Maybe This Christmas (26 page)

That statement was greeted by another lengthy silence. “Which part of what I’m doing makes you think I’m not interested?”

“The fact that you’re not saying anything for a start.”

“Honey, you’re sprawled in front of me wearing pretty much nothing but an anxious look,” he drawled. “I’m a man. We’re simple creatures. My brain shut down the moment I saw what you were wearing. It’s kind of hard for me to string a sentence together right now, so you need to be gentle with me.” He rose to his feet and held out his hand.

Startled, she looked up at him. What she saw in his eyes made her stomach clench in a knot of savage sexual tension. His gaze burned hot, and there was nothing gentle about the expression on his face. He wasn’t looking at her as if she was a friend. In fact, she didn’t recognize this look at all. There was something in those brilliant blue eyes she’d never seen before, something that made her reach out her hand.

He pulled her to her feet and hard against him. She felt the thick ridge of his erection pressed against her, and then he was kissing her, and it was hot and crazy and nothing like the night before when he’d been so tender with her, so careful. This time his kiss was greedy, demanding, deeply erotic and unrestrained. He cupped her face in his hands, eased his mouth away from hers as if it was the hardest thing he’d ever done. “I’m afraid of hurting you.” His voice was raw. “I’m so fucking afraid of hurting you.”

“No. You won’t. Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.” The force of the excitement barreled into her, and she clutched at his shoulders, feeling the swell of male muscle through the fabric of his shirt. There was a vicious tightening low in her stomach, a rush of desire that turned her legs into useless objects, but it didn’t matter because he lifted her and carried her to the bed, and any last reservations were blown away by the chemistry between them. She felt the warmth of his hands on her bare thighs, the brush of denim against her skin, and then he was kissing her again—first her mouth, then her neck. He sat her on the edge of the bed and knelt on the floor in front of her. The light from the lamp spilled onto his hair, glossy and dark. There was a look in his eyes that made her catch her breath, and she lifted her hands to unhook the bra, but he caught her hands in his and dragged them down to her sides.

“No way.” He pressed his mouth to the pulse at the base of her throat. She closed her eyes, felt the touch of his lips and tongue as he moved down her body, exploring. The flimsy, transparent bra offered no protection at all from his skilled assault, and as the tip of her breast was drawn into the wet heat of his mouth, teased by the relentless flick of his tongue, she gave a little moan, unable to hold it back, unable to hold anything back.

“Tyler—” She tugged at his shoulder but he ignored her and moved lower, pushing her back on the bed with the flat of his hand. He pushed her legs apart, and she gave a gasp, squirming against the strength of his hands. “What are you doing?”

“I’m moving forward, like you suggested.” He spread her thighs so that she lay in front of him exposed, vulnerable, the delicate wisp of fabric more promise than protection.

His fingers slid along the edge of the silk, and she raised her hips, squirming against the sheets, trying desperately to relieve the maddening ache building low in her pelvis. He touched her everywhere except where she needed to be touched, those long, clever fingers spinning excitement with every stroke, tormenting her until she couldn’t take a full breath, couldn’t bear the delicious agony of the excitement, couldn’t last another moment.

She gasped his name, begged him, but he simply pushed her thighs wider with firm, determined hands, covered her with his mouth, and she ceased to be capable of coherent thought because she was swallowed up by sensation. The softness of silk, the slick probe of his tongue. She felt as if she were melting, coming apart, and then he peeled away the last of her protection, leaving her naked and at the mercy of his clever mouth and skilled fingers. She felt her body clamp down on his fingers and lifted her hips, but he withdrew gently and joined her on the bed.

She was close, so close, and she couldn’t believe he’d stopped right then. It was cruel. It was—

“Tyler— I want— I need—” She moaned as she felt the brush of his body against hers, and then he drove into her with a single, smooth thrust that made her gasp.

“What do you need?” His voice was husky, his eyes so dark with passion, they were almost black, and he drove deeper still, so that for a moment they were joined so deeply, she couldn’t breathe or move. “Tell me what you need, sweetheart.”

