Christmas Ever After Read online

  “You’re right. And choosing whether or not to answer the phone isn’t enough.” She lay there, wrapped in strength and warmth. “I’m going to spend Christmas here on Puffin Island.”

  He stirred. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. For once I want to be with my friends instead of a bunch of strangers. I’m going to tell my parents how I feel. Alec?” She could feel his hand in her hair as he gently massaged her scalp and knew that his pillow would be covered in long blond hairs in the morning.

  “What?” His voice was rough with sleep and she nestled closer.

  “I want this to be a perfect Christmas. When the storm ends, can we go and get a tree?”

  She felt his fingers still.

  “I don’t have many decorations.”

  “I’m going over to Emily’s in a few days. I’ll make some with Lizzy. Until then I’ll scour the outdoors for inspiration.” Her eyes drifted shut. “I want to go to the forest and choose one together. Can we do that?”

  She wondered if it was too much. If her request was too personal. Maybe it felt too much like she was moving into his cottage, marking it as her territory.

  “Yes.” His voice was soft. “We can do that.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  THE STORM CONTINUED for two days and then gave way to clear blue skies and bitter cold.

  Alec dressed in thick layers and went outside to clear the snow while it was still soft and powdery.

  Watching from the window, Sky decided outdoor gear suited him. He looked like a man who could take on nature single-handed. She indulged herself for a few moments, admiring sheer muscle power and masculine brawn, then she borrowed his spare jacket and joined him outside.

  He looked surprised. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

  “Are you kidding? Shoveling snow is better than the treadmill. And anyway, I just called my parents back and told them I’m spending Christmas here.”

  He straightened. “And how did that go?”

  “Let’s put it this way—I thought some snow clearing might lower my blood pressure.”

  He gave a sympathetic smile. “That bad?”

  “Worse. But it felt good to tell them what I wanted for a change. They told me I was making bad choices and I pointed out that they were in fact my choices to make. And I felt—” she breathed “—strong. More in control. It was a good conversation.”

  And she knew he was the reason she’d found the courage to have that conversation.

  Shoveling snow, she discovered, was a perfect way of working off a bad mood. They worked together, their breath forming clouds of vapor in the freezing air.

  Alec gave her a long, searching look. “I should thank your mother for clearing my snow.”

  She eased upright, wincing. “I have a backache. That’s what comes from taking your frustration out on a snowdrift.”

  “Welcome to Maine in winter. And we escaped lightly this time. We still have power and the plow came earlier so the road’s clear at least.” Alec unzipped his jacket a little way. “We can go on and find a Christmas tree later, but first I need to walk across to Hunter’s Cove to check on Meg. I won’t be long.”

  She wondered when he was going to get used to the fact she didn’t need him to entertain her. “You can be as long as you need to be and do whatever it is you need to do. But who is Meg?”

  “My nearest neighbor. Meg has lived on the island forever. Tough as they come and never asks for help, but she broke her hip last winter and isn’t as mobile as she’d like to be.”

  “Does she have family on the island?”

  “She has a son and a daughter, but not on the island. They live in Bar Harbor.”

  “That’s not so far.”

  “They’re busy with their lives and she doesn’t want to bother them.”

  “So you watch out for her?” They didn’t visit, so he did. Knowing that did something to her insides. And she knew it wasn’t just because he did the right thing, but because he did it quietly with no agenda or expectation of favors in return. He painted himself as selfish, and yet he always did what needed to be done, even when it inconvenienced him. He’d done the same thing with her. Her heart bumped against her chest. “I’ll come with you and I’ll put some soup in a flask for her.”

  “You don’t have to do that. It won’t be a very comfortable trek. The snow will be deep in parts and there will probably be some branches down.”

  “Deep snow is good. All the more for me to push some down your jacket when you least expect it. You’re forgetting I have that gold medal in snowballing.”

  He gave a half smile. “You shouldn’t have reminded me. Now I’ll be ready for you.”

  “No, you won’t. I’m cunning.” Warm from the exertion, she unzipped her jacket slightly, too. “I’ll wait until your guard is down and then I’ll pounce.”

  “I like it when you pounce.” He reached out and hauled her against him and because she didn’t see it coming she lost her balance and put her hands on his chest to steady herself.

  “I almost landed on my butt there. Do you always just grab what you want?”

  “Sometimes. When it’s worth grabbing.” His mouth came down on hers, his kiss warm and skilled and she melted into him, clutching those broad shoulders. Her legs felt heavy and her breathing labored. She’d spent most of the past two days in bed with him, most of it awake, and still she couldn’t get enough of him.

  “Don’t you need to work?”

  He lifted his mouth just enough to answer. “Probably. But you’re distracting me.”

  “Do not use me as an excuse. Go and work.” She pushed at his chest. “Deadline.”

  He smiled against her mouth. “I love it when you talk dirty to me.”

  “I’m just pointing out that we’ve been indoors for two days and we’ve done nothing but talk and have sex. Neither of us has done any work.”

  He stilled and then slowly lifted his head, a frown on his face. “Two days?”

