinct feeling there was a loop here that I was most definitely outside of. I took another sip of deliciousness and, under my lashes, saw Liv shoot Hunter an apologetic look. The faintest of headshakes signified that she was forgiven for whatever indiscretion she had been about to commit. I dropped my eyes to the cup again and reminded myself that, whatever else had happened on this trip, despite the friendship that had grown between Liv and me, I was still an outsider to their group. They had stories and memories – and secrets – that were theirs alone. And even if Liv did want to share them with me, if they involved Hunter, it was clear they had a caveat attached as to who heard them.

  True to his word, that evening in the grounds of Somerset House, Hunter kept his feet firmly off the ice and took some beautiful shots, both candid and posed. A few more of Liv and Sandy’s friends joined them for the evening, and I took a step back from all the activities and concentrated instead on capturing the atmosphere for their journal. Chatter and laughter filled the air as the ice became more crowded, the floodlit building and festive atmosphere making the perfect backdrop for Hunter’s shots. I’d been taking a little stroll around and now returned to the covered shelter that lined the sides of the rink, white fairy lights stretching the length of its roof, glinting as they caught the ice. Hunter was talking with a guy who, from his size and dress-style, I imagined to be Security. I found a seat close to the edge and continued to watch the skaters as they moved around in a clockwise motion, some with a little less grace than others, but all, for the most part, with enjoyment.

  After a few minutes, Hunter dropped his bag onto the table and took the seat next to me.

  ‘Everything all right?’ I asked.

  ‘Yeah. The guy wanted to check if I was taking editorial shots, and if I had the right permissions. They’re kind of hot on that here.’

  ‘But you’re not.’

  ‘No. Tonight is all just for Liv and Sandy’s journal thing.’

  I pushed my hair back from my face where some escapees from my ponytail were now tickling my nose. As I did so, I noticed the security man still glancing our way.

  ‘I think he’s still watching you.’

  ‘I’m not sure too many people bring a professional photographer to their skating sessions. He found it a little hard to believe all this was just for a memory book.’ He held the camera for a moment. ‘I think he’s probably waiting to see if he can catch me out.’

  ‘He’s got a long wait then. Can I see what you took?’

  ‘Sure.’ Hunter grabbed the side of my chair and slid it close to his. ‘What?’ he asked when he looked up and saw my face.

  ‘I could have just moved the chair myself.’

  ‘Now you don’t have to. Here,’ he said, dismissing my protest and handing me the camera. ‘They start there.’

  He really was talented. Whether it was landscape, architecture or portraits, Hunter had a touch that effortlessly stepped it up and created shots on a whole new level. His photographs tonight clearly captured the joy, fun and excitement of the evening, not to mention the love between his two friends.

  ‘Oh! I love that one,’ I smiled, turning the camera back towards him to show him the one I meant. Liv had her head back, laughing, and was tilted at forty-five degrees having slipped on the ice and been caught by her fiancé, who had joined in the laughter and was looking at her with such love in his eyes that it almost brought tears to my own.

  ‘Yeah, me too.’ He turned his head and looked at me. ‘You’re going to be a mess at the wedding, aren’t you?’

  I handed the camera back at him. ‘No! Not at all.’

  ‘You had that soft expression on your face. The one that only ever seems to happen when you think no one’s watching.’

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

  He rubbed his hand over his mouth, his fingers stretching to his jawline. ‘You’re totally impossible. You do know that, don’t you?’

  ‘If I didn’t, the fact you feel the need to remind me so often keeps me more than aware.’
/>   I met his eyes defiantly and felt the smile begin. The crinkle began around his eyes and the curve of his mouth strengthened.

  ‘I’m glad you are in a way.’

  I laughed. ‘That, I find hard to believe.’

  Hunter glanced out onto the ice, and returned the wave Liv sent him as they sailed past. His blue gaze then turned and settled firmly on me.

  ‘Anyone else might have taken the hint that I didn’t want them on the trip and pulled out.’

  ‘I think telling me flat-out at the first meeting that you’d tried to replace me counts as a little more than a hint.’

  He gave a chuckle. ‘Probably true.’

  ‘Definitely true.’

  ‘But you’re pretty hard to replace.’

  ‘I really wanted the job.’

  Hunter frowned, ‘No. I meant—’

  ‘Oh my God! I’m going to have bruises for weeks! I’m not sure my backside is ever going to be the same.’ Liv clomped towards us on her skates and slumped into a seat. ‘Ow,’ she said as her bum protested at the action.

  ‘I’ll be happy to take on a study of that,’ Sandy teased, pulling up the chair next to her and flopping down. ‘You two all right?’