She slid her hands down his back, stared into his eyes and fell deeper and deeper. “You already know.”

And he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her, giving her everything until all she could feel was masculine thickness, silk and intense heat. She clawed at his shoulders, dragged her fingers down his spine, closed her hands over his backside, but he kept up the same rhythm, driving into her again and again, deeper, harder, filling her until she felt her body begin to tighten and ripple around the power of his shaft.

He muttered something under his breath, and she knew he was trying to hold back, but she had long since lost control and her body fluttered, pulsed, quivered and tightened around his, and he groaned deep in his throat, a primitive animal sound as each spasm dragged him past the limits of his own control. He thrust deep, every movement intensifying her excitement, prolonging the moment of ecstasy.

Afterward she felt limp. Weak. There was sweat on his skin, and he dropped his forehead to hers, his breathing unsteady, their gazes locked.

She slid her fingers into his hair. “Don’t tell me you’re sorry or I will knock you unconscious.”

“I’m not sorry.” He murmured the words against her mouth, dragging his lips over hers, and then rolled onto his back, keeping her in his arms.

“And if you wake up tomorrow regretting it, I don’t want to hear it.”

“I may never wake up.” His eyes were closed. “I think you may have killed me, but I don’t want you to feel guilty about that. Just tell me one thing—where the hell did you buy that black, silky man trap?”

She smiled and pressed her mouth to his shoulder. “You didn’t like it?”

“I was going to ask if it came in other colors.” With a groan he dragged her hard against his body, and she curled around him.

The words
I love you
hovered on the edge of her tongue but this time she held them back, not daring to do anything that might upset this new balance, this new shift in their relationship.

Through the window she could see snow falling like confetti, and she smiled because the moment was perfect, and she wanted to hold on to it forever.

“I can’t believe I’m in your bed.”

“Technically this is your bed.”

“Have you ever thought about doing this? Honestly?”

“All the time.”

She thought of the party they’d had in the summer to celebrate the opening of the Boathouse Café. “You hardly ever looked at me.”

“I trained myself not to. I trained myself not to think of you that way. Our friendship was more important to me than a few nights of burning up the sheets.”

That was what this was to him? A night of burning up the sheets?

She felt a thud of disappointment and then reminded herself that for Tyler, this was a big step.

He was here with her now. That was all that mattered.

“There’s going to be powder tomorrow. Jess will have another snow day.” She felt him relax and knew she’d been right to change the subject.

“We’ll ski—” he tightened his hold on her “—and this time you don’t have to climb out of the window.”

“It was fun.”

“It was.” He stared up at the ceiling. “Tell me something about you I don’t know.”

“I never thought we’d end up here.”

He turned to look at her. “No?”

Janet’s words were embedded in her head. “Never thought you’d find me sexy.”

“Seriously?” He gave a low laugh. “I always knew you’d be hot in bed.”

“You did?”

“Of course. You’re athletic, and you have a great body.”

She glowed with pleasure. “What happens now?”

He stroked his hand over her hair. “I guess we’re not going to need two bedrooms.”

“I don’t want to upset Jess.”

There was a gleam in his eyes. “Why do you think Jess has been spending every night with my mother?”

Brenna blushed. “They’re not subtle, are they?”

“Not even a little bit.”

“Are you worried that our relationship has changed?”

“Not anymore. I’ve decided this relationship is perfect.”

“You have?”

Smiling, he pulled her back into his arms. “Sure, because now as well as being friends, I can screw your brains out, which is a winning combination as far as I’m concerned.”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I
T
SNOWED
HEAVILY
overnight and, as Brenna had predicted, schools were closed again.

“Snow day! Yay! This is awesome. I hope it snows every day until I’m eighteen.” Jess virtually danced around the house, and Ash and Luna bounded after her, caught up in the excitement. “Can we go into the forest and choose a Christmas tree, Dad?”

Tyler, brain dead after a night of uninterrupted sex with Brenna, tried to rouse himself. “Yeah. I need coffee first, though.”

