by Carrie Elks
Her smile wavered. ‘That’s really nice of you, but…’ She grimaced, trying to find the right words. ‘I don’t want to sleep my way to the top.’
‘That’s not why I offered.’ He shook his head vehemently. ‘I just wanted to help you out. A friend helping a friend.’
‘Is that what we are?’ she asked him, her head angled to the side. She looked at him, smiling. His dark hair reflected the light of the sun, framed by the snow-capped trees. He really was gorgeous. She wanted to pinch herself that he actually wanted to spend time with her.
‘Friends? Yeah, I think we are.’ His smile widened as Jonas finally reached the top. ‘Good run, Jonas, I think that was your fastest yet.’
‘Can we do the lake run now?’ Jonas asked. ‘I’ve been waiting for ages.’
‘You want me to go with you, or do you want Kitty?’
Kitty took a step back, holding up her hands. ‘Oh no, this is all on you, Klein.’
The corner of his lip twitched, and he reached out to ruffle Jonas’s hair. ‘What do you say, shall we do it?’
‘Yeah, but I want Kitty to go next.’
Wonderful.
‘Sure.’ Adam nodded sagely.
‘And I want her to go with you. You make it go the fastest.’
A slow smile spread across Adam’s face. Jonas was right, Adam’s weight really did make the sled fly down the hill, and Kitty felt weak just thinking about it. With the two of them on there, it would go faster still. ‘It’s OK, I’m happy up here.’
‘No way, you’re going next, Shakespeare. Don’t wimp out on us now.’
She watched as the two of them flew down the hill, the sled barely touching the snow as they went. They stopped just short of the lake, with Adam tumbling out to the side, Jonas laughing like crazy as he clambered over his uncle. Her heart clenched to watch them. Isn’t this what every kid wanted – adults who paid attention to you, who wanted to spend time having fun? Why was it that Jonas had everything that money could buy, except his parents’ attention?
As the two of them climbed back up the hill, Adam pulling the sledge behind him, she felt the anticipation building in her stomach. Not just at the fear of the ride ahead of her, but at the thought of squeezing onto that sledge with Adam, his legs tight on her hips. She’d been bad enough before the two of them had sex, her body always reacting to his closeness. Now she knew what he could do with it, she could feel herself blushing all over again.
‘Your turn,’ Adam said, bringing the sled to a stop beside her. ‘You want to get in first?’
She nodded, still feeling the hot burning spots on her cheeks. ‘Jonas, you don’t move an inch, OK? Don’t come near the lake or you’ll be in trouble.’
‘OK,’ Jonas agreed, wiping a dusting of snow from an old tree stump. ‘I’ll just sit here and wait. Then it’s my turn again, right?’
‘Right.’
She sat down on the sled, stretching her legs out in front of her, and Adam climbed in behind her, his long legs either side of her waist. His chest was pressed against her back, and he leaned forward to grab the rope that was lying tangled between her legs. She felt completely caged by him – his chest and limbs pinning her to the sled. His mouth was close to her ear, his breath tickling the sensitive skin just below. ‘I’m going to have to wriggle to get this thing going,’ he whispered. ‘Try not to get too excited.’
‘In your dreams,’ she scoffed, even though her heart was racing.
‘You were in them last night.’
The next moment they were sliding down the crest of the hill, the sled picking up speed as it careered down towards the lake. She felt Adam circle his arm around her waist, pulling her tightly against him, his other hand holding tightly to the rope. She opened her mouth to shout – partly in fear, partly in exhilaration, but the rush of cold air took her breath away.
‘When I yell “go” you need to jump to the right,’ Adam shouted, his voice barely audible above the howl of the wind. ‘Don’t stay on the sled whatever you do.’
‘Why not?’
‘Because of the lake,’ he shouted louder. ‘Now go.’
She tipped her whole body to the side, feeling Adam do the same, their movement causing the sled to flip over. Then they were tumbling into the deep virgin snow, their bodies sinking into it as they came to a stop.
She was breathless, her heart pounding like a racing horse, her whole body shaking at the sudden stop. By the time she’d managed to scramble up to her knees, her hair was soaked by the snow, wet tendrils hanging down her back.
‘Are you OK?’ Adam jumped onto his feet, offering her a hand to pull her up.
‘I’m, I’m…’ She shook her head, not knowing what the hell she was. ‘That was the second most irresponsible thing I’ve ever done.’
She started to laugh, not sure whether she was hysterical or not. Her heart was still racing like a thoroughbred. ‘I can’t believe you made me do that.’
‘If that was the second most irresponsible thing you’ve ever done, then what was the first?’ he asked, forever the interviewer.
‘You. Definitely you.’
‘Do you like Christmas?’ Adam asked, feeding a spoonful of eggs into her mouth. They were sitting by the fire, a warm woollen blanket covering their post-coital bodies. For the past few days she’d got into the habit of getting up earlier and earlier, sneaking down to the cabin when it was barely light, only to find Adam at the door waiting for her, ready to lift her up and swing her inside, where the fire was roaring in the grate.
