31 Days of Winter (22 page)

‘You’re not bi-sexual?’

‘Me? God no, I’m strictly a man girl.’

‘An arsehole’s girl,’ he muttered with a grunt. ‘
He
can hardly be classed as a man.’

‘Well yeah, my taste has never been the best, but
if you’re wondering Brooke and I have never slept together. But we made out for
ages once when we were really drunk.’

‘O God, please say no more,’ he groaned and I saw
him adjust himself in his jeans. He was not only loosening up, but getting
horny. I was on a roll with him today.

‘She wasn’t a bad kisser, but I really didn’t like
the idea of sex with her so that’s as far as it went.’

‘Was she ok with that?’ he asked, and his tone was
a little gruffer than normal. He really was turned on at the thought of Brooke
and I together. There again, for a virile guy like him, after three years
without sex, seeing a rabbit humping would probably do it for him, let alone
the thought of two hot women getting it on.

‘Not at first, no. She told me she was in love
with me and wanted more so we had to take a step back while she tried to deal,
but it was just a crush. Thankfully she got over it, and now we’re back to
normal.’

‘You’re sure?’

‘Meaning?’ I puffed as the snowy track got even
steeper.

‘I’d imagine you’re a very easy person to fall in
love with and not so easy to fall out of love with,’ he shrugged. I stopped as
my stomach somersaulted, not with bile this time, but the thought that he might
be saying that he could really fall for me. I put my hands on my hips and
looked at his back as he continued climbing up. ‘Have you ever been in love,
Dan?’ I called.

‘No more personal questions until tomorrow, Miss
Baxter,’ he called back.

‘You’re very infuriating, Stan,’ I yelled, and I
heard him laugh his deep throaty laugh as he reached a small plateau and turned
around to look down at me. So I took a picture of him framed by the trees
either side of him and saw him stiffen.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Taking your picture.’

‘I don’t like my picture being taken.’

‘Well, now I can see why. You’ve cracked my iPad
screen with that scowl,’ I teased as I zoomed in to have a look at his handsome
face more closely.

‘Please delete it.’

‘Why?’ I asked as I looked back up at him.

‘I told you I don’t like my picture being taken.
Don’t make me come down there and do it for you.’

‘O my God, I’ve sussed your secret! You’re a known
criminal trying to hide out in the middle of nowhere so you don’t get lynched,
and you go for your parole meeting every day, that’s where you’ve been
disappearing to.’

‘You must be a writer, you’ve a very vivid
imagination.’

‘Well you tell me nothing, what am I supposed to
think? I really can’t have a picture of you to remember my winter break
fondly?’

‘I’d prefer not.’

‘God, you’re serious,’ I exclaimed as he started
marching down towards me with purpose. I quickly moved the one I had of him
chopping wood into a different folder so he wouldn’t see it, so all the
pictures he’d see were just scenery and the one I’d just taken of him.

‘Hand it over,’ he demanded as he pulled up next
to me and held out his hand.

‘Invasion of personal privacy,’ I muttered as I
clutched it to my chest.

‘Like taking my picture without my permission then?
Hand it over,’ he waved his hand again.

‘Fine, I’ll delete it, look,’ I sighed as I
clicked on it and hit the delete button. ‘Happy now?’

‘We’ll do the one on your iCloud back up when we
get back home in case it syncs when you get in.’

‘How do you know I have an iCloud back up?’ I
asked stunned.

‘Educated guess. Only an idiot wouldn’t back up
their items. Now can we continue with our walk without you taking a shot of me,
or do I have to confiscate it?’

‘Fine you’ve made your point, Stan,’ I muttered.

‘Stop calling me that.’

‘Well, you’re certainly not being likeable Dan all
of a sudden,’ I huffed as I tried to storm off ahead of him. I slipped on a
patch of ice and fell face first into the soft white blanket below me and heard
him roar with laughter behind me as I spat snow out of my mouth. ‘So not
funny,’ I groaned as I sat up and wiped my face.

‘It was rather,’ he chuckled holding his hand out
to me and hauling me up. He then reached up with his other hand and gently
wiped the remaining bits of snow off my face, then clasped my cheeks and tilted
my head back and forth as he looked for any scuff marks. ‘It’s ok, no permanent
damage, you still look beautiful,’ he smiled and grabbed my hand again and
started walking.

