Chapter 7
Brooke looked up at Calvin tears in her eyes. “This is beautiful,” she said, rubbing the robe against her cheek.
Looking down at her, he said, “I had it made especially for you by a woman who Marissa knows.” Then he pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her. “But the robe comes with a limitation.”
“Oh, and what would that be?” she asked, her heart pounding in her chest at the steamy look in his eyes.
“You can only wear it when you’re naked,” he said, making her body sing with desire.
Brooke sucked in a breath and licked her lips, knowing that the moment she’d been waiting for had finally arrived. Suddenly worried that it wouldn’t live up to both of their expectations, she panicked and tried to pull out of Calvin’s arms. He pulled her firmly back into his arms, tipped her head up, and kissed her, immediately dissolving all her fears.
Calvin had sensed her sudden nerves and understood, they’d waited so long, put so much into this one moment that it felt like the rest of their lives depended on what happened that night. “I want to make love to you, Brooke, let’s go to bed,” he said when she’d finally relaxed in his arms.
She looked into his eyes and knew that no matter what happened between them, tonight would be magical, a night she would always remember. Satisfied at what she’d found in his eyes, she took his hand and led him to the bed at the back of the cave, not caring that the fire should have been fed or that they’d left food sitting out. They’d waited long enough, it was time to fulfill the need deep inside her to be one with Calvin in the most primal of ways.
When they got to the back of the cave, she turned to him and unzipped the jacket he was wearing and pulled it off his shoulders, then ran her hands up and down his chest, loving the way his muscles felt under her hands. Calvin took her jacket off, cupping her breasts through the sweater she wore underneath, making them swell immediately and a small gasp escape from her lips. She closed her eyes as he rubbed his thumbs across her sensitive nipples, then opened them when his hands left her breasts to pull her sweater over her head.
She shivered a little when the cold air hit her skin, but no amount of cold could chill the heat burning deep inside her. “Are you cold?” Calvin asked, pulling her against him.
“No, I’m not cold,” she said, pulling back and lifting his sweater over his head, then letting her hands trace the contours of his chest down to his stomach until she reached the button on his pants.
Locking eyes with him, she slid her hand lower to his erection which was pushing against the fabric of his pants, making Calvin groan with pleasure. His mouth found hers as she stroked him, his arms coming around her and pulling her close. At the first touch of his bare skin on hers, she wrapped her arms around his neck and tried to get closer, the need for more contact instantaneous and driving.
Panting with need, Brooke almost collapsed when Calvin sank to his knees and removed her boots and then her pants, his hand caressing the inside of her leg as he rose to his feet. He kicked off his boots and quickly removed his pants, then pulled back the corner of the sleeping bag and climbed in, holding his hand out for Brooke who quickly climbed in next to him. Heart hammering in her chest, her body alive with desire, she gasped when their skin touched.
Calvin covered her body with her own, a weight she’d been wanting to feel for what felt like forever. Then his mouth came down on hers in a demanding kiss that told her that there was no going back now. When he stripped off her bra and panties, she helped him out of his boxers, smiling to think how many times she’d come close to doing the same thing over the past few months.
But that smile disappeared quickly when Calvin’s mouth came down on one of her taunt nipples, the wave of pleasure so intense that she grabbed his head and pulled him closer with one hand, while the other gripped his shoulder. Brooke had never felt such intense pleasure, the waves stealing her breath as Calvin teased first one nipple then the other. When his hand dipped down her body and settled between her legs, the fire inside her leapt to new heights, the anticipation of him touching her making her hips come up off the bed.
Growling in his throat at the feel of Brooke’s heat on his hand, he slid his finger between her folds and across her swollen clit then deep inside her. She was frantic with need, the fire in her belly spreading through her body as the waves of pleasure his fingers were producing flowed through her like molten lava. He found her clit with his thumb and began to rub her in gentle circles until crying his name, she crested, the pleasure leaving her trembling in his arms.
Calvin leaned up on one elbow and looked down at her, her eyes still half-closed from the pleasure he’d just given her and said, “Do you have any idea how beautiful you are? I need you, Brooke, more than I’ve ever needed anyone before.”
