by Whitley Cox
“Hey, has anyone noticed the mistletoe hanging overhead?” Hunter asked, pointing one long slender finger to the copper pots above Juney and Rowan’s heads.
Everyone’s eyes drifted upward to the small clump of foliage hanging by a red satin ribbon.
Juney’s eyes met Rowan’s, and she smiled sweetly at him.
Rowan was in love.
Will sidled up next to Amber, the sexy redhead, and took a healthy sip of his drink. God, he loved scotch. Amber had switched to wine at some point and was cradling her glass of red as they all sat around the island in the kitchen and watched Juney and Rowan tidy up.
“Holy Hannah!” Juney announced, her eyes going wide as she stopped wiping up crumbs from the counter and stared out the big picture window next to the tree. “When did that start?”
Everyone turned around to look out the window. The ground was covered; the limbs were covered. There was no denying that it would be a white Christmas for the six strangers, and now, by the way it was coming down in unrelenting buckets, not only would it be a white Christmas, but a snowed-in Christmas as well.
“Snowed in and set up,” Amber said with a half-laugh half-snort. “I wonder if Daisy planned the weather as well. That sounds like something she would do. Get a bunch of unsuspecting people in a secluded place, make it dump snow like there’s no tomorrow so they’re all forced to sit and stare at one another until they either hump like bunnies or throw on snowshoes, brave the blizzard, and hike back down the mountain to freedom.”
“Two choices, huh?” Hunter said with a smile, turning to Austin. “What would you choose?”
Austin’s throat bobbed as if he’d just swallowed a whole lemon, and his face shone a bright red. But he didn’t answer.
Will grinned. The genius had it bad for the little blonde, that was noticeable from space. He turned to face Amber. She’d been ogling him earlier, and he wanted to see if he could fluster her again. Her hazel eyes twinkled, and a sexy flush crept up her chest when she was rattled. “Well, I don’t know about you, but I’ve never been much of a snowshoer myself.”
Amber’s gaze zipped up to him. He gave her a challenging glance back and lifted one eyebrow.
“Too soon to say,” she said blandly, though her eyes held a gleam to them that said “the former sounds much more appealing.”. Question was: did she think the former would be more appealing with Will? Was she his match? He certainly found her attractive and a little spitfire, with sass, attitude, and a bit of a chip on her shoulder. But he liked chips. A health nut because he had to be, Will numbered chips among his few vices. He liked salt and vinegar the best but would settle for dill pickle if forced to
“I know what I’d choose,” Will replied, flashing her his biggest smile and giving her a quick lone eyebrow lift for good measure.
Amber rolled her eyes, but the heavy swallow of her throat and slight twist of her lips betrayed the composure she was fighting to keep. “I’ll see if I can find some board games or something around here. It’s only three o’clock in the afternoon, and we need to pass the time somehow.” Her gaze drifted down to her drink. “And it can’t just be getting hammered.”
She disappeared down the hall, and Will couldn’t stop himself from checking out her ass. All firm and tucked tight in those sexy black skinny jeans, while a soft brown checkered flannel shirt covered her petite frame. He took inventory of the other four people as they chatted softly with one another. So figuring he’d found his match, or so he hoped, he wandered off down the hallway. He’d found her sexy from the beginning, but that ass, that ass had sealed the deal. He needed it beneath his palms, between his teeth — and fast.
“Need any help?”
Amber jumped at the sound of Will’s voice behind her. She’d been muttering to herself about this and that and the other thing, mainly the other thing, Will’s thing. He’d heard her. He fought to hide his smile, but knew it was a futile attempt. The woman was feisty. Spunky and cute, all wrapped up in a neat little freckled package.
Amber swallowed hard and licked her lips. “Uh, sure.”
Will’s eyes fell to her mouth. She slowly slid her tongue across the plumpness before sucking that fully cushioned lip between her teeth. He wanted those lips. He wanted those lips against his. He wanted those lips wrapped around his shaft as he buried his hands in her dark red hair and pulled, bucking fiercely into her face as she hummed and rammed him to the back of her throat.