‘What are you doing?’ I asked as he held onto my
hand tightly.

‘Making sure you don’t fall again. Those aren’t
proper walking boots.’

‘They are,’ I protested as I looked down at them.

‘No, they’re walking around London boots, designed
to look good, not to grip the snow and ice. Would you prefer I let your hand go
and you fall again?’

‘No,’ I replied quickly. I took a shocked inhalation
of air and tried not to leap on him and kiss him with joy as he moved his hand
slightly to thread his fingers through mine.
Did men understand the power of
the entwined fingers move and the clasping of the face as they kissed us?
I
suspected they did, that someone had written a “How to Keep Women Happy” book
and listed all of our foibles. I kept my head down as I couldn’t take the
childish smile off my face, this was my best day in Scotland yet, that hour of
orgasmic bliss aside. I managed to steal one quick look up at him and felt a
thousand butterflies being released from my stomach as I saw he had a smile
plastered all over his face as well.

It took about another ten minutes of climbing, at
my pace, to reach a very large clearing which seemed to be right in the centre
of the island, and just about looked out over the tops of the trees. I jumped
up and down on the spot trying to get a better look.

‘Get on my shoulders,’ he instructed as he
released my hand and went down on one knee making my breath catch. O God, a
couple of snogging sessions, an hour of pleasure and some hand holding, and I
was going giddy at the sight of him on one knee in front of me.

‘I can’t. I’m not five, you know.’

‘You know I’m strong, even for a heifer like you.’

‘A heifer,’ I laughed as I slapped his back and he
chuckled. ‘Right, that’s it. Prepare to be mounted. Shit, sorry, wrong choice
of words.’

‘Are you getting on or not, my knee’s freezing,’
he laughed. I tucked my iPad inside my coat and laughed at myself as I
awkwardly climbed onto his shoulders and kept wobbling until he held both of
his hands up and I clasped them. I heard him wince slightly as he slowly stood
up, holding onto me tightly.

‘Come on, I’m not
that
heavy,’ I protested
then gasped as I saw the view. ‘O my God, it’s
gorgeous
.’ I could see
all the way down to the far end of the loch, hemmed in by the mountains and
trees. Dan slowly turned around giving me the full 360 degree view.

‘It’s pretty amazing, isn’t it?’ he agreed, wonder
in his voice.

‘Yes, and so peaceful,’ I twisted my head as some
large bird of prey screeched overhead. ‘I need to take some pictures.’

‘I’m not letting go of you Ellie, it’s a long way
down if you fall.’

‘But I can’t not take these views. Don’t tell me
you want me to delete my scenery ones too?’

‘No, of course not. But I’ll take them for you,
I’m tall enough to see over the canopy. Ready to come down?’

‘One more minute if you can stand it?’ I asked.

‘As you wish.’

‘O, and there’s the formal expression again.’

‘Sorry, public school education.’

‘One of the many facets of Dan,’ I murmured. We
stayed silent as we both took it all in and it was probably a good five minutes
before I said I was ready to come down. He kneeled down and gently bowed his
head and I shuffled off him. I handed him my iPad and told him what I wanted
taking. I managed to spot a small gap in the trees and stood looking at the
slither of the view through it, and when I turned around he was taking pictures
of me.

‘Say cheese.’

‘Who gave you permission to take my photo?’ I demanded
with my hands on my hips and a mocking scowl.

‘Want me to stop?’

‘No, but I need to strip off a bit, I’m not
looking my best,’ I advised as I pulled off my hat and saw his face change. ‘I
meant my coat and hat, nothing else.’

‘That’s a shame, you’d look good in your underwear
in the snow.’

‘I’d look good in my underwear anywhere, thank
you,’ I smiled as I shrugged his coat off and fluffed out my hair and struck a
pose. ‘Better?’

‘Much, though I think I need to see the underwear
one to judge for myself.’

‘If I can take a picture of you up here in yours
and keep it, you can take one of me and keep it,’ I laughed, joking. The joke
was on me as my chin got snow burn from the drop as he put down the iPad and
unzipped his coat, tossed it to the side and ripped his jumper and t-shirt over
his head. ‘I was joking,’ I exclaimed as my eyes bulged.

