28
Red Lace
Q uinn awoke with a smile on her face. It was Christmas Eve. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she’d be in a beautiful log cabin with Mean Hot Cop on Christmas Eve. Rolling over in the bed with a delicious stretch, she was disappointed to discover that Alex wasn't there. She hoped it wasn’t an attempt to avoid her. Maybe he’d woken up early and didn’t want to disturb her. Ooh, or maybe he was making her breakfast in bed. She almost laughed out loud at the thought because she knew better. There was no way Alex would do that, but it was a fun thought.
Not wanting to waste a minute of the day, she hopped out of bed and headed to the kitchen. To her disappointment, Alex was nowhere to be found, and Bear was gone too. Quinn checked the counter for a note, but this time, there wasn’t one. She sighed, supposing Alex was probably out trying to shovel snow again or working out—or doing anything to avoid her.
There was a roaring fire in the fireplace though, and the cabin was surprisingly hot for a change. Well, if he was going to get his exercise in, she could get hers in too. She headed for the bathroom and changed into her bra and underwear. The hot air was perfect for a yoga practice.
She briefly contemplated her attire in the bathroom mirror. If Alex came back in, he may get the wrong idea, but she wasn't going to wear bulky clothes for hot yoga and she'd likely be done before he came back anyway. He seemed to need his alone time. She straightened her bra strap, and the devilish thought occurred to her. Would it be so bad if Alex did come back to the cabin before she was done?
She moved the chairs away from the fireplace, laid a towel down on the deep red Persian area rug, and found her yoga playlist on her phone. The acoustic music was calming as she lay on her back on the floor and began to breathe deeply. The heat of the fireplace was so perfect for hot yoga. Lifting her backside high in the air, she pressed her hands and feet down moving into a down dog. The pose felt divine on her body, and she began flowing through several poses deepening her breath and feeling her muscles release. In no time, her mind and body were one, where time and place ceased to exist.
Standing tall on one leg while lifting her other leg behind her, her hands tipping to the floor, she moved into a standing split, feeling the stretch. The heat from the fireplace warmed her muscles and helped her extend her leg up in the air. Focused on her breathing and holding the pose, she didn’t notice Alex come in.
Bear woke Alex, needing to go outside, and Alex was glad for a reason to detangle his body from Quinn’s. When he’d awoken, he became enticingly aware of her body snuggled up to his side. Fuck, it felt so good, and just like yesterday morning, his erection was like a lead pipe. Bear nudged at him again, and he sighed getting himself out of the bed.
The snow had stopped when he’d taken Bear out, so he worked on shovelling while his pup bounded around. It started to whip up again though, so Alex decided to head in. He closed the door shaking off the snow before he pulled off his hood, and that was when he saw her. Jesus Christ. What the hell was she doing? Mother of Mary and what the fuck was she wearing?
Alex stood mesmerized as she lowered her leg and brought herself into a down dog. She breathed deeply and lifted one leg high in the air in a split. Her red lace panties pulled as she stretched her leg up. He could almost see her… Christ . Lowering the perfect curvy leg, she swooped her arms up and she stood. His eyes landed on her barely contained mouth-watering breasts as she stretched her arms overhead. Good God, the lass was hot as hell.
“Oh, you’re back.” She grinned brightly as she grabbed a towel and patted it to her rosy-cheeked face.
“Where are yer clothes?” His voice was tight, and he didn’t trust himself to move. He’d have her bent over that settee in a heartbeat.
Quinn was oblivious to the dangerous temptation she’d become. “It was so warm in here. I decided to do hot yoga. The less clothes the better. In fact, hot yoga is best practiced naked,” she stated matter-of-factly. “The heat of the fire was so perfect. My practice was excellent today. I’ve never been able to get my leg so high in split,” she said excitedly. “Did you see?” Quinn started to bend over again to show Alex her achievement like it wasn’t an open fucking invitation to do all the things he wanted to do to her.
“I dinnae want to see,” he bellowed, angry that he couldn’t seem to control himself.
She flinched, bristling, and he could see she finally recognized something was amiss.
For a moment, she looked like a kicked puppy, and he felt a stab of guilt. Fuck, the problem was he did want to see and touch and taste and… God help him. He was about to apologize when she straightened her spine, her gaze narrowing on him. The little lass looked completely pissed off and painfully fucking hot all at the same time. She strode towards him, cool, calculated, and sexy as hell. Alex stood stone still except for the tick in his jaw.
Standing before him, she was brimstone and hellfire. Her big eyes were blazing.
“Does my body offend you?” She didn’t mince words.
“Quinn, I— No, no, of course not.” Alex suddenly felt like an arse.
“Good. After all, I believe you told me rather clearly yesterday that you weren’t attracted to me, so I shouldn’t think seeing me in my bra and panties would be a problem.” Her smile was cool and calculated. “Sergeant Mackenzie.” She raised her brow to him challengingly.