They were precious, stolen hours. Ones that only seemed to exist for them. She wanted to protect them the way you’d protect a faltering flame, cupping her hands to block out the wind.
‘I like the idea of Christmas more than the reality,’ she mused, swallowing down the eggs. ‘This is really delicious, by the way. How did you learn to cook so well?’
‘Amazing what you have to do to get by in strange locations. Sometimes there’s nothing like the great American breakfast, even if you’re filming in the wilds of Colombia.’ He picked up a forkful of bacon. ‘What do you mean by you like the idea more than the reality?’
She bit her lip, staring out of the steamed up window to the wintry wonderland beyond. ‘It can never live up to the hype everybody creates, can it?’ She wiped a speck of egg from the corner of his lips, brushing the now-clean spot with her own lips. ‘We all grew up thinking the only proper Christmas was a white Christmas, even though statistically the chances of that are pretty much nil, unless you live somewhere like this. And we grew up thinking that we’re nothing unless we’re surrounded by family, one of us playing the piano while the rest of us stand around and sing festive songs together. Christmas has somehow been hijacked by big business and Hollywood, and there’s no way to live up to the perfection they project.’
‘You don’t believe you can have perfection?’
She smiled. ‘Not for very long. Reality always wins out, and reality is messy. You must know that.’
‘You’re very cynical for one so young,’ he told her, brushing his lips against the shell of her ear.
‘You can talk, Mr Grumpy. You’re the one who films the dregs of humanity, and brings them back for us all to see. That must have knocked any romanticism out of you pretty quickly.’
He winced for a moment. She had no idea how close to the mark her words were. But he didn’t want to think about that right now. ‘I can be romantic,’ he told her. ‘The two aren’t mutually exclusive. Just because I know how low people can go, that doesn’t mean I don’t think we can fly, too.’
She looked intrigued. ‘Is that so?’
He shrugged. ‘There’s nothing wrong with a little romance. There’s nothing wrong with hoping for the fantasy either. Just as long as you don’t let it blind you to the dark side. All the best fairy tales have bad guys, after all. Romance isn’t about pretending they don’t exist, it’s about defeating them.’
A slow smile spread across her face. ‘That
may be the most romantic thing I ever heard.’
‘I’ve got more where that came from.’ He was feeling cocky now. A combination of the way she was looking at him, and the way his body felt, having had her beneath him, followed by a satisfying breakfast. It really didn’t get much better than that.
‘I bet you have,’ she said. ‘I’m almost afraid to ask.’
He grinned. ‘Let’s try this one. It’s almost eight o’clock, so I’ve got about half an hour to fuck your brains out one more time before you need to get back to the big house.’
‘Oh, Mr Klein, you know how to woo a girl. I’m almost overcome.’ She did a mock swoon, falling onto the blanket.
‘That’s right, stay right there.’ He put the half-eaten plate of breakfast to the side.
He climbed between her legs, feeling himself harden as soon as she wrapped her thighs around his hips. Her blonde hair had fallen in her eyes so he reached out to brush it away. She licked her lips as she stared up at him, her eyes wide and warm. Was it wrong that he loved the way she stared at him? As though the world was a little brighter whenever he was around.
When he moved his lips to hers, she wrapped her hand around his neck, her fingers digging into his flesh. Their tongues were warm, soft, sliding and caressing as they kissed. She shifted beneath him, until the tip of his cock was sliding against her, slick and velvety and oh-so-inviting.
As he slowly pushed his way inside, he opened his eyes to see her staring straight at him, an expression of wonder on her face. Then she smiled, reaching out to caress his bearded cheek.
It wasn’t just about sex. It wasn’t just about the way she made him feel. It was about her, and the way she lit up his cabin just by walking inside. His own walking, talking, loving, secret-Santa gift.
He moved his hips, sliding ever deeper, until they were both breathless and panting, until she was tight and tense and ready to explode.
If this was a fairy tale, then he wanted to believe. He wanted her to believe, too. The alternative was unthinkable.
21
There was a star danced, and
under that was I born
– Much Ado About Nothing
The closer it was getting to Christmas, the harder it was getting Jonas to sleep. Even as his eyelids drooped, his body was still buzzing with excitement, as he talked about Santa and stockings, and presents and snow. Kitty, on the other hand, was exhausted. The combination of getting up at the crack of dawn, and the vigorous workout she got before the winter sun had barely settled in the sky no doubt the culprit.
Not that she was complaining, she already lived for those precious moments with Adam in his cabin. When she closed her eyes at night, it was him she saw, looking back at her with those dark eyes, framed with long, sweeping lashes. She could almost feel the way he cradled her, his biceps taut as he wrapped his arms around her waist; could feel the sensation of his beard against her face, as he stole kiss after kiss before she reluctantly left him every morning.
