Chapter Ten-Gloria
I should have known better than to go to sleep with sex and Christmas on the brain after another round of Hallmark Christmas movies.
All night long, my dreams were filled with visions of a certain sexy Santa doing explicitly naughty things to me while snow fell outside, and Christmas carols played in the background.
A noise startled me into waking, and I would have screamed if not for the big, frying pan sized hand that clapped over my face.
“Easy there, Slick. It’s me,” growled a familiar voice.
“I’m gonna let go of you now, so please do not scream.”
I narrowed my eyes, trying to see him in the dark.
What the hell was he doing here in the middle of the night?
“What the hell?” I squeaked, sitting up in bed.
It’d been plenty warm last night, so I was wearing a t-shirt and undies, but I immediately regretted those choices as frigid air met my warm skin.
“No need to get angry, Slick. The generator is out,” he grumbled, handing me the pair of pajama pants I’d purposely left on the chair beside the bed for morning.
“The generator? How’d you know?” I asked, taking my pants from him without staring.
It wasn’t fair that he looked so good in his red and black flannel. His long hair was tossed casually over one shoulder, and that soft beard of his looked as though he’d been running his fingers through it.
Wish I could do that.
Wish I had the right to touch him.
Kiss him.
Trace the outline of the tattoos I knew he had on his chest and arms.
Shit.
I shook my head, trying to clear it. I needed to convince my brain I was, in fact, awake, and this was not part of those naughty dreams I’d been having.
“Yeah. It started snowing around three and I went outside for some firewood, noticed your cabin. Now, come on, Baby, hurry and get dressed so you don’t freeze in here.”
“But the cat,” I started.
“I got Frou-Frou all settled over at my place already. I just need you to pack a bag, Baby.”
I chose to ignore his flippant use of a term of endearment with me when I clearly was not any man’s baby.
As I shrugged on the pink flannel bottoms with bright white snowflakes printed all over it, Bo grabbed my chin with two fingers, forcing me to look at him.
“What?”
“Damn straight you’re not any man’s baby , Slick. You’re mine. Now get packed,” he growled and dropped a hard kiss on my mouth.
I stood there, frozen, and not because of the icy room, as Bo walked away.
Crap.
I must have said all that shit out loud. But still. That didn’t give him the right to say what he said afterwards!
I grabbed the fuzzy socks I had worn the previous night off the floor and pulled them onto my frosty toes. Then I marched to the closet and grabbed one of my suitcases, quickly filling it with clothes and necessities.
The entire time I was doing that, my mind was racing.
Big, dumb, sexy jerk!
He didn’t just get to kiss me and make outrageous exclamations when I wasn’t even fully awake yet. How dare he?
Coming into my rental in the middle of the night.
Taking my cat.
Kissing me.
Calling me his baby.
“Seriously, Universe, what gives?” I muttered.
And as I walked to meet the man himself, I swear the Universe answered back.
Why are you acting so indignant when your panties are wet right now, Lo?