Chapter 9
They walked for a few minutes in silence, just enjoying the fresh, crisp air. The sky was clear and blue. There was no sign that the storm had ever been there. The snow was a lot deeper.
He turned to help her over a log. He grabbed her hand and didn’t let it go once she was over the log. They walked and held hands in companionable silence.
“Stacy, have you lived in Georgia all your life?” He asked as they were standing beside the creek watching it slowly flow by them.
“I have and loved every minute of it. I love the unpredictable weather and southern grace.” She smiled thinking of her home.
“You have a definite southern accent. I guess I could call you a southern belle.” He nudged her shoulder with his. She laughed.
“I guess you could. Where are you from?”
“I’m from a small mountain town in Montana. I moved to California to find my Hollywood dream about twenty years ago and been there ever since.” He looked out at the snowcapped mountains in the distance and felt homesick for a moment.
“I’m sorry. I read that in an article about you, but I’d forgotten. I feel like I know so much about you, but it doesn’t fit you, now that I know you. You’re different from what I expected.”
“What did you expect? Wait, don’t answer that.” He held up his hand.
She laughed. “Nothing bad just thought you’d be stuck up and pushy.” She made a face.
He laughed. “I guess you figured from the tabloids that I’d attack you last night. Well, the tabloids have always been wrong about me.” The grin left Slade’s face. “I got to be honest, that’s one reason Andrew set up this contest. This is supposed to help my reputation. Don’t know if you’ve heard the latest rumor about me.”
“You mean about you and the married woman?”
“That’s the one. I was not dating her. She is a good friend and my best friend’s wife. We went out to dinner and a tabloid found out. They turned it into something scandalous. It wasn’t a date. We were discussing my friend’s surprise party.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Good thing my friend is a good guy and knew we were out together.”
“That’s horrible. I guess you have to walk on egg shells. Well, maybe this trip will help.” She squeezed his hand. She made a promise at that moment to help him relax and have a great time, power or not.
“I hope so. I’ve had a rough schedule the last six months. It’ll be nice to just do nothing much or rather anything that is planned.” He squeezed her hand back and smiled.
They walked into the trees and the light dimmed. Stacy looked up and the trees were like a canopy over their heads. The sun twinkled through between the snow covered branches.
“This is just gorgeous. I can’t believe I’m actually here. This is like another world from Atlanta.”
“It’s really nice. I used to walk in the woods when I was living at home. The snow would get almost knee deep in places. This reminds me of home.” The look on his face told her he was remembering his home and family. She knew how that could be.
The wind blew lightly between the trees and dusted them with light snow from the branches above. The air was cold, but the beauty of the place kept them from feeling the cold so much.
As they walked each in their own thoughts, the clouds built up behind the mountain. A new storm threatened on the horizon, but they were oblivious. It was as though they were the only two people on earth and nothing could spoil this day.
They come up on a deer standing in the trees. It didn’t realize at first they were around. It stood and watched them for a moment, then turned and ran deeper into the forest. They both laughed and turned to head back to the chalet.
“I hope the electricity is back on. A good long hot bubble bath would be wonderful right now.” She pulled her jacket tighter around her.
He grinned at the thought of her wrapped in bubbles. He had to shake his head to get the vision cleared out. His body seemed to have a sudden reaction to the thoughts going through his mind. “That does sound inviting.” He cleared his throat and pulled out his cell phone. “We still don’t have a signal.”
When the chalet came back in view they were both a little sorry. The walk had been wonderful, but her toes were frozen. They both grabbed arm loads of wood and headed inside. The den was cozy from the large fire Slade had built before they left for the walk. Stacy walked immediately to the warmth of the fire. She held her hands out first then lifted her feet to it.
Slade walked up behind her and put his hands on her arms. He rubbed them up and down trying to warm her up. He knew he’d made a mistake as soon as his hands touched her. The air was suddenly electrified with that one touch. He pulled his hands back as if he’d been burned.
She turned and saw the look on his face. He looked down at his feet and hid the look from her searching eyes. The feeling had not gone unfelt to her. She had felt an electrical shock go through her whole body at his touch.
“I think I’ll go see what we have to snack on. I walked off my breakfast. Can I get you something?” She asked as she slid past him.
“The sugar cookies and a glass of milk would be great.” They went into the kitchen and he grabbed two glasses. “Do you want some milk?”
“That will be fine. I found these chocolate chip cookies too.” When they had everything together they sat in front of the fire on the rug. It was a thick fur rug that just enveloped you into its depths.
“Well, we may not get many showers on this vacation, but we’ll definitely gain weight.” Slade took a bite of a cookie and sighed. “These are so good.”
“We’ll just have to take several walks to get rid of these cookies.” Stacy closed her eyes and the chocolate chunks melted in her mouth. She wondered if the recipe for these cookies could be found anywhere. They were heavenly, or was it the company and atmosphere? Who wouldn’t want to be in her shoes, staying with a movie star in a snow covered chalet with no power?
