The Ultimate Treasure

by Anne, Melody

  Her sister had given her a suspicious glance but she’d let it go. All day, Lexie’s thoughts had returned to Lance. She was growing to depend on him, to miss him, to want to be with him entirely too much. She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but it would be accurate to say panic was seeping in.

  Since she couldn’t control where her thoughts were leading her, she’d managed to avoid Lance since she’d been back, even if it meant shivering in the backyard of the giant lodge while delicate flakes of snow drifted down on her.

  “Having a nice time?”

  Startled, Lexie nearly face-planted as she whipped around and found Lance leaning on the porch rail as he gazed at her. How long had he been there watching her? Had she been so lost in her thoughts that she was easy to sneak up on?

  “The house was a little warm so I needed to cool off,” she told him.

  He looked at her in disbelief. She wasn’t sure how she would respond if he called her on it. She was feeling restless and the urge to run was great. But was that because she was flawed or because there was an actual reason to run? If she knew that answer, her problem would be solved.

  “Everyone is doing their own thing tonight so you have plenty of time to . . . cool off,” he said, hesitating just enough that she knew he knew she was avoiding him.

  “I was supposed to help make cookies tonight so I shouldn’t be out here too long,” she pointed out.

  “That’s been put off until tomorrow. Lucas forgot the sugar from the store, and it’s a key ingredient,” he told her. There went her excuse to avoid going up to the room. The minute Lance touched her she would melt, and none of her confusion would go away.

  “Oh, I guess I’ll relax and watch a movie with the kiddos again,” she said, feeling inspired.

  “I don’t mind cuddling up on the couch,” he told her. Heat filled her, bringing truth to her statement about needing to cool off. She suddenly wanted to tug off her coat and gloves.

  “That sounds nice, but I have a bit of a headache. Maybe I should take something and sit in the library for a while.”

  He grinned and stepped away from the porch, moving toward her. In a panic she whirled around, creating a whirlwind of snow to avoid his touch. She was too confused at the moment.

  “You wouldn’t be trying to avoid me, would you?” he asked casually, but he didn’t reach for her.

  “Not at all,” she told him. He moved a step closer and she panicked.

  Stooping down, she gathered up some snow and quickly packed it in a ball. His eyes narrowed as he saw what she was doing. The man was smart enough to take a couple of retreating steps.

  “What are you doing?” he asked, keeping his eyes focused on her.

  “Nothing,” she said, her worries evaporating as she looked at him with new delight. She hadn’t had a snowball fight in a long time. She had no doubt he could pummel her, but if she launched one fast enough, surprising him, she could get away.

  “I always win when I play,” he warned her.

  That made Lexie’s eyes narrow. “Too much confidence is a downfall,” she warned back.

  “Not when it’s true,” he told her.

  That was it. This man deserved a good pummeling. Before her brain could fully process the thought, Lexie’s arm lifted and the ball went flying through the air, smacking him right in his cocky mouth. She laughed in delight as he gazed at her, too stunned to speak. Her stomach lurched, but her merriment came out loudly.

  “I thought you always won,” she taunted as she gathered more snow and launched another ball, this one hitting him on the neck, snow trickling down the opening in his coat, making him squeal, which caused her to laugh harder.

  “Oh, my darling Lexie, now you’ve awoken the beast,” he warned.

  The gleam in his eyes was her only warning as he took a menacing step toward her. Lexie knew retreat was her only option. She should have run while he was still in shock, but the man was surprisingly fast at shaking things off.

  With a quick left dodge, she decided there was no way she was getting to the back door. She’d have to go through him to do it. Her only option was to run along the path to the front of the house. The guys had put out that no-slip stuff, so she might make it if she concentrated.

  “I love a good chase,” he called out after her, his voice far closer than she would have guessed.

  Picking up speed, she let go of caution and decided she had to get away. Otherwise this would be a game he would certainly win — but would she be the loser if she was in his arms again? Nope. Couldn’t think thoughts like that right now. It was war and she was winning.

  Lexie only made it a few more feet before she felt his hot breath on her neck and his arms clasping around her. Laughter spilled from her as her feet were pulled from the ground, her back pressed against the solid muscle of Lance’s chest. She could practically feel his body heat pouring through their winter clothes.

  “Now what should I do for an easy victory?” he whispered in her ear, his hot breath a contrast to the cold snow still falling on them.

  “You haven’t won. You’re the one with snow down your shirt,” she told him as she struggled to get free.

  Lance chuckled as he walked toward the soft snow on the side of the path.

  “I guess I’ll have to remedy that,” he told her.

  Lexie had no time to figure out what he was talking about before the two of them fell as he launched them into the soft snow. Her face was covered as snow crept into her clothes, sending shivers through her body.

  Lexie pushed against Lance, who was just as covered as she was, calling it a tie in her book, but then she was on top of him, throwing more snow in his face as she laughed.

  Lance’s shock completed her victory, but he grabbed her back and tugged her forward, laying her body on his as the two of them sank deeper into the snow, nearly disappearing from sight.