Looking up at him she practically purred, “I need you too, Calvin.”
He was lost then in the chocolate depths of her eyes, his world reduced to the woman in his arms and the promise of what was to come, not just now but for years to come. Right then, he promised himself to never let Brooke get away from him, the impulse coming from someplace deep inside him he hadn’t even know existed.
Moving between her legs, he locked eyes with her and slid inside her, the electricity between them suddenly merged taking their breath away as they became one. His eyes locked on hers, the connections between them intense and deeply satisfying. He moved inside her, filling her over and over again. As he moved inside her, Brooke’s body responded, gripping him tightly as her muscles contracted with each wave of pleasure that washed though her.
The pressure inside her began to grow and she thrust her hips up to meet each powerful thrust of Calvin’s hips. Lost in a storm of pleasure, she wrapped her legs around Calvin’s hips and pulled him deeper inside her, grinding her hips against him until with a burst of moisture she climaxed. Her muscles clenched so tightly around Calvin that he gave up his hard-held restraint and let himself fall over the cliff into the pure bliss of the pleasure Brooke gave him.
He collapsed on top of her, unable to bring himself to move for a long time, his body still trembling with the passion they’d just shared. Brooke welcomed the weight of Calvin’s body, conscious that they were still joined together, and hoping that Calvin wouldn’t break the connection yet. She was shocked and overjoyed at the power of what they’d just shared, her fears of being disappointed only a distant memory. She smiled and felt a stirring between her legs at the thought of what Calvin had been able to do to her body.
“Hmm, you’re squirming. Am I too heavy?” he said, rolling off her onto his back, dragging her on top of him and grinning at her whimper when he pulled out of her.
“You weren’t too heavy, it felt nice,” she said, tracing circles on his chest, then letting it sink lower, curious since she’d never actually touched him before. When her hand found that he was rock hard again, she sucked in a breath of appreciation and ran her hand up and down his throbbing erection.
“Maybe we should see what it feels like for you to be on top,” he said, lifting her all the way on top of him, and pushing her legs down until his erection was resting against her swollen nib.
“Oh, I think that feels nice too,” she said breathily as he slid inside her.
They awoke to a gentle snow the next morning, warm in the bed thanks to the heaters Cooper had thought to put in the cave. The fire had long since burned itself out and the thought of getting up almost kept them in bed, but it was Christmas. Brooke found her new robe and put it on, only then realizing how warm the featherweight garment was.
“That’s quite the fashion statement,” Calvin said, laughing at her in the robe and her snow boots when she came back into the cave.
“Very funny. I’m not going to wear those slippers anywhere but in my bedroom,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him.
Calvin laughed and got out of bed, grabbed her, and threw her back on the bed. “Don’t move, I’ll be right back,” he said, stepping into his boots and nothing else.
When he came back in and laid down next to her, his skin was cold but it wasn’t long before they were both more than warm, the purple robe discarded in a pile at the bottom of the bed. A few hours later, Brooke got out of bed again, this time driven by the need for food. Calvin reluctantly admitted that maybe they should get up and start their day, but not before he covered her with his body and kissed her.
“Merry Christmas, Brooke,” he said, his voice cracking a little bit because he knew that he was deeply in love with Brooke.
Tears in her eyes, she said, “Merry Christmas, Calvin,” her heart practically bursting with love for him.
Neither could express what they were feeling right then, the emotion too big to put into words, but each knew that they’d finally found the love they’d thought they’d never find. They made love again, but this time it was a tender, gentle merging of their bodies, an expression of the feelings they couldn’t express in words. It was an unspoken commitment to each other, a symbol of a love that was still new and tender.
When they finally emerged from the sleeping bags and got dressed, which Brooke insisted on fearing they’d just end up in bed again, it was afternoon. But since they had no place to be, they decided to have breakfast for lunch. The fire had burned down, but Calvin quickly revived it, and Brooke made coffee which tasted even better than it had the day before. Calvin lit the candles on the Christmas tree which gave the cave a warm glow, as the snow continued to fall.
