Captive at Christmas (6 page)

As if he knew her thoughts, John stared at her lips and descended upon it like predator to his prey. Too shocked to react to the warmth of his mouth pressed to hers, Hannah stared at his open eyes until he used the pads of his thumbs to close them. His tongue moved along the seam of her lips, tentatively seeking access which she gave.

With a harsh, breath-stealing plunge, he entered her mouth and devoured her. Hannah didn’t question the unknown attraction they shared, but gave into it – and to him – as he covered her body with his. Surrounded by his warmth, she reached up to push her fingers through his hair, tilting her neck and allowing him to delve deeper, almost daring him to take more of her.

A deeply sensual moan sounded somewhere in the room and Hannah was surprised to discover that it originated with her. John didn’t seem to mind it at all though, not when his hands moved over the thin fabric of her nightdress to grasp one of her breasts in each of his hands. A sharp sting of pleasure coursed through her as he rolled her nipples between his thumb and forefingers. Never before had a man touched her like he was at that moment. Rough, needy and tender, all at once.

They began a dance as old as time, hastily thrusting against one another, seeking something that could not be afforded with their clothing in the way. His firm arousal pressed at the juncture between her thighs as he rocked insistently over the covered entrance to her core. Teasing, tormenting and threatening to send them both to heights of passion and pleasure they so desperately needed.

Even through the fabric of his jeans and her nightdress, Hannah began to experience such a blistering heat building up whenever he thrust against her. Like someone lit every one of her nerve endings and they flared like firecrackers, waiting to go off.

Then he suddenly pulled away, jumped from the bed and glared at her, as if her touch and the mere sight of her disgusted him. As if she had been the one to initiate the events that just occurred. Hannah breathed deeply, too stunned to tell him off and too aroused to make him leave the room.

“That will
not
happen again,” John snarled, crashing the door shut behind him.

