Wicked Wonderland (5 page)

A
fter Claire left the kitchen, Jesse put his cold glass to his forehead and groaned. “Damn . . .” It might be snowing outside, but he sure as hell was burning up.The more Claire let her guard down, the more attracted he was to her, and that last casual comment about her thong nearly did him in. He shook his head. She was a fascinating combination of shy and bold, making him wonder what she would be like in bed.

“Don’t even go there,” he reminded himself. He took another healthy swallow of his spiked eggnog and tried to gather his scattered wits, but when he spotted her slinky red sandals sitting on the black granite, he had a sudden vision of Claire lying on his bed wearing nothing but those sexy heels.

Not
going there
really wasn’t working out for him. With a deep sigh he absently added some bourbon and a splash of eggnog into his glass. “Okay, that was supposed to be the other way around,” he said under his breath, but then shrugged. He downed half of it while putting away the rest of his groceries and trying without much success not to think about Claire getting naked.At least she was going to be swimming in his big clothes and hiding her sweet curves. That should help matters a little, anyway.

Maybe.

“Okay, maybe not,” he mumbled softly when she walked into the kitchen.

“Excuse me?”

“I said you look hot,” he answered as if joking, except he wasn’t. His green plaid flannel shirt was an amazing shade on her with her deep red hair and moss-colored eyes. She had used her own belt to cinch it at her waist and wore snug-fitting long johns underneath.

“Right.” She wrinkled up her nose and looked down at her outfit. “Could I have a teensy bit more of your eggnog?” She held her thumb and index finger an inch apart and then pushed her glass his way. “It was de-lish.”

“Absolutely,” Jesse answered, and then refreshed her drink. After sliding it her way, he said, “Feel free to explore the cabin or watch television. I’m going to take a cold—I mean hot—shower if you don’t mind.”

“Oh, no, go right ahead.”

“Thanks.” He picked up his drink but then paused. “If you get hungry, there are a few snacks.We’ll cook dinner later, okay?”

She looked at him over the rim of her glass. “
You’ll
cook dinner. I’ll just sit here and look . . . pretty in flannel.”

When she stuck a pose as a joke, Jesse walked over and said softly in her ear, “My shirt never looked so good.” He didn’t look to see her reaction but heard her slight gasp and continued walking. It blew his mind that she didn’t know how hot she was, so he paused in the doorway and said, “Hey, that wasn’t supposed to be a cheap pickup line.”

Her cheeks were pink, but she gave him a smile. “We’ve already established that you can pick me up, remember?”

“You are correct,” he replied, but then looked down at her feet. “We will have to do something about shoes. That might be a little tougher.”

“I’m sure we can come up with something if we put our heads together.”

“Yeah, we’ll think of something,” Jesse answered, but envisioned a much more physical reason for putting their heads together, like kissing, for instance. “Damn,” Jesse whispered as he entered his bedroom. There was no way he could take advantage of the situation, he thought while he unbuttoned his shirt and then shucked his jeans.

“It wouldn’t be right,” he muttered as he turned on the multiple showerheads and then stepped into the walk-in stone-sided stall that he had remodeled the past summer. In honor of his parents he had left the essence of the cabin untouched, but over the past five years he had made changes to fit his own tastes. Updating the decor also muted the memories that were embedded in every square inch of the cabin.

The hot pulsating spray against his tired body should have been soothing, but all he could think about was how incredible it would be to have Claire sharing the steamy space with him, and his body instantly reacted. He looked down at his raging erection and groaned. “Look, I know she’s got a bangin’ body, but she’s vulnerable and she’s been drinking,” he said as he soaped up his chest, but his dick remained stubbornly erect. “Yeah, I know, buddy—it’s been a long time, but it just wouldn’t be right,” he lamented with a sad chuckle. As he lathered up his hair, he remembered the feel of Claire’s fingers against his scalp.With a groan he closed his eyes and turned his face up to the waterfall showerhead, rinsing the soap from his body. “This isn’t going to be easy.”