After they’d eaten, Brooke suggested that they get out of the cave for a little while so they went out and gathered some more firewood, enjoying tromping around the forest in the snow, feeling like they were the only people in the world. Brooke couldn’t have been happier any place else in the world that day, and by the time they got back to the cave, it was no surprise when they ended up back in the sleeping bags, the passion between them only stronger each time they were together.
After dinner that night, Brooke brought out her presents for Calvin and shyly handed them to him. It was hard to buy a gift for someone who had enough money to buy himself anything he wanted, so she’d decided to make his gifts.
“I can’t open these until I get your other gift,” Calvin said, getting up and taking a small box from his bag.
“Open this one first,” Brooke said, handing him the larger of the two packages.
He opened it then sighed with pleasure. “Oh, this is wonderful,” he said, wrapping the scarf she’d made him around his neck. It was midnight blue and made his eyes look even bluer just as she knew it would when she saw the yarn in the store.
“It’s cashmere like my robe. I guess great minds think alike,” Brooke said, pleased that he was happy with the gift.
“Open yours now,” he said eagerly.
Brooke opened the package with trembling fingers to find a velvet box. When she opened the lid, it was to find a shimmering diamond necklace. The stone was set in the middle of a gold heart styled like it had been made in the 1930s. “Oh, Calvin, it’s beautiful and perfect,” she said. “Help me put it on.”
“This diamond came from the first mine I found in Canada. I’ve never given one to anyone before, I’ve never wanted to,” he said, putting the chain around her neck when she lifted her hair up, then turned her back around and kissed her.
When he let her go, she had to wipe her eyes. “I seem to be very teary this Christmas,” she said, laughing. “Open your other gift.”
Calvin pulled the paper off his own little box, then lifted the lid to find a locket hanging from a piece of leather. He lifted it out of the box and turned it over, then opened it up to find a lock of her hair on one side and a lock of his on the other. The locket was engraved with their initials and a delicate pattern of leaves that had taken Brooke hours to create.
“I know it’s not a very manly gift, but they were all the rage in the 1930s. Many men carried them in the war too. I came across the idea when I was researching furniture for the farm house,” Brooke explained, not sure if Calvin liked it or not.
“Did you make this?” Calvin asked, holding the locket up so it caught the light.
“Yes, another one of my hobbies from my life in the city,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.
“You’ve got a real talent. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought that it was made by a master craftsman. I love it,” he said, fastening it around his neck. “I’m never going to take it off.” Then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. As an afterthought, he asked, “How did you get a lock of my hair?”
Brooke giggled. “Well, I was going to wait until I gave it to you, but when you were asleep the other day, I snipped it off.”
Calvin ran his hands thought his hair, then laughed. “Well, I didn’t even miss it.”
They were sad to go home the next morning, the time they’d spent alone together over much too soon, but life was waiting for them including Cooper, who was on his way to help them pack out. Once they’d packed up all the food and other supplies, they stood together looking at the tree, not wanting to take it down but knowing that it would be worse to come up here later and find it dry and dead in the cave.
“It was so pretty, but it’s already starting to get dry, it’s not going to last much longer anyway,” Calvin said, pulling the first ornament off.
“I know, it just seems sad,” Brooke said, holding the ornament box open for Calvin.
“But we’ll still have the ornaments for next year,” Calvin said, flashing her a smile that melted her heart. She loved it when he talked about their future together as if it was a sure thing.
“That’s true, I’m just being silly,” Brooke said, smiling back at him.
“It’s not silly, it’s adorable that you’re sad to see our first Christmas tree die. Maybe next year we’ll get a live one, then we can plant it when we’re done,” Calvin said, pulling her to him and giving her a hug, his heart full of the love he felt for this woman in his arms.
Their quiet moment was broken by the sound of a snowmobile and Cooper yelling out their names. They met him at the mouth of the cave, Calvin’s arm firmly around Brooke as they stood and waited for him. When he got to them, Brooke surprised him by giving him a big hug. “Thank you for setting this all up.”
“I take it you had a nice holiday,” he said, hugging Brooke back, then raising his eyebrows at his brother over her back. Calvin shot his brother a big smile and gave a simple nod of his head, those gestures telling Cooper everything he needed to know.
