Authors: Catherine Vale
After
dinner, Dawson and Jade headed back to his cabin with plans to enjoy some hot
chocolate by the fire. As they walked down the snowy hill, all bundled up from
the cold, Dawson took Jade’s hand in hers, and a current of warmth traveled up
her arm and through her body.
She
’d never grown so close to a man this quickly,
and she wasn’t sure what to make of it. Hot, charming, sweet, attentive
…
he was
every woman’s dream. But life in Hollywood had taught Jade that things were
rarely what they seemed—no one was perfect and everybody had demons and
skeletons. The more flawless someone appeared to be on the outside, the bigger
the flaws they hid.
“
These stars
…
they
’
re so
incredible,
”
Dawson murmured. His head was tilted back so
that he could view the constellations as they walked. Moonlight traced the
edges of his strong jawline and made his silver eyes glow even brighter.
“
I never
get to see anything like this in LA
.”
Jade
smiled.
“It
’s one of my favorite things about coming out
here
.”
She tilted her head back so that she could gaze
up at the stars with him.
“
Do you know any of the constellations
?”
He
did
, indeed. And as they walked
the rest of the way back, pointing out Virgo and Sirius and the Big Dipper and
other groupings of stars, Jade thought that if there was a flaw in Dawson, she
didn’t need to know about it, not now. Right this moment she was content to be
with him, to feel his hand in hers and look up at the night sky and ponder all
its mysteries.
“
Here we are,
”
Dawson finally said, stopping
in front of one of the cabins. From the size of things, it was a one-bedroom,
and Jade knew it would be cozy but comfortable.
The
keys jangled, and then the lock turned and they
went
inside. Dawson flipped on a switch, and Jade stood near the front door as he
crouched down in front of the fireplace to start a fire. The cabin was designed
with an open floor plan with the right half of the square room taken up by the
living room and the left half taken up by the dining table and chairs just passed
the doorway. The little kitchen was tucked in to the back corner. There was a
door beyond the wall that led into the bedroom suite. Its nearness sent nervous
energy crackling through Jade, forcing her to look away.
“
I
’ll go
and get the hot chocolate started,
”
she called as Dawson futzed around with
kindling. He’d reserved the cabin for a month, so she knew her grandparents
would have ordered the staff to stock the kitchen. Sure enough, inside the
cupboards she found marshmallows, cocoa powder and sugar. She put milk on the
stove to heat, and then mixed the sugar and cocoa into the bottoms of two mugs
and waited.
“
Hey there
.”
Strong arms banded around her
waist, and heat snaked through her as Dawson pulled her back flush against his
hard chest.
“
Didn’t realize you were making it from scratch.
I've got instant packs around here somewhere
.”
Jade
craned her neck to look up at him.
“
I always prefer homemade,
”
she
said softly, bespelled by the liquid silver of his eyes. Their mouths were only
a few inches apart, and she could feel his heart beating, strong and steady,
against the base of her skull as she leaned against him.
“
Just like momma used to make,
”
he
agreed, and then he dipped his head to kiss her.
His
lips were soft, but the kiss was hungry
.
Holding her face in his hands, he kissed, sucked and nibbled at her lips until
she gave him entry, then plundered her mouth with masterful strokes of his
tongue. She lifted her arms to slide her fingers into his thick, wavy hair,
loving the feel of the silky tresses against her skin, and angled her head back
further to give him access.
The
hiss of boiling milk reached her ears, and with a gasp, she jolted away, then
removed the overflowing pot from the burner.
“
Crap, crap, crap,
”
she
chanted, hunting up a paper towe
l.
“
It
’s
alright,
”
Dawson said, his deep voice tinged with humor
and something darker that sounded a lot like sexual frustration.
“I’
ve got
it
.”
He grabbed the sponge from behind the sink, wet
it, and began mopping up the spill.
“
Thanks.”
She sighed,
then turned to pour the milk into the mugs. Man, but those kisses of his were a
deadly distraction. If things had gone any further she probably would have been
so lost she wouldn’t have noticed if the cabin caught fire. Dawson was
all-consuming—everything about him called to her, lighting fires inside
of her in places she hadn’t know existed and obliterating all other thoughts
not directly related to shimmying him out of his pants.
Now there’s a thought.
A blush lit her cheeks as visions of Dawson
lying naked teased her, quickening her pulse. She wondered if his unveiled body
would even come close to the fantasies she was conjuring.
“
Do you
want your hot chocolate grown-up style?”
Dawson
arched a brow at her as he squeezed out the sponge, finished mopping up the
milk.
“Grown-up style? Does that mean
with alcohol?”
"Whiskey,
specifically.
