Authors: Madison Faye
Baby It's Cold
He's the handsome, older man next door. The one who works with my father; the one with the wolfish grin that's gotten me warm in places it shouldn't for longer than it should have.
And I shouldn't be here, not like this, not alone with him, and not on Christmas Eve.
I ought to say no.
But it's so cold outside, and so warm in here.
He's almost twice my age, but I can't say no to him. Not with that look in his eyes; that look that makes me want to try new things. Things like maybe giving him the sort of gift you can only give a man once...
And it
really
is cold out there.
Well, maybe just one more drink...
Author’s Copyright
Copyright © 2015 Madison Faye
Cover & Interior Design: White Rabbit Creative
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations used for review purposes.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, organizations, actual events or locales is entirely coincidental. The author acknowledges the trademark status of products referred to in this book and acknowledges that trademarks have been used without permission.
This book is intended for mature, adult audiences only. It contains extremely sexually explicit and graphic scenes and language which may be considered offensive by some readers. This book is strictly intended for those over the age of 18.
All sexually active characters in this work are 18 years of age or older. All acts of a sexual nature are completely consensual.
With all due respect to one of my favorite holiday classics.
To anyone who’s ever had a bit too much eggnog, or held mistletoe a
little
lower than appropriate. For anyone who’s ever wondered just what
is
in that drink…
This is for you.
Baby It’s Cold:
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“No mittens?” Jon was looking at my hand as I rubbed them together in the heat of his living room. ”Here, let me hold your hands, they're freezing"
He was holding me tight then, close to him. My pulse raced in my throat, suddenly realizing the strength in those hands, how much bigger and older than I he was. He brought my hands to his chest, his eyes meeting my wide ones unflinchingly as he stared down at me.
“Here, sit. I’ll grab that cocoa.” I swallowed, not trusting myself to say a word as he led me to the couch before moving off towards the kitchen.
Jon passed me a mug when he came back, and I sipped it gingerly as he sat next to me on the sofa.
Wow
, he sure hadn’t skimped on the booze!
He laughed, as if reading the look on my face. “Best cure for cold weather; sorry if its too strong, kid.”
“No, no it’s fine.” I bit my lip as I looked at him, leaning back into the couch looking so cool and so easy. “It’s perfect.”
“Good, cheers.”
We clinked glasses before we moved to silence, sitting there in his house drinking the spiked cocoa. The heat of the room, silent but for the fireplace and our breathing, weighed down on me like a blanket, and suddenly, everything hit me all over again. What
was
I doing here? I shook my head, feeling the heat of the alcohol coursing through me; I
really
needed to get back home.
“You know, since we found the scarf and all, maybe I should go.”
Jon raise a brow at me; “Stay.”
"My mother will worry."
I don't know why I said it. I suppose it was half-true, though maybe I'd meant it as s threat, or leverage. Whatever the intention though, it came out pathetic more than anything else.
"What's the hurry, beautiful?" He winked at me, the gesture charming in a way that had me feeling warm all over.
"My...my fath-"
"Listen to that fire crackle, Chelsea"
He dropped his hand over my shoulders then, and I felt my pulse skip a beat as he pulled me close to him. I could smell the lingering alcohol on his breath, mixing intoxicatingly with the aftershave and woodsmoke and pine captivating and vying for my senses.
"I..."
"Shhh, there's no hurry." That damned smile was back, shattering my defenses and making me weak. I could feel my will crumbling, his smile breaking down my defenses and wrapping me in that warmth again.
“How’s that drink, kid?”
I glanced down and blushed, realizing my mug was totally empty. “Evaporated, I swear.”
Jon laughed loudly, his muscled body rumbling against mine and making me dizzy. “Freshen that up for you?”
“Oh,
I-
I don’t know.” I took a deep breath. “Maybe, maybe just
one
more."
Chapter 1:
“Oh, honey, before you start that, would you mind doing me a favor?”
I groaned as looked up from the holiday movie I was about to start and frowned at my mother. “
Now
?” Okay, I’d seen the old classic paused on the t.v. basically every Christmas, sometimes twice, for years. But
still
, I was cozy on the couch, and for the first time in months, I was
home
, and not at college thinking about finals or grades or studying or any of that freshman year stuff.
