Christmas From Hell (26 page)

Something else was definitely going on here, she decided as she watched him closely, trying to figure out what was going on since he was obviously reluctant to tell her. When it became obvious that he wasn’t going to tell her anything else, she asked, “Where are we going?”

Sighing, he started the truck and threw it into reverse, “This cabin that my cousin’s grandmother-in-law owns. It’s on the ocean and perfect for this.”

“
And what exactly is
this
?”

“
A romantic getaway,” he said with that charming smile of his, but something felt off about this whole thing. There was more to it, but it was obvious that he wasn’t going to tell her.

At least not right now.

So, she focused on other important issues.

“
As sweet as this is,” and she really wasn’t sure that it was sweet at all, “I can’t take time off right now. This is the busiest time of the year for us. With my help we’ll be lucky just to fill the orders that have already come in, never mind the last minute orders that we’re probably getting hit with right now.”

He shook his head as though what she’d just said wasn’t a problem. “Don’t worry about it. Your grandfather has it covered,” he said, which actually scared the hell out of her, because that meant that by the time she got back she’d be lucky if the entire staff hadn’t quit or had hysterical mental breakdowns in front of the customers like last Valentine’s Day when she’d made the mistake of leaving Grandpa in charge while she’d made a quick run to the bank to make the afternoon’s deposit before it got too busy.

By the time that she came back…

She shivered as she did her best to block out the screams and pleas for mercy and forced herself to focus on this situation.

“
What about your job? I thought you were off suspension. Don’t they need you?” she asked, already the answer was yes since the holidays were the busiest times for fire fighters and EMS.

“
Had five months of saved time off and the highest seniority. I took a few weeks off to spend some time with my girlfriend,” he said with that charming smile as he reached over and entwined their hands together, confirming her suspicious that he was definitely up to something.

Then again, she’d known that from the second that he said her grandfather was involved in this.

Chapter 30

Wednesday, December 15
^th
.

Groaning miserably, he rolled over on the small bed and tried to ignore the sounds of pots and pans being jostled accompanied by the most delicious aromas on earth, but he refused to get up and see what she was making.

He would not keep enabling her, he told himself as he grabbed what should have been her pillow and pulled it over his head, praying that it stopped those delicious aromas from penetrating his world and destroying his self-control. This madness had to stop and if that meant him laying there, refusing to eat whatever she was making then goddamnit that’s exactly what he was going to do!

Ever since she asked him to stop at the grocery store on their way here yesterday, she had a particular look in her eye that truth be told, scared the shit out of him. When he asked her if she needed help, she gave him a sweet smile, nodded and simply stepped out of the car, leaving him to follow her and follow her, he did.

God, if he’d known what kind of hell she’d had planned for him, he would never have followed her. Hell, he never would have stopped. When she asked him to stop at the grocery store he would have floored it instead, but foolishly he’d done as she’d asked.

Right when he was about to ask her what she needed, she turned the sexiest, most alluring smile that he’d ever seen on him and after that he’d been putty in her hands. For three and a half hours, she’d had him dutifully following after her with a second carriage as she took her time finding the most tempting ingredients. By the time they were in the check out lane it had been too late, she’d had him by the balls and they’d both knew it.

She’d simply acted on it.

As their order was being rung up, she turned around, wrapped her arms around him, stood on her tippy toes to give his chin a teasing kiss and then simply asked, “What are you up to, Duncan?”

When he’d tried to play it off that he wasn’t up to anything, she’d simply given him that smile that turned him into an idiot, shrugged off his answer as though it was of no consequence and proceeded to ask one of the bagboys if he wouldn’t mind going and getting her a few more pounds of sugar, flour, eggs and chocolate powder while they waited.

Wondering what she was up to, it had never crossed his poor misguided mind to tackle the bagboy before he could aid the damn woman in his torture. After they’d paid for the food, loaded the back of the SUV and the back seat, she’d simply sat in the passenger seat with the calmest, most serene smile that he’d ever seen in his life.

She didn’t ask any more questions or even seem upset that he’d kidnapped her. In fact, she seemed to be on top of the world and that had frightened the shit out of him. If her grandfather hadn’t warned him about that smile he probably wouldn’t have thought very much of it, but oh, he had and damn if the old man hadn’t been right.

It really was the most frightening fucking sight on earth.

Once they arrived at the cottage, she had the audacity to give him that sweet, adorable smile while they were unloading the car. He’d seriously considered making a run for it. He couldn’t explain why, but that terrifying feeling that something bad was going to happen kept hitting him harder and harder until he was nothing but a nervous wreck.

She’d give him that smile and his heart would race in fear, his breaths would double and that small voice of reason that warned you when something was wrong started screaming in his ear for him to run. Instead, he simply continued carrying bags in like some kind of drone until there were no more bags to bring in and she had him cornered in the kitchen.

