Wicked Wonderland (26 page)

The second groan was what it was.

Hallie laughed softly and whispered against his lips, “I find you incredibly attractive, Daniel Reynolds. I really do.”

He rested his forehead against hers. “Well, that’s a damned good thing, because I’ve been a goner pretty much from the first second I laid eyes on you.”

His enthusiasm seemed to please her.

She put her hands on his shoulders and ran them down his arms to his wrists. She linked their fingers and sighed. “I don’t usually rush this kind of thing, but I have a feeling that with a houseful of guests, any opportunities to be alone are going to be few and far between. So what do you think . . . your room or mine?”

Her humor relaxed him. Hallie wasn’t making a big deal about this. She was a sensual woman who wanted him like he wanted her. It was the perfect situation.

His gut warned him that he might be getting in over his head, but he ignored it. Hallie Prentiss was going to be naked and under him in the next few minutes. It was a wonder his brain didn’t explode.

Hallie saw herself and Daniel as if they were actors in a movie scene. She had just initiated sex with a man she met
yesterday
. What in the heck was she thinking?

She stood up, and he took her hand. Before they could take more than a single step in the direction of her bedroom, the front door was flung open with a crash. Bodies and voices filled the foyer along with a swirl of frigid air. One of the children, a freckle-faced girl with braces and pigtails, ran toward Hallie. “Can you believe it, Ms. Prentiss? It’s snowing!”

Soon Daniel and Hallie were surrounded by the entire extended Denman family, including a skinny, clean-shaven young man in army fatigues. Robbie had him by the arm and drew him toward Hallie.“This is my boy Timothy, Ms. Prentiss.” She beamed with pride.

The still-wet-behind-the-ears soldier looked sheepish.“Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

Hallie introduced Daniel, and before long it was like a family reunion that included Daniel and Hallie. At one point, her gaze met Daniel’s across the room.They exchanged rueful smiles before he was led away by one of the men to play air hockey. Hallie was soon occupied helping the women e-mail a brand-new photo of Timothy to an elderly grandparent who had not been able to make the trip.

Before you could say “mistletoe,” it was almost midnight. The children had been put to bed a few at a time. The adults held out longer, but eventually the long day of travel wore them down. As the last good-nights were spoken, Hallie and Daniel were left standing together in the living room, almost in the same spot they had been when they were interrupted earlier.

Hallie yawned hugely and then was mortified when Daniel laughed out loud.“I get the hint,” he chuckled.“Our time will come.”

She wanted him, she really did. But she was dead on her feet. He didn’t drag it out. Instead, he kissed her briefly and then held her for a long moment. He was hard and ready. His erection pressed against her abdomen. But he didn’t ask for anything more.

He kissed her nose. “Tomorrow’s your first big morning. You need your rest, Hallie. Don’t worry. We’ll have plenty of time for us.”

But would they?
Hallie fretted about the answer as she got ready for bed. Already, her two-week stint was down to twelve days. The Denmans were to fly home on Christmas Day, followed soon after by Hallie. Would she and Daniel be ready to say good-bye to their holiday flirtation?

Grumpy from unappeased desire, she showered quickly and tumbled into bed. She tried to imagine Daniel lying on the mattress beside her, but the image wouldn’t come into focus. She was still lamenting their interrupted evening when she fell asleep....

 

Hallie’s alarm went off at six a.m. She slapped at it halfheartedly, pulled the pillow over her head, and dozed off again.

When the shrill beep sounded a second time, it hit her. Breakfast. At eight sharp. For seventeen people. Dear Lord.

She flung the covers back and bounded out of bed, her heart racing. Teeth brushed, clothes yanked on, and the bare minimum of morning ablutions completed, she took a deep breath and opened her door.

And smelled coffee.

When she entered the kitchen, her heart skipped a beat. A sleep-rumpled Daniel sat at the table, along with a sheepish-looking Robbie Denman.

Robbie spoke up first. “Now, don’t be mad, Hallie, honey. I know this is your domain. But I’ve been an early riser my whole life, and I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I wasn’t in the kitchen.You were so organized with the recipes on the counter and all that, I just started a few things going. I hope you don’t mind.The muffins went in the oven two minutes ago.”

Hallie shoved her hands in the back pockets of her jeans and smiled. “Of course I don’t mind. I was a little intimidated by the thought of feeding this crew. I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth.Thank you, Robbie.You’re a sweetheart.”

She reached in the refrigerator, trying to ignore Daniel. He made her breathing go all haywire, and she needed to concentrate on not ruining her debut breakfast. But when he wrapped an arm around her waist and tugged the package of meat from her hand, her knees wobbled.

His smile was lopsided. “Even I can’t ruin bacon,” he said. “You set the table or whatever else you need to do to prepare.”

Even with the three of them working in tandem, it was a challenge to have everything ready by eight.The large kitchen table seated twelve and there were six barstools. Robbie suggested putting platters of food on the counter and letting everyone serve buffet-style.

When the hungry throng descended the stairs, the morning repast was hot, beautifully laid out, and (since Hallie had not been forced to do it all on her own) delicious. Pounds of food, everything from scrambled eggs to homemade granola (thawed from the freezer), were devoured in twenty minutes. Hallie watched in amusement as a six-year-old boy in the throes of hero worship sat on Daniel’s knee and reluctantly finished a bowl of cinnamon apple oatmeal.

The room was noisy, crowded, and warm. Not only in temperature, but in sentiment as well. The Denman’s were a
family
. They squabbled, they joked, they repeated oft-told stories. And the affection and love they all shared were impossible to miss.