Amber peeled herself away from his gaze and started opening cupboards.
She was flustered.
Good.
“Linen, linen, linen, towels, cleaning supplies. There has to be a games cupboard around here somewhere,” she murmured, continuing to make her way down the hallway.
Will stalked after her.
“Ah-ha!” she announced after about the hundredth or so door. She flung it open to reveal a treasure trove of games: floor-to-ceiling shelves stocked with nothing but board games, chess sets, tins of dominoes, et cetera. “All right, doctor, come pick your poison. Which game would be less brutal on your ego losing to me? Operation, perhaps?”
He growled low and stepped up behind her. They were less than twelve inches apart now.
“Wh-what are you doing?”
“Do you think we were matched?” he asked softly. Desire heated the air, and hunger glowed bright in her amazing hazel eyes. He let his free hand come up and run down the length of her soft plaid shirt. The top few buttons were left undone, and he could see a white tank top peeking out, along with the fully rounded mounds of her creamy breasts. His cock twitched in his pants, and his pulse thundered through his veins.
Eyeing him with intrigue, she lifted one shoulder cavalierly and boldly reached out and grabbed his glass, tipping it up and draining it before wiping the back of her wrist across her mouth. “Ah.”
His eyebrows rose half an inch. She was ballsy. He liked that—a lot!
“Do you think we’re matched, Little Red?” He took a half-step forward until there was scarcely enough room for air between them, and Amber was forced to crane her neck to look up at him. He liked the way her eyes went wide as they slowly climbed the length of his body, only to finally stare at him, her face flushed and her mouth in a sexy little O.
“Fuck, you’re tall,” she muttered.
He chuckled. “You’re short. How tall are you?” Was she over five feet? He was going to guess no. Or just barely. Will was six-three, and at the moment Amber was eye-level with his chest.
Swallowing, she puffed out her sexy chest, and if he wasn’t mistaken, rose an inch or so. Was she on her tiptoes? “I’m four-eleven.”
He fought the urge to smile.
“And a half.”
He lost the battle, and his mouth split into a giant grin. Damn, she was something. “Do you think we’re a match?” he asked again, wanting to get back to the topic at hand. If Amber wasn’t interested, he needed to know now. Needed to either make the switch to Hunter or Juney, or make arrangements with his hand for the rest of the week.
She was nervous. But then some kind of resolute sureness washed over her. He watched it happen. Her back straightened, and her chin lifted so she was looking him square in the eye, nerves gone, replaced by nothing but pure and sultry confidence.
“Maybe. Would you like that?” Her fingers were right in front of his belt, and all he wanted was for her to reach out and unbuckle it, pull it through the loops on his jeans, then hand it to him and ask him to spank her.
His hand came up next to her ear. He let one finger graze her cheek. “I’d like a lot of things.” Slowly, he wedged his knee between her legs, and he dipped his head. “For starters . . . ” His mouth was inches from hers when they were suddenly thrown out of the moment by heavy stomping and a booming voice.
“You guys find a game yet?” Austin asked, his greenish-gold genius eyes taking in the moment. A big stupid grin took over his face. “Or are you playing your own game?”
Will shot him an irritated s
cowl. “We’ll be there in a second. Go stoke the fire, you little puppy.” He flicked his head as if to say, “Now git!”
Austin spun on his heels and loped back down the hall to join the others in the kitchen.
Amber chuckled low in her throat, wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him against her. “For starters?” she prodded
Something overhead caught Will’s eye. They both looked up.
“Where the hell is all the mistletoe coming from?” he asked.
Amber lifted one shoulder. “Elves?”
He hummed and turned back to face her. “Hmmm. For starters, right.” He tilted his head to the side and captured her mouth with his. Her lips were soft and warm, and the way they drifted across his sent red-hot shards of longing coursing through his body. His tongue darted out, coaxing her to part her lips and grant him access. She did so willingly, allowing him to wedge his way inside, teasing her, toying with her in long, lascivious licks until he could feel her body relax beneath his touch, smell her reaction. It was visceral, primal. He wanted to dip his hand beneath her waistband and check to see if she was wet, too. What did she taste like? His cock had ached inside his jeans as he watched that delicious ass of hers swish back and forth earlier. He’d been a fucking goner the moment she turned her back on him. And now, tasting her, feeling her, he knew if he didn’t stop soon he would punch a hole right through his pants.