‘Too late, I want that picture.’ He bent down,
undid his boots and kicked them off, then removed his socks as I still stood in
shock. ‘Are you joining me? I don’t drop the jeans until you’re in the same
state of undress.

‘I’ve got thermals on,’ I mumbled embarrassed.

‘Not when I take the picture you won’t.’

‘O, God. What are doing to me?’

‘No one ever takes my picture Ellie, do you want
it or not?’ He put his hands on his hips, his fingers pointing to his crotch
and my eyes were funnelled down to see his erection. That was all the incentive
I needed. I quickly pulled off my jumper and then my thermal vest, and cursed
that I hadn’t put on my sexy lace underwear. I undid my boots, pulled them off
along with my socks and squealed as my bare feet touched the cold snow. I
hopped up and down as he laughed, before I jumped onto my clothes on the floor.

‘Shit, it’s freezing,’ I laughed.

‘I can tell,’ he chuckled with a flick of his head
at me. I didn’t even look down, I knew my nipples were hard, they were already
like that from him holding my hand, let alone standing in front of me half
naked. ‘Jeans off.’

‘If you’re planning on me stripping and then
running off with my clothes, I won’t be amused, Mr. Dan.’

‘Wouldn’t dare. I was hoping you’d cook for me
again tonight.’

‘Together then,’ I suggested as I unbuttoned and
unzipped mine. ‘On the count of three.’

‘Agreed,’ he nodded as he undid his belt, then his
buttons.

‘Ok, I’ve never done this on the count of three
thing, it just always sounds cool when the SWAT team says it in movies, so do
we go on three, when I actually say the word three, or do we go after I’ve said
the word …’

‘For God’s sake, just drop them, woman,’ he
groaned as he pushed his down, stepped out of them and put his hands back on
his hips as he looked at me with one questioning eyebrow raised. I took a
serious gulp and moved a hand to my chest as I tried to catch my breath. He had
on a fitted pair of low-rise boxer shorts in black with a white band around the
top, but more drool worthy was his erection, which was stretching them in a way
that would mean they’d never shrink back. I knew, I’d felt it, pressed up
against me when he’d grinded against me on the kitchen island, but to see it with
an extra layer of clothing missing was even better than the view of the loch
from his shoulders. ‘Yes, I’m stiff, you’re stiff, drop your jeans, Ellie,’ he
growled. I reached down with shaking hands and made sure I hooked my thumbs in
my unsexy leggings, too. I pulled them both down, removing them then squealed
again as I tried to hop back to my clothes while he laughed and started taking
photos.

‘It’s not funny, it’s
cold
,’ I groaned as I
rubbed my arms.

‘I’d prefer to have a sexy picture than a whinging
picture, please.’

‘Fine,’ I sighed and cocked one knee in and arched
my back and pushed my hands up into my hair and held it up and gave him my best
sexy smile as he clicked away. He reached down and squeezed his cock, which
made my eyes roll back. ‘You now, please.’

‘A couple more of you. Blow me a kiss.’

‘
Dan,’
I protested, though I was really
enjoying this. We were acting like a stupid young couple of kids with crushes,
and I was loving every minute of it.

‘Please. Something for me to remember your winter
break.’ He gave me a smile I’d not seen before, right up to the fine creases at
the edges of his eyes and I melted, pretty sure I’d do anything to see that
smile on his face again. I leaned forward, my hair falling all around my face
and blew him a kiss. ‘Again.’

I had to do five before he sighed and announced he
was ready to change places. I went to walk over to him, then screeched with
laughter and stepped back onto the coat. He just shook his head and walked over
towards me barefoot, obviously totally accustomed to the cold. He stopped
before he reached me, but not before his eyes roved appreciatively over my near
naked body, so I took the opportunity to do the same with his.

‘O, God,’ I sighed as quietly as I could. I was
about to get vagina burn from the wetness in my knickers freezing. That would
take some explaining at a hospital.

‘Catch,’ he called as he threw my iPad gently to
me.

‘You’re lucky I
can
catch,’ I scowled as I
caught it in one hand.

‘So what position would you like me in?’ he asked,
my scowl turning to a grin immediately. I could think of loads of positions I’d
like him in on the bed, or any item of furniture.

‘Hands on hips, shoulders back looking straight at
me,’ I ordered and clicked a few shots, making sure I centred it on his chest
so I’d get his face and erection in the same shot.