But as Jesse was toweling dry, the answer to his moral dilemma suddenly hit him. What if Claire came on to him? He smiled slowly.Yeah, he wouldn’t make any sexual advances toward
her
, but if Claire initiated something, well then, all bets were off. She couldn’t be hurt or pissed off then, right? With that thought in mind, he started shaving. When the beard was gone, he splashed on a bit of spicy aftershave and then headed to his walk-in closet. Not wanting to be too obvious, he tugged on another pair of jeans but opted for a body-hugging long-sleeved black T-shirt instead of his usual flannel. He felt kind of silly dressing to show off his physique, but this was his game plan and he was sticking to it.

After taking a deep breath, he ran his fingers through his too-long hair and then headed to the kitchen, but she was no longer sitting at the island. She must have gone exploring. “Claire?” he called, but all he got was silence in return. He walked into the great room and then spotted her sleeping on the sofa. For a moment he simply stood there and looked at her, and then he smiled softly. She had instantly brought a vibrant spark back into his life that had been missing for a long time.Yes, Claire Collins had stirred something deeper than just sexual desire, and Jesse felt a sharp pang of sadness that she was only passing through. In a few days she would be gone from his life. Jesse shook his head. He was overreacting to a woman he had just met and yet he couldn’t shake the feeling.

Flickering light from the fireplace cast a golden glow over her features, and Jesse grinned when he spotted the starter remote still clutched in her hand. Claire slept on her side with her head on a throw pillow, her long hair slipped over her shoulder, making Jesse long to run his fingers through it to see if the deep red tresses were as silky as they appeared. Her lips were slightly parted and she appeared so peaceful that he decided to start dinner preparations while allowing her to sleep.

But as he turned to leave, he must have made a sound because she shifted and somehow tugged open the first button of his big shirt. A generous amount of a black lacy bra appeared along with some mouthwatering cleavage. Jesse knew that it was impolite to stare and that he should turn away, but he simply could not. Instead, he took a step closer, telling himself he needed to cover her with the throw on the back of the easy chair when in reality he knew the heat from the fire was more than enough.What he needed was to touch her....

Jesse was about to drape the cover over Claire, but his foot hit the edge of the sofa, making just enough noise to jar her awake. She blinked, and when the remote slipped from her grasp, she leaned over to grab it, rolling off the sofa to land face-first with a thump and a yelp.

Jesse dropped to his knees. “Oh damn, Claire, are you okay?”

“Define okay,” she said, and then rolled over to her back.

“Okay as in nothing is smashed or bleeding?”

“Luckily the floor broke my fall,” she replied, but then reached up and gingerly touched her nose.

“That had to hurt like hell,” Jesse commented, and then gently brushed her hair out of the way. “Are you really okay?”

“Yeah.” She nodded but then sat up and flexed her left wrist.

“Let me see.” Frowning, Jesse took her hand in his and gently examined it.

“I’m fine,” she insisted. “I just hope I didn’t break your television remote.”

“The remote is for the gas fireplace.”

“Okay, that explains a lot,” she said with a low rumble of laughter. “I was getting frustrated and pushed a lot of buttons on that thing. Wait, with all of the trees in your backyard, you use fake logs?”

“It’s better for the environment, puts out plenty of warmth. I think it’s just as aesthetically pleasing, not to mention convenient. Saves some trees.”

She nodded. “Makes sense, but yet you use trees to make your carvings?”

“Much of what I use comes from recycled Christmas tree trunks.”

“Really?” She raised her eyebrows, and it pleased him that she seemed interested.

“I’ll tell you about that later. Now, be honest, are you really all right?” He rubbed the pad of his thumb over the top of her wrist and looked into her eyes.

“I’ve always been big and clumsy, so I’m used to bumps and bruises,” she admitted with a small smile, but then glanced away.

“You’re not big and clumsy,” he told her firmly.

She turned her head to look at him. “Oh, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet,” she warned him with the arch of an eyebrow. “I tend to talk with my hands, and with these long arms I knock things over. You have no idea how many times I have fallen victim to ‘You break it, you buy it.’ There’s just way too much of me. . . .”

Her comment brought his attention to her exposed cleavage. “Um, I have to disagree.”