Jess looked at him suspiciously. “You don’t drink coffee.”

“Well, today I’m drinking it.” Wondering how he was going to manage to behave normally, he stuck his face in the fridge and kept it there as Brenna walked into the kitchen.

They’d agreed that for now they’d continue to be discreet when Jess was around, so they kept their distance when she wasn’t staying with his mother.

“Hi, Jess.” Brenna’s voice was smooth and warm and he closed his eyes, wondering if he should drop ice down his pants.

“We’re going to choose a Christmas tree today. Finally!” Jess grabbed cereal and tipped it into her bowl, scattering half of it across the table. “And then we’re skiing. And maybe doing some Christmas shopping. Have you bought anything for Grandma yet, Dad?”

Deciding that frostbite was going to add to his problems, not solve them, Tyler withdrew his head from the fridge. “Not yet. I haven’t bought anything for anyone.”

Jess sighed. “Men.”

“Excuse me.” Tyler thumped the milk down on the table. “Do not make sexist remarks.”

“Then don’t behave in a stereotypical fashion!”

Tyler was about to answer when Brenna sat down across from Jess. She was wearing a soft fleece, and her hair fell, glossy and dark to her shoulders. Her cheeks were flushed, and she stole a look at him and gave a tiny smile that was just for him.

If Jess hadn’t been sitting there, he would have abandoned all ideas of breakfast and used the kitchen table for another purpose.

“Coffee?” He forced the word past lips that wanted to be doing something other than talking and saw her blush.

“Yes, please.” Her voice was low and he looked at her mouth, remembering everything they’d done to each other. Remembering how she’d looked wearing nothing but sheer black and an uncertain smile.

Crap.

“Let’s get the Christmas tree.” His voice sounded strangled. “It’s a crisp, cold day.” Cold was what he needed. Was it possible to have hot thoughts in freezing weather?

Turned out it
was
, especially when the reason for those hot thoughts was on the snowmobile in front of him.

Out here in the snowy forest, Brenna was in her element.

She drove her snowmobile faster than he did, and he could feel Jess jiggling behind him, her arms wrapped around his waist, holding on tightly as she urged him to go faster and catch her.

They drove through snow-covered blue-spruce woods, following the trail out of Snow Crystal deep into the forest. Once they were safely clear of the resort, Tyler increased speed, and Jess whooped encouragement, loving every minute.

He grinned inside his helmet, remembering the first time he’d done this with his father. He’d been four years old, and all he’d felt was excitement and exhilaration. It had quickly become his second favorite experience after skiing, and he’d spent several winters racing his brothers along the trails.

He could have found any number of potential Christmas trees closer to the resort, but Brenna was intent on making the most of the snow and the sparkling blue day, and she drove skillfully along the trails and pulled in at the chocolate shack.

“Oh, I love this place! Such a cool idea to come up here.” Jess sprang off the back of Tyler’s snowmobile and crunched through the deep snow to Brenna. “I’m riding with you on the way back. Dad is too slow.”

“Yeah, that’s me—slow.” Tyler was struggling to keep his hands off Brenna. How had he managed to go so long without kissing her? Now he knew how she tasted, how that mouth felt, he wanted to spend every minute of every day kissing it.

Unsettled by that thought, he swung his leg over the snowmobile and removed his helmet.

When it came to relationships, he thought in terms of one day at a time. More often, it was one night at a time.

“Waffles and whipped hot chocolate,” Brenna suggested, and she and Jess discussed the various options while they crunched through the snow toward the shack. A curl of smoke hovered above the chimney, and there were tables placed outside, positioned to take advantage of the weak winter sun and the beauty of the forest.

“It’s a Narnia day,” Jess said happily, tugging off her gloves and dropping them on the table. “Can I have one with everything please? Whipped cream, marshmallows, chocolate sprinkles—”

“Are you sure that’s enough?” Tyler asked. “Brenna? Do you want whipped cream?” He glanced at her, intending to keep it brief, but it didn’t turn out that way. His gaze meshed with hers. He saw color streak across her cheeks, and he knew that whatever she was thinking about, it wasn’t hot chocolate.

