Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

T he next morning Ivy woke to the smell of coffee and donuts. Hardt’s donuts to be exact. Like an electric jolt to the system, she bolted upright in bed, her planner toppling from the bed to land on the hardwood floor with a loud thud.

“Oh no.” She overslept. She covered her face with her hands and groaned. Aspen said he would swing by at seven and…she snatched her phone up and squinted her eyes at the time.

Darn. Darn. Darn. Fifteen till eight. How could she have slept for so long! She caught her reflection in the mirror and sank onto the edge of the bed. Disheveled and tired didn’t begin to describe the messy lopsided ponytail she forgot to take out last night or the dark circles. She’d spent long hours after returning scraping paint, peeling back carpet and getting just the right tint of mint green for the dining room. Before that, she secured another time for her call with Mr. Langley for the following morning.

Somewhere between midnight and three she vaguely remembered climbing the stairs and finding her warm bed.

Sheets tangled around her ankles as she scrambled to the bathroom while Max barked and danced around her feet with excitement. “What’s got you so happy, boy? It’s half your fault we overslept, you know. Why didn’t you wake me?”

Max parked himself outside the bathroom door while she hurried through the motions of her morning shower and brushing her teeth.

She slipped from the bathroom and rushed to her suitcase.

In such a hurry she failed to see the man in the doorway, coffee mug in hand.

“Morning, beautiful.”

She gasped and turned. “Aspen!”

His broad grin greeted her over the rim of her mug. He lifted a second one in the other hand.

“Thought you could use this.”

He crossed the room and slipped it into her outstretched hands.

“You drink that while I drink in the rest.”

She stopped with the mug halfway to her lips. “The rest of… oh!”

Her towel hit the floor.

Oh fuck...

“Sweet baby Jesus,” he mumbled before falling to his knees in front of her. Strong, warm hands wrapped around her waist, holding her steady as he kissed a hot trail from the dip between her breast all the way down to her bare folds.

Warmth spread through her as hot as the flames of fire.

Her core tightened instantly and a flood of hot girl-cum spilled out to wet her folds.

Every nerve ending in her sparked to life. He teased a finger between her folds and brought it back out dripping with her girl cum.

“Fuck, baby,” he growled. “So eager and wet for me and I’ve barely touched you.”

She groaned. “Not my fault. You’ve had me on edge since yesterday.”

Standing in front of him scandalously naked and wet was wrong, but so damn right. He was a hard man to refuse and she knew better than to try.

Ivy gasped when he spread open her folds and flicked the tip of his tongue over her clit causing her to bury her free hand into his dark hair. A hand slid across her ass and when those strong fingers dig into the muscled flesh part of her wonders how far he’s wanting to go. Walk away after only a little teasing? Fuck no!

“Sit the coffee down, Ivy Sunday. It can wait. I can’t.”

Goose bumps rise across her entire body.

Wait? God no, neither could she.

She moaned low in her throat. “Aspen...”

The second her hand left the handle of the mug she was on her back, spread wide with a big, hulking fireman between her thighs. Kade’s words smeared across her mind: he still loves you.

What the hell did she do with the knowledge?

Kneeling between her thighs, Aspen yanked off his shirt to reveal the most gorgeous body she’d ever seen. Ripped with a spattering of scars here and there. She traced her fingers over a few before having her eyes dip closed as Aspen leaned in to kiss the tip of one nipple then the next.

“God have mercy you’re fucking beautiful. Don’t move.”

Filthy intentions filled his expression and sent chills through her.

She whimpered in protest when he slipped from the bed but not for long when she saw what he was doing. Shoes, boxers and jeans hit the floor next causing her heart to pound against her chest. Big dix, indeed. She sucked the corner of her lips between her teeth as she watched the hard length of his cock spring free.

Cum dripped from the crown and the bad girl in her wanted him to take her bare, ride her until she screamed and then cum in her until he dripped from her hole to leave her sticky with his release.

The good girl screamed for her to run and not look back.

“God, I’d forgotten how thick and gorgeous your cock is,” she said in a husky whisper.

The second she said it, his hand gripped the massive thickness and squeezed, running his hand the full length in a slow glide. Cum dripped out to wet his fingers and she looked on as he walked over and smeared the hot cream over her breasts.

Fuck...that was hot.

He slid a hand between her thighs and spread her wider.

“This is so wrong, Aspen,” she protested cupping her face with her hands.

“Then why are you so wet, baby.”

His heavy weight made the bed dip and as he pressed his body over hers all denial of what she wanted melted away.

