Chapter 6 #2
"Hot chocolate?" Jax suggested, voicing what we were all thinking.
"And a fire," I added, already being lifted by Adrian. "A very large, very warm fire."
"And dry clothes," Estelle called over her shoulder.
As we headed back toward the cabin, snow falling around us like confetti and Christmas lights welcoming us home, I caught Adrian's hand and squeezed it through our mittens.
"Thank you," I said quietly.
"For what, angel?" His green eyes glinted knowingly.
"For all of this. For making Christmas magical."
His smile was soft and private, just for me. "The day's not over yet, angel. Lots more could happen.”
Something in his tone made me glance at the other girls, and I caught the same secretive excitement in their eyes that was probably shining in mine.
The guys had given us the perfect snowy day, filled with laughter, snow battles, the simple joy of being together, and we were going to return it tenfold.
"We have to head out soon," Jax announced, checking his watch with extreme casualness. "Got some... errands to run before it gets too late."
"Errands," Estelle repeated skeptically, raising an eyebrow. "In the mountains. After dark."
"Very important errands," Connor added.
"Don't wait up for us," Adrian added with that signature grin. "We might be gone for a while."
The three of us exchanged knowing looks. Whatever they were plotting, it was clearly meant to be a surprise for us.
Little did they know, we had our own surprise in the works.
"We'll just stay in and enjoy our decorated cookies," Sierra smiled innocently, gesturing toward the cooling racks piled with our afternoon's pastime. "Maybe watch some Christmas movies by the fire."
"Perfect," Adrian murmured, pressing a kiss to my temple. "Keep warm, angel. I'll make it worth the wait."
Within twenty minutes, the guys had tucked us in blankets, bundled us up in dry clothes, and were heading out the door. The SUV's headlights cut through the gathering darkness as they disappeared down the winding mountain road.
"Okay," I called when the sound of their engine faded into the distance. "Time to put our plan into action."
We raced upstairs like girls planning a prank, breathless with excitement and anticipation.
In the master bedroom where Estelle had been staying, we spread out our chosen ensembles with the care of artists assembling their masterpieces.
For myself, it was a set of ethereal white lace—delicate as snowflakes but designed to drive Adrian wild. The bra was little more than a whisper of fabric that left very little to the imagination, paired with matching panties that were more suggestion than coverage.
It was angelic and seductive all at once, perfect for an "angel" who was feeling decidedly sinful.
Estelle had a deep emerald silk and lace ensemble that complemented her skin beautifully. The set was bold and sophisticated, with high-cut bottoms emphasizing every curve. It was exactly the kind of thing that would make Jax's eyes go dark.
Sierra's choice was perhaps the most surprising—soft black lace that should have looked severe but instead emphasized her delicate beauty. The contrast was stunning, innocent, and sultry all at once.
"Are we really doing this?" Sierra asked with a nervous giggle as she did a little spin.
"Oh, we're definitely doing this," Estelle replied, already reaching for the spools of ribbon we'd collected from our gift-wrapping supplies.
We helped each other into our lingerie like we were putting on wedding dresses, then began the delicate process of adorning ourselves with ribbons.
Silver satin wrapped around my waist like a corset and tied in a big bow at my back. More ribbon threaded through my hair and around my wrists like delicate chains.
Every piece was positioned to enhance rather than cover, creating an effect that was both festive and utterly seductive.
Estelle had gold ribbons winding around her body, finishing with perfect bows that looked like they belonged in a high-end boutique window.
Sierra's black ensemble was offset by red ribbons—classic Christmas colors that made her look like a present worth unwrapping very, very slowly.
"We look silly,” Sierra announced, catching sight of herself in the full-length mirror.
"We look amazing," I corrected, admiring our handiwork. "Like the world's most tempting Christmas presents."
"The guys are going to lose their minds," Estelle added with an excited grin.
We positioned ourselves by the window that overlooked the driveway, wrapped in robes to keep warm while we waited. The snow was falling more heavily now, creating a perfect winter wonderland backdrop for our surprise.
