A Winter’s Tale by Carrie Elks (22)

Adam dropped back onto the mattress, his heart speeding in his chest like a freight train. Kitty curled up beside him, her soft body pressing against his side, and her head nestling into the crook of his arm. She was breathing as loudly as he was, their bodies covered with a soft sheen of perspiration in spite of the cold weather outside. Tonight’s sex had been just as frantic as it had been that morning. Needy. Desperate.

Perfection.

Damn, he needed to kiss her again. He dipped his head, capturing her lips with his own. Her breath warmed his mouth as he slid his tongue inside, sweeping it gently against the soft skin inside her lips.

Kitty put her hand on his hard, flat stomach, running her palm along his flesh.

‘You OK?’ His voice was low.

‘Mmhmm.’

‘You want anything? Water, food? We can take a shower if you like.’

‘Later,’ she mumbled. ‘I want to just lie here for now.’

That’s exactly what Adam wanted, too. He wasn’t ready to leave the bed yet. The feeling of her sweet body pressed against his was too delicious to let go.

He closed his eyes, breathing in the aroma of Kitty and sex. It was the ultimate aphrodisiac. If he hadn’t spent most of the night worshipping at her feet, no doubt he’d be getting hard again. As it was, he was counting the minutes before he could muster up the energy for another round.

Sex with Kitty Shakespeare was like a drug, and he was getting addicted.

‘Adam?’

‘Yeah?’

‘Is it my turn to ask questions?’

‘What sort of questions?’ Adam’s voice was guarded.

‘The sort of questions you asked me.’

He licked his dry lips, wondering why it felt so uncomfortable to be put in the spotlight. It was the same sensation he felt at therapy, as though all his tools were being used on him. ‘I guess…’

‘Tell me about your childhood.’

His stomach clenched. She was heading straight for the personal questions. No small talk for Kitty Shakespeare. Maybe that’s why he liked her so much.

‘Not much to tell. I was a rich kid. Spoiled. Sent away to school. I did what I was told and made good grades.’

She snuggled closer into him. ‘That’s it? No tales of rebellion or childhood neglect? No sob story designed to soften my heart?’

Adam smiled in spite of himself. ‘It was normal, at least it was to me. I didn’t know any better at the time.’

‘And now?’

‘Now…’ His voice trailed off, as he tried to find the right words. ‘Now I realise how privileged we were. And how much I took for granted.’

‘What did you take for granted?’ The way her fingers stroked his skin was distracting. And hot.

Down, boy.

‘I don’t know.’ His voice was a shrug. ‘The money, the vacations. For years I thought Annie was just some aunt, always ready to look after us. I didn’t believe it when Everett told me she was paid to clean and cook.’

Kitty smiled. ‘Sometimes I wonder if Jonas thinks that about me.’

‘Jonas is much cleverer than I was.’

‘Can I ask another question?’ Her breath feathered his skin. It made his nipples go hard.

‘Maybe.’

‘Why are you here?’

He turned to look at her, a questioning expression on his face. ‘With you?’

‘No. I mean why are you living here in this cabin? Are you planning on making any more documentaries? How long have you been here? How long are you planning to stay?’

‘That’s four different questions.’ And each one of them made him want to squirm.

‘OK, then let’s start with the first. Why are you living here?’

‘I got into a bit of trouble when I was in LA. My attorney made a plea bargain to get me out of the charges. I agreed to come back here to my parents’ place and get anger-management therapy.’

She opened her mouth as if to ask another question, then closed it again, nodding encouragingly for him to continue.

‘I really didn’t want to live with my parents. I haven’t done for the past fifteen years, so I moved in here and fixed it up a bit.’

‘You fixed it up by yourself?’

‘Mostly. Called in a few favours here and there. It’s not exactly the Hilton, but it will do.’

She bit her lip, as though she was considering the next one. ‘When did you move in here?’

‘A couple of months ago. I pretty much moved down here as soon as the roof was watertight. Figured I could do the rest while I was in here.’

‘And how long do you plan to stay for?’

‘I don’t know,’ he said honestly. ‘The mandated therapy is only for another month. After that I’m free to do what I want.’ But what did he want? That was the question.

‘But you’ll make more documentaries, right?’ she asked him. ‘What about that one in Colombia, are you planning to finish it?’

His mouth went dry at the mention of Colombia. He really didn’t want to think about that at all. He pulled her closer, until her chest was melded into his. ‘That’s a story for another day.’

‘Oh yeah?’

He trailed a finger down her spine, making her body squirm beneath his touch. ‘Yeah. I think I’m about done talking for now.’

Kitty didn’t protest as he pulled her fully on top of him, cupping her warm buttocks inside his palms. Sliding his hand up, he pressed his hand to the back of her head, pulling her down until their lips were inches away from each other.

‘You feel good,’ he said, growing hard as her body moved against him. Her touch was enough to make him forget everything, all the fears, the anger, the incessant reminders.

‘So do you.’ She dipped her head lower, until her mouth was on Adam’s. They moved together, kissing each other slowly, as if they had all the time in the world.

‘You taste good, too.’

‘Mmhmm.’

Then he lifted her off him and onto the mattress, moving down the bed until his lips were pressed against her stomach. He didn’t want to talk any more, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t use his mouth if he wanted to.

By the sound of her sighs, she wanted pretty much the same thing.

 

The cabin was surprisingly warm for a building made of little more than timber and sheer grit. Kitty nestled into the pillows, their softness undulating beneath her cheek, as Adam whispered something in his sleep before reaching out for her.

He’d held her all night. By early morning she was burning up, enough to make her wriggle out of his grasp. Lying there in the darkness, she’d tucked her hand under her cheek and closed her eyes, trying to remember every line of his face.