  “Yes, Alec. Two days.” And the fact that he hadn’t registered the time passing sent a warm buzz through her body. “We need to go back in the house and warm up at least before we walk over to your neighbor.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  It was over an hour before they were ready to leave the house again and Alec didn’t work. Instead he used the hour well, stripping her naked in the daylight and exploring every curve with slow deliberation. He knew exactly how to touch her, where to touch her, and he used that knowledge, swamping her with sensation.

  She could have stayed there all day, but she knew Alec was worried about Meg, so she dressed in her warmest layers and went down to the kitchen.

  She poured soup into a flask and put it in a backpack along with a loaf of crusty bread and some cookies Emily had made. “Do you think she’ll need anything else? Canned goods?”

  Alec shook his head. “If she does, then she can give us a list and we’ll stock up at Harbor Stores. But she should be all right. Zach checked on her last week.”

  “This is one of the many things I love about the island.” Sky fastened the backpack. “Does the island grapevine know that bad boy Zach is checking in on little old ladies?”

  “Not sure.” He zipped his coat. “I don’t pay much attention to island gossip.” He opened the door and Skylar gasped as the cold hit her.

  “Funny, really, to choose to live in a place where it’s so cold it hurts your face.”

  “You didn’t choose to. You’re my guest. You can leave whenever it gets too much.”

  Her heart gave a lurch. “Are you asking me to leave?”

  He turned with a frown. “No.”

  “Because if the sex is distracting you from your work—”

  “It is.” He gave a sexy half smile that made her heart kick against her chest.

  She tried to remember if this was the way she’d felt a few days ago but she couldn’t remember.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll be bored with each other soon.”


  He looked at her steadily. “What about you? Is it distracting you from your work?”

  “No. I’m going to need to go back to the studio at some point, but right now I’m working on ideas for my next collection and I can do that anywhere.” She wasn’t ready to go back to New York yet. It was as if that part of her life was somehow connected with Richard and while she was here, he couldn’t intrude.

  Wishing she’d never mentioned it she looked across the sea. “Maine has extreme light changes. It’s spectacular. I’d live here if I could.”

  “Permanently?”

  They started to walk, trudging through the snow toward the road.

  “Maybe.” She wasn’t sure exactly when the thought had come to her. All she knew was that life always felt better when she was on the island. “This place has always been special to me. It’s a sanctuary, somewhere to escape to. Whenever I come here I leave my troubles behind on the mainland.”

  “You never thought of moving here before?”

  “No. After I graduated I stayed in the city. My studio space is there. And then I started dating a guy who regarded a trip here as the equivalent of space travel.”

  “Richard never came with you?”

  “No.” And whenever she’d raised the idea there’d been the same tension. The same cold expression that was supposed to kill the conversation dead. “To begin with I didn’t question it. I assumed it was because he was busy, and this place isn’t exactly easy to reach, especially if the weather is bad. I made all sorts of excuses. The only thing I didn’t consider was that the reason he didn’t visit was because he didn’t like my friends. And maybe to some people that wouldn’t matter, but to me it is a deal breaker. I won’t give up my friends for anyone. They’re like family, only better because they accept me the way I am.” She paused as a bird flew overhead. “What’s that?”

  “It’s a dark-eyed junco. They’re always hovering around bird feeders at this time of year.”

  It impressed her that he knew, that he could name it in the same way he could name every tree and every plant. He paid attention to his surroundings, took his time to breathe the air and enjoy nature instead of rushing past it on his way somewhere else.

  “I miss the puffins. I always look forward to spring when they come back. I can never decide which is my favorite season on the island. I’m glad I’ll be able to spend so much more time here next year.”

  And she wondered how he would feel about that.

  Would it be awkward?

  Deciding that they’d been serious enough for one conversation, Sky scooped up a handful of snow and advanced on him. “Are you scared, Shipwreck Hunter?”

  His response to that was to hook his leg behind hers and land her in the snowdrift.

  She screamed and then gasped as snow tumbled onto her, sliding in icy rivulets down the neck of her jacket.

  “Holy crap, that is freezing.” She tried to get up but the depth of the snow made it impossible. “If I die here, I’m going to come back and haunt you, Alec Hunter. I’ll appear every time you want to work. Be afraid.”

  “I’m terrified.” He held out his hand to help her up and she took it, picked her moment and then pulled him off balance.

  Cursing, he fell into the snow alongside her. “Remind me why I brought you here?”

  “To give me orgasms.” Grinning, she pushed a handful of soft snow in his face.

  THEY VISITED MEG and spent an enjoyable hour around the kitchen table drinking creamy hot chocolate and listening to Meg’s stories of growing up on the island. Sky was fascinated and it was obvious how much Meg enjoyed having someone else to talk to.

  On the way home they found the perfect tree in the forest and dragged it back to the cottage.

  Alec left her fussing over it while he went to work.

  He dived into the world of the American Revolution and by the time he emerged the weak winter sun had melted into a sea of gunmetal gray.

  The only light in his study came from the glow of the computer screen and he blinked and flicked on the desk lamp.

  Checking the time, he saw that he’d been working for six hours straight.

  His back ached, his neck ached and he was thirsty but he’d made a significant dent in his workload.

