A Christmas Home (5 page)

Chapter Eight

After
cleaning up from their leisurely dinner, Jagger had taken a phone call while
Ophelia went to get towels for their dip in his hot tub. He was still talking,
and taking notes, too, she noticed, when she returned. Catching sight of her,
he smiled and finished up the call, dropping his cell onto the notepad before
coming her way.

She
tilted her head slightly and looked to him. “What’s happening?” She glanced at
the notes he had been taking and moved closer, her hand on his back. “Is there
something I can do to help you?” She wanted to help him, always.

“Nothing
to be done at the moment. It was my second calling with some details about the
pack that wants to move here. The council has given us two weeks to do our own
investigating since they know we’d do it anyway before we go back for a
discussion. The vote to allow them to move in or not will be cast then.”

“Do
you have reservations about this group?” she asked as she moved to take the
seat at his side. “Perhaps send people to where they’ve been before to find out
if they had caused issues in other places? I know that sounds like a terrible
thing, but the last thing you want is to have someone who will cause you to
lose this amazing place to deviants.”

“I
have reservations about anyone that wants to move to my home with as many as
they want to bring. Especially since they know there are six packs here
already. We already have people on the outside looking into the pack now, and
their past. That call was only about some of the information we’re hoping to
gather. At the moment I’m hovering over a solid no way in hell to letting them
move here.”

“Are
there more of them than there are of the people who are here currently?” She
didn’t know how all of this worked, packs, the politics of it all and keeping
peace between so many different species. “I would also be very blunt and ask
them why they want to move with this pack, what happened with their last home.
It might be a good idea to have people talking to the children and women.
People that would normally be overlooked often have more inside information
than could be garnered anywhere else.”

“None
of them are here, nor will they be unless we permit them to move here. We only
received written request along with a listing of the pack members and genealogy
of the pack. Don’t worry, we have investigators that can dig up anything and
everything without ever even meeting one of the pack.”

She
shrugged and leaned into him when he came closer. “Then if all else fails you
have a person who can see the future. I would just need to touch something that
belonged to their alpha and I should be able to get a glimpse at their past,
present, and future.” She was an oddity, only reason she was so readily able to
accept Jagger as a shifter.

“My
little ace in the hole.” He pressed a kiss to her lips. “Let’s forget about
them for now. We have two weeks to figure that mess out. For now I want to get
you into my hot tub, and we both know you’ve been itching to get in there, too.
Come on.” He held out a hand to her when he took a step back.

She
took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “I can’t wait to try out that hot tub. The
view is spectacular.” It was odd to be in water when there was snow everywhere
but they were only steps from the sliding doors and he had these large heating
torches that warmed the patio area so it was all good.

“It’s
all about the view,” he said with a grin. Picking up the towels, he tugged her
out onto the deck. He turned on the heaters, then hit the switch for the tub.
Once everything was turned on he pulled the top from the tub. Then he began to
strip down with the same ease and lack of self-consciousness he had when he’d
done it to show her his bear.

She
simply watched him. She couldn’t seem to help herself. This man made every
single part of her ache with need. He paused and lifted an eyebrow as if to ask
why she wasn’t naked yet so with that she began to strip. She tried not to be
self-conscious. She loved her curves, and God knew she had plenty, but she had
never been with someone who was as fit and in shape as this man was.

When
she held on to her shirt—using it as a shield a moment longer than he obviously
thought was necessary—Jagger tugged it from her hands. He set it aside and took
her hands in his to lift her arms. Then he stepped in so their skin touched and
slipped his arms around her. “You are gorgeous, Ophelia.” His voice was rougher
and deeper than before, full of meaning and need.

She
let her hands move over his shoulders, then ran her fingers through his hair
and pulled him close. She was on her toes but she seemed to fit him just right.
“I’m glad you think so.” She tilted her head up to him and smiled. “I like my
curves. I’m not the size that the doctors and media says that I should be but I
don’t care. I’m healthy and I love that I have boobs and a butt. I could do
with a little less belly but I’m still good with it and I’m glad you are, too.”
She felt his growing erection and smiled. “Hot tub, right?”

“You
are perfect as you are, Ophelia. I love that you have curves. They make me hot
to jump your bones, if you hadn’t figured that out.” He rocked his hips forward
to press his hard cock against her belly and wiggled his eyebrows. Dropping his
hands to her ass, he gave a squeeze while lowering his head. “We need to let
the water warm before we climb in. It’s likely only a couple degrees over
freezing right now.”

“I
think we should keep that thing running or get a solar blanket for it because I
can see us using it a lot.” She tilted her head to the side to give him her
neck to tease and nibble on. She felt her pussy creaming and lifted a leg to
rub against the side of his.

“I
have an element I can slip into the tub to keep it warmer than ambient
temperature. Now that you’re here, and since you appear to appreciate it, I’ll
dig it out of the shed and start using it again. Thank the gods I use thermal
energy to power this place or my bill would skyrocket.”

She
grinned and rubbed her cheek to his chest. “Yeah but I’m so worth it, admit
it.” She hoped she was, at least. She knew that he was worth anything to her.
“While we’re in the hot tub we can discuss what I could do around here to earn
a living. ”

She
felt his fingers clench before he leaned back to stare at her. “Really?” he
asked softly. At her nod he gave her a hard, fast kiss before drawing back
again. “I am so damn pleased you want to stay, sweetheart. I was hoping, but
hearing you say you want to stay has me wanting to do a jig. And I can’t dance
worth shit.”

