I woke up to a pair of muscled arms wrapped around my waist like steel bands, my back against an unmistakable male body.

My mind is hazy as I try to get my bearings.

Closing my eyes in mortification at what had happened last night, I wondered when I had become so brazen.

The way I had approached Steven.

When did I even begin calling him Steven?

My eyes flutter open. He had given me an out. He had been so careful with me at first, and then he went wild. He helped me explore my body in a way I had never been able to.

“If you’re regretting what happened, it’s too late to turn back,” Came a sleepy male voice, and I turn around in Steven’s arms, only to be dragged half way.

Sprawled over his chest, I blink at him.

His gray eyes were still sleepy but he wears a satisfied smile on his lips.

“What?” I ask, my voice slightly hoarse from all the screaming last night.

His smile grows into a cocky smirk, “Something wrong with your voice?”

“Are you always this arrogant?” I ask him, not even annoyed. It was like all the temper and anger and annoyance had been fucked right out of me, last night.

He leans over to kiss me on my jaw, “Only when I’ve had some of the best sex of my life.”

He pretends to think, “If I recall correctly, you seemed to like it too. What was it that you said? F- “

I clasp a hand over his mouth, my cheeks red, “Stop it!”

He licks the palm of my hand and I make a face, “Ew!”

Roaring with laughter at my childish expression, he flips me underneath him.

Pressing kisses on my lips and nose, he licks my cheek, finding it hilarious when I try to push him off.

“I did more than lick you, last night, Abby,” He laughs.

This time when he nears my face, I sink my teeth in his shoulder, making him roll over to safety, eyeing me with laughter in his eyes, “You’re a feisty one, aren’t you?”

I snap my teeth at him, “I’ll bite you if you lick me again!”

Seeing the interest spark in his eyes, I groan, a sound of both amusement and exasperation.

I had expected an awkward next morning, mostly on my part, but as I watch Steven put on a soft cashmere pullover over his jeans, I feel my heart cave a little bit.

This man couldn’t be this perfect, could he?

“Dad! Jarvis says we can have pancakes for breakfast if we don’t make a mess in the kitchen.”

The door opens to a sleepy-eyed Aaron in his pyjamas.

He stares at me and then rubs his eyes, and then stares some more.

The delight in his eyes was unmistakeable, “Miss Abby?”

I wave my fingers at him, a little awkwardly, “Hi!”

He rushes over to me, “Are you having breakfast with us?”

He couldn’t stop jumping with excitement, “Do you want to help us make pancakes?!”

I stare helplessly at Steven who waggles his eyebrows at me.

And just like that I find myself in the kitchen, wearing a T-shirt that was far too baggy for me and boxers that I had to tighten around my waist with a bowstring, making chocolate-chip pancakes.

“You’re doing it wrong!” I snatch the bowl from Steven who was whipping the batter like it was a life and death situation.

“Hey!” He growls at me, offended.

I roll my eyes at him, “It’s pancake batter, not the kid who stole your pencil in grade school.”

Aaron stood on a stool, whisking the eggs, holding the bowl to his chest as he tries not to spill any, “Am I doing it right, Abby?”

I let him call me Abby, since it was weird to hear him call me Miss Abby while I was in his home.

“That’s great!” I ruffle his hair. “You keep whipping those eggs for one more minute.”

I eye Steven warily, “You can use a stove, can’t you?”

He scoffs at me, “In my sleep.”

Aaron looks up, confused, “I thought Jarvis said you weren’t allowed near the stove because you bl-“

His father put his hand over his mouth, glaring at him, “Not another word.”

I shrug, eyeing the storm still raging outside, and let Steven heat the stove.

The pancakes turn out a little too done, at least the first few. After the first batch, I nudge Steven aside with my hip and take over.

It was half an hour later that we sat down for breakfast. I watch both father and son devour the eggs and pancakes.

“Slow down, Aaron. You’ll choke!” I thump the boy on his back when he swallows too fast and started coughing. “Your food is not going anywhere.”

Aaron gives me a worshipful look, “Can you cook breakfast for us, everyday?”

I find myself laughing at the innocent request, wiping his face with a napkin, “Just finish your breakfast.”

“This is amazing, Abby,” Steven smiles at me, and I couldn’t help but blush.

He seems much more relaxed and I was seeing a whole different side of him. Seeing him in a more family environment, out of his suits, just made him more real, and I could see myself falling for this man.

I frown down at my pancakes.

I needed to hold back my feelings. He cares for me, but that doesn’t mean he was ready for any sort of relationship.

“What are you thinking?” I feel Steven’s foot brush against mine, and I look up, shaking my head.

“Sorry, just lost in my own thoughts. It’s nothing important.”

I ignore his strange look and turn my attention to Aaron who was staring at the glass of milk.

“Do I have to drink that?”

I put out my hand as if attempting to measure him, and then sigh, “Well, if you want to be as tall as your father, I think you have to drink at least one glass of milk a day.”

I lean back in my seat, and shrug, “But if you want to remain short, I still think you look cute and cuddly.”