  ‘Yep.’ Hunter smiled, but I noticed a slight tightness in his jaw that hadn’t been there before.

  ‘I was just about to head back to the hotel, actually. Mia? Do you want to share a cab?’

  ‘I’m more than ready to go, if you can wait a minute?’ Liv said as she hung her head upside down and fought with the laces on her skates. ‘Then we could all go together.’ She tipped herself back up, having loosened the boots. ‘I’m going to really miss not being with you two! I want to make it last as long as possible.’

  ‘Sure,’ Hunter nodded, smiling at her. ‘We can wait.’

  ‘Oh, you are a sweetie, really,’ Liv grinned as she and Sandeep clomped back ahead of us to exchange their skates for shoes.

  ‘I’d appreciate you keeping that information to yourself, though, if you don’t mind,’ Hunter teased her.

  ‘What’s it worth?’ Liv asked, thunking the skates down on the counter.

  Hunter took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he thought. ‘How about me not getting hold of your phone and deleting every single selfie you’ve ever taken?’

  Liv’s eyes got wide. Sandeep sucked in air between his teeth.

  ‘You wouldn’t?’

  Hunter pulled a face that didn’t convince me of that.

  Liv grabbed her phone from her pocket and clasped it to her. ‘I take it back. You’re a monster.’

  Hunter laughed, dropped a kiss on the top of her head and began walking to the exit, Sandeep now beside him, having already shoved his feet into trainers. ‘Hurry up or we’ll be leaving without you,’ Hunter called back, throwing a wink. Liv stuck her tongue out and sat down to pull her boots on. She flicked her eyes to me momentarily.

  ‘I didn’t interrupt anything earlier, did I? My backside was killing me and I just blurted out, but when I looked up, Hunter looked sort of…’

  ‘What?’

  ‘I’m not sure. It’s hard to describe because I’ve never seen him like that before.’

  I picked up the gloves she’d dropped and passed them over. ‘Here. Don’t lose these. I’ve already misplaced mine tonight. And honestly, Liv, you didn’t interrupt anything. I promise. He’d actually just finished telling me how impossible I was. That’s all.’

  ‘Hunter always did like a challenge.’ Her eyes twinkled like the fairy lights around us, but they were full of mischief.

  ‘Not this challenge. And stop stirring.’ I pulled her to her feet, and she linked her arm through mine.

  ‘Sorry.’

  ‘Are you?’

  ‘Not really.’

  ‘That’s what I thought,’ I laughed.

  ‘But you two—’

  ‘Are over,’ I finished for her.

  Olivia looked across at me, then let out a sigh. As the men saw us approach, Hunter spied a cab and stuck out a hand. The taxi slowed, its tyres making a slushy noise against the recently fallen snow as it pulled across the street and idled at the kerb waiting for us all to pile in. Sandeep gave the driver the name of the hotel and we chugged off towards it.

  I rubbed my hands together and then rammed them between my knees.

  ‘Didn’t you have gloves earlier?’ Hunter asked.

  ‘Yes. I think I managed to leave them somewhere. I’ll have to shoot out tomorrow morning and get some more, especially if this snow keeps up.’ I rubbed the steamed-up window with the side of my hand and watched for a moment as the snow floated down, catching on everything in its path, slowly coating it all in glittering white.

  I jumped as Hunter’s hands encircled my wrists. Gently, he pulled my hands out from where I was trying to warm them.

  ‘Here,’ he said, pulling off his gloves and taking my hands within his large warm ones. ‘Christ, they’re freezing. Why didn’t you say? You could have borrowed my gloves!’

  I frowned at him. ‘Because then you’d have been cold.’

  ‘I’d have preferred it that way round.’ His eyes were on me and that look was doing more for my body temperature right now than anything else.

  The taxi slowed and Hunter’s gaze pulled away, along with his hands, as we all emptied out of the taxi. Liv hooked my arm and scooted me in towards the lobby as Hunter held back, waiting for Sandeep as he paid the cab driver.

  ‘What?’ I asked, laughing as she motored me into the warmth of the hotel.

  ‘One, I’m bloody freezing. And two, are you really sure you two are over?’

  I halted our progress. ‘Yes. Definitely.’

  ‘So what was all that in the cab?’

  I shook my head. ‘I can’t, Liv.’

  She steered us over to the lifts. ‘Can’t what?’

  ‘Whatever it is. I don’t know. You said yourself Hunter isn’t interested in anything other than a few nights in a warm bed with someone these days. But I’m not made the same way. However much I kind of wish I was right now.’

  ‘So you do still have feelings for him?’