“Why
wouldn’t I want to stay when I have one of the most amazing men who wants me.
All of me. You want everything and so do I,” she confessed. “Besides, I’ve had
a vision of myself in the backyard with snow coming down around me, hot cocoa
in my hands and super pregnant with a man’s arms around me from the back. Never
saw him, till now.” She pressed a kiss to the underside of his chin and added,
“You.”

“Mmm,
I do like that image. But not for a while. I want you all to myself for the
time being.” Jagger ushered her to the hot tub. He only let her in after he
dipped a hand in and warned it was cool but no longer freezing.

“Don’t
worry, no babies for a while. I have an implant. If we want one before five
years is up we will have to have it removed. For now I’m more than happy simply
trying,” she admitted. “Oh, ” she hissed and looked to him. “You going to warm
me?”

Chuckling,
he climbed into the tub and sat down. “It’s not that bad. You should try our
polar bear dip we do mid-January. Then you’d be really glad to have me to warm
you up.” He helped her climb into his lap and wrapped her up in his arms once
more.

“Yeah,
no, not going to do that one. I’ll watch and cheer you on from the sidelines
and hold the blanket for you.” She settled in his lap and nuzzled against him
with a grin. “Do you have real polar bears here, well, shifter polar bears,
that is?”

“Here?
No, they prefer living much farther north than this. We’ve had a few come
through at this time of year for vacation like everyone else, but the summer
months are a bit too warm for them here. Even in their human form they’re
sensitive to shifts in temperature.”

“Ah,
you know that makes sense. It’s sad, though. I’ve seen images of starving momma
polar bears on the ice sheets because they have to give birth on land and can’t
go out as far as is necessary to hunt for food. It’s horrible for them. I’m
assuming that the shifters wouldn’t have the same issues, right?”

“No,
thankfully. They are doing what they can for the wild bears but it’s hard
because they aren’t pack animals like the shifters are. Getting close is a
challenge, and feeding them even more so. We all hope they can figure something
out, but the real battle is with humans and the fossil fuel usage polluting
everything and causing their areas to shrink.”

“Sad
but true. Until we can cut our dependence we’ll be slave to it and we’re
killing our planet.” She shrugged and rubbed against him. “We just have to do
what we can, when we can. We can’t domesticate the wild animals but we can
somehow make sure there’s food where they hunt. Maybe nothing dead but
something trapped?” She knew how cruel that sounded but it was honest truth.

“The
pack up there looks out for them the best they can. Unfortunately we are too
far away for helping them.” Jagger pressed a kiss to her cheek. “We have much
happier things to discuss. Like the fact you plan to stay here with me.”

“Yes,
I do plan on staying here with you. The resort is amazing. The amenities are
fabulous and as long as you buy me a snowmobile I’m so going to be rockin’ this
place like wild. Beyond that, I have zero idea what I’ll do, but I don’t care.
I have you and honestly, I think that’s more than enough.”

“I
will get you your own snowmobile, promise. As to what you can do, do whatever
you want. Start your own business, or take a class, or work for someone else.
Take some time, enjoy life, and settle in here with me. Make this place yours,
too. Make it ours.”

“When
you say make it ours
…
how do you feel about cats?”

Jagger
blinked, then shrugged. “You want a cat?”

“I
have a cat. Back home. Right now he’s boarding in a swanky kennel, but he’s
been with me forever and
…
”

Jagger
smiled and pressed a finger to her lips. “Then when you’re ready, we’ll go get
him and bring him home. As for the rest, the job, you don’t have to decide
right away, sweetheart.”

“You
are the mechanic. Need an accountant?” she asked him while her hand scooped up
water and let it run off of his shoulder. “Because I am a CPA and could totally
help you out, you know.”

He
seemed to be thinking about it, then nodded. “We could always use one. Normally
I get everything together and take it out to an accounting firm. It would save
us all a bunch of time and money to have someone that could do it for us
internally. And you would be able to do it faster because you could keep up
with it on a regular basis. Plus I wouldn’t have to go hunting for that one
fucking receipt that goes missing no matter how careful I am. I’m a damn
mechanic, as you pointed out, not an office worker.”

“See,
I could have a small office in your shop and you can keep your eye on me when
you want to and I can make sure that your business runs smoothly. And I’ll have
the added bonus of watching you working on vehicles and getting all hot and
sweaty.”

“And
swearing worse than any trucker and sailor combined,” he said. “Not even
kidding either. When something is not going my way I get
…
vocal.
You might even learn a few new words,” he said with clear warning in his voice.

“It’s
okay, I don’t mind as long as you don’t give me any trouble about doing it.
Besides, if you get too vocal that just means I’ll have to come and give you
hugs and love so that you can’t be so angry.”

“Hugs
and love, huh? Well I think you should give me some of that sugar right now.
See how effective you are at distracting me.” Stroking a hand over her leg, he
gave her thigh a squeeze.

That
had her grinning, “I would love to have you distracted.” She rubbed her cheek
to his and nibbled his ear. “So I get to kiss you and hug you now,” was all the
warning he got before she began to kiss him with deep desperation and need.

He
helped her to shift until she was straddling his lap, his cock pressing against
her lower belly. He cupped her ass and held her to him while they kissed. Then
he slid his fingers lower down the crack of her ass to stroke her slit.

She
shivered. The press of her nipples against his hard chest had her pussy
creaming more. “Please,” she whispered against his mouth and nipped his lower
lip before kissing him again.

Jagger
wrapped an arm around her waist and squeezed. With his other hand he continued
to tease her pussy, slipping a finger in. Slowly he pumped it in and out of her
body.

She
began to ride his finger and teased his tongue when he let hers go. She pulled
back from him and licked her lips. “More.” She whispered the one word and
started to kiss him again.