All I Want For Christmas (6 page)

Like she had any choice, she wanted to yell back but didn’t dare as he ran toward her at full speed. Another sharp crack followed the first, and as the floor gave way beneath her she had one final though before terror set in. If she was going to die, she was glad it was Grant’s face that would be the last she’d see.

Frigid water covered her body, the temperature so cold it stole her breath and broke down her muscles so she couldn’t even fight her way back to the surface. She fought with every ounce of strength she possessed, but her clothes weighed her down and her limbs grew lethargic. Ice was already starting to form again where she’d broken through, and she knew if she took her eyes away from that one spot, the darkness of the lake would consume her and she’d never find her way out. She estimated she only had about thirty seconds left before she was dead from hypothermia anyway.

Annabeth gave one last push and tried to reach the surface, and as her fingers strained for purchase, she felt the tight grasp of a hand clasp around her arm.
Grant
. He’d come for her.

***

“Dammit, Annabeth, don’t you go to sleep on me. Keep your eyes open,” he yelled as he ran with her cradled in his arms. Her alabaster skin was already tinged blue and her lips were white. Frost gathered on her eyelashes and he knew they were racing against the clock.

It was less time to get to his house than it was back to the MacKenzie farmhouse where Thomas could treat her, so he made the choice and started running. They all knew how to treat hypothermia. It was ingrained in every child growing up in this territory, but he wasn’t sure he could save her. She hadn’t been under long before he’d gotten to her. Less than a minute, though it had certainly felt longer at the time.

His little white house came into view and he pushed the muscles in his legs to go faster, faster, until they burned with the burden he carried. He kicked open his front door, not having the hands or time to dig for his keys. He could patch it up after he took care of Annabeth. Damn fool woman, what the hell was she doing skating on that part of the ice? The
thin ice
signs were up for a reason.

Her eyes were closed by the time he got her inside. Grant carried her into the bathroom and turned on the tub as hot as they’d be able to stand, and then he stripped her efficiently down to the skin and followed suit, leaving his briefs on for both their sakes.

He hissed as he stepped into the tub and the hot water lapped at his ankles, but he gritted his teeth and sat down with her, so her body was completely pressed against him. He needed to get as much of his body heat into contact with her as possible, and skin to skin was the only way to do it.

Her head lolled against his shoulder and he pressed his finger to the sluggish pulse in her throat.

“Come on, baby. Let me hear those teeth chatter.”

The bathroom was so full of steam he could hardly see, and the hot water felt as if it were cooking his insides, but he put his discomfort aside as he held Annabeth close. He’d known her his whole life it seemed, and this was the first time he could remember holding her. He’d never dared before, afraid that if he touched her once he’d never be able to stop. Already, he knew the feel of her in his arms was going to ruin every plan he’d ever made.

“That’s it, sweetheart,” he said as he felt the shakes begin to overtake her body. “Open your eyes, Annabeth. Let me see those pretty blue eyes.”

Her lashes fluttered open and she looked at him with a glazed expression, still obviously in shock.

“Grant.” Her voice was hoarse and he had to strain to hear her. “Knew you’d save me. Love you,” she slurred before her eyes drifted shut again and she snuggled against him.

Grant froze at her words, sure he’d misheard them. And so what if he’d heard what he thought he had. Wasn’t it common for women to become attached to their rescuers? He brushed the hair back from her forehead and held her tighter as the shivers grew in their intensity. The hot water had done its job, but they weren’t out of the woods yet.

He pulled the plug and lifted her out of the tub, not bothering to dry either of them off. He pulled off his wet briefs and draped them over the side of the tub. The large armoire in his bedroom held extra quilts and blankets, and he grabbed a down comforter from the shelf.

Annabeth hardly weighed anything in his arms and he found he was reluctant to put her down as he turned back the covers on his large tester bed. He sure as hell hoped she wasn’t squeamish, because they were about to get as close as two people could possibly get without him being inside her.

Just the thought of feeling her wet heat around his cock had him hardening instantly. “Snap out of it MacKenzie. This isn’t the time.”

It was then he remembered the broken front door. He threw a blanket on top of her and ran into the living room. Snow flurries had snuck in through the crack and melted on his floor. He didn’t want to leave Annabeth longer than he had to, so he pushed one of the tables at the end of the couch in front of the door to hold it closed until he could do something more permanent. The splintered wood where the bolt had been thrown was letting in a thin stream of cold air, but there was nothing that could be done. He cranked the thermostat another couple of degrees and then went back into the bedroom to check on Annabeth.

He’d only been gone for a couple of minutes, but her shivers had increased to the point that the whole bed was shaking, and he could hear the chatter of teeth from the door. He quickly pulled a pair of clean underwear from the door—because there was no way he was going to be able to lay next to her without some kind of barrier between them—and he slipped into the bed behind her, turning her body so they fit together like spoons. Once he had them situated, he rolled them up in the down comforter like sausages and then pulled the bed covers on top of them.

They were completely cocooned from the outside world, the heat of their bodies a comfort as they shared each others warmth. Grant cursed himself every way he could think of as he realized what kind of torture he was in for the next few hours. Between bouts of bone shaking chills, her body relaxed against him, soft and pliant, every lush curve fitting against him like she was made just for his body. A fine sheen of sweat covered his brow as her backside rubbed against his groin. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this hard, but he knew he had to get his body under control before she got her senses back.

Grant took his lustful thoughts and the memory of Annabeth’s declaration of love and tucked them away in the back corner of his mind before he drifted off into a fitful sleep.