She was falling for him. Not in the way she’d been attracted to men before, in that chemical sizzle of lust and excitement. No, this was more soul shaking than that. A connection of hearts and minds that seemed to hum inside her. A need to protect as much as be protected.

It was too early to feel that way, and yet she couldn’t help herself. The way he’d decorated that hollow in the woods, just for her, had been enough to crack open whatever remained of her defences. Not that she’d had that many to begin with.

Somehow she needed to guard her freshly exposed heart. An impossible task when he’d already stolen it clean from her chest. The way he’d looked last night with that little-boy-lost stare as he’d told her his story, was enough to make her want to give it to him all over again.

Damn, she was so bad at this. All the Shakespeare sisters were. Not one of them was able to separate their hearts from their minds. A need for love seemed to run through their veins along with their warm, English blood.

‘Come here.’ Adam wrapped his arms around her, until Kitty’s head was tucked into his chest. They were still naked from their night-time exertions, and she could feel his muscles flexing beneath her cheek. She could hear his heartbeat, too. Strong and steady, it beat out a tattoo that emulated her own. A rhythm as reassuring as a maternal pulse, it made her eyes heavy and her breath slow.

Two hours later she awoke with a start. This time the cabin was bathed in the half light, the West Virginian sun slowly making its morning appearance. Kitty sat up, disoriented, having to blink a few times before the room came into focus. That’s when she realised she wasn’t asleep in the attic room. And that the big house was more than a few footsteps away.

She’d spent her first night with Adam, and it had been pretty much perfect. Why did it have to end?

‘I need to get back.’ She wasn’t sure if she was talking to Adam or herself. ‘Jonas will be waking up.’

‘It’s still early, there’s plenty of time. Lie down, let me hold you.’

There was something so tempting about his offer that she nearly took him up on it. Spending a morning lying in his arms would have been a pretty good way to while away the hours. But she had things to do, a job to perform, not to mention a walk of shame to navigate. The last thing she needed was for her arrival back at the big house to have an audience.

No, best to leave right now before the house stirred. When they woke up they wouldn’t even realise she’d left. She could simply run up to the attic bedroom and pretend she’d been in there all night. A shower and some clothes and it would be a morning like any other.

‘I can’t stay,’ she whispered. ‘They’ll notice I’ve gone.’

‘You come down here every day. You can tell them you just got here a little early.’

She felt torn between her need for him and her natural dedication to her job. ‘I can’t,’ she repeated. ‘It’s so close to Christmas, we can’t let them suspect anything.’

‘You’re right.’ Adam sat up, the covers falling to his waist. His bare chest seemed to glisten in the morning light. He really was a good-looking guy. ‘Give me ten minutes, I’ll get the Skidoo out.’

She shook her head. ‘They’ll hear the engine. It might even wake them up. I’m better off walking.’

Kitty noticed he didn’t protest about that. Maybe he was as afraid as she was about being discovered.

Of course he wouldn’t want his family finding out. Why would he? It would only complicate things.

‘I’ll walk you, then.’

She put her arm on his bicep, feeling the warmth of his skin leaching into hers. ‘It’s OK, I know the way. If anybody’s up in the house it’ll be easier to explain if I arrive alone.’

He stared at her intently, as if he was looking for something behind her words. ‘I can stop at the treeline. Nobody will see me there.’

Kitty rolled her lip between her teeth, considering his offer. Part of her wanted to stretch their time together for as long as possible. She wanted to stay with him in this little bubble, in the protection of his arms. She was afraid that when she walked away the spell would break.

The other part, though, needed the space to think things through. As soon as she was back in the big house she’d be drawn into the mayhem of the day. Getting Jonas ready, helping Annie with breakfast, not to mention the last-minute preparations for Christmas. With less than twenty-four hours until Christmas Eve they really were running out of time.

She needed to think before she got in too deep. Before she let herself get carried away by romance and hopes and happily-ever-after. A cold, brisk walk up through the forest was exactly what she needed, even if her heart didn’t want the reality check.

‘It’s OK, I’ll be fine. You get on with your day, no doubt you’ve got lots to do.’ She smiled, though it took some effort.

This time he didn’t protest. Instead, he pulled on his pyjama bottoms and sat on the end of the bed, watching closely as she put on her clothes. The fluffy sheep pyjamas seemed stupid – not cute the way she’d thought they were last night. So unsophisticated and mundane.

Her boots were still by the door. She pulled them on, looking around for her jacket, but Adam already had it in his hands. ‘You sure you don’t want a ride?’

‘I’ll be fine.’ She slipped her arms into the proffered coat. Adam lifted it onto her shoulders, his hands lingering there for a moment. She luxuriated in his touch, in his closeness, in the amazing way he smelled.

It was good. Too good.

She reached out for the door, turning the handle to let in the brisk morning air. When she turned back he was still staring at her, his expression unreadable. She wanted to say something to him, maybe ask him how he felt. Tell him she was going to miss him, even though he was only a trek through the forest away.

‘I guess I’ll see you later.’

He nodded. ‘That you will.’

Was he angry at her? She wanted him to plead with her to stay again. To tell her he liked her as much as she liked him. But she was too shy to voice her needs.

When he remained silent, Kitty rolled onto her tiptoes, pressing her lips against his warm, bearded cheek. ‘Goodbye, Adam.’

She hurried down the cabin steps and onto the snowy ground. The crash of wood against wood told her he’d closed the door, and it felt as though something inside her snapped. She turned back to check, and the porch was deserted, with only the decorations and fairy lights to be seen.

So that was that, then, the end of a perfect night. Time to turn and face the bright reality of the day. She squared her shoulders as she approached the snow-topped trees, trying to ignore the ache already forming in her chest.

She’d be OK. She always was.

Life was never supposed to be a fairy tale, she didn’t know why she’d let herself believe it could be.