Chapter 10
ANOTHER FACE IN THE SNOW
Maggie
One of the things I found exhilarating about this whole disobeying Hunter thing was that I felt like a rebellious teenager again.
Like by sneaking out of the house, getting a tree, groceries, and bumping into Graham, I had somehow broken the rules.
Dammit, I was a grown-ass woman, and it wasn’t like I was sneaking around with Graham.
It wasn’t like I couldn’t have a conversation with the man without it leading to something more than just that.
I told myself it was a coincidence. Maybe it wasn’t. I’d hoped he’d be there, yeah, but I didn’t know he would be. Besides, I had every intention of putting that tree on the Gremlin. How was I supposed to know the roof wouldn’t handle it?
Now the only question was how I’d get it set up and decorated before Hunter returned.
Then I heard the familiar rumble of Graham’s truck, followed by the abrupt kill of the engine before he even stopped.
The sound alone lit me up from the inside.
It reminded me of the nights he’d keep watch even though he wasn’t supposed to, the nights I’d wish he’d just come upstairs, until that time he finally did. God, I wanted that again.
I ran to the door and caught a glimpse of him unstrapping the tree. He’d changed out of his uniform into his usual distressed—but not-holey—jeans, flannel shirt, and the dark, slightly worn leather jacket that made him look so damn good, and so impossible to keep my hands off.
Fuck!
I snuck out the door and got some harebrained idea to be a goof. Little did I know it’d be the end of me.
Slipping my hands into my mittens, I scooped some of the fresh powder from the railing and formed a snowball, smoothing it as I carefully… quietly… snuck closer to him.
“You know, you’d never make it as a hunter,” he said, voice gravelly and not even turning around while he worked with the metal hooks. “I heard you before you even opened the door.”
My shoulders fell. “Really?”
“Really.” He turned and gave me that cocky grin as he pulled the last strap off the tree.
It was my only chance.
I threw the snowball, and it hit him square in the face, exploding into a puff of powder.
It took everything inside of me not to burst into a fit of laughter, but I didn’t. I needed to make sure I was one hundred percent aware of what his next move was going to be.
“Oh, you’re going to regret that, cupcake,” he said, dragging his hand down his face and removing the snow off in one quick flick.
I blinked up at him, all wide eyes and fake innocence. “Am I?”
“Yes.” He dropped the strap and leapt from the truck with a solid thud. I might have even felt the earth tremble, unless it was my pussy—I wasn’t quite sure.
Shit.
I bolted into the yard, but he was on top of me before I could get twenty feet.
I struggled in his grasp.
He went for my weak spot—my ribs—knowing exactly how to tickle me so I didn’t have a single chance of gaining an inch.
Then he flipped me onto my back, somehow managing to lock my hands underneath my body and holding me to the ground with a knee—a tactic he probably used on criminals.
Or in bed. Which by the way I was slightly offended he hadn’t tried it on me yet.
While I let my mind wander as I struggled to get out of his grasp, Graham gathered snow to make his own snowball.
“So, you’re big… and you’re fast,” I said, my breaths punctuating each word as I carefully wiggled my arm out from underneath myself.
“Looks that way.” He ran his hand through his lightly tousled hair, then just barely pressed his thumb in under my chin—before I swiped my arm across the ground and scooped up an armful of snow, hurling it at him in one giant poof of powdery white, a good amount going straight down his coat.
“Not fast enough,” I screeched, squirming out from in under him as he shook the snow out of his collar. This gave me enough of an advantage to run to the back of the house.
Scooping up and forming another ball of snow, I stepped behind the evergreen bush at the corner of the sunroom and waited…
And waited…
Just as I poked my head around the corner to see how close he was… WOMP! Graham leapt from the porch roof like a freakin’ spider monkey and tackled me to the ground, rolling us in midair so I was on top of him, cradling me so I didn’t get smashed by two hundred and sixty pounds of my every desire.
We rolled around for a bit just laughing, breathing heavily, throwing snow at one another, until we stopped and he rested himself over top of me, staring into my eyes, his gaze dipping to my lips then back to my eyes.
God, how I wanted him to kiss me—take me right there on the lawn—claim me.
The way the crisp air nipped at his cheeks made it look like he was blushing. Maybe he was.
“Maggie?” Hunter’s voice splintered the moment. “What are you doing?”
Shit!
Graham sighed and lifted off of me. I wiggled out from under him but still managed to scoop up one more handful of snow and smash it into his face.
He slapped me on the ass in passing as I bolted up to run to Hunter. I lifted myself onto my tippy toes and kissed him. “You’re back, baby!” I said, trying to catch my breath.
“Aye,” he said, his tone clipped. “What’s he doing here?”