My mother gave me a look. “Yes,
now
, if you don’t mine. Oh don’t give me that look, Rachel, I’m not asking the world here.”
I sighed, dramatically.
“Look, I just want to see if you could possibly run up the street real quick and drop a tin of those cookies I made off at Jon Mason’s house.
I felt my whole face grow red, and my body flush with heat at his name. Jon, the perpetual bachelor; the handsome - okay, no,
sexy
- guy who lived up the street,
I'd crushed on him since I was a little girl; the older, handsome family friend. He worked with my dad, always dressed smartly, always had presents, always in a nice car. As I'd grown, I'd fantasized about him enough to make me blush thinking about it.
Heck, he was
all
I fantasized about, truth be told.
I’d used to watch him from my bedroom window when I was little. I’d watch him lift weights in his garage, blushing at the strange and new feelings doing so created in me. Other times, if he left the bathroom blinds open, I could see inside there. I’d have the lights off in my room, hiding behind the curtain as I’d watch him step from the shower, the water trickling over his nude, muscled body.
As I’d gotten older, I’d notice his looks growing longer, his eyes lingering a bit more on me when he’d smile or say hi. In fact, he’d driven me home once from the mall, right before I’d left for school, and for those those wonderful fifteen minutes in his car, I’d pretended we were more than just neighbors. I’d pretended I was more than just the girl next door he was nice to.
We’d lingered in my driveway that last time, my blushing in the dark and never wanting to get out as he played me some cool new music on his car stereo. He’d hugged me then, as a final send-off before I left for school, and the touch had electrified me. We’d lingered in that moment a bit longer than we should have, and I could feel my pulse skip a beat an my body grow warmer in certain places as I’d felt his arms around me there in the dark of his car.
Yeah,
that
Jon.
That
Jon that my mother wanted me to go over and bring
cookies
too. My head spun with excitement at the though; a thrilling rush tinged nervousness.
It lingered in my body as I pulled on my boots and and wrapped myself in a coat, and the thought warmed me as I stepped outside into the chilly snowy air of winter, off towards his house.
Chapter 2:
”Thanks;" I murmured shyly, taking the steaming mug from him. "It really is freezing out there!"
He smiled at me, a warming, charming and disarming flash of teeth; a twinkle in his eye. The dimples in his cheeks, his smile lines creasing as he winked at me.
"Sure thing, kid"
He'd always called me that, ever since I was a little girl, and it brought a smile and a flash of warmth to me today just as much as it had years ago.
I took a sip of the hot, steaming chocolate and gasped at the heat across my tongue, and also at the hot, lingering taste beneath the cocoa.
"Is there...is there
alcohol
in this?" I flushed as I swallowed the chocolate. The added burn of something much more adult warmed my throat on the way down.
He winked at me again as he took a sip of his own mug. "Of course". That grin, so disarming and heart stopping.
"I..I'm not sure if I should“
He leaned a little closer, the smell of his aftershave -woodsy and rich- mingling with the crackling smoke of the fireplace and the pine of the Christmas tree lit up with lights and winked at me. "You're old enough
though, right?" His words brought a flush to my cheeks and a flutter to my stomach.
I swallowed dryly in the heat and soft fire-light of the room. Quickly, I took another, larger, sip of my spiked cocoa.
"So first semester was good?" He grinned at me conspiratorially; "Any boys?"
I blushed furiously; “N..no.” The word stumbled awkwardly out of my mouth. It was half true. I'd been too shy, and too busy with my freshman year at college for boys, though there had been attempts made.
I tried to change the subject. “No dates for the holidays this year?”
He grinned at me, dimples stretching across his cheeks as his eyes twinkled. “What do you call this?” he said, winking at me.
I blushed furiously.
“Hey, its not every day a cute college girl brings me cookies on Christmas Eve.” He looked at me purposefully then, his eyes boring into mine.
“You’ve really grown up, Rachel.” I let out a small gasp as his hand dropped to my knee, fingers lightly stroking my stockings there, and I felt myself tense slightly. “Hey, I’m serious you know,” His fingers stroked lightly at the crook of my knee, bringing a hitch to my breath and a flutter to my pulse.