Eve

“MY TREE.”  I’M STILL shivering and all I can think about is that I’ve lost the perfect Christmas tree.

“I got your tree. It was laying in the road where I pulled over. I got your first, then your tree. You’re okay.  We’re almost home.”

Hearing him say ‘home’ makes my heart skip. 

He means his home, of course, but somehow it feels like he means something else.

“I’m so cold.”  My body nearly convulses, even as I feel the blast of heat coming out of the vents in the truck cab.

“I know, baby.  I’m going to take care of you.”

“Baby?  I’m not a baby.”  I blurt out. 

Everything seems funny.

I look over to see Vix glance my way.  He has one hand on the steering wheel and the other is holding mine.  His thumb is moving back and forth over the top.

“Are you rubbing a hole in my hand?” 

“I’m trying to warm it up, that’s all.”  He grits out.  “Nothing more.  I know you have a girlfriend. Guys aren’t your thing.”  His voice catches on that last word and I try to make sense of what he’s saying.

“Girlfriend?”  I start to laugh.  I’m not sure why, but it seems hilarious.  “I have a girlfriend.”

“Audrey.”  He says her name in a deep, flat tone. 

“Audrey?”  I’m cracking up and I can’t control it.  He looks like he’s swaying back and forth as he drives and there’s this fuzz around everything. “You mean like girlfriend girlfriend?”

I’m choking on the laughter now. 

“Yeah, obviously.”  There’s a hint of anger in his voice.  “Audrey.  You know, your girlfriend.”

“Why is everything so funny?” I manage between the laughter.  “I’m freezing.”  My thoughts seem disconnected and I can’t stop the words from tumbling out of my mouth. “You have a girlfriend.  I don’t have a girlfriend. You have a hundred girlfriends.  A thousand.”

“It’s the gas fumes. You’re high from the gas fumes.”

I look at him in wonder and reach my free hand over to touch his beard.

When I do, he looks over at me and there’s sadness in his eyes.

“Why are you upset?  I’m sorry if I ruined your Christmas Eve plans with your hundred girlfriends.”

Even as I say it, I know it’s stupid and childish, but I can’t seem to control what is coming out of my mouth.  He draws his bottom lip between his teeth and I bring my hand back to settle in my lap as I sway slightly back and forth.

“And...”  I swallow hard, clearing my throat as things become more focused. “For the record, I don’t have a girlfriend. Like, not that kind.  She’s my friend.”

“So, you don’t like girls?”  He coughs and I see him close his eyes for a quick second and shift himself in his seat.  “I mean, like, you like guys?”

I giggle again.  Thankfully, it seems the uncontrollable laughter has abated, but he’s still so cute.  “Yes, stupid. Although, I haven’t liked one in a long time. Haven’t really liked one ever, to be honest.”

I can’t believe how candid I’m being, but it’s sort of true.  I mean, yeah, I like guys, but I’ve never liked liked one.  Not until now.

No.

Stop.

You don’t like like him either.  Remember?  You’re leaving.  Now is not the time to like like someone.

I’m still shivering and there’s a pain in my hip that starts to throb.

“Well, as we’re setting the record straight, I don’t have a hundred girlfriends either. I don’t have any.  Haven’t for a lot of years now.”

Nothing seems funny now, it all just feels sad. “I’m sorry.”

“Baby.” He uses that word again and this time I let it settle deep down into the parts of me that need to hear it. “I’m the one that should be sorry.  I shouldn’t have let you drive yourself.  That’s on me.”

“You’re not responsible for me.  I’m a big girl.”  The words sound slow and I fight the giggle that comes after them but lose.

“We will see about that.”

The house comes into view and he parks right in front of an enormous front porch.  The house is made from timber and stone, and all the windows on the first floor are glowing in warm golden light. 

“It looks so warm.”  I half slur, my mind spinning a bit still. “And huge.  Like, do all your hundred girlfriends live here? Because they could.  You’re like the Hugh Hefner of Christmas tree farms, and this is your mansion. Nice.”

What the hell.

“Sit there, I’m coming around.” He jumps down out of the truck and I say a little prayer of thanks that he’s ignoring my comments. I watch him run around the front of the hood to my side and pull the door open.

Before I try to step down, he’s got me under my back and legs, scooping me up and carrying me up the steps and through the front door.

