Sweet Salvation (15 page)

“I agree with Marc and Jess. Your little joke was not the least bit funny.”

Yep, right on time. His voice was as cold as the snow bank she laid in. She was in deep doo-doo.

“It was also ill-timed and in extremely poor taste. I think a little embarrassment is a just reward for the unnecessary worry you caused us all, Stacy Lynn.”

“Please,” she said softly. She made a move to get up, but his warm palm moved, pressing into her lower back, holding her in place. “I said I was sorry for teasing you. I really feel bad for scaring everyone.”

“I don’t know whether to hug you or paddle you first.” He paused for a moment, as she squirmed beneath his palm. “Either way, you’ve definitely earned a punishment for this little stunt. I’ll take care of this right here and now, since you’re unharmed and conveniently in butt-busting position.” He then did something he’d never done before; he spanked her in public. Well, it was just Marc and Jessie and they had seen it before. Swatting her panty-clad cheeks sharply; Jared seemed to care not one whit about the people that played within hearing distance. She knew that she had pushed him too far this time, because her fiancé had always reserved spankings for the privacy of their home.

“Jared,” she gasped. The sound of his hand smacking her nearly bare behind reverberated in the cold winter’s air. The cold damp nylon was doing nothing to diminish the sound of the blows or the sting on her skin. To Stacy, the cracks of his hand thundered like gunshots throughout the little snow-covered valley.

“I’m sorry, Jared.” She squirmed, putting a hand back to stop him. A big no-no, but she was desperate. “Please stop, there are people around.”

He pinned her hand with his free one and continued, unfazed. “No one can see,” he assured her, unapologetic. “Marc and Jessie are blocking the view.”

“But they’ll hear.”

“Not if you’re quiet. Now be still.” He didn’t stop until he’d applied at least a dozen more of his best. When he was finished, he pulled up her pants, flipped her over, and dragged her into a big bear hug. “No more saucers—that scared the hell out of me. No more jokes that anything is broken when it clearly is not, either. That shaved at least a decade off my life, woman.”

With stinging cheeks at both top and bottom, she snuggled against her usually sweet, but sometimes stern fiancé. “I know you were scared and it was insensitive of me to joke about it.”

“You were damn lucky, Stacy.” Marc’s voice was still stern as he looked at the tree just to her left; another foot in that direction and splat…

She gasped, shuddering not from the cold but at the realization of what a near thing it had been. They had seen her fly toward that tree and she could only imagine their horror. Gripping Jared’s neck tightly, she whispered, “I had no idea, Jared.”

“Thank God you’re safe.”

Sitting up, she looked into his eyes, a mix of hazel gray and green, his temper was cooling. “You’re stuck to me like glue from here on out, little girl. I’ll make sure to keep you out of any more mischief. Now, I say we put this unpleasantness behind us and have some fun, eh?”

Giving him a soft smile, she dared a tease. “Yeah, let’s hit the slopes, y’all!”

Her southern y’all matched up with his Canadian eh, the use of which had somehow bled over the border and into the Michigander vernacular. Back to their easy rapport, they smiled at each other and Stacy knew she was indeed forgiven. Sitting up, she smiled over his shoulder at Marc and Jessie, who grinned back. They were still kneeling in the snow, holding hands, the incident too close for comfort for them as well.

Stacy’s eyes shifted at movement behind them and she noticed that she’d landed a good 100 yards away from the nearest sledder. Jared had been right, no one could have seen. The saucer had carried them far to the right of the main sled hill and the collision had propelled her even farther, leaving relative privacy for her impromptu exam and subsequent reprimand. At that point, she remembered the real culprits in this near tragedy.

“Where are those brats on that sled? I’d like to get my hands on them. They had one you could steer and could have avoided us if they’d tried.”

“Those ‘brats’ took off like the devil himself was after them when they saw our two big brutes racing down the hill,” Jessie said, giggling. “You should have seen their faces, Stace. They were whiter than the snow.”

Jared and Marc each helped their girl up. The guys assisted them with snow removal by brushing off the loose flakes that clung to their clothing under the pretense of keeping them dry in the bitter cold. Stacy met Jessie’s eyes in commiseration when the guys paid particularly close attention to their snow-covered bottoms, brushing them meticulously clean of the slightest hint of a snowflake.

