Christmas Ever After Read online

  That’s all it was, she reminded herself. Sex. She was on the rebound, and in a way he was, too. Two wounded souls finding comfort.

  “Little boy?”

  She settled back in her seat, smiling. “Thank you, Alec.”

  “You’re welcome. Although I seem to remember it was your idea.”

  She gave a gurgle of laughter. “Not that. I wasn’t thanking you for sex.”

  “What then?”

  “All of it. For not leaving me on my own in London, for staying with me when I was vulnerable, for bringing me here. You were there for me at my lowest point and I’ll never forget that.” She paused, her wicked streak rising to the surface. “And thank you also for the best sex I’ve ever had in my life. I won’t forget that, either.” She gripped the seat as the car swerved across the road. Fortunately they were the only ones on it. “Black ice?”

  “No—” his teeth were clenched “—you, in the front seat, talking dirty.”

  “I wasn’t talking dirty exactly. I just wanted to tell you it was the best sex I’ve ever had.”

  “Well, don’t.”

  She glanced at Alec’s profile and saw that his jaw was clenched. “You’re very tense. Are you all right?”

  “I was fine until we started talking about sex.”

  “We’re not allowed to talk about sex? Is that a British thing? We can do it, but we can’t discuss it?”

  “No, it’s an I’m-turned-on-and-if-you-don’t-want-me-to-crash-the-car-you’d-better-shut-up thing.”

  “You’re turned on?” She heard his sharply indrawn breath.

  “Sky—”

  “How turned on?”

  “Enough that I’m going to dump you in the snow any moment.”

  “Alone, or will you be coming, too?”

  He overtook a tractor, his hands tight on the wheel. “You find this amusing, don’t you?”

  “A little, but mostly I find it flattering.”

  “You’re flattered that I want to dump you in the snow?”

  “I’m flattered because you want me and you don’t want to want me. I’ve unsettled you. And it takes a lot to unsettle you because you’re pretty controlled, Shipwreck Hunter.” On impulse she leaned across and kissed his cheek, feeling the roughness of his jaw under her lips. “Thank you for the compliment.”

  “It wasn’t—”

  “Yes, it was. Don’t spoil it. Now shut up and drive.” Smiling, she settled back in her seat. “I’ll be back on Puffin Island at some point over the next couple of weeks. If you feel like indulging your voracious sexual appetite in another no-strings-attached naked workout at any point, let me know. I’m your woman. On a temporary basis, obviously.”

  Oh, shut up, Sky!

  She should have just let it go. Allowed it to turn into their secret, something they never discussed again. He was going to think she was pushing for something more.

  “You’re coming to Puffin Island?”

  “Of course. My friends live there, remember? I visit all the time. This time I think I’m staying with Brittany. Relax. I promise not to send you loving looks or tell them we used up a whole box of condoms in one night.”

  “You’ll tell them. You tell each other everything, but maybe you could skip over the condom part.”

  “Why? You don’t want them to know you scored straight As for stamina?”

  He swore under his breath. “Sky—”

  “Calm down, Alec. I’m teasing you. And I don’t know if, or what, I’ll tell them but it’s irrelevant really because they are going to know within two minutes of meeting me from the plane.”

  “You’re planning on engraving ‘I had sex with Alec in multiple positions’ on your forehead?”

  “You took me home with you. If you think they’re going to let that gesture pass without comment, you don’t know them. Don’t worry, if it comes to it I’ll give them top-line info but I won’t tell them the really intimate stuff.”

  “Well, that’s good to know.” His dry tone made her smile. “I wouldn’t mention—you know—”

  “I do not know.”

  “Yes, you do. That thing you do—that thing that made me—”

  He sighed. “I used to think I wanted honesty, now I’m not so sure.”

  Her smile faded as she saw the tension in his shoulders. “Do you regret what we did?”

  “No, but I’d rather the details of our encounter didn’t become the topic of conversation in Harbor Stores.”

  She laughed. “I can just imagine Hilda saying, ‘Seems like our resident professor has been studying more than dusty books.’ And Zach and Ryan will tease you in that cute guy way.”

  “That cute guy way that ends in me giving them both black eyes and throwing them off the dock?”

  “Yes, that way.” She settled deeper in her seat. “I love the whole bromance thing.”

  “Bromance?”

  “Yes, male bonding. Richard didn’t really have that. It should have been an alarm bell for me. I like people who care about their friends. You, Zach and Ryan have a great bond.”

  Alec rolled his eyes. “There is no bonding.”

  “And that’s part of it, pretending there’s no bonding. Pretending that you don’t give a damn about each other. Cute.”

  “It’s not cute, it’s manly.” But there was a smile in his voice and she smiled, too.

  “So when we get back to London, you’re dropping me at my hotel—and then what?”

  “I go back to my hotel.” He kept his eyes fixed on the road but she saw his hands tighten on the wheel.

  Her heart thudded a little harder. “So each of us goes to bed separately.”

  “That’s the idea.”

  “I’ll be naked. And alone. I hope I don’t get cold.”

  “For—” He pulled off the road into a gateway by a field and yanked on the hand brake. Then he put his hand behind her head and pulled her mouth to his.