Eventually, he pulled away. She whimpered in refusal, her hands tightening around his back. Her tight little fists gripped his shirt. Amusement flowed through him, and he laughed low and deep in his chest as he pulled her bottom lip between his teeth. She whimpered again, this time pressing her hips against him for a half a second.
Oh, fucking Christ, the woman is going to kill me.
Will swallowed, then looked down at her. “Even if Daisy didn’t match us . . . for the next five days, you’re mine, Little Red. Got it?” Then, leaning forward and deliberately brushing his bicep across her breast, he grabbed Operation, Risk, and Scrabble before heading back to the living room.
Chapter Three
Amber let out a loud and long exhale as she rejoined the group sitting on the floor next to the fire. She’d broken the seal and found herself having to get up nearly every thirty minutes to use the washroom. Curse that Juney and her family’s to-die-for cabernet sauvignon.
They’d been playing games and drinking for hours, only stopping to eat again after Rowan and Juney, who had ducked back into the kitchen while the others continued to play games, re-emerged a short while later with tapas galore. They’d all gorged themselves, washing it down with good wine and good scotch.
“Dr. Will,” Amber said with a slight slur, propping up a pillow behind her and leaning back against the hearth.
Will’s head slowly lifted from where he was busy putting away all the Scrabble tiles, having been narrowly beaten by just ten points by the wordy vixen Juney. The firelight danced across the handsome planes of his face, creating sharp angles and bold edges. “Yes, Little Red?” His voice was dark like the purr of a lithe jungle cat.
Amber’s whole face ignited. “Uh . . . ” She took a sip of her wine. Allowing the dark taste to warm her belly. The looks Will had been giving her all night set her body to scorching hot and made her brain forget words. Those eyes, dark brown and full of passion had stripped her to down nothing and were ravishing her six ways from Sunday.
Hunter eyed Amber and offered her a knowing grin before turning back to Will. “What’s your story, dude?”
Oh thank God for Hunter.
Will’s face flashed reluctance, as though he was looking for a way to divert the attention from himself or change the subject. But instead he shrugged, tipped back his drink and let his shoulders sag an inch or two. “Well, I’m a doctor. I’m thirty-seven, divorced, and . . . that pretty much sums me up.”
Amber fought the urge to snort. She highly doubted that summed him up.
“What kind of a doctor are you?” Hunter asked, grabbing the deck of cards from the coffee table and opening it up. She began to mindlessly shuffle them. Meanwhile everyone else’s eyes flew to her fingers as she spun and flipped the cards around in her hands like some Vegas dealer or street performer.
“Emergency, mostly,” he said.
“Any kids?” Hunter asked. Clearly, she had no problem asking all the questions Amber wanted to ask but was either too drunk or too timid to bring herself to say out loud. Here she was interested in the guy, he’d already kissed her and laid claim, and yet she was too shy to ask him anything. She’d hardly even made eye contact with him since that kiss. What the hell was her problem? Probably the fact that Will hadn’t been able to stop looking at her all night and that rattled her something fierce.
Will scoffed. “Uh, no.”
Hunter made a slightly indignant face as she wrestled her long blonde locks up into her fist and drew a hair tie from her wrist up and over, fixing her thick waves into a ponytail. “What does that mean?”
“It means I have no kids. And I will never have kids. I don’t want them.”
“You don’t want them?” Juney asked, looking at him as though he’d just sprouted another head, and this time it was far less attractive than the one he currently had. “Why?”
Will’s jaw clenched and a muscle ticked in the corner. He lifted one shoulder. “I just don’t. I don’t think my job or lifestyle is conducive to having children of my own. My dad was a doctor, and I hardly ever saw him. I don’t want to do that. I like kids well enough. I actually did a pediatrics fellowship and really enjoyed it. But I just don’t want my own children. It kind of sucks I’m an only child, because I think I’d be a pretty cool uncle.”
