Finding Christmas (17 page)

Will reached into the drawer in his bedside table, took a condom, and protected her. “Tell me if you want me to slow down or stop. It’s been a while? I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Almost three years. But I won’t want you to stop, and I know you won’t hurt me.”

After that, it was a mashup of sensations and emotions. His hands, his lips, his sweet words took her away from everything. In Will’s arms there was only love, pleasure… peace. And Maggie let herself drown in it.

*     *     *

When she woke,
wrapped in Will’s arms, the clock told her it was three o’clock in the morning. He snored lightly into her hair, and Maggie was figuring out a way to wiggle out of his embrace, put on her prosthetic, and find the bathroom, all without waking him up.

Lifting his arm, she scooted to the side of the bed and looked for all her paraphernalia. The sock, the sleeve, her leg… good grief. Passionate sex was making a simple trip to the bathroom quite the ordeal. But, Lord—was he worth it.

She was sliding her foot along the floor, hoping she’d run into something that would give her a clue. Other than the light from the window, which was frosty and crusted with snow, the room was pretty dark.

Finally, her toe bumped on what felt like the pin on the neoprene sleeve.
Awesome
, she thought, but, as with most things, it didn’t go as planned. When she reached for it, Maggie lost her balance and tumbled off the bed. Her body hitting the floor shook the room and jarred Will out of his sound sleep.

“What the…” Jumping from the bed, he landed next to her. He was big and naked and gorgeous, and she was planted on her ass, embarrassed.

“Jesus. Are you all right?” He knelt next to her and started checking her arms and legs. “What happened? Are you hurt?”

“No. Humiliated, but not hurt,” Maggie said. “That’s all.”

“What were you doing?”

“Trying to find my leg.” She paused, glancing up at him. “
God
. Bet you never thought you’d hear a woman you slept with say
that
.”

He chuckled. “True enough.”

“I have to go to the bathroom. I didn’t want to wake you, so I tried to be stealthy.” She sighed. “We see how that went.”

“You’re okay, though?”

“I’m fine. Help me up?”

Reaching toward him as he stood, Will clasped her hands and Maggie balanced herself on one foot when she was upright.

“Do you have to put your leg on whenever you get up at night?”

“No,” she sat on the bed and reached for the sleeve. “Normally, I’d hop to the bathroom.”

“No balance issues, then?”

“I’d kick your ass at hopscotch.”

“Good to know.” He was smiling, and in Maggie’s mind, seeing him smile made everything right. “Come on,” he said. “Take that thing off.”

While she pulled off the sleeve, he reached under her and picked her up.

“What are you doing?”

“Reach over and turn on the light.” Once the bedside lamp was on, he walked with her securely in his arms, going through a door on the other side of the room. “Here you go.”

When he hit the wall switch, she could see he’d carried her to the bathroom. “I don’t need help…”

“I know. Think of me as your ride. I’ll see you back in bed.”

With a whack on the ass, he left her. Maggie thought about the wonderful man on the other side of that door and how very lucky she was.

*     *     *

There were so
many things about Maggie that he loved, but her sense of humor was right at the top of the list.
Hopscotch
? He grinned to himself thinking about her naked ass planted on the floor. She wasn’t upset, she laughed at herself, which showed him two things: how far Maggie had come on her own, and how far they’d come together.

The bathroom door opened, and Maggie, who had thrown on his bathrobe, hopped across the bedroom and right into his arms. She was amazing. Fresh, smart, beautiful, and happy—everything he ever wanted in a woman. She also sexy as hell, and the minute her body came in contact with his, he was hard.

Maggie straddled his legs and wickedly rubbed herself against him. “Mmm. You feel good, Coach.”

“Maggie, you’re playing with fire,” he ground out. The woman was going to end him, but he couldn’t think of a better way to go.

Her arms slid around his neck and the robe she was wearing fell open just enough so he could see the tops of her breasts. He kissed them, watching as her head rolled to the side.

“I think you need to get something from your night table.” She was nibbling on his ear, her sweet angel’s breath fluttering against his neck, and Will mustered all his self-control to do as she asked rather than bury himself in her.

Grabbing a condom, he rolled it on, and was shocked when Maggie took the lead, rising up on her knees and lowering herself onto him. He gripped her hips to slow his entrance, but he was focused on her face.

Maggie’s eyes had drifted shut, and a sexy smile tilted the corner of her mouth as he filled her a little at a time. “You feel so good, Will. So good.”

As soon as she’d taken him completely, Maggie started to move. Slowly, deliberately, her intention was to draw this out for as long as she could. It was the best kind of torture. He undid the tie of the robe and pushed it down and off her shoulders, running his hands up and down her body.

Facing her like this, holding her, watching her as she moved, feeling her heat surround him, hold him tight, was fucking perfect. She was perfect.