  Whatever she’d expected it hadn’t been this.

  Nothing prepared her for the scalding heat of his kiss or the power of her response.

  “Oh, God, Alec—”

  She’d been kissed plenty of times before and she’d assumed that over the years she’d experienced the whole range from playful to passionate. But this was something different, and she knew that what they’d shared had ripped away some of the insulation he’d used to protect himself from the world. From women.

  Alec unleashed, she thought and melted into it.

  He licked deep into her mouth, the erotic stroke of his tongue creating an electrifying, intoxicating rush of sensation that swept over her in waves. He kissed her until her limbs weakened and she knew that if she’d been standing, she would have fallen.

  Unbalanced, she closed her hand over his biceps and felt the solid swell of muscle under the soft wool of his clothing.

  She was so desperate to touch him that she slid her other hand under his sweater, yanking his shirt out of his jeans. Then her hand was running down the smooth skin of his stomach, and she felt the ripple of muscle and tendon against her burning palm, before she lowered her hand to the thick ridge pressing through the fabric. As she closed her hand around him, he groaned and dragged his mouth from hers. “We’re not supposed to be doing this.”

  Dizzy with longing she tried to focus. “What?”

  “One night, you said.” He growled the words, his gaze on her mouth. “This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

  “It hasn’t happened. It’s still just the one time. Or five times. Six if you count—”

  “Shut up.” He released her and gave her a searing look. “If you don’t stop talking I’ll—”

  “You’ll what?”

  “I’ll do something that is going to get us both arrested. Do you want to spend Christmas in a police cell?”

  “That depends.” She loved talking with him, the banter, the fun. It was something she’d never been able to do with Richard. “Would you be there? Would they make us wear clothes?”

 
His eyes gleamed and he twisted the rope of her hair into his hand and pulled her face back to his. “Are you going to stop talking anytime soon?”

  “I can try, but I don’t want to make promises I may not be able to keep. Talking is one of my favorite things. You’d better just drop me off at my hotel room and leave me there. Then I can talk to myself and sing while I’m naked in the shower and I won’t be bothering anyone.”

  “Do you want to swap seats and drive back to London?”

  “Sit on the wrong side of the car and drive on the wrong side of the road in snow? I don’t think so.”

  “Then sit still, keep your eyes forward and your hands in your lap, do not speak or interact with me in any way and I will try to drive us there without incident.” He eased away from her and shook his head slightly.

  His self-discipline fascinated her. “Define ‘interact’—”

  “You’re interacting right now.”

  “Sorry.” She decided that “interacting” with Alec could easily become one of her favorite pastimes. “You’re very tense.”

  “That tends to happen when a woman tries to seduce me when I’m driving in snow and ice.”

  “Er, you were the one who pulled off the road and kissed me. I was minding my own business—”

  “You were telling me you’d be naked.”

  “Well, you’ve already seen me naked, Alec, from pretty much every angle, so that really shouldn’t be enough for you to risk blowing out a tire and having to call a tow truck.”

  “I said ‘no talking.’”

  “I’m silent. Not a word. I’m taking a vow of silence until we reach London.”

  “Good. You can start right after you cancel your hotel room.”

  It took a moment for the words to sink in and when they did she assumed she’d misheard him. “What?”

  “You heard me.”

  “Where will I sleep?”

  “You won’t be sleeping. You’ll be in a state of active wakefulness. Make the call.”

  Her chest felt tight and her breathing was shallow. There were a thousand reasons why what he was suggesting was a bad idea.

  She ignored them all and pulled out her phone. Hands shaking, she canceled the hotel room she’d booked for the night. She was desperately aware of him, of the hard jut of his thigh close to hers, the power of his arms as he gripped the wheel and guided them back toward the road.

  Intimacy, she thought, was a strange thing.

  Not once, in all the time she’d spent with Richard, had she felt as close to him as she did now to Alec.

  “So we’re going for another night.” She kept her voice casual. “Just as long as you know this is just sex. You don’t want to go falling in love with me, because I’m a real heartbreaker in case you hadn’t heard. And whatever you do don’t try to propose to me because you could easily end up with a stiletto in your balls and you wouldn’t want that.”

  She risked a glance at him and saw the corners of his mouth flicker as he struggled not to smile.

  She wondered how she could ever have thought him humorless.

  “We both know you’re not a heartbreaker. You believe in one true love and happy endings. You’re my nightmare.”

  “No, I’m not, because while I’m waiting for that to come along I believe in hot sex.” She beamed at him. “Lots of it. Which in fact makes me your daydream, not your nightmare.”

  His jaw tightened. “You should stop talking now.”

  “You don’t really think I’d fall in love with a moody, brooding guy like you, do you? Please. Give me some credit. I’ll read about Heathcliff but I don’t want to have to look at his scowling face while I’m eating my breakfast cereal every morning. I’m now going to sleep so that I conserve my energy, so when you stop to buy condoms make sure you buy a bumper pack. If we’ve only got one more night together we have to cram as much sex in as possible.”

  Sex, she reminded herself.

  That’s what this was about.

  Simple, straightforward, scorching sex.

  What could possibly go wrong?