Aaron makes a face, “I don’t want to be cute and cuddly. I want to be big and scary, like Dad!”

I snort at Steven being described as scary and let out a startled sound when I feel Steven’s hand smack my ass.

I glare at him, and he gives me an amiable smile, before turning his attention to his son, and suggesting, “Then finish the milk.”

Aaron gives me a pleading look and I just mouth the word ‘cute’ to him.

He lets out a heavy sigh, the way only children can do, and proceeds to gulping down the contents of the glass.

Jumping down from his seat, he runs into the other room, leaving me and his father behind, and I hiss at him, “Did you have to do that while your son was still here?”

“I am scary,” He informs me.

I roll my eyes at him, “Oh, yeah. You slapped my butt. You certainly proved your point.”

Instead of taking the bait, the edge of his lips curl in an almost smirk, “Let’s see whether you have the same attitude when I spank you in bed.”

My lower abdomen clenches in anticipation and my cheeks heat up.

“You’re incorrigible,” I mutter.

He drags me out of my chair till I am standing between his legs. His hands are huge as they encompass my whole waist.

He grins up at me, “I got you in my bed, didn’t I? I plan to keep you there.”

I try not to read too much into the statement, and let him drag me closer, musing, “So, you plan to make me into a sex addict?”

Steven tucks his tongue in his cheek, “If the shoe fits.”

There is something so charming about his playfulness that it makes me soften.

We both glance outside at the blizzard and I make a small sound of distress, “I didn’t even tell Scarlett where I went. She must be so worried.”

When I try to move away to look for my purse, Steven wouldn’t let me budge, “She called you after you went to sleep, and I told her that you were with me.”

I narrow my eyes at him, “Is that all she said?”

He shrugs, “She also threatened to disembowel me if I upset you in any way and demanded that I feed you and tuck you in a safe warm place till this blizzard passes.”

“That’s very specific,” I shake my head. “She means well.”

“I could tell,” Steven says, mildly. “Especially when she decided to go into explicit detail about how she planned to disembowel me. If nothing, your friend is very creative.”

I bite my tongue to swallow my laughter, “She works in a publishing house. She’s an Editor. She’s also penned a few murder mysteries under her name. I would suggest you heed her warnings.”

“Dad!” Aaron rushes into the room. “Jarvis says that all schools are closed till further notice, and offices. You get to stay at home with me!”

I slip out from Steven’s hold and make my way to the living room which houses a massive flat-screen TV.

“…a massive snowstorm…Schools have been shut down, probably till Christmas, if this weather continues. Residents are advised to stay indoors…Bridges have been closed off…Emergency services are on alert…If you are in a situation….”

“How am I supposed to get home?” I ask, my heart in my mouth.

I feel Steven’s hand settle on my hip, as he stares at the reporter on the screen, “You’re not going anywhere.”

“I have no clothes, here! All my stuff is back home.”

“What’s wrong with what you’re wearing now?” He frowns down at me. “You look gorgeous.”

I blink at the compliment, blushing, “Uh, thank you. But I can’t spend the next few days roaming around your house in your clothes.”

Steven shrugs and drags me closer, “Of course, you can. It’s just Aaron and me here. You’ll hardly see anyone else. Jarvis and the staff reside in the east wing. They won’t bother you.”

I run my fingers nervously through my hair, muttering, “Easy for you to say.”

A tug at my hand makes me look down at Aaron who looks like Christmas had come early for him, “Are you spending Christmas with us, Miss Abby? Does that mean you’ll go to Hawaii with us?”

“Huh?” I look to Steven for an explanation. “Hawaii?”

He put his hands in his pockets, “Yeah, we go to Hawaii for Christmas. The weather is nice. And all the staff gets a vacation. It’s a win-win.”

I take a step back, “Christmas is about snow, and family, and Christmas trees. Where do you get a Christmas tree in Hawaii?”

“We don’t have a Christmas tree. We go to the beach and I take Aaron to amusement parks. And then we have a nice Christmas dinner.”

I gape at them, and ask slowly, “Are you telling me you’ve never had a Christmas tree and decorated it? That you’ve never done the whole hanging up stockings and the presents under the tree?”

Aaron’s eyes widen, “You mean the one on TV? Dad said that wasn’t real!”

“Did he now?” I glare at Steven, who mutters, “It’s a lot of work for two people.”

I stare at him, unblinking, “I would hate to spend Christmas in Hawaii.”

Aaron pulls at his father’s shirt, his eyes gleaming, “Can we have a Christmas tree this year, Dad? Can we?”

When Steven gives me an annoyed look, I raise a brow, “It’s not like you can fly to Hawaii in this weather. All the planes are going to be grounded for as long as this blizzard rages on, anyway.”

“Dad?” Aaron looks up, his eyes pleading.

Steven relents, “We can get a tree.”

However, I see a flash of annoyance on his face as he walks out of the room. I wonder whether I crossed a line, or there was something else about the idea of Christmas that he wasn’t on board with.