Cole For Christmas Read online

  “Your hand slowly traced down my chest and slipped off just before you jerked it back and smacked me in the nose.” The bed shook with his laughter.

  “You’re awful.” In spite of his grip on me, I managed to get into a seated position next to him. “You had me thinking I had . . . Anyway, you’re despicable.” This time I straddled him. I was hardly large enough to pin him down, but he didn’t fight me. In fact, he raised his hands and put them high on my thighs. The heat he stirred warmed me from the inside out.

  Damn him for looking so alluring. Damn his sexy morning hair and the scruff that screamed to be touched. Damn his broad shoulders that led to narrow hips. The same hips my thighs were squeezing right now. Arghhh. Focus.

  “I would have enjoyed your hand if it had . . .” Oh, the man didn’t need kisses to melt panties. If I sat across his body any longer, I’d be stripping mine off and begging him to take me.

  I pulled his hands off my thighs and held mine in front of him. “The only thing these hands will be doing is turning on the shower. Can you go downstairs and preheat the oven to 350 degrees? I need to get that casserole in if we are going to eat before we ski.”

  “I’d rather stay here with you.” He pulled his lush lower lip forward in a pout that could thaw ice, but I couldn’t go there.

  “Not an option, slick.” That’s right, hold steady. You got this.

  “Too bad.”

  Was that genuine disappointment I heard?

  I climbed off his body—missing his heat immediately—and couldn’t help but notice the rise in his flannels. Not to embarrass him or myself, I turned toward the bathroom and didn’t look back. I wanted to look back, but I didn’t have the courage. Looking back would have required follow through, and I couldn’t. Wouldn’t.

  When I stepped out of the shower, there was a cup of Earl Grey on the counter. I immediately looked at the shower and wondered how much he could have seen. Absolutely nothing but a shadow. The rain glass was nearly opaque. I sipped the tea and sighed. This was going to be some lucky girl’s life. Right now I was the lucky girl in the beta run. I could get used to his warm body curled around me, and hot tea waiting on the counter after my showers.

  Wrapped in a towel, I entered the empty bedroom. If I hurried, I could probably get dressed before he returned. No such luck. He must have a beacon for inopportune times. The door closed just as I was tugging my ski pants out of my bag.

  “Casserole is in the oven. It went in five minutes ago.” He came to stop beside me. I could see something in his eyes. Something childlike and playful.

  I had no idea how I knew, but somehow I did. He planned to swipe my towel and leave me standing naked in the center of his room. Well, if the man wanted to see me naked, how could I deny him? He’d brought me tea and that deserved a reward. I dropped the towel. He dropped his jaw.

  “Fuck. Me,” he groaned.

  “Pick your lips up off the floor and go shower.” I pulled on my underwear and bra while he watched in a trance. “Make it a cold one.” It was like the man had never seen boobs before. Well, he’d never seen mine.

  “You’re in trouble. You’re not playing fair. You tell me we can’t investigate this thing between us because I’m the boss, and then you parade the goods in front of me. You’re cruel, heartless I’d say.” He had the look of a father chastising his child. “Maybe I should fire you, then there wouldn’t be a boss problem.” He turned around and walked into the bathroom, taking my confidence with him.

  What had I been thinking? He was right. I crawled into his body all night, and then I stripped myself bare to punish him for teasing me. In reality, I was punishing myself because I knew if I said the word, it would be a go and not a no with him. And I knew it would be wonderful. That was why I couldn’t let it go anywhere. I didn’t want to lose a piece of my heart. If I made love to this man, I’d never get that part of me back. Why?

  It had been six days since I’d met Elias Cole, and if my count was right, I’d spent over fifty hours in his presence, not counting the time spent in his bed. Twenty Dates to Love might have got it right. Forty hours and I was falling hard for my boss.

  It wasn’t a matter of why I was falling hard. It was simply a matter of how could I not? I’d always wanted someone attentive to my needs, kind and generous, someone with a wonderful sense of humor, and someone who loves family. Add in Elias is drop-dead sexy, cute, and delicious, and he was the perfect combination. How could I not fall for him? Shit.