“Aspen, I need you.”

“I know you do, baby. And I need you. I missed you. My cock missed you.”

He pressed up and held a rubber, ready to tear the pack open. Without thinking she plucked it from him and tossed it to the side. “No. I want you, your hot seed and my juices to mix. I’m on the pill.”

He growled an animalistic sound that rumbled through his chest. His fingers slid to her pussy and he stroked up and down, the wet juicy sound of her arousal making her hotter, wetter still.

He shifts and suddenly she stills.

The cum-dripping crown of his cock is at her entrance and her body is so ready for all the pleasure she’s about to receive. memories of the way his thick shaft stretched her already has her panting in anticipation.

Their gazes locked and as he looked down at her he claimed her body inch by inch.

Her folds spread and wrapped around his large size. The burn of being stretched so far consumed her wholly. Hot liquid spilled from her channel and her pussy tightened.

“Relax, baby, take me in. let me give you all of me. That’s it.”

One slow thrust and he was fully seated inside her. She cried out, wrapping her body around his. “Oh, God, Aspen. Yes, I need you. Don’t stop now.” She burned alive from the inside out.

He brushed aside a swath of hair that covered her nipples and hollowed his cheeks as he sucked on one then the other. His hips moved slow and steady, his strong hands holding her in place as he pounded into her, withdrew and then delivered the same torturous pleasure all over again. Each thrust sent a shock of lust through her. The more he gave the more she needed.

He curled his tongue around the hard tip of a nipple and covered it with his whole mouth.

“So, good,” she heard herself say. “So...so good.”

She buried her hands in his hair and held him to her. Biting her lip she held back a scream as the first of her orgasm flashed through her. No warning. No build-up, just instant release and it left her body trembling beneath his.

Her back arched and he used that moment to wrap an arm around her.

“I want to hear your screams, Ivy Sunday. Don’t dare hold anything back from me. They’re mine. You’re fucking mine.”

He increased his speed, fucking her faster and harder through her release. Her head fell back and with each thrust her breasts bounced, her whole damn body bounced from the force he used to fuck her.

Ivy wondered briefly if it was always this good or had they gotten better with age?

But she didn’t get to follow that thought. Aspen made sure of it by reaching between them and pinching her throbbing clit.

She screamed. Fires burst to life and this time when her orgasm hit the explosive release tore through her so hard her pussy clamped down over his hard shaft and milked her fireman of every last drop of cum. The first ribbon of seed filled her and when his masculine grunt hit her ears another wave of release rippled through her body.

Her thighs clenched and she tightened her arms around him, not wanting to let go as jet after thick jet of cum filled her tight hole.

She fought for air and he wasn’t doing much better than her when he gently laid her back down on the bed long moments later.

Gripping her waist, he watched as he pulled his spent cock from her body. “I’m done for. God, Ivy Sunday, baby, you look beautiful dripping my cum from that tight hole.”

His cock turned rock hard again as he fed her pussy his spilled milk.

Her whole world is on the brink of shattering under his gentle care. Her whole body rippled with the need he stoked inside her. Something told her this was the beginning. Of what she didn’t know, but there was no going back from here.

From the side table, her phone buzzed, breaking the bubble to their little world they’d slipped into.

“C’mere, baby. Everyone else can wait a second.” Phone forgotten, his lips are hot and hard on hers and she was left breathless when he finally pulled away. She growled and rocked her hips, letting him know she was ready for more. She reached between them and wrapped her hand around his slicked-up cock and brought it to her dripping wet entrance. Panting and shivering she brought her heels to his ass and gave a little push.

“Bad girl, already horny for more of me.”

“I’m not the only one,” she said and squeezed, making him growl into her mouth. But the world was determined to interrupt them and probably for the better. Her phone shrilled again and this time continued.

“I’ll be right back.”

She watched as Aspen slipped from the bed, his shaft heavy with need again between his legs. He disappeared into the bathroom only to come back seconds later with a wet cloth to clean her.

She plucked her phone up. “Jon. Probably wondering if I burned down the B&B yet.”

Aspen chuckled as he helped her up from the bed. “Well, we did start one fire.”

She was pretty sure the box of emotions she locked away for the man cleaning her of his release that very second had officially sprung open.

Now what?

“You’re thinking too loud, baby.”

Was she? She thought maybe all thought had left her brain because now that she had her feet back on the ground, maybe what they did wasn’t such a hot idea after all.