“Oh, um…” I breathed. “Graham brought the tree home from the lot. It wouldn’t fit on the Gremlin. Then he was going to help with the lights.”
“And hanging the lights requires rolling in the snow?” he barked.
“Hunter, he’s a friend.” My heart thumped erratically as I wiped the snow from my pants.
He took my arm firmly, squeezing it just a little too tight, and guided me to the front porch. “A friend I’d like you to only have supervised visits with.”
I twisted my face at him. “Excuse me?” He couldn’t just demand I stop seeing Graham. Well, maybe he could, but I didn’t like it. I took a deep breath. Refocused my thoughts. If I was in his situation, I’d be jealous too. I owed it to Hunter to make him my priority. “Sure thing, baby.”
“I’d like some cocoa.”
“Oh… I guess I can make some when we’re done.”
Something flat settled behind his eyes. “No. Now, please.”
Hunter walked over to Graham, who was already up a few rungs of the extension ladder with the roll of lights on one arm. “Hey, mate, I got it.”
“That’s alright, it won’t take long. Almost finished.” Graham climbed another rung. “Besides, you wouldn’t want to wreck your manicure,” he said, letting his cocky grin loose.
Oh, god, here we go.
Hunter didn’t even wait—just shoved Graham off the ladder.
Shit.
Graham landed flat on his back with a thud.
“What the fuck did you just say to me?” Hunter growled.
I fled down the steps. “Hunter, stop!”
“Get inside, Maggie!” he demanded, his attention fixed on Graham.
“No! I will not go inside.” I marched back over to him. “What’s the matter with you?”
Hunter grabbed my arm and wrenched me against his side. “Do as I say… and get inside… NOW!”
Graham jumped up and ripped Hunter’s hands off of me. “Don’t you fucking touch her like that.”
Hunter shoved Graham again.
Jesus Christ!
“Guys, stop!” I could see it in Graham’s eyes. It was the same look as when he met Jamie. When he knocked him out with a single swing. That look of possession, of rage, at the thought of someone else manhandling his belongings.
Yep. I’d barely finished blinking, and before I knew it Graham swung and his fist connected with Hunter’s cheek.
Hunter stumbled back and held his face, then shoved past me—ego bruised—and stormed into the house.
“Graham… I—”
“It’s nothing. I’ll get these up and I’ll be gone.” He scooped the lights up from the snow, glancing at his bleeding knuckles, and went back up the ladder.
“You know, you two are going to have to get along.” I stared up at his back, waiting for something that didn’t come.
His shoulders stiffened, hands never stopping on the lights. “Tell that to him.”
“Both of you are acting like children.”
“Text me when he’s gone.”
“He just wants you to know I’m his.”
Graham climbed down a few rungs and stopped, close enough that I had to look up to meet his eyes. The silence sat between us for a beat. “Are you? Cause I sure as hell haven’t let go yet.”
“Graham—”
“Go fix your boyfriend,” he huffed, clearly done with the conversation.
God, he pissed me off.
They both did.
Fuck!
I pissed myself off.
Ugh! Deep breaths, Maggie, deep breaths.
I stormed inside and found Hunter leaning against the butcher block holding a bag of frozen peas to his cheek.
“After tonight you will not see him again.” Hunter’s tone was sharp, threatening.
“What’s happening tonight?” I asked, removing my coat and setting it on the butcher block.
“He’s coming to the bedroom again.” Hunter seethed. “He’s going to know officially who you belong to.”
“Graham is the one who saved me from Portia. She was going to kill me. So, I have—”
“Aye, but ye will not see him again… unless I’m here.”
I placed a hand on his other cheek and turned his face to me. “Hunter, you have nothing to worry about.” I softly kissed his pouty lips. “I’m with you. Only you.” The words came out smooth. I wasn’t sure I believed them.
He pushed off the butcher block and started pacing. “It sure as hell didn’t feel like it the other night. Also, just because I’m well maintained doesn’t mean I can’t do manly things.”
“Of course not. But baby—” I took his hands in mine. “You have a better manicure than I do. Let him do you the favor and put the lights up. Besides, I know the real reason why you keep them nice and trimmed… and it’s… very manly,” I said, smirking as I moved his hand to my pussy, holding it there.
The frost in his eyes cracked, just slightly, as a small grin tickled the corners of his mouth. He inhaled long and slow, then crashed his mouth onto mine, spinning me to the wall next to the kitchen window.
I pushed him back. “Let me make you that cocoa.”
Graham’s truck started, and he backed out the driveway before I was even out of Hunter’s arms.
“Well, that was rude. I guess we’ll have to bring the tree in ourselves. I was hoping the ogre could do it for us.”