“Sounds good.” She dipped her head, and he wondered if anyone would think it odd if he stripped off his clothes and rolled in the snow.

“Right.” He cleared his throat. “I guess I’m buying.”

By the time Tyler returned with three mugs of hot chocolate, he had himself under control. He put the mugs down on the table, and Jess reached for a hot chocolate and poked at the cream with her spoon.

“So are you two going to carry on acting weird all Christmas or is this a one-time thing?”

“Acting weird?” Tyler picked the chair farthest from Brenna. “Weird how? I haven’t even looked at Brenna.”

“Exactly. Normally, you two talk about everything and anything, but today you’re both jumpy. So have you guys had a fight or something?”

“No!” Brenna took her favorite blue hat out of her pocket and pulled it onto her head. “Definitely not. There’s nothing wrong. You’re imagining it.”

Jess’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully and then she grinned. “Oh, I get it. Wow.”

Tyler’s mouth tightened. “What do you get?”

“You two.” Jess blew on her hot chocolate, a smug look on her face. “Don’t worry about me. I can see you’re dying to make out, and that’s perfectly fine.”

“Jess—”

“Dad, I’m not stupid.” Jess sipped her hot chocolate. “And for the record, I’m totally cool with this.”

Tyler inhaled deeply. “Sweetheart—”

“You do not have to explain,” Jess said kindly. “I’m good with this whole thing so don’t hold back on my account. I’m going to close my eyes, think about the tree I want and let you two do whatever it is you’re trying so hard not to do.”

Tyler glanced at Brenna.

She looked mortified, especially when she turned her head and saw Jess texting under the table. “What are you doing, honey?”

“I’m texting Grandma to tell her the good news.”

Tyler cursed under his breath. “Jess, there is no good news.”

“Believe me, you two finally getting it together is good news all round. I was worried it might end like Romeo and Juliet and believe me that would
not
have been good news.” Jess pressed Send and finished her chocolate. “Right. Let’s go and choose the Christmas tree.”

* * *

B
RENNA
DELVED
INTO
the box for another decoration and handed it to Jess, who hung it on the tree they’d dragged back from the forest. Jess was talking nonstop about skiing, and Tyler answered every question patiently.

Brenna wondered how he could ever have worried about being a good father.

She watched as he reached to hang a decoration on a branch that was too high for Jess.

“I’d say we’re done here. If we hang any more decorations, there will be no tree showing.” He stepped back. “Switch on the lights, Jess.”

She scrambled behind the tree, and Ash bounded after her, tail wagging and smacking into the low branches.

Tyler hauled him away, and Jess switched on the lights.

Brenna sat down on the sofa, and Jess came and sat next to her.

“Wow. What do you think, Brenna?”

“Great tree. It’s beautiful.”

It could have been difficult, but it wasn’t. It wasn’t awkward because she already loved Jess and even if nothing had happened with Tyler, she would still love Jess.

“Can we watch skiing together? All three of us?”

Knowing how hard that would be for Tyler, Brenna stood up. “Why don’t you and I do that while your dad clears up here? I’ll grab some drinks and nachos.”

She saw the disappointment in Jess’s eyes, but they walked into the den together, and Brenna picked a DVD.

They were sitting side by side on the sofa, Ash and Luna on the floor, when Tyler walked into the room.

He handed Brenna a bottle of beer and sat down next to her so all three of them were side by side on the sofa.

Jess looked first at Brenna and then at him. “You’re going to watch with us?”

“If you want me to coach you then this is an important part of learning.” Tyler stretched out his legs and lifted the beer to his lips. “Go on. Press Play.”

His thigh brushed against Brenna’s, and she felt the instant response of her body.

It might have been an accident except that the pressure continued, and she knew he was as aware of her as she was of him.