Aspen helped her from the bed before quickly dressing. “Don’t overthink, sweetheart. That’s not going to help you in the end. I’ll wait for you downstairs.”

“Okay.”

With movements that flirted with warp speed, she tidied up her disheveled bed and bolted downstairs. Three steps past the kitchen archway and Ivy skidded to a stop.

Holy shit. Aspen worked fast while she slept in this morning.

“You didn’t waste time, did you?”

From the large island in the middle to the back-counter tops by the sink and the small table pushed up beneath a window overlooking the lake—the entire kitchen looked as though a Christmas bomb detonated in the middle.

Garland, baubles, tensile, lights. You name it, it was there.

“Coffee is two feet to the left of the Santa hat and three steps right of the mistletoe.”

She didn’t ask, only followed since her morning coffee sat cold and forgotten on her side table.

Sweet heavenly goodness. “Bless your heart, Aspen Kennedy.” She took another hit of her coffee.

“From the look on your face, I’m going to wager I earned a few brownie points this morning?”

“Yes. The coffee is that good.” She knew for a fact it wasn’t the coffee buzzing through her body but enjoyed teasing him all the same.

His smirk turned into a full grin and now she understood why resisting him was futile.

“Doughnut?” he offered as he waded through the packages, extending a white paper bag.

“There’s nothing sexier than a man brandishing a donut bag in the morning.” She smiled and loved watching his turn a little more devilish.

“Evil plans and all that. I figured after the workout this morning you would need a little pampering.” He chuckled, running a hand through his hair as he mirrored her position against the opposite counter.

“So, you came with a plan, did you?”

“It’s kind of freaky when you read my mind like that.”

She could kiss him. If she dared. Did she? One long draw of his cologne, the coffee as the igniter and fueled by sweet remnants of their morning still causing her clit to pulsate and they might be doing dirty kitchen sex.

Heat rushed into her cheeks at that thought and she moved to hide it behind her large mug.

Temptation on two legs.

Her eyes drew to the scarf tossed on the edge of the kitchen counter. She reached between them and rubbed a hand over the soft material. Its frayed, worn edges only made it look comfortable. Loved.

“You still have it.”

He nodded, leaning in to place a kiss to the top of her head. “It’s my favorite. Most winter days I don’t go without it.”

He took her hand in his and slowly lifted it to his mouth. The stubble tickled her palm as she wrapped his hand around his cheek. She knew whatever this was wouldn’t last past her leaving Dixen, so she soaked it all in while she could.

He pressed a kiss to her palm and said, “You’re thinking too loud again. Ready to get to work?”

She mentally shook herself.

Suddenly she wished she’d taken the time to find a prettier sweater from the clothes her sisters left behind on one of their trips. As it were, she sported a fresh pair of black jeans—thank God for that— and a long-sleeved pullover with the B&B’s logo on it. Nothing fancy or eye-catching.

Max took that moment to bound through the kitchen, using the piles of bags, boxes and packages of decorations as his own amusement. Tinsel clung to his fur and he somehow managed to get garland wrapped around his middle as he nosed through one box after another. “Where did you get all this stuff?”

Aspen gestured upward. “Your attic. Most of them, anyway. The other stuff is from Mom’s. She sends her love and says she’ll see you at the party.”

“Party?”

Aspen cranked an eyebrow up.

All the sex and sugar gave her momentary amnesia. Or her brain was on an Aspen overload. Both. Yeah, definitely both. “Right. Party.” She still had a day to figure out how to weasel her way out of that commitment.

“So, where do you want to get started?” Aspen clapped his hands together and eyed her handiwork from the previous night. “Are you a top to bottom or bottom to top kind of girl?”

She swallowed hard. That was definitely a filthy question to ask and he knew it with how his eyes lit up.

God help her, all day with Aspen?

“Let’s start in the guest’s rooms. Those have the least amount of work in them. A few touch-ups on the paint which I’ll take care of, wood polishing, and Gran wanted to change out the light fixtures that have broken crystals and have dulled over the years.”

“I’ll grab my tool belt from the truck. Just point me to which room I should start in and I’ll take care of the lights while you get the paint.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

A few minutes later Ivy pointed Aspen to the Jane Austen’s themed room filled with lacy throws and pink accents while she took Charles Dickens’s directly across the hallway with its earthy browns and golds. Each theme denoted her gran’s favorite literary classics, designed to give guests a relaxed yet entertaining stay.