  “Now I need warming up,” he told her before his hand reached into her hair and tugged her the last couple inches forward.

  His lips claimed hers and she soon forgot all about the snow coating them as he heated her entire body with a swipe of his tongue and the skill of his lips. He didn’t have to command anything, because the moment he touched her, she belonged to him: heart, body, and soul. She was exactly where she wanted to be, even if she’d been foolish enough to fight it.

  His thickness pressed between her thighs as she straddled him while he ravaged her mouth. More. She didn’t want to think anymore. She just wanted to feel — to feel the happiness of playing in the snow with him, to feel the security of having his arms around her, and to feel the passion only his touch could bring.

  Just as she was reaching for his coat to undo it, he broke their kiss. She tried to reconnect, but he held her face between his hands. There was fire burning in his eyes; she didn’t understand how the snow wasn’t melted all around them.

  “We need to go inside to finish this,” he said.

  She struggled to process what he said. “No. I don’t want to stop,” she said, pushing back to him. For a moment they were lost in the kiss, then she was moving upward as he gripped her and sat up.

  Somehow he was able to get on his feet with her still in his arms, and their lips reconnected as he walked toward the house without stopping. Lexie had no idea if anyone saw them come in or go up the stairs. She’d tried to fight what she felt for Lance and had failed miserably. By the time he finished warming her up she had forgotten what she’d been worried about in the first place. She fell asleep tucked securely in his arms.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  It was three days until Christmas, and the closer it came the less holiday spirit Lexie felt. She knew she was acting like Scrooge, at least in her thoughts, but no matter how hard she tried to tamp the impending doom, she couldn’t stop it. It seemed the more she tried to prepare herself for the holiday ending, the less Lance
allowed her to pull away.

  Her entire body was shaking as the two of them stepped inside after taking the kids on a walk to gather pinecones for ornament-making later that evening. It had been so much fun to be outdoors, to have his hand in hers, and to watch the kids attack the men with snowballs as the ladies helped from behind the safety of the trees.

  In the end, a lot of snow had been thrown at them, and now all the family members were in their rooms, changing for dinner and holiday decorating time.

  Lexie went to her room and changed, but she was still frozen when she came back out. She found Lance sitting in the same chair she’d performed her naughty-nurse act in, and she thought the heat flooding her stomach would warm her up, but she couldn’t stop shaking.

  “Give me ten minutes. Stand in front of the fire,” Lance told her before he disappeared into the bathroom where she heard water running. Why she hadn’t thought of taking a hot shower, she wasn’t sure, but the fire wasn’t taking the chill out of her bones.

  When the bathroom door opened, she saw a soft glow coming from the room and wondered what was going on.

  “Come here,” he beckoned, and her curiosity wouldn’t allow her to act like she didn’t want to join him.

  Stepping into the bathroom, she saw a tub of steaming water surrounded with lit candles. Her heart raced at the scene, and she thought of running away to protect her already weakened heart, but the heat coming off the tub wouldn’t allow her to retreat.

  Lance moved closer to her and was peeling away her clothes, and all she could do was look into his eyes as he smiled at her, stripped his own clothes off, and led her to the tub.

  “Life is about simple pleasures,” he told her as he helped her into the tub. She was so chilled the water felt scorching hot. It took her a full minute to sink into it, but when her shoulders were submerged a pleasured sigh escaped as she leaned back and closed her eyes.

  “Oh, Lance, this is more than perfect,” she told him.

  He sat on the side of the tub, his foot brushing the inside of her thighs, and it was exactly what she’d needed.

  “I want to take care of you,” he said, his voice intense. Lexie was afraid to look at him, but she opened her eyes and glanced across the dim space, seeing the truth in his eyes. She wanted to tell him she wanted that, but she bit her lip to keep from saying it.

  “I could get used to all this,” she admitted, surprising herself.

  “But you’re afraid.” It wasn’t a question. “I just don’t understand why,” he added.

  Lexie could keep it all in, not share anything with him, but she was so relaxed as the water heated her and the scent of the candles soothed her. Add in the feel of his foot rubbing against her leg and she had no willpower left to fight.

  “My dad was a horrible man, like a really horrible man. It sort of ruined me on trusting people,” she told him.

  Lance was quiet a moment, processing what she’d said. She didn’t want to look in his eyes to see if he was judging her. A lot of people had terrible upbringings, and they didn’t use that excuse to run from commitment.

  “You’ve seen your sister fall in love with a pretty amazing guy, so you know not everyone is like your father,” he pointed out.

  “Yeah, that’s true. But I don’t know what it is that I want out of life. I’ve always gone through the motions, taking forever to get through school, never staying in relationships very long, and avoiding anything that seemed too appealing, because if I convinced myself I didn’t want something, it wouldn’t hurt to lose it,” she told him.

  “We can go through life protecting ourselves, and we might not feel pain, but the negative is we also don’t get to feel joy and love either. We would just exist instead of really living.”

  “I don’t see what’s so bad about that,” Lexie told him. “I listen to love songs on the radio and so many are about heartbreak and trying to live again after it. Why would someone want to put themselves through that if they could avoid it?”