  I ran my hands over my face. ‘Yes. No. I don’t know. I mean, yes there are feelings but are they just reminders of the ones I used to have? Or is it even more basic than that?’

  ‘Ilana did say he was the best sex she’d ever had.’ Liv looked back at me. ‘Oh my God, I shouldn’t have said that. Honestly, I didn’t mean…’

  I hugged her arm, pulling her closer. ‘It’s fine, Liv. Don’t worry about it. I’m well aware Hunter isn’t exactly a monk these days.’

  ‘So, what are you going to do?’

  I leant back on the wall of the lift as we got in. ‘Finish this job and go back to my life. Like it was before.’

  ‘Is that what you want?’

  ‘That’s what I need. What he needs. We tried once before and losing it all was… really not good.’

  ‘I’m thinking that’s an understatement.’ She squeezed my hand.

  I smiled across at her sadly. ‘Yeah. Just a little.’

  ‘But you do miss him, don’t you?’

  I shook my head. ‘I didn’t think I did. I thought it was all done. Finished with. In a tidy little box in my mind.’

  ‘And now?’ We exited the lift and wandered over to the little love seat positioned beneath one of the windows. The panes were catching the snow in the corners, making it look like something from a Christmas card.

  ‘Now? Now I know I never should have spent any more time with him than I absolutely needed to. My friend at the paper, Lorelei, told me this trip would be good for me. Everything ended so suddenly between us that we never got that god-awful word, closure. She and I both thought this would be the opportunity to get that.’

  ‘But instead it’s done quite the opposite?’

  My look told her the answer.

  ‘Mia?’ Hunter’s voice caught us by surprise.

  I looked up at him and knew in that in
stant it had indeed done quite the contrary. Spending time with Hunter had reminded me of everything I missed about him. Even though he’d driven me nuts on purpose, tried to get me bumped off the job, I knew why he’d done it. It was self-preservation. And right then I knew my own sense of that over the years had protected me from everything except the one thing I never thought I’d need protecting from. Falling for Hunter Scott all over again.

  ‘Are you OK?’ Liv asked. ‘I can stay if you like.’

  I hugged her. ‘Thank you,’ I whispered before pulling away. ‘I’m fine.’

  ‘Is she ill? Are you ill?’ Hunter’s voice held concern and right now I couldn’t deal with it.

  ‘No. Just tired. I’m going to bed.’ I smiled at them both. ‘See you tomorrow.’

  I heard the soft ping of the lift arriving as I walked away down the corridor, heading for my room. Moments later I heard Hunter’s footsteps behind me. I was close to my door now and needed to make it there before he caught up. I’d put my feelings for him away once before and I could do it again. I just needed the space to do so.

  ‘Mia?’ His voice caught up and wrapped around me – the soft accent I’d always found so sexy and the deep tones that, in certain moments, sounded like they were wreathed in smooth, warm chocolate. Oh my God. Thinking about those particular moments right now really wasn’t helping. Where the bloody hell was my room?

  ‘Hey?’ Hunter caught my arm and slowed me. ‘You OK?’

  I nodded.

  His fingers gently pushed back the hair that refused to stay in the ponytail. ‘You look kind of pale.’ His hand moved and he laid the back of it against my forehead. I reached up and wrapped my own around it, slowly pushing it away.

  ‘I need to get to my room.’

  Hunter nodded, carefully wrapped his hands around my upper arms and moved us both along exactly one door.

  ‘There. Now are you going to tell me what’s going on?’

  ‘Nothing’s going on. I’m honestly just tired.’

  ‘You know I don’t believe you, don’t you?’

  I gave him a smile and a shrug. He closed his eyes for a moment and ran a hand over his hair. ‘Why do you never let me in, Mia?’

  I blinked and glanced at the door, which brought a soft, brief smile to his face. ‘Not in there.’ His fingertips reached out, grazing my temples softly with a touch that set off a burning within me. ‘In here.’ His hands moved again as he stepped closer and slid them under my open coat, resting them at my waist, gently at first and then firmer as they slid around my back and he pulled me in. I could feel him against me as we stumbled clumsily against the door. ‘Let me in, Mia.’ Hunter’s words were soft and whispered against my cheek, while his body was hard and intense against my own. His head bent further, dropping butterfly-soft kisses on my skin until his mouth found mine and I fell into the kiss I’d been doing my best to forget about for the last five years. My hands reached for him, fingers locking around his neck, and his hand trailed from my face to wrap itself around my ponytail. I drifted one hand down and across the day’s growth on his jawline. He caught it with his own, interlacing our fingers as he drew my arm up above my head, pressing us both against the door. His other hand slid from my hair and quickly moved to the small of my back as his mouth moved down my throat.