“What?” She followed the direction of his gaze and gasped. “Were you ever going to tell me that my . . . that I was hanging out all over?” She buttoned up and then looked at him accusingly.

“Of course!”

“Your nose is growing.”

Jesse inclined his head. “Guilty.”

“I’d tell you if your zipper was down.” Claire gave his chest a shove but laughed.

“What can I say? I’m a guy.”

“Point taken.”

“But, Claire?”

“Yeah?”

“I have to tell you that you’re absolutely dead wrong.”

Her smile faded and she looked at him with those expressive eyes that got to him somewhere around his solar plexus. “About what?”

Jesse leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “There is definitely
not
way too much of you.” God, how he wanted to kiss her, but he stuck to his plan and somehow refrained. “Let me help you to your feet.”

“Thanks.” Claire nodded absently after Jesse stood up and offered his hands. But when he tugged her to her feet, she lost her balance and fell forward into his arms.

“Whoa there.” Jesse grabbed her around her waist to steady her but then left his grasp there way longer than needed.

“See, I told you I was clumsy.” Claire splayed her hands on his chest but then turned her gaze toward the floor.

“Hey, that was my fault.” Jesse tilted her chin up and gazed at her mouth. He really wanted to kiss her. All he needed was for her to make that first move....

T
he heat in Jesse’s eyes made Claire’s heart beat wildly. “Wow, I was right,” she said softly.

“Really? Because you haven’t been right yet,” he reminded her as he rubbed his thumb across her chin.

Claire reached up and traced one fingertip over Jesse’s cheekbone and then down his jawline. “I knew that beneath that beard was amazing bone structure.”

“Oh, so you are right for once.” When Jesse cocked his head slightly and smiled, the sudden movement made one of Claire’s fingers fall against his mouth.

Claire’s breath caught at the feel of his moist, warm lips, and perhaps it was the bourbon that made her bold, but instead of pulling away, she ran her fingertip over the bottom fullness. “You have a mouth made for kissing.”

“Right again.”

Claire lifted one shoulder and rubbed her finger back and forth. “I’m just sayin’. . . .”

“You might want to put that observation to the test.”When he spoke, her finger touched his tongue, and he inhaled sharply.

Claire eased her fingertip in just a bit, and when he licked lightly, Claire felt a sharp sizzle of desire curl all the way to her toes. “Excellent idea.”With a little moan she leaned in and replaced her fingertip with her mouth.
Oh my.
His lips were firm but silky soft, pliant, and oh so warm. The kiss began gently, sweetly, but when her tongue met his, she opened her mouth, eager for more . . . and he gave it. Claire leaned against him, savoring the hard feel of his chest against her breasts.And when she threaded her fingers through his thick hair, he wrapped his arms around her, pressing closely, kissing deeply.

Firelight flickered and danced all around them while the kiss went on and on, making her wild with wanting him. Needing to feel his skin, Claire tugged his T-shirt from his jeans and slid her hands up his bare back. When she lightly raked her fingernails over his shoulder blades, he moaned and lowered his hands to cup her ass and press her even closer. She could feel the steely hardness of his arousal and responded by flattening her palms against his back so that her breasts rubbed against him.

“You are driving me crazy.” When he pulled back and began kissing her neck, a slow tingle blossomed and traveled south.

“You are so soft and smell so damned good,” he whispered hotly into her ear. “I want you to come with me.”

Nodding, Claire took his hand and would have followed him anywhere . . . into the storm, up the mountain . . . but luckily he drew her over to a soft fuzzy rug in front of the fire. When he knelt down, she followed his lead, but then, instead of touching her, he seemed to be waiting for her to make the next move. She found this role reversal incredibly hot, and while watching him intently, she unbuttoned the first three buttons of her shirt.

Jesse looked at her with heavy-lidded eyes and swallowed. “Seeing that black bra beneath my flannel shirt is just nuts.”

“Touch me,” she whispered.

“Gladly.” His low, sexy tone felt like a physical caress.When he trailed the pad of his thumb over her exposed skin, Claire’s breath caught and her eyes fluttered shut. “Like this?”

“Yes . . .”