He kept his eyes fixed on the screen. “Watch him make the transition to the new edge—” he took the remote from Jess, paused and rewound the DVD “—did you see that? The end of that turn blends with the beginning of the next. He’s pulling a tighter arc and cutting seconds off his time.” He talked her through it, analyzing every turn, every movement, and Jess listened intently, asking endless questions about technique and his racing experience.

They’d been watching for over an hour when Jess’s phone rang.

She dug it out of her pocket. “It’s Mom. She hasn’t called me for weeks.”

Brenna felt the tension ripple through Tyler.

“You’d better answer it.” He sounded calm. “No need to rush.”

Jess glanced from her phone to the screen and back to her father. “You’re not going anywhere?”

“No. I’ll be right here when you’re done talking.”

Reassured, Jess slid out of the room, and Tyler leaned back against the sofa and closed his eyes.

“That woman is like a dark cloud waiting to rain on our sunny day.”

Brenna curled up next to him and put her head on his shoulder. His arm closed around her, and he pulled her close, and they sat like that for a moment, staring at the frozen image on the screen.

“You’re hurting.”

“Only for Jess.” His voice was deep and rough. “This is the first time Janet has picked up the phone in almost a month.”

“Do you think it upsets her? She seems pretty settled to me.”

“I think it unsettles her when her mother calls.” Tyler pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. “About tonight—”

“We can’t. It wouldn’t feel right with Jess in the house.”

Tyler said something that would have earned him a stern look from his grandmother. “I was afraid you might say that. I may have to roll naked in the snow.”

She laughed. “What made you decide to watch the skiing?”

“I couldn’t stand the look of disappointment on her face when I said I wasn’t joining you.” He hesitated. “And I decided it was time. If I’m going to coach her, then I need to do this properly.” He stared at the screen, and she slid her hand over his thigh.

“Is it hard?”

He turned his head, a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Oh, yeah—” He took her hand and moved it higher and she felt the thickness of his erection pressing through the fabric of his jeans.

“I didn’t mean that!”

“I know you didn’t, but I thought you should know anyway.” He lowered his forehead to hers, laughing. “I love that you’re so shy.”

“I’m not shy! Easily embarrassed, maybe.” Her mouth was close to his. “And I’m not used to being like this with you.”

The laughter faded from his eyes. “You’ll get used to it.”

Would she? Or would this thing they had be over before it had really begun? Even in the hottest, most intense moments of their relationship, he’d been careful not to say the words she wanted to hear. “Was it difficult for you to watch the skiing?”

He lowered his head and kissed her slowly, taking his time. Then he eased back. “Not as difficult as I expected. Maybe because I’m watching for a purpose. Helping Jess.”

“I think she has what it takes to make it big, Tyler.”

“So do I.” He broke off as Jess walked into the room, and Brenna leaped to the opposite end of the sofa.

“Everything all right?”

“I think so. I got to talk to Carly, not that she says much. Mostly babbling baby sounds. Then it was a whole load of awkward because Mom never wants to talk about skiing, which she hates, so instead of that she asks me about school, which I hate. I told her Brenna was living here. And by the way—” she glanced between them “—you don’t have to stop making out because I’m in the room.”

Tyler reached for his beer, relaxed, but Brenna’s heart was thumping.

She forced herself to ask the question. “What did your mom say when you told her I was living here?”

“Nothing.” Jess shrugged and so did Tyler.

“Don’t worry about it,” he drawled. “She couldn’t wait to get away from me, so she’s more likely to pity you than envy you. Sit down, Jess. Let’s watch some more skiing.”

But Brenna couldn’t concentrate.

How could she, when she knew something they didn’t?

For the first time in her life, she wondered if she’d been wrong not to tell Tyler the truth about her relationship with Janet.

She knew how much the woman loathed her.

Had the years diminished the animosity Janet had always felt toward her?

If not, there was trouble on the way.

* * *

A
FEW
DAYS
LATER
, Tyler was waxing skis, trying not to think about the time he’d had a whole tech team to do this very thing.

He picked up his phone and called the ski company who had sponsored him, talked about new developments and then ordered two new pairs of skis for Jess.