Chapter 8 Ivan
IVAN
The storm hasn’t let up an inch. If anything, it’s even fiercer than before. I can’t stay out here too long—not unless I want to get hypothermia. But there are a couple of things I need to do for Ruby, and not even the searing pain in my leg is going to stop me.
First, I grab my shovel and start digging into the drift around my cabin, clearing as much snow as possible from around the windows.
This will be Ruby’s first white Christmas, and I want her to see it.
It takes a while to plow through. The snow is packed tight, but eventually, the windows are clear.
I scrape out as much as possible from beneath the frames, giving the snow room to pile up without blocking the window again.
My hands are numb when I finish, skin blistering with the cold. I’m used to the snow as a mountain man, but this storm is the worst we’ve had all year. I can feel my beard starting to freeze, my eyelashes sticking together with every blink. But there’s still one thing I need to do.
I grab my axe from the toolshed and head for the trees behind my cabin.
I pick a young one—a bushy green fir—marking the trunk with my axe.
It’s hard to see where I’m hitting, snow blurring my vision as I start to chop.
But muscle memory takes over, and soon, the fir topples to the ground.
I hoist it up by the trunk, shaking it vigorously before dragging it back toward my cabin.
I can’t believe I’m putting up a Christmas tree this year.
If someone had told me a week ago that I’d be wandering around in a snowstorm just to cut down a damn Christmas tree, I’d have said they were nuts. But I’d do anything to make Ruby happy. Hell, I’d catch hypothermia a thousand times over just to see that pretty smile.
God help me, I’m officially a lost cause.
This girl has got me addicted.
Obsessed.
I never would have guessed that a sweet, upbeat little beauty like Ruby had such a rough start in life.
It broke my heart hearing about how she tries extra hard to make Christmas special because it’s such a lonely time for her.
She deserves so much better. I want tomorrow to be an awesome day for her, and I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.
As I drag the fir tree over the threshold and into the living room, I’m hit by a burst of sparkle and color.
Ruby hasn’t wasted time. Decorations drape every surface of the living room.
Garlands and ornaments line the shelves, tinsel outlines the doorways, and golden lights crisscross the room.
Big red bows are tied above the still-shuttered windows, and several candles flicker on the mantelpiece.
There’s music playing, Dean Martin crooning Baby It’s Cold Outside from my old radio in the corner.
Ruby is nowhere to be seen, but North is sniffing around the unfamiliar decorations. He bounds toward me when I step inside, then falters, barking at the tree. He doesn’t look impressed.
Damn, this dog is more of a Grinch than I am.
He slinks away into the bedroom just as Ruby appears. I haven’t been gone long, but my heart still jumps at the sight of her. She looks so fucking adorable in her festive sweater, her blue jeans hugging those deliciously thick thighs.
Fuck, what I wouldn’t give to be between them.
Unwrapping those curves like a Christmas present.
I try to shake off the thoughts, hauling the tree across the living room. Ruby’s eyes widen as she watches me.
“Ivan, is that…is that a Christmas tree?”
I nod. “Douglas Fir. Should be a tree stand in one of those boxes.”
Ruby nods slowly, still looking bemused. “I think I saw one.”
She roots around beneath all the tinsel, handing me a stand. I set it up in the corner, slotting the fir’s narrow trunk inside and clamping it into place. It’s tall for a Christmas tree, over eight feet, but my cabin has high ceilings.
“What do you think?” I ask, turning to Ruby.
She looks at the tree, then at me, then back at the tree. For a few moments, she doesn’t speak. Her mouth opens and closes like a fish, as if the words are caught in her throat.
“Ivan…did you just go out…in the middle of a snowstorm…to cut down a Christmas tree for me?”
I can’t make out her tone. Can’t tell if she’s mad, confused, or just thinks I’m a fucking moron.
“Yes. I did. Figured it would make you smile.”
Ruby blinks. Then she crosses the room, stopping in front of me. My pulse jumps at the closeness, the way she tips that pretty face back so she can meet my gaze. Something glitters in her hair—a stray wisp of tinsel. I reach out to remove it, my fingers brushing her silky red locks.
“Thank you so much…for everything,” she says, her voice so quiet it’s almost a whisper. “The tree is perfect.” Then she rises on her tiptoes. I think she’s aiming for my cheek, but she only reaches my jaw, her soft kiss landing on my beard.
She starts to pull back, and a flash of defiance bolts through me.
You’re not going anywhere, princess.