She turned to catch a glimpse of Aspen hitching his belt around his waist. His deep blue cotton T-shirt stretched over well-defined muscles as he set out to complete his task. Of all the people she would have never guessed he would be the one to help her, yet there he stood. How he wondered, did her luck change? Because if she knew that answer maybe she could replicate the magic.

H E COULD STILL TASTE her on his lips. She’d been so sweet, so damn passionate it killed him to walk away from her bed when the phone rang. But he knew Ivy Sunday. Push too hard, too fast and she would shut down. Run away again like she had on their wedding day. Back then he’d been too young and foolish and let her go. This time, when she tried to run, he’d make damn sure she didn’t get far. If he were honest with himself, the second he spotted her on the deck, cast iron skillet raised he knew she would be his again.

Aspen tightened the last of the screws for the antique chandelier and made his way to where he left Ivy with her iPod and paintbrush.

How the hell did she manage to look so beautiful in an old pullover and a messy ponytail? He leaned against the doorframe and watched as she lost herself in the work. Her head bopping to whatever tune she had in the queue. He was experiencing Ivy in her element surrounded by the very thing that made her happy. He almost felt like he had a secret window into her soul and he needed to tread softly.

Part of him wished she’d opted for her reindeer slippers and pajamas so he could have watched her pretty cheeks flush as he teased her. Then her body would come to life as he stripped her of them and made love to her between the paint buckets and brushes.

He was about to pull away and head back downstairs to see what he could do about the decorations when he paused. Better yet…

Aspen pushed up and grabbed a second brush and dipped the tips in the bone-white liquid. “Mind if I help?”

She jumped. “Oh!” She laughed, a delicate hand to her mouth. “You scared the hell outta me.”

“Sorry. I just finished up the last of the light fixtures and thought you could use a hand here.”

And another question hit on the tail end of the last. How did she manage to smell like a sweet summer day in the middle of winter with paint buckets scattered all around her? He put a few steps between them before temptation had him getting her naked the fastest possible way.

“Thanks.” The single word answer came out a little shaky, and he grinned down at her.

They worked their way around the room. With him painting the top while she worked the edges and the trimming.

“Do you remember the last time we worked like this together?”

“Mmm-hmm. The gazebo. Your gran wanted one in the backyard and the next day we started building it.”

“I never had so many splinters and bruised thumbs in my life!”

He chuckled. “Or blisters and sunburns. It took us two months to finish that damn monstrosity.” All his fault with careful planning. When he’d heard of their acceptance into the University of Alaska he’d dragged out the project as long as possible so he could spend every second he could steal with her. Once fall rolled around, time together would be limited. They were set to marry the week before. had everything gone according to plan They would move to be closer to the university and they would start their lives together. Neither of their parents was happy about it, but they didn’t object either.

That summer they were up early every morning, lunches under the shade of the large pine with quick dips in the lake to cool off. “And now? Any better with a hammer?”

“I can wield a paintbrush like Michelangelo, but sadly not a hammer. But I did get smarter.” She waggled her brows playfully. “I got a nail gun.” The way her smile lit her face up had his cock ready to burst and sink into her until his name dripped from her lips. Did she know how beautiful she was? How she lit up a room simply being herself?

“You have to admit, it was the best summer hands down.” He watched her face for any signs. Of what he didn’t know. Regret. Sadness. Ghosts of summers past.

She paused her brush an inch from the wall as she raised her gaze to his. “I didn’t want it to end.” She stood and walked over to the window that overlooked the lake. They had great times with friends and family by those shores. Time he wished he could get back. Do things differently.

“Ice skating in the winter and swimming in the summer. If that tiny beach could talk it would tell a wonderful story, don’t you think?”

He nodded as he joined her by the window. With a swooping movement, he pulled back the lace curtains and propped himself up on the window frame as he studied her profile. “It didn’t have to, you know? End.”

Without looking at him Ivy dusted off the imaginary dirt clinging to her jeans.

“Sorry, Ivy Sunday.” He placed his brush on the window seal and tipped her chin up with a gentle touch. “That day. When you left. It was hard for both of us.” He tried to work the guilt out of his voice but didn’t feel all that successful.

There were days he’d wanted to hop in his truck and drive until he found her and find some way to convince her he could be everything she needed.

Her happiness meant more to him though, even if it didn’t include him. Then as it did now.

Never had the need to reach out and pull her into his embrace taken over him as it did this very moment. The need to tell her how much she meant to him, to make sure she knew she wasn’t alone.

“Ivy… I…” Should he be blunt? The words were there, ready to fall between them. But one look at her and he sealed his lips.