Amber’s jaw dropped at the mention of Will not wanting kids. She didn’t want kids either, and she’d been hard-pressed to find very many partners who shared her sentiment.
They had to be paired.
Daisy was no fool. She knew what she was doing. He was her match, he had to be.
Will’s eyes flew up to Amber’s face. “What?” he asked. “Do you think I’m some monster?”
Amber shook her head, her mouth suddenly very dry. She looked at her wine glass. It was empty. Boldly, she reached out and grabbed Will’s stocky tumbler of scotch and took a healthy sip. It burned down her throat, but she refused to make any kind of face of discomfort. “No. Not at all, actually. I—I don’t want kids either.”
Will’s jaw dropped. He lifted one eyebrow at her. He’d been down this road before. Enough women he’d been with claimed they didn’t want children, only to jump head-first on the baby train the moment he made any kind of commitment, thinking they could change his mind and sway him toward wanting kids. A couple of serious girlfriends and Janice, his ex-wife, had even gone so far as to drag him along to a few baby showers and thrust a baby into his arms, thinking that the sight of the wrinkly little human would suddenly make him want one of his own. It hadn’t worked. Instead, it only prompted him to book an appointment for a vasectomy.
“You just saying that?” Will asked finally.
Amber shook her head, her bright hazel eyes wide with honesty. “Not at all. I’ve never wanted them. My brothers all have kids, and I’m a great aunt. I take the kids for afternoons when I can, and I spoil them rotten. I’ve even taken them for entire weekends so my brothers and their wives can go spend the night at some hotel and find their mojo again. But my own? Nope.”
“Why?” Juney asked again, looking at Amber with the same open curiosity she’d had for Will.
Amber shrugged. “I like my job. I’m the boss. I’m busy. My life isn’t conducive to kids, and call me selfish, but I’m not willing to adjust or make compromises to make it conducive. Plus, I’m not overly maternal.”
Rowan scratched the blond whiskers on his jaw. “Well, you two are definitely matched then. Because I want kids. Not sure any woman out there wants to have kids with me, ’cause I’m a miserable fucker. But I’d like to be a dad one day if given the chance.
”
Amber and Will locked eyes and a small, knowing smile passed between them. Oh yeah, they were totally matched.
“I’d like kids, too,” Hunter said. “But if you don’t want kids, that’s cool, too. No sense giving in to the pressures of society only to wind up miserable. There are too many kids out there who were unwanted, me included. Good for you two for being honest with yourselves and us. I certainly don’t judge you.”
“Me either,” Austin added. He’d been rather quiet through all of this, his eyes focusing on the back of Hunter’s semi-bare shoulder. Will had noticed the hint of a tattoo peeking out from her white shirt. He was sure he’d see it, eventually. But Austin, the boy’s eyes were glued to the back of the poor woman’s shoulder as if hypnotized. He had it bad for the little blonde.
“Well, I definitely want kids,” Juney said with a sad sigh. “I’m not judging you guys either, but I know I want them. I’m thirty-four, and the clock is ticking. Rather loudly I might add. Right now, it’s just me and my books and my wine. And although they are both a legacy of sorts, I want more. Neither of those things keep me warm at night, despite the joy they bring me.”
“You could pour the wine on the books, then light them on fire,” Austin said with a nerdy grin.
Everyone gave him a weird look.
“ ’Cause then they’d keep you warm,” he added, his face falling when he realized his attempt at a joke had fallen flat. He clammed up. Hunter snorted and gave him a hint of a smile. Will shook his head. Nice enough, but damn the kid was socially awkward. Did Austin ever think before he spoke?
Amber stood up and stretched her arms above her head. Will’s eyes followed her lithe body as she bent it back, pushing her breasts toward the sky.
“Well, I think I’m going to head to bed. I’m exhausted.” She teetered where she stood and reached out to stabilize herself on the arm of the couch. “And, apparently, a tad drunk as well.” She shot Will a look that said a million words, all of them dirty. Then bidding the rest of them a good night, she padded softly down the hallway to her room.