Slade watched her with her eyes closed. She took so much pleasure in the simplest things. He was beginning to really like her. Stacy was so different from the women he was around on a daily basis. She lived life to the fullest when she could. He knew from just the talks they had that she was also a workaholic.
When they were both pleasantly full of cookies and milk, they sat back against the pillows that sat beside the hearth. The fire was warm on their backs. Her eyes got droopy and she closed them for just a moment. When she opened them she was wrapped in a quilt and laying in Slade’s embrace of the fluffy rug by the fire.
She snuggled deeper into the blanket. She could hear his even breathing telling her he was in a deep sleep. Stacy closed her eyes and smiled, enjoying the feel of his arms around her. She could get used to waking up in his arms.
Slade woke a little later and looked down at the woman in his arms. This was like a dream. He had dreaded this trip so much and now he dreaded the time it would come to an end. He could stay here on this rug with her in his arms forever. She fit to his body perfectly which had a pleasant effect on his body. She was facing him now and he pulled her closer making sure the blanket stayed on them both.
She opened her eyes slowly and looked into the most gorgeous blue eyes. It was as if she could see into his heart in that one glance. They stared at each other for a long time, each trying to read the others thoughts. They were warm and cozy. Maybe that was why her body felt so warm suddenly. He was having the same reaction to her closeness.
Slade knew at that moment that he had to kiss this woman. He looked at her rosy, inviting, soft lips. They looked like petals of a rose. He knew they would be heavenly and wondered how she would react to a simple light kiss. By the look in her eyes she had the same thing in mind.
He propped up on one elbow and looked down at her. When he reached out and stroked her cheek she blushed. He loved this about her. The innocence of her just fired him up. He lowered his mouth to her only meaning to give her a gentle brief kiss, but when their lips touched it was as if an
explosion happened. She put her hand on his chest and opened to his kiss.
He groaned and deepened the kiss. He could taste the chocolate on her lips. The kiss deepened to a heated level, both of them getting a lot warmer. He pulled her closer and not even air could get between them. He stroked her back and ran his fingers through her hair at the back of her head. It was as soft as he dreamed of.
Stacy’s heart was hammering in her chest. No kiss had ever made her feel this way. Her head was spinning in a spiral up to heaven. The kiss was like an awakening to her senses. She’d been dreaming of this very thing just moments before she woke. The dream had nothing on the real thing. This man knew how to kiss and he was showing her just how inexperienced she was. It was as though they were one person. They couldn’t get any closer without joining as one.
When he pulled away from her reluctantly, he smiled down at her. “That was nice. I wondered how it would feel to kiss you.” He gently pushed a lock of hair from her forehead. His eyes were dark with desire. They were almost the color of the midnight sky. You could get lost in the depths.
“It was a dream come true.” She blushed when she realized what she said out loud. She immediately looked down, hiding her eyes.
“What do you mean, a dream come true?” He grinned at her embarrassment. He reached out and tilted her face back up.
“You’re going to think I’m some crazed fan. I’ve been a fan of yours for a while.” She laughed at herself.
“That’s flattering, especially coming from you. I do hope I’ve made your dreams come true. This weekend has been a dream come true for me too. It’s more than I’ve dreamed of.” He looked down into her warm inviting eyes. His eyes held a hunger she had not expected.
He lightly brushed a kiss on her closed eyelids and then her cheeks. He couldn’t quite get enough of her, knowing deep down that he needed to stop this before it went too far. It was too soon. He didn’t want to push her.
She was spinning on a whirlwind of emotions. She was not the type of woman that just kissed a stranger as though her life depended on it. But was he really a stranger? She had read every article about him and knew so many things about him. She knew more about him than she had the man she was engaged to over eight years ago.
He pulled back and looked down into her eyes. “It’s getting cold in here again. I need to put more wood on the fire.” He started getting up and then she started to get up. “Just stay there, I’ll be back in a moment.” He put a couple of logs on the fire and got back under the blanket with her. He turned her on her side and he put his body up against her back. He pulled her close to him and sighed.
“This is nice. I could lay here watching the fire all day.” She pulled the blanket up to her neck. This was a perfect day.
“I could lay here with you all day.” He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek. He couldn’t get enough of her. It had never been this way with any other woman. His heart was beating so hard that he was light headed. “It’s not a sexual thing. We seem to have this connection. I feel so drawn to you.” He closed his eyes and tried to get his breathing under control.
“I feel the same way. It’s weird that we have hit it off so well this quick.” She turned to look back at him. He took that opportunity to kiss her again. She rolled to her back and he deepened the kiss again. He groaned as she responded by putting her arms around his neck. This was going way too fast. He knew he needed to stop before he went over the threshold which was coming on quickly. His body was reacting with sudden awareness and interest.