And there it was. There was zero doubt. Quinn West knew damn well that he’d lied through his fucking teeth when he said he wasn’t attracted to her—when he said he wouldn’t sleep with her if she begged. Fuck.
Alex could barely breathe, never mind speak. When he didn’t say a word, she turned her heel and sauntered to the bathroom. “I’m going to take a shower,” she said.
As she walked with perfectly rounded hips swaying, she reached behind her, unclasped her bra, and let it slide off onto the floor.
Jesus Christ. Alex’s cock proudly saluted her, making it impossible to ignore the lust that was torching his body and clouding his mind. If an avalanche came through the door, he still wouldn’t be able to tear his gaze away from her.
Then she stopped in her tracks, slipping her thumbs into the waistband of her red lace panties and bent over as she pulled them down over her perfect ass and down her shapely legs until she flicked them aside with a toe and carried on into the bathroom without looking back.
Alex watched her, spellbound. Desire drowning him. Holy fuck.
Trying to pull it together, he stood for a time not sure what to think anymore. On the spectrum of being immune to not, the scale had completely tipped to not. Not immune. Not even a little. The reality was he was lucky if he could hang onto a thread of discipline when it came to Quinn West. How the hell had that happened? She was beyond what he ever knew he wanted or needed. He couldn’t possibly deny the chemistry that sizzled wildly between them. There was no doubt that he wanted her with his every fibre, but did it change the situation?
Alex knew that sex with Quinn would be mind-fucking-blowing, but then what? The reality was that even if they had off-the-charts sex, in the end, it wouldn’t be good for either of them. Quinn was the kind of woman to take home to meet the family. And Alex couldn’t let his life derail again. Was it even possible to just fuck as friends?
The thought didn’t sit well. Somehow, he already knew that they were too involved for sex to just be sex. He ran his hands over his face, feeling frustration. What was he supposed to do? With the snow still coming down, he knew they were going to be stuck here together for likely days to come. Maybe he should just talk to her, be honest, and set the record straight. She was a smart lass. He was sure she would agree that sex would just make things complicated between them. Maybe if he levelled with her, she’d understand and even agree.
Quinn went to Alex’s room for clean sweatpants and a hoody. For a moment, she stood at the door, contemplating going to see what he was up to, but thought better of it. Quinn had hoped or maybe daydreamed that he’d join her in the shower, but no such luck. It was obvious to her that he was attracted to her, despite his denial about it, but something held him back, for some reason, he seemed hell-bent on keeping their attraction from becoming anything more. The picture with him and the blond woman came to mind, and she again wondered about it. Was the woman in the photo the reason Alex kept himself in check with Quinn?
Quinn had snuck up to the loft the day before and found a book to occupy her next time Alex went AWOL. Now seemed like a good time to start it. She pulled it out from under the bed where she’d stashed it, fluffed up the pillows against the headboard, and hopped into bed.
For the rest of the afternoon, Quinn read a surprisingly juicy historical romance novel she’d found in Alex’s loft. It made her smile inside, knowing he probably had no idea there were smutty romance books up there. Good as the book was, it certainly wasn’t doing her any favours while being cooped up in this cabin with Hot Cop.
When Quinn finally put the book down, she was surprised to notice the room had become dim. Looking out the window, dusk loomed in the snow-filled sky. Realizing Alex hadn’t even come to check on her, she sighed, biting her lip. The man was a mystery. Deciding not to hide out for the evening too, she ventured out of Alex’s room and padded down the hall to the kitchen.
Alex stood at the counter preparing dinner. God, he was a delicious sight with his broad muscular back and shoulders showing through his t-shirt as he chopped vegetables. And his ass? Frick . She could bounce quarters of it. Damn that book. It had her all stirred up.
She considered offering her assistance when she thought better of it, remembering how he’d brushed her off the day before. Quinn decided to go up to the loft and see what other book treasures she could find. Alex seemed to pay her no attention until she began up the ladder.
“I’ll join you in a few minutes,” he called after her, not looking up.
“Okay,” she answered. Hmm , she hadn’t expected that. Perhaps he wanted to read more of A Christmas Carol . Quinn sat on the little couch up in the loft and looked out the picture window at the gently falling snow. It was a picturesque Christmas Eve. And despite all the things that seemed wrong, so much just felt right.
Alex climbed up the ladder, and they locked eyes as he reached the top. Looking at her tentatively, he asked, “May I?” gesturing to sit beside her.
“Of course.” She nodded.
“I think we should huv a talk,” he said.
Oh boy, he sounded all cop-like again. Quinn had the distinct impression that this wasn’t going to be a festive Christmassy conversation. She watched him as he settled on the couch beside her and stared out the window before turning to her.
“The snow isnae letting up, so we may be stuck here for a few days yet,” he said, apprehension lacing his voice.