Confused and reduced to tears, she turned onto her stomach with the pillow clutched tightly to her chest. Never had she felt so unwanted and despised in her entire life. Hannah spent the rest of the day sobbing and as the darkness enveloped the room, she welcomed the deep sleep that took her.

~~~

“Hannah, wake up.”

A soft touch and deeply sensual whisper roused her from a hellish nightmare. She opened her eyes to find the source of her heartache gazing at her with remorse. Sitting up, Hannah noticed she was still in the bed and the sky outside was bright. She must have slept here for the entire night.

“I uh, I made you something. Come on.” John held out his hand and offered a reconciliatory smile.

To show how hurt she was and that it would take more than his current offerings for her to forgive him, Hannah shoved his hands aside with the blanket and slid out the other side of the bed. Heading directly to the bathroom, she locked the door, stripped off her nightdress and stood under the spray of warm water in the shower, crying out her frustrations.

Unfortunately, when she moved into the bedroom to dress, John sat on the edge of the bed, still waiting for her. Hannah grabbed some clothes from the dresser and pulled them on in the bathroom. The only way to get him to stop following her around was to be overly sweet and kind to him again. But after his display yesterday, did she have it in her?

“Hannah, please come with me? I’ve been awake all night just to make something for you.”

Letting out a sigh, she threw open the door, crossed her arms and nodded. “Fine.”

John took her hand and covered her eyes. The gentle touch caused her body to respond, much like it did yesterday and indeed, every day she spent in his presence. She was spiralling out of control and the fault rested squarely on his shoulders.

A few steps later, he paused and held her close to his chest. John’s heart pounded against her back, reminding her of the intense kiss they shared. The memory caused her pulse to race and a surge of blood to block all outside noise from her ears…

“Okay, you can look now.”

Hannah opened her eyes and staggered back into his concrete torso. “Wha… How… When…?”

In the far left corner of the cabin sat a pine tree, outfitted with hand-carved wooden decorations and a few flashlights – made to look like coloured Christmas lights. It had a star, an angel and everything was home-made. Hannah gasped, holding one hand over her mouth and the other on her heart.

“I guess I should take that as a sign you like it?”

“Oh!”

Leaving the comfort of his arms, she rushed over to examine every item hanging from the deliciously scented boughs. He really must have been awake all night, she thought, gently touching each ornament. She saw delicate snowflakes and icicles, expertly carved toy soldiers and even a nutcracker. Small, medium and large round globes, like Christmas balls, and each had a unique design. Every single decoration one might hope to find on a tree.

And he did this just for her.

When she turned to face him, John stood just about a foot away from her, shifting his weight from side to side, and his expression, for once, was completely readable. The man had no idea if she was fond of his peace offering or not. His hopeful smile and wide eyes begged to know that she did. Hannah knew that it would be hit or miss, but she decided that the best way to tell him how much she appreciated his gesture would be to show him. Keeping her movements slow and deliberate, she approached John, keenly aware of the growing sexual tension between them. He watched her, still wearing the same look.

Standing less than an inch from him, she closed her eyes and rested her head against his chest while sliding her arms around his hard torso. John tensed, holding his breath for a few seconds and then, he gripped her tight. Like he was drowning and needed her as his lifeline. She matched his grasp as best she could and felt John press his lips to the top of her head.

“Hannah…” He spoke her name rough and breathlessly, molding her body to his.

Heart pounding in her chest, she couldn’t turn her head to look into his face, fearing that she might try and kiss him. “Thank you, John. This is the best Christmas tree I’ve ever had.”

A groan reverberated in his chest. “You’re welcome.” He released her and put some distance between them. “I uh, need the shower.”

“John.” She took his hand and he paused, regarding her with such affection that it brought tears to her eyes. “Don’t run away. Sit with me?” She motioned to the couch.

It felt like years between the time he forced out a hard and thoroughly pained sigh, and nodded his head. He allowed her to lead him there and sat down next to her. Though she should have fought it, Hannah could not resist the urge to rest her head on his chest. “I um, I think we just need to admit that there is a certain amount of…concupiscence between us–”

“Con-what?”

Hannah laughed into her palm before meeting his confused stare. “Um, it means…sexual attraction.”

“Oh.” His face reddened and John pulled her face back to his chest, most likely so she wouldn’t see him blushing.

“So, I uh, I guess we should set some more ground rules.” When he tensed, she pressed her hand to his heart. It pounded violently beneath her touch. “It’s just…I’m not the kind of woman who– I mean, I can’t just turn my feelings off. Not the way that you seem to be able to, you know?”

“Ah…yes. I know. So what you’re saying is, no more throwing myself at you?”

The breath caught in her throat when he squeezed her waist and let out a deep, sexy growl of laughter. John was teasing again, but at least this time his playful laugh was not meant to insult her. Grinning, Hannah took advantage of the moment and snuggled closer while admiring her tree. At the very least, he seemed to be opening up.

That afternoon, since they had a tree, Hannah decided to start the Christmas baking. In only two days, she would celebrate the holiday with someone for the first time in years. Someone other than the people she worked with and their families, that is. Though she never complained about it and never would, Hannah missed having a family of her own during the holidays.

Six hours later, she smiled at the assortment of treats on cooling racks. It had been far too long since she ate butter tarts and was just putting water in the back of the coffee machine to make a pot when John came inside. A few hours earlier, he went out to chop some wood for the fire, braving the flurries and wind. When his eyes landed on her, they widened and the basket of wood almost dropped from his hands as he burst out laughing.

“What?” Hannah scowled, hoping that they might have moved past this odd phase.

He replied through his barking laughter. “Have you, by any chance, taken a peek at yourself?”

“No.”

John chuckled still as he moved behind her, clamped his hands on her shoulders and walked Hannah to the bedroom. When she actually saw herself in the mirror, she started to laugh. Every inch of her was covered in a fine dusting of flour. “Oh my…”

“Exactly.” He shook his head, still laughing, and pushed her into the bathroom. “You get yourself cleaned up and I’ll see to the kitchen.”

By now, she knew better than to argue. The door clicked and she carefully stripped out of her clothes, not wanting to get flour all over the bathroom. Hannah showered quickly, towel dried her hair and put on her pajamas. As soon as she opened the bedroom door, John poured her a cup of the coffee and motioned for her to join him at the counter for ‘dinner’. He laid out a plate with some of the baked goods she made.

“Is this how you eat at home?” Hannah arched her brows in jest.

Taking a large bite of his sticky cinnamon chocolate twist, John shook his head. He washed it down with a gulp of coffee. “The store-bought stuff doesn’t taste nearly as good as this.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” She hid her smile behind the halved butter tart.

John grumbled, muttering something about topping up their coffees as he ambled off the stool. Everything about him was power and control, deeply ingrained. Hannah wondered what he might be like if he just let go and did something on impulse, rather than what his training dictated. But she reminded herself that it wouldn’t help to ponder such things, considering the fact that she probably would never see him again once they parted ways.

As she sipped her coffee, watching John put another log on the fire Hannah attempted to hide her sadness. If only she could help him, make him see that he did deserve to have friendship and love – even if it wasn’t with her.

After so many days of isolation, it would be obvious to anyone that Hannah was suffering the effects of cabin fever. Mac tried not to laugh at the analogy, considering they really were stuck in a cabin. He watched her clean every inch of it, dusting and mopping up invisible dirt.

She actually brought exercise videos on her trip and went through all of them. Though he still couldn’t figure out why she bothered. Hannah had a body that he desperately wished to explore.

Unfortunately for him, the desire he had for Hannah wouldn’t go away. Every time she sighed, she unknowingly stirred things inside of him that he’d rather leave buried. Mac didn’t deserve her, no matter how much he wanted her.

“I need to go outside,” she announced, jumping up from the edge of the fireplace.

Mac glanced at her over his phone. She moved around him like a caged animal, ready to pounce. Since the snow took a brief respite, an outing would do them both good. “Alright, get your things on and we’ll go for a walk.”

It seemed that was all the encouragement she needed. Hannah ran into the bedroom and came out wearing tight jeans and a sweater under a jacket and boots just seconds later. Mac chuckled and tucked his phone away, still trying to gauge the level of trust he should offer her – not to mention how to approach the questions he wanted to ask.

“Should we take some coffee with us?” Hannah asked, zipping up her coat. “I brought a thermos with me from home and it would only take a minute.”

“Sounds good, I’ll just get my boots on.”