Despite Hallie’s inclination to linger on the edge of the action, she found herself drawn inexorably into the layered conversations. It was hard to keep up. Perhaps it took experience not to get lost in the crisscrossing laughter and the good-natured, across-the-table gibes ... the high, childish voices and the deep masculine chuckles.

Even as she was sucked into the pleasant chaos, she felt a pang of loneliness. For years it had been only Hallie and her mom. No siblings, no cousins. Both of her parents had been only children. Hallie’s grandparents had passed away when she was in junior high.

Holidays in the Prentiss household, even before her father died, had been quiet. But Hallie’s mom had always gone out of her way to make them special. Hallie had never doubted she was loved. And she had many friends, none more dear than Julie.

But this Christmas was different. Christmas was a time for family, and Hallie was keenly aware that this year she was on her own.

She shook off the destructive self-pity and silenced the group with a whistle. Robbie, who had already started gathering dishes, looked up with a raised eyebrow.

Hallie grinned. “Robbie, thanks for everything. But this is your vacation. Go out and have some fun. I’m a whiz at cleaning a kitchen and I have all morning to do it. As of now, you’re all banished.” She looked over at Daniel. “You, too, Daniel. Go to work. I’ll be fine.”

 

When everyone cleared out as ordered, except for Daniel, Hallie suddenly found herself feeling shy. He leaned against the doorframe, arms folded across his chest. She had already noticed that his brown eyes changed colors depending on the light and his mood. At the moment, they looked like rich chocolate. Perhaps because of the tiny smile creasing his full, waiting-to-be-kissed lips.

She wiped her hands on a dish towel, avoiding his gaze. “Shouldn’t you be going?”

He shrugged. “I’ve got time. Don’t you think we ought to talk about last night?”

She bit her lower lip, struggling against a wave of longing so sharp and insistent that it took her breath.“Last night might have been a tad premature. We were drunk on the northern lights.”

“I’ve seen them a hundred times,” he murmured. “And besides, that was two nights ago. I’m pretty sure their effect doesn’t last that long.” He straightened and came toward her with a look in his eyes that made her stomach clench. “I was drunk on you, Hallie Prentiss.”

She didn’t even put up a token protest when he pulled her close and settled his mouth over hers. He was big and warm, and her breasts, pressed against his chest, ached to be touched.

He slid his tongue inside her mouth. “You taste like cinnamon,” he said hoarsely. “I adore cinnamon.”

Her legs weakened, and she was pretty sure she would have slid to the floor in an ungainly heap if he hadn’t been supporting her with his muscular arms. Somehow
her
arms found their way around his neck.

He shifted positions and settled her between his thighs, deepening the kiss as he did so. Hallie heard herself whimper and tried to remember why this was not a good idea. A sound from upstairs brought her back from the edge of insanity. She pushed her hands against his shoulders, gaining a couple of inches, but no more.

“We can’t do this here,” she panted. “Daniel ...” She said that last word with some urgency as he lowered his head to nibble the side of her neck with sharp teeth and warm breath.

“Daniel!” She was torn, desperate for him to stop and equally desperate for him to drag her down the hall to his bedroom.

His hands fell to his sides and a mighty shudder raked his frame.Their eyes met, hers filled with confusion, his glazed and sheepish. “Lord, Hallie. This is nuts.”

She stepped back and bumped into the stove. He ran a hand across the back of his neck. A noticeable erection lifted the front of his slacks. She swallowed hard.“I need to get started on this.” She waved a hand at the breakfast debris.

Daniel shook his head as if to clear it. “The Denmans have their own keys, right?”

“Well, of course.Why do you ask?”

“I’d like you to meet me this afternoon,” he said urgently. “Do you think you can have everything here in shape in three or four hours?”

“If I work my butt off.” She laughed. “Beds made, bathrooms cleaned. It will be a push.”

“Good,” he said. “I’ll show you around the post.”

“The post?”

“Fort Wainwright.”

“I thought it was an army
base
.”

He grinned. “Rookie. The navy has bases. The army has posts. Learn the lingo.”

She saluted sharply. “Aye, aye, Captain.”

She followed him into the living room. He jotted down directions, along with instructions about where to meet him. Then he grabbed his coat off the sofa and shrugged into it.

Suddenly, awkwardness returned.

He brushed her cheek with a gentle stroke, as if he couldn’t keep from touching her.“I’m damned glad you came to Alaska, Hallie.”

She turned her face and kissed his palm briefly. “Me, too,” she said simply.“And who knows? You may persuade me to get in the Christmas spirit after all.”

Her words hung between them, fraught with unspoken meanings. She had tossed them out jokingly, but the awareness that hovered between them told her that he was thinking what she was thinking.

This time, he was the one to flush. His fists clenched, and the cords in his neck stood out in relief. He glanced at his watch and cursed softly. Frustration etched his handsome, rugged features.“Two o’clock,” he said, his voice rough.“Don’t let me down.”

 

The morning passed with agonizing slowness, despite the piles of work that needed to get done. When the kitchen was pristine, Hallie set out to make beds, empty the trash, and spot clean the rooms that needed it. She didn’t linger in Daniel’s bedroom this time. She was too on edge as it was. She didn’t need any more reminders of the man who was making her act so out of character.

The Denman clan had gone out to do their Christmas shopping. The snow that had fallen the evening before added only a couple of inches to what was already on the ground, and the weak winter sunlight created diamondlike sparkles in the fresh powder.

Hallie paused at the window, marveling at how much she already appreciated the few hours of true sunlight. Perhaps it was human nature to take such things for granted. But being in Alaska in the dead of winter made her realize how little of the world she had experienced outside of Seattle. There had never been much money for extras like travel, and all her work experience had kept her close to home.

Here in Alaska her eyes were being opened to an entirely different environment. And she wasn’t just talking about the weather.