Epilogue
New Winter, New Adventure
Kaira
*
Winter rolled around again. This time, I was Mrs. Niles.
Chad knelt down on the floor in front of me, stoking the red and orange flames of the fire. In his blue, knitted sweater, gray sweat pants and winter boots, he looked every inch the handsome man I’d fallen in love with.
And my stomach gave an odd little dip.
When he twisted his head to look at me, his short blonde hair glistening underneath the warm lighting of the room, the butterflies in my stomach erupted. With a smile, he stood up and wandered over to me on the couch. Wordlessly, he removed the blanket on top of me and draped it over the two of us, drawing me closer to him.
He smelled like mint soap.
Outside, snow was falling steadily, blanketing the world in white. Now and again, a car passed, honking into the night before it disappeared. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the flames leap and dance, casting long shadows across the wall and filling the room with the smell of pine and wood.
I sighed and lifted my head up.
Chad pressed his lips to mine, and I shuddered. Then I threw one leg up over him, and the other, so I was straddling him. His hands immediately went to my waist and darted underneath my red, winter dress. He stroked the stockings underneath, moving upwards until he reached my panties.
As soon as he stroked me, I gasped. “Going straight for the kill?”
“I’m a man who knows what he wants,” Chad said, against my mouth.
“I love that.” I wrenched my lips away and ran my fingers up and down his back over his slim, fit physique, my heart hammering against my chest. I whimpered when he pulled my dress up over my head and threw it onto the floor.
Then he removed my boots and set them down on the floor.
I fumbled with his sweater, revealing the long-sleeved shirt underneath. Chad leaned back and pulled it up over his head, revealing taut muscles and tanned skin. My mouth turned dry when he reclaimed it, moving his mouth in slow, even strokes.
Fire burned in the center of my stomach.
Slowly, I ran my fingers over his back, pausing over the jagged scar in the center. “So, when are you going to tell me about your battle wounds?”
“Battle wounds?” Chad pressed hot, open-mouthed kisses down the side of my neck before traveling back up to my face. “You mean my scars?
“Yes.”
“I’ll tell you if you’ve been a good girl this year.” Chad flipped me over, so I was flat on my back on the couch, and he loomed on top of me. “Have you been a good girl this year?”
“I’ve been a very good girl,” I promised, breathlessly, color creeping up my cheeks. “You know that.”
Chad’s hands moved to his pants, and he pulled them down, his erection straining against his boxers. “I think you’ve been a very bad girl.”
My breath hitched in my throat. “Does that mean you’re going to punish me?”
“Do you want me to punish you?” Chad removed his boxers and kicked my legs apart. Slowly, he rolled my stockings down and slid them off my feet. Then he unhooked my bra and removed my panties.
All it took was one look for me to shiver underneath his gaze.
“Are you cold?”
I linked my fingers over his neck and shook my head. “With you? Never.”
Chad’s lips lifted into a smile. “Good.”
With that, he settled in between my legs, his mouth moving slowly against mine. He tasted like eggnog and candy canes, and I couldn’t get enough of it. So, I wrapped my legs around his waist and pushed him closer. He smiled into the kiss, and in one quick move, he was inside of me.
I cried out and buried my face in his neck.
He eased out and slammed back into me. “How does that feel?”
“Amazing.” I breathed. “Don’t stop, please.”
Chad lifted my arms up on either side of me and pinned them over my head. “We’re just getting started. We have all weekend, baby.”
I threw my head back and moaned. “Oh, yes.”
Chad thrust into me and waited. I squirmed and wriggled my hips. He brushed his mouth along the side of my neck and nipped the skin there. When I whimpered his name, he smiled and sunk his teeth there.
Dual waves of pain and pleasure ricocheted through me.
I dug my nails into the inside of my palms and twisted my head to the side. Chad buried his head in the crook of my neck and murmured against my skin. He left a trail of heat in his wake and the butterflies in my stomach erupted into a frenzy. When he moved back up to my lips, I sighed, and he released my hands.
Immediately, I dug my nails into his shoulders and arched my back.
He hissed and made a low growling noise that reverberated inside of my head. When I shifted against him and sat up, he leaned back, and his hands moved down to my feet. He secured them over his waist and leaned forward, so my back dug into the back of the couch.
Together, we moved, skin slapping against skin until the smell of sweat filled Chad’s secluded cabin. In the background, the fire continued to crackle and roar. I twisted my head to the side and squeezed my eyes shut. Slowly, I ran my fingers down the length of his back and stopped.
As soon as I moved them to his face, he kissed the inside of my wrist.
I traced his eyes, his small nose and stopped at his lips. Then I traced his hard jaw, my stomach doing an odd little somersault. When he fixed his playful gray eyes on me, full of hunger and desire, I stopped breathing.
How in the hell did I get lucky enough to land a man like this?
Tears welled up in the back of my eyes.
Chad came to a halt and cupped my face in his hands. “Are you okay?”
“Never better.” I threw my arms over his shoulders and smiled. “I’m just so happy.”
He kissed me, deeply and soundly, taking my breath away. Then he began to move again, slowly and tenderly, like I was the most precious thing in the world. Waves of desire built within me until I exploded, writhing and panting against him. He shifted, so I stretched out over the couch, spots dancing in my field of vision. When I caught my breath, he quickened his pace, framed my face in between his hands and kissed me.
And everything else melted away.
I linked my legs over his waist, drawing him closer. He murmured my name against my mouth and sighed. Then he leaned back, placed one hand on either side of the couch and thrust. His pace turned frantic, desperate, as if he couldn’t get enough of me. Before long, we were both moving with reckless and wild abandon, while the couch creaked and ground underneath us, the soft fabric like silk against my back.
This time when I came again, he jerked against me and warmth pooled between my legs. As soon as he caught his breath, he collapsed onto the couch next to me and drew me towards him. Wordlessly, he began to draw idle patterns against my bare skin, his fingers warm and calloused.
I twisted onto my side and tilted my head back to face him. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
Chad kissed my forehead. “What is it?”
And then I looked into his eyes and said, “Chad… we’re going to have a baby.”
I didn’t think I’d ever seen him this happy.
THE END