"There!" Sierra pointed excitedly as headlights appeared in the distance. "They're coming back!"
My heart hammered against my ribs as we watched the SUV pull into the circular drive. This was it—the moment we'd been planning all day.
We grabbed our fluffy Santa hats, the perfect finishing touches to our barely-there ensembles, and crept toward the back door like conspirators in the night.
The plan was simple: sneak around to the front of the cabin, ring the doorbell like we were special delivery Christmas presents, and watch our guys' jaws drop when they realized what we'd wrapped ourselves in.
But the moment we stepped outside, the cold hit like a physical slap.
The air was so frigid it seemed to steal the breath from my lungs, and I could feel goosebumps erupting across every inch of exposed skin, which, given our current state of undress, was considerable.
"Holy sugar cookies," Sierra gasped, her teeth already chattering as snow crunched beneath our boots. "It's freezing!"
"No backing out now," Estelle whispered, though her voice shook almost as much as her body. "We committed to this stupid plan."
The three of us huddled together as we made our way around the side of the cabin, our bare legs burning with cold, ribbons fluttering in the icy breeze.
Christmas lights twinkled overhead, casting everything in a glow that contrasted sharply with the arctic temperature, trying to turn us into popsicles.
Despite the cold, we couldn't stop giggling—partly from nerves, partly from the sheer absurdity of what we were doing.
Here we were, three grown women sneaking around a mountain cabin in lingerie and Santa hats, about to surprise our lovers like we were living Christmas dreams.
"They're going to die," I whispered as we approached the corner that would take us to the front of the cabin. "Absolutely die."
"Worth freezing our—”
Estelle’s words cut off abruptly as we rounded the corner and stepped into view of the side of the cabin.
We all froze.
Standing there in the shadows, silhouetted against the darker side of the cabin where the Christmas lights didn't quite reach, were three massive figures.
Three shirtless, impossibly muscled figures wearing red velvet Santa pants and matching hats.
…With black ski masks that covered everything but their eyes.
For a heartbeat that felt like eternity, nobody moved. Nobody breathed.
We just stared at each other across the snow-covered yard—three nearly naked women adorned with ribbons and bows, facing three half-naked masked men who looked like they'd stepped out of someone's darkest Christmas fantasy.
The guys were huge. I'd always known that, of course, but seeing them bare-chested, muscles gleaming with snowflakes in the glow, faces hidden behind those predatory masks, made them seem even more imposing. More dangerous. More... feral.
But it was their eyes that terrified us—visible through the ski masks, dark and intense and fixed on us with an expression that was equal parts shock, desire, and something much more primal.
Adrian's eyes found mine across the distance, and even behind the mask, I could read the mixture of admiration and possessive hunger there.
But there was something else, something that made my pulse quicken for reasons that had nothing to do with our romantic surprise.
They looked... predatory. Like hunters who'd just spotted their prey.
The realization hit all three of us at the same moment.
They hadn't been expecting us to be outside. They hadn't been expecting us to be nearly naked. And they definitely hadn't been expecting us to be vulnerable and exposed in the freezing mountain air.
The masks transformed them from our loving, protective boxers into wilder, more dangerous monsters.
Festive monsters that set every instinct I had screaming that I was in the presence of predators who could overpower me without breaking a sweat.
"RUN!" Sierra shrieked.
And we did.
Pure instinct took over as we scattered like startled deer, our carefully planned seduction forgotten in favor of the most basic survival impulse known to humanity.
Behind us, I heard the sound of heavy footsteps giving chase. The part of me that had looked into those masked faces and seen something wild and untamed was focused entirely on escape.
The night exploded into chaos as the chase began, Christmas lights twinkling overhead like stars bearing witness to the most animalistic Christmas game any of us had ever played.
And somewhere in the back of my mind, even as I ran, I couldn't help but think that this was going to be the most unforgettable Christmas of our lives.