I grip Ruby’s waist and pull her tight against me. Her lips part in surprise but she doesn’t struggle. She melts against me, sucking in a sharp breath, and the room stills as we stare at each other. Our faces inch closer, so close I could count every one of her adorable freckles.
Fuck.
My restraint is seconds from snapping. I’ve been trying to control myself ever since I laid eyes on this girl, telling myself she’s too young for me. Hell, she is. Nothing has changed—this girl is still half my age. Still leaving soon. And definitely still too sweet for this old Grinch.
But I can’t resist anymore.
Can’t fucking bear one more second without touching her.
“I need to kiss you, Candy Cane…” My voice is a growl of need, all my pent-up desires ready to spill over. “But first, I need to know you want it. Need to hear you say it.”
Her breath quickens. She wets her bottom lip, blinking at me with those big doe eyes. Then she speaks, her words quiet but sure.
“I want it, Ivan.”
That’s all it takes for me to unravel. I crush my mouth to hers, and the world explodes behind my eyes.
Ruby shivers against me as I suck on her bottom lip, nipping at the plump pink flesh.
My mouth opens against hers, teeth clashing.
I try to stay in control, but my movements are urgent.
Bruising. I grab wildly at Ruby, pulling her back toward the fireplace.
“Fuck, you have no idea,” I groan against her lips, “how crazy you make me.”
I pin her to the floor, the warmth of the fire lapping at us as I ease myself on top of her.
She feels so fucking soft beneath me, and my cock swells with red-hot blood.
I’m losing control. Moving wildly, desperately, I pepper kisses along her silky neck, running my tongue up the column of her throat. Tasting her skin. Breathing her in.
I capture her lips in another kiss and part them with my tongue, invading her hot little mouth.
She tastes like hot chocolate and something else—a sweet musk that’s all her.
I can’t get enough. She’s turning me feral, and when her tongue brushes mine, my heart thumps so hard it feels like my ribs will crack open.
More.
I need more.
There are too many damn layers between us. Too much fabric. I need her skin-to-skin, nothing between us.
“Let me see you, princess,” I say, grabbing her sweater, easing it up over her chest. She shrugs it off along with her bra. My cock twitches at the sight of her pale breasts, heavy and rounded, her dusky pink nipples hardened into tight nubs.
“So fucking pretty.”
I cup her soft tits, rubbing my thumbs over her nipples.
As Ruby squirms beneath me, I sink my head down, capturing a pebbled bud between my lips.
She sighs with pleasure as I suck on it eagerly, teasing it with my tongue.
But it’s not enough. I want to bring Ruby to the edge. Make her come undone beneath me.
My hands are already skirting the waistband of her jeans, fumbling with the zipper.
With a wet “pop”, I release her nipple and pull down her jeans, tossing them aside.
Then I take a second to look at her. Every inch of her body is plump and soft, her pale skin dusted with freckles all over.
She’s wearing nothing but a pair of white panties, nearly translucent with arousal.
I can smell it in the air, the heady scent of her sex making my mouth water.
Fuck, this girl is everything.
She looks so vulnerable, laid out on the floor like this, her wide brown eyes glinting in the firelight. There’s a mixture of need and fear in her expression, and it stirs something protective in my chest.
“You okay, baby?” I ask, cupping her cheek. “Need me to slow down?”
“No, I’m good. Just a little nervous.” She presses her lips together, then lets out a deep sigh. “To be honest, I’ve never done anything like this before.”
My throat goes dry. “You’re a virgin?”
She nods slowly. “I mean, I read a lot of smutty romance books, but…that’s the extent of my experience. I’m scared of doing something wrong.”
My chest squeezes tight as I rest my forehead against hers. “Wanna know something, sugar?”
“What?” she asks, her warm breath fanning my lips.
“I’ve never done this before either.”
She’s quiet for a moment, then says, “Really? Never?”
I hear the confusion in her voice and pull back to look her in the eye. “Never. I’ve always kept to myself. Never dated. Never wanted to waste my time on flings or meaningless bullshit.”
“But there must have been someone special?” Ruby asks softly. “Someone you wanted.”
“Sure, there was someone.” I run my thumb across her bottom lip. “This pretty little redhead. Sweetest smile you ever saw. Walked in on me getting out of the shower one day, and I haven’t stopped thinking about her since.”
Ruby’s face splits into a grin. She wraps her arms around my neck and pulls me down to kiss her. Her body arches beneath me, my erection pressing against her stomach, making my head spin.
Fuck, I’ll be her first.
Her only.