Trapped with the Blizzard (21 page)

So I did.

Dani slipped easily under Miah’s arm as he walked in first. I stood to the side and allowed Dusty through, my gaze studying Bryan’s tense expression. I could tell this was all wearing on him, features tight, limp pronounced. He was mentally drained and physically exhausted. He stood outside with Charlie and watched the helicopter disappear into the distance.

I gave Charlie a big hug as he came through the door, wishing I could absorb all the pain from his body. “She’s in good hands.” He patted my back and slipped away to be alone.

Bryan kissed me gently on the head before pulling me to the side.

“The pilot couldn’t take anyone else because they had to pick up someone critical down in town before coming up here.”

“Shit, really? Did he have any other news?”

Bryan looked past me towards the crowd. “Just repeated what we already know. We’re supposed to get another four feet today into tonight, maybe another three tomorrow.”

I shook my head. “No way. How is that… what are we…” If I couldn’t grasp eight feet, I certainly couldn’t comprehend nearly twice that. “That can’t be right. Bryan, we should really talk about what we’re gonna do with the guy downstairs.”

“He’s warm and eating, right?” he asked absently.

“Well, yeah, as far as I know. We’re checking on him every couple hours but…”

Most everyone was up and milling around, waiting for breakfast to be ready. Bryan was deep in thought as he scanned the crowd. “It’s important we keep everyone’s spirits up.”

I followed his gaze, trying to ignore the tension I saw on every face. “Absolutely.”

“I have an idea,” he said before excitedly running up the stairs.

A half an hour later, the baby monitor beeped in my sweatshirt. With a secret grin, I pulled it from my inner pocket and tried to look inconspicuous.

“Yes?”

“You’ve been a good girl?”

I giggled and bit my lip, a glimmer of what he was planning becoming clear. “Yes…”

“Good.”

The intercom system came to life around us. There was a rustle of fabric against the microphone followed by the tinny sound of music.

“
Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, Right down Santa Claus Lane.
”

Everyone paused and looked to each other for an explanation. Many glanced at me, and while I wasn’t part of the plan, I had a good idea of what Bryan had hidden up his velvety red sleeve.

“Merry Christmas, everyone!” came his booming voice. “We have a special Powder Mountain announcement. Santa heard about the storm and wanted to do something extra special for all those good boys and girls here at the lodge.”

A few of the kids gasped in wide-eyed excitement. I glanced down to Dani who had pulled one ear bud from her ear to listen.

“So before he sets off for the big night, Santa wants to come down and say hello. Would anyone like to say hello to Santa?” The crowd cheered, high voices much louder than the laughing parents. “All right! Back by popular demand… Santa Claus!”

I danced with Jack to the music as the lodge nearly imploded with excitement, except for one dour-looking kid sitting by the window.

“That’s impossible. It’s already Christmas in Australia,” the nearby kid whined. A few younger ones near him went from excited to confused. “Only an idiot would think Santa is actually here.”

“You’re wrong.” Dani pulled out her other ear bud. The snotty kid looked at her dubiously, but because she was older, seemed taken aback. “Santa uses time travel to get all the presents everywhere, obviously. Only an idiot believes he goes around on an old sled. That’s just a story they tell dumb kids who don’t know any better.”

I caught her eye and gave her a thumbs-up, but she rolled her eyes and disappeared back into her music and shell. As rough as our relationship got, these were the little glimmers of humanity that kept me from giving up on her.

A huge cheer rang out as Santa appeared at the top of the stairs. With Jack on my hip, we all pushed to the bottom to watch him come down. Bryan had gone all out again, right down to the shiny boots. I couldn’t stop the goofy smile from spreading across my face as he grabbed his belly, let out a laugh, and dug into his big bag of goodies. Squealing kids gathered around the side of the staircase as he tossed random Powder Mountain swag from above.

An hour later, we headed back upstairs to his office, leaving the Great Hall in a merrier state than before. I led the way up the stairs as he gave a few final waves goodbye at the top.

“That was a really good idea,” I said as we rounded the corner. “That definitely cheered everyone up.” I unlocked the office door and flicked on the light.

“Yeah? And what about you? What can I do to cheer you up?”

I scrunched up my face and turned to question him when I saw the look on his face. I heard the
snick
of the lock as he shut and secured the door. He pulled the white beard down to his chin and arched an eyebrow. “Santa still has a present for you.”

I covered my mouth to stifle a laugh. “God, Bry, I was joking! I don’t actually want to screw Santa.”

“Aw, really? I deliberately didn’t wear any underwear this time,” he said, frowning at his velvet pants. “There goes the rental deposit.”

“Are you serious?” I giggled as I glanced down. It’s embarrassing to admit, but seeing the bulge in his costume was actually a turn on. Not by Santa, no… the man under the Santa suit did it for me.

“Only one way to find out,” he grinned.

I closed the distance between us, licking my lip as we drew close.
Maybe a good, hard screw is exactly what we need to reduce all this stress,
I thought. Holding back a giggle, I started to undress him. The first to go was his big black belt, the heavy gold buckle hitting the ground with a
thwack
.

