Chapter 14
Chapter fourteen
Lance
Snow lies thick on the ground this Christmas Day, and the temperature hovers below freezing. It’s bitter. Katie and I lie snuggled in bed, wrapped around each other, stealing the quiet while we can. Her head rests on my chest as we chat about our past Christmases.
This is my first Christmas without Hannah, when I haven’t been deployed. It feels ironic that, even though I’m home, we’re apart. Hoping Ainsley would reconsider Hannah coming to visit today was pointless. She didn’t. Christmas was her day; no negotiation possible.
Organizing my visits with my daughter has become difficult. I don’t know why Ainsley’s becoming more regimented about pick up and drop off times. It’s wearing thin.
“Major,” Katie purrs, “what did you ask Santa for?”
Squeezing her tight, I murmur, “A giant serving of you.” She smiles against my chest.
“Good answer. Well, I have a small present for you now, but you’ll get your main one tonight.” Her hungry eyes meet mine.
“Now that sounds interesting,” I say, nibbling her ear. Her breathing hitches; my cock hardens as my blood heats. “What’s my little present then?”
She reaches to her bedside table, pulling a rectangular parcel from the drawer. It’s neatly wrapped in red shiny paper and tied with a big silver bow. She passes it to me, beaming. As I untie the ribbon, her cheeks blush.
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” she mumbles.
I give her a sideways glance. Why is she doubting her choice?
When I peel back the paper, there is a plain black box with a red heart on the lid. Inside is a book I’ve heard of. The name is written in romantic script across the cover: Your Kama Sutra. Katie flushes as red as a tomato. She grabs a pillow and throws herself back on the bed, covering her face.
“Kill me now,” she shrieks. “This has turned out embarrassing rather than sexy.”
Prying her fingers from the pillow, I touch my lips to her forehead.
“Thank you. I love it. Studying the Kama Sutra with you will be amazing. I’m sure we will have plenty to practice.” I give her a cheeky wink, and she giggles nervously.
“Now for my gift to you.”
Jumping out of bed, I run downstairs to grab the envelope from my jacket pocket. Excitement bubbles in my chest. She’d better like it. Who am I kidding? I want her to bloody love it.
When I discussed my gift idea with Dog, he told me it was too much. I ignored him. Millie, however, was very excited about my plans. She thought Katie was a very lucky woman. Dog better have bought Millie something better than the toaster he was considering.
Back in the bedroom, Katie is still sitting where I left her. Messy blonde curls surround her make-up-free face. At this time in the morning, our difference in age is obvious. Lines fan around her eyes and mouth. She’s never looked so beautiful.
She’s concerned about other people’s opinions of us, and when we go out in public, she tends to spend over an hour on her makeup. I notice the time is increasing rather than decreasing.
Walking toward the bed, putting on my best naked swagger, I present her with a pink envelope adorned with a bow.
“Your gift, ma’am.”
She pinches it between her fingers and flips open the flap to pull out the photo inside. It’s a picture of the two of us at the bar in Inverness. Tipsy with huge smiles, arms wrapped around each other. Her eyes lift to mine, then back to the photo.
“Turn it over,” I prompt, impatient for her to get to the good part.
To My Katie,
Time spent with you is incredible.
I’m taking you away to a secret location for the weekend.
You’ll be spoiled, pampered, and treated like the queen you are.
Pack a bag and be ready to leave on 30th December. You’re bringing in the bells at New Year with me. We are living for now.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, my darling.
Love,
Your Major McDonald xxx
Her eyes scan the words, darting back and forth. For what seems like forever, she says nothing. Not a word passes her lips. My confidence drains, and I wonder if I’ve made a huge mistake with this gesture.
“Say something,” I plead. “Is it too much? Have I upset you?”
She shakes her head.
“You want to spend the new year with me?” she asks, and I smile.
“There’s no one I would rather spend it with. Katie, you’ve made my year a fantastic one. What could have been three hundred and sixty-five days of misery is ending on a high. I want to celebrate together, just us, away from here and prying eyes. Please say you’ll let me do this for you, for us.”
She cups my face between her hands and stares at me.
I’m sure she can see to the depths of my soul.
Then her mouth is on mine, and she kisses me fiercely.
I pull her closer, desperate to deepen the connection between us.
My hands roam over her naked body. I breathe in deeply—she still smells of our sex from last night. Heaven. This woman is my heaven.
She pulls back and swipes a curl from her face. A shy smile plays on her lips. “Major, I would love to go away with you.”
Pure elation fills my chest—she said yes. A whole weekend with her. There’s nothing I want more right now.
Two hours later, we are sitting in front of the roaring fire sipping hot chocolate. The gigantic tree stands proud in the window, dominating the cottage room. Hundreds of lights twinkle and reflect off all the various baubles hanging on each branch.
Katie bought us onesies for the big day.
Mine is blue with little Santas dancing a jig spotted all over the material.
I’ve never worn anything like this before, and having to unzip yourself from it every time you want a piss is a bloody pain in the ass.
Katie’s onesie is red and decorated with reindeer.
We both look like we’ve stepped out of a supermarket advertising campaign.