” She grinned. “I assume
you have some around here?”
“Hell, yeah.” He went to the bedroom and came
back with a bottle of the amber liquid. “Hadn’t had a chance to unpack it yet,
but what’s a vacation without a little booze?” he asked as she poured a
generous amount into their hot chocolate.
"Amen.
” They clinked their glasses together, and then
drank—or rather sipped because it was still piping hot. Jade wished she’d
had some whipped cream to put on top, but, honestly, it was still very
good—the whiskey warmed her even faster than normal hot chocolate would,
blazing a fiery path down her throat and sending tingles through her
extremities.
"Let
’s sit by the fire,” Dawson suggested.
She
let him draw her over to the living room area and down on the couch that sat
across from the fireplace, separated only by a wooden coffee table. Even from
this distance she could feel the heat of the flames
, and she watched the way the firelight
illuminated portions of his face—the tops of his cheekbones—while
casting others in shadow—the bow of his mouth.
His
eyes gleamed as he faced her, and he set his half-empty mug aside.
“Come here.”
She
shivered at the command in his voice and drew closer to him almost
involuntarily. He took her mug of chocolate from her, then cradled her face in
his hands and kissed her softly. Heat simmered low in her belly as he slid his
tongue inside her mouth again, and she moaned at the taste of him, mixed with
the chocolate and sugar and whiskey.
"I
love the way you taste,
” he
growled, and then kissed her again. She clung to him as he devoured her,
overwhelmed by a reckless need to let him consume her. A bead of sweat trickled
down between her breasts, and she realized she was hot. Whether or not it was
from the fire, the heat rolling off of Dawson’s body, or the desire burning
inside her, she wasn’t sure—but she wanted her sweater off, and she
wanted it now.
"Oh
yeah, baby.
” Dawson made a low
sound of approval in his throat as she began pulling off her sweater dress, and
she froze with the garment halfway up her belly, suddenly aware of his burning
silver eyes on her. She knew she was beautiful, but Dawson was built like a
god, and she was struck with a wave of self-consciousness.
"Come
on, sweetheart,
” he
coaxed, sensing her reluctance. “I want to see you.” His molten eyes gentled a
little, and she exhaled, then pulled the sweater off the rest of the way, revealing
the lacy black bra she wore beneath.
She
held her breath as he stared at her, his hot eyes roaming
every inch of her exposed flesh. “Exquisite,” he
murmured, sliding his big hands up and down her sides. They were firm and hot
and sent shivers of need through her. “You're
a Goddess.”
She
laughed a little at the way he
’d
mirrored her thoughts about him. “I don’t know about that,” she told him.
“Oh, I do,” he assured her, popping the clasp on
her bra. It slid down her shoulders, and he tugged it free, then took her
breasts in hand, flexing gently. “You have no idea how disappointing it is to
squeeze fake breasts. The fact that yours are big and round and real... it’s
like a miracle.”
Her
giggle turned into a sharp breath when he slid his thumbs across her nipples.
Back and forth, back and forth he went until they grew tight with need.
"Arch
your back,
” he ordered, splaying
one big hand against her lower back. She did as he said, and he bent his head
to take a nipple in his mouth. A moan echoed from her lips as he bit down
gently with his teeth, sending a spark of pleasure-pain through her, and she
clutched his head as he began to suck.
He
worked one nipple and then the other, going back and forth until she was in a
frenzy. Who knew nipple play could be so hot? He hadn
’t even touched her between her legs and already
her pussy was aching, a throbbing knot of need just waiting to be filled.
Needing release, she climbed onto his lap and straddled him, wanting to feel
him against her even if it was just his clothes.
"Take
this off,
” she panted, tugging at his
sweater.
His
eyes gleamed with lust and humor.
“Yes,
ma'am.” He lifted his arms and allowed her to help him get the sweater off.
She
growled when she saw the linen button up beneath it.
“You have too many clothes,” she informed him,
getting to work on his buttons.
He
arched a black brow.
“Usually
that’s my line.” Lips curved in a wicked smile, he leaned back and watched as
she undid the buttons, revealing an expanse of tawny chest lightly dusted with
hair. One by one, she counted each of his abs as she uncovered them... one,
two, three, four, five, six….
The
shirt fell away, exposing the waistband of the corduroys riding on his hips,
and she gasped.
“You
have eight?”
Dawson
chuckled.
“You seem surprised.”
She
shrugged, feeling a little embarrassed.
“I've
never been with a man who’s had an eight-pack. She thought they only existed on
body builders and fitness buffs, and her eyes narrowed. “You're not one of
those guys who spends all his time in the gym, are you?”