  When everyone gathered for breakfast, I had the island set up with food and the dining room with plates and silverware. I poured coffee and juice while the Coles got their meals and took their seats. Elias entered dressed in body-fitting ski pants and thanked me for breakfast as he brushed his lips across mine. Before he could separate from me, I pulled his lip into my mouth and sucked it gently.

  I’d given him and us a lot of thought this morning. Yes, Elias was my boss, but I knew where I stood with him. This wasn’t a relationship. Elias was simply offering me the moment, and why shouldn’t I take it? I was thirty years old and capable of a fling.

  “Don’t start something you can’t finish, Cici,” he warned. “You left me hard and in need of a cold shower.” He whispered the words in my ear. “Don’t you feel bad?” The brush of heated air sailed over my skin and made me tingle all the way from my hardened nipples to my heated sex.

  “I do, and I promise to make it up to you later.” I left him standing, surprised, by the eggs.

  When we got to the resort, everyone was excited to ski except Grandma Izzy and Uncle Fritz; they planned to camp out in the lodge and drink cocoa in front of the fireplace. The others were looking forward to hitting the slopes as soon as possible.

  Grateful to have an instructor, I was excited to have some guidance. The last thing I needed was to be laid up in a body cast for months.

  Suited up and equipped, we all piled into the seven-seater Clint had rented and headed to the slopes. I was to meet my instructor at the green run under the ski school sign. The Coles were heading straight for the double black diamond. Elias kissed me dizzy before he left with a promise to meet for lunch.

  While I waited, I thought about how wonderful the Coles were. Grandma Izzy was a bit of a pistol. The woman had absolutely no filter. As we were cleaning up the pizza last night she’d asked if my boobs were real. I dished her back some of her own by telling her that boobs as nice as mine couldn’t be bought.

  “Hey, are you Cici?” A white-haired man glided to a stop beside me. I had expected a young Scandinavian guy named something like Lars, not a younger skinnier version of Santa Claus.

  “Yep, and you are?” I leaned on my poles waiting for instruction.

  “Late, sorry. I’m Dave. Let’s hop on this run, so I can see what I’m working with.” And we did. Again and again and again. After Dave was confident I was getting the whole paralleling thing down, I graduated to a blue run. By eleven o’clock I was up to red. I had managed to stay on my feet for at least fifty percent of the runs, too. And being with an instructor had its perks, like a front-of-the-line pass.

  The air felt good on my face as I swooped down the hill. Elias was right. A bit of instruction could go a long way. Until an out-of-control skier took me out at the knees, I was feeling confident. How come it’s never the skiing that kills you but the other skiers?

  I’m not sure how I tumbled the rest of the way down the hill with my skis on. Maybe because I was tangled up with the kamikaze skier. However, when I stopped, everything hurt.

  Dave was leaning over me with concern in his eyes. “Don’t move, Cici. I’ve called Ski Patrol to come and get you.”

  Ski Patrol? Surely I didn’t need Ski Patrol. All I needed was a helping hand to get up. My ass was almost numb from the snowpack below me. “I’m good. What about the other guy?” I looked around and saw him lying next to me. His right leg was not in a position natural to the human body.

  All I could hear was a woman yelling at him, sayin
g she knew he wasn’t ready for the run, and he should have listened to her. He was probably trying to get away from her. I knew if someone were squawking at me like that, I would have raced away to my death as well.

  Next thing I knew, Elias was by my side, his eyes filled with concern, the muscles of his jaw rigid, and his lips pulled thin. I could feel the tension emanating from him. Maybe I was really hurt. My body ached, but nothing actually hurt. I wiggled my toes in my boots. They seemed fine. Cold, but fine. I wiggled my fingers, and those were okay as well. His hands searched my body for injuries. Maybe I should pretend to be hurt then he could check me out again.

  “I’m okay, just help me up. My butt is cold.” Elias’s eyes softened. He put his hand behind my back and helped me into a sitting position. Nope, nothing broken. “It appears I bounce pretty well.”

  “God, Cici, he took you out at the knees.” His words were hurried and emotional. “I was waiting at the bottom of the hill.” He released the bindings, which took the pressure off my knees. “It was time for lunch and I thought I’d surprise you. Instead, you surprised me.” When his hands came up under my armpits and lifted me, I felt as light as air. This man could toss my five-feet-five-inch body around like it weighed nothing.