  She really wanted to know the answer to that question. For many years she hadn’t allowed herself to be hurt, but as she got older there was a different yearning that she couldn’t erase.

  “I used to think that way, Lex, but I don’t anymore,” he said.

  “What made it all change for you?”

  The intensity in his eyes grew as he sat up and moved closer to her. She inhaled a deep breath and couldn’t let it out. That was a question she shouldn’t have asked. She wasn’t sure she was ready to hear his answer.

  “I don’t need to answer that,” he said as he kissed her jaw. “I think you can figure it out for yourself.”

  Everything inside Lexie told her to turn away, to run far and fast from this man. But when he looked at her the way he was and touched her in the way only he could, she couldn’t run from him. It would be like losing a piece of herself.

  “Don’t pull away from me, Lexie,” he coerced.

  “I’m right here,” she whispered as his lips found that sensitive place on the side of her neck.

  “I want all of you, Lexie, not just your body,” he said, his voice more commanding. There was nothing cold on her anymore, especially when he reached between their bodies and ran his fingers along her aching core.

  “Maybe you should take what I give you,” she said before a moan escaped.

  “Or maybe I will take it all.”

  He stopped speaking and connected their mouths together in a kiss. And Lexie stopped trying to fight what he was offering.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Lexie looked across the living room and a smile played on the corners of her mouth as she watched two of Lance’s nephews tie him to a chair with tree garland. He was laughing as he promised the youngsters payback while pretending to struggle to get away. His three-year-old nephew was dancing around the chair, flexing his arm saying he had “mupples” and Lance would never be able to get away.

  The other kids joined in, then Lance’s brothers, with a gleam in their eyes, pulled out something a lot stronger to hold Lance to the chair before he was able to get away.

  She was completely mesmerized and could picture the two of them doing the same thing with their own kids tying him up with the help of their cousins. It was a perfect family moment, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to come back to reality for at least a few hours.

  “I want the dirt right now, little sis.”

  Lexie jumped and wrenched her gaze away from Lance, focusing on her sister, who was stringing popcorn and cranberries on a long line to hang in the trees the next day.

  For a woman who hadn’t been the Martha Stewart type, she’d learned to adapt and now looked as if she should be wearing an apron and carrying a Betty Crocker spoon.

  “What dirt?” Lexie asked. She peeked a glance at Lance who was now tied so tightly to the chair she wondered if he had circulation to his feet. He was a big boy, and she shouldn’t worry about it though, she assured herself.

  What was she supposed to be doing? Painting a pine cone. That was it! She returned her attention to the sadly spotty pinecone and decided it needed a lot more gold paint.

  Her sister gave her a look that assured Lexie she wasn’t going to get out of this conversation. Most of the family was in the room, but they were all working on their own projects, and thankfully no one was paying any attention to them. Still, Lexie hoped her sister had enough sense to keep her voice down.

  “Do you realize how much you seek out Lance?” Savvy asked her.

  “Shh,” Lexie hissed as she looked around. Still no one turned to zone in on their conversation. “I don’t do that.”

  “I love that you think no one else has noticed,” Savvy said with a chuckle. “It’s obvious the two of you are falling in love. I just want to know why in the heck you aren’t talking to me about it.”

  “There’s nothing to talk about,” Lexie i
nsisted. At least there wasn’t when she didn’t know how she felt, let alone how to verbalize it. And if she were going to do that, she wouldn’t do it in the same room with Lance and all his family, no matter how big the room was.

  “If that’s the case, why are your cheeks giving you away?” Savvy asked with a knowing smile.

  “Because I’m embarrassed that you’re putting me on the spot like this,” she said, giving up on her mangled ornament and grabbing a fresh pinecone. Maybe if she concentrated really hard she could do at least one right.

  “Or you’re having the time of your life and not sharing with your big sis, who has always protected and taken care of you,” Savvy said with a pout.

  Lexie could continue to deny there was much going on, but she knew it wouldn’t do any good whatsoever, so she gave a long suffering sigh, set aside her ornament, and picked up her cup of eggnog, taking a long drink before looking at her sister again.

  “I like him, okay?” she finally admitted.

  “Oh, be still my heart,” Savvy said as she leaned back with her hand on her chest, her eyes fluttering. “That was such a beautiful proclamation of love; I’m all aflutter.”

  “This conversation would go a lot further without the sarcasm,” Lexie said with a grin.

  “It might go easier, but it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun,” Savvy insisted.

  “Why I tell you anything, I’ll never know,” she said, finishing off her eggnog. She had a feeling she was going to need a lot more to get through the rest of the evening.

  “Because I’m the most awesome sister in the universe, and it’s a crime you haven’t shared more with me. When Lance told the family the two of you had fallen for each other and he was bringing you here for the holidays, I was ticked at first. Then I realized he was most likely doing it to stop the family from meddling in his life. But since you two have arrived, you’ve been nearly inseparable, so I think there’s a lot more going on, and I think you’re going to explode if you don’t share it with your sister very soon.”