“Let’s get dressed and take the dogs for a walk,” I suggest, and she rolls her eyes. “Come on. The snow’s on the ground. The trees look stunning with the icicles hanging from them. It’ll be worth your while.”
She raises her eyebrows. “How?”
“I’ll give you a night to remember. Just think of the hours of sexual pleasure I’ll owe you.”
Conceding defeat, she struggles onto her feet from the couch and walks toward the door, pulling her fluffy welly socks over her festive outfit, then piling her huge jacket on top.
While she’s dragging her winter hat down on her head, I grab the huge bobble on top of it and pluck it straight back off.
“Tell me you’re not wearing that to go out.”
“Of course I bloody am.” She smirks. “Not getting dressed today, remember? You either take me in my onesie or you take me naked.”
“I will take you any way I can get you… Okay, naked it is then.” I grab her around the waist and throw her over my shoulder, spinning her round and slapping her bum with my free hand playfully. She giggles and leans over to pinch my backside.
“Ouch!” Her shrill voice stops me in my tracks. “That fucking hurt.”
“What’s wrong?”
“You cracked my head off the door frame.” She laughs through her tears. “Lucky I don’t have much in there.”
I place her back on the floor and take her in my arms. “Sorry.” She squeezes me tight.
We finish getting ready for our walk, both wrapped up as if hiking to the North Pole. Taking her hand in mine, I lead her out into the crisp winter’s day.
***
When we return to the cottage, we’re exhausted and merry. Peeling our layers off, we scurry toward the still-burning fire and warm our extremities. Heat seeps through my body, and I feel myself return to a normal temperature.
We threw snowballs and rolled down hills, enjoying the craziness of each other’s company. Her hair stuck to her face like glue as it got wet and froze in the sub-zero air. Her smile radiated warmth though, no matter how cold we became.
“I’m starving,” she declares. “Let’s get dinner ready.”
The smells from the kitchen are divine. The oven is already working on our delicious feast. She pulls various containers from the fridge, obviously prepared for the occasion.
“What can I do to help?”
She looks at me sideways. “You can pour me a glass of wine, then stand there looking gorgeous. Use the time to consider all the ways you’re going to pleasure me later.” A dark smile crosses her lips. “I fancy being bent over and fucked hard.”
My breath hitches as the vision of her in that position floods my mind. Doggy style is my favorite. I love the domination and control; watching my cock slide in and out of her from above is the ultimate aphrodisiac.
“I’ll set the table,” I whisper, needing a distraction.
Later, she plays with the chocolate cake on her fork, running her tongue over it and licking the sauce from the surface before popping the piece in her mouth.
I growl at her. “Do that again, and I’ll fuck you over this table. Stop cock teasing me when we are trying to have a civilized meal.”
She snorts with laughter and repeats the tease with her next piece.
“Perhaps the punishment sounds appealing, Major,” she purrs, her dark eyes challenging me to take the bait.
***
Today couldn’t be more different from yesterday.
At eight o’clock this morning, I extricated myself from Katie’s warm bed to go and collect Hannah.
The 26th of December is my Christmas Day with her.
After today, I won’t see her till after the New Year, as Ainsley is taking her to visit family in England.
I’d been furious. No conversation, just her telling me it was happening.
“Lance, just because we’re separated and must share Hannah doesn’t mean she has to miss out on tradition. I’m taking her to see my family. No arguments. Start making this awkward, and I’ll see you in court.”
She flicked her hair over her shoulder and slammed the front door in my face.
Bitch. Helplessness chews my insides.
Hannah climbs into the car wearing her pajamas.
Her red hair is plaited down her back, a gloomy look on her face.
She buckles herself in, and I pull away from my old home.
The tree was in the window, as it is every year.
From the outside, it looks like any other Christmas, but sadly, things are very different.
We sit in silence for the journey to my house. My daughter’s a thinker. She always has been. There’s no point fishing for the information—she’ll tell me when she’s ready.
Entering our street, I notice that compared to the other houses, my house looks lacking in the decorations department. Our next-door neighbor has fairy lights in every window, a massive inflatable snowman on the front porch, and the display is topped off with a singing Santa on his sleigh.
Our only decorations are a lonely plastic tree crammed into the corner of our living room with the baubles that I found in a local charity shop. Guilt twists my stomach: I should’ve tried harder.
Dog and Millie are sitting on the sofa, intertwined. He runs his hand over her shoulder possessively. They look comfortable and happy. I’m delighted for my friend; it’s good to see him settled for once.
When Hannah enters, Millie immediately jumps up and runs across to embrace her.
“Merry Christmas, special girl. Tell me everything you got from the big man.” Her face falls when she sees my little girl’s expression. “Sweetheart, what’s wrong?”
Hannah shrugs her shoulders. “Nothing. Just getting too old for all...” She waves her hands around the room. “This. It’s not real anyway. It’s all a lie.”
“What do you mean?” I ask, nerves fluttering in my stomach.
Hannah looks from Millie to me, then shakes her head. “Nothing. Ignore me.”
The glow of the holiday season has well and truly diminished in the first hour of her visit. My little girl is very unhappy, and I have no idea what to do to help her.