  Aware that Sky had been on her own for most of the day, he saved his work and stood up, wincing as he rolled his shoulders.

  He went downstairs and found his cottage transformed.

  The staircase was wrapped with garlands of shimmering silver, interspersed with tiny bows and glowing lights.

  Strolling into the living room, he breathed in the scent of cinnamon, cloves and orange. Light came from the flickering flames of the fire and the tree, now free of snow and tastefully decorated with tiny lights Sky must have unearthed from somewhere and twists of silver ribbon fashioned into bows.

  Sky was on her knees, half under the tree as she fussed over a skirt designed to look like snow. The ends of her hair brushed the floor as she leaned forward, fiddling until she was satisfied.

  He watched her for a couple of minutes. “You look good on your knees with your butt in the air.”

  She gave a squeak of embarrassment and tried to wriggle out from under the tree, but her hair caught in a branch and she winced.

  “Ow.”

  He smiled, enjoying himself. “You seem to be trapped.”

  “And you seem to be standing there watching instead of helping.” She tugged and cursed under her breath. “Now there will be hair in your tree. I like working with natural materials but my hair wasn’t supposed to be part of the decorations.” She tugged again and then batted her eyes at him and spoke in her most breathy voice. “Save me, Prince Alec, save me.”

  He folded his arms. “I would, but my horse is stuck in a snowdrift.” Shaking his head, he watched as she tried to unwind her hair from the tree, making it worse in the process.

  “That’s it. I’m cutting my hair short.”

  “Don’t do that.” He dropped to his haunches. “Stay still.”

  She stilled and he gently, methodically untangled her hair from the branch.

  “Sorry. It gets everywhere.”

  It was true, her hair did have a habit of getting everywhere. Over his chest when they made love, sliding past his face, adding a layer of silk to his pillow after she’d fallen asleep.

  He let it glide over his hand. “It’s beautiful.”

  Her glance was suspicious. “You think it’s beautiful?”

  “Any guy with a pulse is going to think your hair is beautiful, Sky. It’s fantasy hair.”

  “Even when it’s blocking your shower?”

  “Even then, especially if you’re in the shower with it.” He wound it round his hand and pulled her head toward him. Then he kissed her, his mouth lingering on hers before he released her and stood up. It was too comfortable being here with her. Too easy. “You’re free, princess.”

  He reached out to remove a few pine needles that had tangled themselves in the soft strands. “You’ve been busy today. My cottage looks like a Christmas grotto.”

  Her smile widened. “I had fun. I found pretty much everything I need in the forest.”

  “Good.” He glanced round, transformed by her innate talent. Her creativity and ability to make use of what the outdoors had to offer never failed to astound him. But the biggest transformation was her. For the first time, she hadn’t apologized for doing the things she loved. “I don’t usually decorate. Now I’m wondering why. It looks spectacular. If I ever decide to sell, I’ll book you to show the cottage.”

  “You’d never sell this place.” She eased away from him. “The bad news is I was so busy spraying your entire house with silver, I forgot to make us anything to eat. We could heat leftover soup?”

  “I have a better idea. The Galleon has live music tonight. It’s the start of the island Christmas Festival. I’m taking you dancing.”

  Her face brightened. “You dance?”

  “No. I hate dancing,
but I’m sure you love it.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because you seem like the sort of person who likes to dance. And now you’re going to accuse me of stereotyping you again.”

  She grinned. “No, I’m not. I am that person. I love to dance. And right now I’d grab any excuse to wear something other than thermals. Give me fifteen minutes to shine myself up and knock you dead.” She flew across the room and he watched, thinking that her energy would make a perfect renewable power source.

  “Sky?”

  She stopped as she reached the stairs. “What?”

  “Leave your hair down.”

  THE STAFF AT The Galleon had worked hard, having fun with Christmas and nautical themes. There were tiny lights twisted around lobster pots and wreathes decorated with seashells. The center of the restaurant had been turned into a dance floor, surrounded by tables that gleamed with silver and crystal.

  On Puffin Island, businesses learned to be flexible and to cater to the needs of the local population, and Sallyanne Fisher, head chef of The Galleon, knew how to give her customers a good time while staying true to her goal—to deliver exceptional local food.

  In honor of their third annual Christmas Festival, she’d prepared a feast.

  During the summer the restaurant was booked months in advance by people visiting from all corners of the globe, but tonight’s celebration was for the locals. Any money raised would be used to purchase rescue equipment for the fire department.

  Alec had reserved a table for two, but the moment they walked into the restaurant they discovered that Zach and Brittany had also bought tickets, and the four of them ended up sharing a table.

  Brittany was looking sleek and pretty in a short blue dress that showed off her long legs.

  Sky slid into the seat next to her. “You look great!”

  “It’s the only dress I own. And Zach is going to have to carry me through the snow because I cannot walk in these heels.” She studied her friend. “You look incredible, but you always do. There’s something different about you, though, and I can’t work out what it is. It’s not the dress—” she frowned and then her expression changed “—it’s because you’re wearing your hair down.” She gave a smile of understanding and raised her glass. “To wearing our hair any way we damn well want to wear it. And to rebound sex, which is obviously doing you good.”