Their good mood and playfulness restored, Jess pushed Marc away, teasing boldly, “Don’t start anything you can’t finish, buster.”

Marc’s affronted expression was comical, as well as mockingly exaggerated. “Who says I can’t finish? Them’s fighting words,
bambina
.”

The next instant he tackled Jess to the snow, instigating a spontaneous wrestling match. Stacy and Jared laughed as they watched them roll in the snow. Marc would occasionally let Jess get a takedown, or so she thought. Before she could pin him, he would flip her over and roll on top, tickling her mercilessly.

Stacy, of course, cheered her friend on. As the underdog, she offered Jess much-needed advice, like a well-placed knee in the groin or a handful of snow down the collar. Jared took exception to some of the more underhanded moves, however, and clamped his gloved hand over her mouth. “I’m taking note of those moves for future reference, Stacy-mine. You fight dirty.” He then pulled her in close, nuzzled her chilled cheek, seeking and finding her neck beneath her scarf and spreading warm kisses.

Poor Jessie, outmatched by her ginormous fiancé, tried to scramble away, only to find herself face-planting into a drift of fluffy powder as her arms sank unexpectedly, engulfing her clear to her shoulders. Seeing her with ruddy cheeks and a face full of snow, Marc came to her rescue, helping his breathless and vanquished woman to her feet. He brushed her cheeks with a dry patch of her scarf and dug snow from her coat collar. Her expression was so defeated and forlorn that Marc chuckled while Jared and Stacy joined in from the sidelines.

Jessie appeared subdued, but Stacy knew her well, and predicted she was anything but. Sure enough, she’d been biding her time. As soon as Marc turned to address a remark from Jared, Jessie retaliated. Stacy watched her bend and quickly pack two large snowballs. The first she launched at Marc’s backside. When it landed dead center with a plop, he turned back in surprise. Unable to resist a great target, Jess hurled the other, which connected with a splat, smack in the middle of his chest.

Always up for a good battle, Jared joined in. Molding a hard-packed snowball, he pitched it at his old friend. Soon, it was an all-out war, eventually pitting guys against girls, who unfortunately took the lion’s share of direct hits. Their gentleman foes considerately aimed below the neck, which meant the brunt of the cold shots landed mostly on well-padded breasts and bottoms.

After everyone was out of breath from laughing and tussling, they decided they should get back up the hill to make sure someone hadn’t absconded with Jared’s hand-me-down toboggan. The women rode piggyback to the top of the hill, the men bearing their small burdens easily up the slope. The dangerous saucer having been dented and broken in the collision was relegated to the trash at the top hill.

“I’m soaked to the skin and freezing, darlin’,” Stacy murmured in his ear. “Can you take me by the car to change? I’ve got another pair of pants in my bag.”

“What about panties, you can’t leave those wet ones on in this cold.”

“I didn’t bring any others.”

“Just leave them off, then. You can start a new trend—commando sledding.”

Soon, they were at the top of the runs. As predicted, Stacy led the way, her short legs and small boots the only ones that would fit under the curl at the front of the sled. Next came Jared who wrapped his arms and legs around her, snuggling her in tightly against his chest. Despite the cold, it was heaven for Stacy.

Looking forward, she laughed at Jared’s size-14 boots resting comically on the front of the toboggan. His big body enveloped her, ready to buffer any jarring bumps along the way. Stacy curled around, craning to watch the rest of the group pile on the sled. Jessie followed, her legs hooking underneath Jared’s arms and wrapping around his waist. Bringing up the rear was Marc, who surrounded Jessie’s smaller frame. Like Stacy, she was snug as could be, protected by the two sturdy male bodies.

Stacy smiled, thinking this ride was an analogy for their lives. Two small women, vulnerable to the twists and turns on the road ahead, at risk for being hurt and potentially thrown off course, finding two strong protectors committed to guarding their women and keeping them on track for their happiness, safety, and security. After the loss of her parents, Stacy felt nostalgic for those same feelings she’d always had as a child. Upon their passing, she not only lost their company, but their strength, wisdom, and unconditional love. She also missed the security of knowing they were always there for her. For three long years, she had felt that loss profoundly until she’d found Jared. She knew the same was true for Jessie, who following her own trauma had felt lost and alone for over a decade. Stacy marveled, not for the first time, at how similar were the paths of their lives.