“It was wonderful,” Brooke said, walking back to stand next to Calvin. “But I suppose it’s time to go home. We were just finishing the tree and thinking it was sad to see it die.”
“Let’s cut it up and take it with us, you can burn it next year at Christmas,” Cooper suggested.
Calvin was surprised by his brother’s romantic idea but liked it. “Sounds like a perfect solution,” Calvin said, getting the chainsaw ready while Brooke and Cooper took off the rest of the ornaments.
It was late afternoon before they got back to the farm, unloaded the supplies, and put them away. Brooke was pleased to find Paige and the boys waiting for them in the kitchen. “I thought you might like to come home to a hot meal. Did you have fun?” she asked when Brooke walked through the door.
“Sounds wonderful to me, and I’m glad you’re here too,” Brooke said, giving her friend a hug and a big smile.
Paige looked at her for a second, then said, “Looks like I’m not the only new member of the family. I know that look, you’re in love.”
Brooke couldn’t help but smile. “I’m afraid so, totally and deeply. It’s wonderful and frightening at the same time.” Brooke opened her mouth to say more, but the men came stomping into the house, complaining about being hungry, which brought the boys out of the living room with equally strong complaints.
As they were eating dinner, Cooper casually said, “Oh, by the way, Mom and Dad are going to be here in a few days. Mom said something about meeting the woman who could keep her son away from her on the holidays.”
Brooke stopped eating, a bite halfway to her mouth, then looked at Calvin in a panic. “Cooper, you just scared Brooke, stop that. My mother would have never said anything like that,” Calvin said, shooting Cooper a dirty look.
“Fine, she actually said that she couldn’t wait any longer to meet you,” Cooper said, shrugging his shoulders and giving Calvin a wicked smile. “Sorry, Brooke, I just couldn’t help myself. It’s kind of nice to have her thinking about something besides my wedding. That’s what she’s really coming for, but you two will provide a nice distraction.”
Paige slapped Cooper on the arm. “She’s a wonderful woman and you’re lucky to have such great parents, stop complaining. You’ll see, six weeks will go fast.”
Calvin about choked on the bite of food he had in his mouth. “Six weeks?”
Cooper couldn’t help but laugh. “Yep, six weeks. She’s bound and determined to stay until you go back to South Africa. Thanks for that and don’t even think of trying to hide over here while she’s in Coldwater Canyon.”
Brooke watched the exchange between brothers with a smile on her face, knowing without being told that they both loved their mother a lot. For the rest of the meal, they entertained Paige and Brooke with stories about their mother and all the crazy things she’d made them do growing up to make sure they appreciated what they had.
After Cooper, Paige, and the boys left that night, they snuggled up on the couch in front of the fire wondering where they would go from here. “I don’t want you to leave tonight,” she finally said, unable to stop herself.
“I don’t want to either, but I also don’t want to move too fast,” Calvin said slowly. “I’m afraid you’ll get tired of me if I’m here all the time.”
Brooke was silent for a minute then said, “Well, how about if we take it one day at a time. If you start driving me crazy, I’ll let you know. But somehow I don’t think that’s going to happen. Do you?”
Calvin thought about it for a second, then said, “No, I don’t think so either. I’ll bring my stuff in before we go to bed.”
The thought of finally getting into her big bed with Calvin and not having to keep her hands off him sent a thrill through her. “I’m ready for bed now,” she said, grinning at him.
He took one look at her face and pulled her up off the couch and into his arms. “I can wait to get my stuff,” he said, then he led her over to the bed and sank down onto it, taking her with him.
When his mouth found hers, the kiss was searing and possessive as if he was laying claim to her both body as soul, but as soon as Calvin felt her surrender to him, the kiss became gentle and giving. As he helped her out of her clothes, he planted kisses on her body, a promise of what was to come. Brooke returned the favor, loving the way he growled when her lips touched his body.
It was morning before Calvin thought about his clothes waiting out in the truck, but he decided that it was a good excuse to keep Brooke in bed well into the morning hours. When she finally managed to extract herself from the bed to take a shower, he followed her, changing forever the meaning of sharing a shower in Brooke’s mind and making her wish for a bigger hot water heater.