At that point she’d given him that smile one more time, asked him what he was up to, but he kept his damn mouth shut like her grandfather had warned him, ground his jaw shut tightly and simply shook his head, refusing to say another word. She’d narrowed her eyes on him for thirty seconds, making him sweat like he was running up a three story tenement on fire and all he could do was stand there, waiting to see what she was going to do.

When he still didn’t give in, and God, how he’d wished that he’d given in at the time and put himself out of his misery before she could start this line of torture, she’d simply shrugged, turned around and grabbed a mixing bowl. It was without a doubt the most terrifying moment of his life.

For the next seven hours the crazed woman had baked, broiled and sautéed him to hell and back, but he refused to break, refused to tell her why they were really here and now as he smelled fresh baked cookies coming out of the oven, he realized that he’d underestimated the little jinx and now, they both knew it.

*-*-*-*

After she’d pulled out the last batch of her famous chocolate chunk cookies and placed them on the cooling rack near the cupcakes that she’d made, she looked around the kitchen, trying to figure out what she should make next, and of course trying to find a spot for it, when
he
finally came in the kitchen.

She’d admit that he’d held off a lot longer than she’d thought he would. She definitely had to give him credit, because she’d been positive that he was going to give in when she pulled that meatloaf out of the oven. Instead, he’d simply backed away slowly, turned and practically ran towards the room they were sharing, shutting the door and locking it behind him.

When he’d made his retreat she hadn’t worried, because she knew that it would only be a matter of time before he couldn’t resist temptation anymore and gave her the answers that she’d been waiting for. Ten hours, not bad. She would have probably broken her grandfather in less than an hour with a cheeseburger, fries and a chocolate milkshake.

As she tossed her oven mitts aside, she had to admit that she was definitely proud of him. He’d resisted for ten straight hours, but now…

Now she was going to get all of her answers and there was nothing that he could do to fight it. She’d won and they both knew it. The look in his eyes as he took in all the food that she’d cooked told her that she’d won as did the way he licked his lips.

She hated doing this to him, using his weakness against him, but what other choice had he left her?

None.

She’d wanted answers that he’d refused to give her so she’d done what any other self-respecting baker would do when faced with a stubborn Bradford, she baked up an arsenal of sweets to take him down.

Giving him that sweet, innocent smile that she’d perfected when she was just a toddler, she looked up at him and-

“
Uh oh,” she said, too late when she realized that she probably should have made a run for it when he came into the kitchen instead of standing there gloating, because this was definitely not a man ready to call it quits.

This man was about to fight back and she was pretty damn sure that she was in over her head with this one. Learning long ago when to call a retreat thanks to her Grandfather, she turned to make a strategic run for it, but for a man his size, he was really fast!

She’d barely turned around when she found herself picked up, thrown over his large shoulder and being carried down that small hallway to what she’d been thinking of as his camp all day. When he carried her inside, slammed the door shut and locked it, she realized that she may have made a tactical error along the way.

Trying to think of a way to get out of this fast, she did the one thing that her grandfather always warned her against.

She’d panicked.

She couldn’t think past the fact that she was now locked in a small room with a man who outweighed her be a good hundred pounds and she may have, umm, tortured for the hell of it all day. Yeah, definitely a big mistake on her part.

Since she couldn’t retreat, and she definitely wanted to make that retreat, she opened her mouth to apologize but choked on the words when Duncan did the unthinkable. He pulled his shirt off, revealing all those delicious muscles that made up his torso. Unconsciously, she licked her lips as her hungry eyes took in every rope of delicious muscle, too stunned to do anything but stand there while Duncan reached down, undid his fly and simply pulled his hardening member out and began to leisurely stroke it as she tried not to swallow her tongue.

“
Why don’t we have ourselves a little talk, Necie, hmm?”

Chapter 31

Her mouth was open and moving, but no sounds were coming out as her eyes locked on what his hand was doing.

Definitely a good sign, he decided as he slowed his hand even more, tightened his hold and stroked himself from his balls to the tip all while imagining what it would feel like if she got down on her knees and took him into that pretty little mouth of hers. He groaned as he did it again, wondering if she’d ever done that to a man before or even wanted to, because he definitely fucking wanted her to take his cock in her beautiful little mouth and suck on it while she teased the tip with her pretty white teeth.

Christ, just thinking about how much he wanted to feel her teeth tease the underside of his cock had him hardening to the point of pain. He wanted her, wanted to bend her over, slide his cock inside her wet pussy, slide his cock inside her ass to see just how good that would feel, basically he just wanted to fuck her until his balls were emptied and the only thing that she could scream was his name, but he couldn’t do any of that.

He had a mission and this small woman with her extraordinary culinary skills was ruining it with very little effort. He was trying to get to know her better, romance her, spend time with her and she was doing everything that she could to get him to tell her what he was up to.

Now, he couldn’t very well have that, now could he?

“
Sit on the bed,” he heard himself say, sounding almost as though he were in a trance.

When she licked her lips hungrily and obeyed, he almost lost it. His cock definitely noticed, jumping in his hand in approval, demanding that he move closer to see what else she would be willing to do.