“God, Maggie. God…”

Her breasts, full and pink, were impossible to resist, and the look on her face when he circled one nipple with his tongue, then the other, made him want to flip her on her back and drive home. But he resisted, enjoying every moan, gasp, and sigh he could get from her.

With a steady rhythm, she moved. Faster and faster, Maggie lost control, and Will’s thrusts matched hers. Together they climbed higher and higher until finally, they both came, one behind the other, their sweaty bodies clinging together until they finished.

Maggie’s head dropped on his shoulder and all Will could do was hold this woman tight, and never let her go.

*     *     *

He was making
them hot chocolate.

After Will carried Maggie downstairs, gallant as ever, and deposited her on the couch in the living room where she could watch the snow pile up. There was at least a foot outside, and the decorations from some of the houses on the street reflected off the blanket of white, making the scene look magical.

But that’s the way it was with Christmas. It was supposed to be magical. Maggie was relieved that she’d found it again. Holly Point, her family, and Will had made it happen. Will was the nicest surprise of all.

There was a clatter of pots and pans in the kitchen, she heard Will swear, and it made her smile. He was such a guy—sweet, sensitive—but still a guy.

After a few minutes, he poked his head out of the kitchen. “Whipped cream or marshmallows?”

“You have both?”

He almost looked offended. “I’m an adult. Hot chocolate is serious business.”

“Sorry. Whipped cream.”

Maggie wasn’t used to being pampered. Her parents and siblings were wonderful, but Will took it one step further. The man was a born caretaker, and since Maggie was used to doing everything on her own, it was an adjustment. But one she could learn to like as long as he let her take care of him too. There was something sad behind Will’s eyes. Something that told her he didn’t finish everything he’d set out to do.

He brought out the cocoa, turning the lights down and settling himself on the couch. Snuggling into the crook of his arm, Maggie decided it was time to ask some questions. More than anything she wanted to know what made Will tick.

“Weren’t we only supposed to get a flurry?” he asked.

“If that’s the case we have a foot of flurry. It makes me happy, though. Can’t lie.”

The kiss he dropped on the top of her head was warm, affectionate, and best of all, natural. “Will you have trouble with the snow?”

“I wouldn’t feel comfortable wading in deep snow yet, but I’m sure I can manage getting outside. I’d be disappointed if I couldn’t toss at least one snowball at you.”

“You know, I’m very competitive. You might regret it.”

Maggie turned in his arms and kissed him quick. “Bring it, Coach.”

“Like I said, you might regret that challenge,” he grinned in warning.

“Never. And I can’t tell you how much I love that you aren’t afraid of being physical with me.” The hot chocolate was perfect. Not too hot or cold. Just sweet enough. Like him. “It makes me feel normal.”

Quiet and thoughtful as ever, Will didn’t say anything right away.

“I won’t lie and tell you I don’t think about all you’ve been through. I do. You were right, seeing your scars and the amputation, was like nothing I’ve ever experienced.” He drew took a breath, which is what Maggie noticed he did when he was thinking. “I’m in awe of you, Maggie, and I don’t think there’s anything you can’t handle if you put your mind to it. You’re the strongest person I know.”

“Oh…” She sniffed, unable to look at him. “You… you really think that?”

She’d been a burn victim or an amputee for going on two years now. To hear someone use the words strong and awe when describing her blew her away. For a long time, she felt like she was anything but.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve having you in my life,” he said steadily, “but I’m happy you are.”

Maggie leaned into him, his strong chest providing solid support. She wanted to tell Will that being with him had changed everything for her. Her family loved her, but Will trusted her with her decisions, with her body. He seemed to understand, intuitively, that the physical limitations hadn’t changed who she was on the inside. Maggie’s fight wasn’t against the injuries or limitations, but in reclaiming herself and adapting to her new normal.

They finished their hot chocolate in silence, cuddled together on the couch, not talking, just being together. So much had happened, so fast, she wondered if what she was feeling could be real. She’d always been warned off rushing into relationships, but so much of her life happened at break-neck speed, why should this be any different?

If her situation could change in the blink of an eye two years ago, why couldn’t a chance meeting at a football game prove just as life-changing?

People were all too ready to accept when disaster struck—that life could change without warning. Why did love have to be different? Sometimes, good things were unexpected, life-changing, and happened in a flash.

It had been too long since Maggie was willing to embrace the happiness life sent her way. She’d become cynical and cautious, and that wasn’t at all who she was.

Just like flying, or driving a car, or swimming, love required risk.

The Christmas tree they’d brought home earlier was something a couple would do. An established couple.

“Will?”

“Mmm?”

“What am I… I mean… who am I to you?”

He tilted his head to get a look at her face, his eyes full of questions. “You’re not sure?”

“I guess I’ve been out of the loop dating-wise,” she said. “I mean, am I your… girlfriend? God, that sounds dumb. Are we too old for that designation?”