Infuriating when she looked at him with so much tenderness, expecting something—anything—from him. But what he had to say could ruin the moment and he didn’t want his time with her to end.

“Yes, Aspen?” Her eyes held him captive. Inches from him and her sweet scent brought with it fond memories so fast and thick they nearly choked him with the wish to turn back the clock.

Hearing his name slip from her lips pulled a realization he’d buried for far too long.

He’d never stopped loving his angel.

Maybe Kade was right. He’d been a fool for letting her go, but could he watch her walk out of his life again without letting her know how much she meant to him? Fuck no. She wasn’t leaving. Period. He would move whatever stood in his way to make sure of it.

“Chief.”

Reality burst through their tiny bubble like a frigid blizzard. Of all the times. He didn’t know if he felt relief or irritation. Or a little of both.

He snatched up his two-way. “Go ahead, Kade.”

Ivy’s gaze dipped to where the paints were at their feet. “Mrs. December phoned in. Said to let you know not to worry about coming to her place. She said the girls got an early start on the baking, but from all the laughing and cutting up, if you ask me, they got started on the wine first.”

“Oh man, I totally forgot.” Ivy stopped dead in the middle of the room. Eyes wide, she cupped her hands over her mouth and managed to catch the side of her face with the tips of her paintbrush. He smiled.

“No problem. Thanks for letting me know.”

He took his time hooking his radio to his belt before he crossed the room to her. She still stood stalk-still, guilt causing her nose to scrunch up the way it used to in high school. Thank God some things never changed.

He pulled a rag from his back pocket and dabbed at the wet paint on her cheek.

“Sometimes I should not be allowed near wet paint.”

“You look cute with all the little droplets in your hair, too. It’s like tiny snowflakes and speaking of snowflakes,” he grinned down at her, “I have an idea. Do you still like the snow?”

Her eyes narrowed which only made him want to laugh, but he didn’t. Instead, he held his hands up in defense and succumbed to the power of her daring look. “You said no candles, table, wine and along that line. Right?”

“A little late for that after this morning.”

“True, but I still feel the need to show you a good time after taking such daring advantage of your lack of clothing this morning. This has none of those things so you are bound by the power of a promise to oblige the chief.”

“Chief, huh?” He loved the curl of her lips. How she tried to fight the smile.

“If it helps, I’ll say please,” he added to help his own cause, moving a strand of hair away from her face.

“Well, what exactly does the chief have in mind?”

God, he loved how she pushed him to the line.

Her words were softly spoken, but curiosity filled every syllable and her eyes gave her away too. They always had. If you wanted to know what Ivy Sunday thought or felt all you had to do was look closely. Her eyes never lied. It is what he loved about her. So honest, never hiding a thing. Whether she meant to or not.

He took her hand. “Follow me, baby. You’re going to love this. That is unless you want to stay here and I fuck you in all the rooms before guests arrive.”

he got the gasp of surprise he’d aimed for with another tinge of heat to her cheeks.

“Lead the way,” she husked though he could see her considering her options.

When he arrived earlier that morning the sun caught on the lake’s frozen surface and brought back the same memories they’d talked about earlier.

Downstairs he grabbed a couple of coats from the hall closet and they slipped them on as he ushered her out the back-kitchen door.

“Are you going to tell me your big plan or do I have to guess?” Mirth lit her face with like a thousand Christmas lights.

“A little mystery is a good thing,” he said, passing the pad of his thumb over her plump bottom lip. “You’ll see. Be careful, watch your step.” He took her hand in his and guided her off the porch and past the gazebo. He led them down a small path that snaked along the beach and came to an abrupt end at a bench hidden beneath low pine branches. Earlier he’d come down here waiting on Ivy to wake when the idea struck. He only had to wait for the perfect time to execute.

“Do you still remember the moves from your winter skate-off in high school?

“Pshhh.” She lost her balance a little and he tightened his hold on her, earning him a warm smile. “How could I forget? I won first place and Dad had it framed for the mantle. It’s still there and he still talks about it to all his friends. Poor people,” she added.

She raised her hands above her head and twirled on her toes, emulating one of the moves he’d watched her practice all winter when they were teenagers going steady.

“Hmm. Maybe a repeat performance, then?” He pulled two pairs of ice skates he’d found in the attic that morning and tucked them beside the bench in the hope he could pull her away from work.

His eyes widened. “It’s been forever, Aspen. I don’t know if I can.”