“I noticed,” she said calmly, holding her hands in her lap.
“I feel I wasn’t totally honest with ye yesterday.” His expression grew serious.
“No?” She tried to think back to everything they’d talked about and what he might not have been straight with her about. Without a doubt, he wasn’t forthcoming about a lot of things, but she hadn’t thought he’d been outright dishonest with her.
Clearing his throat as if it pained him to speak, he said, “I’ve come to realize that perhaps we do have some chemistry between us.”
He looked so uncomfortable that Quinn could have laughed. “Ah, so you’re crushing on me then,” She said bluntly, purposefully making him squirm.
“Aye,” he muttered.
She looked at him from under arched brows.
“But, I’m no’ looking for anything right now,” he said with a sigh.
“Mm-hmm,” she said in understanding. Although truly, she did not understand at all. She bit her lip, and for a split second, she thought she saw a spark in his stormy blue eyes. But he looked away. Too bad, she thought.
“I just dinnae think it’s a good idea for ye and me to…” he paused unable to find the right words.
“To?” she asked, wanting him to say it.
“Well to anything really,” he said awkwardly.
She looked at him quizzically. “To anything?”
“Ms. West, ye know what I mean,” he said, getting all cop serious on her.
“Do I?” She challenged, stifling a laugh.
Suddenly sounding irritated, he said, “The truth is there is a wee bit of chemistry between us, but it is only due to circumstance. Of course, we’re going to be affected by each other being stuck here together. It’s human nature.”
Oh my God. Is that what he thought? Their chemistry was simply due to being alone together? Quinn was silently nonplussed that this was how he was justifying the sparks that flickered between them.
“The thing is, I am not looking for a fling, and I suspect ye feel the same,” he said as if that explained it all.
“I see. And what if I am looking for a fling?” she asked pointedly.
Heat careened through Alex at the possibility, and he let himself ponder it. Was that what she wanted—to just go at it?
“I mean, we are stranded here. We could make the most of it,” she said as if she’d heard his silent questions.
Alex’s mind raced at the very idea that he could fuck her senseless for the rest of the evening and into the next day and maybe the next too. For a brief scintillating moment, he permitted himself to contemplate the possibility before he swore in his head. It would only cause trouble in the end.
The last woman in his life had fucked him over and nearly destroyed him. It would be a cold day in hell before he’d risk ruining all the work he’d done to rebuild his world. Absolutely nothing was worth risking going down that path again. And despite being nothing like the woman who haunted Alex’s past, even the vexing ever-present temptation of Ms. Quinn West was not powerful enough to sway him. He’d learned his lesson well. Canada was a fresh start, and he had made a good life here. Screwing it up was not an option.
The woman who had a knack for firing up his cock looked at him expectantly with her tempting brown eyes. Even worse, Alex found he was beginning to like her more than just sexually. It surprised him all to hell to realize her presence here with him somehow made him feel more Christmassy with a little less longing in his heart than he usually felt these past couple of years missing his family over the holidays. She’d been surprisingly pleasant company making it that much harder to let her down.
“Quinn, I think ‘tis best if we dinnae complicate things,” he said more softly.
Quinn searched his face and must have realized the battle was lost. “No ‘stuck in a cabin, Christmas sex fest’ eh?” she teased half-heartedly.
Alex’s lips tugged in a smile appreciating how Canadian she sounded. There were turns of phrases and nuances that Alex found to be distinctly Canadian, but Quinn’s Canadian-ness hit differently. Hers was laced with a soft twist of sexy.
“I think ’tis best that way,” Alex said. His resolve was challenged when her lush lower lip tucked worriedly under her teeth.
“Okay,” she agreed lightly. “No sex. Even if you beg,” she joked referring to his comment to her only a few short days ago.
A half grin pulled at the corner of his mouth. Shite, he was an idiot. Alex should have felt relief, but he didn’t. What he felt was something more akin to disappointment. What on earth was wrong with him? Did he want her to put up a fight? Beg him to slide his cock into her.
Oblivious to his internal battle, Quinn smiled brightly. “I still think we should make the most of this time though being Christmas and all.” She regarded him painfully diplomatically. “We don’t need sex, but we can still enjoy each other’s company and celebrate the season. I mean honestly, look out that window. Hallmark would beg to put that snowy mountain scene on their Christmas cards.”
Alex chuckled even though inside he still wared with himself. Despite being the one to shut down any chance of sex, it still grated how easily she acquiesced. Although he supposed she was right they should make the most of this time. It was Christmas after all.
He smiled at her. “So what do ye suggest then lass?”
Picking up A Christmas Carol from the trunk coffee table, she asked, “Shall I read some more?”
Nodding, he settled back on the couch and crossed his feet up on the trunk coffee table. “Aye.” If he couldn’t make mad, passionate love to her, then just hanging out was a surprisingly decent backup plan.