  ALEC MADE A call and pulled some strings, telling himself that his decision was more to do with practicalities than a desire to fulfill one of Sky’s wishes. If they stayed in the hotel room there was a strong chance they’d both be rushed to the emergency department with exhaustion and no doubt Michael would be on duty and would find a way to relay the happy news to his family.

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll find out when we get there.”

  “It’s a surprise? Will I like it? I love surprises. I mean, not the ‘public proposal’ type of surprise, but pretty much any other sort works for me.” Skylar snuggled in the back of the taxi they’d just hailed down, her cheeks glowing. “Do you need to blindfold me or anything?”

  He pushed aside the images her words created in his head. “I don’t need to blindfold you, and if I told you where we were going, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

  “Should I close my eyes? Would that make it more exciting?” She was laughing, teasing him, and her fizz and bounce revved up every one of his senses.

  “Keep your eyes open.”

  “Give me a clue. Is it somewhere I’ve been before? Somewhere I’ve mentioned?”

  “Maybe.”

  “The London Eye?” She leaned forward, craning her neck to look upward, as the taxi pulled up close to the river. “Wow. You did this for me?”

  Seeing the delight on her face, he wondered if he’d done the wrong thing.

  Was this an over-the-top gesture? What sort of night out was right for two people who were having simple sex?

  She leaned across and gave him a spontaneous hug. “Thanks, Alec. When you’re not being a dumbass, you’re the best.”

  “You just managed to insult me and praise me in the same sentence.”

  “This has been on my wish list for a long time. You listened, paid attention and arranged something you knew I’d like. That’s thoughtful.”

  “For a dumbass. We had to do something, so I thought it might as well be this.” He played it down as he leaned forward to pay the driver, then took her hand and ignored the line of people waiting.

  “We’re line jumping?”

  “I know someone.” And he’d paid a small fortune, but he didn’t tell her that. But it was worth it to see her face when she discovered that they had the capsule to themselves.

  “Just us? And champagne?” The doors closed and she turned to look at him, a strange look on her face. “Alec Hunter, you are the king of surprises. This is easily the best Christmas I’ve ever had.”

  He handed her a glass of champagne. “And technically it isn’t even Christmas yet.”

  “I’m pretending it is, because real Christmas is going to be a total crapfest.” She strolled round the capsule. “Where do I stand for the best view?”

  “It doesn’t matter. The view is different from all angles. Experiment.”

  “On my own?” She turned her head, and threw him a smile. “Are you going to experiment with me? Has anyone ever had sex in one of these?”

  “Only you would ask that question.” He wondered what it was about her that made him contemplate something that would undoubtedly get them both arrested. “I don’t know. And don’t take that as a challenge.”

  She lifted her glass. “Happy holidays. You have no idea how envious I am of you spending Christmas on Puffin Island with our friends. Spare a thought for me making small talk with the upper echelons of New York society.”

  “You could refuse to go.”

  She stared into the glass, watching the bubbles rise. “I can’t even imagine how that would look. My parents would probably never speak to me again. They’re my family. And they’re not perfect, but—” she shrugged and drank her champagne “—in their own very controlling way they do love me. I know it’s not going to be anyone’s idea of a perfect Christmas but it’s the one I’ve got, so it’s best not to think about it. Suck it up, that’s what I
tell myself. And now let’s forget it. I want to enjoy this moment, not worry about that one.”

  He didn’t want to forget it. “What is your idea of a perfect Christmas?”

  She turned her head and stared through the glass at the carpet of lights beneath them. “A Christmas where I can be myself, around people I already know and love. I want laughter and conversation, not serious faces and polite small talk. I want—” She tilted her head back and smiled. “I want surprises, adventure, small, thoughtful gestures, no agenda, no reason to be gathering, except to enjoy each other’s company. I want a Christmas where duty isn’t allowed in the room, and yes, I want gifts, not empty boxes. Not expensive but thoughtful. Perfect gifts that show someone has thought about who I am and what I’d love.”

  There was a pause.

  “So you don’t want much then.”

  She laughed, as he’d known she would, and focused on the view. “This is incredible.”

  “It’s just a giant Ferris wheel.”

  “That’s like saying Hawaii is just a bunch of islands.”

  “Hawaii is a bunch of islands.”

  All the time they were talking Alec was imagining her surrounded by perfectly wrapped empty boxes, making small talk in a crowd of people she didn’t know.

  She was dreading it, but still she had that smile on her face.

  She was the most resilient person he’d ever met.

  He guided her to the front of the capsule and stood behind her, caging her as she gazed through the glass at the city below. “This is my favorite view. Are you warm enough?”

  “Not really, but that’s because I went for silk and lace rather than thermal. But you already know that of course. Having peeled off my underwear piece by piece a few hours ago.”

  “I remember the underwear.” But most of all he remembered the woman. He eased her against him and wrapped her in the folds of his coat.

  “You don’t have to cuddle me. That’s not part of our deal.”

  “I’m protecting my investment. I don’t mind being adventurous in bed but I draw the line at having sex with a frozen object.”

  “When I’m trapped making small talk with some boring banker from Manhattan, I’m going to remember tonight.”