  On two feet again, I shook out the kinks. My neck would be a bit sore and tomorrow my back would ache like a seventy-year-old with rheumatism, but I was in one piece. Ski Patrol put speed-racer into the sled and took him away. He didn’t fare well in our collision.

  “Really, Elias, I’m made of tough stuff. I’m good. I’ll be a little sore, but maybe my boss will let me drink on the job and sleep in a little tomorrow.”

  “I hear he’s pretty flexible.” His lips were on mine for an instant. Not nearly enough time. “I also hear he serves tea in bed.” All I really heard of that was bed. He dipped back to my lips, and we stood in the middle of the run kissing until our faces were wind-burned and our lips chapped. Every part of my body was thawing under his heavenly kisses. And his hands, cupping my face and rubbing gentle circles on my cheeks . . . It was when a passing skier told us to get a room we parted.

  “Where’s Dave?” My instructor had disappeared with my skis.

  “I dismissed him. He’ll see you tomorrow if you want to ski after we open presents.”

  Was it really Christmas Eve already?

  With the thawing of my body came the roaring from my stomach. I was starving. Skiing took a lot out of you. “Are you going to feed me, or do I need to find another ski bum to snuggle with in order to get food?”

  “There will be no mystery ski bum volunteering to feed you or keep you warm. That’s my job.” He sounded so possessive, and he looked the same. His eyes claimed what his lips could not.

  “You’re hired as my official ski bum.”

  “Good, now we can get past the boss thing. You’ve got me needing you. Bad.”

  Shocked at his declaration, I gave him a soft punch in the arm. “Let’s go before I freeze to death.” I was beginning to realize I needed him just as badly.

  We walked down the slope hand in hand. Elias used his skis as a walking stick. Stick, step. Stick, step until we reached the bottom. Our boots ka-clunked all the way into the lodge where we joined his family at a table set for lunch. Elias had thought of everything.

  “We were beginning to think you guys ditched us and went home,” Gretchen said.

  “No, there was an accident on the slope.” Elias looked at me again, making sure I was in one piece.

  “They brought a man down on a stretcher. I wonder what he’d hit,” Uncle Fritz said.

  I raised my hand slowly. “Me.” I knew exactly where Elias got his dropped-jaw look. It was plastered on every face around the table.

  “And you’re alive to tell about it? Oh my goodness, Cici. Are you okay?” Maggie was out of her chair and at my side immediately. Like her son, she felt me up and down. Not the same experience, but it was heartwarming she cared. I was going to hate when this was over because I really liked his mother.

  “I’m fine. I’ll be sore tomorrow, but today I’m feeling good, and I’ll feel better once I get an Irish coffee in me.” Elias took the hint and called the waitress over. Irish coffees were ordered for the whole table.

  Izzy broke into the conversation with her personal flair. “In my day I would have sent everyone off skiing and stayed in bed if you know what I mean.” She gave us a wink-wink.

  Laughing, Elias said, “Cici tried to tempt me, but I said nope, my family is here.” He stopped laughing when I kicked his shin under the table. One good whack above his boot was all it took. Let the games begin.

  “You’re such a liar.” When it came out, I realized I made it sound like we had done the deed. Elias appeared to take great joy as I tumbled over my tongue. Thankfully the lunch Maggie had ordered arrived, along with the round of Irish coffees. Nothing healed frayed nerves and muscle aches like Irish whiskey.

  After lunch, it was decided I’d take Grandma and Uncle Fritz home while the others took the black double diamond and skied down the bowl to the house. I was happy to stand in as chauffeur. My body was beginning to feel the effects of the bounce down the hill, and a soak in a hot bath was calling me.

  When we entered the house, Izzy and Fritz headed upstairs to their rooms. I followed suit and made it as far as the bed. I crawled under the covers and inhaled the scent of Elias. It brought back the memory of his kisses on the slope. When I fell asleep, there were no sugarplum fairies in my head, but my mind was filled with visions of Elias. Naked.