He pulled back and sat up. She only lay on the rug looking at him. He propped his head on his knees. “Stacy, we need to stop before we do something that we would both regret.” He looked down at her and grinned. “Well, we wouldn’t regret it by any means. What I mean is we need to take our time and not rush into something.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her up into a sitting position. “Let’s figure out what we’re eating for lunch.”
Stacy smiled and blushed as she realized that they were only a breath away from making love right there on the rug. Her mind was whirling at the implications of that action so soon into their relationship. At least he had a clear head; hers was completely fogged over with desire.
She got up and followed him to the kitchen. They took a flashlight into the pantry and scanned the shelves. She grabbed a can of soup and turned to him. “Chicken Noodle soup, how does that sound?”
“Sounds good, I’ll grab a pot. We can heat it over the fire.” He reached in the cabinet and found a pot. At least the can was a pop top. They went to sit by the fire to heat their soup. She brought two bottles of water and bowls.
“I feel like we’re camping in style.” Slade watched the soup intently. He knew if he looked into her eyes she would see his hunger and it wasn’t for the soup. How would he handle their sleeping arrangements tonight? It was hard enough last night, but now it would be pure torture. It would take all his will power to keep from pulling her to him and making love to her all night. That was going to be his undoing.
“It does feel like camping. At least we have a fireplace to cook in. It would be nice to have warm water to bath with.” She felt icky from the lack of a bath. What she wouldn’t give for a bowl of warm water.
He thought on it for a while and turned back to her with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “I know what we can do.” He winked at her and laughed at her look. “Don’t look at me so suspicious. We can get one of the large pots and melt snow in it. You could sit by the fire where it’s warm and bath.” He wiggled his eyebrows.
“That would be great.” Then she blushed. If she bathed in front of the fire, she would be out in the open. “Where are you going to be?”
“I’m going to go outside and walk around while you do your bathing. I promise on scout’s honor to not look.” He held up a scout sign with his fingers and crossed the other one making her laugh.
They ate their soup. She rummaged through the cabinet to find a big stock pot. He walked outside and filled it with snow. They sat on the rug and wait for the water to get warm. She got up and walked upstairs to get soap and towels. She grabbed a change of clothing too. When she walked back down the stairs she could see him staring into the fire. He looked deep in thought. She wondered what he was thinking about.
Stacy would have blushed brightly if she’d been able to read his thoughts. He could only think about her bathing in front of the fire. When the water was warm he put the pot on the hearth and put additional snow in to cool it off a little.
“I’ll go outside and walk around while you bathe.” He said almost running out the front door. He needed the cold air to cool his body off. Maybe he needed to run and fall into the frozen creek. He knew even that freezing water wouldn’t cool off his overheated body. Just thinking of her in front of the fire, really bothered him.
Slade ran his hands through his hair. What was happening to him? He’d never felt this way about anybody before. Was it the situation and the romantic atmosphere that was affecting him so hard? Or was it the wonderfully, beautiful woman inside right now bathing her body in the firelight? He groaned and ran his hands over his face, man that was not what he needed to think about. He needed to think about something totally off subject.
She sat in front of the fire undressing shyly. Even though he was outside, she could feel him everywhere in the room with her. Why was she reacting so heatedly about him? Yes, he was a gorgeous, movie star. Yes, she had been a fan forever. Yes, this was an extremely romantic setting and they were being thrown together closely by the lack of electricity and heat. Well, she’d not been cold all day. That was from the extreme heat coming from their attraction.
She dipped the wash cloth in the water and it felt glorious to wash her face. She washed her body and dressed in fresh clothes. When she was dressed, she walked to the door and motioned to him that she was finished.
He came in and she smelled like lavender. He loved lavender. “Well, I guess it’s my turn.” He ran upst
airs and grabbed what he needed. When he came back downstairs, she was putting on her coat. “You can stay in here. It’s too cold for you to go out there with your body still damp from the warm water.”
She looked up at him and shook her head. “I’ll be fine.” She knew she couldn’t stay in here knowing he was bathing in the firelight.
“No, you can turn around backwards on the couch.” He grinned at the look on her blushing face.
She sat down on the couch and turned backwards. She could hear the rustling of his clothes as he removed them. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She could hear the dripping of the water as he dipped the washcloth in the water. She put her face in her hands and rubbed her eyes. Why did she feel the need to turn around? It was like when you stood on the edge of a cliff and felt the sudden urge to jump.
He watched her back as he ran the wet cloth over his heated body. He heard her intake of breath. She was having the same problem he was. This was going to be a long day and night. He finished bathing and slipped into his clean clothes. He walked over and put his hand on her shoulder causing her to jump and gasp.
“Sorry, I’m done. I will empty this water outside.” He carried the pot of water outside and came back to put the pot on the stove. “We can use it again tomorrow if we don’t have power by then.”
He sat down beside her on the couch. She could smell his cologne and for the first time she noticed the stubble on his chin. He had not shaved. The five o’clock shadow just added to his allure. She closed her eyes and took another cleansing deep breath.
The Winner Is Love Page 9