Chapter Three

Annabeth’s body finally reached the point where she couldn’t physically take anymore, and she fell into a deep sleep, tucked safely into Grant’s arms. When she finally stirred, the room was cast in complete darkness and Grant was breathing in slow, even breaths beside her.

She’d turned some time during the night so they lay facing each other, and her hand rested against the hard muscles of his chest, so she felt the steady beat of his heart beneath her fingers. Sweat slicked her skin and she really needed to make use of the bathroom. The only problem was, she had no idea how to untangle herself and escape without waking Grant.

Mortification didn’t even begin to describe what she was feeling. Not because she was finally in his arms where she only thought she’d ever be in her fantasies, but because one stupid slip of the tongue. She remembered the words of love spilling out of her mouth, as if she’d had as little control of her mouth as she had her shaking limbs. Maybe the best thing to do was plead ignorance and pretend it had never happened. Just because her body had been frozen through with cold didn’t mean the same had happened to her brain. She’d felt the way he’d stiffened as she’d said the words. His body language made it perfectly clear that he wasn’t ready for any type of permanent relationship.

That certainly didn’t mean her body was agreeing with her mind over the smartest course of action to take. His chest hair was soft against her breasts and their legs were entangled. His arms were wrapped around her tightly and his hand rest just on the curve of her bottom. There was no mistaking the fact that she wanted. She’d always wanted him. But it was only now she was beginning to understand that a physical relationship might be all he was willing to take.

Annabeth tried to move quietly as she searched for the end of the blanket that was wrapped around them and escape his hold, but luck wasn’t with her.

“Are you okay?” Grant whispered sleepily, causing her to freeze against him. He nuzzled against her neck, and every nerve ending she had was suddenly on overload.

“I’m fine,” she assured him. “I’m just going to head to the bathroom and be on my way home. I don’t want to keep you from your family. Would you mind if I borrowed an extra pair of sweats or something?”

Her eyes were becoming accustomed to the dark and she saw his eyes narrow as he tested her words for truth. The only truth she knew anymore was that he’d saved her life, and that she’d loved him for as long as she could remember. If she didn’t get out of here, she was going to make a fool of herself to the point that things would never be the same between them again.

“Why don’t we take it a step at a time,” he said. “I’ll help you to the bathroom and then we’ll see how you feel.”

“I can manage to get myself to the bathroom,” she snapped. “Just untangle these covers and let me out.” She clamped her mouth shut as her voice broke in a panic of emotion. God, what was wrong with her? She couldn’t even act like a mature adult just because she was lying naked in bed with Grant MacKenzie.

The feel of his muscled chest against her breasts was wreaking havoc on her hormones. He obviously didn’t have any urge to have his way with her, but that didn’t mean his lack of response to her hurt any less. It’s not like she was a sex goddess or anything. Her hair was sweat dampened at the temples and her hips were probably rounder than those of the women he normally dated. Just because she didn’t have any experience when it came to sex, didn’t mean she couldn’t tell when a man was interested. She could only stand so much, and now that the cold had left her body, the only thing to think about was the incredible heat that was gathering between her legs.

Grant chuckled at her temper as he unwrapped the covers from around them, and that put her back up even more. But then she realized the problem at hand. Once the covers were gone she was going to be completely exposed to him. It was one thing to be naked while one was unconscious and didn’t know any better, but it was another matter all together when both parties were wide awake.

She swiveled and threw her legs down to the floor, but stumbled when she tried to put weight on them. Grant caught her, his arms wrapped around her and his hand just on the underside of her breast. She caught her breath and stood very still, waiting to see what he was going to do.

“I never realized you had a temper,” he whispered against her ear, making her shiver once more, but for a completely different reason than when the cold had taken her. “Though I guess I should have known with all that red hair.”

He turned her so the fronts of their bodies touched, and he raised her chin with his finger so she had no choice but to look him in the eyes. “And as much as I like that sassy mouth, I wouldn’t get in the habit of making threats about you ending up naked. The last eight hours have been hell, and my control is right at the breaking point.”

He pressed against her and it was then she felt the hard ridge of his cock against her stomach. Her eyes fluttered closed and she held back a moan as desire swamped her. He did want her. Maybe a physical relationship between them would be enough.

She opened her eyes and looked at him. His eyes held a hard edge that she’d never seen before. Grant was always the easy-going brother. The one you could never make lose his temper or his patience, but right now he looked like he could cheerfully throttle her. Or kiss her. She
really
wanted him to kiss her.

Annabeth nodded and let out a shaky breath as he loosened his hold on her. She hobbled along beside him until they reached the bathroom door.

“I can get it from here,” she said softly, keeping her eyes downcast so he wouldn’t see her embarrassment. “I should have told you first thing, but I want to thank you for saving me. I’d be dead if you hadn’t been there just at the right time.”

“Sometimes fate has an interesting way of showing us things, Annabeth. That’s something to think about. Something we’re both going to have to think about. I’ve always believed things happen for a reason.”

He ran his finger down the side of her cheek just before she escaped into the privacy of the bathroom. For the first time in her life since her parents’ death, Annabeth truly missed what it felt like to be loved. She thought back to the Christmas wish she’d made that morning and shook her head. If Grant would give her his body and not his heart, she would just have to be satisfied with that. It looked as if Christmas wishes didn’t really come true after all.

***

Grant had very nearly kissed her. It had been one of the hardest things he’d ever done to stare into those startling blue eyes and realize that he’d been the biggest idiot on the planet for most of his life. Everything he’d been looking for had been right there in front of him.