“I can walk, you know.”

“I’m not so sure, but either way I’m carrying you so enjoy the ride.  Just be quiet and let me take care of you.”

I give in, wrapping my arms around his neck and letting my head fall onto his shoulder.  He smells like a man who’s been outside.  Cool and fresh, but with this masculine spicy scent.  I’m so tired suddenly and it’s probably the adrenaline wearing off as well as a gas high hangover.

My clothes are soaking, and although it’s warm in the house, I’m still shaking.

“Sit right here.”  He takes me into a giant bathroom and sits me on a brown wooden chair.  There’s a white porcelain claw-foot tub that is big enough for two people, and he turns on the water before turning back to me.

“I’m sorry.  Your clothes are going to have to come off.”

Fear bites into me as I realize I’m supposed to go into the bathtub.

“Okay.”  I answer, waiting for him to leave.  He doesn’t move.  I hesitate, then speak.  “You don’t expect me to undress with you here?”

I push up from the chair and try to stand and strip off my wet coat, but my legs turn to Jello and I can’t hold myself up.

Vix’s arms snake around me in an instant and I instinctively grab onto his massive body, feeling the hardness under the fabric of his checked shirt.

“I’m not going to do anything to you, Eve, except take care of you.  I promise.  But you are getting in that tub and I am staying right here.  I get that you’re a big girl but I’m also a big boy, I can control myself.”  He sits me back down and I let him, then he adds on a crooked smile.  “I don’t want to, but I can.”

He looks so much bigger to me now.  He’s a giant looking down at me, with those wild blue eyes that stand out under a jutting brow. 

“Tell you what.”  He steps to the wall switch next to the sink and the lights dim.  “I’ll keep the lights low, if that makes you more comfortable.”

Before I can protest any more, he’s back in front of me, hands working. My jacket and shirt are off in an instant, then it’s my bra. Next, he’s on his knees in front of me removing my shoes.

Everything is coming into focus now and there’s a tension growing, down in my belly, even as my body quivers and the steam rises from the water in the tub.

My nipples tingle as he reaches up, placing a hand under each arm.  Then he stands with me and I’m hoisted onto my feet.

“I’m going to take your skirt and panties off now.”  There’s a catch in his voice like the words hurt him, but I stand with him and allow his hands to work the button and zipper on my hip.

I close my eyes and hold my breath as he strips the last two pieces of my clothing from my body before standing in front of me, so close I can feel his heartbeat thrumming in the air between us.  I’m covered in goosebumps and I’m not sure if it’s from the cold or from the brush of his fingers on my naked skin.

“Fuck.”  I hear him mumble.  “You’re so beautiful.”

I glance up to see him staring at me, then he shakes his head. 

“Sorry.  You’re hurt.”  He drops a hand to my hip and I feel rough fingertips glance over a sensitive spot, making me wince.

I look down to see a cut with purple bruising all around.

“It’s okay. Doesn’t hurt that bad.”  I lie, but I can’t believe I’m standing here naked in front of him.  My arms wrap around myself as his two partial fingertips trace around the wound, then in a bigger circle, making me twitch and my heart starts to thunder in my chest.

Something inside me wants to tell him to stop.  There’s a vibrating in the space between us and there’s feelings so unfamiliar to me coursing through my body.

But not just my body.  It’s like my heart has turned into something other than just the organ that circulates my blood.

“I’m sorry.”  He shakes his head and rests his entire massive hand on my belly for a quick moment before pulling it away.  “I can’t help it. Let’s get you in the tub before I lose my mind.”

He takes my hand, then lifts me off my feet and lowers me down into the warm water. His beard brushes my face and I turn my head to see his eyes locked onto mine.

As the warm water cocoons me, the bubbles tickle against my cold skin and I sigh as I descend further.

After a couple of quiet minutes, the chill begins to abate.

“Thank you.”  I look up as he crouches down next to the tub, then he reaches over to where I see a blue wash cloth.  He lowers it into the water, then brings it back up and gently presses it to each of my cheeks.

“You feeling better?”

I nod, unsure what words fit the moment.  The fuzziness is completely gone, and I’m suddenly embarrassed about how I acted in the truck.

“I’m sorry about some of the things I said back there—”

He waves a hand, then brings it to smooth some hair back off my forehead and leans in to press his lips there.