He dusted snow off the bench and pulled her down next to him. He reached for one of her feet. He slipped her boot off and slid on the skate.

“It’s like riding a bike. You never forget.” He gave the other foot the same treatment and while she laced up, he did the same for his own.

“Ready?”

“To die a horrible death of embarrassment and fall flat on my face with witnesses.”

“I’m the only one here.”

“Yep! And Max. You’re forgetting our furry friend.”

Hearing his name Max barked from the gazebo where he was nice and dry out of the snow. “I’m sure he won’t talk and my lips are sealed. Trust me?”

He extended a hand.

As soon as their blades hit ice he marveled at the total throwback. Her long brown hair furled in the air and the more speed she picked up, the more relaxed she looked. Within seconds her body moved with the flow, all the stiffness he’d witnessed in her moments ago melted away to the woman beneath all the strain.

“I forgot how good this feels.” Laughter filled her voice as she spun, twirled and danced on the ice.

She swung his way and grabbed his hands. They glided in unison and for a brief moment, nothing else existed. Just him and her.

“In Seattle, you forget how peaceful it is here. How much I used to love the pure sound of nature. No motors or horns. Angry drivers.” With her arms out and head thrown back, he looked on as she spiraled.

While he was busy mulling over how to ask her out on that dinner date again, she slowed and raised her head to peer at him from beneath long lashes.

“You get so swept up in the bustling of the city and don’t notice what you’re really missing.” She looked around, taking in the peaceful lake locked in winter’s grasp.

His cheeks stung from the cold and he could see the same for Ivy but it didn’t seem to bother her. She reveled in it as he did in having her close.

“So tell me more about this Christmas tree farm?”

“What’s there to tell? Jace and I wanted to have a farm for a long time. We talked about it if we ever settled down somewhere. California or here. We weren’t sure, to be honest. We loved the woods, trees. I think it’s what pushed us into being firefighters in the first place after college.”

“What’s stopping you now? Or are you still wondering if Dixen is your last stop.”

“No debate there. Just not sure I want to do it alone.”

Ivy skated over to him and took his hand. “I know the feeling.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder and the soft scent of summer hit him again. “Sort of. Feeling alone. It’s not such a good thing. But maybe it’s something Jace would want you to do. If the Christmas tree farm is meant to be, it will be. When I talked to Jon the other day, he told me to believe in miracles. Christmas miracles to be exact.” Her nose scrunched up as though the thought completely perplexed her.

She went to move forward and he intended to follow but at the last second, she changed her mind.

“All I’m saying is that you never…ohhhh…”

Her abrupt turn around caught him off guard. He came nose to nose with her and then ass to ice. The frozen surface did nothing to cushion their tumble as their skates locked together and took them down faster than rocks in a mudslide. Her weight landed on him as he pulled her to his chest, shielding her from the fall.

Sprawled on top of him, they locked gazes and she leaned in close enough to kiss. “Are you all right,” she whispered frantically, her lips a mere inch from his.

He nodded, as his hands trailed up her arms and buried in the long tresses. “You?” he countered, unable to stop the force that brought her lips to his, her leg to slide over him. He gripped her hips and brought her closer. Close enough she could feel what she did to his cock just by being near him. By the sound of her gasp and groan he bet the little bead between her pink pussy lips throbbed, demanding attention.

“Chief, you’re needed in town as soon as possible.”

Radio static rent through the peaceful silence. Damn. His brother had the worst timing of all. In the fall his radio had come unhooked and now lay beside them on the ice.

Ivy pressed her hands against his chest and pushed herself up. He stood and helped her the rest of the way up. As he retrieved the radio, she skated back to the bench and started to unlace.

Without looking at her, he could feel her shield slip into place and his gut told him not to push her too hard, too fast. “Copy, home base. Heading that way now.”

He sat down beside her and made quick work of switching out his skates for his boots.

“Thank you for today,” she said, turning to him. “I totally owe you for that. The help with the B&B I mean. Not the…

“Sex,” he finished for her.

“Right.”

The easy smile gave him hope. Hope he could help her see how much she missed this place and him.

He gathered Ivy’s hands in his and pressed a kiss to the back of her gloves on both hands. Anything else and they would find out just how much tolerance they had to snow on their naked bodies.

“I’ll collect in due time, my lady.” He gave a somewhat graceful bow, or what he hoped looked graceful, that pulled a soft laugh from her lips and then took his leave. The sound of her laughter lifted his heart. No doubt in his mind this Christmas was the last they’d spend apart.