“You okay, Stace? You seem miles away.” The deep voice behind her stirred her like no other. Smiling over her shoulder, she nodded. “I was just thinking how lucky I was to have found you. It was fate, don’t you think?”

“I do, but I also think that’s an odd thought to have when facing a downhill plunge with nothing between our butts and the ground but a quarter inch of polished plywood.”

“I trust you to keep me safe, darlin’.”

He chuckled. “I’ll protect you with my life, always. I don’t know if I can say the same for the plywood.”

“All set?” The man with the shovel asked, ready to pull it away and send them hurdling down the steep slope.

Marc called, “Wait, my a—uh, my butt is hanging off.”

The others laughed at his quick change of phrasing, a smooth move considering all the families crowding the slopes that day.

“Poor baby,” Jessie cooed. “You won’t be able to joke about
my
big booty after this.”

Stacy curled around and joined in. “Woo hoo, big guys got a little in the middle but baby got back. TMJ, Marc.”

“What?” the guys asked, puzzled.

Stacy and Jess look at each other and laughed; the guys obviously were not Sir Mix-A-Lot fans. So they slowed it down a little, Stacy calling out, “Too much booty in yo’ pants,” and Jessie answering, “Too much junk in yo’ trunk!”

They hooted with laughter until Marc ordered, “TMI about my TMJ, ladies. Now everyone scoot forward. I need six more inches.”

Jared groaned in advance, obviously knowing what was coming because without missing a beat, the girls both cried in hysterics, “That’s what she said!”

Finally, between giggles, grunts, and a lot of grumbling, they all squished forward enough to get Marc’s booty onboard, squeezing together like sardines in a can. Once situated, the shovel was removed and they went speeding down the slope. The snow was packed tightly and the base was deep, add to that a well-waxed sled and the men’s combined weight, and they rapidly raced toward the bottom of the hill. The girls screamed in delight and the men laughed with exhilaration. Too soon, they came to a stop, falling backwards in a twist of limbs as one by one, they untangled their bodies and dismounted the sled.

“That was awesome!” Stacy cheered. “Let’s go again.”

With everyone in full agreement, they spent the remainder of the afternoon sliding down the hill and trudging back up, the bulky sled in tow. After about twenty runs, their cheeks were burned pink from the sun and cold, and the girls were complaining of numb toes.

“My thighs are all prickly and itching.” Jessie hissed as she tried to rub the circulation back into her frozen skin.

“My legs are fine; it’s my butt that’s numb and frozen,” Stacy added as she rubbed her aforementioned posterior.

Her companions paused and stared at her. Soon they were chuckling, and then Marc and Jessie burst into gales of laughter. Jared hauled her against him, shaking his head in disbelief that she’d brought the topic up again.

He whispered, “You walked right into it this time, baby.”

Confused, she looked around at the other three. Jared’s smile was sympathetic, Marc and Jessie’s were anything but.

“Marc?” Jessie asked innocently, unable to suppress a giggle. “How can frozen buns be toasted?”

“Hers are more likely roasted,” Marc quipped.

“True, poor dear, what could be worse than roasted buns?”

“A burnt booty?”

“No, a fried fanny!”

“Maybe a singed seat.”

“I know, how about a cooked caboose?” Jess cried as she began to tear up again

They thought each other hilarious. Stacy was not impressed. She turned her best glare on the two wannabe comedians as they fell into each other’s arms, howling at their own jokes. “Okay, Mr. and Mrs. One-upper, are you about done?”

Still tickled, they wiped the tears from one another’s cheeks.

“Probably not,” Jessie gasped from the circle of Marc’s arms.

“I can’t believe you, Jessie,” Stacy scolded. “That was a private moment and should not be subjected to a bad stand-up routine, Marc.”

Jared moved closer, slipping his arm around her shoulders, offering his support. A punishment spanking wasn’t a trivial matter and Marc and Jessie knew better than to joke about it. Still, they looked stunned by her vehement response to their teasing and were immediately apologetic.

“Oh, Stace, I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have made fun. I know better than anyone what it’s like.” Jessie’s tone was clearly repentant as she begged for forgiveness.

“Me too, we shouldn’t mock such a personal thing. I’m sorry.” Marc added.