His mouth traced a line down my jaw and neck as I unbuttoned his jacket and pushed it off his shoulders. I crept down his velvet pants as he pressed me against the edge of the desk. I stroked him over the fabric, his hardness in direct contrast to the soft cloth.

“That must feel good,” I whispered with a humorous smirk.

“Not gonna complain,” he panted, diving for my mouth again.

I jumped onto the desk, our bodies fitting together at a perfect height. He ground against my aching core, already slick and wanting him. Rolling my hips to meet him, I watched the desire grow in his expression. With a muffled laugh, I pulled the hat, wig, and beard off. I had to. I couldn’t go on if I hadn’t. I leaned back and admired the view.

Bryan in a white shirt, red suspenders holding up a pair of unbuttoned crushed velvet pants. Coupled with the look he was giving me, it was just about the sexiest thing I’d seen in forever.

“Ho, ho, ho,” I chuckled as I unzipped my pants.

We wasted no time. With his tongue swirling in my mouth, he slipped his hand between my thighs. He groaned against my lips and plunged two fingers inside my wet core. I dove into those pants and guided his hard cock through the open fly, stroking him with an expert touch.

I threaded my fingers through his hair and pulled his mouth hard against mine as I directed him inside. With one hard thrust, he was buried deep. I bit my lip to keep from moaning too loudly. Balancing myself with one hand behind and one hand on his ass, Bryan built a slow rhythm.

We were Liz and Bryan again. Yes, we were driven in our careers, loyal to our families, devoted to our son, but none of it would exist if it hadn’t been just the two of us first. And this attraction, this heat and need, was at the core of what made us,
us.

The angle being what it was, our mouths couldn’t easily meet. But not being able to kiss somehow made it even hotter. I had a perfect view of his hard body as he drove into me, disappearing inside. Our eyes locked. I watched the pleasure unfold in the flush of his skin, the sweat on his brow. I’d normally bury my face in the crook of his neck, hold him close, but from this position, I could watch the desire take hold.

He gripped my ass with both hands as he pulled me closer. I hooked my legs over his elbows and slipped a hand between us, circling my sensitive clit a few times. I matched the delicious rhythm, feeling my release grow near with each thrust. Sure, the sex was familiar, but that’s what I loved about it. There was absolutely no other man for me. Fate pushed us together, but the life we shared forged our bond stronger than anything I could’ve ever imagined. He knew me better than I knew myself. Because of that, I gave myself freely, in every single way.

Bryan’s hand snaked up my stomach to cup my breast. I arched into his touch, the need for release now undeniable. With his name on my lips, the soft breaths and groans of our pleasure in the air, we lost ourselves… together.

I flung my head back and toppled into a crushing orgasm. A moment later, Bryan tensed, shuddered, and collapsed on top of me. I ran my fingers through his hair, his breath hot and fast against the bare skin of my breast.

As he slipped out and stood on shaky legs, I had to laugh. “You’re definitely not getting the deposit back now,” I said, pointing to the big wet spot on his pants.

“Wow,” he whispered. “Mrs. Claus is a
dirty
girl!”

I gave him a playful slap and adjusted my clothes. “People will have noticed we were gone for a while,” I said as I rolled my eyes.

“Oh, don’t worry about them. They can survive without us for a few minutes.”

I pulled my sweatshirt down and buttoned my jeans before sitting back on the desk. “You think that’s possible? I don’t know…” Now in his regular clothes, Bryan came over and wrapped his arms around me. I rested my chin on his chest and peered up. “That did take the edge off, don’t you think?”

“Definitely. And just think,” he said wistfully as he brushed my hair behind my ear, “maybe we just conceived another son.”

I couldn’t help but grin. “Maybe! Now there’s a thought.” I turned and pressed my ear to his chest, his steady heartbeat slowing as he cooled down.

“We should name him Kris,” he chuckled.

“Kris?” I asked suspiciously.

“Kris Kringle?” he clarified. I gave him a swat and rolled my eyes. “No? Rudolf? Dasher?”

I pinched his ass and pushed him away. “Never in a million years,” I laughed.

“He would’ve been conceived while his father was wearing a Santa suit on Christmas Eve. Come on, Liz. I’m not being unreasonable,” he laughed.

“It could be a she,” I replied tartly as I pulled my hair back.

“Frosty is an ambiguous name,” he countered with a wink.

I stood on my toes and kissed him one last time, a lingering kiss we hadn’t been able to share downstairs. “You’re impossible, Marsh,” I smirked.

It was a little past 8 a.m. and I already wanted Christmas Eve to be over. With only a few hours of fitful sleep, everything grated on my nerves. I slipped on my headphones, plugged my phone into the outlet to charge, and tried not to feel guilty about stealing the tiniest amount of power.
I consider it a gift to everyone around me,
I thought.
If I’m listening to music, I’m less likely to fly into a murderous rage.

Bryan-slash-Santa traipsed around the Great Hall getting all the kids riled up and overexcited, which I thought was a
great
idea. It went from a relatively calm morning to complete chaos. So I pulled the hoodie tight and tried to become a part of the scenery. But all the music in the world couldn’t soothe the savage beast that growled as I saw Marie approach. Like some weird Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, she was perky and all smiles as she walked over.