  Chapter 10

  The mattress dipped, and I pried my eyes open from a sound sleep. Elias was sitting on the edge of the bed with a glass of wine and a soft look. He brushed his fingers through my hair and ran his thumb across my lips. I could get used to waking up to him.

  “I ran you a bath.” He rubbed my back, and I winced; those muscles would never forgive me for the abuse I’d given them today. “Grandma said you had come up to take one and feared you had drowned. Since I found you asleep and still in your ski clothes, I figured you’d never made it there.” He set the wineglass on the nightstand and began to undress me.

  I pulled his hand from the front zipper of my ski bibs. “I got it. Go visit your family.” Why was I shy now?

  “Stop. This morning you flashed me, so you don’t have anything I haven’t seen. I’m just going to get you undressed so you can take advantage of the bath I ran for you.” The man was definitely looking out for me. “I even put your lavender salts in it. As for my family, they all went to take a nap. I’m sure they’ll be out until dinner, which will be Chinese takeout. No need for anyone to cook.”

  It was a relief I wouldn’t have to cook. I hadn’t come to terms with the meat thing yet. I’d gotten away with no one noticing my eating habits thus far. At lunch, I’d nibbled on the salad and ate a few potato wedges. I didn’t care if they knew I was a vegetarian, but I didn’t want them to know I’d never cooked a prime rib. It was going to be a challenge, but they didn’t need to know how inept I really was. I’d read those damn cookbooks tonight, so I could cook the hell out of that bovine ass tomorrow.

  When I tried to move, I wasn’t capable. My arms and legs felt like jelly as they flopped against the mattress. I was definitely going to need his assistance.

  He slipped the zipper down slowly. This wasn’t a sexy assisted striptease but more of a painful discarding of excess fabric. I managed to sit and then stand in order to get my gear off. First to go were the ski bibs, then the thermal underwear. I was left standing in my panties and bra. Not the sexy ones I saved for dates, but the utilitarian ones I wore to the doctor. Plain white. No frills. Not sexy.

  I trudged toward the bathroom with legs that felt weighed down with cinder blocks. Who would have thought tumbling down an intermediate slope could feel like getting hit by a truck? An eighteen-wheeler. Fully loaded.

  “The bath should help with your sore muscles. The lavender will help you relax. The wine is just for fun
.”

  “I like fun,” I said as I glanced around and saw the effort he’d put into the bath.

  The flicker of candlelight danced off shimmering bubbles. A glass of dark red wine sat on the ledge of the massive tub. A tub built for two. Elias was behind me, guiding me toward my therapy.

  “There are lots of bottles of fun downstairs. I’ll let you get in the bath, and I’ll check on you in a few minutes.” The moment he left, I stripped off the coyote-ugly undergarments and slid into the hot water. It flowed over my body like a magic elixir. Everywhere it touched, my body sang with relief.

  Bubbles settled over the top of the water covering everything but my head. I closed my eyes and sank deep into the water. The heat enveloped me, and I was lost in luxury.

  The scent of cloves and citrus fought against the lavender. My heavy lids peeled back slowly. Elias sat on the edge of the tub and smiled a trillion-dollar smile. The neck of a cabernet bottle swung between two fingers.

  “You’re behind on the fun. Drink up.” He topped off my glass. Smooth and fruity, it went down quick and easy. Beads of sweat dripped down my forehead. When I tried to swipe at them, I ended up with a face full of bubbles. Elias reached over and brushed off the froth.

  My heart tumbled into the deep end of the tub and drowned in lust. Here was this man who had hired me to decorate his house for his family. Who had hired me to be his girlfriend for his family. Who was treating me like I was family. If only. I fell a little bit in love, but I was a lot in lust. Add the wine, and that was a recipe for a lot of fun. Oh, fuck it.

  Catching him off guard, I yanked his arm and pulled him into the tub. I’d been told you only lived once, and I decided to live now.

  He plunged into the bath fully clothed. With his hand raised high above his head, he saved the expensive cabernet from getting diluted by bath water. Water sloshed over the side and onto the floor.

  He pulled the bottle to his lips and drank. “I prefer to be naked when I bathe.” His feet were still in the air when he kicked his shoes to the ground and curled himself into the tub, socks and all.