And now Christmas was only three days away; a thought that filled her with a mixture of excitement and dread.
‘Will you read one more story?’ Jonas asked, his eyes still open though his voice was sleepy.
‘You’ve already had three stories,’ Kitty told him. ‘You need to get to sleep. We don’t want you all tired on the big day.’
He sat straight up in his bed. ‘I won’t be tired. I really won’t. I’m wide awake, see?’
She bit down her smile. ‘But you have to get through the next three days first. And nobody can stay awake for three days without sleeping. Not even little boys who are overexcited for Christmas.’
‘I’m not little.’ He folded his arms across his chest.
‘No you’re not,’ she agreed. ‘And like the grown-up you are, you must know you need sleep. So lie down and close your eyes. If you keep them closed for ten minutes, I’ll read you another book.’
It was a calculated risk, but it was worth a try. Surely he’d be asleep way before ten minutes passed.
‘OK.’ He lay back down, squeezing his eyes shut. He was silent for a moment, his brow creased as though he was thinking deeply. Then, with his eyes still closed, he asked her, ‘How long is ten minutes anyway?’
‘About as long as it takes to walk down to your uncle’s cabin.’
‘Oh, that’s really long.’
Sometimes it was and sometimes it wasn’t. On her way there, it couldn’t pass fast enough. On her way back it always felt like the blink of an eye.
‘Kitty?’
‘Yes?’ she said patiently.
‘Does Santa know you’re here?’
‘What do you mean?’ Her lips curled up in a confused smile.
‘I mean, will he bring your gifts here on Christmas Eve, or will he take them to your parents’ house? How does he know where you are?’
It was a surprisingly perceptive question for a seven-year-old boy. She had to think on it before answering. ‘I think he knows I’m here,’ she finally said. ‘But I’m an adult, and Santa only visits children, so he won’t be bringing me any gifts.’
‘None at all?’
She shook her head, even though Jonas’s eyes were still closed. ‘No.’
‘That really sucks. I’d hate to be an adult.’
‘It’s not so bad,’ she told him. ‘There are advantages, too.’
‘Like what?’
‘Like you get to eat what you like, do what you like. There’s nobody telling you what to do all the time.’ She thought of the other things she liked – the ones that involved a certain bearded relation of his. Best not to share anything about that.
‘I’d rather have presents.’
‘I bet you would.’
According to her watch, it took seven minutes for him to finally drift off. She sat on his bed for a minute more, to make sure he was sinking deeper, before leaving his room and flicking on the night light he always liked.
As she walked along the corridor towards the stairs, she looked out of the window, and at the evergreen forest beyond. For a moment she tried to picture Adam’s cabin, and she wondered what he was doing right now. Eating a late dinner? Playing with the dog? She knew so much and so little about him. The big stuff was clear – it was plastered all over the internet for anybody interested enough to find it – but the tiny things that made him who he was were still a little fuzzy in her mind.
He was strong, he was kind, and he was even a bit of a closet romantic. That much he’d made clear. But she still couldn’t work out what he was doing down there in that cabin, and whether he had any plans to leave it.
And where did that leave her? She thought of that plane ticket lying on the dresser in her bedroom, a one-way flight to LA leaving after the holidays. Her time here was finite, everything she did came with a sell-by date. Before long she’d be back in her old apartment, in her old life. And like a favourite dress she’d grown out of, she wasn’t sure that old life would fit her any more.
Shaking her head at her own maudlin thoughts, she walked down the staircase and into the hallway. In the kitchen she could hear Annie’s radio playing another round of festive songs, the familiar melodies making her feel wistful as they conjured up scenes of Christmas past.
‘You hear back from the embassy?’ Drake’s voice cut through the silent hallway. For some reason the door to the library was open. Kitty looked over with alarm, but his back was to her – he was talking to Everett.
‘It’s a no go. We’ll need to film in the studio and in California. We can simulate the mountains easily enough.’
‘You think we can make it look authentic? Colombia isn’t a whole lot like LA.’
She could almost hear Everett’s shrug. ‘Unless we get that cash injection we haven’t got a choice.’
Drake lowered his voice, but it wasn’t enough to disguise his words. ‘Will your brother come on board? It’s gonna make marketing it so much easier if he agrees to do the publicity.’
‘He’ll come roun
d. It’s a year or two before we’re at that stage anyway. I’m just concerned with the casting and locations right now. Not to mention the financing.’
Their voices drifted off as they walked to the other side of the library. Kitty let out a lungful of air. The last thing she needed was to be accused of snooping again, even if that’s what she’d ended up doing.
Why did they mention Adam though? That was the thing she didn’t understand. Everything she’d learned about his family led her to believe he wanted nothing to do with Everett or his work. She wondered if she should ask him, find out if Adam intended to move to LA and work with his brother. Just the thought of it was enough to make her heart hammer against her chest.