When he does, I stop breathing.

“How does it feel to be number one hundred and one?”  He whispers into the part of my hair and for a moment it doesn’t register.

I hear a low chuckle and it all comes back.  Oh, God.

I can’t help laughing.  “Not bad, actually.  You got a lot of practice out of the way.” I play back, realizing how silly some of the things I said in the truck were.

“So, I’m a gigolo and you’re a lesbian.”  He pulls back and his hand comes down to put a finger under my chin as his other hand rubs the washcloth over my chest.  The bubbles just cover my breasts, which is lucky because if they weren’t he would see that even in the warm water my nipples are like two pebbles.

“We’re quite the pair.”

“Eve.” His eyes turn serious. “You do realize I do not have a hundred girlfriends, right?”

The intonation of his voice makes me draw a shaking breath.

“I guess I didn’t, no...but if you’re telling me now that you don’t, I guess you don’t.”

“Well, I don’t.”  He pinches my chin now, forcing me to look into those magical eyes.

“Okay.  Then I believe you.”  I answer and only then do I see the muscles in his face relax.  “But, maybe I do.”  I giggle.  “I’m quite the ladies lady, you know.” 

“Uh huh. I’m pretty sure you cleared that up in the truck.”  He shakes his head on a smile that shows just the crest of the whitest, sexiest teeth I’ve ever seen.  Where his shirt is open, I see hair decorating his chest that matches his beard. “I’m going to kiss you, Eve.  It’s not a question, I’m telling you.”

Before I can respond, his lips are on mine.

The brush of his beard on my face feels funny.  I’ve never kissed a guy with a beard before and every thought in my head goes down low, wondering what that would feel like between my legs...

His lips are softer than I’d expect, and the kiss is greedy but controlled as he makes this low rumble that sounds painful.

I like that sound.  Knowing he’s making it because of me has me feeling an odd, satisfying sense of power.

Next, it’s the first sweep of his tongue, opening the seam of my lips, and I press my thighs together as I fight back little whimpering moans.

I open my lips, showing him with my returning kiss what I feel without having to say a thing.

There’s a chirping voice inside me, telling me to stop.

Telling me this is not going to end well.

But I don’t listen. 

I don’t stop. 

I kiss him back and let myself feel everything. To let this moment just be what it is, without any worry about all the days to come and how whatever this is probably will end badly.

As our tongues move and swirl around each other, the washcloth is abandoned, his palm retreating under the water to take hold of my breast.

I fight the moan that moves from my throat but lose.  His fingers toy with my nipple and he loses the same battle with a rough, needy moan that he releases into our kiss.

He pulls back for a beat, his lips still barely brushing mine as he speaks.  “You can tell me to stop, baby.  I’ll need you to tell me because I don’t know if I can do it on my own.”

The voice in my head says, say it. Tell him to stop.

The devil on my shoulder smacks the shit out of that voice and takes over.

“Don’t stop.”

His hand comes up to wrap around my throat, and the light pressure there has stars dancing in my eyes as his lips come back.  Harder this time.  More demanding.  And his other hand takes me by the back of my head, fingers tangling into my hair.  I feel completely controlled by the kiss.

His lips press harder, his tongue swiping in and around in my mouth as I press my legs straight, trying to steady myself with pressure at the other end of the tub.

I bring my hands out of the water and latch onto his forearms where I feel the hard muscles moving under his skin.

We kiss like that for so long, the water starts to cool.  So long, I start to wonder if he’s taken me at my word and this is never going to end.  At least part of me wants to believe that to be true.  I make no effort to break the kiss, no effort to pull away, and nor does he.  Neither one of us is willing to stop this, but neither one is moving to take things further.

Vix finally withdraws, leaving me breathless.  His face looks different.  Of all the times I’ve seen him, I’ve never seen what I see right now, looking back at me.

He’s a warrior. Darkness envelops those blue eyes.  And there’s an intensity staring back at me that half frightens and half excites me.

“I don’t want to stop.  But if I don’t stop, I’ll never stop. And I want to be sure you are clear headed and completely with me, Eve.”

He releases my head and neck, standing to grab a towel before lowering one hand in offering to mine. I want this moment to never end.  I don’t want to remember everything outside of this place.

“Let me get you dried off and dressed.  I’ll get the fire stoked.  And then we’ll see what’s next.”